super looonnnggg chapter. why? because I like them.
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あなたの秘密を知っている
i know your secret
Kaori's brows furrowed before she looked back into the sky. Hawks was long gone into the sky by now, his bright crimson feathers nowhere to be seen. She narrowed her eyes at the sky, wondering what this bird was trying to uncover about her. She looked back down at the book in her hands. For some reason, more and more people are starting to become more questioning. Maybe visiting him as Omen would uncover some information.
. . .
" WELCOME TO THE ENDEAVOR AGENCY!!"
" CALL US THE FLAMING SIDE-KICKERS!!" A group of 5 sidekicks greeted the four Work Study students as they were left in the side-kicks' dispatch area. Beside the 5 side-kicks stood the most notable of Endeavor's second hands, Burnin'. She was a feisty woman with electric green flames for hair, a small rasp to her voice although she grinned excitedly at them.
" First Work Study for you two, huh?" Burnin' questioned, pointing towards Bakugou and Todoroki. " No worries, we'll have you whipped into shape in no time." Burnin' twirled dramatically before extending their arms, almost as if she was presenting the spacious room as a sort of secret intelligence agency.
" This is a gigantic operation, here! Nothing like your boring old classes! More than 30 sidekicks employed, we've got about 100 requests comin' in every few minutes! In other words, your gonna be working your infant hineys in order to really shine! Sorry-not-sorry, infants!" Burnin' smiled, the aura of challenge surrounding here as she got in each of their faces. She came face to face with Bakugou, who mirrored her grin of challenge to perfection.
" You don't say? We'll be beating the Pros' at their own game then!" Bakugou shot back.
" You sure can try, infant #2."
As the sidekicks made small-talk with them teenagers, Kaori zoned out, staring at the book in her hands. She flipped open the pages, reading the first few lines slowly. The second part. Second character, second sentence. She read the second highlighted line, skipping them, finding no message or important morals to note. Nothing, she understood none of what he was trying to hint at. She heard the strong bang of a door, closing her book as she looked ahead. Endeavor appeared from his office, the noise and movement ceasing. The big man walked forward, making a beeline for the Work Study kids.
" Shoto. Deku. Back-Track. Bakugou. I will look after you three myself, so, we'll start your Work Studies now. Getting suited up, then meet me here. Burnin', please escort Shimura to her changing room. Kido, escort the boys." Endeavor instructed before walking past the students, leaving them to the sidekicks once more.
" Infant!" Burnin' wrapped an arm around Kaori's neck, the girl letting out a small 'oof' as she looked to the woman. " Gotta say, love the hair! I love individuality, it makes people interesting to look at! C'mon, let's get you lookin' like fire!"
. . .
(disclaimer; the art belongs to me)
" Deku, Bakugou, Back-Track. Before we begin, tell me about yourselves. What are you currently capable of? What weaknesses can you improve on?" Endeavor stood before them, his arms crossed as the four children stood in front of him, listening intently. Kaori crossed her arms over her chest, hips swaying from side to side slowly.
" I want to perform at my fullest, but in order to do that, I'll need to gain better control over my power." Midoriya started off, holding out his hand as it formed into a fist.
" I see. Your Quirk is so strong it hurts you. Is that right?" Endeavor questioned, thinking back to the Sports Festival when the boy had spoken those words.
" IT'S YOUR QUIRK! YOUR QUIRK, NOT HIS!!"
" Yes. I've learned to control to the point where I don't normally injure myself. However, uh-" Midoriya hesitated for a moment, thinking of how to properly word his next sentence. Bakugou starred at him with a rather very strong annoyance and intensity as Kaori narrowed her eyes at the boy. " There's this other..thing. It's uh-..it's a part of my power, but it's manifesting in a way..I'm..I've never experienced before...?"
" Show me." Endeavor requested. Midoriya raised his arm, his green electricity beginning to spark around his body. Kaori watched, almost as if it would attack again, her body suddenly becoming tense as it appeared, just that small fragment of the unruly power. She felt a shiver go down her spine as she remembered the moments those folds of black and green tried to capture, suffocate the life out of her as she tried to save her friend. She let out a breath she wasn't aware she'd been holding when it disappeared into thin air.
" If I concentrate, I can release the small amount I can handle. Right now, this is the most I can manage." Midoriya explained, lowering his arm once more. " If I'm not careful, this unruly energy can explode out of me and I won't be in control anymore." Endeavor thought to himself for a moment, looking over the key points of the boy's Quirk.
" What do you mean when you say performing at your fullest? Explain your power." Endeavor demanded, wanting to hear more of the boy's unruly and perhaps never-before-heard-of power. Midoriya started zoning out for a moment before talking in...analysis-mode.
" It appears to be a whip, and can be super versatile. I want to turn it from a weapon into a useful tool. The truth is, I'm trying to figure out if I can master it like Air Force. Oh, yeah, and Air Force...long distance...power blasts...more output, less body power...basline 10-15%...air force is 20%....painful tinglings...analysisanalysisanalysis." As Midoriya began going over the full of his Quirk, as well as it's drawbacks and abilities, and more of whatever self-analysis he put into his head. Todoroki watched in slight confusion, trying to piece things together. This is not the same as matching secret-love-children, Todoroki thought. Bakugou watched in frustration, his teeth gritting against each other it started making sparks. Kaori stood there, unimpressed, trying to configure how somebody could talk so much about themselves without appearing egotistical or arrogant.
" I see." HE WHAT?! " At heart, you want to be able to constantly adjust power levels when you're fighting?" Kaori watched in disbelief as Endeavor took the verbal 10 page essay and summed it up in less than 2 sentences.
" Exactly!" Endeavor hummed, taking this into account. Those brief moments at the Sports Festival when he'd met the boy, and seen a very real comparison between him and All Might. Back when he was still power hungry, and doing everything in his power to surpass the best, when, even he, knew he would never be the one.
" You've had trouble with your Quirk. Trust me when I say you're not alone." Endeavor mentioned, rather too calmly for Kaori's liking.
He turned to Bakugou, " You. Your turn."
" I'm only here to figure out what I can't do. That's the question." Bakugou stated, as if he'd already previously planned what'd he say.
Burnin' let out a short, hearty laugh, " One heck of an ego there, huh?!"
" SHUT UP! WHY ARE YOU EVEN STILL HERE ANYWAY!!?"
" Who, Me? Oh, infant, I'm on standby." Bakugou growled before turning back to the #1 Hero, grunting softly as he too looked at his hand. What is up with looking at your hand these days? We gonna start singing Let It Go? Let it Go~Let it Go~
" All my life I've been able to do everything I wanted with this power," Bakugou stated, setting off a few explosions. " I may have only one Quirk, but I can still become the best there is. Over the last year, I've learned things. Like how having raw power doesn't make you the strongest you can be." Bakugou closed his open hand into a fist, letting it fall to his side.
" I came here to figure out what will make me even better, to surpass you." Endeavor had no reaction to the boy's up-frontness. In true honesty, he preferred it rather than someone lying to him as respect instead of actually telling him what they had in store. Endeavor turned to Kaori, who stood next to his son's right side, still mastering that same glare. And at that same glare, Endeavor narrowed his eyes a bit.
" Shimura. I'd like to ask why you glare at me like that, as if you already resent me. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you even loathed me. So, why? And I don't want to hear your respectful response. I want to hear what you have to say." Endeavor requested, turning towards the girl. Kaori closed her eyes slowly, looking away from the man, beyond him to the wall they faced.
" I never intended on coming to your agency, not even the slightest," At her voice finally being heard, the boys turned toward her. If she didn't plan on coming, why did she stand here, with them and Endeavor, now? " My initial plan was for two different view points. One in the spotlight, one more hidden. I've already done a Work Study with Eraserhead, and my plan was to intern with Jeanist, but his recent disappearance has stalled those plans. I'm here thanks to Shoto." Kaori turned to side-eye the man again, to which he hadn't noticed he stopped his breath, pulling in a large intake.
" You were never on my list, Endeavor. I'll respect you as a Hero, but I won't respect you as the person you are. That is the truth." An eerie silence passed as Endeavor took the words, processed them, and planted them straight into the center. It wouldn't be hard to understand that his son and her were close, that there was the possibility he'd told her everything.
" Very well. Let's not waste time." Endeavor nodded, already moving to leave the room as the sidekicks were left baffled, the three other Work Study students starring at her in astonishment. Who knew that Kaori, one of the most open-minded, relaxed, understanding person in their class, could hold that much resentment toward one person.
" What about me?" Todoroki asked, stepping forward.
" AREN'T YOU JUST HERE TO LEARN FLASHFIRE?!" Endeavor exclaimed, turning toward his son in utter astonishment. From that moment, Todoroki poured out how he truly felt, toward Endeavor and the existence of his own power. Kaori could see his gears turning, tapes of his childhood playing through his head.
" I came because it's beneficial for me, #1. Don't pretend to be a caring parent in front of my friends." Endeavor could clearly remember the words his son spoke to him at the dinner table, the memories of his past only as the power hungry flame.
" Endeavor the top Hero was amazing, but I still can't forgive you for what you did to Mom. As for being my Father, we'll see how your actions play out."
" From here, you'll learn by joining me in the field."
. . .
" Rescue. Evacuation. Combat."
Out in the city once again, they were now sporting their Hero Costume, listening to Endeavor as he spoke to them. Kaori walked beside Bakugou, watching her surroundings, aware that with such a population, every 1 in 20 people could be armed. She wasn't fully paying attention, but she could hear brief messages.
" Remember what your goal is," Endeavor said, catching her attention for a moment. " At UA, it's hard-work. Out here, it's experience. Bank as much of the latter as you can."
" This winter, I want you to show me you can capture a villain faster than me just once!"
Kaori clicked her fingers subconsciously, needing to do something with her hand and get rid of her Quirk's overbuilt energy. As she seemed to click her fingers, however, Endeavor blasted off, catching all three's attention. Kaori ran after him, despite being behind the boys by 1 second. She sprinted right past them, while looking like a blur, everything seemed to move 2 times slower. She watched as the Number 1 rounded the corner, without a moment of hesitance, whereas she would've had to stop for at least a moment.
He never stopped accelerating! Kaori reared her body around, jumping onto the buildings edge, pushing herself as she bounced back and forth between walls as if she was apart of a pinball machine. She stopped running as she realized Endeavor had already snatched the thug and his two other sidekicks had met him at the scene. I was too slow..?
" You kids were far too slow. Shimura managed to keep close proximity, but even she would've missed the thug." Endeavor turned to look back as the three others appeared at Kaori's side.
" It takes me longer to get warmed up in the cold." Bakugou excused.
" Kaori, did you notice that turn?" Todoroki asked, appearing at her side. Bakugou budged into the conversation before she could respond.
" There's nothing you could've noticed that I didn't catch before you, but go on. Let's hear it." Bakugou threatened (somewhat) through gritted teeth, giving an odd sort of cat smile.
" Wow. That's petty." She commented shortly.
" That turn. He used his flames to propel himself and accelerate his speed. He must've compressed the move to drive his power." Todoroki explained. Bakugou did indeed know this before, believing the old man copied his Explosion.
" How are you just now noticing that icy-hot?" Bakugou questioned. Todoroki wiped the bit of sweet that trickled down his left side, smirking for a moment. DAMN, HE CAN SMIRK?!
" Guess it took me awhile to figure out."
" Oh my gosh, you're practically smiling!" Kaori awed, happy that he finally looked not like a depressed zombie-peppermint.
" Let me point out one more thing. A busy street is nearby." At this notion, Kaori finally understood. She would've indeed been too late at the speed she was going out, and the man would've made it to the streets, making an easy escape. If she followed, it was most likely some things could go down and somebody could get hurt. As they all realized this in amazement, Endeavor was off again, flying away without a second to lose.
" You kids go ahead! It isn't everyday the big guy takes on anybody other than Shoto, so take advantage of this while you can!" The four Work Study students shot off down the road, keeping Endeavor's flames in sight. They raced forward, taking the roof-tops as the best route. Kaori's vision roamed further than the other's, seeing a charging truck, and two unaware people walking straight for each other. Something clicked in her and she felt a burning presence near her body and then the movements of another. As Kaori's eyes blinked, things felt...off. She reopened her eyes, seeing the two people she'd seen in the previous moments in her arms. She looked around for a moment, seeing Endeavor's flaming fist put a halt to the the speeding truck. But...I wasn't here. I would never have been fast enough.
" This isn't a classroom. If you don't make it in time, you don't get a bad grade. People don't come home."
. . .
Sitting atop of a rather tall building, the four of them were eating lunch as they peered down at the city, watching it intensely. Sure, perhaps it was only the first day, but first day or not, they wanted to exceed Endeavor's expectations. They needed to beat him; that would be their first sign of worth. Kaori let her feet dangle over the edge as she chewed on her pork bun. The breeze was strong where they sat, blowing her hair to the side with it's reassuring chill. My feet are dangling over the edge~the bottom of the bottle is my only friend~
" Deku. Is it right to say you can max out your power in an instant? And you're able to do so without thinking?" Endeavor questioned.
" Yes...or, I can, with Full Cowling at least. Air Force still requires concentration, though." Midoriya answered, looking up at the man, swallowing his food quickly. Endeavor's question drew the attention of the three other students, their eyes watching as he turned to face the other side of the building.
" Keep practicing then until Air Force is second nature to you. Forget about the new power for now." Endeavor ordered. Midoriya found this a bit questionable.
" But sir, you mentioned parallel processing?" Midoriya said, referring to the brief moment before they'd had to race after the man.
" People learn using parallel processing without even realizing it. You subconscious will do the work. Take a man behind the wheel of a car," Endeavor instructed, the image appearing in the four's minds. " He wasn't born knowing how to drive. Turning the wheel, pressing the gas and break pedal, noting his surroundings. He learned those things individually, and over time."
" First, you must be able to do two things at once without concentration. Once you've mastered that, add something else. No matter how strong a power you may have, it's foundation is always built on a steady accumulation of skills." Kaori watched as the man's flames flickered and grew, her eyes studying him as her ears processed his words.
" There are exceptions of course, but the great majority of Pros build their power brick by brick. Something to remember is that as they build themselves, they also serve great pain. Their job is to take that pain and turn it into accomplishment." For a moment, Endeavor's words gave her chills. Turn pain, Kaori thought back to mere moments of the last year. Mere moments where pain was all she knew. Into accomplishment. I'll turn my pain into drive, and my drive will help harness my power. Even if I have just this mere week to completely center my focus on this Work Study, I will pull my pain, and I will exceed my limits.
yes. yes we will. will you finally accept me kaori?
will you finally realize that omen...
is not just your disguise?