Nine had managed to evade capture, having landed far away from where the Pro-Heroes had arrived to save the students of Class 1-A and the citizens of Nabu Island. All round him were pink and white flowers, and he dragged himself through the field of orchids, without even having a way out.
Above the man, a portal opened in the air and Shigaraki Tomura stepped outside, dressed in a red trench coat over his black clothing and a hand placed over his face. He looked at the bloody mess.
"So, you're still alive," Tomura commented. "It seems like you ran into those kids from U.A,"
"Shigaraki..." rasped out Nine as he raised his head slightly, crawling up toward him on the slope.
"Did you fight that Midoriya kid?" Tomura said. "Then, you must have met her as well, huh?" He turned his head to look in the distant. "She is on this island, too, huh?"
"Just a little more, a little..." spoke Nine as he continued to crawl closer, ignoring his musings.
"Don't worry, I will fulfil your dream," Tomura replied as he returned his eyes on Nine. He began to walk over to the man on the ground. "Since you touched her when no one should dare..."
"It only takes one leader..." said Nine, reaching out to grab Tomura.
"That's right," Tomura agreed, grabbing Nine by the face and activating his Decay Quirk, turning the fallen Villain into particles of mere dust. "It only takes one..."
"Rest, Nine, good job,"
Kimitsuki stood atop the ferry as it slowly made its way through the gentle waves, travelling toward the direction of the Japanese main land. It was night time now, and the silence extended across the sea as Kimitsuki looked at the glinting black waves beneath the silver moonlight. It was an eerie sight but she felt too burdened by her thoughts to really feel the depth of how terrifying it was to her.
Everything that had happened on the Nabu Island had wrapped up fairly well – yet the thought as to what she had done to Nine's Lightning attack remained a mystery to her. She could use her own Quirk on herself to figure it out but she had been told against using her Quirk for a further while.
And somewhere inside of her, there was a certain feeling that kept her from wanting to look either: the fear that she may not like what she would discover within herself. It was a very heavy feeling.
In the meantime, everyone else had returned back into the ferry. Some of the students had retired to their rooms to rest for the night while the others had gathered in the dining area to talk and eat.
Although the ferry was rather big, all of the students had been paired up into rooms. The only triple-seater had been given to the boys which left Kimitsuki as the only person who had no one to share a room with. She felt suffocated in the lonely room and had wanted to be outside by herself.
Yet standing here by herself made her a bit uncomfortable. Kimitsuki often felt that way now, ever since the foul existence of Shigaraki Tomura had entered her life. Everything she did had to be thought through in case she ran into him or he came hurtling back in front of her.
Seeing Nine use that Quirk of All for One's, Kimitsuki was reminded of Shigaraki. She was sure that Shigaraki had not been on the island as far as she was aware yet she felt an eerie feel as if he was.
No one seemed to understand entirely how she felt and Kimitsuki had no way to explain the way Shigaraki's words and touches crawled up her skin. She found herself reaching to scratch at the skin where he had once touched him, as if peeling it away would relieve her of his lingering feel.
Quiet footsteps pulled Kimitsuki out of her lonesome burden and she stopped her assault upon herself as she turned her head around to see that the person coming upstairs to the deck was none other than Katsuki.
"... Ka-Chan," Kimitsuki spoke and she watched as Katsuki's red eyes turned to look at her. She gave him a small smile. "Did you have your dinner yet? You're usually asleep by now,"
"I already had dinner," Katsuki muttered. Kimitsuki nodded. "And why did I have to be in a room with two idiots? I wanted a room by myself!"
"Not sure, I think it was dependent on who offered to share with whom," Kimitsuki replied. "You must be popular, Ka-Chan, for Kirishima-Kun and Kaminari-Kun wanting to share a room with you,"
"Who are you with?" Katsuki inquired and Kimitsuki looked at him awkwardly.
"Um, I have a room by myself," Kimitsuki answered. Katsuki raised his eyebrows at her. "If you'd like, you have it – I can rest in the hospital wing for the night,"
"Do you have no friends?" Katsuki asked, his eyes suddenly narrowed at the white-haired girl.
It was the most unexpected question and Kimitsuki was slightly offended – offended because she was sure he was going to be disgruntled over her having a room by herself, not that she was supposedly lonely. Even more so, the tough Katsuki of the past would've told her that she was weird to not have friends share room with her. She stared at him in silence before sighing.
"What a weird question," Kimitsuki mumbled. "Of course, I have friends but there are only seven girls. Uraraka-Chan and Asui-Chan are close friends, and so are Jiro-Chan and Yaoyorozu-Chan... as for Ashido-Chan and Hagakure-Chan, their interests and energy match,"
Yet Katsuki remained silent as he continued to look at her in the silver light of the moon above their heads. Kimitsuki met his eyes with surprising amount of vigour in response.
"I can be a bit reserved and I have more duties, too," Kimitsuki told him toughly. "But on the mention of friends seeking each other as friends, do you consider Kirishima-Kun and Kaminari-Kun as friends, then?"
Kimitsuki had flipped the issue onto Katsuki, and for a moment, he could only splutter in response, looking at her with wide eyes. Then, she let out a gentle chuckle and looked away, back toward the direction of the distant black sea that stretched endlessly. Katsuki leaned over the railing as well.
Silence fell between the two of them but it was not the sort that was heavy or strange. Kimitsuki felt like she had forgotten about her worries when someone talked to her. When Katsuki talked to her.
"... I felt so worried," Kimitsuki spoke up. "No, rather, I feel worried all the time when it comes to Izu-Chan and Ka-Chan... yet whenever I see you and fight next to you, I feel a strange relief as well,"
"You're talking strange things again," Katsuki grunted as he looked away, rubbing the back of his head. "I keep telling you – I'm going to be the Number One Hero!"
"I know," Kimitsuki replied, biting back a smile as she looked toward him. "I suppose that is where the relief comes from... it was amazing, seeing how you protected Mahoro-Chan..."
Katsuki remained quiet; a bit disgruntled that Kimitsuki had only pointed that out how he had protected Mahoro and not her. For a moment, he wanted to pick an issue about it with her but the thought vanished immediately. Instead, he remained silent, looking at the crashing waves.
"... thank you, too, Ka-Chan," Kimitsuki said as she looked down at her hands. "For protecting me there as well... and helping me go on to fight next to you and Izu-Chan,"
Kimitsuki was already looking toward him when Katsuki's eyes turned to look at her, and when they did, her lips pulled up with a gentle smile at him. He felt the back of his neck burn and he didn't trust his tongue to say anything properly so he could only stare at her.
"I can always rely on you," Kimitsuki admitted. She rubbed her eye slightly. "Even during our visit to the I-Island, you were kind to me. I am grateful for that,"
And then, as she had done that one night, Kimitsuki held her arms out slightly, clearly seeking a hug from him. Katsuki wasn't sure how to hug her first so he simply straightened up, giving her the silent cue that she could hug him, and she eagerly moved to do so as well.
Those gentle arms wrapped around his body and Katsuki let out a sigh in the flutter of her long white hair. He gave it a moment before returning the hug, feeling a bit less awkward than before.
"Thank you again," Kimitsuki whispered, setting her head against his. "Thank you, Ka-Chan,"
"Are you sick?" Katsuki muttered, feeling his cheeks grow warm but even so, he was certain that she was only ever this clingy when she was catching a cold. Kimitsuki let out a laugh.
"Ka-Chan, I'm doing well," Kimitsuki assured him as she moved back from the hug. "Although, I do feel rather tired... I think I must go and turn in... my eyes feel strained again... good night, Ka-Chan,"
Katsuki watched as Kimitsuki gave him a small wave even though she was standing right next to him before she turned around to exit the ferry deck. And with a flutter of her long white hair, she was gone from his view. Letting out a sigh, he ran a hand through his hair, looking back toward the dark.
... where are we headed...?
🤍
It was a relief to return back to the Heights Alliance back at the UA school premises, and Kimitsuki had yet another check-up with Recovery Girl regarding her injuries before she was allowed to leave. As soon as she discharged from clinic, Aizawa had swooped by and told her that she needed to come with him to the Principal Nezu's office so that they could discuss her Quirk there.
Principal Nezu was not alone in his office when Kimitsuki and Aizawa arrived. All Might was there as well, and he stood up when she arrived. Kimitsuki greeted them all properly with a bow before she was allowed to take a seat next to Aizawa on the sofa, across from All Might and Principal Nezu.
"Young Kuroyanagi," spoke All Might. "As you may have figured out, we are going to talk about your Quirk. I heard you reported to your teacher that your Quirk seemed to have manifested anew?"
"Yes," Kimitsuki confirmed with a heavy sigh. "And it was not a single manifestation," She closed her eyes briefly. "I am certain that there were at least two different manifestations,"
"Will you be able to see those new manifestations with your own Quirk?" Principal Nezu inquired.
"Yes, I should be able to do that," Kimitsuki replied, nervously playing with her fingers. "Shall I?"
"Do you think you want to do it right now?" Aizawa asked, seemingly well-aware of how emotional state. Kimitsuki nodded, wanting to get it over with bravely. "Okay,"
"I will do it now," Kimitsuki said. "I have not used my Quirk since then so I have been unsure..."
"I'll switch your Quirk off if it goes awry," Aizawa assured her and Kimitsuki felt a bit better.
Kimitsuki took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She switched on her Quirk, keeping her eyes shut for a moment to see if there was any change in her body. When she was sure that there was nothing aloof within, she allowed herself to open her eyes and look toward her teachers.
"An external change," Aizawa observed as he looked right at her eyes. Kimitsuki blinked at him in confusion. "The symbols in your activated Quirk have changed their appearance,"
"They have?" Kimitsuki asked, and Principal Nezu pulled out a mirror from seemingly nowhere and held it out for the girl. "Oh, thank you, Principal Nezu..."
Bringing the looking mirror up in front of her, Kimitsuki looked back at herself to find that Aizawa was correct – her iris was still glowing violet but it had gained several rings within it, and her three Tomoe-symbols had turned into six different Tomoe around her pupil.
"That confirms it, there has been some change in your Quirk," All Might said, and his expression was very serious now. "Go ahead, Young Kuroyanagi, when you feel comfortable,"
"Yes, Sensei," Kimitsuki replied, now feeling very nervous since it was confirmed that it had evolved.
Turning her eyes upon herself, it took a moment but Kimitsuki was soon able to see within herself, trying to figure out what had changed regarding her Quirk after fighting against the Villain Nine.
"I see... I feel that I understand what happened that day," Kimitsuki breathed. "There are two certain manifestations... something happened that day that led down to this..." She looked up and toward All Might. "Please, All Might, I want to ask you if it would be possible for me to meet All for One,"
"What are you talking about, Kuroyanagi?" Aizawa asked, looking wholly taken aback by her sudden request. "What does your Quirk have to do with meeting All for One,"
"All for One is currently being held in Tartarus," All Might said, also confused. "But must you...?" He shook his head. "What did you see within yourself?"
"Something must have happened with Nine that caused me to release my Quirk," Kimitsuki reasoned. "How am I suddenly able to create a pocket dimension and manipulate forces?"
"What?" Aizawa asked. "Pocket dimension and manipulate forces?"
"The lightning that Nine had struck upon us through his Weather Manipulation," Kimitsuki explained. "It went into my pocket dimension, and seeing that I pushed Izu-Chan and Ka-Chan away from the location... yes, that has to be this attractive and repulsive forces,"
"So, you are able to see your new powers," spoke up Principal Nezu, finished with his tea. "And from what I know, you must be able to full understand them, too, right, young girl?"
"Yes, I can see where they are focused, and their limitations and drawbacks," Kimitsuki answered. "But I want to know more about how it came about,"
"From what I understand, it may have manifested simply because of the situation," Aizawa said, trying to reason with her. "Your desperation to save your friends,"
"Aizawa-Kun is correct," All Might agreed. "You – above all – must understand that aspect of Quirk evolution... must you meet with All for One?"
"I feel like there will be some answers there," Kimitsuki pointed out. "Maybe he knows something about all this, about my past, too... and did you not say that I was requested by the Tartarus in case I could aid them regarding All for One? No one else has a Scanning Quirk like mine,"
None of her teachers were keen on the idea of Kimitsuki heading to Tartarus but in the end, both All Might and Aizawa relented after private discussions with Principal Nezu, with Gran Torino, with the Police and the Tartarus enforcement as well as Kimitsuki's grandfather. It took them two days before they returned with the permit for Kimitsuki to visit Tartarus, though Aizawa seemed unimpressed.
Aizawa had told Kimitsuki point-blank that he was not happy to have her go to Tartarus, much less meet All for One. It was not somewhere that was good for students to visit, and he had felt that Kimitsuki needed rest before she went off doing stuff of such nature. Kimitsuki remained quiet.
"The prison of Tartarus is barred from visits from citizens for a reason," Aizawa told her as they stood together outside the Class 1-A dormitory. "You may still change your mind, Kuroyanagi,"
Yet Kimitsuki had not changed her mind, believing that it would allow her to know more about what was going on – why she was being targeted when she had nothing to do with anything. It was true that she had trained with All Might and was friends with Midoriya Izuku.
But Kimitsuki herself had nothing to do with One for All – she never had that Quirk and she never planned on having it. Still, she was being targeted so recently by the League of Villains.
There was nothing that should warrant an interest in her by the League of Villains, by All for One, by Shigaraki Tomura, by his lackies like Dabi and Nine, by Wolfram and so many others.
Every time that Kimitsuki was sure that she was going to heal from the pain she had suffered on the hands of these people, something new happened. She was almost shocked at her own ability to stand after everything that had happened.
"Aizawa Sensei, I understand what you mean," Kimitsuki replied carefully. "And I do realise how it may impact me mentally... but I also feel that I may never find a way out if I don't go through it..."
In the meantime, Kimitsuki had gone to the office of Hero Public Safety Commission where she was scheduled a meeting with Mera Yokumiru regarding the evolution of her Quirk and if she needed to fill out any paperwork relating to them in case it may be held against her license in the future.
From her own understanding of her Quirk, and she was well-aware of it, Kimitsuki had figured out that she had two new abilities that had manifested that night.
One of them allowed her eyes to crack an opening in the empty air itself, allowing a pocket dimension to form wide enough to swallow the attack. She understood now that the jittery feeling she felt after doing so with Nine's lightning attack was due to her feeling the brunt of that attack not out-worldly – rather, she felt it internally on a cellular level.
There was more to it – the prospect that she could allow herself to put her body parts into the pocket dimension but only her body seemed to be able to do so, not anyone else. Even that appeared rather tough as the dimension would not let her stay there for more than five seconds.
Another thing was clear that Kimitsuki was only able to use this ability against Accumulation and Emitter Quirks. The same could not be done against any physical, Transformation, Mutant Quirks.
"We need to start working on discovering more about your new abilities," Aizawa said as he stood across from her, his hand on his waist as he observed her trying to use her new ability.
"Do you think it'll be safe for her to do that so suddenly?" Hitoshi asked as he glanced up toward their teacher. "What if she gets hurt doing it? Don't we need more precautions?"
"There shouldn't be a problem as long as I'm around," Aizawa reminded him. "She's a tough girl, too," Hitoshi almost flushed red at the bland look that the older man was passing him.
But there was so much strain that the pocket dimension put on her body that Kimitsuki gave up soon after and Aizawa told her to take her time to get used to it. When he had left to receive a call, Hitoshi had knelt down in front of her and held out a can of juice for her to have.
"He's right that you're tough," Hitoshi said as he opened the can for her. "But you can't be stubborn and end up hurting yourself. You already got hurt on the Nabu Island,"
"Thank you, Hitoshi-Kun," Kimitsuki mumbled, taking the juice from him gently and taking a small sip. "I understand... I will be careful with myself, I'm sorry for worrying you,"
"You don't have to apologise to me, must I mention that to you always?" Hitoshi asked, and he appeared to be rather amused still. "Use that energy on keeping yourself safe from harm,"
"Hitoshi-Kun... Hitoshi-Kun, I'm sorry for apologising," Kimitsuki replied, looking up at him until he cracked – the two of them broke out into shared laughter.
"Come on," Hitoshi said as he stood back up and held out a hand to her. Kimitsuki took it and he grasped his hold on her. "Let's get up now,"
"Thank you," Kimitsuki said, smiling up at him as she was pulled to her feet. "I appreciate it,"
On the other hand, the second aspect of her new Quirk evolution was that Kimitsuki was now able to manipulate forces – forces that dealt with attracting or repelling things away from her. It was clear that she could use this on people, as she had done with Izuku and Katsuki.
But Kimitsuki later learned that she could also do the same with objects. It took her a moment before she fully realised the limitation of five feet. She could only use the Quirk within that range.
And the way that the white-haired girl figured that out for certain was a rather painful experience.
Kimitsuki had been sitting in the common area of her dormitory building, crocheting a sweater for her puppy when she was suddenly struck by the thought that she needed to practice that part, too.
The closest thing she could find to do that upon was a plastic water bottle sitting on the table nearby. Kimitsuki activated her Quirk and began to concentrate upon it, trying to see how much time it would take her to get that over, and how much strength to do so as well.
What Kimitsuki did not anticipate was that very strength because the moment she concentrated, the bottle flew rapidly and slammed right onto her face, making her let out a cry of pain at the force.
"No!" Kimitsuki groaned as she reached for nose to find that it was bleeding rather profusely.
At the same instance, there was sound of scrambling feet and seconds later, Katsuki had appeared in the common area. He did a quick scan of the room before he realised that there was no Villain in the dormitory – yet somehow, Kimitsuki was supporting a bloody nose and a pained expression.
"What happened to you?" Katsuki demanded at once. "Who punched you? Why are you bleeding?" He grabbed her face to move it up so he could have a look. "It's screwed up!"
"I hurt myself, Ka-Chan," Kimitsuki mumbled, her eyes watery as she looked up at him. "I was trying to check out my new ability if I could pull things toward myself... and it just hit me in the face,"
For a moment, Katsuki was silent as he stared at the face in his hands, and then, "Are you stupid?"
"No...?" Kimitsuki asked and she reached up to wipe at the blood that kept on flowing down her nose. "Ka-Chan, my nose hurts... I have to go and fix it... I feel light-headed,"
"Stay there, don't be an idiot," Katsuki told her before he let go of her face to go and fetch the first aid box. "What in the world are you attempting in the middle of the night?"
Kimitsuki did not say anything because Katsuki grabbed her chin at that moment, raising her face so he could dab at her bloody mess. She was silent as she allowed him to do as he pleased with her, and he was surprisingly aware and gentle as he cleaned and patched her injury up for her.
For a moment, when Katsuki had finished, the two of them found themselves staring at each other in silence. It seemed like it was finally dawning on them the situation that they were in.
"I won't do it again, I realise it now," Kimitsuki admitted, feeling her cheeks starting to gain colour rather rapidly at the feel of Katsuki on her skin. "I suppose I should go and turn in... it is late now..."
"Yeah!" Katsuki responded, seemingly embarrassed himself. "You do that!"
"Thank you, Ka-Chan, for helping me," Kimitsuki said, giving him a gentle smile. "Good night,"
🤍