A/N: I just wanted to say how grateful I am for how extremely well the reception was for last chapter.
I've been planning that for years, and was super anxious about it. There were only a few who were uncertain about it, but they were still open to the idea and gave me a chance. You do get your owed explanation at the end of this chapter. You will see I USED THE RULES OF THE UNIVERSE. Kohei wants to abuse how bullshit everything is in this world, then I'm gonna work that shit. I would honestly argue I made it actually make sense.
This chapter is very Kyouka-Centric, for two reasons.
1. She has a lot to work through right now, for the big obvious reason from last chapter
2. Izuku can't do much with two broken arms.
Something I wanted to ask though, how many of you can think of how many times I foreshadowed the OFA evolution. Cause, if you go back through the story, I actually do it quite a bit. The first one actually being Kyouka started to train with Izuku. Yes, this has been planned for that long. All the way back before they were even dating, like chapter 4 or 5 or something like that.
...~AIV~...
The couple ran through the forest, both trying to keep their heart rates in check, albeit for very different reasons.
Izuku was doing his best not to move his arms, his adrenaline still sustaining. But, he had to admit, a part of his excitement was the sight of Kyouka.
They weren't running that much faster, but it was definitely at a speed most humans couldn't match. She was keeping it low, per Izuku's instruction, so that no violet lightning appeared. That was the last thing they needed anyone seeing. However, the thought of it was...
Okay, it was SO COOL.
He still had no idea if One For All would fade away from him, but it was still here now. So, Izuku deemed it okay to geek out over the thought of his girlfriend with those powers. They could train together, speed through city streets, over rooftops, she could punch a damn building into pieces.
She could...become a number one target of All For One.
Oh...
How was he supposed to explain it to All Might? What about the class? Or Mika and Kyoutoku? It would be hard enough to make everyone believe that Kyouka manifested a second quirk, but one identical to Izuku's? Not only that, but she grew this quirk at the age of sixteen? He had just a believable enough story, but an entirely new quirk spawning in someone's teenage years had never happened before.
Shit, maybe this was bad.
Kyouka's heart rate was high, yes from the running, but mainly because she was absolutely terrified.
Surprisingly, her fear didn't come from the villain attack. She had One For All. She was using One For All. What the flying fuck was today?! When Izuku had said she was his first choice in case something happened to him, she didn't put much stock into it. Perhaps she just didn't want to think about Izuku meeting an untimely demise.
But, now it was real. Very, very real.
And, of course, the vestiges apparently couldn't help them, because this wasn't a simple case of passing it on to her. Something strange and new had happened, something none of them had answers for, and now she was running around a massive forest like a chicken with her head cut off.
And why was everything SO DAMN LOUD?!
Whatever. She had to stay positive, like Izuku would want her to. No matter what was happening with One For All, they had to focus on saving as many people as they could, including Bakugou. She may hate him, but he didn't deserve whatever the hell the League wanted him for.
She couldn't just stand by and do nothing. And, now, if absolutely necessary, she had the power to back it up.
All she needed to do was to keep it in check in front of people.
Like Aizawa, who was directly in front of them.
...Wait.
"Mr. Aizawa!" / "Mr. Aizawa!"
Ahead of them, Aizawa stopped his sprint, turning to see his students much worse for wear. His gaze fell on Izuku, his eyes widening once he saw his arms.
Aizawa quickly knelt down in front of Izuku, examining his arms, "What happened?!"
"We don't have time, Mr. Aizawa. We need you to take Kota and-"
Aizawa held his finger up, cutting Izuku off, "You're right, we don't have time. Jirou, make sure he gets to the infirmary, now. I have to-"
"We can't!" Izuku cut him off, shaking his head. "We have to find Kacchan!"
"...Excuse me?"
"He's a target," Kyouka clarified. "The villain we fought said so. They're looking for Bakugou."
"...Shit," Aizawa seethed out, detaching a portion of his scarf and wrapping it tightly around Izuku's arms, creating makeshift slings for both of them. "Okay, I'll find him. You two-"
"No," Kyouka stopped him. "We can find him, we're much faster. He's with Shoto, so the four of us working together should be able to handle anyone we come across. We'll get Kota to the lodge, go back to find Bakugou, head back to the lodge again, taking anyone we find with us."
"Absolutely not," Aizawa sternly fought back. "Your safety is the top priority. You need to find Mandalay and tell he-"
"You're going the wrong way," Izuku interrupted him.
"...Excuse me?"
"Kacchan was the second group to go. He has to be well past the halfway point of the Test of Courage by now. You're going the wrong way. Tenya is back at the lodge, so Kyouka and I are the fastest on site. My race with Tenya makes me familiar with the paths here. I know the general area of where he'll be. My arms may be busted, but my legs still work and I'm still breathing. Kyouka can fight too, more than you even realize. We can do this."
"And, let's be honest," Kyouka shrugged. "You know you can't actually stop us. Problem Children and all that."
Aizawa shifted his eyes back and forth between them, clearly conflicted with the situation. But, he had no time to be conflicted. He had no time to doubt either.
He growled, fastening the last binding around Izuku's arms and standing up. "Okay. I believe in you two. Do what you said you'll do, and nothing else. When you get back to the lodge, tell Mandalay that everyone has permission to fight back, not that you were all given much of a choice."
"Yes, sir!" / "Yes, sir!" The couple began to rush off again, heading towards the lodge.
"Hey!" They stopped as their teacher suddenly yelled for them, quickly turning back to face Aizawa. "Show these bastards just what AMP is capable of? You understand me?"
They glanced at each other, smirking a little as they nodded at their teacher. They turned back towards the lodge and made a break for it.
Aizawa squinted at his students as they ran away, something appearing very odd to him.
'Am I crazy, or is Jirou running really damn fast?'
As AMP moved through the forest, Kyouka called over to her boyfriend, "A little on the nose with the comment about me being able to fight, don't you think?"
"Maybe, but I've been thinking about something anyway. I'll explain after we make it through this." Kyouka nodded, returning all of her focus back to the task at hand.
When they made it out of this, not if.
...~AIV~...
(Test of Courage Entrance)
"She had a date, you foul fiend!" Tiger clashed with Magne once again, pushing back against her magnet in their stalemate. "And you just had to go and damage Pixie Bob's face."
"Well, if it's meant to be, then her date won't care what she looks like."
"That's...actually a fair poin-Whoa! Wait a minute! Don't you distract me! I'll pound your face into ground beef!"
"Tiger!" Mandalay shouted as she ducked under Spinner's blade, sweeping his leg. "For the love of all that's holy, stop talking to them!"
"Aw, what's wrong?" Spinner taunted her, slashing down again and just barely missing her. "I thought heroes loved to banter! Boost your ratings for the cameras, you frauds! Now be a good fake and be purged! Nothing's gonna get in our wa-!"
"St. Louis!"
Spinner's eyes widened, feeling a sudden buzz in the air growing more intense, "...Ah shit."
"SMAAAASH!" Zooming out of the forest, Izuku's foot collided right into Spinner's snout, a few teeth shattering out of his jaw as he was rocketed towards the forest and through a few trees. Izuku shook off the vibrations in his leg as he landed, already extremely grateful for the slings Aizawa gave him. His arms hurt beyond Hell, but movement was kept to a minimum. "Mandalay! We have Kota!"
Kyouka slid past Magne, one of her jacks releasing her hold on Kota and wrapping around her calves and yanking the villain's footing out from under her.
Buuut, her newfound strength that she had absolutely no idea how to properly control yet led her to practically slinging Magne through the air and into the trees.
...An act that both Pussycats saw, astonished at the action.
'SHIT! ShitShitShitShitShit!' Kyouka turned back to the heroes, her eyes wide. She looked over Mandalay's shoulder in search of help from Izuku, but all he could give was a panicked shrug. She set Kota down in front of Mandalay, backing away quickly. "Uh, your training has really paid off! Thanks, guys! Okaygottagosaveanassholebye!"
Mandalay wasn't even focused on Kyouka's ramblings, instead rushing towards Kota and picking him up in a hug. "Oh thank goodness! Are you hurt?! I'm so sorry I didn't know where you were!"
"I-I'm fine, but..."
"Mandalay!" They both turned back to Izuku, seeing him and Kyouka running back to the forest's edge. "Aizawa gave the order for everyone to fight back! And tell everyone that Kacchan is their target! We need to find him!"
Kyouka turned around, jogging backwards as she clarified, "Kacchan is Bakugou, by the way! Long story!"
"What?! I'll get the order out right aw-...Wait a minute, where are you two goin-And they're gone." She growled, hating how out-of-hand this all was. She looked back down to her nephew, a hand on his cheek, "Are you sure you're alright?"
"Yeah, but..." Kota nodded, not fighting back against the touch. He turned his head, watching Izuku and Kyouka disappear into the woods again. "...I never said thank you."
...~AIV~...
(Somewhere in the Forest)
~"Everyone! You've been given permission to fight back! Get back to camp, even if it means you have to take the villains down to get there! We've been informed that Bakugou is being specifically targeted by the villains! Bakugou, be on high alert and get back to the lodge immediately!"~
Shoto turned over to his begrudging partner, readjusting the 1B student (who he didn't know the name of) on his back. Just for the slightest moment, he could see fear flash in Katsuki's eyes, quickly covered up by a wicked smile.
Katsuki dived back away from more blades from whatever the fuck this tooth guy was, watching as it shot past him and landed dead center into a tree.
Whoever the hell this guy was, he clearly was experienced, Moonfish had kept them completely pinned down, his teeth keeping them on their toes and keeping him up in the air. He was fast, unpredictable, which being completely insane and obsessing over their flesh probably helped.
"Told to fight, told not to fight. You know what?" Katsuki clawed his hands, sparks popping off of his skin. "I'm gonna do whatever the hell I want. I fucking dare 'em to try!"
"They are trying, if you haven't noticed!" Shoto shot up another wall of ice, hearing the teeth pierce the glacial barrier on the other side. "Don't be reckless, you just heard her. They're after you!"
"Oh, I heard her," Katsuki grinned, but Shoto could still see that hidden stress behind his eyes. Fully confident demeanor or not, Bakugou's heart had to be nearly beating out of chest. "She said I was allowed to fight."
"You'll set fire to the forest!"
"It's already on fire, dumbass! Besides, you ever heard of a controlled explosion?"
"Does any of this look like a controlled environment to you?"
Katsuki chuckled, sneered at him, "Then make me one."
...Damn, why did such an asshole have to be kinda brilliant?
Shoto built more walls of ice, instead of trying to keep Moonfish back, he rather tried to form the walls around him as Katsuki used his better maneuverability in the air to keep the villain distracted.
...~AIV~...
~"Everyone! You've been given permission to fight back! Get back to camp, even if it means you have to take the villains down to get there! We've been informed that Bakugou is being specifically targeted by the villains! Bakugou, be on high alert and get back to the lodge immediately!"~
Ochako growled as she twisted past another slash of the mystery girl's knife, 'Coulda said something five minutes ago!'
"Hmhmhm! You seem mad..." Toga giggled, knife twirling around her fingers. "I'll carve a super cute smile on your face. That'll make it better!"
...~AIV~...
~"Everyone! You've been given permission to fight back! Get back to camp, even if it means you have to take the villains down to get there! We've been informed that Bakugou is being specifically targeted by the villains! Bakugou, be on high alert and get back to the lodge immediately!"~
"Okay, Izuku, I'm gonna be honest with you," Kyouka started as they rushed through the forest, hearts racing as they searched for any signs of life. "There's a pretty good chance I'll completely ruin our secret tonight!"
"You're doing fine," Izuku tried to console her, albeit a little concerned himself. "It was one slip-up! And they have much bigger problems to deal with! They'll forget it ever even happened!"
"You really think so?"
"...W-Well-"
"We're screwed! Oh, we're so screwe-!" Kyouka suddenly stopped, her jacks flicking upwards and to the right. "The hell is that?"
Izuku skidded to a halt in front of her, following her jacks' direction, "What?"
"I think I hear...dragging...breathing..."
Izuku knew that sounded bad. It could be someone else getting taken, or someone trying to drag another (hopefully only) unconscious student back to camp. He gazed down the path, sighing as he turned away from it. Kyouka wasn't wrong when she said that Kacchan could handle himself, and Shoto was with him.
They could wait just a minute longer.
"C'mon then." Izuku ran in the direction Kyouka's jacks pointed in, with Kyouka following after him, matching his speed. Izuku knew she probably wasn't even using 5% of One For All, but it was still so damn cool to see.
They ran past the trees, with Kyouka knowing they were getting closer. The spastic spikes in audio for her jacks was irritating, but hopefully it just helped them save a life.
A hope that came to fruition, as their eyes locked onto a Nomu walking towards a black portal, Ragdoll's unconscious body in tow.
"Ragdoll!" They didn't waste any time, charging the monster before it could reach Kurogiri's vortex. Thankfully, this looked to be one of the smaller, much weaker Nomu's. As long as there weren't any more Nomu's like the one from the USJ, they probably didn't have much to worry about.
With Kyouka's long-ranged advantage, and newfound speed, she jabbed her jacks into the crook of the Nomu's arms, hoping that she could cause it to let go of Ragdoll's body, and...
*THOOM*
...It exploded.
The Nomu's arm...exploded.
Ignoring the fact that her jacks unintentionally pierced through the Nomu's arm easier than putting your hand in water, a shockwave bursted from her jacks, rippled through the Nomu's arm, and completely blew it off its body.
Kyouka and Izuku stood frozen, eyes wide and mouths agape as Ragdoll was dropped, blood from the screaming Nomu pouring onto the ground.
The Nomu stumbled towards the couple in some pitiful last ditch effort of attacking, but one 20% kick to the head from Izuku was enough to put it down. It rolled across the grass until it laid motionless against a tree. Izuku fired a charge of power out of his back, sending it straight into Kurogiri's portal. The vortex rippled wildly before disappearing entirely.
Izuku turned back to Kyouka, who was still standing shell-shocked, her eyes slowly turning to her boyfriend.
"U-Uh..." Izuku started to say something, but what the Hell was he supposed to say to that? "I-...Uh...Okay, first lesson of One For All training. Quirk Sensitivity. We really need to practice using very, very small percentages, and how to properly pinpoint the percentage of power you want to use, so you don't accidentally boost your power to the point of doing...that."
"Y-Yeah...Yeah, absolutely," Kyouka nodded, wiping off some of the spattered Nomu blood on her cheek. "U-Um...How?"
"Just take that warmth I told you about, yeah? Spread it everywhere except your jacks. Whatever you do to lower what you hear with them, try to keep that feeling in mind. One For All will naturally boost your quirk, but you should be able to control it."
Kyouka shook her head, grunting in frustration, "I've been trying. But, it's like I have to completely re-tune my jacks, which we definitely don't have time for. Sometimes I hear normally, and sometimes I hear everything. It's like, spazzing out or something."
"Damn it. Remember what I told you Nana said? One For All might have issues with someone already with a quirk. It's not stable, and who knows what kind of side-effects...whatever's happening to us might have."
"Shit. Well, whatever, we'll have to figure it out later. We've gotta get Ragdoll back to camp."
"I'll do it, I'm much faster and I don't have to hide my speed like you. Put her on my back, take the tail on her costume and secure her around me. We didn't get that far, so I shouldn't be more than a minute. You get back to the trial, find Kacchan and Shoto. If your hearing is super-charged, spiking or not, there's no chance you don't hear his explosions."
Kyouka suddenly flinched, her jacks tucking into her shirt, "Yeah, apparently way ahead of you on that one. There's more voices, but it's all so jumbled and overbearing. Ugh, but we don't have time to waste."
Kyouka dragged Ragdoll over to a kneeling Izuku, hoisting her onto his back and tying her tail tightly around them both to keep her there. She'd at least make the short trip.
"Okay, I'll catch up. Be careful, okay? Try and keep it in check."
"I will," Kyouka nodded. "I love you."
"I love you too."
They split up, with Izuku's speed difference becoming fully apparent as he vanished in a flash of light and a gust of wind. Kyouka began her sprint again, trying to keep her speed visibly "not inhuman".
'Just follow the shouting and explosions. Just follow the shouting and explosions.'
With Katsuki's natural volume, it's not like she had much choice.
*BANG!*
"Grah!" Kyouka slid to a stop, covering her jacks with her hands as the ringing stopped. "Was that a gunshot? It was at least far away...I hope."
Kyouka's jacks perked up again, the sound of violent thrashing and the cracking of trees consumed her audio, leading...
Right next to her.
Kyouka's world slowed as a massive, shadowy hand came barreling towards her in slow motion. She jumped to the left, One For All shutting back down as she tumbled backwards, the forest behind where she stood taking the full force of the attack. Large branches began to fall down on top of her, but a canopy suddenly enveloped her body, shielding her from the debris.
She looked back, seeing Shoji standing above her, his extra limbs blocking the branches from falling on her.
Wow, she heard a gunshot from far away, yet couldn't hear someone running up to her.
'One For All, your performance review isn't going so hot.'
"Midoriya's not attached to your hip? I feel like I should be extremely worried."
Kyouka couldn't help but crack a smile as she got back up, standing next to her classmate. She honestly couldn't remember the last time she had even spoken to Shoji. It was just an unfortunate situation of being in different microcosms of class, but he seemed like a cool guy. It was just funny to her that even someone they didn't interact with much saw how close Izuku and her were.
"We found a Nomu trying to kidnap Ragdoll. He's getting her back to camp, he shouldn't be far now."
Shoji sighed as he watched more trees be violently ripped from the earth by the dark void deeper in the forest, "I hope so..."
"Is that...?" Kyouka worriedly asked, remembering who Shoji's partner for the Test of Courage was.
"Yep," Shoji nodded as they watched the now monstrously sized Dark Shadow rip and tear its way through anything it could get its hands on. "A villain attacked us; some guy with these super fast blades or something of the sort. I took the hit, but Dark Shadow activated, and well...You can see what happened."
"I've read Izuku's entry on him. I knew darkness made it worse, but I didn't think it'd get so..." Kyouka flinched at Dark Shadow's roaring, along with the cracking of trees from their trunks. "...temperamental."
"Tell me about i-...Wait a minute. You said Midoriya went back to camp, and that he's coming back? You two came out here?"
"Sane plans aren't exactly our forte. We're trying to find Bakugou."
"You? Don't you hate him?"
"How do you eve-? Look, we don't see eye-to-eye, but that doesn't mean I'm gonna leave him to get kidnapped by a bunch of psychos. He-...Hey, uh...Is he getting closer?"
"GRAAAAAGH!"
"Uh-oh."
"Dodge!" They both dodged out of the way of Dark Shadow as he slammed his fist down on them, slashing wildly at anything it could find. Kyouka rushed around his left side, rolling out of the way of another slash.
"Run!" Tokoyami painfully bellowed out as he tried to aim Dark Shadow at anything but his classmates. "I-! It'll kill you! I can't stop him!"
Dark Shadow slammed into more trees, right up until he heard Shoji step on a twig, instantly swinging down on the source of the noise. Shoji managed to dodge, luckily, maneuvering his way through the trees.
Kyouka followed his lead, taking off after him. She just really hoped Shoji would never question how she was able to catch up to him so easily. "Is he reacting to sound?"
"Dark Shadows in a blind fury, I doubt he knows what he's doing. Which is probably why we should stop talking, cause that makes us a targe-JUMP!"
They dove forward just before another dark fist slammed into the dirt behind them.
Kyouka suddenly felt her power flicker, just for a moment, right before she heard the voice she loved so much.
"TESLA SMAAASH!" From the darkness of the forest, Izuku careened through the air and into Dark Shadow's beak, energy firing out of his leg and into the quirk. Dark Shadow flinched back at the light Izuku's sparks produced. It wasn't much since his electricity dissipated instantly afterwards, but the sudden flash bought them a least a couple more seconds.
Izuku landed back down next to Kyouka and Shoji, following their lead in their sprint. "What happened to Tokoyami?!"
Shoji's eyes went wide as he saw both of Izuku's casted arms, "What happened to you?!"
"Long story! Have you found Kacchan?"
Kyouka threw her arm back, gesturing towards the shadow monster chasing after them, "Does it look like we found Kacchan?!"
"S-Sorry! But, Kacchan and Shoto are our closest light sources! Keep him following and-"
"Lead him to Bakugou and Shoto!" Kyouka finished for him, finally seeing his plan in full. "Their quirks will cast plenty of light!"
"Exactly! Only problem is-Ah!" Izuku dispeled another shot of energy from his back, keeping Dark Shadow at bay, "The only problem is being killed by a shadow monster!"
"He reacts to sound!" Kyouka quickly informed him. "I'll keep his aim off of us as much as possible."
"I'll do the same," Shoji nodded as more appendages began to grow from his sides.
Kyouka jabbed her jacks into a nearby tree as she ran, feeling the length of her jacks reaching their limits. She sent out vibrations just before she pulled them out, hoping it would make enough noise to distract Dark Shadow.
Which, apparently, it did more than enough, as a cracking noise shook the other two to their core as massive splinters and shards of bark flew everywhere, with the rest of the tree splitting from its trunk and hitting Dark Shadow in the process.
With a hiss between her teeth, Kyouka was just so grateful that Shoji wasn't looking her way, and that Tokoyami was clearly too distracted. Izuku simply glanced at her quickly, not out of fear of others seeing, but quizzically. She knew that look, he was thinking. Something about what she just did set off something in his head. But, she needed to focus on the massive shadow kaiju chasing them.
At least it wasn't as gruesome as the Nomu, and it actually worked. Dark Shadow began lashing out at the tree rather than them.
"Lower the warmth. Lower the warmth. Lower the warmth." Kyouka shot her jacks out to either side of her, pulsing out as little sound as she could, and alternating between them. What she got almost sounded like the ringing one would get in their ears, but it was enough to get Dark Shadow's attention.
They just had to keep this up until they found...an ice wall?
...~AIV~...
"Hehehe, it's best when flesh fight's back."
"Shut the fuck up with that creepy shit!" Katsuki blasted up and around another teeth-strike, blowing away the blades nearest to him as he landed back down next to Shoto. Using proper positioning of his glaciers, they managed to keep both Moonfish contained into a smaller area, and keep Katsuki's explosions (mostly) inside.
But, even despite that, Katsuki had only managed to bring it to a stalemate. Moonfish was fast, and could apply just as much pressure. He could shatter as many blades as he wanted with his explosions, but Moonfish didn't allow anyone to get close without huge risk of being gutted by teeth.
"We should think of an escape rather than fighting," Shoto grunted out as he brushed off frost from his right side.
"And lead him to more people? We can break this loser, we just gotta find the right...Do you hear that?"
*SMASH!*
The left ice wall suddenly blew apart, a shadowy fist punching straight through the thick glacier with Izuku, Kyouka, and Shoji tumbling through the falling frozen debris. Shoji had wrapped Izuku up in his appendages to keep him from falling onto his arms as they rolled across the dirt, with large chunks of ice falling around them.
Kyouka looked up with a groan, locking eyes with the two very confused teens. "A-! Ahaha! Shoto! Bakugou! We need some light...What the hell is that thing?!"
Her eyes had caught the ends of one of Moonfish's teeth, following it until it reached the bound man up in the air.
"Ohohoho, more flesh," Moonfish sneered, talking surprisingly well through all of his teeth. "Ah, but the two of you, the little couple, I can't rip and tear. Mmm, unfortunate. But, I will do what I must. I won't let anyone get between me and my promised fles-"
*SMACK!*
The students watched Dark Shadow nonchalantly backhand Moonfish into the forest. With all of his teeth shattering into thousands of pieces, his body skipped across treetops until slamming into the gas-filled area of the forest, a plume of dirt and dust in the distance signifying his crash site.
"...Wow." As everyone else stared in astonishment, Kyouka turned back to Shoto and Katsuki, pointing over her shoulder at Dark Shadow, "So that light...?"
Wasting no time, the two rushed Dark Shadow. With smaller explosions from Katsuki and concentrated flames from Shoto, they circled around Dark Shadow as he screeched into the night. He eventually retreated back into Tokoyami with a slight whimper, with the exhausted teen crumpling to his knees and everyone else sighing in relief.
Everyone gathered around, with Izuku kneeling down next to Tokoyami, "Are you okay?"
"Urngh, I should be asking all of you that questi-" Tokoyami's eyes caught Izuku's slings, looking up at him with wide eyes. "I really should be asking you that question."
"Don't worry about it. Are you going to make it back to camp?"
"Mm, yes. When we were attacked, I slipped, gave in to the rage. I should be okay, for now, at least." He turned his gaze to his original test partner, "Shoji, I'm sorry. For Dark Shadow and your arm."
"Ah, I'll be just fine. We should get moving, though. We need to get Bakugou back to camp."
"Right," Kyouka nudged her boyfriend, lightly poking the side of his head, "Game plan, Big Brain."
Izuku furrowed his brow, thinking about their positions and numbers, "Mr. Aizawa is probably back at the main lodge by now, and so is Vlad King. Two pros, along with Tenya and anyone else who made it back, should be the best protection we've got. But, both directions of the path lead right back to where the Pussycats were fighting other League members."
"And back that way is a no-go," Shoto added in, nodding towards the fume-filled forest. "That gas knocks out anyone in seconds. It got this guy."
They followed Shoto's gaze to find Kosei Tsuburaba unconscious on the ground near them. Shoji picked him up, hoisting him up onto his back and securing him tightly with extra appendages.
Shoji then asked, "Did you come across anyone else?"
"No. Most of our classes have to still be back there, but we've got no hope of entering or we're all screwed."
"Shit," Kyouka sighed, "Momo's probably still in there, based on when she went in."
"She's the most adaptable out of us all," Izuku consoled her. "She'll make it, I know she will."
"Guys!" All eyes turned to the thick fog of gas, seeing two figures emerge. As if she had heard her name, clad in a gas mask, Momo jogged out of the forest towards them.
Izuku shook his head, looking at the stars above, "Why can't the universe just listen to me like that all the time?"
She tossed off her gas mask, smiling in relief as she made it to her friends, "Kyouka! Shoto! Izuku-! Holy-! Izuku, your arms!"
"Yeah, I-I know, long story. Forget about me, what about you? How'd you get out? Where's Aoyama?"
"Awase insisted he stayed behind to find anyone else in the gas, and Aoyama went with him. Once I heard the announcement about Bakugou I knew you two would come find him. Mainly you, Izuku, since Kyouka hates him."
Kyouka smiled to herself, "My reputation grows."
"You make it very obvious," Katsuki grumbled.
"Anyway," Momo brought the conversation back, "I'm here to help, however I can."
"Thank you, Momo." Izuku smiled at her before turning back to the forest, returning to the original plan he had. "We were deciding on the best way back to the lodge, and I think we'll have to cut through the forest. The path is too open, and both ways are blocked off, one with villains and one with gas. Kyouka and Shoji have the best sensing skills out of anyone. You can provide any emergency defense we need, and Tokoyami and Shoto can fire out any offense. I'll do what I can, but I'm mostly useless. Does anyone know how long adrenaline lasts in the body?"
"It can last up to an hour, give or take," Momo shrugged.
"Then I don't have much time left," Izuku sighed, turning back to his friends. "I'll fight with everything I've got, but I might collapse soon rather than later."
"I'll carry you if that happens," Shoji reassured him.
"Thanks, Shoji. Momo, can you create adrenaline shots?"
Momo furrowed her brow, looking at her friend with incredulity, "I'm not going to do that unless we're truly dire. I'm surprised you didn't ask for pain medications."
"...Can yo-?"
"I'm not making you opioids right now, Izuku. I'm sorry, but odds are we'll need you fully aware for this. I doubt you'll want to be caught both down two arms and sleepy."
"True," Izuku nodded, turning to Tokoyam as Katsuki frantically looked back and forth between everybody as they continued to devise their plan. "Now that we have two sure ways to contain Dark Shadow, would you be okay unleashing him in case of emergency?"
As Tokoyami nodded, Momo quickly created two plastic packs, asking Shoto to fill them with ice. "I'll keep him reigned in to the best of my ability, but give the world and I'll break his chains."
"Thank you. Okay, whoever we find along the way will join us, but I'd say this is as good as a defense we could hope for given the circumstances."
"Hold on!" Katuski cut him off, finally processing everything that was happening. "I don't need any of your God-damn protectio-"
Katsuki was cut off as one of Kyouka's jacks pressed under his chin and shut his mouth, both of their stern glares meeting.
"Dude, forget whatever animosity we have for like ten minutes, okay? Actually, just forget whatever your deal is with literally everybody for tonight. You and Izuku haven't even spoken to each other for months, which I think a lot of us prefer, so just keep doing that until we get back to camp. You see his arms? We just fought a villain that could take him on a full power, and there's no telling how many more just like him are in the forest. You guys couldn't even take down Colgate back there. So, by yourself, what exactly are you gonna do? You're gonna risk your life over ego?"
"...Fine, whatever." Katsuki scoffed, moving past Kyouka, but not before spinning around and saying, "Be my 'bodyguards', I don't care. They come for me, I'm still fighting. End of discussion in that regard. And, don't let this get to your head, I still hate you."
"I hate you more."
"Hm...You know what's funny? I actually believe that."
After Momo delicately secured her freshly created ice packs into Izuku's slings, she turned back to the group, "Wait, I have an idea. Everyone take one of these."
Momo held out her hand, letting everyone take small black disks that popped out from her palm. Kyouka held her disc up, raising a brow at her friend, "Care to elaborate?"
"Tracking devices," Momo explained. "If Bakugou or any of us get lost, or heavens forbid taken, then I can track you all."
"Perfect, Momo. Thank you," Izuku smiled at her as Kyouka slipped his into his pants pocket.
Everyone began heading towards the deeper forest, hoping they were ready for whatever was to come. Kyouka followed, stopping as she saw Izuku desperately fighting to hold back a smirk.
"I know what you're gonna say. You're gonna say that it was hot."
Izuku nodded, "I'm becoming predictable. Can I still say it?"
"...Fine," Kyouka sighed, following after her friends (and Bakugou).
As he turned to walk with her, Izuku leaned in and whispered, "That was very hot."
"Thanks," Kyouka blushed, looking at her feet just in case anyone turned around and saw her blush. "I'm glad you like it when I tell people off. But focus up, okay?"
"S-Sorry...It's still true though."
"Hmhmhm, I'm aware. You know, I should probably keep your tracking device. Being you, it'll most likely come in hand-AAGH!" Kyouka suddenly lurched forward, her jacks locking up as her senses were overloaded. Izuku did his best to use shoulder to keep her up, but it was thankfully one of Shoji's arms that shot out to keep her steady.
The crackling of the flames in the distance, the clanging of metal in the distance, the rustling of leaves, even the heartbeats of everyone around her, including her own. Even Momo's thundering footsteps as she rushed to her side. All of it at beyond full volume, pounding in her ears.
"Hey, hey, kiddo. It's Nana, just calm down."
'I'm not the one doing this!'
"I know, I know, I'm sorry. One For All is...readjusting. Our hope- No, we're fairly certain at this point that these fluctuations will stop soon. You'll have to do some adjusting yourself, but we're...we're changing, kid. I can't be certain, but I think you're working miracles right now. Even if I knew all the specifics at this very moment, you don't have the time. Just hold out for a little longer, okay?"
'Don't have much choice.' Kyouka sighed, moving to stand back up on her own.
"Fuck's wrong with you?" Katuski finally broke the silence of the group.
Kyouka turned to Katsuki, barely able to make out what he had said, "Huh?"
"The hell's up with your ears?"
"It's nothing. Not like you care anyway," Kyouka quickly dodged the question. She knew that she was the one that was adamant on keeping things peaceful between them, but that was the last question she wanted to be asked.
Katsuki scoffed, turning back to the trail, "If you're my so-called 'bodyguard' then yeah, I kinda care. Last thing we need is for you to fuck up during a fight. But, whatever, be that way."
Kyouka used all of her willpower not to bite back with something, but she kept her mouth shut. She had a million more important things to worry about.
After batting away a million questions from Momo, she eventually got her to drop it and focus back on the task at hand. Izuku kept close, speaking in hushed whispers, "We have some time. Maybe you can refocus your jacks?"
"It's not that simple. Imagine trying to learn how to walk again. When I was four and these things started sprouting out of my earlobes, my hearing was screwed for a week. It probably would have been much worse if I didn't have my mom to get me through it, since she went through the same thing. I have to find the right balance again. If my quirk had settings, I basically have to reset them to default...or whatever my new default is now. I'm sorry, but when it comes to sensing stuff around us, I'm basically useless right now. It's all so overwhelming. I can hear everything, but there's no filter, no focus."
Izuku sighed as he looked around the forest, trying to keep an eye out for anyone else, "Damn it, I'm sorry. Listen, if things get really bad, don't hesitate. Do whatever you have to do to stay safe, we'll deal with the backlash later."
"No, I'm not screwing this up for you. I'll figure it out if we're in danger. Villains have been pretty sparse throughout the forest, so hopefully whoever we run into won't be too ba- I spoke to soon."
Izuku followed her gaze, seeing Ochako in the distance grappling with a very familiar looking villain. Tsu was hanging by her hair on a nearby tree, and Ochako had blood leaking down from her thigh as the blonde girl stabbed a syringe into her.
...~AIV~...
Ochako felt the syringe stab her thigh, not able to grab Himiko's hand and yank it away, otherwise her hold on the villain would be compromised.
"Hm...Doesn't feel quite right." Toga hummed to herself as she turned her head against the dirt to look back up at Ochako. "I can feel you want to be just like someone, or a couple of people, huh? But, eh...it's not love. That's a shame, I thought maybe we'd really get to bond. Hmm...maybe someone though. It's faint...Who are you into? I like tattered, beat-up, bloody people. Dark hair, cute faces..."
At this point Ochako would rather go back to fighting than listening to this.
"Ochako!" She turned to look into the forest, her heart soaring in relief as she saw her friends emerging from the trees. She was relieved both to see them safe and sound, but to actually have some back-up.
"Well that's my cue to leave. Byeee!"~ Toga used the distraction to knock Ochako off of her, slipping away into the foliage with surprising speed.
"Wh-?! Hey!" She could hear Ochako start to chase after her, but Tsu stopped her. They didn't know exactly what Toga was capable of, especially her unknown quirk.
As she ran through the forest, Toga took a peek behind her, making sure that none of the others had the confidence to follow her, but something else caught her attention.
Himiko froze, looking out from behind a tree and finding the two students she had met some time ago. The two that Stainy called true heroes, but that didn't matter. This time was different; much, much different. They weren't the same as before, she saw them in an entirely new light. How had she not seen it last time? Now as she gazed upon them her heart fluttered, an uncontrollable smile growing on her lips.
She had seen them before, but now...
...Their pale skin, contrasted by cuts and so much blood.
...Their dark hair, ruffled and messy from battle.
...His soft eyes, his curly hair.
...Her dark eyes, her violet locks.
~...They were beautiful...~
"Hmhmhm! Hehehehe!" Himiko turned away, skipping through the forest towards the rendezvous spot. If she knew that joining the League would lead to this, she would have joined a long time ago.
Their love for each other was intoxicating, she felt it when they first met. She wanted it. She wanted to know that feeling, she wanted to become a part of it.
She wanted them.
...This was gonna be so much fun.
...~AIV~...
Ochako helped Tsu down from the tree as the others ran up to them. She turned around, happily greeting her friends.
"Guys! Thank goo-..." Ochako paused, eyes locking onto Izuku's slings, his cut up and bloody face, and then Kyouka's dried-up blood-covered face. "What the heck happened to you two?"
"Long story." / "Long story."
"Fair enough, I guess. Tell me later." Ochako turned to Momo, pointing down to the puncture on her leg, "Momo? If you wouldn't mind..."
"Oh! Of course!"
As Momo created a bandage, Kyouka turned to her boyfriend, "Izuku, you saw her, right?"
"Yeah, the same girl from a couple months ago."
Everyone suddenly turned to them, with Tsu asking, "You know her?"
"We met her," Kyouka corrected. "I caught her following us on the way to school. Which just makes me wonder how long, and how many of us, have we been watched?"
"I'm not so sure about that," Izuku shook his head, thinking back to that day. "She asked us about Stain, remember? She wanted to know what we knew about the attack on Hosu, if he was actually with the League. She wasn't at the USJ either, so I think she's new. It's not much of a comfort, but it's something."
Shoto nodded, "I think it's all the more reason to get back to the lodge. Ochako, Asui, help us protect Bakugou."
Ochako and Tsu peered at them, with the former daring to ask, "...Bakugou?"
"Yeah, did you not hear the announcement from Mandalay?"
"N-No, I did, but...Where is he?" Everyone else turned back to where Bakugou had been standing, finding him gone.
"What?!" Izuku frantically looked around, trying to find him, "Where did h-?!"
"Wow, I've gotta admit, that was far easier than I thought." Everyone looked up to the trees, finding Mr. Compress standing on a branch above them. He twirled around a little marble in his fingers as she leaned against the trunk. "Your friend here is going to be quite the asset to us."
Kyouka growled and glared at her jacks, 'USELESS ASS SUPER-HEARING! ONE FOR ALL, THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!'
"Give him back!" Izuku shouted, launching forwards and kicking the tree's trunk, snapping it in two. But, Compress effortlessly leaped to another tree as the other one fell to the ground, chuckling as he tossed two marbles up and down in the palm of his hand.
Wait, two?
They all looked around, finding Tokoyami had seemingly vanished as well.
"Ooh, sorry, but I also saw what your little bird did to Moonfish. I think that's something we just can't pass up. But, don't worry, we believe there's a better stage for your friends to shine on. And, unfortunately, escape artistry and deception are my only two specialties! So, I'll be seeing you!"
Compress began hopping through the trees, quickly making his escape. "No, he's getting away! We have to-"
Izuku tried to rush after him, but nearly fell backwards from Kyouka's jacks wrapping around him and keeping him in place. If Kyouka's strength hadn't been drastically increased, he might've accidentally dragged her along with him.
"C'mon!" Kyouka took off, with everyone following behind her.
Izuku caught his footing, running next to her, "Why'd you stop me?!"
"Cause my top priority is your protection, dummy! Wherever he's going, more villains will be, Izuku! Immunity or not, that last guy we fought didn't give a damn about it. You're in no condition to fight; it's a miracle that you're running at all! You're not going anywhere without me!"
"But, I-..." Izuku's eyes went wide as he turned back to Compress, seeing him get away much faster than any of them could keep up, at least at Izuku's limited speed. The edges of his vision were becoming spotty, his heart was beating rapidly. They needed a plan. NOW. "Momo, I need you to make us a sled. Shoto, be prepared to make a massive glacier, one that's angled. Tsu, use your tongue to keep us all together. Ochako, you're going to use float on us, and Shoji you'll use your arms to change our trajectory mid-flight."
"Mid-flight?!" Everyone yelled out in confusion.
"No time! Just do it!"
Momo skidded to a stop, with the other girls covering her as she turned around and lifted her shirt, beginning to create a large, blue, plastic sled that was smooth on the bottom. Shoto got to work on the glacier, building it up at as much of a forty-five degree angle as he could make it. Once both were completed, everyone piled on as best as they could.
As much as they insisted, Izuku refused to get on Shoji's back in Tsuburaba's place. So, Momo and Kyouka huddled close at the front, with Shoji taking up most of the back. He held on to everyone else as best as he could, with the exception of Izuku.
Izuku was at the very back, being held on my Tsu's tongue.
"Everyone hang on!" Izuku raised both feet up, his legs glowing brightly.
"Izuku, babe, you know you're about to be a paraplegic right?" Kyouka worriedly yelled to her boyfriend.
"I'm not! I know what I'm doing." He pushed all of his excess power towards his legs, really hoping it would be enough. 'One For All: 20%!'
...Ah, this was gonna hurt.
Izuku's kick fired a small cone of air and sparks down the path, propelling them all onto and up the glacier. They flew off the icy tip, with Float keeping them at a steady speed in the air. They soared across the treetops, seeing Compress' distant figure growing closer and closer.
Kyouka's jacks fired out as they go near, wrapping around the villain's ankle, doing her best not to accidentally snap it off.
Compress hummed in curiosity, turning his head to see what had caught his ank-
"Ah, shit."
...~AIV~...
(Deeper in the Forest)
"Hey, guys!~" Himiko skipped over to Dabi and Twice, stopping in front of them with a wide smile. "Everything go well for you guys?"
Dabi shrugged, "Eraserhead took down my clones faster than expected, but it wasn't much of an issue. Where the hell have you been?"
Himiko rocked back and forth on the balls of her feet, smiling dreamily at Dabi, "I may or may not have met a couple of people I'm super into."
"Aw, that's so cute!" Twice cooed. "I'm gonna vomit!"
Dabi groaned, turning away from her, "My condolences to them. How much blood did you get?"
"One whole person!"
"Wh-? They said to get at least three."
"A bunch of 'em showed up! I couldn't beat them all!"
"For the love of-" Dabi sighed, looking back at her. "Were you followed?"
"I don't think so! Where's the rest?"
"Muscular is completely off the radar. Mustard's gas is gone, so we can make a safe assumption he's out. And, Compress radioed earlier and said Moonfish got obliterated by one of the students."
"And Mr. Compress?"
"Taking his sweet time," Dabi sighed, leaning against a tree. "He better get here soo-"
"INCOMING!"
The villains watched as Compress was slammed into the nearby dirt, a group of teenagers on top of him. The gazes of the students and villains met as the dust cleared, an awkward silence filling the air between them.
From underneath the pile, Compress raised a finger up, his muffled voice coming out, "...A little help?"
Dabi raised his hand out, the air around everyone suddenly scorching against their skin, "Might wanna move, Compress."
"Of course, good sir!" Compress easily slipped out from underneath the teens, jumping out of the way as an azure inferno came from for them.
Izuku's eyes widened, his vision filled with nothing but flames. That is, until a riot shield popped out of Momo's arm. She slammed it against the ground, standing in front of her friends as the blaze hit her shield.
Shoto watched as the shield almost instantly began to melt against the ungodly heat. He fired ice out towards the flame, creating a wall of shards that was almost instantly melted on contact. Steam spread out across the battle, obscuring the vision of everyone there. Izuku looked around, trying to find his friends through vapors, but to no avail.
Kyouka kept her hand on Izuku, making sure not to lose him in the thick fog. "Okay, stay back. I'll hand-AH!"
They both ducked down as a syringe suddenly flew out from the steam, barely missing their heads. It retracted back as Himiko emerged from the clouds, fangs bared with a wicked smile.
"Hiii, again!~ Do you remember me?! Remember, we met when you guys were on your way to school! It's me, Himiko! Oh, right, never told you my name, but whatever!"
She slashed down as they dodged to the right, with Kyouka holding Izuku up as they slid across the grass to make sure he didn't tumble and land on his arms.
Then, suddenly, a voice rang out in her mind. From what she could remember from the visions on the cliff, it had to be Nana.
"Kyouka, you're not just faster. Your reflexes, your senses, all of it is compensated."
Kyouka watched as the Toga's syringes shot towards her, One For All flaring out of pure instinct. She couldn't help but gasp as her world slowed down, the hand chugging to a crawl. Kyouka looked down at her body, eyes wide as she saw tiny sparks of violet on her skin.
'Shit! Less compensating! Less compensating!" Kyouka dodged to the right, shutting off her power as she did so. Her jump to the side, however, was with One For All. So, suddenly turning it off might not have been the best idea. A conclusion she came to as she was thrown across the grass by her own strength.
Was it really cool? Yes, absolutely.
Was it so extremely terrifying that it made her nauseous? No question about it.
Her jacks shot out, wrapping around the syringe as it tried to go back to Himiko's neckpiece. "Ah, look at that! Your quirk matches my gear! That's perfect!"
'What the hell is with this girl?!' Kyouka yanked down and around, throwing Himiko to the ground and swinging her into a tree. She flipped in the air, her feet landing on the trunk and allowing her to bounce off of it. She rushed Kyouka down, knife in hand.
"I know this looks bad, but trust me! You two will look so much cuter with even more bloo-OOF!"
Izuku appeared through the fog again, striking a kick into Himiko's side. Izuku groaned, trying to hide the pain as Himiko tumbled across the grass. She giggled as she got back up, "You guys are really strong...That's sexy!"~
The couple froze, buffering on what they just heard. "...What the fuc-Get down!"
Kyouka ducked down, using her jacks to pull Izuku's leg out from underneath him as a ribbon of azure flames came down between them and Himiko, clearing a straightaway through the fog.
"You know our orders, brat," Dabi sighed as a black portal opened up behind him. "Can't hurt 'em."
"Hey, we can't kill them. I was just gonna make them even cuter!"
"Uh-huh, right. We're leaving. Now. Compress, you here?"
"Present!" Compress tumbled through the steam, patting off a couple red flames and frost on his coat. "That Todoroki boy is quite persistent. Anyway, let's go."
Twice jumped through the steam, wiping off saliva from his arm, "Yeah, let's get outta here! That frog girl tried to lick me! I don't wanna leave!"
Himiko ran to her teammates, waving back at the couple, "I'm a little busy for the next few days, but call me! Wait, you guys don't have my number! Here, I'll carve it into your arms!"
"Toga!" Dabi shouted.
"Ugh! Fine!"
"Au Revoir, Heroes-in-training! I'll allow you to wave goodbye to your friends," Compress waved as he walked to the portal, digging into his pocket. But, he froze, continuing to dig into his pocket. "...Well that's not right."
"Looking for something?" The couple turned to see Shoji emerge from the steam, two marbles in hand. "Grabbed them during the crash. Not such a great magician after all, huh?"
Izuku smiled brightly, wheezing out a struggling laugh, "Shoji, haha! You're amazing!"
"Ohoho! I'll admit, I'm impressed," Compress clapped his hands together. "What better pickpocket than one with six hands? You managed to get back one of your friends."
Kyouka furrowed her brow, looking back towards the villains, "...One?"
"Oh? Did I forget to mention my third specialty?" Compress opened his mouth, a small marble falling into his hand, "Misdirection!"
The two marbles in Shoji's hand burst open, with Tokoyami falling out and...
A bird?
"Well done, Perrugia!" The robin chirped happily and flew to Compress' shoulder, earning a couple strokes under the beak. "Well, that wraps things up he-"
*SHNK!*
Dabi hummed noncommittally, raised his hand out and melted away the sudden shards of ice coming their way. Shoto appeared from the steam, fires roaring from his left side, "I won't let you take him!"
"Kurogiri..." As Shoto approached, flames billowing out of him, a small portal appeared next to Dabi. He reached into the vortex, his hand appearing to the right of Shoto.
Shoto was just barely able to create some ice before the fires hit, blowing him to the side, careening him into the grass.
"Sorry, Shoto Todoroki..." Dabi smiled at the teen's wide eyes as he slowly stepped back towards Kurogiri's portal. "Not this time."
"Dabi, enough taunting," Compress chided him. "That's coming from me, so you know I'm seriou-GAH!"
From the sky, a small projectile rocketed into Compress' gut, sending him back into the portal, and Katsuki's marble flying out of his hand.
Everyone looked up, seeing Momo floating up in the air above the steam, bean bag gun in hand.
Ochako appeared from the fog, finding Shoji as she pressed her fingertips together, "Shoji! Catch her!"
As Shoji ran to catch the falling Momo, Katsuki popped out of his marble prison, stumbling on his feet as he tried to regain his bearings.
Izuku's eyes went wide, seeing his chance.
"KACCHAN! MOVE!" Everyone turned to see Izuku on the ground, flat on his back, his leg raised up and sparking with electricity. Right now, it didn't matter if they caught the League members, he just needed them gone. He'd send them right back into that portal, whether they liked it or not.
But...
Before Katuski could even take a step, a hand shot out of the portal, latching around the blonde's neck, a pinkie raised. Izuku knew that hand. It was the same one that clutched his throat barely a week ago...
Tomura's upper-half emerged from the swirling void, shaggy hair covering his face. Izuku couldn't do anything, none of them could. One misstep, one hint of an attack, and Katsuki's head would be detached from his body in a cloud of dust.
"Get in the portal," Tomura commanded his team. "You've all fucked around long enough."
Dabi hummed, backing up into the portal without looking away from Shoto, "We're short a few."
"Good." Tomura waited until everyone had vanished, leaving just him and Katsuki left. Nobody moved, knowing all that awaited Katsuki was a quick death if they tried.
"L-...LET HIM GO!" Izuku shouted, more sparks flying as he played his final attempt at a bluff. But, Tomura was in control, and they both knew it.
"Deku...don't..." Katsuki remained still in Tomura's grasp, remembering from the USJ what the hand on his neck could do.
Tomura didn't say another word. He merely raised his head, locking eyes with Izuku...
...and smiled.
He pulled Katsuki through the portal, leaving the remaining teens to stare in silence as the dark swirl began to vanish.
"GRAAAAH!" Izuku exploded with power out of his back, turning into a streak of light that rocketed right at the portal. But, he was too late. He was too tired, too weakened...
The portal was gone.
Izuku stumbled to a stop, breathing heavy as he stared at where the portal had been. Everyone gathered around, not sure what to say. They had failed...
Kyouka walked up behind him, a hand on her back. "I-...Izuku, I..I'm sorry, I-..."
"Kyouka...Catch me..."
"We have t-...What?"
Izuku's eyes suddenly began to droop, his breathing slowing down, "Catch m-..."
He began to fall, his adrenaline finally running out. His body just couldn't take it anymore, shutting down for him. Kyouka barely managed to hold him up, cringing as she had to press against his arms to keep him up. She moved him in her arms, getting on her knees with his head in her lap.
What were they gonna do now?
...~AIV~...
(One Hour Later: WWP Moutain Lodge)
Talking, sirens, fire hoses, the blades of a helicopter...
Kyouka had plugged her jacks into the dirt a while ago, she just couldn't take it anymore. This power, it...it was too much. They had managed to find everyone in the forest, all were present and accounted for...
Except for Katsuki.
Aizawa had been mostly silent after hearing the news, only talking to the paramedics, Mandalay, and Tiger. Pixie Bob and Ragdoll were being lifted into an ambulance, ready to be taken away.
One For All might be making things far more difficult, and inconsistent, but it helped her save Ragdoll. She was grateful for that, at least.
But, Katuski...
She didn't like him, yes. He knew that, Izuku knew that. But, she wanted to save him. She really, really did. Part of her kept thinking about if she just said "Screw it" and used her new abilities. Maybe, just maybe, she could have saved him.
At the same time, she might have ended up hurting him in the process, or even hurting her friends or herself. She didn't know, she never would.
Part of her couldn't help but admire Izuku's determination to save Katsuki. She looked down, stroking his hair as he slept in her lap.
Izuku didn't like Katsuki, despite how he acted sometimes. Any semblance of friendship died a long time ago, and Kyouka questioned whether it ever existed in the first place. At least, on Katsuki's side. Izuku didn't like him, and by all means he shouldn't.
But, despite all the blonde had done to him, he wanted nothing more than to save him, keep him safe. That was just Izuku. His heart, so incorruptible...
She wondered if Izuku knew just how much he influenced her. She had said it multiple times, and he would always respond with how much she influenced him.
If Izuku was the target, Kyouka didn't think any villains would be left standing if they tried to come after him.
If she was the target, well...Kyouka could only imagine the Scorched Earth that would spawn from his efforts to keep him safe, with his power.
...Their powers.
"Jirou."
Kyouka shot out of her thoughts, finally remembering where she was and looking up at her teacher, "Huh?"
Aizawa nodded over his shoulder at the paramedics rushing over to them, "They're gonna take him Midoriya. I told them you're going with him, no arguing about it."
"Thank you, sir." Kyouka allowed the paramedics to carefully take Izuku from her, placing him on the gurney and carrying him to the MedEvac helicopter. Kyouka got up and followed them, covering her jacks with her hands.
"Uraraka!" Aizawa shouted over to his other student as she huddled with her friends. "You've been impaled by a syringe that's been who knows where. Go ahead with them."
She nodded, jogging over to the helicopter and hopping on. They shut the door, much to Kyouka's relief, and took off towards Musutafu. Kyouka sat back, telling the other paramedic to focus on Izuku. She was roughed up, but she'd be fine.
"Whoa..." Kyouka's eyes lifted up from Izuku's unconscious body to investigate Ochako's astonishment, finding her gazing out the window of the Med-Evac helicopter. "...Izuku did that, didn't he?"
Kyouka tentatively stepped away from Izuku, looking out to see a gargantuan crater off in the distant forest. It stretched for what seemed like over a kilometer wide, with what used to be the forest now unrecognizable. Multiple tiny blinking lights in the center of it showed her that the police had made their way to the impact site to obtain Muscular.
If he was alive, that is.
"Yeah...Yeah, that was him."
Ochako shook her head, not sure what to think. "Maybe it's his demeanor, or how he used to be so shy, but...It's just so hard to remember how powerful he really is. But, after tonight, I'm realizing we need people like him now more than ever."
Kyouka slowly turned away from the window, her eyes landing on Izuku laying on the stretcher. The EMT taking care of him moved away to talk to the pilot about something. She looked down at her hand, seeing a spark of violet flicker to life in her palm.
"Yes...It does."
With everyone distracted, Kyouka quickly and quietly moved over to Izuku, carefully sliding off his oxygen mask. Her heart soared when he was thankfully still breathing on his own. She leaned down, gently placing a kiss on his lips.
'Go back to him. Please...'
She quickly moved away, putting the mask back and sitting back down next to him, her hand resting on his leg. Kyouka didn't know what One For All leaving the body felt like, but she felt no different. Izuku said his transfer took a couple hours, but her transfer was already far faster than that.
Nana hadn't returned either, and both of them being able to see her was still an anomaly.
Until Izuku woke up, she was alone in the dark.
...~AIV~...
(One Day Later: Amidala General Hospital: Kyouka's Room)
Kyouka gazed out of her window, watching the night sky through the blinds as she barely kept her eyes open. Her mind had officially tired itself out, no longer able to run itself rampant.
She just had to wait.
Izuku had been in and out of consciousness for over twenty-four hours with multiple doctors and multiple healing quirks trying to reconstruct his arms. The doctors had thankfully said that things were looking good. He'd have a couple scars, but otherwise he would make a full recovery. He was still out, though, and running high fevers off and on.
Her parents had left a little bit ago, along with Inko, who of course was a crying mess. Nobody could blame her, after she saw Izuku's condition.
But, she told them that Izuku was hurt saving not just her life, not just Kota's life, but everyone's life. Muscular would have torn through the entire camp, killing anyone he could get his hands on. Nobody would be there without him.
Inko felt far better after that, looking at her son with more pride than ever before.
Once she had a signal again, her phone exploded with messages from All Might in their group text. She explained what happened, decidedly leaving out the fact that she might have One For All now. That was a topic for both her and Izuku to go over with him.
He was there, but not for long. UA had called him back for a meeting, one that he couldn't miss.
He had rushed to her bedside, doting over her until she managed to convince him that she would be fine.
But, he had paced around Izuku's room for hours, muttering to himself. The noises of the hospital made everything a jumbled mess, but with what Kyouka could pick up he was antagonizing himself, furious that had "let them" get hurt.
He had no control, no idea over the entire attack. He wasn't at all to blame, but...it was All Might she was talking about.
He was gonna blame himself. But, no doubt, there was going to be hell to pay. He would make sure of that. But, again, she would just have to wait. Kyouka sighed, her eyes fully closing as she succumbed to the warmth of her pillow. Even a full day later, she was dead tired and her body ached.
She just wanted Izuku to wake up.
She just wanted answers.
"I can help with one of those."
Kyouka's eyes shot open, no longer feeling the bed beneath her. And, she had to admit, almost nothing was scarier than opening your eyes and still seeing nothing but darkness. But, that darkness seemed to be...moving?
"Jirou." She suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder, both relieved and confused at the sight of Nana filling her vision. "You're stuck, just like Izuku was when he first came here. Hold on, let me just..."
Nana yanked her forward, breaking her free from the dark, misty trap. Kyouka stumbled forward, looking around at the darkness all around them, "...Where are we?"
Nana chuckled, but completely understood her confusion. She raised his arms out, gesturing to the black fog all around them. "...This is One For All."
"A dark, freaky void..."
"Mhmhm, yeah, I know. Here, how about somewhere you're more comfortable with?"
Kyouka nodded, sighing in relief as she watched Izuku concentrate, "Please. This void is super unnerving."
Kyouka watched as the dark mist began to swirl around them, colors growing brighter, shifting into new forms. She smelled salt, a familiar cooling mist brushing her face, the sound of waves reaching her ears.
Dagobah...
She smiled at the sight of the ocean, their beach perfectly recreated out of Izuku's (and hers?) memory.
"Better?"
"Much. Is Izuku here?"
Nana shook her head, moving to sit down in the sand right in front of the tide, "He's out like a light, I'm afraid. That kid, I swear, in another world he's Toshi's kid. Nobody has pain tolerance like them."
Kyouka sighed, sitting down next to her, "Tell me about it. Which is why I think you'll agree that you've gotta go back to him. I don't know if there's something I need to do, but you've gotta go back."
"We can't."
"No, there's gotta be a wa-"
"Because we never left him."
"I-...Excuse me?"
"Okay, uh, this is...a lot. We process new knowledge through Izuku, and now you too, so forgive me if there are any mistakes made in my explanation. But, okay, here goes. I believe you and Izuku also talked about this some time ago, but do you recall talking about Paranormal Singularity Theory?"
"Oh boy..."
"Yeah, exactly. If you remember what Izuku told you I had said, One For All is, or rather has been, growing at increasing speeds. As the quirk grows stronger, evolves with each user, it consumes strength faster and faster. Izuku can't take One For All's full power, it's grown far beyond what one human body should be able to handle."
"Mhm, I remember. It's growing so fast that eventually regular training won't be able to keep up either."
"Yep, about the jist of it. It's killing its own host, it's messing with already existing quirks, just as you were experiencing in the forest. And, uh...so, it might have been killing you. But, anyway, I-"
"Whoa! Wait! It was what?!"
Nana hissed back through her teeth, "Yeeeaaah, so, this knowledge came through one of the past users. As we grow stronger, so do the past users before me. And, some information may or may not have peeked through, and apparently he died...from One For All not really mixing too well with his quirk, and draining him of his own life, so...there's that."
Kyouka jumped up, pacing in front of Nana in a panic, "There's that?! There's that?! I'm dying?!"
"That's the thing. Do you also remember when I said you were a miracle worker?"
"Yeah...?"
Nana got up, floating over the water as she began, "One For All continuously grows, evolves, but it's going too far. At least, it was. Like anything that evolves, it evolves to survive. Just like back during the USJ attack, One For All underwent a Quirk Awakening. But, this time was much different. The awakening occurred during the transfer, occupying both of your bodies at once. You both were in life or death situations, desperate for anything to live."
"And this awakening did, what exactly?"
"When Izuku used his power, did you feel a flicker in your strength?"
"Yeah, I did."
Nana turned around, facing Kyouka as the moonlit sky behind her turned black. Colors streamed from the void through Kyouka, seven sets of eyes appearing behind Nana. The void suddenly began to form something in front of her, moving away to reveal an asleep Izuku. The power was flowing through him as well, looping perfectly between them.
"The stockpile of One For All is now shared between the two of you. A perfect equilibrium. One For All has outgrown one body, and changed to fit for two. It uses Izuku's quirkless body to take the backlash of what it would inflict on your body and your quirk. In return, you take on some of the physical backlash. Sort of a power sponge, I guess. One For All takes in strength from both of you, and uses both bodies to help negate its other problems."
Kyouka sat in silence as Nana finished, looking down at her hands, feeling the power course through her. She wasn't dying. In fact, she and Izuku were apparently better than ever. But, this power, this strength, this responsibility...
Responsibility...
Kyouka looked back up at Nana, her eyes going wide, "I...I can...I can fight."
"What do you mean?"
"All For One. I can help, get stronger, make Izuku stronger, I-...We can fight together."
Nana smiled, shrugging her shoulders, "I'd say so. It's a pretty big burden to bear, so we could sti-"
"No! No, I...This was all I ever wanted, to find a way to stand by him when the time came. I promised that we'd find a way, and now we have it. I...I'll do it. I'll keep it. We'll beat All For One!"
"Hmhmhm...I know you will." Nana suddenly began to blur, Kyouka's senses fading with her. "Now rest up, kiddo. You two have a long road ahead of you."
...~AIV~...
Kyouka awoke with a start, seeing sunlight peek through the blinds of her window. She could hear the sounds of the hospital outside her door, but thankfully even a place like this was somewhat more peaceful in the early morning.
She still kept her jacks stuffed under her pillow, sighing as she looked back to her window, watching the sun rise over the city. She raised her hand up, the light shining between her fingers. Violet sparks twirled around her fingertips, the reality of it all still hadn't fully kicked in yet. But, she had made her choice, if she even had one to begin with.
It was a new day.
...~AIV~...
A/N: https://twitter.com/mizutorimha