#as it's that show's fault for leaving izumi up in the air

[azulaang-chakras]

"Maiko isn't canon anymore! Mai isn't Izumi's mother!"

Bryke, the heads of Nickelodeon and Paramount, and whoever the fuck is writing the comics nowadays could all come out tomorrow and say those exact words while introducing their new Izumi-producing OC and I'd still be like "It sure is nice that Mai and Zuko are happily married and doing a great job governing the Fire Nation while raising their kids together."

[musicfeedsmysoul12]

fic title: the girl with flowers in her bones

Izumi learns she has a Quirk age six when the weird bump on her shoulder is inspected by a doctor who cuts it open to reveal a pretty flower.

Said flower quickly changed and becomes deadly, nearly killing a nurse before it’s destroyed.

No one knows how it got there but now people know about it. At first Izumi is happy. She has a Quirk.

Then she isn’t.

“It’s a useless Quirk!” Kacchan taunts her. “Perfect for a useless girl like you! Flowers under the skin! Pathetic!”

Kacchan burns her shoulder and she goes home crying.

Later a flower develops where she’s been burned and after some quiet conversation with Inko about how her husband had left because of Izumi’s Quirkless status and Izumi had heard it, they figured it out.

The flowers bloom when someone hurts her. They bloom and the doctors do a scan revealing many more flowers all over her- some were small and no one could see them. Little hurts the doctors theorized.

They still had to be removed. Izumi has been getting slower, becoming more exhausted each day. It’s the flowers.

Izumi numbly lets it happen.

But it happens again. And again.

Flowers bloom because people keep hurting her. They turn deadly when exposed to the air.

“Freak, monster, liar-“ it’s all shouted at her by her class. Kacchan leads the charge.

His flowers are always an orange lily. Hatred.

Izumi wonders if it means him or her who hates the other. When it becomes a sweet pea, she has a feeling she knows why she is receiving a goodbye.

She stops growing flowers for him. Because she knows she will only get pain from him, because he is no longer one she believes to be a friend.

“The flowers are signs of betrayal,” she changes the classification. “I can only be hurt by those I do not think would hurt me, those I trust. Once I stop trusting or believing they will not hurt me the flowers stop.”

Her mother sobs upon hearing it. Inko then goes and terrifies the Bakugou family, promising that unless Kacchan leaves her alone Inko would go after them.

Kacchan doesn’t listen.

So Inko slaps them with a lawsuit she wins. It’s enough for Izumi to go to a new school where she sits quietly and doesn’t talk.

There people whisper still but it’s sad whispers.

“Her Quirk hurts her.”

“No, it’s people hurting her which sets off her Quirk.”

“She’s so quiet.”

Izumi just works. The only one she trusts is her mother. Inko who tries so hard not to hurt her, who is honest and open. Who gives her books on flowers and smiles.

When Inko hurts Izumi she leaves violets and lavender. And they’re always small, so small. Small hurts, being too honest with her daughter.

Izumi loves her mother for it.

Izumi grows and soon she finds herself applying for UA. She wants to be a hero and her mother frets and admits she isn’t sure if Izumi can do but the two have researched and researched and well, they think they can figure a way out. Sports festival- she just needs to beat all the other students.

She thinks she can. The money they won from the lawsuit had helped Izumi not only get into a new school but also got her into a martial arts studio. Her mother insisted.

Probably was upset with how many flowers Izumi grew from cuts and burns and bruises. Those were the bigger ones, when they were left on purpose. They pushed against the skin, looked strange.

Funny, Izumi noticed that she didn’t gain flowers sparring.

“It’s probably based on intention. When you gain flowers from bruises or cuts and they’re from people doing it to hurt you and betray you, they come as flowers. But when it’s done as a fight or a spar it’s on purpose still but it’s not a betrayal of yourself.” Her Quirk therapist theorizes.

It makes sense.

Izumi goes to UA after failing the entrance exam and ends up in 1C where she finds herself meeting a boy who is like her. Sharp and broken and hurt.

Shinsou is a friend and she finds herself chuckling at his comments.

Their friendship only blooms truly though when she meets Kacchan again. He sees her and attacks, screaming. She fights back. Shinsou speaks and stops Kacchan and Izumi looks at him, seeing something similar back.

The situation ends with Izumi in the principal’s office telling her story. She looks him in the eyes tiredly.

Kacchan is removed from UA- apparently, the lawsuit hadn’t been included in his application.

“It was when he was ten!” His mother tries.

“It still happened and you lied,” Nezu tells her. Izumi isn’t supposed to be there but she went to the office to pick up some papers.

She thinks her homeroom teacher arranged it.

“The papers are supposed to show us if we need to watch out students for anything. You lied on the application.”

Izumi doesn’t know what to think as she slides away. She hasn’t seen Kacchan in years. Hasn’t spoken to him.

Yet he still tried to attack her. He hasn’t learned anything.

Izumi has left him behind. The pain he caused ended any relationship between them.

He is a child. He can learn, if he wishes.

She feels as if she is choking when she runs into someone.

“Ah,” the person says and she blinks at a girl with red and white hair. It’s long and in a braid as she stares at Izumi. There’s a burn scar on her face and as Izumi looks into her eyes she sees the same sort of pain Izumi has.

The girl nods and leaves and Izumi stares after her in confusion.

Then she has to head to class and Shinsou and it’s a mess.

A flower blooms under her cheek as she speaks and she wonders if it’s from the shock someone attacked her at UA or it’s because she always hoped Kacchan would change the longer she left him.

“It’s not the same.” She tells Shinsou. “I was in hell until I was ten and then just isolated after.”

“It’s close,” Shinsou tells her. He touches her cheek and she closes her eyes. “It’s growing?”

“Yeah. It used to be orange lilies. It might be the same now.”

It is. It’s removed by Recovery Girl and Izumi breathes and doesn’t try to think.

She doesn’t know what to think about anything.

She thinks in a way that expelling him was to much. She understands that they lied, that they removed the evidence of the trial. But did they truly know that it counted?

Kacchan is a child and needs to learn things.

At the same time, he tried to attack her.

Her mind feels muddled and confused and Shinsou tries to help but it’s different for him. His bullies were cruel and never stopped and yet he never expected it either to stop.

You can only be betrayed by a friend.

He tries but they fight and eventually he yells that she’s worthless if she wishes to let a boy who hurts her back into UA.

She flinches and he does too.

Shinsou reaches for her but she leaves, feeling sick.

Izumi wanders UA campus after that- a week after the Kacchan incident- a week after the USJ got invaded. With Kacchan in the office the class hadn’t gone to USJ, something all of them expresses relief about.

Izumi wanders and then runs into the red and white girl again. She’s training in the gym that all students are allowed to Izumi wandered to it out of habit. Usually she and Shinsou train- Shinsou finally accepting that he needs to train his body.

He’s not with her though, and she feels her shoulder ache.

Shinsou didn’t mean it, he was angry and didn’t understand. Izumi gets it.

But it still was a hurt.

“... are you okay?” The girl asks and Izumi blinks, realizing she’s been standing in the gym staring off into space.

“I’m fine.” She says. “I got into a fight with my friend.” The girl looks at her and Izumi sighs.

“My Quirk lets me know when I’ve been hurt,” Izumi explains. “The hurts become flowers under my skin. Ever hurt, physical, emotional, mental, minor or major.” Izumi sighs.

“... you were the one Bakugou attacked, the reason we did not go to the USJ.,” The girl says calmly.

“We were friends once. He hurt me badly, and we stopped. He tried again, my mom sued him and his family and they didn’t put the trial in his transcripts. So he’s been expelled and I just… I feel bad for him. He’s hurt me but I cared for him once and is it fair that he was a child when this happened and he’s still himself a child?” Izumi sighs. “Sorry. I-“

“I have similar feelings to my brother and mother.” The girl offers. Her face is slightly blank. She looks at Izumi, cocking her head slightly. “My father is not a nice man and he’s only stopped hurting us due to blackmail my eldest brother has given. I’m under the custody of my second eldest brother. My other siblings were deemed unsuited and my mother is in a mental health institute.”

“Oh!” Izumi blinks. “You didn’t-“

“You told me.” The girl shrugs. “I’m Todoroki Shouto.”

“Midoriya Izumi.”

It’s the start of something.

From the hurt Shinsou dealt jasmine is dug from Izumi’s skin and he apologizes over and over again. She tells him it’s not okay but she understands he didn’t truly mean it.

It makes her sad still.

She and Todoroki meet from time to time in the gym, speaking. Sometimes Shinsou joins them, sometimes not. He wishes to keep his Quirk private, wishing to get into the hero course like Izumi wishes.

Todoroki is kind, Izumi finds. She’s standoffish and blunt but she’s kind.

Her story is a sad one, told over gym meetings. Her father is Endeavour and he wished to overcome All Might. He had children to force it, and the abuse he placed his family through broke her mother.

Todoroki loves her mother. She loves her dearly but cannot face her.

“I used to blame myself, thinking it might be my fault she burned me. Natsuo, my brother, he got me into therapy and I’ve learned it wasn’t. I was a child, it was not on me. And yet my mother is ill.” Todoroki explains. “I care deeply for her but… I can’t face her right now. Because I have learned it is not my fault what she did and I have to adjust.”

Her brother, her eldest brother Touya, is a different story.

“He blamed me for the abuse. Said it was all my fault, hated the fact I was a girl too. Kept going on I was a screw-up, that I was disgusting. He’s in therapy to now but… I don’t talk to him. Ever if I can help it. Natsuo says he’s getting better but he won’t make me do anything. My sister keeps trying to get us to forgive our dad. We don’t want to.” Todoroki tells her. “It’s a mess.”

Todoroki doesn’t know what to do herself. Her brother was young when he became angry, and her mother ill. Neither were fully at fault, and yet she struggles.

It’s nice to talk to someone who understands.

Their friendship grows and Izumi wonders why it feels different then from her and Shinsou.

Yet as she watches Todoroki smile, she thinks she knows.

At the sports festival, Izumi and Shinsou manage to get to the tournament. They manage to claw their way to the semi-finals, determining who will go on to compete for first.

Shinsou insults her, curses her. And then he confesses.

Izumi keeps her mouth shut and shoved him out, even as she feels the flowers begin to bloom.

She does tell him she doesn’t feel the same.

“I know,” Shinsou tells her. “It’s Todoroki. You two smile all the time around each other, you laugh and have fun.” He shrugs sadly. “I just wanted to be honest.

Izumi accepts it, and later she finds the flowers to be yellow tulips.

One-sided love.

Yet first comes the finals, where Izumi screams at Todoroki to use her fire, even as the girl refuses to use it.

“I won’t use his power!” She yells.

“It’s not his! It’s yours!” Izumi cries back.

It’s chaos and destruction and in the end, Izumi has a silver medal.

And she has a smile she treasures.

It’s not love, not yet. But it has a chance to be.

A chance they cultivate, a chance they find becoming stronger and stronger as time goes on. As she and Shinsou enter the hero course, as she fights to protect a boy she barely knows on the streets of Hosu, protecting her hero mentor as well.

It’s a chance she takes, kissing Todoroki after the final exams. Todoroki accidentally burns her in shock and feels horrible.

Izumi treasures the fact a red rose blooms under her skin.

[child-of-the-danube]

I was scrolling through Reddit and saw someone say that the Gaang's kids in LoK still being hung up over some of their parents' faults was a bit tiresome and uninspiring to watch and of course I've got shit to theorize and comment on.

(following text is almost entirely copied from my Reddit comment)

I'd disagree on saying it's tiresome or uninspiring that they're still somewhat hung up on their parent issues. They are after all the children of the people who saved the world. That comes with its own set of expectations and limitations.

I don't believe that anyone from the Gaang was truly a bad parent but because of their status, their children did experience (or didn't experience) certain things. And the Gaang had its own set of parental issues - Katara and Sokka having lost their mom at a young age and having an absent father that they could have lost to the war at any moment, Toph's parents who in their overly strict ways didn't acknowledge Toph as a fully realised human being, Zuko who lost his mother at a young age, had an abusive father and a sister nobody would wish for, Aang lost everyone from his own nation and his youth and all of them carried the weight of the world on their shoulders at the tender ages of 12, 14 and 16. Of course they themselves were fucked up by all of that and certainly had PTSD from the war and of course it partially reflected on their children.

1. I don't believe Aang didn't love Kya and Bumi or that he didn't show them affection, but he was more focused on Tenzin due to Tenzin being the only other airbender beside him and it was Aang's dream to rebuild the air nation. Of course Kya and Bumi would have noticed that dad was more devoted to him than he was to them.

Tenzin carried the weight of being expected to be a master bender, continuing the rebuilding of a whole nation AND the weight of the fact that that was his own father's dream.

Bumi was the only non-bender in his family that was pretty much made up of the best benders you could find at that time. That on top of his dad devoting more time to his younger brother than to him as the eldest son must have hurt.

I can't write a lot on Kya since we didn't get to see her or her development much in LoK.

I'm sure Katara was a more than loving mother but we've seen how overly motherly she can be and that probably stayed the same when she actually became a mother.

Theoretically, I could see Katara overcompensating as a mother due to her having lost her own at a very young age and that having more than clearly affected her a lot.

2. I don't think Toph didn't show love or care to Lin and Suyin but take in account that Toph's trauma from her parents manifested on her own parenting style in the way that she gave her children too much freedom and was absent a lot. Lin had every right to be mad at both Toph and Suyin. I'm sure Toph was beyond proud of Lin but Lin didn't see that due to Toph's way of expressing emotion and thought that Toph didn't acknowledge her worth and hard work. At least, not in a way that would have been clear to young Lin. And then her sister, the rebel she practically had to raise and leave a part of her young years for, scars her face, a part of her that is always visible to both the outside world and herself, luckily missing her neck cause that could have killed her, and basically gets away with it.

Working in the police force that was established by her own mother must have carried a whole set of expectations as well. Then later, Aang, whom she was canonically close to, dies, Tenzin leaves her for a younger woman, her other childhood friends Bumi and Kya (don't know if she spent a lot of time with Izumi so I won't name her here) leave each on their own journey, Suyin is god knows where and Toph fucks off to the swap. Basically everyone either fucks her over and/or leaves her. She has every right to hold a grudge and preventively distance herself from people emotionally.

Suyin, on the other hand, despite all of us thinking she got off easy, is sent to her, as we know they are, very strict and snobbish grandparents, away from her mom and sister and away from her friends as punishment. That must have sucked too. And she suffered the same thing as Lin - having her mother be absent + being raised and occasionally scolded by her sister that wasn't much older than her.

Toph was the greatest earthbender alive, the inventor of metal bending, the one who established a metal bending academy and the police force of Republic city. That was a legacy on its own. I'm sure she wouldn't let anyone other than herself teach her daughters how to bend and knowing her teaching methods, despite being sure she would go easier on her own kids than other people, they couldn't have had it easy even in that regard.

+ Neither of them know who their father is. They basically grew up with no parental figure at all. Even at the age of 50-ish, Lin doesn't get a proper answer to who her father is and it's not her but Bolin, a random boy Toph just met, that gets the question somewhat answered. The question she and Su have probably asked a million times before...

3. The only child we see not having any parent related trauma is Izumi but that's cause they basically gave her only 10 seconds of air time during the whole of LoK.

For me, that wasn't tiresome or bad for the storyline because all above mentioned gave complexity to the characters and made them more relatable. Which I especially like since I got the feeling that beside Korra, none of the younger ones were psychologically presented to a proper extent.

And since most of them managed to overcome those things and grow from it, it ended up being inspiring in a way that shows that it's never too late to mend old wounds.

[furikakyo]

a return to roots | 6

pairing: kita shinsuke x f!reader

summary: y/n is a rising star in the music industry, having almost everything you could have ever hoped for as a small-town country girl. now after releasing two triple platinum albums in consecutive years, you face the dreaded artist’s burnout… in order to recover, your manager suggests, you should return to your hometown in hyōgo for a long-deserved break.

genre: socmed/smau, slice of life

warnings/tags: timeskip!, mutual pining, slow burn? more like rekindling, slight canon divergence

masterpost

To say that your day wasn’t going as planned was an understatement. Although you’d known that you would have to see Kita that day, your mind had assured you that there were a couple hours until then. So to see him before that expected time…

You blinked, mouth opening and closing like the fish you’ve seen in koi ponds. “Oh. I didn’t expect you to be here…” You paused, and then pursed your lips definitively. If your mouth was shut then you couldn’t say anything else.

Kita gave you a lopsided smile. “I work here, remember?” His amber eyes twinkled as the sunlight caught them.

Your eyes trailed along the scene you’d been looking at previously. He didn’t just work here… he owned all of this. Stupid Kita, always selling himself short. Didn’t he know he was virtually perfect? Ah, right. You flushed, wondering if it was the embarrassment or the heat finally getting to you. Grabbing at anything to say, you blurted, “I was just admiring the view. Samu and I got here earlier than expected.” You wrung your hands nervously, then stopped. You didn’t want to seem nervous. “Um…” you said slowly, taking a step back, “it’s alright if you can’t accompany us right now. You’re probably busy.” You gnawed on your bottom lip. “Working the farm and stuff.”

“‘Us’?” Kita echoed, looking past you.

You chuckled nervously and scratched the back of your neck. It burnt with uneasiness, even more so when you remembered what you were wearing: an old oversized tshirt, shorts, and slides. You weren’t going to wear anything less comfortable on a road trip, you mind argued. “Yeah,” you mumbled, looking down, “Samu was with me but he got distracted. I was just looking around by myself.” After realizing that it could’ve sounded like you were trying to guilt trip Kita, you backtracked, waving your arms. “Not that that’s a bad thing!”

Your heart gave a gut-wrenching squeeze when he laughed softly at you. “It’s alright. If you’d like, I can show you around?”

You looked up from your hands, which had been busy wringing themselves into the hem of your shirt. “Ah! No,” you said quickly, “I’m totally fine on my own! I wouldn’t want to take you away from your work, either.”

You fiddled with a loose string on your t-shirt as Kita peered over at you, contemplative. “It’s ok,” he said after a pause, “I have time. And I want to make my way around anyways, so your timing couldn’t have been better.”

You stared at his back, speechless, as he began walking in the direction you’d been headed. Quickly, you picked your jaw up from the ground and clambered through the grass after Kita, who had slowed his pace so that you could catch up. Maybe if you hadn’t been so flustered you would’ve remembered that he had come from the direction you were now walking in.

If Osamu’s knowing stare when he’d eventually ran into you and Kita hadn’t been enough to make you internally crumple in on yourself, his suggestion for all of you to get dinner together was.

Not to say that his presence wasn’t welcome, though. When Kita hadn’t been speaking about something notable on the farm, it was silent for the most part, with you only dumbly repeating how nice it was. You hadn’t talked about anything more personal, like where you were in life now. It didn’t feel right just pretending nothing had happened; neither had starting off from where the two of you had left off. And it’s not like you could just say, “Hey, remember how a few years ago we almost dated but then didn’t which ended up kind of ruining our friendship? Let’s try to work through that now!” Kita was over it by now, unlike you, who’d just shoved everything into the back of your mind and hoped it wouldn’t ever be relevant again. This is what you get for neglecting it, you berated yourself, and yet when it came down to it, you weren’t sure whether it was the resigned silence between the two of you or the way that you felt the urge to act so impulsively— to hug him, kiss him, apologize to him—  which was more frightening.

And that was how Osamu had found you, lost in your thoughts while walking with Kita and then somehow finding yourself sandwiched between the two in Kita’s pickup truck. I don’t have enough gas to drive us, Osamu had said while hiding a wicked grin, knowing damn well that you wouldn’t argue with him about it in front of Inarizaki’s former captain; that you wouldn’t beg Osamu to prevent you from getting into a car with Kita, not with him there to witness it.

You tried to avoid squirming in the middle seat of the front row, conscious of every minute brush against Kita’s sleeve or shoulder. Osamu snickered quietly, and you jerked your head to the side to glare at him heatedly. This is all your fault, your eyes seethed, or at least you hoped you could convey as much feeling into them as you wanted. You stiffened when Kita’s arm brushed against yours momentarily as he made a turn, and you lurched towards him. Osamu finally had the decency to help you out, grabbing your shoulder to prevent the collision.

You shot him another dirty glare and then stared out through the windshield just as you all pulled into the otherwise abandoned parking lot of the local bar. If you hadn’t come from Kita’s but instead your own childhood house, you would’ve walked like most other people did.

Immediately you dropped the gloomy atmosphere, eyes now shining. “Izumi and Kenji’s!” You hopped out of the truck from Osamu’s side and jumped up and down excitedly. “I haven’t been here in years!” you exclaimed, rushing forward. Your two companions trailed behind you, amused.

The bells on the door jingled as you opened it, at once having cold air rush at you. You sighed in contentment, the sweat on your brow already cooling off.

“Hello?” A matronly figure stepped out from behind the bar counter, a rag in hand. Just as her eyes landed on you, they brightened. “Y/N!” The woman tossed the rag onto a table and rushed over to greet you, holding your hands in her own excitedly. “When did you get back? How long have you been here? Are you staying at your parents’ house?”

You laughed and squeezed her hands before dropping them. “Hello, Izumi. I got back here a little bit ago and unpacked most of my stuff at the house. Any other questions?”

Izumi fired a barrage of inquiries while leading you to the bar counter, insisting that you sit on a stool. Osamu sat down beside you and Kita next to him. “—so glad you’re back. And Osamu, you too! You’ve gotten more handsome! I bet the girls and boys are flocking to you in Tokyo. How is the shop doing? And you too, Shin-chan! You don’t visit quite enough for someone that lives so close by!”

The three of you sat amiably and answered all of Izumi’s questions, small talk being made between you as she bustled in and out of the kitchen. “Yumie-chan told us you would be coming today, but we weren’t sure when! I think most people are going to be here, though, so just sit tight!” She brought out light beers and edamame to munch on in the mean time, and then a tray of salted nuts later.

Slowly, the eatery filled with more of the local residents of your hometown, all gathering around you. Izumi had insisted on moving your food and drinks to a long row of tables, which she had pushed together to make room for everyone. There had been a big influx of the field workers from earlier, who all greeted your group before settling down on the other end of the seating arrangement. More and more dishes were being put out, most of them now plates of food to share among the table. The mood was festive and there was never a quiet moment, always a conversation going on or some laughter. At one point even her husband Kenji had come out from the kitchen and managed a gruff ‘welcome’, garnering cheers from everyone. Your plate was never empty, aunties placing pieces of karaage, sides of spring cabbage, and more onto it. Your cheeks were tinted pink and your face glowed; you’d had a few beers, enough to make you feel all warm inside.

At last, after having eaten until you felt like your stomach was going to explode, Izumi brought out the final sides to accompany any of the remaining alcohol and then finally took a seat along with the women, who were asking questions about your new lifestyle.

“So why’d ya really come back?” One of the ladies asked curiously, the others leaning in forward to hear your response.

For a moment your grin faltered before you laughed again, taking a handful of salted nuts and then eating them one by one. “Oh, you know, just some burn out. I’ve been working nonstop the past two years. I thought I deserved a break.” You crunched down on some nuts, your jaw tense. The corners of your mouth felt tired from having to drag up all the time; the pleasant buzz from earlier was quickly dissipating the more they asked about this.

Another one of the women, an older one, said slyly, “Are you sure you didn’t return for any other reason?” Her eyes slid overtly towards where the men were sitting, near Kita. He had been nursing his drink, the same one he’d had all night. Kita had never been much of a drinker and he wasn’t going to drive while being drunk; he was too much of a stickler for the rules.

“I’m sure,” you said politely, gritting your teeth. You’d forgotten how nosy these old women could be. They all tittered to themselves, as if they knew something you didn’t, and then began talking of something else, leaving you to yourself. Your eyes caught Osamu’s, who raised his eyebrows questioningly before getting the message. He stretched his arms widely and then faked a yawn, not bothering to cover his mouth.

“Samu, you should head to bed, son,” Kenji said bluntly. “Yer tired.”

The twin nodded and looked to you and Kita. At that moment you didn’t have to fake a yawn, because you actually were exhausted. “We should go,” Kita agreed, “before I get too tired to drive us back.”

The three of you stood, causing a chorus of disappointed aws to ring out. “Ah,” you said, gripping the back of your chair to steady you. “I have something to say before I go.” Everyone at the giant table stared expectantly at you, and you remembered what it was like to have stage fright all over, as if you were just starting out again. Your throat tightened as you swallowed. “Um,” you said quietly, bowing formally and not making eye contact with a single person, “I would just like to thank all of you for taking such good care of my parents’ home. It’s because of you that I can move back in so easily. So thank you.”

After not hearing any sort of response, you peeked upwards. “Aw,” Izumi sniffled, wiping away a stray tear, “it’s because of you that we managed to stay open, ya know that, Y/N? You had no business giving us that much money for the restaurant, so it was the least we could do.” She jerked her head at everyone else. “And it’s not like we did it by ourselves; Kenji and I had help.” Izumi’s black eyes glittered. “Lots of help.”

You scuffed a foot, looking down again. Your cheeks and ears burned. But then you thought of the tatami mats at the house and the freshly dusted furniture, taken care of every week for years, and you shook your head. “Well, I didn’t need all that money.”

Osamu put a gentle hand on your shoulder. “Let’s go, Y/N,” he said quietly, and you nodded, following him and Kita out of the door as the others called out their goodbyes to you.

Everything that had happened that day hit you on the ride home, still sandwiched between the two men. At some point, tears had begun falling, with you trying miserably to cover them up. You weren’t sure if you were crying because you were disappointed by your reunion with Kita, or maybe if it was because tonight’s dinner had been one of the most fulfilling, the most happy you’d been in years. Your lips wobbled and you sniffled too this time, wiping at your nose with your arm. It had felt nice coming home to a table full of faces you recognized and the comfort of Izumi’s food, having people inquire about you solely because they cared.

“You could’ve given me some of that money too, y’know,” Osamu quipped, breaking the awkward silence. “And don’t wipe your snot with your bare arm, that’s disgusting. Health code violation.” Kita only chuckled as you elbowed the twin and argued with him, listening to the banter with a pensive look on his face.  

a/n: hhHhH sorry this took longer, i had a really bad stomachache a few days ago which made me shit like 6 times in a day and then throw up 😩 and then after that i got addicted to genshin so

taglist (pm me to ask to be added): @papiibuprofen​, @duhsies, @succulentmom, @kenmaslov3r​​​, @introvertatitsfinest, @errorishere

some ~fun facts~

- kita WAS making his rounds on the farm, but was coming from the opposite side of you. meaning that after he ran into you, he retraced his path because he wanted to walk with you

- izumi is in her 60s. her specialty is cooking fried chicken (karaage) but she wants to learn how to pickle stuff

- kenji is izumi’s husband. he mostly works in the kitchen since he prefers to let his wife handle customers, even if 99% of them are locals

- izumi and kenji have been running their restaurant/bar since they were in their mid 20s 🥺 STOP THEYRE SO CUTE WHY AM I GETTING SO SENTIMENTAL OVER OCS

- y/n actually did give osamu money. so did atsumu. the two of them were actually the first investors for onigiri miya, right after the twins graduated high school, but osamu doesn’t know it because you had all of the legal stuff handled through a third party anonymously. you will ensure that osamu never finds out because he is prideful as heck lol

- y/n has some toxic traits (as do most people)

- there’s no love triangle with osamu or anything. strictly kita x reader 😤 

[f0xfordcomma]

re:union (kataang week 2021) DAY FIVE

prompt: healing

re:union

chapter five: her hands, again

summary: "They sat in silence while Katara worked. Her hands guiding the glowing orb of water down his chi pathways, following the line of his arrows from the nape of his neck down his muscular arms to his wrists. The silence, Katara suspected, wasn’t helping keep the tremble out of her touch, keep her surgeon’s hands steady, but the thought of breaking the silence made her all the more antsy."

read it on ao3

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It had really only been an hour.

Zuko realized, once he had regained his wits and dealt with the matters at hand, that he actually had no idea how Aang was with babies. He was the Avatar, though, and his closest friend. And really, it had only been an hour. Of course nothing could have gone wrong. Of course he trusted him with his daughter. Of course he did…

Returning to the Fire Nation embassy in a similar huff to the way in which he had left it, Zuko found two guilty looking pre-teens, one cradling a sleeping baby Izumi, the other preparing an ice-pack, hunched around a scowling and scraped up Aang.

“What did you two do to him?”

“Nothing! We were just playing out in the courtyard, and he wanted to show us some airbending trick, and well…”

“Kiyi tripped him.”

“I did not!”

“Did too!” Zuko surreptitiously snuck Izumi out of Tom Tom’s arms before Kiyi’s inevitable strike knocked the accusatory boy on his backside.

“Guys, guys! I’m fine, really. It turns out my air-scooter is just a little bit rusty. Absolutely not your fault.” The kids didn’t hear him, already a tangled pile of elbows and mean names on the floor. Aang met Zuko’s gaze with a glint of guilt in his eye. “How was your emergency?”

“It’s been handled. How were the kids?”

“Great! We had lots of fun!” Aang’s voice was cheerful, but his expression was pained. His attempt at easing Zuko’s worries with platitudes pushed through clenched teeth was not going to cut it, and he knew it.

“Clearly…” Zuko appraised his friend once more, realizing that he was clutching his left arm with his right rather awkwardly. He groaned. “I’ll send for Katara.”

⬭

Her hands were cold on his skin before she even bent the water from the basin up to meet them. They ghosted over his shoulder, tapped his collarbone, adjusted his elbow. Each spot she touched felt electrified. Each touch reminded him of the last time he had touched her. How familiar it had been. How formal this felt.

“How do you dislocate your shoulder with a bunch of kids?” Her voice was warm, amused, but not quite teasing, not quite yet.

“Oh, well… it was an accident really. Air-scooter…”

“Ah…”

“Yeah.” He instinctively brought his uninjured arm up to cover the infrared embarrassment emblazoned on his neck.

Upstairs, baby Izumi started to fuss. “Excuse me,” Zuko, pacing and clearly deep in thought on the other side of the room, cleared his throat. Taking his leave, Zuko glanced briefly at Aang and Katara, appraising the awkward tension between them and clicking his tongue at himself, realizing that, perhaps, he should have left them alone much sooner.

They sat in silence while Katara worked. Her hands guiding the glowing orb of water down his chi pathways, following the line of his arrows from the nape of his neck down his muscular arms to his wrists. The silence, Katara suspected, wasn’t helping keep the tremble out of her touch, keep her surgeon’s hands steady, but the thought of breaking the silence made her all the more antsy.

“It—It’s good to see you, Katara.” His voice broke as the silence broke with it.

She bent the water back into the nearby basin, deliberately turning away from him as she did it, knowing full well that her face was aflame.

“It’s good to see you too.” She still wasn’t facing him, nervously drying her hands on her skirt even though they were bone dry the moment she expelled the water from them. “You—you look older.” She immediately tensed up and bit her tongue, realizing how her comment could be misconstrued.

Aang, pushing through his own bouncing butterflies at the compliment and Katara’s resultant discomposure, chuckled. “What? I thought I was looking pretty good for my age! Not a day over 84, as far as I’m concerned.”

Katara spluttered, but she had turned to face him now, ignoring the blush that she was still sporting in favor of holding her own against his teasing. “I don’t know… you can’t even stay on your air scooter, Oldtimer. It might be time to put you out to pasture…”

Aang’s jaw dropped at the jab and he threw his arms, both now back in tip-top shape thanks to Katara’s healing, in the air. “I am young and sprightly, thank you very much! I only fell because the kids were distracting me!”

“Sure, Aang. I believe you.”

Aang fought the urge to stick his tongue out at Katara, only stopping himself when he caught her eye and realized how much she, too, looked older. Her body had filled out in places, her face had thinned out in places. Her eyes still sparkled with resilient hope, but they held more wisdom, more discernment. His breath caught in his open mouth and he sobered at the sight of her. “Honestly, I’m pretty out of practice. I, uh, haven’t really been doing much bending lately.”

“Not keeping up with your katas, pupil Aang?” She chided but her voice was soft and fond.

He omitted the fact that he had never missed a day of waterbending. Every evening he’d wade in whatever water he could find and feel the push and pull. It was a relief on days when everything around him felt like squishing and stretching. It was a relief on days when he missed her. He waterbended everyday.

In the other elements, though, he’d gotten lazy. Toph would probably chuck a boulder or two at him the next time he saw her, and Zuko would glare in that unnervingly disappointed way only he could. (Fatherhood, Aang thought, was well suited for Zuko.)

He had kept up more with his airbending, if only to show the acolytes and to navigate the haunts of his childhood in the way that they were designed. But he had to force himself, sometimes, to fly. It was less than exhilarating when he was surrounded only by memories of the people he once flew with.

He wanted to tell Katara about the times he would lie in the orchard on his back with Gyatso. How they would watch the birds coast through the air, drafting off of one another. “See how the birds always flock together? Flight is a communal activity, air is a communal element.”

He wanted to tell Katara about the games that they would play as children in the air on their gliders. Diving and diverting and drafting. Dancing around one another in the air to the music of the wind and their own laughter.

He wanted to tell Katara about the way that they spoke to one another, words flowing in on the wind, stories building upon stories, voices rising over voices.

He wanted to tell her how silent it had been. How empty. How even the birds had seemed to have abandon the place long ago.

“Just didn’t really have anyone to practice with.” He told her instead.

“Now you do! Come on.” He followed her out toward the harbor, wondering the whole way if it was too late to nonchalantly take her hand.

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

look y'all! They spoke to one-another

@kataang-week

chapter one

chapter two

chapter three

chapter four

chapter six

chapter seven

[emilycollins00]

I read the Omi fic you wrote and I absolutely adore it!! The longing and Omi just saying that he wants to fall difkskcna I am weak ❤️❤️ if you’re still doing requests, could you do one where you get caught in the rain with Itaru and/or Omi? And he just realized his feelings for you? Maybe even telling you if he was feeling brave enough? 👀❤️

Really? Thank you so much! 💕 Aaah I actually enjoyed writing that one! It was supposed to have been a fluffy one but the more I wrote the more I wanted to end in a bittersweet ending. 

For your request, dear, I decided to do both because we deserve it, don’t we?  💕 Really hope you all like it. Enjoy!

Omi and Itaru caught in the rain with reader and confessing

-

Omi

You hadn’t expected rain

Just like destiny likes to play, even though Omi had, he ended up next to you

You two talk for a bit

Omi doesn’t look like it but is SO nervous

He had resolved to tell you his feelings about you

Maybe this was his chance?

You two share a moment

He’s so enchanted with you he can’t help it

Insert cute kiss scene

You cursed as you looked around you.

Opposite to what you had expected when you woke up, it felt like the sky was not in the mood and had decided to let everything go. You had barely had time to run to a near gazebo and you were pretty much drenched.

Pulling out your phone, you texted your family, telling them you would arrive late from university. Just as you were considering running to buy an umbrella, a gentle but strong voice interrupted your thoughts.

“Y/N?”

“Omi?”

He smiled warmly as he left his bag on the floor “Didn’t think I will meet you in this weather, you left class earlier than me”

Omi was a colleague from university, so it was more than likely that the rain had also shocked him “Still got caught up in the rain. Should have check the forecast before going out without an umbrella”

He laughed as he stood next to you, shirt stuck to his skin, making you avert your eyes embarrassed “It’s too windy, not sure if it would have helped you” Omi looked down at his own broken umbrella.

“Yikes”

Knowing it would probably take a while for the rain to slow down, you both started talking about your failed plans for the day. Some light conversation. You were pretty good friends.

…Maybe that’s why no one would have guessed Omi was feeling a wrecked mess as he explained to you the way Mankai’s laundry worked on raining days.

For someone as attentive towards others as he was, people tended to mark him as dense he when regarding his own feelings.

And maybe they had been right. Until now, he had always felt at ease with you, and tended to text and call you to get together after university or rehearsals, but he only realized how ridiculously strong his non-platonic feelings were for you when the dorm called out for it a few days ago.

“You leaving, Omi?” before the young man could answer to Izumi, Taichi shouted from the couches something about being lucky to go on dates. He chuckled.

“I’m just meeting with Y/N”

Yuki rolled his eyes next to the red-head “It’s the same thing, you guys are practically a couple at this point”

“Uh?”

“Good for you, Omi-san! I also want someone as nice as Y/N someday…!”

“Ey, don’t stop sewing”

“S-sorry, Yuki-chan!”

After thinking deeply about it, the realization hit him like a punch in the face, overwhelming how strong he actually felt. Omi didn’t remember the last time he had tried to grow as close to someone as he had been trying with you.

Whenever you smiled, whenever you giggled, he felt the luckiest person for being able to share those moments with you “This is kind of nice” Omi couldn’t help but enjoy the coincidence of being with you more time than he had expected that day. He heard you laughing softly.

“You like being stuck in the rain? That’s so like you”

He blushed lightly, scratching his neck. He hoped his nerves weren’t showing too much “You could say that. Rain also has its charm”

“I guess you’re right” you breathed into your hands, trying to warm them up. Seasons were in process of changing and temperatures had been dropping last few days.

“Ah, here”

Before you could react, Omi had given you his right glove. You turned to look confusedly at him; all he did was smile kindly back at you “You are cold, right?”

Shyly, you did as told and wore it. Opening your mouth to thank him, you didn’t expect his next movement to be him taking your left naked hand into his. Your blood rose to your cheeks. You couldn’t help but look away self-consciously. Was this normal for him?

No, it wasn’t. Had you looked at him, you would have gaped at the gleam and longing in his caramel eyes directed to you. Instead, you gazed off into the distance after a few seconds, enjoying the sound of rain with a small smile.

“It is kind of nice”

Omi’s heart squeezed at your statement. He noticed how small your hands were now that your palms were pressed into his. Omi took a breath, showering you again with the gentlest eyes you had seen.

“I like you, Y/N”

And Omi’s heart almost stopped when he felt you squeezing his hand. As you looked up at him with such an inviting warmth. You did not move and so, he drew closer, you both shivering, not because of the cold this time.

The kiss had been red, blazing fire, yet gentle, like the rain surrounding you  

After it, you parted, keeping mere inches away from one another, staring into each other’s eyes. When a sudden thunder caused you both to jumped and therefore breaking the contact, you laughed at the timing.

“I like you too, Omi”

Looks like rain really had its own way of helping create new starts.

-

Itaru

It wasn’t the first place you had expected to be in the morning

Being in the middle of the rain

If only you hadn’t taken the phone

Itaru knows that

He’s still struggling to make his move

But you two are alone

And words somehow come out weird

Not his fault, he had never been one to do romantic confessions

Thank good you help him on the way

“You just had to ask me to accompany you to buy a new game” you grumbled while squeezing the water out of your shirt.

The air was already humid, and you tried to embrace yourself as you glanced at your companion. Itaru frowned and shook his head, spraying droplets of water at you.

You were in bed when you got a call from him, telling you to go with him to buy the new console that came out that day. You found it weird, but living around the district, you shrugged and decided to do it.

He had been so busy with rehearsals you two had barely seen each other anyway

You glanced around, admiring how much rain had appeared out of nowhere. The weather cast hadn’t said anything about it “When do you think it will stop pouring?”

“Hopefully soon, I want to get back home”

“We could always make a run for it”

Itaru watched you as if you had grown another head “Y/N, I am not taking chances on getting wet the new console. Do you know how valuable this is?” he caressed the object, paying no attention at your judging looks

“You are such a pain, Itaru”

Quietly, you unconsciously started getting close to him, probably in need of warmth. Itaru noticed it and stood straighter. No one said a word for a while, until the blond glanced at you  

“…Didn’t think you would show up”

“Why?”

“Who in their right mind would be up at this time? Well, except for Tasuku who is probably training in this weather…scary”

“Itaru, you called me”

“And you responded and came so, who’s the weird one?”

He was trying to be subtle, but you saw how his words lacked his usual playfulness. You stopped leaning on him and placed your back on the walls of the shop. You didn’t respond, watching as he read the back of the game, humming  “What’s wrong, Itaru?”

He didn’t lift his head “I’m just pissed for not bringing an umbrella so I can go back home and play? We already talked about that”

“…It’s that it?”

At the sound of your concerned voice, he lifted his head and gave you a small smirk that didn’t reach his eyes

If Itaru were to say, he had never really been bothered about love and relationships before he finally noticed his growing crush on you. Which had been the worst at the time, honestly.

You were a good friend, why try to change your relationship?

However, he couldn’t help but want to be something more. If only he was good at handling emotions, it would have been great.

How did people find the courage to confess? One thing was otome games, but real-life confrontation was something he didn’t think he would have to do. He had always been at the receiving end of a confession.

Therefore, he wasn’t sure how to start “Guess I also felt like meeting with you” Turning his head slightly “I have missed seeing that face of yours lately”

You couldn’t help but blink, not knowing where those words came from, heartbeat speeding up “That almost looked like a confession”

“…”

“Are you blushing?”

“No”

“You are. Wait, were you serious just now?”

You froze. He saw you processing everything and sighed “You don’t have to say anything, you know, I just needed to say it or I might lose it. Confessing is not for me”

The way he expressed his real feeling made you laugh, breaking the first stupor. Smiling, you bumped your shoulders with his “Then… I appreciate the effort, might take you up on that confession even”

Itaru laughed “Might?”

You smiled back, your faces getting closer and closer. Itaru leaned down, slowly, as if waiting for your rejection, before finally pressing his lips to yours

It hadn’t been a bad idea to get stuck in the rain after all

________________________________________________________

Hope you guys liked it too, have a wonderful day! 💕

[livthelazywriter]

Quirkless Hero

Bakugou x f!reader

Y/n is quirkless. Has been and always will be(well kinda of that is), but that's never stop her from getting strong to be a hero. Walls that seem to be unbreakable appear in her life, but that doesn't stop her. Until a wall greater than she's ever faced shows up. She begins to question if she should just give being a hero or continue to move forward and still try. As she thinks about giving up, a certain ash blonde decides to help her break down this wall alongside her.

Chapter 1: News

Words: 2908

Thud!

"Ha! I win!" Y/n looked down at the person under her. Putting her staff across their chest. She had a smirk across her face in victory.

The boy under her smirked. "Yeah well, not for long." He grabbed both ends of the metal pole and flipped Y/n to the ground. Hands still on the ends of the staff, he flipped with her, putting him on top of her. He pushed the staff to her chest to keep her from getting up.

"Owwwahaha, that hurt Kenji." Y/n let a laughing groan(is that what you call it? When you do the weird laugh when you get hurt? idk).

Kenji let out a chuckle. Looking down at his girlfriend, eyebrows furrowed together slightly with a small smile. "That's kinda the point."

Y/n rolled her eyes then looked up at Kenji. "Can you get off me now? Please?"

Kenji pondered for a moment. "Mmmmm, no." He smirked, "I like the view." He said looking down at his girlfriend, getting a little closer to her face. All Y/n did was give him a deadpanned look. She had gotten rather used to his flirtatious remarks since they started dating. She was about to give him a reply when she was quickly interrupted. It was a girl's voice.

"Ewwwww! Get a room you two!" The girl said with a chuckle. She was one of Y/n and Kenji's only friends. She was currently sparing with another classmate next to the couple.

Pov change-

You both looked at your friend with a small blush on your faces.

"Izumi!" You yelled at her from across the field. All she did was let out a giggle. Turning back to look up at your boyfriend you pulled your legs up to your chest and pushed him off. He fell onto his back groaning.

He looked up at you. "You couldn't have been a little nicer?" He held out his hand asking for help up. You grabbed his forearm.

"Well, I did ask you once to get off but you didn't listen." You replied as you pulled him up. Just as Kenji was about to answer you back he was interrupted.

"Alright class that enough for today. Go get changed and head back to class." Your teacher announced. The class stopped their sparing and headed towards the school from the field. Izumi came running over to you both.

"Hey gu-"

"Mr. Hara." Your teacher called from close behind. You three turned. "Please keep the flirting to a minimum or don't do it at all during my class." You snickered.

"Yes sensei!" Kenji answered bashfully with a small bow.

"You too Ms. L/n." Your teacher added with a straight face. You froze.

"Uh-I-um, uh y-yes sir!" You stuttered. This time it was Kenji's turn to laugh.

I wasn't even flirting this time!

"Yeah Mrs. L/n." Kenji mocked bumping your shoulder. You tried to kick him, but he quickly got away anticipating the move.

"Gotta try harder than that to get me Y/n!" He yelled as he started to run, obviously wanting you to try a catch him. A deadpanned looked came to your face once again. You turned to Izumi, who still walking next to you.

"He's such a pain." You rolled your eyes. The indigo haired girl next to you let out a giggle.

"Then why are you dating him again?" Izumi asked playfully.

"Oh shush!" You pushed her shoulder. Both of you let out a laugh.

-Time skip to the end of the school day-

"HAHAHA!!" Izumi let out a loud laugh.

"It's not funny! It was embarrassing!" Kenji replied defensively. A tint of pink dusted his cheeks.

"Then maybe you shouldn't fall asleep in class." You added a bit playfully looking to the boy at your right. Kenji groaned.

"It's not my fault Mrs. Nakamura's class is boring." All you could do was giggle at your boyfriend's distress. Silence fell over the three of you as you continued to walk to the school entrance gate. It wasn't awkward, it was a comfortable silence.

The three of you had been friends since school began in the spring. It's now fall. You and Kenji were the first to meet. You both met in the hall after your first bully incident. Not long after the two of you befriended Izumi after being assigned as a group during hero training. You were to 'rescue' another group that had been taken hostage by 'villains'(your teachers). You three passed.

After that, the three of you continued to do work together and hang out after school whenever you guys had time. Each of you helped each other grow. Since you don't have a quirk, you helped Kenji and Izumi grow with theirs. Pointing out different areas of their quirk to make them stronger. They on the other hand helped you grow in strength and combat.

"Welp," Izumi stretched her arms over her head once approaching the gate, "this were we part ways. See you guys tomorrow!" She gave a small wave and started to walk down the sidewalk home.

You Kenji responded at the same time. "See you tomorrow Izumi!" The two of you went the opposite way. You both lived in the same direction but Kenji was a little further from you, so he ends up walking home by himself.

POV change~

The couple was engaged in small talk as they walked down the street. Kenji's arm wrapped loosely around Y/n's waist as always. The leaves on the trees were turning colors, from vibrant greens, to warm yellows, oranges, and reds. A few leaves were scattered along the walkway. Every now and then, there would be a satisfying crunch under their feet.

While on the topic of homework, Y/n felt a buzz from her coat pocket. She reached in and pulled out her phone. A smile spread across her face.

-One New Message-

From: Favorite Cousin❤️🪨

"Who is it?" Kenji asked as he turned his head toward the phone in Y/n's hands.

Y/n gave him a short answer. "Ej." She tapped on the notification bringing her to her messaging app to see what her cousin sent her.

Favorite Cousin❤️🪨:

Hiiiii

Y/n chuckled at the text.

Quirkless wonder:

Hiiiiii👋

Favorite Cousin❤️🪨:

Whatcha doin?

Quirkless wonder:

Walking home with Kenji

Favorite Cousin❤️🪨:

Ooo romantic😙

Y/n snorted, she gave Kirishima an eye roll he obviously couldn't see. Kenji looked over to his girlfriend with a questioning look.

"What's so funny?"

"Ejirou asked what I was doing and I said walking home with you. He responded with, 'oooo romantic'." Y/n said the last bit with a hint of sarcasm. Kenji let out a chuckle and pulled the girl closer to his side.

"I can make it more romantic if you like." He got closer to her face. His eyebrows were raised and a smirk made way to his face. Y/n let out a small laugh and pushed the boy's side with hers. She stopped walking and pulled up the camera on her phone.

Kenji stopped with her confused. "What are you doing?"

Y/n held her phone in front of them. "Make a face."

"Why?"

"Just do it. I'm showing how 'romantic' our walk home is." Kenji leaned closer to her face taking a bit of hair to make a mustache on his face.

"How this?" He asked puckering his lips to keep the hair in place. The girl laughed.

"Perfect!" Y/n sucked in her cheeks make fish lips, then crossed her eyes. Keeping her finger where the button was she took the picture. The two then looked at the picture.

"Romantic," Kenji adds with a fake serious look on his face.

Y/n giggled, then nodded her head. "Very romantic indeed." She sent the picture.

Quirkless wonder:

How's this?

Not long after he responded.

Favorite Cousin❤️🪨:

Ahh yes, very romantic👍

Once again the (h/c) let out a chuckle.

Quirkless wonder:

What are you doing?🤔

Favorite Cousin❤️🪨:

Going to do some studying Bakubro

Quirkless wonder:

Didn't he hit you in the head with a newspaper last time???

Favorite Cousin❤️🪨:

Yeah😓

Quirkless wonder:

Then.....why are studying with him????🤨

Favorite Cousin❤️🪨:

It helped surprisingly😅

Y/n mentally face palmed.

Favorite Cousin❤️🪨:

Plus, the rest of the squad aren't much for studying and he ranked 3rd in midterms. So I don't have very many options.

As Y/n began to type back, she felt something soft press on her cheek. She looked over to the boy standing next to her, seeing that they arrived at their house.

Kenji pressed another kiss but this time her forehead. "I'll see you tomorrow at school." With that he walked towards home. Before he got to far, Y/n called out to him. Making the boy turn around

"Yeah! See you tomorrow!" She replied with a smile and slight wave. Kenji smiled and waved back. Turning back around, he continued home.

Phone still in hand, Y/n opened the gate to her yard and walked in. Quickly she turned around and closed it. Looking back down at her phone she continued to type her response.

Finishing, she quickly hit send.

Quirkless wonder:

Well then, I wish you the best of luck with your study session with the grumpy explosive boy. Don’t die

Favorite cousin ❤️🪨:

I won't lol

We just got to where we're going to study so I'll talk to you later

Love u

Quirkless wonder:

Love you too

Looking back up from her phone, she made her way up to the front door. Not knowing there was a surprise on the other side waiting for her. Barely making it into to the house, she ended up screaming. Why? Her annoying younger brother.

"RAAAAAAAAAA!"

"AHHHHH!" Y/n let out a short high pitch scream. She jumped what felt like a few feet in the air, nearly dropping her phone in the process. Hiro let out a hearty laugh dropping to the floor.

"BWHAHAHAHA! You should've seen the look on you face!"  Hiro held his stomach as he shook from his uncontrollable laughter. Tears began to swell in his eyes as he took to much joy from antagonizing his sister.

Y/n however did not fine this funny in the slightest. "Hiro! Your such a butt!" Walking over to the boy on the floor, she pushed him over using her foot. Not even phasing him or breaking him out of his trance of laughter.

Huffing, the girl turned taking off her shoes and placed them by the door. She hung her coat on the rack that hung on the wall. Picking up her backpack she took off to remove her coat, she headed to her room, completely ignoring the boy on the floor.

-Time Skip-

"So? How was school you two?"

Currently the L/n family was sat down for dinner. Once in a while, Ren and Hana would still be at work, working on last minute plans, attending meetings, or finishing last minute projects. Luckily tonight, they got to be home with their kids.

"Good."

"Boring."

Hiro had a pout on his face and poked his food with his chopsticks. Y/n chuckled as she picked up a bit of her rice and ate it. He said that almost every night at dinner. So she decided to poke the bear, knowing his answer was still going to be the same.

"Why was it boring?" All the boy did was grumble as he looked up from his food to his sister.

"I don't get to do anything fun. All we do is work." Hiro angrily stabbed a piece of his teriyaki chicken.

"That's kind of the point of school Hiro." His father added from the head of the table.

"I know. But I wish we got to do something more fun like sis does."

"Hiro, that's because I go to a hero school and your still in middle school(I don't know how the Japanese school system  age wise works so bare with me)." Y/n look looked up from her rice and to her very grumpy younger brother.

Hiro dropped his chopsticks on the table. "Yeah, I know bu-"

Hana interrupted him before he could continue. "Why don't we talk about something else before you two start arguing."

A silence fell among the family as they continued to eat. After a minute or so, Ren decided to speak up.

"We actually do have something that we need to talk to you both about." The teens looked up to their dad both mid chew. The h/c swallowed her food and looked to the right of the table.

"What is it?" A little bit of anxiety and stress set in thinking the answer might be bad.

"A new building location opened a few moths ago and has been getting some break ins," shock came to both of the teens faces. Ren continued. "The people working there are on edge and I need to address the situation in person."

"So," Hiro looked to his sister then his dad, "are you saying we're moving?" All his father did was nod. It was Y/n's turn to speak up.

"Wait new building location?" She started trying connect the dots where they were going to move to. Her heart started to race in anticipation. "You mean, you mean the one in Mustafu?" She looked to her mother in reassurance. She smiled crept onto her face as she nodded.

"No way!" Y/n stood up and put her hands on the table causing her chair to almost fall over. She had never been more excited in her life to move. She's going to get to see her cousin in person again after all these years. She was absolutely astatic. "I gotta tell Ei!"

Right before she went anywhere her mom stopped her. "No!"

Y/n whipped her head in her mother's direction in confusion. "Why not?" Her voices was slightly raised. This made her a little hurt.

"We told Akari about moving and thought that maybe you could surprise him by showing up at his house or something instead of telling him immediately." Explained Hana. Y/n nodded at the suggestion. Surprising him sounds a lot more fun.

"Alright. Yeah, I'll do that."

"Wait, when are we moving?" Hiro asked. He looked back and forth between his parents at both ends of the table.

"We are going to let you two finish the school year before we move. So we want to move into the house some time in February." Ren looked between his two kids. "And Y/n, sit down please."

"Oh right." Y/n sat back in her chair and scooted back up to the table.

"So you both don't need to worry about packing quite yet. We'll do that a bit after when we find out when we need to be out of the house." Hana added.

"So you guys found a house already?" Hiro questioned both his parents.

"Not yet," his father began, "we just got informed this morning not long after you guys left for school. So it'll be a few days till we find a house that's up for sale."

Y/n's heart was pounding. They were actually going to Mustafu. She gets to Ejirou. Her face fell. They're leaving. She has to to leave Kenji and Izumi. She has to leave her best friend. She's leaving her boyfriend. The first person outside of her family to believe in her. One of the first people to actually accept her as being quirkless. What if she ends up going to UA with Kirishima and the people there aren't nice? No no, he said they were nice. They wouldn't pick on her would they? The only person she could think that would a bit of a pain would be-

Y/n's mom interrupted her thoughts. "Y/n, you okay?" Her head snapped up to her direction.

"Yeah I'm fine." She sighed. "It's just- everything kinda hit me all at once. I'm excited to go back to Mustafu, but at the same time I have to leave Kenji and Izumi." She looked back down at her food. Picking up her chopsticks she poked at it.

Her dad spoke up. "You can always talk to them, you have their phone numbers. It's not like you'll be completely out of touch."

Y/n let out a heavy sigh. "I know but, what am I going to do about Kenji?"

"Long distance?" Hiro suggested shrugging his shoulders.

"I could but that would be hard. I like being able to interact with people beside video calls and text messages." Y/n rested her head in her palm as her elbow rested on the table. Hana reached her hand over to her daughters back and rubbed circles on it.

"You'll figure it out. We know you will." She gave her words over encouragement as she looked into her eyes with a soft smile.

Y/n will tell Izumi and Kenji tomorrow at school sometime. It will be hard but she'll do it. Maybe before heading home she'll go someplace so she can talk to her boyfriend about what they'll do when she moves. Will they end it or try long distance? If they do end it, at least they'll be on good terms and it wasn't anything bad. Going back to being just friends wouldn't be to bad.

Previous Next

[avatarstories]

izumi’s birthday part three:  sources of wisdom

The next morning, breakfast with the family is awkward. Izumi was a few moments late, having had to stop by the royal seamstress to have the last adjustments fitted for party outfit finished. By the time she arrived at breakfast, everyone was seated, and the only empty chair was between her father and Bumi. Bumi’s stony expression made her want to just be swallowed up by the floor. Maybe she could go find Druk and convince him to eat her. She gives Bumi a sad smile, and he rolls his eyes with a noticeable exhale. Izumi takes her seat quietly trying her hardest to give him as much space as possible. 

“Are we going to talk about how Izumi and Bumi are making the air in the room extremely uncomfortable?” Kya says. “Lover’s quarrel?” she jokes. 

“Fuck off, Kya” Bumi mutters, looking down at the table in front of him. Kya is across from him and leans in trying to get his attention. 

“Excuse me?” she says with a joking lilt in her voice. 

Bumi doesn’t say anything. Instead, he throws his tea at Kya and storms out of the dining room. Everyone is silent but all eyes are on Izumi. Having managed to stop the tea from hitting her, Kya bends it back into a cup. 

“Well, Happy Birthday, Izumi! What an exciting way to start the day,” Kya deadpans. Zuko looks at Izumi with a concerned expression. Azula looks ready to go to murder. Toph and Lin have their eyebrows raised and are taking a big sips of their mango juices. Tenzin hangs his head and focuses intently at his rice. Izumi notices Katara giving Aang a look that says go after him and when he doesn’t move she shakes her head. 

“This looks like a job for a wise old man like me,” Iroh says, pushing his chair back so that he can stand up. 

“General Iroh, it’s really ok, Aang can take care of it,” Katara says. 

“Uh, I kinda agree with General Iroh,” Aang replies sheepishly. 

If looks could kill, the ice in Katara’s eyes would have Aang pinned to the wall. “You are unbelievable,” she says quietly, though the anger and disappointment in her tone are unmistakable. She follows Bumi out the door 

“Looks like Twinkletoes is in the polar bear doghouse,” Toph says. Aang groans and then goes after Katara and Bumi.

“Care to enlighten us, Izumi?” Azula asks. 

“Not really,” she mutters. “I’m going to the training yard,” she announces quietly, and she walks out the door. 

Azula looks between Zuko and Iroh “I would go after her, but I was planning to go boss some staff around to make sure her party is perfect, which I think now needs to be even more perfect,” she says. 

“I will see what is bothering our dear Izumi,” Iroh says pushing out his chair once again. He and Azula leave the room. 

“Man,” Lin says “I thought mom and I would be the ones to start drama.” At that, Sokka laughs so hard he snorts, and Suki punches him in the side for it. ————————————————————————————————— 

Izumi is moving through advanced katas when Iroh finds her.

“I have told you before, forms practiced in anger are like tea steeped in unclean water, dear Izumi.” 

She finishes the form sending an arc of a flame towards the stone wall with an audibly annoyed exhale. 

“Now, are you going to tell me what is wrong or should I guess? Kya suggested a -” 

“IM NOT DATING BUMI! CAN EVERYONE STOP THINKING THAT!” 

Iroh chuckles. “Everyone used to think the same of your father and Katara when they were yours and Bumi’s ages. When people share a special bond others cannot help but wonder. But of course I did not come here to talk about your father’s youthful affections. It appears you and Bumi are experiencing a strain. Care to inform your old grandfather so he can help you?” 

“We had a misunderstanding.” 

“I know that I am old, Izumi, but I am not blind.” 

“Bumi was telling me about some issues in their family between him and his dad, and I basically told him that he should be lucky not to have the weight of a legacy on his shoulders.” 

“So your problem stems from your fear of your future,” Iroh affirms. “Rightfully so on an occasion as momentous as your 17th birthday, but Izumi, you are a kind, gentle, and fair minded young woman, and your father is a picture of health, what has brought about this anxiety?” 

Izumi crosses her arms and says nothing. 

“Izumi?” 

“I overheard some of the noblewomen talking about a curse on the Fire Ladies.” 

“And what is this curse?” 

“That Fire Ladies who die in childbirth give rise to evil Fire Lords. The spirits make them pay the ultimate price for what they bring into the world.”

Iroh takes in her words. “And so you have applied this to your own birth?” Izumi nods.

“You’re young yet Izumi, but I think you will find that destiny is what you make of it,” he says. “You and your father are the descendants of Sozin and Azulon, but you’re also the descendants of Avatar Roku on your grandmother’s side. There’s light and dark in you, and you will have to chose what nature you will allow to flourish. But knowing you, I would largely place my bets on the light side. And,” he takes a pause, “you can always seek to redeem yourself for your faults. I tried to break through the walls of Ba Sing Se, and then I took it back from the Fire Nation. Your father chased Aang halfway across the world, and now they are best friends. Azula was one of the most terrifying people in existence -” 

“She still is.” 

He chuckles. “Yes, she still is. But the original fire bending masters deemed her worthy of regaining her power when she lost it and repented, and they even gifted her a dragon egg as they did to your father,” he explains. 

“Your father’s legacy was to end a war. Yours will be the equally important one of maintaining peace,” Iroh says. “Now, maybe you should go practice that and make your amends with Master Bumi. I am off to make some tea.” 

“What if he won’t speak to me,” she asks. 

“Well then your partner dance in front of the court later on at your party will be terribly uncomfortable!” he says walking back inside. ——————————————————————————————————— Bumi does not really know where he is walking to, and he just follows the direction that instinct takes him. He can hear his parents behind him, but he does not stop. 

“Bumi please,” Katara calls. 

He groans and walks faster. In this instance, he was incredibly pleased with himself because he still remembers some of the secret passageways in the palace that Izumi had showed him as children when they would play hide and explode with Izumi’s Aunt Kiyi and Aunt Azula, so he ducked into one that he knew was coming and hears his parents run right passed. It was slightly dark inside, which made perfect sense considering that usually only firebenders used these hallways and had no need for any other light. 

Bumi went off memory and kept his right hand on the wall. If he had to figure this out like a maze in order to get out, that’s what he would do. After about ten minutes in the dark, he feels a variation in the stone that tells him he’s found a door. If he remembers correctly, this one will let him out by the portrait gallery. However, when he opens the door, he’s stopped by a piece of furniture. 

“Huh?” he hears someone ask, and soon the furniture is being shoved out of the way and the door opens and bright light blinds him, and Azula is standing in front of him.

She stares him up and down. “I would offer to help you but I will warn you first that if you ruin Izumi’s birthday, not even the fact that your father is the Avatar will save you from me.” 

Bumi remains frozen, unsure what to do. 

“Well don’t just sit there,” she says, raising a brow. He stumbles into what he realizes to be Azula’s office. 

“If you are avoiding your parents who ran after you when you caused quite the commotion at breakfast, then my office would definitely be the best place to hide. Push that back into place,” she commands gesturing to the small table she had just moved. 

Bumi has not spent much time alone with Azula. Whenever he would visit the Fire Nation, he and Izumi were attached at the hip. Every summer when Kya would go to the Southern Water Tribe and his dad and Tenzin would go to an Air Temple, Bumi would get dropped off in the Fire Nation for a few months of sword training with Master Piandao. After Piandao passed away, Zuko offered to continue training him since Sokka was busy trying to get Republic City up and running. In all that time, he’d never really gotten to know Azula. From what Izumi had told him, Azula was Zuko’s right hand. She lead his small council and sat in on meetings when he was away on diplomatic trips, which made her an extremely powerful person. 

He looks around her office. It’s clean and tidy. There is a small ink portrait of Izumi on the wall to the right of Azula's desk, and vases of Fire Lilies around the room. 

Azula studies him while he looks around the room. “Should I ask what’s bothering you or should we pretend this exchange never happened?”

“Whatever you prefer,” he replies. 

“I prefer to be well informed.” 

“Izumi and I had a fight.” 

“I gleaned that,” she says flatly. There’s a pause. “Izumi hates celebrating her birthday. She tells us every year it makes her feel guilty, but the 17th birthday of the Heir Apparent is a rite of passage in the Fire Nation.” 

“Why’s that?” 

“Traditionally, it’s when the Crown Prince, or in Izumi’s case, Princess, starts sitting on the small council and has to take up a stronger political role than just kissing babies and doing well in school… it’s seen as the last day of childhood.”  

Oh Bumi thinks. “That’s why she’s so stressed.” 

“Most likely a factor.” 

“She never mentioned it.” 

“Well, you know Izumi. Unless it’s Zuko, getting her to tell you what’s wrong is like pulling teeth. She is like you in that regard.” Bumi looks puzzled. “I read people very well,” she says in reply to his reaction. There’s a pause as she regards him. “I do not imagine it is easy to be a non-bender in a family like yours.” 

“Man, you really don’t hold back.” 

She offers him a half smile. “I understand the fear of being a disappointment too. When I was 12 I was so scared of failure and what would happen if I disappointed my father. It was not even two years by the time I self destructed.” 

“I’m not going to self destruct,” he mutters. 

“Then you might need some help carrying that weight on your shoulders around.” 

He is quiet for a minute. “What if there’s no one to help me?” 

 She glances down at a small ink drawing of her mother, Zuko, and herself  that sits on her desk. “From my experience,  you can often find help in very unexpected places, but you have to be open to being helped.” 

AN: you cannot convince me Azula didn’t get a redemption arc and a lot of healing and become a strange source of wisdom. you just can’t. azula redemptions are a peak of feminist literature. 

I imagine redeemed Azula serves Zuko in a position similar to the hand of the king from GoT. 

[osakaso5]

Minami Natsume Twelve Hits! Rabbit TV Part 1: Twelve Hits!

Part 2 | Part 3

Haruka Isumi: "RADIO STATION Twelve Hits"?

Torao Mido: Ah... Isn't that the radio show IDOLiSH7 was on last year?

Minami Natsume: TRIGGER and Re:vale also participated in it.

Toma Inumaru: That's right! And we're gonna be on Twelve Hits! this year!

Torao Mido: Hmm.

Toma Inumaru: Why dont you look more interested!?

Torao Mido: It's not like we haven't done a bunch of radio shows before, right? If anything, you're a little too excited.

Toma Inumaru: Hold on... This is Twelve Hits! we're talking about! The famous radio show practically everyone in Japan’s heard of!

Toma Inumaru: It's been on air ever since we were kids, so you've got to have listened to it at least once, right?

Haruka Isumi: Nope. I like RabbiTube better, anyway.

Torao Mido: Haha, you're such a modern kid. Not that I've listened to it, either.

Toma Inumaru: You've gotta be kidding me!

Minami Natsume: I've listened to it. It's a monthly broadcast that has a new host each time.

Minami Natsume: I even appeared in it once when I was still a child actor.

Toma Inumaru: Seriously, Mina..!? That's awesome..!

Toma Inumaru: I've sent a couple messages to it, but they never got read on air. ...So you've already been on it, huh..!

Minami Natsume: Oh dear. If you open your eyes so wide, they'll fall out.

Minami Natsume: Though I must say, I like being gazed at so intensely that it might result in your loss of sight.

Haruka Isumi: Eek... Don't say scary stuff like that..!

Torao Mido: I see. In other words, this radio show is amazing enough that some people would even sacrifice their precious eyes for it.

Toma Inumaru: ...Ahem. In any case, we've got a really cool job ahead of us!

Toma Inumaru: The shows from last year were a lot of fun, too!

Torao Mido: You listened to them?

Minami Natsume: So, you listened to them.

Haruka Isumi: You did?

Toma Inumaru: S-should I not have..? Why are you all looking at me like that!?

Torao Mido: No reason.

Haruka Isumi: No reason?

Minami Natsume: No reason in particular.

Toma Inumaru: You three always work together perfectly at times like these...

Minami Natsume: I was simply commending you for having a genuine interest in even the hosts   who weren't your friend, Nanase-san, without so much as gathering intel on them.

Torao Mido: Hmph. Nothing we could've done about that. Toma wants to be friends with those guys. Probably because he's not satisfied with us.

Haruka Isumi: Torao, stop sulking like a little kid. He's not gonna understand that you want him to pay more attention to you unless you tell him.

Torao Mido: I'm not sulking. I was just pointing out that he goes on and on about people other than us.

Toma Inumaru: ...I just thought it looked fun, the way they were giving each other requests for the show... I kinda wanted to try it, too...

Toma Inumaru: Listening to them made me think about how fun it'd be to do that with you guys!

Torao Mido: Oh..?

Haruka Isumi: Hmm..?

Minami Natsume: So, you want us to complete requests for you.

Toma Inumaru: That's right! Some of them could get pretty crazy and extreme, but it just seemed like something members of the same group do together!

Haruka Isumi: Yeah... I guess Tenn Kujo seemed pretty happy when he got a request from his little brother.

Toma Inumaru: Yep. So you did listen to it, after all!

Haruka Isumi: Huh? Ah..!

Haruka Isumi: N-no I didn't! I just happened to hear it from a car radio on my way somehwere.

Toma Inumaru: If you already know what the show's like, then that makes things easier! Apparently we'll also get requests from the listeners.

Toma Inumaru: Make sure to come up with good ones!

Minami Natsume: Very well. You'll answer anything, won't you?

Torao Mido: Feels nice to be on the asking end of a relationship for once.

Haruka Isumi: Let's rebel like we always do, even on radio! 

- - - -

Toma Inumaru: Is everybody here? Our next radio host's Mina. Let's get working on those requests!

Minami Natsume: Thank you. I'm hoping none of your requests will bore me to death.

Toma Inumaru: Hey, quit putting so much pressure on us.

Torao Mido: What, are you that insecure about your request, Toma?

Toma Inumaru: Nah, I just get nervous when Mina's expectations are high...

Haruka Isumi: You're so lame, Toma. Can I go first, then?

Torao Mido: Haha. Our youngest is taking the lead again. Sure, go ahead.

Haruka Isumi: Hmph. It's your fault for being slow.

Haruka Isumi: ...Minami, reply to my RabbitChat message immediately.

Minami, Toma, & Torao: Message..?

Minami Natsume: Er... You haven't sent me any new messages...

Haruka Isumi: I don't mean right now, I mean during the show! That's my request!

Minami Natsume: Why during the show?

Haruka Isumi: You're too slow to reply! And sometimes you straight up leave me on read.

Haruka Isumi: I figured you'd care more if I ordered you to reply on live radio!

Minami Natsume: Oh dear. You could've just asked, you know.

Torao Mido: Don't you wanna take this chance to ask for something more special?

Haruka Isumi: I-I'm fine with this! My turn's over!

Toma Inumaru: Huh, you guys must message a lot. What do you usually talk about?

Minami Natsume: We do. He tells me about fun things that happened to him at school.

Minami Natsume: The other day, he sent me pictures of an adorable snake plushie. Apparently he, Izumi-san, and Yotsuba-san had stopped by an arcade after school...

Toma Inumaru: Oh, so they were playing the claw games. That sounds fun, Haru..!

Torao Mido: Hey, Haruka. How come you didn't send me anything?

Toma Inumaru: Are you seriously gonna get hung up on that..?

Haruka Isumi: I just thought it looked kinda like Minami... That's it!

Minami Natsume: Hee hee, thank you. I'm glad you're having fun with your friends.

Haruka Isumi: T-they're not my friends!

Haruka Isumi: Anyway, you need to start messaging me more!

Minami Natsume: Oh my. I appreciate your passion.

Haruka Isumi: ...Hmph.

Toma Inumaru: Okay! I'm next!

Toma Inumaru: Can you binge a bunch of food?

Minami Natsume: ...Binge?

Toma Inumaru: You emptied all those   bowls when we had that shoot at the ramen  place, remember? I wanna know how much  food a skinny guy like you can eat!

Minami Natsume: I'll eat when I need to, but I'm not sure if  I want to test my limits...

Haruka Isumi: ...Would it even be any fun to listen to him eat?

Toma Inumaru: ...Ah.

Torao Mido: Haha, he's got a point. You need to remember that this project's audio only.

Toma Inumaru: Well... You could still do a food report! You can describe a food just fine, can't you?

Minami Natsume: Sigh... Not another food-related project.  

Toma Inumaru: Huh!?

Minami Natsume: You must be very fixated on food for some reason.

Toma Inumaru: N-no, I'm not! I just thought it might be nice..! And there's no guarantee that you'll end up with my request, anyway!

Minami Natsume: Hmm...

Toma Inumaru: D-don't gimme that look... H-hey, Tora!

Torao Mido: ...I'm not gonna help you out of this mess.

Haruka Isumi: Loser...

Minami Natsume: ...Hee hee. You're clearly plotting something. Now I'm curious to see what your request will be like.

Toma Inumaru: L-let's move on! Go ahead, Tora!

Torao Mido: Sure. I'll wrap this up nicely.

Torao Mido: As for my request... You're gonna have to wait until the broadcast to hear it.

Minami, Haruka, & Toma: ...What?

Haruka Isumi: What's that supposed to mean?

Torao Mido: It means my request will be a secret unless he ends up getting it.

Torao Mido: We don't have any reason to care about predetermined outcomes.

Torao Mido: What you get and how you respond is all up to you, Minami.

Minami Natsume: ...Haha. That's so typical of you... Or all of us, rather.

Torao Mido: Isn't it exciting?

Minami Natsume: Yes, very.

Toma Inumaru: I hadn't thought of that. Just remember that you gotta have a request ready by the broadcast, okay Tora?

Torao Mido: Yeah, I'm just getting started. 

Haruka Isumi: Getting started with what? Is it really that complicated?

Torao Mido: Wait and see.

Minami Natsume: Each of your requests were so unique that I doubt I'll have any leeway to be bored.

Toma Inumaru: Well, duh! This is our radio show.

Torao Mido: I hope we won't have to be bored listening to you, either.

Haruka Isumi: Go wild.

Minami Natsume: Just who do you think I am, exactly?

Minami Natsume: My performance will be top-notch, as always. 

End of Part 1.

[kaweeella]

To Be The Best Me

Name still a work in progress.

Chapter 2- The Legality Is Questionable, So Don’t Ask Questions

Place your bets for Tsuzuru’s pokemon now, folks.

~~~

At the end of the day Izumi closes the book she was teaching from.

“I think today was pretty productive.”

“Yeah!” Sakuya puts his notes into his bag, his eevee yipping in agreement.

Izumi realizes something.

“What is it?” Sakuya notices the look on her face.

“Well, I wasn’t planning on staying here very long…” She admits. “I don’t have a place to stay.” And plane tickets are hell to cancel.

“Don’t worry! The school has a dorm!”

“Really?”

“Yeah, it’s kinda small,” To be expected, there’s only one classroom and only so many people can be legally taught in one room. It’s a fire hazard. “Mr. Matsukawa said that there’s a room specifically for the head teacher, which I guess would be you.” Considering she’s the only teacher? Yeah, probably.

“Alright, lead the way.”

They arrive at the dorms. In the common area Isuke is doing paperwork. He gives them a smile and wave.

“Ms. Tachibana,” Sakuya starts. “If you were only planning to stay a little while, why’d you bring so much stuff?”

“I don’t know, I thought maybe I could go sight seeing for a while before heading home. Plus I’m a cautious packer.” She then also realizes there are things she’s going to need to grab from her house. She wouldn’t be canceling the flight yet, and one ways are cheaper. Before any of that, though, she needs to find a substitute. Maybe it’s the fact that the school was on the brink of demolition when under his care, but Isuke doesn’t seem like the best choice.

“Alright, tomorrow we’ll be looking for more students and teachers.” Pokemon training isn’t required education, and the building looks a little worse for wear, so it’s understandable that people wouldn’t be jumping at the opportunity to sign their kids up.

“Why?”

“Sakuya, this can’t be a school with only one student and teacher. That’s just a tutoring session.” And she promised a full functioning school.

“Okay, it was getting a little lonely here.”

“What am I? Chopped liver?”

“Matsukawa, he needs to socialize with other kids his age.”

Their talk is interrupted with the sound of a gurgling stomach.

“Sorry…” Sakuya mumbles.

“I suppose that’s my cue to start dinner.” Isuke gets up and heads to the kitchen.

Izumi can see the light in Sakuya’s eyes die a little.

When Isuke is done, Izumi stares in horror at the plate in front of her. It hardly looks edible. But looks aren’t everything, right? Maybe it tastes better than it looks.

No, it’s just as bad as she feared.

“Alright, I’m cooking.” She grabs up the food and takes it to the kitchen. She can work with this. She’s worked with worse.

She quickly whips up some curry using the food and some stuff she can find in the kitchen.

“Here it is!” She says, putting the pot on the table.

“This is really good!” Sakuya says.

“How did you prepare this so fast? Did you use roux?”

Izumi laughs, but stops when she sees she’s the only one. “Oh my god you’re serious. You can’t make good curry with that store bought stuff. I didn’t see any in the kitchen, but if you have bought them, I’m throwing them away.”

“Right, of course.”

When they’re done eating Sakuya shows her her room. He and Isuke also help bring up her suitcase.

She lets out spinda and pachirisu to get used to their new home while she unpacks.

“So how do you guys think we’ll attract students?”

Pachirisu shuffles and a pink heart appears.

“No, Patch, not like that…”

“Spi spin!” Spinda calls, stumbling around.

She thinks. “Maybe I could use the advertisement as a lesson, as well.”

The next day she takes Sakuya out to a public battle area.

“Alright Sakuya. Today will be your first battle!”

“Really?”

“Yep. I’ll only be using spinda, so don’t worry about that.”

They get into proper position, Izumi lets pachirisu watch nearby.

“Alright Sakuya, give it your all!”

“Right!”

“Spinda use tackle!”

Spinda lunges towards eevee, almost missing, knocking him back.

“Eevee! Use covet!”

Eevee runs towards spinda and swipes at her.

“Good job, Sakuya!”

“Thanks!”

“Now, spinda use copycat!”

Spinda stumbles forward and slashes at eevee in a similar manner.

“What’s that?”

“Copycat allows the pokemon to use the move the opponent used just before it.”

“Cool! Eevee, use sand attack!”

He kicks up sand as the wind picks up, sending it at spinda.

“You know what to do!”

Spinda lunges forwards to tackle, but misses.

“Tackle!”

Eevee hits the spinda and she stumbles. The spinda pushes back, hitting eevee.

“Woah, you didn’t even tell her to do that!”

Izumi looks away and rubs the back of her neck. “Yeah, it’s not all that impressive.” She only knows two moves.

“Sand attack!”

Eevee kicks up dirt and spinda tackles him. After some back and forth, Sakuya comes out victorious.

“Congrats on winning your first battle!”

“Thank you!”

She hands him some money.

“What’s this for?”

“It’s customary for the loser to give money to the victor.”

“Oh, you don’t have to.”

“No, you earned it.”

“Ah, thank you.” He sheepishly takes it.

They turn to grab their stuff when Izumi notices they drew someone’s attention.

“Hey! Are you interested in joining our trainer school?”

“Do you work there?”

“Yep! I’m the main teacher.”

“Okay.”

“Good to meet you, I’m Izumi Tachibana.”

“Masumi Usui. I love you.”

Izumi lets out an awkward laugh. “What?”

“Oh hey Masumi!” Sakuya runs over.

“You know him?”

“Yeah, we went to the same school before. He’s a year behind me.”

“So Masumi, do you have your own pokemon?”

“No…”

“That’s alright, I’ll help you catch one!” Masumi perks up. Well this’ll be an experience. “You saw spinda, and this is pachirisu.” The little squirrel climbs up to get a good look at him. He grabs him and holds him out.

“Ah, be careful-” Before she can let out a proper warning, pachirisu discharges, causing Masumi to throw him.

The three of them run after him.

“Hashiru!” They hear someone yell. Suddenly patchiru is grabbed out of the air by a machamp.

“Thank you so much.” Izumi takes back pachirisu, who skitters onto her shoulder.

“No problem.” The man smiles.

“Sorry…” Masumi says.

“No, I should be the one apologizing. It’s not your fault.”

“Machamps are pokemon that evolve through trade, right?” Sakuya asks.

“Yeah, I got him from my brother to help around the house.”

“You have a machamp… just to do house chores?” Izumi looks at him.

“Well it’s good to have an extra pair of hands or two, but we also play soccer.”

A machamp… to play soccer…

“We met him when he was a machop and when he saw us playing he wanted to play too. He’s really gentle. I also have a leavanny but I leave her at home.”

“You see, leavanny makes sense to take care of kids.” She thinks for a moment. “So you’ve had these guys for a long time, huh?”

“Yeah.”

“Would you like to teach at my school?”

“W… what?”

“Do you wanna teach at my school? We have some rooms if you wanna use one. Free meals.”

“I don’t have any experience.”

“That’s fine! You seem to know a lot, and I’m gonna be heading out in a little while and I’ll need someone to watch the class. You don’t need teaching experience to be a sub.”

“I guess… sure. Can I meet the class?”

She steps to the side. Sakuya is smiling and Masumi is glaring at him. “Here they are.”

The man thinks for a moment. “I’m not sure what I was expecting from someone willing to hire a stranger off the street.”

“Izumi Tachibana! I hope you enjoy working with us!”

“Tsuzuru Minagi.”

“Alright. I was just planning on heading back, and I need to show Masumi around, wanna come with?”

“Yeah, alright.”

“Oh, I should mention,” She turns to Masumi. “If you wanna stay in the dorm you’re gonna need permission from your parents.”

“You do?” Sakuya asks.

“Yes…” She looks at him. “Sakuya, please tell me you got permission to stay in the dorm.”

…

“Oh my god this has been a kidnapping.”

“It’s not kidnapping if I-”

“How old are you?”

“17.”

“It’s a kidnapping, Sakuya. We’re getting permission for you.”

“How do you not know this?” Tsuzuru asks.

“I only started working there yesterday!”

“And you’re allowed to hire people?”

“You should’ve seen how I got hired. Not important right now. Come on, we’re going back to the dorms and calling your parents.”

“I’ll give you my guardians number.”

“You probably won’t get an answer.”

When they get back to the dorm, Izumi nearly knocks the door off its hinges.

“You didn’t contact his guardians?!”

“Ah!” He jumps.

“Matsukawa that’s a crime! Why didn’t you?”

“He told me not to worry about it!”

“Oh yeah, that’d hold up in court!” She grabs the phone and starts to dial. “Hello, am I speaking to the guardians of Sakuya Sakuma?”

The person on the other end sighs. “Yes. What about him?”

“I’m a part of the Mankai pokemon school, I was wondering if it’s okay if he stays in our care, we have a dorm-”

“Yes. Keep him.”

“Okay, have a good day.” She hangs up. “Alright Sakuya, you’re good to stay.”

He gives a small smile and a thumbs up.

She dials the number Masumi gave her. They don’t pick up.

“Hello, I am Izumi Tachibana, the head teacher at Mankai pokemon school. Your son, Masumi, wants to join our school and stay at our dorms. I need your permission for it, so call back when you can!” She leaves a message.

“I told you he wouldn’t pick up…”

“Regardless, I still needed to ask him. At least now he knows and can call back.”

“So who’re they?”

“This is Masumi, our newest student, and Tsuzuru, our newest teacher.”

“Good to meet you.” Tsuzuru says.

Masumi just looks at him.

“So now let’s start the tour!” She starts to show them around before pausing. “Matsukawa, start the tour!”

“What? Why me?”

“Because I just got here yesterday. You know the place better than I do.”

“Alright, let’s go.”

[justcallmehermione]

One more chapter closer to the end!

Title: Small Bump  Rating: M for some delicious smut   Pairings: Linzin, Tokka (implied), and Kataang

AO3

FF.net

Chapter 14: Maybe It Wasn’t Meant to Be Author’s Note: Wow, I couldn’t believe all the comments I got on the last chapter! You guys are absolutely wonderful and I’m sorry for that twist. I hope these last few chapters make up for it!

Summary: Lin and Tenzin deal with the aftermath of pregnancy loss and decide to return home to get some schedule and routine back in life.

Lin spends the rest of the week in isolation. Tenzin tries to be there for her as much as possible, but also needs some time to himself. They're both trying to sort through the feelings they have after this very traumatic experience. Luckily, Lin's body was recovering,  but her and Tenzin’s emotions still needed some time. The two spent most of their time together holding hands, not wanting to let the other stray too far. Never in their wildest dreams did they ever think they would find themselves in the situation. They both felt very unprepared for how to continue to move forward. Zuko suggested that Lin share what happened to her in the park in order to help sort out her feelings. Tenzin was reclining on the bed, his back leaned against the headboard while he held Lin in his arms between his legs. Her head was resting on his chest and she could hear his heart beating as she began to share what happened that day.

“After watching Izumi give birth, I was honestly a little traumatized. No one has ever really described what it's like to deliver a baby to me. I know how it all works, but I didn't realize all of the hard work and pain and suffering that went in to bring new life into this world. I got scared and I needed time to myself.”

“You're very right. Nobody really talks about what happens when a woman gives birth,” Tenzin agreed.

“And since we were expecting…” Lin stopped herself from continuing, thinking about all of the things that could have been.

“It's understandable, Lin. You don't have to say it if you don't want to.”

She nodded and continued, “You stopped me in the hallway to talk, but I wasn't ready.  You respected my personal space and let me go sort through my feelings before we talked,  which I appreciated. I really didn't know where I was headed because I was lost in my own world and then I ended up in the park and before I knew it, someone hit me and blocked my chi and I was unable to move and defend myself.” Tears were now flowing freely down her cheeks as she remembered the events in the park.

“I wish we knew why,” Tenzin told her, his own tears falling.

“All the man said was that in order for the Fire Nation to be glorious again, the Airbenders needed to stay extinct,” she said through gritted teeth. Tenzin was shocked by her explanation. He could not fathom why someone would want an entire culture to be wiped off the face of the Earth, especially not the culture that he and his father had been working to restore for the last two decades or more.

“I’m sorry, Tez. But I couldn’t do anything to stop him,” Lin tried to frantically explain, “He paralyzed me with the chi blocking and even though I saw everything, I couldn’t do anything…” She was openly sobbing now, her whole body shaking.

Tenzin looked down at his wife and wiped a tear away. He put his hand under her chin and nudged it so she was looking him in the eye. “Lin, I am not mad at you. I don't blame you for any of this. Absolutely none of this is your fault. That man is absolutely horrible and I hope he gets the justice he deserves in the end.”

“But I couldn't protect the baby or myself. If only I had stayed within the palace walls everything could be different now.”

“Lin, we cannot change the past so it does not do well to dwell on it. What happened happened and wishing we could go back and change things isn't going to help us now.”

She sighed, “You have a point. I still can’t help to blame myself a little bit. I just feel terrible about what happened and I don't know if I could ever face your dad again.”

“I know there was a lot of hope for our baby. A lot of people had expectations for him or her, but none of that matters right now.”

“But your father isn't getting any younger,” she tried to argue.

“None of us are. And people will just need to learn how to be patient,” he rebutted.

“But what if...”  she hesitated, worried about his reaction to her idea.

“What if?” he jostles her in his arms a little, urging her to continue.

She sighs and rests her hand on his chest alongside her head and continues, “What if I don’t want to try to have another baby, like ever? Because honestly, I don’t know if I could go through this again. And I know how important having a family is to you and your dad’s legacy. I don’t want to keep you in a relationship with me if we don’t have the same goals in life. I can’t deny the world the next generation of airbenders.” She closes her eyes bracing herself for his reaction.

Tenzin thought for a moment. He knew his duty to his father was to carry on his legacy of restoring the Air Nation. However, he also said sacred vows in the front of his friends and family, promising to love and cherish his beautiful wife for the rest of his life. He also absolutely loves the woman in his arms and he knew he would until the day he died. Nothing, not duty, not family, not enemies could ever prevent him from loving Lin with his entire spirit. He would do absolutely anything for her and he was willing to sacrifice everything for her.

“Lin, the only people in our relationship are me and you, no one else. We are the only two people who can dictate what we do with each other and with our lives. We also swore a vow to love and cherish each other for our entire lives. I love you and there is absolutely nothing or no one who will ever stop me from loving you and standing by your side.”  He bent forward as she rose up a little bit and the two shared a deep kiss.

“I love you too,” she breathed.

“Good,” he smiled down at his beautiful wife, “I’m glad we’re on the same page.”

“Are you sure, though?” She insisted.

“Yes, my love. You are mine and I am yours for the rest of forever.” For the first time since the incident, Lin was able to smile back at her husband thanks to his words of assurance.

After another week passed, Lin and Tenzin were ready to depart the Fire Nation and return home to Republic City after their long honeymoon. Their bags had been packed and Oogi had been saddled, all that was left was to say goodbye to their friends. Fire Lord Zuko and Daichi were standing with the couple in the courtyard of the palace.

“I’m sure Izumi will be here any minute,” Daichi assured his friends.

“Well, thank you for all your hospitality, Zuko,” Tenzin bowed respectfully to the Fire Lord.

“You are both welcome here any time,” Zuko assured him, bowing back, then grabbing Tenzin in a hug.

“Thank you for everything,” Lin said, hugging Daichi then Zuko.

“Would you like one of us to send word if we find anything new about the man from the park?” Zuko asked hesitantly. Tenzin looked at Lin, signaling he would be fine with whatever she wanted.

Lin replied, “Yes. When I get back to work with Republic City PD, I may even use some of our resources to see if I can find anything as well.”

“Okay, just remember ‘Sometimes life is like this dark tunnel, you can’t always see the light at the end of the tunnel, but if you just keep moving, you will come to a better place,” Zuko offered.

Tenzin smiled, “That was one of your uncle’s lines wasn’t it?”

Zuko smiled back, but there seemed to be a hint of sadness in his, then replied, “Yes it was. Uncle Iroh always knew what to say for every occasion to make me feel better. I just try to continue that for him and for the people I love.” Lin threw her arms around Zuko again and stifled a sob. When they broke apart, Tenzin wrapped an arm around his wife and kissed her forehead. Just then, Izumi appeared, walking as quickly as possible without disturbing the sleeping baby in her arms. She looked a little frazzled and very tired.

“Please, no sudden movements or loud noises,” she begged in a whisper, “Baby Iroh just went back to sleep and I started dozing when one of my maids reminded me you two were leaving.”

“Do you want me to take my grandson?” Zuko offered.

“I can take him back to the room, Izumi,” Daichi offered at the same time. Izumi looked relieved to have such an amazing support system.

“Okay, sure,” she handed the baby off to its father then turned to give her best friend a big hug.

“I’m sorry for everything,” Izumi whispered in her friend’s ear. “I wish you nothing but the best from here on out because you deserve only the best.” Lin squeezed her friend a little tighter in response.

“Thank you,” she whispered back. She turned to Daichi who was holding the still sleeping baby. She leaned forward and Daichi tilted the baby so she could get a better look.

“He is absolutely precious,” Lin told her friend, “I am so happy for you.” She smiled, genuinely at her friend. Izumi’s eyes were starting to tear up, but she wiped them away hastily, not wanting to cause her friends anymore pain.

“Thank you,” Daichi said for his wife while she gathered herself, “We’re very happy to have him and can’t wait to see what kind of person he grows up to be.”

“Well, he’s got some great examples to show him how to be an excellent person,” Tenzin complimented them.

“Thank you again for everything,” Lin said to the trio of Fire Nation royalty.

“I hope we can see each other again, soon,” Izumi told her friends.

“We’ll start planning our next get together once we’re back home,” Lin assured her.

“Goodbye everyone,” Tenzin said, waving at the group while he grabbed his wife bridal style and hopped onto Oogi. The flying bison took off on command and started carrying the couple back home to Republic City.

“Are you ready to be home?” Tenzin asked his wife after some time up in the air.

She shrugged, “I don’t know. I think I’m ready to get back to some sort of routine and normalcy. I think it will help with the recovery.”

“I sense a ‘but’ coming,” Tenzin joked.

Lin rolled her eyes, “Yes, but, I’m nervous about what the media is going to do. I mean, they were all over my pregnancy once word got out. I hope the same doesn’t happen about the incident.”

Tenzin looked thoughtful for a moment then told her, “Well, we could always just say forget it and go on another vacation.”

Lin smiled at her husband, “I guess it does pay to have our own personal flying bison to take us wherever we want whenever we want.”

“Oogi does come in rather handy at times,” Tenzin agreed.

“Anyway, there is something I’ve been looking forward to regarding our homecoming,” she shared.

“Oh really? What’s that?”

“Being married to you,” she said cheesily, leaning close to her husband and kissing him.

Tenzin hummed into the kiss, then replied, “Yes, being married to you is the best part of our homecoming. Will you let me carry you into the threshold of our home when we arrive?”

“Only if you promise to carry me straight to bed, undress me immediately, and spend our first few hours home making love,” she declared.

“Well that could be arranged if we delay seeing our family for dinner when we get back,” he thought aloud.

“I could wait to eat. Besides, another kind of hunger is a little more pressing right now,” she admitted.

“We don’t have to wait to fulfill that,” Tenzin told her, leaning over her, causing her to lie flat in the saddle.

“What happened to not wanting to give Oogi the oogies?” she reminded him.

“If you promise to be quiet, I don’t think he’ll know the difference,” Tenzin whispered. Lin was about to laugh, but it was cut off by a deep, passionate, open mouthed kiss that Tenzin had started. She opened her mouth in return, allowing his tongue to move around her mouth. When Tenzin pulled away, he saw Lin’s eyes had darkened, her pupils going large as she stared at the man she loved.

Tenzin smiled down at her, “You are absolutely beautiful and I love that you are mine.” She smiled back, then pulled him down to continue their kissing. Tenzin moved from her mouth and planted kisses all along her jaw, moving down her neck, pausing at her cleavage. He quickly untied the dress she had been wearing and started to kiss her breasts. His mouth covered one nipple, sucking gently, while his hand moved to the other, rubbing and squeezing it. Lin moaned at his touch and Tenzin grew harder thinking about how turned on his wife was.

“It’s getting a little chilly up here,” Lin said between heavy breaths, “And it’s no fair that I’m partially nude and you’re still fully dressed.”

“I want to take my time with you, love,” he told her, “Be patient and you’ll be fulfilled.” “I don’t want to be patient right now,” she whined, “I want you in me.”

Tenzin smiled at his wife, “As you wish.” He quickly tugged his pants down, exposing his erect cock. Lin moved the skirt of her dress out of the way and spread her legs a little wider, allowing Tenzin to kneel comfortably between them. Tenzin licked his two fingers on his hand and inserted them into Lin. She was already so wet and he didn’t want to wait any longer either. He knew he could take his time with her, make proper love to her when they got back to Republic City. Out here, flying over the ocean on his sky bison, after the tragedy that had occurred in the Fire Nation, Lin needed him as much as he needed her. She needed Tenzin to express his love in a physical way that he hasn’t been able to in a couple weeks. Tenzin was not going to deny his wife this reassurance and quickly slid his cock inside of her. She immediately started rocking her hips before he was even in all the way. He tried his best to match her erratic rhythm, holding his release until he felt her walls quiver and clench around him.

After they both climaxed, Tenzin lay down next to his wife, the two of them breathing heavily. Tenzin lazily slid his pants back on as Lin wrapped her dress back around herself. Once they were both covered, Tenzin reached for his wife to snuggle closer. Lin obliged and scooted to him, resting her head in the crook of his arm while he draped the other over her waist.

“I love you, Lin. In this life and the next.”

“I love you too, Tenzin, always.”

A/N: I hope after the fluff and smut of this chapter, you can forgive me for breaking your hearts in the previous one. As always, please like/give kudos, comment, share with fellow Linzin shippers. I start work again tomorrow, but I’m so close to finishing this fic and hope to wrap it up within the month!

[comicgeekscomicgeek]

Their Hero Academia – Chapter 58: An Exam Cometh!

Presenting the next raw and unedited chapter of my on-going, next-gen, My Hero Academia fic, Their Hero Academia!

Earlier chapters can be found here

There was a somewhat somber mood in the classroom as 1-A settled in Tuesday morning.  The funeral yesterday had been the cap to a long week that stretched back to the Nomu attacks and had been a roller coaster for many of them ever since.  But things looked to Isamu like they were finally getting back to normal.  The class was back together again and even if they weren’t all up to their usual selves, they were getting there.  Even Shinso had been in a slightly cheerier mood last night, joining him and Midoriya for a few rounds of Smash Fighters 3000 in Midoriya’s room.

The room fell into a hushed silence as Aizawa entered.  They knew by this point not to screw around once he was there.  Well, most of them did.  He was pretty sure Mineta and Sero hadn’t gotten the same message as everybody else.  

Aizawa stood at his podium for a moment before speaking.  “Only three seconds to quiet down.  An improvement.”   His eyes swept the room and his face relaxed a fraction of a centimeter.  “I know your Internship experiences were harrowing, but I’ve also had the opportunity to review the feedback your mentors provided, and you all acquitted yourselves well, even in the face of some concerns over discipline.”   There was a glance reserved for Mineta and Sero again at that.

“However, that does not change the fact that your final exams will be in two weeks.  Your subject exams will be the Monday through Thursday of that week, with the practical Heroics exam on Friday.”

That wasn’t a surprise, really.  The dates for final exams had been in the syllabus on the first day of class.  But that seemed like both yesterday and a lifetime ago.  There was the phrase “time flies when you’re having fun”, but had the term really been fun? It seemed like much of it had been long moments of calm split by absolute and total panic.

Then again, in the time since that first day, he’d made friends, won the Sports Festival, interned with Deku, seen a monster, gotten a girlfriend…

Yeah, okay, there was some fun there.

Up in the front row, he saw Izumi raise her hand.  Once Aizwa gave her permission to speak, she asked, “Will you be telling us any details of the exam, Sensei?” she asked.

A good question, and Isamu sat up a little straighter in his seat to listen.  Regular final exams would be difficult enough—they weren’t kidding when they said U.A. was academically rigorous!—but he couldn’t imagine what the Heroics exam would be like.

And then something happened that sent a chill up Isamu’s spine.  Aizawa… smiled.  It wasn’t a normal person’s smile, but a rictus grin, and it looked deeply unsettling on his face.  It was the smile of someone about to deliver a devastating smackdown onto a foe and take utter delight in doing it.  A shrill scream split the air.  It was Sero.

“Dude,” Sato said, “what was that?”

“He’s smiling!” Sero wailed. “We’re doomed!  Dooooomed!”

“I’m too young to die!” Kaminari wailed.

“I’m too hot to die!” Mineta shrieked, joining in the wailing.

Even Midoriya, in the front row, seemed afraid.  “Oh no, oh no, oh no, not good!”

Isamu felt his own heartbeat quicken, but he took a look to the opposite end of the row to decide what was the most appropriate reaction.  Kirishima-Bakugo looked deadly serious, as opposed to her usual pissed off. And even she seemed slightly ill at ease at the prospects hidden behind that smile.

“Funny you should ask, Todoroki,” Aizawa said.  “You all did an impressive job working together during the Sports Festival.  I don’t know which one of you came up with it, but it was impressive tactical thinking.  And since you all like working together, the teachers decided to change up some of the conditions of the Heroics exam.”

There was a mad glint in their teacher’s eyes now.  “Either you all pass… or no one does.”

***

That night, Class 1-A gathered in the Common Room.  As usual, Isamu sat on one of the couches with Shinso, Izumi, and Sora Iida.   Midoriya and Tokoyami were at the front of their room, with a whiteboard.  One of the other couches was occupied by Sero, Sato, Ojiro, and Tensei Iida. A third couch was occupied by Aoyama, Koda, Shoji, with Aoyama looking rather small compared to his two classmates. Mineta and Kaminari had pulled up chairs, while Kirishima-Bakugo stood behind the couch Isamu and the others were on, together with the class, but apart as always.

Most of them were chatting away, while Midoriya and Tokoyami, the Class Representatives (Yeah, that was definitely not a job he wanted.) tried to get everyone’s attention, unsuccessfully.  “Hey!” Shinso shouted, putting just a little something into his voice to make it echo and pierce the noise.   “Toshi and Asuka are trying to talk!”

That got everyone to quiet down.

“Sorry Mom and Dad,” Sero said.   That got a laugh out of several people, until Kirishima-Bakugo moved to behind him and gave him a smack upside the head.

“Thank you, Shota,” Asuka said.   Frog-Shadow was out again, sitting on her shoulder.  “So we’ve got two things to discuss.  The first is the formation of study groups for the subject area final exams. Math, Science, Literature, History, Science, and English.”

“We’re hoping to have someone who’s doing well in each class lead some study sessions or make themselves available to answer questions,” Midoriya said.  

“We’re all going to die,” Ojiro wailed.

“Kimmie, it’s not that bad,” Sato tried to reassure her.

“This is just going to tank my grades, Kenta!”

“They couldn’t be any worse than mine, Kimmie,” Sero said, grinning.  

She punched him in the arm. “That’s not something to be proud of, Takuma!”

“Hey, leave him alone,” Kaminari said.  “He’s the only person who’s grades are worse than mine!”

“See,” Sero said, “when it comes to being the worse, I’m the best!”

Both of the Iida twins thrust their hands into the air.   “We volunteer for science and math!” Sora Iida said.  

Midoriya flushed a little at that.  “Ah, actually, Sora, I was thinking maybe not you?  Not that you aren’t smart!  But, ah, you’re both a lot smarter than most of us. I don’t know if you could dumb it down?”

The hands went down. “That is… acceptable,” Sora said.

“We would not wish to hinder anyone’s progress,” Tensei agreed.  “And we do have additional Support Class projects to complete.”

Reluctantly, Isamu put his hand up.  “I can probably handle science,” he said.  “It was mostly physics this term.  I’m good at that.”  He had to be, thanks to his Quirk.  Knowing how much force to apply and where it was going to send him flying and how much he needed to break at a certain speed was vital.

“Excellent, thank you,” Tokoyami said.  She handed her marker to Frog-Shadow, who looked at it curiously.   “If you’d write that down?”

“Why me?”

“Because you asked to be more involved,” she replied, rolling her eyes.

“Oh, right!” Frog-Shadow bubbled, before flying off to write his name down.

Mineta stuck a hand in the air.  “I can take English,” she said.  “Vocab and translations, anyway.  Grammar’s still a little weird.”

“I guess that works,” Midoriya said, though he didn’t look like he believed it.  “Just… be on your best behavior, okay?”

“When am I not?”

“If that’s your best behavior, Horse-Girl, I’d hate to see you worst,” Kirishima-Bakugo growled.

“Allow me to provide what Mineta cannot,” Aoyama said.  He looked pretty smug about it.  Of course, everyone knew that he and Mineta didn’t get along. He was probably relishing an opportunity to show her up in something.  “I am reasonably trilingual, after all, n'est-ce pas?”

“And I can take History,” Izumi volunteered.

“Great!” Midoriya said. “Now we’re getting somewhere…”

***

Eventually, they came back around to the subject of the Heroics final exam.  Midoriya cleared his throat and looked a little red from embarrassment.   “So, this is probably my fault, guys.  The whole Sports Festival thing was my plan.  Sorry I got us into this mess….”

“Oh, bullshit,” Kirishima-Bakugo said, causing all eyes to fall on her and Isamu to jump.  “Maybe you threw some gas on the fire, Toshi, but you have to know Aizawa was planning something like this.  Him and his “logical ruses.’”   She crossed her arms and nodded, as if that explained everything.

“She does have a point, Toshi,” Izumi said.

“She does?” Midoriya asked, surprised.  Then he looked over at Kirishima-Bakugo, who was glaring at him.  “She does!”

“You couldn’t have known,” Isamu said.  “And it was a good plan.  I don’t know if I’d have won if you hadn’t gotten us that far.” If he’d had to race and fight at the same time, without Mineta watching his back (making innuendos the whole way), he doubted he would have done half as well.  

But it wasn’t surprising that Midoriya thought it was his fault.  The guy always seemed to fall into a pattern of trying to take care of all of them, which meant he was just as likely to try and shoulder all the blame.

“None of us blame you, Toshi,” Tokoyami insisted.  

“Besides,” Isamu offered, “I talked to Kana over in 1-B…”

He was interrupted by Ojiro. “Did you hear that?  He’s using her first name now!  Squeeee!  They’re getting closer!”

Okay, he was going to pretend he didn’t hear that.  He really didn’t need to end up the topic of conversation on her web show.  “As I was saying, I was talking to Kana and she says Super-Ball told 1-B the same thing.  Only not as scary as Aizawa was.  They’re pass or fail as a group too.  She said Super-Ball said it was about building up their teamwork skills.”

“My friend, Mizuno, from 1-C said much the same thing,” Koda said.  “Battle-Fist also emphasized the need for better teamwork.”

“Looks like you sparked a revolution, Midoriya,” Sero said, only to be silenced by a smack from Ojiro.

“Okay,” Midoriya said, nodding, taking a couple breaths to steady himself.  “So sounds like it was something they were going to do anyway. Not my fault.  Good.  Then if the Heroics exam is going to be a pass/fail for everyone, we’re going to need a plan.”

“How are we going to do that?” Shoji asked.  “We don’t know what form the exam will take.”

Midoriya nodded again, now in his element when a plan was required.  “We don’t,” he agreed.  “But we do know, whatever it is, it’s going to require us to work together and it’s going to be bigger than anything we’ve had tossed at us before now.  That’s the only reasonable extrapolation of the pass/fail condition.”

“So that means,” he went on, “we need to train like we’ve never trained before.  Until anybody here can work with anybody else.

“Right now,” Toshi finished, “it doesn’t matter who your best friend is.”   He looked over at Sero, Ojiro, and Sato.   “It doesn’t matter who you don’t get along with.” This look was given to Aoyama and Mineta.  “Or how mad everyone might make you.”  A look went out to Kirishima-Bakugo.

“Right now, we’re all in this together.  We’re Class 1-A and we need to come together.”

Shinso let out a cheer and a clap.   Even Isamu had to admit, he felt pretty inspired.

“Fancy speech, Toshi,” Kirishima-Bakugo said.  “But you got a real plan to back it up?”

Midoriya looked a bit deflated at that.  “Not entirely,” he admitted.  “But Asuka and I were going to discuss some likely scenarios.  If you want to help, you’re more than welcome.”

“Damn straight, I will. I’m not letting any of you pull me down with you.  We’re gonna pass even if I have to kick your asses every inch of the way.”

Midoriya’s confidence returned.  Even Isamu knew this was just her way.  “Well, you heard her, people.  We’re going to pass!”

Somehow, this became a rallying cry.

“We’re going to pass!   PLUS UTLRA!”

***

Izumi’s room always reminded Chihiro of the fact that while she was extremely well off, Izumi’s family was so rich it practically made the word useless.  There was a four poster bed, an ornate oak desk, wood paneling added to all the walls… even the desk lamp looked like it cost way more than things like that should.  “Don’t touch anything,” she warned Mika.

Mika shot her a dirty look. “I’m not a child, Chi.”

“You’re not always graceful, Mika.  Like a bull in a china shop.”

“That’s hurtful.  And possibly racist”

Chihiro facepalmed at that.   “I’d like to apologize for her in advance,” she said.

“Please, do not worry about it,” Izumi said, standing as they entered.  “May I offer you tea and sweets?”   She indicated the tea tray and plate she had already laid out.

After she and Mika had accepted Izumi’s offering, all three took seats.   “So what’s up?” Chihiro asked.   Izumi asking to talk to her was one thing; they were good friends.  But other than when she was around, Mika and Izumi didn’t usually have too much to do with one another.

“I need your help,”

Okay, add that to the list of things she never thought she’d hear.  “I’m guessing not with homework or anything?” Chihiro said.   “Because that’s definitely not me.”   Izumi was way towards the front of the class anyway.   So was Mika, for that matter.   She belatedly realized she was the dumbest person in the room.   On the other hand, she might still win the medal for most common sense.

“Not homework,” Izumi assured her.  “The matter is more personal.”

“Is this about a guy? Or a girl?” Mika asked.  “Because I was ninety-nine percent sure you didn’t go for that.”

Startled at her friend’s abruptness, Chihiro smacked her upside the head with one of her Cords.  “Don’t be crude.”

Izumi, fortunately, took it all in stride.  “You are correct that I do not “go for that.’”

Huh.   Chihiro had always known that Izumi hadn’t displayed much interest in anyone, but given that her other best friend was interested in everyone, she’d figured it was just less interest, not none.  How had she been that clueless?

“So what do you need?” Chihiro asked.  

Izumi closed her eyes for a moment and took a breath.  When she opened them, she looked as serious as Chihiro had ever seen her.  “I need to find my grandfather.”

“What happened?” Mika asked. “Was there a big tax scandal?  Is Grandpa Yaoyorozu hiding out from the feds in the tropics?”

“No,” Izumi said.  “Not him.  My grandfather on my father’s side.”

“Endeavor?” Chihiro asked. “Why?”   A thought occurred to her, something that had come up during her Internship with Aunt Momo. “Wait, does this have anything to do with Plague?”

Next to her, Mika had pulled out her phone, but right now, her friend’s rudeness wasn’t her biggest concern.

Izumi’s eyes went wide. “How do you know that name?”

“Daddy called Aunt Momo. Said you’d found out about somebody with that name.”

Izumi took another moment to collect her thoughts.  "What I am about to tell you cannot leave this room."

"Izumi, you're scaring me."  Her friend was never this intense.  Whatever it was, this all had to be deadly serious.

Izumi locked eyes with her. "Promise me, Chihiro."

Chihiro was worried now, but kept eye contact. "Okay. I promise."

"Do you remember when I was sick?"

That did very little to narrow it down.  Izumi had had plenty of health issues over the years.  Chihiro had visited her in the hospital countless times.  "You're going to need to specify, Izumi. You've been sick a lot."

"The time I was very sick.  The time that really started it all."

Oh yeah.  That one.  Chihiro looked at the floor.  "I remember."

Izumi sighed.  "During my internship, Uncle Denki let it slip that there was possibly something more... complicated behind it."

Daddy was in on whatever this was?  "Complicated? How?"

"Complicated, as it was the implied that it was a villain, this “Plague,” who got me sick."

“Okay,” Chihiro said, her head spinning as she tried to make sense of it.  Nervously, she tapped the ends of her Cords together.  “Okay, did you talk to your parents about this?”

Izumi shook her head. "I did not. After the Nomu attacks, Mother and Father...they wanted to pull me from the school.  I exhausted myself.  Again."

Of course they did. She knew it was ongoing drama with Izumi and her parents.

Before she could speak, Izumi held up her hand. "I managed to talk them down. For now. Part of me suspects that at the next big incident, the next time I falter, they'll try again. That's why I didn't ask them. I couldn't. I didn't want to bring up the pain they went through again."

Izumi pointed to a plush rabbit on her bed, one which looked fairly new.  “I am certain he visited me in the hospital.  Things are… becoming complicated.”

Izumi inhaled deeply before continuing. "I've been thinking a lot since then. I've been remembering things. Things I thought I forgot. I want to find out what happened to me, but I can't go to my parents. I can't go to anyone, not your father, not Uncle Deku, no one, because they'll go to my parents. I know I can count on you to keep my secrets, both of you.

“I cannot burden Katsumi with this.  She has enough to carry right now without carrying me as well.  You don't have to help if you don't want to get in trouble-"

“Found him,” Mika said, looking up from her phone.

“…How the hell did you do that?” Chihiro asked.  It could not possibly have been that easy.

“Daddy never changes his login ID or password for anything,” Mika said.  “I just used one of the databases available to Heroes to look up an address.  It’s not even that far.”

Chihiro just stared.  “Every time I think I’ve got you figured out…”

Izumi looked equally startled, worried, and pleased.  “Thank you, Mineta,” she said, quietly.

Mika shrugged.  “Hey, what’re friends for?”

***

Normally, Toshi did his morning jog with Katsumi, sometimes joined by Kana Tetsutetsu.  He’d also occasionally convinced Haimawari to join them, though that was fairly rare.  But this morning, he was alone.   Katsumi had begged off for wanting to focus on weight training instead and Tetsutetsu was apparently busy with some emergency in her dorm, according to her text.

Which was fine.  He could be alone with his thoughts.   Like the thought that he didn’t have idea one what they were getting into with the exam and it would definitely be his fault if they all failed, bringing shame upon the Midoriya name and leading to Sora dumping him and Katsumi killing him.

Well.  That had escalated quickly.

“Mi… Midoriya!” The sound of his name drew him out of his panic.  It came with labored breathing and he came to a stop, turning and seeing Shiro Monoma, dressed in workout clothes, running up behind him.  Monoma’s not out of shape, but it’s a wiry build, more suited to agility and gymnastics, than Toshi’s more muscular one.  

“What’s up, Monoma?” he asked.  Monoma hadn’t done anything antagonistic yet, which was a good sign.  In fact, Toshi couldn’t remember seeing him at all during the past week, or even hearing him, which was even stranger.  He didn’t have the same extreme dislike for the other boy that Katsumi did, but he would hardly say they were on friendly terms, even though they were neighbors.  Honestly, he mostly did his best to ignore Monoma’s jabs at the class.

“I need to talk to you about the exam,” Monoma said.  

“I don’t know what they’re going to do any more than you do,” Toshi told him.  “I can make a few educated guesses though, based on our Heroics classes and all though.  Happy to talk, if you want.”

He stole a glance at his watch.  “Can we run though?  I want to get this in before classes and my heart rate’s already dropping.”

Monoma looked rather pained by the prospect, but nodded.  “Okay.”

Since he wasn’t completely unfeeling, Toshi did tone his run down to something slightly less than his usual, letting Monoma keep up.  “So like I said, I don’t really know, but I can guess.  Got to be something large scale, if they’re going to be able to score all of us on it.  And that means something with a lot of different moving parts.  Probably Villains to fight, people to rescue, maybe something to find like a bomb…”

Monoma was, to his credit, keeping up with Toshi, though he looked like he was pushing himself a bit to do it.  “That’s… good thinking…,” he said, between breaths.  “But not what I wanted to ask about.”

“Then what?” Toshi asked.

“I need to know,” Monoma said, with such seriousness that it took Toshi aback for a moment.  “how you got… everyone to work… together.”  

Toshi took pity on him and slowed down a little more.  “Everyone. Teamwork from the get go.  How do you get them to follow you like that?  How did you get all those different personalities to work together like that?”

Shiro’s voice turned bitter. “I try and I try to make everyone better.  I want them to succeed, I really do.  But no one listens to me.  I can’t… Hardly any of my class made it through the final round.  And I got lucky as it was.  I’m worried about them and the final exam.”

“Them?” Toshi asked. His phrasing there was odd. “Them,” he’d said.  Not “us”.

Monoma frowned.  “I had hoped to keep this a secret.  Almost no one knows about this.  But I’m leaving once this term is over.   I’m not cut out for this.   But with how the exam is going to work…  I can’t cost them their futures just because mine’s going to be something else.”

Toshi couldn’t keep the surprise off his face, but fortunately, Monoma wasn’t looking at him to see it. “You’re…” he began.  He actually came to a stop.  Running was a good way to lose himself, and he needed all his wits now.

“I am,” Monoma said, finishing the thought for him.  He bent half off, breathing hard.  He righted himself after a few breaths.  “Don’t try to talk me out of it.”

Now Toshi frowned, but he nodded.  “Not my place to do that.  But I think it’s a mistake.”

Monoma shook his head. “It’s not.  But what about my class?  And what about the exam?”  There was a moment of silence, and then, “Please.  I can’t let failure be my entire legacy here.”

If he lived long enough to become the new Number One Hero, Toshi never would have thought he’d have heard Monoma talk like this.  Usually, the blond boy was full of bravado and confidence, always trying to prove his class’s superiority over 1-A.   And to be fair, 1-A contained the children of a large number of highly ranked Heroes, something that few of Class 1-B could claim.  None of their parents were low ranked, but there was a certain degree of disparity there.  And a much larger portion of Class 1-B had no Hero parents at all.

“Okay, the first thing you have to remember,” Toshi told him, “is that we’re almost all childhood friends.  Some of us more than others and in some different combinations… but we grew up together.  Our parents are close and they passed that onto us.  Trust’s easy that way.”

Given that his parent’s Class A had gone through hell together over three years in a way that their contemporary Class B hadn’t, it was easy to see where stronger bonds might have been forged.  

Monoma nodded.  “My father’s class drifted more during the years. Kana is the only one I was anything close to growing up, along with Mika and Akaya.”

“The other big thing is… Look.  My dad’s the Number One Hero.  I wanted to do the best I could, but the Sports Festival was never about winning for me.”   And sure, he’d managed to share third place with Kocho.  He was proud of his accomplishments, and he’d gone in intending to give it his all, but it hadn’t been his main goal.  Toshi would have been just as happy not to have placed, if it meant other of his friends did.

“So I went in it from the start doing it for them.  And they knew that, so they went along with it.  It wasn’t even about beating your class or anybody else in the race; I just wanted to make sure everybody had the best chance they could.  Somebody like Ojiro or Sato would have had a real hard time doing that in the obstacle course.  So I asked everybody to take a step back now so that they could all have something later.”

It hadn’t quite been as easy as he made it sound.  Convincing Aoyama had been one of the most difficult parts, but the promise of future glories had eventually been enough.

Monoma looked as though he’d been punched.   “…Shit.” His expression devolved further, becoming truly miserable.  “During the Sports Festival, I was so concerned with… things turning out a certain way, I pushed for flare and making a splash.  And not all of them even made it past the Obstacle Course.  Maybe I really do drag them down.  Maybe she was right.”

Toshi frowned.  This was turning pretty dark on him.  And he wasn’t sure who “she” was.  “Look,” he said.  “You want what’s best for them.  That’s admirable.  But if you go so hard on trying to show somebody up, then that’s all you’re going to see.  That’s what Endeavor did for a long time, and you know what happened to him.”

Monoma sighed, then nodded. “Then I am more certain than ever I’ve made the right choice.  But at least I know what I can do for them to help everyone else pass.  Thank you, Midoriya.”

As Monoma left, Toshi wasn’t certain at all that he’d said the right things there.  It certainly didn’t seem like a victory.

***

In the teacher’s lounge, Aizawa looked over the finalized draft of the Heroics practical exam. Talking All Might into it had been difficult, but worth it.  He’d staked his job and reputation on it, but he believed the results would be worth it.

His students, all the students, were talented.  But even with recent events, what they needed was a stark dose of reality to push them further along their paths.

He looked at the profiles spread out in front of him.  The people he’d found would be just the ones to do it.

[kaweeella]

PersonA3!

Chapter 5- Answers That Bring More Questions

Word count- 1449

Description- There were many people before them. Many who couldn’t manage to escape

Author note- descriptions are hard :/

“Wait, Tsuzuroon, what does that mean? What happened?”

“When I found you up on the stage it looked as though,” Tsuzuru pauses, going over what had happened in his head. It was strange and Tsuzuru wasn’t sure what was happening or why and that scarred him. “It looked like you were disappearing or something.”

“That’s what happens.” The bird says, turning toward the stage. “This place lures people here. It draws them in and when they arrive it preys of their insecurities. All of the people you’ve been seeing up there were once just that. People.”

Tsuzuru looks up to the stage and remembers when he had been up there. “Wait, all of those silhouettes were once alive?”

“Just as alive as you.”

Tsuzuru feels a pit in his stomach. So me and Miyoshi both… Tsuzuru didn’t want to imagine it. He didn’t want to imagine what would have happened if Miyoshi wasn’t there and he certainly didn’t want to think about the possibility of him having been too slow. But the mind has a way of wandering where you don’t want it.

“That’s what happens when you give in. You become another lost soul. A puppet for the theater to play with to bring in the next poor sap.”

“Then what are you doing here?” Kazunari is starting to waver in both spirits and health but he holds it together.

“It wasn’t always like this. This used to be a fun place for people to come and forget their worries. It has always been kinda weird but still. Then the director left and things started to fall apart. The first victim of this place… was the man trying so desperately to hold it together.”

Tsuzuru is pretty certain that birds can’t cry but if they could he’d be certain there’d be a tear rolling down his face.

“And that’s why I need your help.” He turns back to them and puffs up his feathers. “I need to stop this place. And if it’s possible…”

“Bring them all back.” Tsuzuru finishes his sentence, eyes still locked onto the stage.

“Do we really have a choice? I mean, it feels like we’re morally obligated to help at this point.”

“I guess you’re right but we still don’t even know half of the things going on here. Like what were those things we had? What were those monsters?” Tsuzuru gestures towards the bird. “What’s his name?”

“Personas, shadows, Kamakichi.” The bird- Kamakichi- answers in rapid fire.

“You’re gonna have to slow down a bit. And how do you know this?”

“Well that’s just what I’ve been calling them. I’ve had a while to think about it.”

“So have there been any other people to… escape the theater?”

“Not from what I’ve seen, and I’ve been here the entire time it’s been doing this.”

“Not a great win-lose ratio so far then.”

“But that can change! Tsuzuroon, we can help change that!”

“You’re right, but we’d all be stepping into unknown territory in doing so. We can, but we should get out of here first.”

“Right, I’m feeling a bit drained so let’s go.”

The three of them leave, Kazunari leaning on Tsuzuru for support.

“Ah, Minagi-san, welcome back. Oh, I don’t think I’ve met you before. I’m Yasashii Tachibana.”

“Hey! I met Izu a while back. She’s great. It’s good to meet you, I’m Kazunari Miyoshi!”

“It’s good to meet you as well. I’m glad Izumi is finding pleasant company.”

“Speaking of which, where is she?” Tsuzuru asks, grabbing a water.

“Working, but Minagi-san, I have to ask, what’s that?”

“Oh him? He’s-”

“I’m Kamakichi! Good to meet ya’!”

“Minagi-san, I know we didn’t talk about pets, but…”

“Oh, sorry. I didn’t even-”

“Hey! I’m no ordinary bird, ya’ know!”

“Well… if he’s quiet and you clean up after him then… alright. He is quite cute.”

“Thank you.”

“Well, Miyoshi-san, would you like to stay for-”

Kazunari is passed out on the couch.

“-dinner.” After a second of staring Yasashii drapes a blanket over him.

“Oh, sorry, he was kinda tired but I didn’t…”

“Don’t worry. He seems nice. I meant it when I said. He seems pleasant. It’s good for Izumi to meet new people. She was always so outgoing as a child but her friend group diminished when she lost interest in acting.”

“Acting, huh?”

“Yes, well, lost interest isn’t the right way to say it. She still loves it but she’s not all that good, but personally I put blame on her teachers more than her. I know she can but everyone gave up. And so did she. Her father was into theater, too. She loved going with him and meeting the actors. One day she came home saying she made an amazing new friend she met by the practice room. She was so happy…”

Should I be hearing this? Is it better or worse that Izumi isn’t here? Why? Is she secretly lonely? Miyoshi why did you leave me?

Their one-sided conversation was interrupted by the rattling door.

“Hey, I- is that a bird?”

“Yeah. He’s Kamakichi.”

“He can get a bird but I can’t get a ferret?”

“Look at him! He has a little bowtie!”

~~~

After dinner, the Tachibanas went to their rooms while Tsuzuru and Kazunari talk on the couch.

“Sorry, didn’t realize how tired I was.”

“I don’t think either of them minded so it’s alright.”

“What’s it like living with them?”

“Izumi-san is nice. She showed me around when I first got here. Tachibana-san… she seems to have Izumi-san’s best interest in mind and I can’t necessarily fault her for that.”

Kazunari smiles “That’s good to hear. I should get going so see you later.”

“Yeah, get back safe.”

The world around Tsuzuru seems to pause. Then a card appears in front of him with a person working at a table with a 1 on the bottom. He hears a voice from somewhere saying

“I am thou

As thou art I

Thou hast acquired a new vow.

When bonded together you shall find

The arcana of the Magician

Your soul shall bind”

What is this poem?

Time continues and the card disappears as Kazunari stands up. “Will do.”

Tsuzuru looks around, not sure of what just happened. Kamakichi had perched himself on his window seal. As far as Tsuzuru is aware the kid hasn’t tried to break in again.

He feels he has a good idea of who would have answers to his questions, although whether or not he’d get them was something else.

“Welcome back.” Igor says, though Tsuzuru has many questions, there is one he’s been wondering since the first time he appeared here.

“Who’s he?”

“Oh, how rude of me! I’m Azuma, the Velvet Room attendant.” Azuma gives a bow

“And what was that card-thing?”

“That is a social link. You will gain those when you find a close ally. They can grant you amazing power.”

“Okay, well thank you, I will be going now. Good to meet you, Azuma.”

Tsuzuru sees himself out of the Velvet Room, walking back to the house. Though he runs into someone on the way. “Oh, I’m sorry, I wasn’t paying attention.”

“No, no it’s my fault.” The person is a young looking boy with pink hair and eyes with a light grey sweatshirt that says spring on it. “I’m sorry. What are you doing at this time at night?”

“Oh I just needed to talk to someone. What about you?”

“Me? Oh, well I just, you know, I felt like going on a walk. Soaking in the night air. You know?”

This kid is clearly lying. What is he doing out here?

“Well, I’m Tsuzuru Minagi. It’s good to meet you.”

“Sakuya Sakuma! Nice to meet you too!”

“Well, Sakuma-san, I was just headed home.”

“Oh! I’m sorry!”

“No, no, you didn’t do anything.”

“Right, sorry.”

“You haven’t done anything wrong, I promise.” Tsuzuru doesn’t realize his shift into Big Brother Mode. He does, however, notice how upset Sakuya looks. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah, I- I just- it’s nothing, sorry.”

“Hey!” Kamakichi flies down and lands on Tsuzuru’s shoulder. “Where’d you run off to? Who’s this?” He looks at Sakuya and sees how close he looks to tears. “I didn’t peg you as the kind of guy to bully a kid.”

“Woah. Is that you bird? He’s so cool!”

“No, he just showed up and refused to leave. Doesn’t even pay rent.” Tsuzuru is also yet to pay rent but doesn’t feel like it’s necessary to bring it up.

“Oh, well, I should get going now. Goodbye Minagi-san.”

“Bye. Be safe.” Tsuzuru walks back with Kamakichi, still thinking about Sakuya. He seemed upset.