Chapter 12: Chapter 12: [Growing Thirst II]
The afternoon was settling down, the sun painting the horizon in beautiful tones of orange. At the area of Dagobah beach, there were some people who began revisiting the beach. It had been recently been put under a private watch, but still open for the public to visit; which they did, since it had become a rather nice spot since it was anonymously been cleaned of most of the garbage that used to pollute it.
There was still the odd fridge or car wreck, but those seemed to be disappearing permanently. That the police had been doing more frequent patrols over the area seemed to help too. The heroes weren't much help, many other things could bring in much more revenue and cash than the voluntary clean-up of the place.
Not that Izuku minded doing the occasional clean-up routine. It was his property after all. Checking on the spacious piece of land was one of the reasons why he was currently here, but most importantly, it was his training spot. Since it was private property, he could make use of his powers without being admonished by it. The vampire had a few shipping containers stationed; equipment he had bought from I-Island to help develop the place.
From the current five 20-foot containers there, only one was important for him right now. The one containing a great deal of training equipment, which Izuku had many plans for. The doors of the metal box were opened, allowing Izuku to store his school supplies and change his attire to something more "exercise friendly".
After classes ended, the vampire had decided that if he was to help his raven-headed friend, they would need to start immediately so as to have the best results possible. UA's sports festival was an event that could not be under estimated; it had surpassed the Olympics for a reason! Hence, the hemomancer decided it would be the best for him to learn early on what he was working with.
Izuku checked the time in his phone (glad to have it back), waiting for the confirmation that his friend had gotten permission from his parents to arrive home somewhat later than his usual. Inko-mama was also warned in time, else the vampire would suffer the wrath of the heavens.
The green-headed teen began stretching, slowly checking over all the life-liquid inside his body. He had been slowly chipping away at the resistances of the other quirk-factors inside his bloodstream, two more already submitting to his will.
[Shock Absorption] from the Nomu and [Warp] from the villain named Kurogiri had been cracked, his blood finally decoding their factors and allowing Izuku to understand their inner workings. As he proceeded to do push-ups, the vampire closed his eyes and allowed his mind to drift deep inside himself. Crimson slowly dyed his vision, before everything around him was a murky darkness; he was inside the deepest layers of his mind, the place where he caged the [Inner Beast]. Two rubies stared at him from inside the black nothingness, the knowledge that he'd acquired from the two quirk-factors.
The shining spheres of red then began to mix with their noir background, slowly dyeing the place crimson. As the insides of his mind began to paint themselves, Izuku began to have the secrets unveiled to him.
The simplistic [Shock Absorption] was just that. Its effects were easily simulated within his body, his muscles beginning to mutate to adapt to their new improvement. The full assimilation of the effects would need a few more days, but Izuku could say that he had mastered the acquired effects of this power.
This one though...He mused in his head as he tried to make sense of what composed [Warp]. A simplistic look at the quirk would only mean that, a power to warp to different locations. The quirk-factor running in his bloodstream, however, was much more than that. It seemed manufactured, almost as if one had taken the original quirk apart and then modified it to an obscene amount, forcefully stitching it back and calling it a day. The vampire's body was trying to find a way to simulate the effects, but there still seemed to be something mission from the equation. Almost as if Izuku needed another quirk-factor to stimulate [Warp] into full submission. Even when fully cultivated like this, you still want to resist, huh?!
The deal when cultivating complex quirks was time, patience and simpler quirk-factors to throw at it. Almost like leveling up a character in an RPG. Hah, quite the comparison, right?! He snorted in his mind, resurfacing from his mind.
The vampire finished his warm up, clapping his hands together to rid them of the sand of the beach. He once more checked his phone, finding a message from Tokoyami that said the teen was close by. Not much time had passed since Izuku had been in his head, so the vampire replied that he was waiting. Pocketing his device, the green-headed teen began pulling at the available strings of [Warp].
The cogs inside his blood began to work, allowing Izuku to feel his power fulling the quirk-factor. The vampire shivered as he began to feel something tiny exit every pore of his skin, his eyes catching the smoke-like mist that began to manifest around him. Isn't this interesting?! He grinned, eyes glancing at the top of the open container in front of him. Izuku tugged carefully at the new active power, feeling it bend to his will.
"Now, how do we do this..." He fixed his stance, not knowing what to expect. Contrary to his active mind, [Hunter Instincts] seemed to have a good idea of what to do, since he felt the answer float to his mind with the ghost of a whisper.
[Flash-Step]
A flex of his legs and Izuku met the right door of the container, a dull noise emitting as he hit it full force. After a few seconds, he fell on the sandy ground, annoyed at his now broken nose.
"...Ookay, not what I was expecting...Could be worse, I guess." He muttered to himself, thankful that he had merely crashed into the metal door. It would be rather bad if he were to, say, teleport inside the metal. As things stood, he would not be teleporting anywhere anytime soon. At most, it was an upgrade to his original technique, since he felt he had gone several times faster than his previously fastest speed; and there was no strain in his leg muscles.
It was faster and less energy consuming than [Flash-Step]. I also felt a bit lighter, but I guess it has to do with the fact that the original power was something of a teleportation. Since it is an upgrade to another one of my skills, I guess another new name for it is a must. I guess [Blink] will be a good name for it. I was faster than even my eyes, a breaching move faster than eyesight.
Before he had any more time for testing, the vampire's ears picked the sound of shifting sand, the steps of his friend alerting Izuku of his approaching presence. Not that it dissuaded the vampire from his current train of thought, even with his back onto the sand, arms crossed into a pensive form.
"That is a rather interesting pose for musing thoughts, my comrade, but as a fellow Abyss watcher, it is my duty to warn thee that thy appearance can be considered weird for those not initiated among our group." The deep voice of his friend made Izuku look into his direction, finding one Tokoyami Fumikage walking his way towards him, dressed into a tracker suit.
Izuku lifted himself with a quick flip, craning his neck sideways as he rose a hand to greet his friend. "Hey Tokoyami." Needless to say, the raven-headed teen was curious as to the method of training his blood-consuming friend would introduce to him.
"[Dark Shadow] has been rather incessant in its pursuit of betterment, so convincing my parental figures of my training has flowed smoothly, my friend. We can start right now if it would please you." The teen's quirk manifested from his midsection, giving a thumbs up to the vampire. "Aye, sir!".
Izuku smiled at the sight, comfortable enough to fully show the pearly white fangs in his mouth.
"Well, let's not disappoint it then, right?!" He exclaimed, closing his right fist in enthusiasm. "I remember your physical parameters from the quirk testing with Aizawa-sensei; did those change?" Receiving a negative headshake from Fumikage, Izuku pulled his phone and began typing. "I need you to tell me exactly what you can do right now. Anything and everything that comes to your mind will be helpful, since with those I can figure out a training schedule that won't hinder your day-to-day in school, neither will leave you sore for the day of the festival." The vampire explained his reasoning to the raven teen, making him nod in comprehension.
"I see. Well, I am somewhat lacking in the physical department. Since [Dark Shadow] can act as my strength, I leave most of the heavy lifting for him. Its power increases in proportion to the shadows around us, while our strength decreases while exposed to light." Tokoyami continued explaining his power as Izuku instructed him to do some stretches.
The vampire noted everything down and began analyzing it, while he helped the raven-headed teen with his exercise. Nothing too straining, just a few calisthenics to start with. The sun completely dipped down and the lights around the beach lit up, the twilight a beautiful sight.
It also seemed to have an effect on Fumikage, seeing as he seemed to receive a second wind.
"I almost forgot to mention, but as [Dark Shadow] gets stronger, it also becomes more disobedient. It can be quite hard to find the balance among our intoxicating strength and savagery." Almost as if to accentuate that very fact, the sentient mass of shadows formed itself behind the teen, crossing its arms and scoffing at the duo. "What do you punks know about power, huh? Buzz off!"
Izuku had an awkward smile as he watched the rebellious quirk look down on them. It was not something he was expecting, the shift in mood for the normally pleasant living shadow to become this hostile.
"Right! Tokoyami, do you know any martial arts or have practiced some sort of self-defense?" Izuku had a few ideas that he wanted to test out, but first he needed to be sure of a few things.
The other teen shook his head. "An oversight in my judgement, my friend, I know not the ways of the warrior. Since I'm most reliant in [Dark Shadow], fighting is outside of my expertise." Fumikage admitted, a bit ashamed of himself.
Izuku shook his head, waving at the teen. "It's not a problem, it means we can start you properly into something without any bad habits." Izuku pointed out, bringing a tendril of blood out from his palm in the shape of a mannequin. "It would be ideal for you to have something extra in case you can't use your quirk for whatever reason. I'm not saying it is bad to specialize in quirked combat, but you don't know what you will encounter out there; an ace in the hole is never a bad idea!" The vampire rubbed his left shoulder as if massaging an old wound.
Tokoyami nodded to his statement, aware of his bad habit of overreliance in his quirk.
"That said, we can't exactly overhaul the way you are accustomed to use your quirk in such a short period of time. But let's leave that for a while; let me see how you fight!" Izuku said, bringing out his blood gauntlets into action. The life-liquid covered the arms of the hemomancer, who fixed his stance for their fight.
Tokoyami tilted his head to the side. "My friend?" Confusion was clear on the teen's face.
"Seeing you fight will let me see the exiting flaws in your fighting style, as well as letting you practice control over [Dark Shadow] while in its empowered state. Even if it is disobedient, I don't see it wishing to lose a fight, or am I wrong?" Izuku asked both the teen and his quirk, the shadowy monster flexing its claws and extending to attack the vampire.
"Damn right I won't lose! Come already, Fumi! We need to beat his ass!"The quirk dragged its user into the fight, the teen not being able to do much besides follow his quirk.
Izuku ducked under the two-handed claw swipe, countering by delivering a low gut-punch into Tokoyami. The raven-teen backed off, the living shadow attached to him snarling at the weakness of his host. Not that Izuku allowed them to retreat, pursuing the duo and delivering a rising uppercut into the shadow monster.
The quirk stunned, Izuku quickly got close to the host, armored right hand into a flat shape ready to strike at Tokoyami. The vampire stopped just short of touching the neck of his friend, his other protected hand going up to protect Izuku from the hammer-blow that came from the shadow quirk. It seemed that Izuku was unaffected by the strength of the hit, the vampire looking no worse for wear.
"My win. If I were a villain, your neck would be open already." Izuku stated, the barest hints of a dim glow in his eyes. [Dark Shadow] backed off, clearly not pleased by the capture of its host. If the human could keep up with its amazing power, it would not need to hold itself back so much.
Fumikage himself had some sweat running down the side of his head, aware that his defeat had been much too quicker than what he expected. That he could not control his quirk as he wanted might have an effect too, since the sun had been gone and [Dark Shadow] had gotten an exponential boost in power.
The vampire made his gauntlets fluid, the life-liquid becoming an amalgamation of tendrils that captured the shadow mass and brought it down to the sand. More unearthly light flowed from the eyes of the hemomancer, the crimson eyes of Izuku staring at the yellow spots of the sentient quirk.
"Don't get ahead of yourself, shadow being. You and your host must be in synchrony, otherwise the result of these bouts will never change; your increase in power thanks to the night is not a reason for arrogance." Izuku's voice deepened as he stared at the living mass of darkness, the quirk staring back at him. Growling began building up at the back of the vampire's throat, the low hum akin to that of a feral beast.
The sentient quirk tried to wiggle out of its blood-bounds, finding the increasing intensity of the crimson eyes to be unsettling. How ironic, for the quirk that gave life to the shadows to be afraid of an inhabitant of it. Whatever the case, [Dark Shadow] nodded to the vampire, not wishing to upset him any longer. That ghostly hands seemed to be invading its mind had nothing to do with it, Dark Shadow was not afraid of no mind-manipulators.
Although, it did not wish for one to try his tricks in itself.
"A-aye sir...but, it is not over..."
Fumikage finally had greater control over the shadow powers inside his body, [Dark Shadow] relenting its control to the host. The teen thanked his friend for the intervention, Izuku waving it off.
"Thank you, my friend. Sometimes it becomes too difficult to tame my darkness, its power too much amplified."
Izuku shook his head to his raven-headed friend. "No, that's not all of it." The vampire went to the open container and fetched three water bottles, offering his classmate and his quirk the refreshments. "I know that sometimes your quirk can have a great influence over you; I had my fair share of moments with [True Ancestor], but something seems to be amiss between you two."
Fumikage looked to the side, finding his water bottle to be suddenly much too interesting. The living darkness that was over him opened its own bottle, dumping the contents over itself and then shaking the water off much like a bird when bathing.
"Fumi is a wimp!"
"Dark Shadow!"
"Don't 'Dark Shadow' me, Fumi! Shadow Dweller saw straight through you, and he did not need to have a psycho-whatever degree-thingy! Shadow Dweller, Fumi minds too much what others say about us. He says he doesn't mind, but he won't let go when we become powerful!" The quirk ranted, increasing in size as time went by. Aggression started seeping into its voice, the living shadow then pointing one finger into the chest of the raven-teen. "If only you let go, we could rampage freely! Have them fear our power!"
"Such behavior is not heroic! We don't need to become monsters, like they want us to be! I cannot give in to the whispers of darkness!" Tokoyami surprised Izuku as the teen and his quirk seemed to be on the edge due to something. Not that Izuku couldn't understand the reasons of their conflict.
[Dark]-related quirks usually brought their fair share of troubles for their users, considering the societal view on the powers. Added upon that was the fact that the brain chemistry of the individuals with such powers usually was one that pushed for aggression and scheming, Izuku himself being the proof of that.
Izuku could relate and understand what Tokoyami might be going through, seeing as he also had tight restrains over his powers. If he were to explain the nature of his powers to someone who wasn't fooled by the novelty of his [Vampirism]-quirk, such person might immediately associate him with a monster. The vampire did not deny that fact. In all honesty, Izuku had already embraced that nature of his quirk. He acknowledged the existence of the [Inner Beast], and locked it behind bars of willpower. It was a part of him, and the quirk itself might be aware that it was dangerous. Izuku released it from time to time, tending to its needs.
No, tending to his dark needs.
But enough about him, he wanted to help his friend out.
"Tokoyami." The vampire called the attention of his classmate. "You remember what I said back on the trip to the USJ?"
Fumikage and his quirk became pensive, the living mass of shadow slowly diminishing in size. The teen looked to Izuku. "I remember it, which is why I wanted to ask your assistance. You, my friend, seem to have a grasp in how to deal with your darkness better than I do. I just...it is hard to speak about it." The raven-teen lowered his head, making his quirk scoff at him.
Izuku glared at the living darkness, the quirk looking to the other side to avoid the eyes of the vampire.
"I won't say that what works for me might work for you, each person has their own challenges and their struggles. I will say this though; your quirk is wonderful! I understand the challenge with violent thoughts and dark desires, but you resisting that or using them in productive ways is proof of your worth, Tokoyami!" The vampire said, offering his hand to the teen. "When I was feeling down and wondering if I was really deserving of all I had, someone told me this: You already are a hero!"
"Unleashing your darkness is fine. Accept those emotions is one the steps into controlling them. Never neglect yourself. I know you will be an amazing hero, Tokoyami."
"Midoriya...But my inner desires are of destruction...I don't want to become a monster..." Fumikage said, staring at his hand. [Dark Shadow] was right behind him, almost as if the quirk was judging what words would leave the teen.
"What is wrong is for you to become their monster! I don't know who said what to you, Tokoyami, but those words only define you as much as you allow them too. Become what you want to be. Sometimes, a monster is just what is needed to save the day." Izuku said with a light tone, fangs reflecting the light of the nearby reflectors.
The raven-teen looked as if struck. He slowly let a smile settle on his beak.
"How pathetic of me, spilling my secrets and issues on a friend like this...Thank you, Midoriya." Fumikage lowered his head to the vampire. [Dark Shadow] still looked like it wanted to rampage, but it held back for now.
Izuku smiled at his friend. "Things have gotten quite sappy, haven't they? Come on, let's keep training." The face of betrayal on the raven-teen's face was quite a treat for the hemomancer. "You did not think that we were done for the day, did you?"
The living darkness laughed heartily, readying itself for another round. "Fumi was totally having an emotional moment there, Shadow Dweller!"
"Dark Shadow!
[XXX]
[XXX]
For all the students of UA, classes continued at their normal rate. Needless to say, all who wanted to participate in the festival were preparing themselves, working on their specialties. Tensions were still low, two weeks still remaining until the fabled day.
At the Heroics class 1-A, this tension could be felt rather early. They were the hot topic of the school, the students who had survived a villain attack. Expectations were high for the class, and the students displayed that they understood that fact. The serious mood was obvious on the heavy hitters for the class.
There was also something that was calling the attention of the class. Midoriya Izuku, the class vice-president, seemed to be a mystery that none could understand. He was a quiet teen, but his presence could not be ignored, at least for his classmates such possibility was not available.
The teen's quirk wasn't exactly known, but it had to deal with blood. His blood to be necessary. He had called himself a vampire, and many thought it was a joke, something to light the mood around him. Now, the cloud of doubt spread among some of the teens in the class. The resident vampire was powerful, that went without question.
After the events of the USJ, a few of his classmates wished to know more about him. Or at least she wished too.
Yaoyorozu Momo wanted to thank the teen for his efforts. He had personally saved her and Kyouka, jumped to aid Aizawa-sensei without anyone asking and even after his brutal beatdown at the hands of an enormous villain, the vampire refused to be still, helping All Might before the other pro-heroes arrived. She had seen it all from the safety of her binoculars, yet the sight still managed to make her sick to her stomach.
No normal person could return after that. Yet, like a contradiction to normal sense, Izuku had done so, performing like the perfect hero all of them should strive to become. His actions were heroic and proper.
So why could Momo not stop shivering when she glanced his way? She had even tried talking with Jirou about it, hoping that talking about it would help her settle her feelings and talk with the teen. Her friend had suggested simply doing that, going straight to the vampire and talking to him.
It was a simplistic idea. Ripping the band-aid at once, so that she could put everything past her and return things to the usual. The daughter of the Yaoyorozu would not be intimidated simply by a boy.
Thus, after the end of today's classes, she and Kyouka would talk with him and thank the resident vampire for his efforts in rescuing them.
After the last bell sounded, she glanced at her rocker friend, Jirou rolling her eyes and nodding to her. The duo turned to search for Izuku, but he was no longer in class. That was another thing about him; at the least expected moment, he seemed to simply vanish out of sight.
"He was here a moment ago!" Momo exclaimed, looking at the remaining classmates and hoping for an answer to her silent question.
"Izuku-kun? Yeah, he does that! I think he might be at Dagobah Beach, that's where he said that he was training at." Uraraka Ochako, one of her classmates, answered.
"Why is he training there?" Jirou asked, seemingly more interested in her phone than the answer to her question.
Uraraka searched her school bag for a few moments, fishing her phone out. "He said that he had permission for quirk training there, something about private property. I visited there once, it is super neat! The beach is beautiful!"
That only rose more questions inside Momo's head. How could Izuku have permission to train his quirk on the beach? Private ground? A person could no simply own a beach! Could they?
"If I'm not mistaken, he is also helping out Tokoyami-kun with his training. I asked If I could go too, but I have been a bit busy." Ochako explained with a kind smile.
Yaoyorozu released a disappointed sigh. Her punk-friend shook her head sideways, lightly touching the taller girl on the shoulder.
"Come on, Yaomomo, we just have to hit the beach then!" Kyouka said, pointing to the slinding door of their class.
Momo nodded, searching her school bag for her phone. She typed on it and then tucked her phone back on her bag.
"Right away then, I have called for our ride." The girl spoke normally, making Kyoka look questioningly at Momo. Said girl just smiled as the duo made their way to the front gates of the school. Needless to say, the rocker-girl was speechless when a black limousine was waiting for them to come. She felt the stares of some of the other students, their murmurs making the girl blush in shame.
"Yaomomo, could you not have warned me first about the limo?!" Jirou whisper/shouted at her friend, raising her bag to her face with one hand, the other twirling one of her ear jacks nervously.
Yaoyorozu looked at her friend and found the reaction of the rocker to be weird. She then looked as if realization hit her.
"Is this not suitable enough for us to visit a classmate? I asked father for the least exposing car, I should have known better!" She shook her head, disappointed at her lack of forethought.
Jirou, on the other hand, had her mouth hanging low. This is the least exposing car? Rapidly, the punk dissuaded her friend of her idea. "No way! This is fine! It is really okay! Don't call for another one!"
Momo looked curiously at the girl at her side. "Are you sure? I can call for another vehicle; it won't take long to reach here." the rich girl asked innocently, but relented to her friend as they entered the car and left the school building behind.
The ride took about thirty minutes, the beach coming into view and making the girls take in the wonderful sight that it was during sunset. Soon, they reached what they could identify as training grounds.
The area was no different from the majority of its surroundings, with the exception of the red metal containers that dotted the scape. Yaoyorozu recognized the logo of SHIELD Industries on them, aware that whatever was inside those containers was considerably expensive, even by her standards. Kyouka was impressed by it, but her lack of knowledge on the subject of technological advancement that the Shield Family had brought about was the reason she had not freaked out.
Now Momo wished further to know who Midoriya Izuku was, that he had the connections to have such equipment.
"Young Miss, we have reached your desired location." The voice of the driver made the girls glance at him. The driver's glass was tinted, not allowing a look at the driver, but Yaoyorozu smiled and nodded.
"Thank you Kageyama-san. My friend and I will walk from here, and I'll text you to pick us up." Momo said in a polite tone.
"Right. Do not hesitate to call upon me, should you ever need it." Kyoka could picture the kind of man that was behind that black tinted glass; Seriously, how can someone be this loaded in cash? She wondered, following Yaoyorozu as the duo exited the car and began walking closer to the shipment containers.
As they approached, the girls managed to spot a few other civilians gathered, seemingly overlooking something. The girls glanced at each other before they moved closer. Kyouka was the first to hear the sounds of what seemed to be a battle. It must be Midoriya and Tokoyami, Uraraka said they were training together. The rocker girl was hearing rather strong blows and loud wind rushing, increasing her pace somewhat as curiosity got a hold of her.
What are they doing? What is going on there?! The punk and the taller girl quickly closed in on the scene, their eyes capturing the sight of their classmates.
The scene looked not unlike something from a mythological tale or painting; Midoriya was dressed in workout attire, his arms and legs clad with his quirk making him resemble some sort of bloody knight or monster of the underworld, the sinister gleam that emanated from his eyes made shivers run down the spines of these two girls. His face was also covered up with a solid mask that resembled a dragon's maw, making the vampire truly seem like some sort of hellspawn.
Tokoyami also had his quirk out, the raven-headed teen working together with the living mass of darkness as they tried to strike Izuku with a flurry of blows. The teen himself merely moved to follow his quirk, trying the odd punch or kick in efforts of hitting the green-headed teen. Less monstrous a sight, but he still made for an intimidating image with his sharp gaze and the literal monster of darkness that followed his command.
"The Clash of Monsters" was how Yaoyorozu pictured this scene. The teens seemed to be immersed in their combat, not paying any attention to the civilians looking at their training. It struck her as rather odd that none were trying to take pictures or record the happening, but she herslef could not take her eyes off the event.
The fight continued. Izuku was obviously the more experienced fighter, dodging blows and rushing to strike with precise strength. Enough to hurt, not enough to surpass the threshold of Tokoyami, but to alert the teen to his mistakes. About ten minutes passed with their continuous exchange, when it seemed that the vampire wanted to settle for the day.
Momo found herself shocked when she failed to notice the blanket of spreading darkness that was coming from the horizon. The fight had been that absorbing!
Izuku fixed his stance, exhaling a deep breath. He stared at his friend, seeing the other teen also get ready for the last move of their training for today. The vampire nodded, immediately rushing to meet the [Dark Shadow]-quirk user. The raven-head guided his quirk to do an overhead strike, while he also fixed himself into a fighter's stance, ready to throw a punch.
The vampire accepted the challenge, the big claws of the living being of darkness descending with the force of a sledgehammer. The blow was sure to hit Izuku and hammer him in the sandy ground like he was a nail. Then, Izuku simply stopped, a few centimeters shy of kissing the mass of darkness. The hit rose many clumps of sand, blocking the Fumikage's sight and making him groan in frustration.
Then, a hand tapped his shoulder and he spun around with his best at a backhand blow. His fist flew over air, only for his head to snap back as he received a full counter straight to his chin, the blow crumbling any resistance Tokoyami could offer as he fell backwards like a wood board. [Dark Shadow] tried to resist, but with the host weakened, it could only follow suit.
"Ouhhh...that was a mean one, friend." Tokoyami slurred a bit, massaging the underside of his beak. Izuku could only grimace; he dismissed his power and called back his blood, offering a hand to aid the other teen to stand up.
"Expect the unexpected." The vampire offered advice as he made sure that his classmate would not keel over. The duo of teens made their way to one of the metal containers, the only one opened.
That made the girls awake from their daze.
"That was...something." Kyouka said, eyes still fixed on the spot where Tokoyami had hammered a hit.
Momo had no idea what to say about that. She did not have many instances where he had seen live combat like this. She practiced, of course, and was very much diligent in her training. However, this was completely different from what she expected. The heiress had heard much talk about the entrance exam and the combat robots, but to see two of her classmates capable of such show of skill and power, it made her mind question if it truly was fair for her to be a recommendation.
She let that doubt aside, coughing lightly to gather the attention of Kyouka.
"...Ahem...that certainly was impressive. We still need to talk to Midoriya-san." The taller girl began to make her way down the steps of the stone stairs, towards the metal containers. The civilian crowd that got to watch the event began to disperse, a few signs around put that area as off-limits to regular folk.
"Wait up, Yaomomo!" The punk girl began following her friend. They approached the big metal box, wisps of conversation between the two teens reaching them. Their footsteps were not quit, shifting the sand under then with each step. Yet, it seemed to not be heard by the duo, or they cared not for who was approaching.
Yaoyorozu and Kyouka reached the container, going around it to meet their classmates. As they turned the corner, they picked on a rather disturbing sight. They had seen it happen once in class, the first combat trial when Izuku latched on Kirishima's neck. Yet, seeing it up close was much different from what any of them expected.
The young heiress was stunned into silence as she saw Izuku biting down on Tokoyami's offered right arm, drinking blood directly from the limb as the raven-head wiped his head off the sweat. Kyouka was by her said, and she herself was stunned by the sight. It was something unusual, the image of the usually quiet green-head looking like a voracious predator feeding his eternal thirst on one of their classmates made for something unsettling.
The four stayed in silence, the two males deeply invested in their conversation and circumstances and the girls stunned by the sight. A few seconds passed by and Izuku immediately let go of Tokoyami's arm, quickly wiping his mouth and clamping his mouth shut. He gulped down the blood already in his gullet, the sweet sensation of live-feeding suppressed as his classmates had caught him. Drinking packaged blood in front of others was fine, but someone seeing him at his most vulnerable and arguably dangerous state messed with him.
The silence grew uncomfortable, the tension thick enough to be cut with a knife. The four teenagers stayed there, not uttering a single sound, the background noise of the waves not serving its usual purpose of being relaxing. The girls looked around awkwardly, trying to form a coherent sentence as the males kept their silent and avoided their eyes.
"So...drinking blood...that's pretty metal." Kyouka was the first to interject at the situation. She would admit that she was not the social butterfly type, but it seemed that everyone else had decided to clam up. So fuck it, she took a shot.
Tokoyami met her gaze, mind slowly piecing what he would say. The raven-head nodded, courage building up.
"W-we...were training for the school festival...It was merely a payment for the aid of a friend..." Fumikage glanced at Izuku, gauging the reactions of the vampire.
The green-headed vampire took a deep breath, hiding his hands behind his back and pushing the [Inner Beast] back into its cage. His mind howled at him, demanding the blood of the harlots that dared interrupt a most sacred time. He would drain them until the limit, keeping them alive only to serve as mere bloodbags to amuse his [Thirst] and satisfy his curiosity as per the effects of long-term exposure to [Mesmerize] and …
NO! Calm Down, Midoriya Izuku!
Mind over matter! Control yourself! You are yourself!
Cage the beast!
Izuku awkwardly smiled at the two gals, doing his best to not growl.
"H-hello t-there! I did not know you two were coming over." He knew his smile was forced; his expression plastered with fake politeness that he barely could hold up.
"Hey Midoriya." Kyouka managed to give him a wave, her eyes did not seem to hold judgment in them. Izuku could not smell fear coming from her, her entire body expression seemed to show only surprise and curiosity. His [Inner Beast] still growled, this time more interested in tasting her blood rather than enslave her mind. "We tried texting you, but you did not answer the phone. We wanted to talk with you."
Izuku nodded to her words, eyes focusing on the taller girl by Kyouka's side. Yaoyorozu avoided his gaze, her complexion pale and she seemed to be trying her very best to not tremble in front of him. Her eyes wandered all over, trying hard to not catch his gaze. However, it eventually happened. Her black pupils drank in the sight of his green orbs, the faint hints of crimson over them
Yaoyorozu would apologize later to all those that were here at Dagobah Beach. Howevr, now she only managed to flee from the sight, shivers and tremors running all over her.
"Yaomomo!" Kyouka tried to rush to her friend, yet something soft wrapped around her wrist and stopped her. Her eyes turned to see the crimson tentacle hold her in place, the vampire shaking his head sideways.
"Yaoyorozu-san has seen something that I would rather not show anyone. The sight can be...disturbing. I understand her fear, and I recommend that you let her heal first. Let her wrap her mind around this issue, right now she might be prone to lashing out in fear." Cold logic washed over Izuku, the cries and howls of the [Inner Beast] being shut down.
Kyouka tried to put a valid argument, that such things did not matter right now. That the girl needed a friend to help her understand what happened. Yet, she could not do that. The rocker girl glanced at Tokoyami for a helping hand, yet the raven-head sided with the vampire.
"Gazing at the abyss when one is not ready is something that can overwhelm the mind of those weak of spirit. Letting her experience this on her lonesome will help build her mind for future events. We are meant to be heroes, overly coddling is not something we should allow ourselves to fall into. We shall help when necessary; such time is still not upon her."
Kyouka stared at the two males and processed their words in her head. They weren't wrong, but their approach felt callous. Or rather...of people that had seen such sight countless times. Kyouka let that simmer in her thoughts for a while.
Even she had went by the phase of name-calling back in junior-school. Quirks that modified body (mutant-types) parts were quite the target for those. She did not have that much of a problem, first because she could not care less of what people said about her, and her [Ear Jacks] weren't the weirdest thing out in the block.
However, when the rocker took in mind what these two looked like and what they could apparently do, it made a lot of sense.
+Izuku was an honest to god vampire that could control his blood in any way he so pleased, and that was what he had shown so far to the class. Coupled with his appearance, and needless of height, Midoriya was a head-turner.
+Tokoyami had a raven-head and could control an amalgamation of sentient darkness that answered to his beckoning call. He had an intense expression, even when quiet, and his deep voice was something that could make you shake in your boots if you met him in an alley at night.
The punk-girl relented to their points, nodding to them.
"Fine fine, you win. I'll text her later or something." Kyouka said in exhaustion. "Don't take it personal, Midoriya; we came here specially to thank you for the save back in the USJ, but I guess that is out of the fray right now. Yaomomo was...well, I don't know, maybe triggered by you drinking blood from Tokoyami." She pointed at the males, stirring some sand with her boots and fiddling with one of her jacks. Damn habit from whenever she is nervous.
Izuku hummed an agreement, fishing out a few water bottles from the inside of the container. "I don't mind it." He simply said, offering the drinks to his two classmates. Kyouka took a peek inside the big metal box, seeing all kinds of equipment for workout, as well as a mini fridge. She whistled, making Izuku chuckle a bit.
"Since you are already here, and we are done for the day, care to join us?" Izuku politely invited Kyouka, bringing three foldable chairs from the container. "After an intense workout, its good to slowly stretch to avoid cramps. Since I heal quickly, only Tokoyami is left. We can sit and talk, while he finishes with his stretches."
Kyouka fiddled with her ear lobe, wondering about the idea. She had come here to thank him, and the two did not seem like bad company. She still wanted to message Yaomomo and talk with the girl, but the words of the two began playing back in her mind.
"I feel like you are finding joy in my physical suffering, friend!" Tokoyami complained, even as he began to do the calisthenics Izuku had taught him.
"Nonsense! You can talk with any of our teachers about this, I guarantee that they will tell you the same answer." Izuku brushed the complaints of the raven-head aside. "Here, I'll even give you an aiding hand. Choose you music." The vampire went once more inside the big metal box, bringing out a small wireless music box. The device was styled after old vinyl players, the sight making Kyouka lean more on staying here.
"Anything that can instill hope into this abyss watcher for him to withstand this torture called stretching?" Tokoyami complained, making the rocker girl and the vampire glance at each other. Izuku motioned to her with his phone, but the girl shook her head.
Izuku tapped his phone a few times, connecting his phone to the music box and choosing a music. Immediately, the box burst into life, the sound of bass starting the music that made the punk girl stare at the vampire as if he had grown a second head. The bass started the song strong, followed by the drums and then a high note from a guitar. It was foreign, the English words loud and clear.
OHH LET'S GO!
STEVE WALKS DOWN THE STREET,
WITH HIS BRIM PULLED WAY DOWN LOW;
.
Kyouka blinked, wondering if this was some sort of elaborate ruse or if someone was pulling her leg. Tokoyami began bobbing his head to the jamming song, Izuku sitting down on his chair and closing his eyes for a few seconds, allowing him sight to properly watch his friend's exercises.
The rocker was still in place, outright staring at the vampire and the raven.
.
ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST,
AND ANOTHER ONE DOES, ANOTHER ONE DOES,
ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST!
.
The girl grinned like mad, texting her mother and father about staying out a bit more.
[XXX]
[XXX]
The following week continued much like the previous one, however, now the pressure was being felt around the entirety of the school as everyone became aware that the festival was just around the corner.
Izuku gathered his things for lunch, grabbing his thermos flask and standing up to exit his class. Or so he would normally do, but instead he began approaching the windows.
"Izuku-kun?" Uraraka looked at the vampire, wondering what he was trying to do.
"Fuck off Round Face, fucking Bloodsucker is probably scared of those pissants by the door. Fucking coward!" Bakugou said in surprisingly civil tone, making his way to the sliding door and revealing it to be blocked by a multitude of other students. The blond narrowed his eyes, hands inside the pockets of his pants.
The class 1-A began to talk among themselves why the sudden visit of the other students, but Katsuki scoffed and loudly complained.
"You bootlickers still haven't figured this shit out?! I expected them to be sulking around sooner than this, but I guess bottom-feeders will still find a way to disappoint, even though I had no expectations for them." The blond seemed to be extra abrasive to the new arrivals, making the mood immediately shift to one of aggression.
"Who does he think he is?!"
"Bastard!"
"Don't think you are hot stuff just because you faced some villains! They must have been really weak!"
"I bet you haven't even fought them!"
Complaints, jeers and the like began raining down upon the heroics class, many wondering why had the blond had done such thing. Not that the bomber seemed to care for the angry mob of students just outside.
"I doesn't fucking matter what a bunch of losers think or say about me! At the top, all that garbage doesn't affect the winner. I'll reach the top and I'll be the best! That is all there is to it." Like a declaration of war, Bakugou sparked the flames of conflict and threw gasoline atop it. Some were stunned by his speech, others completely upset.
"If you garbage think you amount to anything, then try me! Reach my fucking level before you can talk smack. When you sacks of shit do that, then I'll consider wasting my time with your empty words."
The last statement almost caused pandemonium among the students, yet someone stood out. Clapping sounds followed as said person parted the sea of students that cluttered the doors of 1-A. Purple hair, tired bags under his eyelids and a vicious smirk, Hitoshi Shinso fearlessly walked right up to the bomber.
"I wanted to see the so called special powerhouses of UA, but if this is the best they have to offer, I guess I will be pretty easy." Sarcasm almost dripping from his voice, the purple haired teen smirked at the entire class indoors. "Rumor down the grape-vine is that those that stand out in the festival will be moved up from regular classes up to heroics. And there is also a chance that those from heroics that don't make the cut will be downgraded...I guess my work will be rather easy, if this is what they call hero material."
As tensions rose higher and higher, Izuku decided to get the fuck out. Yet the voice that was speaking at the door was rather familiar.
[Mind robber! Will Taker]
[Source of power. Delightful blood!]
Cold logic and raw instinct were raised to the maximum inside the vampire's mind as he recalled the events that led to the developing of one of his most powerful abilities. The cage in his mind strained to the maximum, the [Inner Beast] howled in absolute joy that the Mind Taker had presented himself. Such honor! It had to have at least one sip, for old times sake!
Izuku could not stop the killing intent that flowed from his body. Shivers ran down the spines of countless students all around, the source of the unsettling feeling unidentifiable for the majority of the students.
Bakugou's head snapped right onto Izuku, the blond's face a mix of ravenous rage and increased excitement, the bomber raring for a fight. Do it, you fucking bastard! Give me the excuse!
Todoroki stood from his chair, a light frosty mist enveloping his right arm as he looked at the vampire. What th–...such intent...just like him!
Yaoyorozu seemed on the verge of vomiting anything that was in her stomach. I-I-I c-can't!
Izuku continued making his way out of his class from the window, but instead of dropping, he began climbing high. He reached the rooftop in a matter of seconds, his mouth harshly salivating as his fangs itched like crazy.
He clenched his mouth shut with such strength that he feared having broken his teeth. The hemomancer immediately opened his thermos and dumped the contents in his gullet, drinking the entirety of the one-liter flask in seconds.
Not enough!
MORE!
His fingers almost cracked the screen of his phone, a message typed furiously fast.
Izuku could feel another quirk-factor unraveling, bending to his might. Yet, it required fuel to continue doing so. Seeing that familiar face, the one that started his hunt for new powers, the [Thirst] hit with the force of a speeding truck!
Such a lust for power! Blood! The proof of life, that which flows through us all. I want it!
I WANT IT!
An answer came, which he ignored completely. Not too long after, he managed to catch sight of one drone circling around him. He tried taming his [Inner Beast], the cage in his mind breaking under the sudden powerful strain.
The vampire heard the access door to the rooftop open up, Kyouka being the one that entered his sight instead of the person he had for.
No! Don't! Not Now!
Growling left his throat as Izuku [Blink]'ed at the girl, not even allowing her the chance to help him. He was upon her, grabbing both her wrists with one hand and raising them over her head as they almost slammed into the wall of the access point. He was in a high, [Hunter Instincts] going into overdrive at the sight of his first embraced blood-giver.
He stared deep into Jirou's eyes, stroking the gates of her mind in his haze with [Mesmerize]. Her ear jacks got up to attack, but small tendrils of blood exited his neck and entangled with her attacking lobes. The vampire got closer, nose catching a good whiff of her scent as he smelled her neck.
Overflowing with vitality! She is such a good girl! Followed us by hearing alone! [Others are bound to come!]
[Rapid Embrace?]
Not an ounce of pain for her!
Aphrodisiac and numbing agents flooded his saliva as Izuku approached the exposed neck of the rocker girl, steam exiting his mouth as he opened up to bite, a chorus akin to an orquestra began blasting in his mind as Izuku approached the artery filled with oxygen-rich blood.
His fangs lightly pierced the exposed neck before Izuku retreated, releasing Kyouka and turning his back on her, wishing he could claw his throat out.
He almost reached for that very action, his nails growing as per his will. He would heal, he merely needed pain to distract from the [Thirst].
[Return! Feast on her blood! It was ours! OURS!]
No, it fucking wasn't!
Another person entered through the door, this time the very help that he needed. Mei rushed his side, not even wasting time with words. She merely put her back against his chest, his hands naturally rushing to secure her in place as he pierced her neck with the same combination of chemicals in his mouth as he had almost done to Kyouka.
Fresh blood soon filled his mouth, immediately soothing the raging storm that was happening in his mind. The punk rocker still approached him, surely to call him out for the monster he was. She could do so, it was her right. He could not meet her gaze, eyes buried into the pink locks of Mei.
A hand settled over his shoulder, grabbing it as two jacks touched his neck and chest, vibrations being emitted directly at him.
It is okay.
Take it easy.
All is good.
I do not deserve such good people, he mused in his head as he drank from Mei and was comforted by her and Kyouka. How pathetic, right? Such monster you are!
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone