Kapitel 2073: 3
Chapter 3: Moving ForwardNotes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Izuku grunted as Nemuri put him on his back again. It had been three days since his emergency visit to UA, and he hadn't been back to school yet. Yasuda told him he wouldn't be going back and that they'd find another way for him to continue school. Today was also the first day back training with Nemuri. Izuku was happy to be doing something that would keep him completely distracted from unnecessary thoughts like how he remembered who attacked him and the fear that gripped his chest whenever he thought about bringing it up.
"Come on, get up. We'll take a five-minute break." Nemuri said, tossing a towel on his face.
Izuku sat up and whipped the sweat off his face before joining Nemuri on one of the garden benches. Since she didn't want to deal with the media, they trained in the orphanages garden area. There were a few clear spots of grass that were perfect for sparring. Though his sparring session felt different, he wasn't sure what, but he knew something was on Nemuri's mind.
"U-um Midnigh-"
Nemuri waved a finger at him "ah. I told you if I'm not in costume, you call me Nemuri or Kayama, not Midnight."
Izuku blushed and took a drink of water "sorry, ma'am. Um, Ms.Kayama, is everything ok today? You seem to be lost in thought."
Nemuri drank some water before sighing. "I've just got something on my mind. Who knows, maybe your opinion could help me figure it out."
Izuku cocked his head to the side in confusion "wh-what do you need my opinion on? If it's training, I-I can handle whatever you think I should do. You're more experienced, so I think it'd be best to follow your lead."
"No, it's not that." Nemuri rubbed her face, and her eyes flicked to the porch. She could see Yasuda with a few of the younger kids watching them. They had all taken an interest in watching the pretty lady, and big sis Yasuda beat up big bro Izuku. Nemuri caught Yasuda's eye, and the orphanage worker gave her a smile and two thumbs up.
Izuku watched Nemuri stretch and scratch the back of her head. "I'm trying to save someone. They're in a bad situation, and I want to save them, but if I do it, the media will pester them." Nemuri sighed "maybe I should try to find someone else to help them. Someone who won't get as much attention for doing it."
"I think you should save them." Izuku's sudden response caught Nemuri off guard. "If you know them, I think it'll be better for you to save them. I know if I needed to be saved, I wouldn't care if the media took an interest in me because of who saved me." Izuku chuckled "they'd probably lose interest after a week anyways."
Izuku stretched and missed Nemuri going through several emotions at once. The pro hero took a deep breath and opened her mouth, only to stop when her phone pinged. Nemuri picked it up as Izuku looked over and saw her eyes darken for a moment. "Midoriya, go get changed. Nezu found something, and he wants to talk with us."
Izuku got up. "O-ok." as he ran off to his room, Izuku felt his stomach twisting in knots as he wondered what the president of UA could have found. He hoped it was just some dirt on Aldera in general and not anything specific to him.
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It didn't take long for Nemuri, Yasuda, and Izuku to make it to UA and get up to the president's office. Izuku looked around the office as they entered. One wall was a large window that looked over the UA campus. In front of the window was a plush leather chair and a large dark wooden desk with a few chairs in front of it.
Nezu smiled and climbed onto his desk. He spoke as he walked over to a teapot. "I'm glad to see you're all here. Would you like some tea before we get started?"
The group all agreed, and once the tea was poured, Nezu sat back down, "now onto what I found. If you would direct your attention to your left. I found some security footage that may prove... insightful to what happened to Young Midoriya."
Izuku tried not to geek out about the windows as they tinted, and a screen descended on the left wall. It flicked on, and Izuku felt himself tense seeing the back area of Aldera. Izuku's stomach dropped as the video showed Katsuki dragging Izuku outback. The two of them entered a blind spot. Nezu fast-forwarded a couple minutes until Katsuki left. It took Izuku a full five minutes to hobble out after him.
Two chairs were practically thrown across the room as Yasuda and Nemuri stood up with fire in their eyes "that little fucking shit! He couldn't even go a month. I knew they should have just locked him up. The little psycho needs to be arrested." Izuku shrank back more. Yasuda was cursing which meant she was furious, which was something Izuku had rarely seen.
Nemuri wasn't much better. While Yasuda was like a red hot fire raging out of control, Nemuri was a cold blue flame focused and devastating. Izuku was sure whatever she was thinking was worse than what Yasuda was saying. Nezu clicked a few buttons, and the screen retracted while the windows lost their tint. "As you can see, it seems this Katsuki Bakugo broke the terms of his deal with the police. Now this, plus the other evidence I found, is more than enough to bury the school. I have not informed the police yet of Katsuki Bakugo's actions."
Nemuri spoke up, "why not, sir? This should be reported immediately!"
Nezu held a paw up. "I wish to speak with Mr.Midoriya before taking action."
"Huh?" Izuku looked around "w-wait me, sir? Wh-why do you want t-to talk to me?"
"I wish to know if you remembered that young Bakugo was your attacker or not. I also would like to know what action you think should be taken against him."
Izuku felt nauseous. He didn't want to be here. Nemuri and Yasuda were looking at him with concern, and he hated it. Nezu sighed. "Kayama, could you take Ms.Azuki and step outside for a moment."
Nemuri looked like she wanted to argue, but something in Nezu's beady eyes made her decide it wasn't worth the fight. "Come on, Azuki. Let's do as he says."
Yasuda huffed and all but stormed out as she continued to fume. Izuku hoped she calmed down soon. Once they were gone, Nezu smiled "now, Mr.Midoriya. Did you remember this before I showed it?"
Izuku hesitated before nodding. "Y-yes, I did. The day after it happened."
"And you didn't tell the others? Why not?" Nezu sipped his tea as Izuku squirmed in his seat and tried to think of an answer. After a moment, Nezu spoke again. "Could it be that you felt scared? That if you spoke against him again, the payback would be worse."
Izuku nodded silently as he trembled and held back his emotions. Nezu simply smiled and sipped his tea before continuing. "Rest assured that any action we decide to take against Mr.Bakugo will not result in you being punished. You do not deserve to be treated the way you were, and you deserve justice, so I ask again. What action do you want to take against him?"
Izuku sat frozen to his chair as the question echoed in his mind. He could get his revenge on Katsuki for all the hurt and suffering he caused. It would be easy just to tell Nezu to do whatever. Report it to the police and the public. Let all of Japan know Katsuki Bakugo is just a bully who hurts people... but that's not what he used to be. It wasn't an overnight thing; it was gradual. As they got older, he got worse. Izuku knew it wasn't entirely Katsuki's fault. People did nothing but praise Katsuki and look the other way when he did something wrong. It escalated, and now Katsuki thinks he's god's gift to the world and that nothing he does is wrong. Katsuki needs to be punished, but he also needs to be saved. A hero wouldn't abandon him, and Izuku is going to be a hero.
Nezu smiled as the boy found his resolve and looked up at him. Izuku chewed his lip before speaking, "I-I don't want him to go to jail or be barred from being a hero. Bakugo is... he was a good person. He's just strayed down the wrong path. I think if he was kept from being a hero, he would become a vigilante, which is a slippery slope to becoming a villain, and Bakugo being a villain would be bad for a lot of people."
"You believe Mr.Bakugo could be saved?"
Izuku nodded. "I think therapy, community service, and stuff like that will help him... heck, if you could get All Might to sit and talk to him, it'd help. Bakugo only really respects him as a hero. To Bakugo, All Might's the best because he never loses. I think that's part of what sent him down the wrong path."
Nezu scribbled down a few notes as Izuku took a moment to collect himself. "I guess if he keeps up good behavior and is monitored closely, you can tell if he changes and if he does, then you can decide to let him take the entrance exam or not."
"You would give him another chance despite all he's done to you?"
Izuku nodded. "I want to be a hero, and heroes save people. Bakugo is someone who needs to be saved, so I'll do my best."
Nezu nodded and finished his tea "then I suppose I will call him in and make things clear just how thin the ice he stands on is. I will also bring Aldera down for their negligence and discrimination."
"I- um, thank you, sir. I think with some corrections... Bakugo could be a good hero."
"We will see. You still have many years till you're able to attend my university. I hope by then he is worthy of your kindness." Nezu said as he stood up and walked around his chair. "Now, let me explain things to Kayama and Azuki. I think it would best."
Izuku nodded. 'Y-yeah. I agree, sir."
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The car ride home was awkward, to say the least. Yasuda didn't think Bakugo deserved any of it and maybe he didn't; only time would tell. Nemuri, on the other hand, seemed to agree partially with Izuku's decision, though her mind had been elsewhere all day, and so Izuku sat in the back of Nemuri's car in an oppressive silence, wondering if he did the right thing.
As they got out of the car, Nemuri sighed. "Midoriya, are you free tomorrow?"
Izuku looked up, surprised. He didn't have training, and he was sure Yasuda wouldn't let him go back to Aldera, not that he wanted to "y-yeah um... why?"
Nemuri winked "a date of course."
Izuku's face flushed, and Yasuda snorted with laughter Nemuri joined in as well, clutching her sides. "I'm sorry I had to."
Nemuri pulled herself together and took a deep breath. "I just have something to talk to you about, and don't worry, it's not about today. It's something else. I'll come by tomorrow morning, and we can go get some breakfast. Sound good?"
Izuku nodded. "Y-yeah, I'll make sure to be ready."
Nemuri patted his head. "I'll see you then."
Izuku didn't sleep well that night. He was constantly bouncing between second-guessing himself with his decision and wondering what Nemuri could want to talk about. All in all, he stayed up late and woke up often in a cold sweat with panic gripping his chest and stealing his breath until it settled, and he drifted off to his restless sleep again.
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Nemuri stood outside the orphanage in her civilian clothes. A pair of black skinny jeans, simple black sneakers, a gray shirt, and a black leather jacket.
She sighed when she saw Izuku walkout. "Midoriya. I'm gonna be honest; what the heck is that?"
Izuku looked down at his outfit. He had on his standard red sneakers and a pair of jeans as well as a green shirt and a gray hoodie over it that had Sweater written on the front. "It's my jacket."
"Do you have more clothes like that?"
Izuku nodded and lifted his hoodie to show that his shirt had Suit printed on it. "Pretty much all the clothes I bought myself are like this."
Nemuri pinched the bridge of her nose "ok, we'll work on your fashion sense later. For now, come on."
Nemuri attracted considerably less attention walking around in her civilian clothes, so they didn't run into any trouble on their walk. Izuku rubbed the back of his head nervously "um, Ms.Kayama... where are we going?"
"There's a cafe nearby. It's a good date spot, so remember it for when you get yourself someone special."
She laughed as Iuzku blushed and followed her to the cafe. It didn't take long, and Izuku took in the sight of the cafe. It was a small little building on the corner of the street. The inside was a welcoming and calm environment. A pastry case ran along half the store's length full of various cakes and sweets, behind the other half of the counter a small kitchen bustling with a couple of employees cooking away. There were several tables inside and a patio outside where a few patrons were enjoying the fall weather.
Nemuri led him to a corner father from the rest of the people eating inside. They placed their orders, and Nemuri groaned as she stretched before leaning forward to look at Izuku. "You know Azuki cares about you a lot. That's why she acted how she did yesterday. She just wants what's best for you."
Izuku nodded. "I know, but sometimes what's best for the people isn't what's best for you."
"That's a real hero ideology, but you're a middle schooler, Midoriya. You shouldn't have to think like that." Izuku shrank back at her pointed look. Nemuri sighed and sat back. "I'm just saying this, so you don't develop some suicidal levels of self-sacrifice." her eyes scanned over him again. She saw the bags under his eyes and knew he hadn't slept well.
Izuku rubbed the back of his head. "I don't think I've ever been that bad. I just... wanna help people."
"I know. It's just you won't be able to help people if you're dead, so we'll make sure you know your limits well before you actually start hero work."
Izuku nodded. "I'll try my best, ma'am."
Their food arrived, and the two dug in. enjoying the quiet and the food. Izuku's continued to wonder about school and his future. Nemuri, on the other hand, was trying to ignore the knots in her stomach and just eat the food. She felt ridiculous. How could she be nervous about something like this? She had faced down villains who had an advantage over her and still didn't feel as worried about what she was planning now.
After they finished, Nemuri pointed down the road, "let's go this way."
Izuku nodded and followed her. "So ma'am, what are we doing? Other than breakfast. Which, by the way, was really good. Thank you for showing me that place."
Nemuri nodded "no problem. Try not to break too many hearts there, ok?"
Izuku blushed "c-come on, Ms.Kayama, th-that's not gonna happen."
Nemuri smirked, "well, certainly not with that fashion sense."
"Come on, I like them. Isn't that what's important when it comes to clothes?" Izuku said with a pout.
Nemuri waved her hand dismissively "eh, to a point, but that's not important right now."
Izuku noticed they turned and walked into a small quiet park "another date idea, ma'am?"
Nemuri laughed "good, you're learning. This park is pretty quiet most days, so it's a good idea for a simpler date."
Izuku grumbled but felt himself relax as the two walked in silence till they came upon a bench and Nemuri sat down "let's sit here for a minute. This is a good spot to talk about what I wanted to talk about."
Izuku got nervous again as he shifted in his seat as Nemuri took a deep breath and looked at him with her signature serious look "Midoriya... you know Aldera is gonna go down soon. You'll have to find a new school."
Izuku nodded "yeah. I'm not really looking forward to it. I just hope the people there are nicer... though, with people from Aldera ending up in the same place as me. It won't last long till it's like Aldera again."
"About that." Nemuri scratched her cheek "if you moved far enough away from this area, you wouldn't have to worry about your old bullies. You could have a fresh start."
Izuku laughed "that'd be nice, but that won't happen."
"Not unless you get adopted, right?"
Izuku nodded and smiled sadly "yeah, but I'm fourteen, and I'm halfway through my last year of junior high. No one is gonna adopt me and go through all that trouble."
"I would," Nemuri said it in such a plain tone that Izuku thought he must have heard her wrong, but before he could ask her to repeat that, Nemuri continued. "I've given some thought and listened to what you said about wanting someone to save you. I care about you, kid. I want what's best for you and I think adopting you... making sure you're safe and have a home will do that."
"I-is. You mentioned the media during our training. w-a-are you worried about how the media will react to Midnight having a kid a-and how th-they'll treat me."
Nemuri nodded. "I don't want to cause you to suffer or-"
"I won't!" Izuku said a little louder than he meant. "S-sorry, I just um... I don't care about that. If-If I can have a home away from... everything around Aldera. I'll be happy. I like training with you and learning from you. It's fun and challenging and...yeah, I-I don't mind. If dealing with the media i-is the price to pay to get to live with you. I-I can handle it n-no problem."
Nemuri definitely wasn't about to cry. Seeing Izuku with tears in his eyes wasn't going to make her cry either. "W-well then. If you're fine with it. I'd like to adopt you."
Izuku smiled as tears streamed down his face "y-yeah, I'd like that too."
Nemuri turned away as tears started to spill over "g-good. I-I need to find a new place to live, though. M-my apartment isn't big enough for two people to live there."
Izuku chuckled "can I help you look?"
He yelped as he was pulled into a hug "of course you can, Midoriya. It's gonna be your home too, so you get a say in it."
Izuku blushed and kept crying as he hugged Nemuri back. The two sat like that, silently waiting for the tears to subside. Once they had pulled themselves together, Nemuri smiled "come on, Midoriya. Let's get back to Azuki. She's probably pulled together all the stuff so we can start the process. Then tomorrow, we can start looking for a new place."
Izuku nodded "o-ok ma'am."
Nemuri groaned as she stood up "you don't have to call me ma'am or Ms.Kayama. You can just call me Kayama or Nemuri if you want."
She chuckled as Izuku's face did an impression of a tomato. "i-I'll try, but I th-think today has been... a lot."
Nemuri patted his head, "and it's not even ten in the morning yet."
Izuku groaned as the two started walking. All his issues seemed so small right now. There was a lightness in his chest as he walked alongside Nemuri. Neither could contain their smiles as they made their way back to the orphanage.
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Katsuki was feeling great. Sure he had to do stupid therapy, but that would be easy to bullshit his way through. He'd beaten up that bastard Deku, and now the nerd wasn't at school, so he must have learned his lesson, and now to top it off, UA's president wanted to meet with him. He wasn't even in high school, and his dream school was taking an interest in him. He just wished his damn parents would get off his back, then everything would be perfect.
Katsuki and his parents got escorted up to the president's office by some hero. He didn't really care. The guy was short and looked like a piece of construction equipment. Once he entered, he wasn't impressed by the layout. There wasn't much, but the view was decent, so he'd give them that.
Nezu swiveled his chair around "ah, the Bakugo family. It's wonderful you could show up. I'm president Nezu. it's a pleasure to have you here."
Katsuki would scoff at the fact that the president is a rat, but his mother had been watching him like a hawk, and he knew she'd smack him if he did anything. Mitsuki smiled "we're thankful for the invitation, sir, but what is the meaning of this meeting?"
Nezu smiled and sipped his tea as his windows tinted and a screen lowered to their left. Katsuki scoffed internally, thinking the president was just showing off. "Now, as his parents, please be calm. I'm going to show you a video, and then we will discuss how things will proceed."
Katsuki could feel his mother's annoyance. He ignored it. He hadn't done anything wrong, so there's nothing for him to be worried about. The screen clicked on and showed Aldera and Katsuki dragging that nerd outback. The video fast-forwarded to show Katsuki leaving, then skipped ahead again to show Izuku limping away.
Before he could even comprehend the idea of why or how the president of UA had this video or why it mattered what he did to that villain Deku, Katsuki's mother had the back of his neck in a death grip "what the actual fuck Katsuki. Do you think you can just do whatever you want and-"
Nezu held a paw up "now, now Ms.Bakugo, you can discipline him later. For now, I would like to inform you of all that has and will happen. Young Midoriya was brought in with bruised and cracked ribs, a concussion, minor internal bleeding, and severe bruising across most of his body. Luckily Recovery Girl is the best for a reason, and he has recovered fully."
Nezu refiled his tea as Mitsuki glared at her son. The president took another sip before continuing, "It only took a few days to find this footage and oh so much more evidence. It seems Aldera practices and promotes quirk discrimination amongst its faculty and students. I will be revealing this information and making sure that school is closed."
Masaru sighed "that's good, but what about Katsuki. He broke his deal with the police. Why have you not informed them?"
Nezu smiled "because Izuku Midoriya is a kind young man who decided that instead of letting your son suffer the consequences of his actions, Midoriya decided your son is worth another chance."
Mitsuki sighed "that boy. Just like his mother far too kind for his own good."
Nezu nodded "he is quite kind. Though let us stay on topic." the president looked at Katsuki, who was fuming with rage. "From this day until you graduate high school, you will be monitored by me. If I do not see any significant changes in your behavior by the time you apply to UA, I will not allow you to take the entrance exam. Any questions?"
"So the police won't be informed about Katsuki's actions?" Mitsuki asked.
Nezu nodded "though your original deal with the police still exists, so Young Bakugo may not even make it to high school."
"Will we notice the monitoring or-"
Nezu smiled. "I, along with my assets, are very good at making sure the target doesn't notice. Your day-to-day life won't be affected by this. I promise you that."
Mitsuki and Masaru looked at each other, then their son, who was shaking with visible anger. The only reason Katsuki hadn't blown up was that he didn't want to hurt his chances of UA.' if I ever see that fucking Deku, I'll... no, I fucking can't because he did this shit to me again! Once I'm in UA, he is dead.'
Masaru sighed as he put a hand on Katsuki's shoulder and squeezed it tightly enough to make his son wince. "I'm sorry for his actions and that we failed yet again. I am thankful to Midoriya for giving our son another chance. My wife and I understand that by all rights, our son doesn't deserve this, but we have it, and we will make the best use of it. I can only hope Katsuki will be put back on the right path before it's too late."
Nezu set down his tea "wonderful to hear. Now before you leave, there is someone who wishes to speak privately with Young Bakugo, if that's alright."
Mitsuki looked up "who wants to talk to the brat?"
Nezu's office door opened, and All Might stepped in. the family gasped, and Katsuki shrank a bit under the number one's stare. "Young Bakugo, I believe we need to have a chat about what it means to be a hero."
Notes:
Stop commenting on how Bakugo gets handled. I know it's not good. Every other person telling me won't change it. The stories finished. If Bakugo is a deal breaker for you then just leave without saying anything because trust me I've heard it all.
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
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