[35] When Morning Comes

I cracked my eyes open, immediately regretting it as fluorescent light stabbed into my retinas. Everything hurt. My ribs screamed with each breath, and my muscles felt like they'd been put through a wood chipper.

Something warm pressed against my right hand. Turning my head - even that small movement sent pain shooting through my neck - I saw my mom slumped in a chair beside the bed, fast asleep. Her fingers were intertwined with mine, her other hand supporting her head as she dozed. Even in sleep, she looked elegant.

A news report played quietly on the wall-mounted TV:

"...footage from the attack on U.A.'s Unforeseen Simulation Joint has surfaced, showing what appears to be a first-year student engaging the creature dubbed 'Nomu' in single combat..."

What?

The screen showed grainy security camera footage of me teleporting between Aizawa and the Nomu, my barrier flaring to life. The angle was high and distant, but clear enough to make out the fight that followed.

"The identity of the student remains unknown," the anchor continued. "U.A. has declined to comment, citing student privacy concerns. However, sources claim the individual fought the artificial human for nearly ten minutes before being joined by classmates..."

I watched myself weave through the Nomu's attacks, the camera capturing every dodge and counter. My throat went dry. If this footage was public...

"Mom?" My voice came out as a rasp.

She stirred, eyes fluttering open. For a moment she just stared at me, then her face crumpled.

"You idiot," she whispered, squeezing my hand. "What were you thinking?"

"Sorry." It seemed safest.

She wiped her eyes with her free hand. "Eighteen hours. You've been unconscious for eighteen hours. The doctors said you had three broken ribs, a concussion, internal bleeding..."

"But I lived."

"This isn't funny, Yoichi." Her voice sharpened. "I saw the footage. You could have died."

On the TV, the anchor was interviewing some quirk analyst about the fight. I turned up the volume slightly.

"...remarkable display of spatial manipulation," the analyst was saying. "The student appears to be using some form of teleportation quirk, combined with defensive barriers..."

Mom muted it. "The press has been having a field day. 'Mystery Student Saves Teacher.' 'First Year Fights Villain Weapon.' They've been replaying that footage non-stop."

"How did they get it?"

"Someone leaked it." Her eyes narrowed. "I have people looking into who."

Of course she did. I shifted, trying to find a position that didn't hurt. "Where am I?"

"Musutafu General. I had you transferred here instead of staying at U.A.'s infirmary. I trust Recovery Girl, but..." She trailed off.

But she wanted me where she could keep an eye on me. Where her people could guard the doors and monitor visitors.

"The other students?"

"All fine. Minor injuries only." She studied my face. "The Bakugo girl has been quite insistent about visiting. I told her you needed rest."

I could imagine how well that went over. "And Aizawa-sensei?"

"Stable. Recovery Girl handled the worst of his injuries." She squeezed my hand again. "You saved his life, you know. Another few seconds and that creature would have crushed his skull."

On the TV, they were showing the footage again. I watched myself teleport around the Nomu, using techniques that now felt foreign. That barrier strength, that precision - I couldn't replicate it if I tried.

But the new power, the one that had awakened at the end...

I flexed my free hand experimentally. Nothing felt different. No surge of energy, no control over infinite space. Had I imagined it?

"The police want to question you," Mom said, pulling me from my thoughts. "I've held them off so far, but..."

"It's fine." I managed a small smile. "I'll talk to them soon."

She studied me for a long moment. "What really happened out there, Yoichi? That fighting style... I've never seen you move like that before."

I thought about trying to explain. About the moment everything had clicked, when I'd seen the true nature of my quirk. But even I didn't understand it fully yet.

"Adrenaline," I said instead. "And luck."

She clearly didn't believe me, but let it pass. "The doctor wants to keep you for observation another few days. After that, you'll recover at home."

"I have classes-"

"U.A. is suspended for the week while they investigate the security breach." Her tone left no room for argument. "You'll rest, and we'll discuss your return to school once you've healed."

I knew that tone. Arguing would be pointless.

"Did they catch them?" I asked. "The villains?"

She shook her head. "The warp gate user evacuated them before All Might arrived. The Nomu was captured, but..." She gestured at the TV, where they were showing footage of the creature being loaded into a specialized containment vehicle. "It's essentially brain-dead. Whatever you and your classmates did to it..."

I remembered the feeling of my fist connecting with its exposed brain, that surge of power that had let me hit hard enough to scramble its enhanced healing.

"Yeah," I said quietly. "Whatever we did."

Mom's phone buzzed. She checked it, frowning slightly.

"Work?"

"Always." She stood, smoothing her skirt. "I need to handle this. Will you be alright alone for a bit?"

I raised an eyebrow. "How many guards do you have posted?"

"Enough." She leaned down, pressing a kiss to my forehead. "Try to rest. I'll be back soon."

I waited until she reached the door before asking: "Hey mom?"

She paused, hand on the handle. "Yes?"

"Thanks. For not freaking out completely."

She smiled - that rare, genuine smile that made her look years younger. "Oh, I'm furious. But you're alive, and that's what matters." Her expression hardened slightly. "For now."

After she left, I turned the TV's volume back up. They were still dissecting the footage, frame by frame.

"...unprecedented level of skill for a first-year student," a different analyst was saying. "The question is, how did someone so young develop such advanced fighting techniques?"

I muted it again, staring at my hands. The truth was, I didn't know. In that fight, I'd moved on pure instinct, reading the Nomu's patterns like they were written in the air. And then that final awakening...

I closed my eyes, trying to recapture that sensation. The moment when everything had clicked, when I'd seen the true nature of space itself.

Nothing.

Maybe it had been a fluke. A one-time thing brought on by desperation and adrenaline. Or maybe...

The door opened, interrupting my thoughts. A nurse entered, carrying a tray.

"Ah, you're awake!" She smiled brightly. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I picked a fight with a freight train."

She laughed, setting the tray down. "Well, from what I saw on the news, you weren't far off. The doctor will be in soon to check on you, but first..." She held up a paper cup containing pills. "Time for pain management."

I took the medication without argument. As she checked my vitals, I caught her sneaking glances at my face.

"You can ask," I said.

She blushed slightly. "Sorry, it's just... that was really you on the news? Fighting that monster?"

"Yeah."

"Wow." She adjusted something on my IV. "My little brother's obsessed with the footage. Keeps rewinding the part where you teleport past its punch."

Great. I was trending.

"The doctor said no visitors except family," she continued, "but there's been quite a few people trying. Especially this angry blonde girl who keeps threatening to blow up the security desk."

I couldn't help smiling. "Sounds about right."

After she left, I tried to get comfortable. The pain medication was starting to kick in, making everything feel slightly fuzzy around the edges.

On the TV, they were showing a new angle of the fight - this one capturing the moment Katsumi, Hitomi, and the others had joined in. The footage ended just before the finishing blow, cutting off as Katsumi's Howitzer Impact lit up the plaza.

I should have felt proud. We'd won, after all. Saved Aizawa, protected our classmates, taken down something designed to kill All Might.

Instead, I felt... uncertain.

That power at the end - the true form of Limitless - it had been incredible. For those brief moments, I'd understood something fundamental about it. But now it was gone, leaving me with more questions than answers.

Mom would handle the press, I knew. She had experience manipulating the public eye. But still...

The pain medication pulled at me, making it hard to keep my eyes open. I gave up fighting it, letting myself drift.

Just before sleep took me, I had a thought: If that had been just a glimpse of my quirk's true power...

What else was I capable of?

I spent the next three days in a haze of pain medication, police interviews, and increasingly frustrated text messages from my classmates.

On the first day, two detectives came to take my statement. They were polite but thorough, asking me to recount every detail of the USJ attack. I stuck to the facts, careful not to mention anything about the strange awakening I'd experienced at the end.

"And you've never encountered these villains before?" the older detective asked, his pen hovering over his notepad.

I shook my head, wincing at the movement. "No. Never."

He nodded, jotting something down. "Your quirk... it's registered as 'Spatial Manipulation,' correct?"

"That's right."

"But the level of control you displayed in that footage... it's far beyond what your quirk registration indicates."

I met his gaze steadily. "Adrenaline, I guess. And luck."

He clearly didn't buy it, but didn't push further.

After they left, I checked my phone. Twenty-seven unread messages. Most were from classmates, asking if I was okay, when I'd be back. Katsumi's were... colorful.

"ANSWER YOUR DAMN PHONE CASSANOVA"

"I SWEAR TO GOD IF YOU DIED I'LL KILL YOU"

"Seriously though. You good?"

I smiled despite myself and sent a group text to 1-A:

"Alive. Sore. Back soon. How's everyone holding up?"

The responses came quickly:

Izuku: "We're all okay! Just worried about you. That fight was incredible!"

Hitomi: "Glad you're recovering. Don't push yourself."

Denki: "Dude, you're trending! #MysteryHeroStudent is all over social media!"

I was about to reply when another message came through, this one from Kaori:

"I miss you."

I stared at those words for a long time, unsure how to respond. Eventually, I settled on:

"See you soon. Promise."

The second day brought more visitors. All Might himself came. He stood awkwardly by my bedside, his usual booming voice subdued.

"Young Nakamura," he said, "I wanted to personally thank you for your actions at the USJ. You saved Aizawa's life, and protected your classmates. That's true heroism."

Here was the Number One Hero, praising me. It felt surreal.

All Might's smile faltered slightly. "I also... I need to apologize. As a teacher, it's my responsibility to keep students safe. I failed in that duty."

"You came as soon as you could," I said. "We held out until then. That's what matters."

He studied me for a moment, then nodded. "Indeed. Well! I should let you rest. Recovery Girl sends her regards - she'd be here herself, but she's quite busy with Thirteen and Aizawa's treatment."

After he left, I turned on the TV, curious about what the media was saying. I immediately regretted it.

"...has been identified as Yoichi Nakamura, a first-year student at U.A. University," a news anchor was saying. My high school photo appeared on the screen. "Our investigative team spoke with several of Nakamura's former teachers and classmates from Akudo High..."

I groaned, covering my face with my hands. This was exactly what I didn't want.

"...described as a brilliant but often forgetful student," a woman I recognized as my old math teacher said. "He'd ace every test, but could never remember to turn in his homework."

The segment cut to an interview with Akira. He looked uncomfortable on camera.

"Yoichi? Yeah, he's... different. Smart as hell, but kind of spacey sometimes. But if you needed help, he'd always be there."

I turned off the TV, feeling a headache building behind my eyes. So much for anonymity.

The third day brought more police interviews, this time focused on the Nomu itself. They wanted to know every detail about its strength, its healing factor, its apparent lack of intelligence.

"And you're certain you didn't recognize it?" the younger detective asked. "No similarities to any known villains or vigilantes?"

I shook my head. "It didn't even seem human. More like... a weapon."

He nodded grimly. "That's our assessment as well. Thank you for your time, Nakamura-san. We'll be in touch if we need anything else."

As night fell, I found myself staring out the window, watching the city lights flicker to life. The doctors had said I'd be cleared to leave tomorrow, but I still felt... off. Like I was missing something important.

A soft knock at the door pulled me from my thoughts. Before I could answer, it opened slightly, and a familiar face peeked in.

"Kaori?"

She slipped into the room, closing the door behind her with barely a sound. Her movements were graceful as ever, but something seemed off. Tense.

"Hey," I said. "I should get out-"

She crossed the room in three quick steps and kissed me. Hard. Her hands gripped my hospital gown, pulling me close despite my injuries. I tasted salt on her lips.

When she finally pulled back, I saw tears in her eyes.

"Hey," I said softly, reaching up to touch her face. "What's wrong?"

She caught my hand, holding it against her cheek. "I thought... when I saw you..." Her voice cracked. "You weren't moving."

"I'm okay." I tried to sit up straighter, ignoring the protest from my ribs. "See? Still in one piece."

"Shut up." She kissed me again, gentler this time. "Just... shut up for a minute."

I did. She climbed onto the bed beside me, careful not to jostle my injuries, and buried her face in my neck. I held her, feeling her shoulders shake.

"Some girlfriend I am," she mumbled after a while. "Sneaking in just to cry all over you."

"Better than Katsumi. She'd probably blow up the room."

We sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes. I ran my fingers through her hair, remembering the first time we'd done this, barely two weeks ago. It felt like years.

"I saw the footage," she said finally. "That power at the end... that wasn't your normal quirk, was it?"

I tensed slightly. "No."

"What happened?"

"I'm not sure." I stared at my free hand. "It was like... everything clicked. Like I finally understood what my quirk really was. But now..." I clenched my fist. "Now I can't reach it."

She was quiet for a long moment. When she spoke, her voice was strange. "Maybe that's for the best."

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing." She sat up, wiping her eyes. "Just... be careful, okay? That kind of power... it'll draw attention."

"You sound like my mom."

"Your mom's smart." She touched my face, tracing the line of my jaw. "I can't lose you."

Something in her voice made me look closer. Her eyes were red from crying, but there was something else there. Something that looked almost like...

Guilt?

Before I could ask, she kissed me again. This one was different - desperate, almost hungry. Like she was trying to memorize the feel of my lips against hers.

"Kaori-"

"Don't." She pressed her forehead to mine. "Please. Just... let me have this moment."

I pulled back slightly, studying her face. "What's really going on?"

"I can't..." She swallowed hard.

"Why not?"

"Because I'm selfish." She smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. "Because I want to keep this - keep you - for as long as I can."

"You're not making sense."

"I know." She touched my chest, right over my heart. "But I need you to trust me. Just for a little while longer."

I caught her hand. "You're scaring me."

"Good." She laughed, but it sounded hollow. "You should be scared. Of me, of what's coming..." She shook her head. "But not tonight. Tonight I just want to be here, with you, pretending everything's simple."

I wanted to push, to demand answers. But something in her expression stopped me. Whatever was eating at her, whatever secret she was keeping... forcing it now would only drive her away.

So instead, I pulled her close again, ignoring the pain in my ribs. She curled against me, her breath warm on my neck.

After a while, I realized she was crying again. Silent tears that soaked into my hospital gown. I ran my hand up and down her back in slow, steady motions.

"You're going to hurt yourself," she mumbled into my neck.

"Worth it."

She made a sound between a laugh and a sob. Without warning, she slipped under the covers, her tail wrapped around my waist, anchoring me in place.

"Now you can't escape."

"Wasn't planning to."

We lay there in the dim light, the steady beep of monitors marking time. Her tail tightened slightly whenever I moved, as if afraid I'd disappear.

"Tell me something real," I said after a while.

"What?"

"Anything. Something true."

She was quiet for so long I thought she wouldn't answer. Then: "I hate hospitals."

"Yeah?"

"The smell." Her fingers traced patterns on my chest. "Like death wrapped in disinfectant."

"Poetic."

"Shut up." But I felt her smile against my skin. "Your turn. Something real."

I considered. "I'm scared."

Her hand stilled. "Of what?"

"That power. What it means." I stared at the ceiling. "What if I can't control it next time?"

"You will."

"How do you know?"

She propped herself up on one elbow, meeting my gaze. Her eyes caught the dim light strangely, almost glowing. "Because you're you."

"That's it?"

"Yep." Her tail squeezed gently. "You've never lost control of your quirk. Not once. Even when-" She stopped.

"Even when what?"

"Nothing." She settled back against me. "Your turn again. Something real."

I wanted to press her, but... "I miss my dad."

Her breath caught. "You never talk about him."

"Not much to say." I kept rubbing her back.

"Do you remember him?"

"Bits and pieces. He used to carry me on his shoulders. Called me 'space cadet' because I was always daydreaming." I smiled at the memory. "Had a presence that filled rooms."

Kaori's tail tightened. "Why'd he leave?"

"No idea. One day he was there, the next..." I shrugged, then winced at the pain.

Silence stretched between us. Outside, a siren wailed in the distance.

"Your turn," I said.

She tensed. "I..."

"Something real, remember?"

"I love you."

The words hung in the air. My hand stilled on her back.

"That's not fair," I said quietly.

"I know." Her voice cracked. "But it's true. And I needed you to hear it, just once."

"Kaori-"

"Don't." Her tail constricted almost painfully. "Don't say it back. Please."

"Why not?"

"Because..." She took a shaky breath. "Because if you do, I might stay. And I can't."

Ice settled in my stomach. "What does that mean?"

"It means I'm selfish." She pressed closer, as if trying to merge with my side. "It means I shouldn't be here, shouldn't be doing this to you. But I couldn't... I had to see you. Had to know you were really okay."

"You're not making sense."

"I know." She laughed, but it sounded wrong. "God, I know. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"For what?"

Instead of answering, she kissed me again. This one was different from before - slower, deeper, like she was trying to memorize every detail. When she finally pulled back, her eyes shone with fresh tears.

"I should go," she whispered.

Her tail unwound from my waist, but I caught it gently. "Stay."

"I can't."

"Until morning, then." I stroked the soft fur. "Please?"

She hesitated. I could see the conflict in her eyes, the way she glanced at the door.

"The nurses..."

"Won't be back for hours." I kept my voice gentle. "Stay."

For a moment, I thought she'd refuse. Then her tail wrapped around me again, and she settled back against my side.

"Just until morning," she murmured.

"Just until morning," I agreed.

We lay there in comfortable silence. Her breathing gradually steadied, and I felt her relax against me. Just when I thought she'd fallen asleep, she spoke:

"Tell me one more true thing?"

"Mm?"

"What was it like? That power?"

I closed my eyes, remembering. "Like... seeing the space between spaces. Like everything was connected by invisible threads, and I could finally see them all."

"Could you do it again?"

"Not yet." I opened my eyes. "It's there, somewhere, but... it's like trying to remember a dream. The more I reach for it, the more it slips away."

She made a small sound of acknowledgment. After a while, her breathing deepened into sleep.

I stayed awake, holding her, trying to burn this moment into memory. The weight of her against my side. The soft fur of her tail around my waist. The way her hair smelled like rain.

Something was coming. Something that would take her away from me eventually. And despite all my power, all my supposed genius, I couldn't see what it was.

I pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I love you too," I whispered.

She didn't stir, but her tail tightened slightly in her sleep.

Outside my window, the city lights painted patterns on the ceiling. I watched them shift and change until exhaustion finally pulled me under, into dreams of infinite space and the girl who'd stolen part of my heart.

When I woke, she was gone. The only evidence she'd been there at all was a single grey hair on my pillow, and the lingering scent of rain.