11

Chapter 11: Summer Talks

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Nemuri smiled as she looked at her outfit. She had decided on a mid-calf length gray skirt, a pair of brown strappy sandals, and an oversized light blue t-shirt that showed off her left shoulder and the black strap of her bra. Nemuri put her hair up into a ponytail and grabbed her black half-frame cat eyeglasses. She nodded in approval as she grinned, staring at her reflection "damn, I look good."

She checked the time before slipping her phone into the pockets on the skirt and got ready to leave. As she passed the living room, she saw Izuku in the kitchen finishing up the food she had asked for. "How's it coming along?"

"Basically finished, so um, not that I mind doing this, but why did I make a picnic basket for you?"

Nemuri blinked "oh shi- I never told you what I was doing today, did I?"

Izuku shook his head "nope. What are you going on a date or something?"

Nemuri nodded "yeah, I am."

Izuku froze as he looked up "what?"

Nemuri explained what happened, and Izuku's jaw dropped "wha- how do you forget to tell me about this? It seems like a big deal, right?"

Nemuri blushed as she covered her face. "I know, and I'm sorry ok. It just... didn't' feel real, maybe. I don't know, but I told you now, so it's all good, right?"

Izuku sighed "yeah, probably. I'm gonna tell Yasuda though I should get a pretty good reaction out of her." Izuku finished the picnic basket "there, it's done in time for your date."

"Fine, I trust her not to go blabbing it all over the net," Nemuri said as she grabbed the basket and ruffled his hair. "Thanks for the help Izuku. I owe you one."

Izuku hummed as he left the kitchen "have fun."

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Hirooki smiled as they spotted Nemuri and approached. 'Oh god, she looks so hot. Be cool. You did great last time. You can keep this up... probably.'

"Kayama, hope I didn't make you wait long."

Nemuri took in Hirooki as she smiled. They were wearing a pair of beige cargo shorts, a pair of black sneakers. Nemuri tried not to chuckle as she saw their NASA shirt under the brown bomber half jacket. "it's ok, I wasn't here long. Though aren't you going to be hot with a jacket on."

Hirooki shook their head "no, I'll be fine. It's not too hot today, and besides, I get cold easily."

Nemuri chuckled "same. Now how about we get going."

Hirooki nodded as they followed Nemuri "sure but uh, where are we going?"

Nemuri held up the basket. "I hope you don't mind if we start with a picnic; there's a really nice park around here."

"That sounds lovely. I'm more than ok with it."

Nemuri led Hirooki to the park, where the two found a quiet spot and set up. The two chatted aimlessly as they enjoyed the food Izuku had put together. Nemuri sighed as her phone rang and muttered, "please don't be work."

Hirooki grew concerned as they watched Nemuri's frown worsen before she stood up. "I have to... take this, I guess. I'll um be right back."

Hirooki nodded as Nemuri walked off, answering the phone, "mother."

___________________________________________________________________

Toru sighed as she approached the beach. She wasn't sure why but last time they were here, Mr.Yagi had asked to speak with her when she had a chance. He didn't specify what, just that it was important. "I hope we didn't screw up in some way. Maybe he has to pull the dumpster and won't be able to come around? That'll suck; he's such a nice guy, but it won't be the end of the world.

She found the skeletal man sitting on the tailgate of his truck as he finished up a phone call and stood "ah, Young Hagakure, I'm glad to see you could make it today."

"No problem, Mr.Yagi but uh, what's so important, and why couldn't the others hear about it?"

Toshinori motioned towards the beach, "mind if we walk before that conversation."

"Sure..." Toru followed the man down the steps to the beach.

"You three have made some good progress for the short time you've been working. I'm impressed."

"Thanks, it's been hard work, but it feels... rewarding, ya know."

The older man nodded as he looked around "did you know our meeting on this beach wasn't the first time I saw you? It was the third."

Toru raised an eyebrow. "Really? Sorry I don't think I remember seeing you before the beach."

Toshinori laughed "it's quite alright. The first time I saw you from across the street. I was about to go assist Young Ashido when you snuck up on those boys and gave her a chance to getaway. Though I do wonder if throwing acid on them was a good idea."

Toru chuckled, remembering the day. "So when was the second time?"

Toshinori stopped walking as he said, "That would be the time you and Young Midoriya beat that sludge villain before I could arrive."

Toru stopped a few feet from Toshinori before turning, "wait, what? But the only person who was there-"

The invisible girl's jaw hit the floor as the emaciated, skeletal man whose health she and her friends worried over suddenly grew into the symbol of peace. All Might smiled down at her. "I do apologize for not catching that villain before he could reach you. Though I am glad, you and Young Midoriya did not get hurt."

"Wha- why? You look like a skeleton most of the time; why?"

All Might deflated back into Toshinori and lifted his shirt to show his scar "this injury I got a few years back. Nearly killed me. Took most of my stomach and one of my lungs. It's not even fully healed after all this time. As it stands, I can do hero work for six hours a day."

Toru felt like her knees were going to give out, "why are you telling me this?"

"Because Young Hagakure, my time as the symbol of peace is coming to an end, and I have chosen you to be my replacement. If you agree, I will train you, and when the time is right, I will pass my power onto you."

The whole statement made the invisible girl fall onto her butt though the last part caught her attention "wait, what? Pass your power onto me? What do you mean?"

Toshinori sat down as he said, "you are friends with Young Midoriya, so I'm guessing he has brought up my quirk before?"

Toru nodded, remembering a time he had read a new theory on All Might's quirk and spent nearly an hour mostly talking to himself about why the theory didn't hold water. "Yeah, it's a mystery, and you don't talk about it."

"That's correct. I avoid the topic because my quirk is unusual. I was born quirkless, but I gained this power when I caught the attention of my master, and she passed the quirk onto me. This quirk is called One for All; it stockpiles power and can be passed from one person to another. I have chosen you to be my successor."

"W-why me?" this was going too fast. Toru felt like she couldn't process what was going on.

"You have shown tremendous heroic spirit by stepping in to help Young Ashido when everyone else turned a blind eye. You fought against a villain that was trying to harm your friends, and you came up with the idea to clean this beach not only to strengthen yourself but to help the community." Toru blushed a bit under the praise and was glad no one could see her face.

"I've observed you while you were here, and I am convinced you will be a great successor. Your positive attitude and heroic nature will take you far, and with my power, you could become the next Symbol of Peace. Before you agree, though, there are more things you deserve to know."

Toru gulped, "u-um, wait. Before... whatever you're going to tell me. What about Ashido and Midoriya? Why not either of them? My quirk is light refraction, but all I can do is be invisible and now this." Toru held up her arm and a small flash of light made Toshinori squint. "How is that supposed to be Symbol of Peace material? Wouldn't adding your power to their quirks be better?"

"It is true they are both good candidates, but I believe you are the one."

"W-what do you have to tell me?"

Toshinori sighed and started to tell her a story of two brothers and a line of succession determined to bring peace and end a war that had been raging in the shadows since the first generations of quirks.

___________________________________________________________________

Hirooki frowned as they watched Nemuri. She had been sitting on a bench talking to her mother for about five minutes with a permanent scowl on her face. Several times the woman pulled the phone away and looked like she wanted to physically harm it or throw it into the duck pond. Eventually, Nemuri seemed to have had enough and hung up before taking several breaths to calm down before coming back over.

Nemuri sat and gave the most strained smile Hirooki had ever seen as she said, "sorry about that."

Hirooki hoped their smile would help ease Nemuri "it's ok. How about we just get back to our date."

Nemuri seemed surprised. "Y-you're not going to ask about that?"

Hirooki shook their head "no. You seem tense and like you don't want to talk about it, so I figured you wouldn't want me asking. I'm happy to just be here with you and try to help you, not think about it."

'Oh, that's not fair.'  Nemuri whined internally. 'They're too good.'  Nemuri smiled more genuinely. "I would definitely prefer that right now."

"Good. Now come on, you were telling me how Midoriya told you about this Ashido girl who looks up to you."

Nemuri chuckled "yes, it was quite interesting to hear about."

________________________________________________________________

Toru stared at her hands, or at least where they should be. "You... that's a lot to take in."

Toshinori nodded "yes, it is. I can give you time to think it over. I know I can trust you to not talk about this even if you don't agree to it."

Toru chewed her lip "speaking of talking about it... you have people who know about your quirk, right?"

Toshinori nodded "a very small, very trusted group who knows about the truth of One for All."

"And what about me?"

Toshinori tilted his head "what do you mean?"

"If I take your power, will I be able to get a sorta inner circle like that?"

Toshinori nodded "you would naturally be introduced to those who know."

Toru waved her silver bracelets "no, not me being introduced. Will I be able to bring in people I trust? People I know, not just meet people you trust."

"Well, yes, I suppose though I would remind you to be very careful of who you tell."

Toru nodded. "I want to call Ashido and Midoriya."

She cut Toshinori off before he could speak. "I think they deserve this opportunity as much as me. They're the two most heroic people I know, and if neither takes it, then I need them to know about it. Midoriya is the smartest person I know; he'll be invaluable. Ashido is the kindest person I know, and they're more determined than anyone else I've met."

Toru stood "they're my best friends. If you're not ok with this, then I'll have to decline."

Toshinori stood up and dusted himself off. "I see you're very determined about this. Very well, I know they're good kids, and you trust them, so please call them, and we can explain everything.

____________________________________________________________________

Izuku was bored. He wanted to hang out with Toru and Mina, but they didn't plan anything, and he wasn't sure what to suggest either. His phone buzzed, and he saw a message in the group chat from Toru telling him and Mina to come to the beach and that it was important.

Izuku furrowed his eyebrows as he looked at the message before confirming he would be on his way. Toru was a bit exaggerated in her way of talking, but this felt different, so he hurried to get ready and headed out to meet up with his friends.

It didn't take long to arrive at the beach. As he did, Mina ran up behind him and patted his shoulder "heya green bean. Any idea what Hagakure wants?"

Izuku shook his head as they headed down the steps; he spotted Toshinori standing with Toru "no idea."

Toru smiled and waved, making sure to put as much pep into her voice as she could "heya. Glad you two got here so quick... this is kinda gonna be a lot, so we may want to sit down."

"Wha-" Izuku was cut off by Toshinori suddenly exploding into All Might "...oh."

Toshinori felt a bit odd telling this story twice in such a short time, but if he received a successor that was one of these three, he'd tell it as much as need be. He gave them a moment to digest the info about All for One and One for All. after a moment, Toru said, "so... I called you guys here because I think either of you would make better successors than me."

Mina blinked "what? I mean... honestly, I feel like you would be better, Hagakure. You're the one who brought the three of us together and started this whole beach cleaning. All Might only knows us two because of what you did. I think you should be the one to get it."

Izuku nodded. "I agree with Ashido. Hagakure, I wouldn't be where I am without your help. I'm grateful, but I think you should take this. I'll help you as much as I can."

Mina hoped to her feet, "me too. We'll work together in this."

Toru wanted to cry as she pulled her friends into a hug "thanks, you two."

Toshinori smiled as the three teens hugged. Toru pulled away and stood up "what do I need to do to get your power?"

"Train like hell!" the man yelled, making the three teens stare in confusion. "My power is eight generations of energy and strength. If I gave it to you now? Worst case, your body is ripped apart, and you die. Best case, you shatter the bones in your body when you try to use it."

"Ok... so what kind of training does she need to do?" Izuku asked as he got up and stood by Toru.

"Honestly, keep at this beach thing. When that's done, I'll set up a plan for you three. Young Hagakure may be the one getting the power, but I may as well train all three of you. I'd say at this pace, by the end of your first year of high school, you should be able to receive my power. For now, keep at it and remember you three keep this a secret."

The teens nodded, and Toshinori left them to speak about all of it, and they did. It took some time, but the three teens fully digested and came to terms with what they had gotten involved in.

"I can't believe you thought about letting us take this instead of you," Mina said as she leaned back against the wall by the stairs.

Izuku nodded "yeah, Ashido is right. Hagakure, you're the best one for this."

Toru groaned "yes, I know..." she bit her lip "s-since we're all in this together... you can just call me Toru."

Toru's silver bracelets jingled as she covered her face as Mina smiled, "if you call me Mina, then sure."

Toru nodded "s-sure."

The two girls looked at Izuku, who blinked. He knew he was blushing hard. sue him he was a teenage boy. "I-Izuku's fine..."

Despite Mina's grin, the other two could see her cheeks turning lilac as she said, "will do Izuku. Now since the three of us are such great friends, why don't we go do something? I was bored sitting around at home."

"I um could use some lunch if you two are hungry as well," Izuku said.

Toru got up "sounds like a plan Mid- ahem I-Izuku. Let's go get some lunch."

___________________________________________________________________

Hirooki slipped their hand into Nemuri's as they walked through the park. They had finished their picnic and were walking around the park. Nemuri flinched a bit, and Hirooki spoke softly, "sorry, do you not want me to-"

"N-no, I'm sorry. I just... spaced out. I um like this." Nemuri gave their hand a gentle squeeze.

"I'm guessing despite my best efforts, your phone call is still bothering you?"

Hirooki regretted their phrasing when they saw the brief panic in Nemuri's eyes "no, you're doing great. This is the most fun I've had in a while... it's just, of course, on a day like this where I'm feeling really good, she would call just for us to have the same argument."

"If you don't mind, it may help you relax again if you talk about it. I'd be willing to listen."

Nemuri nodded silently, and Hirooki asked, "so what are you and your mother fighting about?"

Nemuri took a deep breath and made sure no one was around. "Midnight. My parents don't approve of my hero persona."

"It does make a statement, but don't they know why you are the way you are when you're Midnight?"

Nemuri nodded "doesn't make a difference. I'm from a small conservative town. Midnight behaves in a way that goes against how they think a proper lady should act."

Hirooki nodded. "I can see where the conflict comes from. What was your childhood like?"

Nemuri hummed, "rebellious. I never fit in back home. I was the weird girl who said weird things and did weird stuff. I had ideas and thoughts that a young lady shouldn't have." she chuckled. "I cut my hair short once. Like shaved the side of my head and everything. My dad was furious, and my mother nearly had a breakdown."

Hirooki laughed "well, I'm glad it was a one-time thing. I like your long hair. It suits you."

Nemuri blushed and squeezed their hand "thanks... that was in middle school and after that. Dad decided to send me to an all-girls boarding school. He figured that it would put me in line."

Hirooki smiled as Nemuri grinned "all it did was teach me about my preferences in women and help me come up with the idea of Midnight. After Highschool, I went to UA and became Midnight. We had a huge argument about it, and now I barely talk to them. They usually call whenever there's a new rumor about me or if they feel determined to try and convince me to give up this sinful life I lead."

"Well, I'm glad you haven't. I wouldn't have gotten to meet you if you'd just done whatever they said. Do they not realize Midnight is a persona and not how you actually are."

Nemuri blushed and cleared her throat. "I tried to explain it, but they didn't seem to understand or care. I've honestly thought about giving up on trying to make them understand as well."

Hirooki nodded. "I see. Family can be difficult sometimes. I hope they understand one day. Before you decide to cut them off completely."

"Yeah... me too. It'd be nice to have my parents back." Nemuri whipped her eyes "thanks, Hirooki. I do actually feel better now."

Hirooki pulled her closer "it's no problem, Kayama."

"Nemuri... if you're ok with calling me that. I wouldn't mind."

Hirooki squeezed her hand. "I'm more than ok with it, Nemuri."

Notes:

I am just full of conflicted feelings. I love how well this fic is doing but it's also doing better than The Blood in His Veins which I've spent longer on. this won't affect my writing for either story so don't worry. just felt like I needed to say it.

One for All will be going to our wonderful invisible girl and the trio grows closer I think I'll be skipping the rest of summer. The next chapter will probably be the start of Highschool.