The situation was not good. Sakura knew that the moment she, Izuku, Shouto, and Tenya was taken to the police station to give statements of the event with Stain. And of course, their hero mentors had to follow after them. While the heroes went to share the information with the police, the four U.A students were left alone in one of the interrogation rooms.
"So," Sakura trailed, kicking up her feet. "Anyone wants to climb out the window with me?"
"Sakura!" Izuku gasped, but the cat-like grin showed that she was only joking. No one had spoken since arriving at the station. The incident with Stain was still a fresh wound and they didn't want to throw salt on it by bringing up the finger details.
"I'm probably going to get chewed out for this one, so thought why not make a break for it?"
Shouto took her more seriously than the others. "You were just coming to help us, it's not your fault even if you are the one who took down Stain."
Sakura waved him off, "It's fine, this isn't my first offense anyway. But I guess I am on thin ice."
"What do you mean it isn't the first?" Shouto asked but Sakura refused to explain.
Tenya silently stared at his hands resting on the cold steel table. "I'm sorry. This is all my fault if I hadn't….."
Sakura quirked her eyebrow, "This again Tenya? I told you already, what you did is completely understandable."
Revenge would not bring anyone happiness. Sakura was a firm believer of this, mainly from being the casualty hurt by it. But after Naruto told Sasuke he understood his desire for revenge, she began to think of it a little less black and white. Naruto was a stubborn and firm believer of his own values, and if he was saying something like this then there had to be merit. When she looked back, of course, there was some merit in desiring revenge, otherwise, why would people continue to repeat its cycle even if the result was emptiness?
Sakura hadn't ever experienced an intense desire for revenge, not the way her teammates and friends have. The thought of Kaguya did trickle into her mind when she wasn't' thinking about how to leave. She would think about how she ended up here. She couldn't' realize what Kaguya's intentions were for sending her away when she was on the bring of being sealed. Was that just a fluke and now Sakura was being made to experience the consequences?
She didn't know. But she did feel hatred for Kaguya, for taking everything from her in an instant, but there was no way to exact revenge on her. Not when Naruto and Sasuke had already sealed her away. Chasing after these thoughts were only going to plunge her into wasteful unhappiness.
"Sakura," Izuku chided. "Why would you say that? Revenge isn't something-
"Let me guess, isn't something a hero should desire?" Sakura had a bite to her tone but was still calm. "But revenge is something a human would desire. We're all capable of wanting it Izuku it's just a matter of what it takes to want."
That silenced Izuku. He hadn't seen Sakura speak with that kind of intensity before but Tenya was more remorseful than ever. The hatred that clouded his eyes was gone and with it left only regret.
"I shouldn't have gone after him, and dragged all of you into this. I am sorry." Tenya said. "When I found the hero killer, I stopped being able to think. The first thing I should've done was tell Manual but I lost myself in my anger."
"Your brother was almost killed by that man." Sakura rested her hand on Tenya's shoulder. "Don't make yourself miserable over a very basic instinct, even the best of people can act irrationally and desire revenge when the ones they love are involved. It's what shows you're human and being a hero doesn't change that fact."
Shouto felt like he was being referred to as well, but he didn't want to confirm it right now. Sakura was already aware of his situation, and apparently also Tenya's.
So instead he said, "If you hadn't shown up though, I don't think the battle would've ended as well as it did."
Izuku nodded, "You were incredible Sakura. The way you can fight, and your quirk is…."
He was convinced right now that Sakura did not have a strength and healing quirk. Over the years of studying heroes, he had unknowingly trained his mind to detect and decipher quirks and their elements based on observation. Sakura Haruno's quirk had not been disclosed properly. But what Izuku didn't understand was why? With everything she had been able to do, most would want to show it off and give the explicit details, but it seemed that she was always showing off a new ability when she needed to.
"Not the only thing that determines strength," Sakura stated. "Otherwise your battle with Stain wouldn't have been that hard on you."
Her words hit like a rock to their head. It was true that Stain's ability wasn't all that impressive, and there was a time limit. So long as they could avoid him and keep him from ingesting their blood they would have been able to take him down if only his skills weren't at a much higher degree their own. His reflexes and mobility surpassed all of theirs, even Tenya's speed.
That's just showed how inexperienced they were in battle.
"I have a long way to go," Izuku said, starring down at his crooked right hand. "I couldn't even stand after feeling Stain's blood lust."
Shouto added, "It was like drowning."
"I could barely breathe," Tenya confessed. "But you Sakura, you acted before any of the heroes even could."
"It's like you weren't able to feel anything at all," Shouto said.
Sakura did feel Stain's blood lust, but while it hit everyone else like a tidal wave, to her it was a summer drizzle. She had encountered too many powerful and bloodthirsty foes to be shaken by someone like Stain. Over time her senses became accustomed and she could operate at full capacity even under immense pressure.
"I felt it, it's just…." Sakura scratched her head. "It gets easier."
Tenya was still looking down, "I've always been critical of you Sakura, even when you became the class rep because you're so lackluster, but you are truly one of the most heroic people I've met, unlike myself."
Coming up to Tenya, Sakura roughly grabbed his shoulders, he jumped in fright. "Hey, don't talk like this is the end for you. One slip-up doesn't determine the rest of your life. This was just a necessary experience, and it's made you more aware of yourself. Come on, where's the rigid guy I voted for?"
His pupils grew at the question. Tenya had wondered who gave him that vote? Who was the person in class that believed in his ability to lead? He didn't think he would find out. The weight of the gesture and the reveal was too much and made his emotions overflow and he was about ready to cry when the door opened and all of them stepped back to see.
All of their current supervisors, Recover GIrl, Gran Torino, and Manual entered, the only absentee was Endeavor but Shouto wasn't complaining about not seeing his father.
"Chiyo-san." Sakura waved politely and was given a swift whack on her head with a cane. She expected it, but still took the hit.
"You little trouble maker!" Chiyo exclaimed, waving her arm around. "I told you not to leave and you go chasing after the hero killer!"
Izuku, though flustered tried to defend her. "I-It's my fault, I sent my location-
"Kid, I'm getting to you soon." Gran Torino said cutting him off. "But first, there's someone who wants to talk to you."
A tall figure entered, ducking his head slightly when he stepped into the room. He was neatly dressed in a suit, with a spotted tie. Despite having the body of a human, his head was that of a beagle dog.
"Hosu's chief of police, Kenji Tsurgamae."
Tenya, Shouto, and Izuku straightened their posture, as individuals taught to respect authorities.
"You must be the U.A. students who brought down the hero killer."
"Yes," Shouto answered. "Although the one who did the most was Sakura."
The pink head waved her hand, pulling her face wincing. He had to go and say that. "Cha dammit,"
"Ah, right woof." Kenji cleared his throat, "Regarding that incident, Stain's injuries consisted of a minor concussion but he has been treated and will be detained. I'm sure you already know that when superpowers were still becoming the norm, the police attached high importance to leadership and standards and made sure quirks were not used as weapons.
And then the profession of hero emerged to fill that gap, woof. For an individual's use of force and power that can easily kill other's actions that would normally be denounced to be accepted officially is thanks to early heroes who followed the ethics and rules of the profession, woof.
Even up against the hero killer, for an uncertified individual to cause injury with their quirk without specific instruction from their supervisor is a clear violation of the rules. The four of you and the pro heroes Endeavor, Manual, Gran Torino, and Recovery Girl must receive strict punishment. But there is a debate as to whether Haruno should simply be detained and charged for her actions. This includes immediate expulsion from U.A. and detainment in a detention facility for juveniles."
Tenya and Izukua gasped in disbelief. Shouto frowned and immediately interjected, "Wait a minute! If Iida hadn't done anything Native would be dead! If Midoriya hadn't come the two of them would've been killed. If Sakura hadn't fought him, then we probably could've gotten seriously injured or worse! She fought and risked her life just because she wanted to protect us and for that, you want to declare her a villain?!"
"Haruno has already committed multiple accounts of vigilantism and has escaped authorities under the pretense of avoiding foster care. She has thus been permitted to live outside of the foster system and was provided dwellings so long as she did not repeat her offenses. That being said, this would count as her second violation. Even so, she still has not been detained. Are you saying that as long as it ends up alright, it's okay to bend the rules?"
What Izuku heard from this made him realize that the police chief gave a piece of information about Sakura that even she had not shared with anyone before. When he looked at it, most of his classmates had already brought up their families whether in a detailed conversation or passing notes for small talk.
Shouto also seemed to be contemplating what to say, because he was caught in the detail about Sakura too. For everything that she knew about him, he knew almost nothing about her in turn. Although this is something he'd rather receive from her than a stranger, and it looked like the police chief was deliberately exposing Sakura in a manner she didn't want to be. Which made Shouto more adamant in defending her.
"Isn't it a hero's job to save people?"
"This is why you are not a full-fledged hero, goodness what have U.A and Endeavor been teaching you?"
"And here I thought this had more to do with only graduating at 18." Sakura chided with a cheerful tone.
"Haruno, you are walking a fine line woof. This offense will add to your hours of community service, as requested by your supervisor. Which is the reason you haven't been committed."
Sakura's face twisted and she stuck out her tongue. "Ackt! You called that guy!?"
"He expects you to receive his calls this time woof."
Sakura exhaled, and pulled her lips all the way down, creasing her forehead with her fingers.
"Next time just arrest me."
"Considering he's sparring you from a criminal record, you should show more respect."
Sakura bit her tongue. He obviously knew exactly who her supervisor was, talking as if Keigo was doing some favor for her. There was no reason for Keigo to communicate with her out of their regular schedule, that was her purpose of living alone. But he was outright ignoring that and invading.
"With the way you've bee stirring things up Haruno, it might be wiser to detain you woof. Without proper parental guidance you're unruly and careless in action, thus considered more of a liability and a threat than a potential hero."
Shouto's final restraint snapped, he began stomping towards Kenji "You dog!"
"Shouto calm down! It's fine." Sakura grabbed his wrist to halt his march.
"Hold on here him out until the end." Ordered Gran Torino and somehow Shouto stopped his oncoming rant.
The police chief's tone became lighter ever so slightly, "That was the official opinion of the police. And the punishment and such would only happen if the incident was made public woof. That's why even if underhanded, the incident will be kept private and Endeavor will take credit for defeating the hero killer. There were few witnesses, this violation could be crushed here woof. But this would also mean no one would know about your good judgment or achievements." He then looked at Sakura.
"Personally, I don't want to be the one to find fault with promising young ones because of one mistake woof." He gives a thumbs up to them. Although Manual stated grimly that the supervisors would all be punished for allowing this to happen and Tenya sincerely apologized to him.
"I am truly sorry."
"Alright, you'll cause trouble for others, if you understand then don't do it again."
Izuku bowed his head. "I'm sorry."
"Please take care of it," said Shouto, leaning forward.
"Thank you for handling this," Sakura said. Genuinely grateful that she wouldn't have to deal with the police and the press and more of the public eye. "But does this have to do with that league of villains that attacked before?"
Kenji gave a slight nod. "It would seem that way but we haven't processed all of the information yet."
If that was the case, where were those people who had led the first Nomu?
"Because of the unfairness of adults you will not be able to receive praise for what you've done but at least, as someone who also protects the peace, I can say thank you." Kenji straightened his posture and bowed to the youngsters who took it with grateful sincerity.
There were still some things to wrap up for the adults so Sakura, Shouto, Tenya, and Izuku were left alone again in the room to wait until their supervisors were finished to come and take them back. It would have been a fine reprieve after the scolding and praise except Sakura was not able to get away from the prying eyes now all on her and she snapped.
"Would all mind wiping the pity looks off your faces?" Sakura said, arms folded above her chest.
Izuku was the one who jumped first, "S-Sorry Sakura, it's just no one knew this about you and it's really…"
What could he say? It was sad, and this put Sakura in a different light just as Izuku had seen Shouto in a new way after learning about his family life. And now he finds out that a classmate of his didn't have any.
"It's not something I like to talk about, it only happened this year." Technically, she wasn't lying. She was under the guise of being an orphan, but because of the semantics of the situation, it was easy to make it look true to the authorities.
Tenya was biting his lips hard before he practically threw himself on the ground. "I'm sorry! I was so insensitive when we met, calling you out for your form of dress, I didn't think you might have been in a difficult situation."
Sakura throws her hands out to bring Tenya up again. "It's not like that at all, I was homeschooled before this so I didn't have a uniform in the first place!"
"I am sorry!" Tenya repeated and Sakura decided to just let him carry on until he got it out of his system. At least Shouto hadn't said anything yet but he was looking at her intensely, she could feel it in her bones.
This sincerity and pity, although Sakura firmly knew that her family hadn't passed away and that she wasn't an orphan, the looks she received just reminded her that she was alone right now in this world. And her thoughts would tease her, make her think if this was really any different than being an orphan? Having nothing left of your life.
"Just stop okay?" Sakura asked softly. "I don't tell people about what happened to me because I made some poor decisions before coming to U.A. and I'm still adjusting to this life but it's not something I need pity for okay?"
Was she telling the truth? That was the obvious question they all had on their minds when Sakura looked at them and she couldn't help wondering the same thing, as well as her heartbeat, became a pain in her chest.
Shards of glass from bottles of alcohol from the good shelves, few tables, and chairs reduced to decayed wood, and screams of frustrations followed by thumps from abused furniture and walls followed Tomura as he tried to vent his anger by ripping apart their hideout.
Kurogiri watched from behind the bar, not much of a safety net from the child throwing a tantrum but he knew that he couldn't intervene and it was better to let him tire out.
Small pieces of that morning's newspaper lay on the ground that he would have to clean later with the glass.
After Stain had thoroughly irked Tomura in more ways than one, the villain had been looking forward to seeing the front page of the newspaper disclaiming the events of last night. How three Nomu's tore through the city, putting heroes on their deathbeds, destroying hard-earned property, and overshadowing Stain with their numerous quirks and uncontrollable nature. Yet they were more of a side story, as Stain's battered body appeared in ink, restrained by the police who had taken him into custody and praise for the number two hero for successfully capturing him without a single burn mark.
'So they created a cover story for the children's sake. How crafty.'
"I hate them, I hate them I hate them!" Tomura chanted like a mantra.
"Please calm down now Shigaraki."
"Our Nomu's were captured, Stain made the cover for a story that isn't even true and we're just on the side here! Those damn brats were there too, did you see what happened? What that girl did to Stain after he killed my Nomu?" Tomura dug into his throat like he wanted to claw out his windpipes. He had fought Stain when they brought him back to the bar, and he lost to the hero killer. But this girl had actually defeated him. A wannabe hero with no idea about the ugliness of society and the stupidity of it all outmatched him again.
"Don't worry Tomura Shigaraki, all of this was not in vain I assure you," Kurogiri said. He had already reported this to the master, and the instructions were clear. Things had been set in motion and all they had to do was wait. Like a fisherman with a new lure. "Everything will fall into place."
However, they were going to have to deal with this girl before the heroes came to realize what they had in their possession. "Sakura Haruno; the girl with multiple quirks."
Sakura took her time preparing for her internship that morning, she got up fifteen minutes later, ate her breakfast slower, and showered a minute longer than necessary. After last night, Chiyo clearly had no intention to take her out into the city again and she would spend the rest of her internship under close supervision of the school. So what did it matter if she was half an hour late? An excuse was already settled, planning to blame yesterday's incident on her tardiness. She even debated going to a cafe for coffee before coming into school.
When she arrived, of course, Chiyo was not pleased.
"You're late."
"Sorry," Sakura said with no sincerity in her face but she was overlooked. Chiyo had more important things to worry about.
"I didn't address this properly yesterday, but after what happened I can't avoid speaking about this. What you did yesterday was reckless and selfish. Even if the police chief praised you for it, fighting a villain without instruction should not have been dismissed so easily. Especially when this is not your first offense."
"I'll try to do better in the future," Sakura said, though she was droll about it. If the heroes could manage to get themselves on the scene before she needed to intervene then that was fine with her. But she didn't see her actions as consequential in the same sense that her classmates had. Izuku and Tenya were so apologetic for their actions even though they saved a hero and helped bring down a dangerous villain that had been illuding the police and heroes for so long.
The concept of following the rules was understandable, shinobi were also trained to obey strict rules and ideologies enforced on them, and going against orders could result in punishment far worse than any hero may receive. As a kunoichi, Sakura was supposed to be able to blend into the environment around her, as part of her doctrine, but she wasn't afraid to test her limits with this world to understand the boundaries.
Right now despite everything that she has done, no one was suspecting her beyond being a rebellious headstrong, disobedient teenage girl that happened to be slightly more skilled than regular students. Red flags were not raised just yet. Sakura was still under the radar the way she wanted to be. No one had realized what she truly was and that was all she needed to sustain herself here.
"Haruno, I am sure you've had difficulties, but that's no reason to be reckless with your life."
Ah, so Recovery Girl was assuming her behavior had something to do with her past and trauma that she didn't fully reveal to them. Being in the hospital in her state, it was no wonder the imagination of the adults would run wild, and she wasn't ashamed to use that to her advantage. They weren't going to see underneath the underneath. Sakura would not allow anyone to get that close. But she could make them think they were.
Softening her expression, Sakura sighed. "I'm sorry, I know that I can be impulsive but I just wanted to protect them. If I can defend someone then I'm willing to do anything to achieve that, even if I break the rules sometimes."
Chiyo seemed to contemplate. What Sakura said in her first half was very 'hero-like' but the rules of society were engraved into the world for a reason, especially in Japan that had one of the lowest crime rates in the world, and yet that didn't mean there wasn't criminal activity that would tip everything.
"You may think that, but there is always a price to pay for breaking the rules. If you continue with this, eventually you're going to have to pay for it. The reason you're studying to become a hero is so that you can protect and save lives the right way."
"There's apparently a right way?"
"Yes," Chiyo stated with a snip. "Everything follows the system, anything out of the order causes chaos. Haruno, have you ever witnessed someone die?"
"Yes." She could've said no. She could've lied and kept her demeanor, but at this time, Sakura felt that she had more to gain by purposefully throwing the teacher for a loop. And it looked like it worked because Chiyo was silent longer than she needed to be.
"Have you ever thought what you will do if someone dies because of you? Because you couldn't save them? During rescue or even medical treatment?"
Chiyo wanted her to understand that even though she thought she was impenetrable, there was going to come a time when her power would not be enough and her ego would not be able to recover if she ended up failing along the way and costing someone else their life. That was something every hero would eventually have to endure and they would have to find a way to keep going. It was the same for anyone in the medical field. It worried Chiyo, that Sakura was so confident in her ability because even when she wanted to assist with Izuku, despite the surgery needing a steady and experienced hand only. And then battle with Stain that she had ended with her own hands.
It was good to be confident, but it wasn't healthy to be conceited. But once again the pink-haired girl said something that left Chiyo speechless.
Sakura folded her arms, "I'll bury them in my heart and I'll move on."
It was overwhelming, the determination and solidarity that she spoke with that Chiyo believed her. She didn't think that Sakura would have an answer like this.
"Get ready, we're going out."
Chiyo didn't tell Sakura where they were going this time, but they were on the bullet train again and their destination was even further than the first one. They got off at the station and wandered into the city closer to the outskirts and near the mountains. It wasn't a place Sakura had been to before, but it didn't appear to be anything special in comparison to the rest of Tokyo. After a few minutes of silently following the women, Sakura decided to try and get answers.
"Chiyo-san where are we going?"
"I was initially going to keep you at the school for the remainder of your internship, but I received a call. You were offered a work-study position at another hospital."
It was amazing how fast information in this world could travel with technology. "Apparently the board of directors himself had tried to steal you away from the hospital you were initially going to intern at before the Stain incident. And he managed to get a hold of me just this morning. I would have turned it down, but the opportunity you're being offered isn't a regular work-study. It's practically an internship for residents. and despite breaking the rules, I don't want you to miss this chance."
She didn't understand why someone would go through all that trouble just to get her to intern at their hospital. The school was marginally aware of her healing, but it wasn't as if she displayed much of that during the Sports Festival.
'Hope I'm overthinking.'
"So what's going to happen exactly?"
"The chairmen said he would meet us at the hospital to explain more in detail, but Haruno let me make this clear. If you try to go off again or go against any instructions I will take you back to the school." Chiyo said with a sharp clip.
"I understand."
In a few minutes, they were standing at the entrance to a general hospital and before they even stepped through the doors, someone had come up to greet them.
"Ah, Recovery Girl, what an honor. And the winner of the U.A. Sports Festival, Sakura Haruno. It's a pleasure."
There was a short elderly man with a stocky stature, his glasses wide and round that they almost completely hid his eyes behind the lenses, his mustache thick nearly covering his entire mouth when he spoke, hands curled behind his back. In a moment, there was something that Sakura didn't like about this person.
"I'm Dr Kyudai Garaki. Welcome to Jaku General hospital."