Toshinori didn't look at the camera pointed in his direction, he kept his frame sideways, lifting his finger and pointing to the lens, as if to show that he was not addressing the crew. But someone behind the camera, someone who was watching from afar and gave this statement.
"Now it's your turn,"
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The rising sun was a comfort for many who thought they wouldn't have survived this ordeal. It was a sign of victory as All For One was restrained by reinforcements, and wheeled away by authorities who spoke of the man barely holding on without his life support. Yet he had still managed to hold on.
Even in his state, caution was held, as he was strapped in heavy restraints, an oxygen mask placed over his mouth. Sakura watched the double doors of the van close and rush off with three other police cars following. Her stare was unreadable.
Rescue crews and other heroes had arrived to help pull any survivors from the rubble of what was left. The devastation was deeper than they anticipated, as the casualties were more severe than they anticipated. More heroes had come onto the scene to help authorities corner off the scene and help in retrieval.
They weren't the only ones though. Like vultures, Sakura had watched when the helicopter descended with the media crew, already standing within the barrier that was meant to be taped up. No one bothered aside from pushing them back a few feet but where they were still able to get in screen time. Sakura paid no heed, even when they attempted to call out to her. The questions were like whispers in the wind that went over her head.
Watching as the light of her chakra-covered body began to fade, it was like getting out of a scorching bath. She hadn't realized how hot the temperature was until she got out.
It was finally time for her to lift her head to the surface to breathe again, but she was being watched constantly. Eyes trailing that she felt as she moved with questions she would not answer at this time.
Toshinori limped over to her, in his deflated form. "Sakura…."
There were questions, many going through his head now. She could tell. But he just didn't know what to start with, or how to word it to her in hopes of a response. Even if she wanted to, Sakura knew she wouldn't be able to give clear answers. What had happened, was a first and she hadn't settled into the shock of it all.
Her body on the other hand was ahead of her mind. Her chest tightened, her trachea closed, her vision blurred and her head grew heavy until she could no longer stand and collapsed. She lost control of her body, shaking like someone had poured ice cubes down her back, her eyes rolled back in her head and she could faintly hear Toshinori calling to her.
"Sakura, Sakura stay with me, Sakura!"
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"She's convulsing!"
"Get her hooked up now!"
"Move it!"
Even though the voices were faint, Sakura could sense in the tone that they were screaming over her. She felt different patterns of light hit under her closed eyelids, yet she had no strength to open them, her fingertips couldn't even move. Her chest burned for oxygen yet non would enter.
Somehow she could only think about one thing. That she would certainly die.
This was a familiar sensation and she clung to the familiarity. If only the pain would stop. It didn't matter that her life would be lost.
The pain would stop, and she would feel herself slipping into a state where she was nearly asleep, only for the aching to begin again, while she remained completely paralyzed, unable to do anything.
It was more strain mentally than physically as time continued in what felt like days.
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Shouta never intended to become a teacher. It was his colleagues that introduced him to the chance. When he started Shouta was quick to learn that it was more than just teaching heroics to the next generation involved. Kids were volatile, and reckless and refused to give you a moment's peace. They were selfish and wanted only for themselves. Even those striving to be heroes.
As a teacher, he had taken it upon himself to dowse that flame of hyperactive excitement and nurture them in the best direction to achieving their goals.
Now it wasn't easy. Quirks made humans feel invincible, and kids were all instinct, no experience. But that's what made them predictable.
Not Sakura Haruno. When he thought he had her figured out, she would do something else to surprise the masses.
He didn't know where to start with these students. About Izuku, Tenya, Momo, Shouto, and Eijirou rush off to the villain's hideout to try and rescue their classmates. Then Sakura who willingly stepped into a fight against one of the worst and most powerful villains in history. No license, no permission.
Now there was a controversial backlash to deal with, on top of Toshinori retiring as the Symbol of Peace. It had only been a week but things were in utter chaos. The League of Villains may have lost their boss, but they were still out there, and it didn't mean that they could let their guard down. Even with their security on high alert, they had managed to find cracks in the system. And this influenced everything.
Shouta tossed down the newspaper he had picked up from a local vendor, as he stomped through the hospital halls as quietly as possible. He looked out for any suspicious individuals as the area he was in had been closed off for most personnel.
He saw Toshinori, sitting on a stool in the hall, elbows resting on his knees. He noticed the other's presence and greeted him.
"Aizawa,"
Usually, he would scold the hero for being here when he was already discharged, especially with the media crawling around and trying to get into this part of the ward to see the patient of the hour. The hero public safety commission had set up security and barricaded off the small part of the hospital.
Even Aizawa had trouble slipping through without being bombarded by a camera crew and reporters. And they weren't looking for Toshinori.
"Any change?"
The blonde shook his head, lowering his gaze. "No change and she's still having those episodes every day. The doctor said it's becoming more frequent and they aren't sure how much longer she's going to be able to keep this up. He said her body….might give in on itself."
The doctors explain that she has been having a series of abnormal seizures, they were running every test they could but they didn't know when she might have one and her heart might stop. It had stopped at least three times a day before beating once more. They had put her through so many tests to try and find a cause and remedy but there has not been promising news.
"Have the students been pestering you for an update again?" Toshinori asked.
Shouta sighed, rubbing his eyes. "Every single day I get emails and messages or they come to me in person, but I don't want to tell them how severe her condition is,"
"What's severe is that they can't even determine what's causing this,"
Toshinori felt like a failure. She had taken down his greatest enemy and saved the world from the worst evil and now she was in this state because he couldn't do the job.
Things on the outside have also been a mess, with the media trying to get inside and check on her progress. She wouldn't be happy about a lot of things they were saying about her.
"The hero public safety commission has been getting on the case of the principles too," said Shouta.
"I heard about that,"
Frantic steps were echoing through the hall, the men saw a disoriented nurse stumbling over her steps. She came over to them, sweat on her brow.
"She's awake!"
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The scent of sanitizer and bleach with the sound of beeping was familiar to Sakura, as she looked around the room, her eyes scanning like a child who didn't know they were lost yet. She barely felt the world around her, the sheets beneath her, or the clumpy hospital gown. There was a woman, a nurse, speaking but she didn't hear her at all. Eyes still looking around absent-mindedly.
The door opened quicker than it should, and there were two familiar figures. Toshinori and Shouta.
As her computational skills returned, her first thought was that the men looked rather haggard. Which was strange since it hadn't been that long since she'd seen them both. Toshinori might've been worse for wear now that he was no longer in his All Might form but she could see the exhaustion in their faces, even though their eyes carried relief.
"Young Haruno, thank goodness!"
The nurse stepped between them as he stepped forward quickly approaching the girl. "Just a moment, she's still a little disoriented. I don't want to cause any excitement,"
Sakura stared at them a little longer, then held her stomach. "Hungry,"
Well, at least she seemed to have an appetite.
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Unfortunately for Sakura, mealtime was put on hold as a full physical needed to be done as soon as possible. Chiyo was called in to check on her as well but since she had just woken up from what the doctor told her was a week-long coma, she had to endure a little longer. Her body was stiff as stone, and her throat was dry. When the doctor gave her the clear, Toshinori and Shouta came back into the room.
"Has it really been a week?" Sakura asked
"Yes," -
That didn't bother her as much as what the doctor told her about what happened while she was asleep, it wasn't a peaceful one that was certain. She had sudden seizures and heart failures, and they weren't able to figure out the cause.
"We took some samples of your DNA, and the scar tissue around your heart and made some unusual discoveries." The doctor pushed up his glasses, he seemed wary to be telling her any of this. "The cellular composition doesn't seem to belong to you completely. Do you know why that is?"
This was a wound that Kaguya had given her, and Sakura wasn't aware of how it healed itself, but this piece of information gave her an idea. That strange burst of chakra was another factor in this. She wouldn't explain that.
"Not sure,"
"So are you here to scold me?" Sakura asked. The nurse knocked and came carting in the food, setting it on the mobile tray. It wasn't anything special, just soup and water since it was suggested she didn't take in anything heavy. Though she wanted to.
Shouta ran a hand through his messy hair, which seemed more disheveled than usual, even his beard was darker than normal. "I would like to very much-
"Aizawa…." Toshinori held up his hands meekly.
"But we have some things to discuss with you before that." He dug into his pocket and unfolded a piece of paper, letting Sakura glance over it.
"Dorms system…." Sakura read through the form. U.A. was implementing a new policy and taking a boarding school position, by creating a dorm system for all of the students. The rules that followed were, no student could leave campus without permission, and in some cases would have to be accompanied by a teacher, especially those in the hero course.
"Overkill,"
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All Might was officially retired as a hero and the Symbol of Peace. Naturally, the entire world was in a state of shock and concern. The rug had been pulled from under them, there was no way to cover it with a veil, not this time. It had been the greatest fear for a while. Toshinori had assumed he had more time, to prepare the next successor, but that had fallen through, however even with the League of Villains out there, the greatest strength and support had been taken. All For One was finally detained.
It would've been better if he had been ended, that was the excuse on one side, but the other held concern for whoever would have to bare the responsibility, and did not agree. As it would've fallen on a teenage girl. All For One had many followers, and there would be many willing to seek vengeance.
For Keigo, it shouldn't have mattered. The choice wasn't his to make and having his own opinions would only slow him down in this case. There was enough on his mind.
He couldn't take the chemical smell of the hospital, his sharp senses wouldn't allow him to. It was a place full of emotion and action, distress, crying, blood, too many things happening all at once, everything he had been trained to be aware of as a hero. He tried to dull all those thoughts as he crossed the hall.
'She woke up yesterday,' He remembered getting that call later than he wanted. But he was told by the commission to wait until her teachers had gotten to her first to avoid a collision. They were already butting heads over the girl since the incident with All For One.
"It's fortunate that you were not present for the Kamino incident Hawks." the agent said. Standing beside the desk of the head of the public safety commissions. Both were stone-faced as they went through the reports and newspapers specifically splattered on about the pink-haired girl who swooped in and saved the day, along with All Might's life.
The media was working so hard to twist the story in every angle they could just to ensure that society would be coming back for more.
Meanwhile, none of them had tried to sympathize with her current condition, which was fighting for her life in the hospital every day for over a week. Yet there was instant news when she had woken up. Likely the result of a bribed staff member from the hospital she was in.
But they hadn't brought him in just to discuss her either. Because the League of Villains was still running free, he had just been given a new assignment. One he was trained well for, but certainly didn't enjoy. And considering how he had done with his previous objective, a teenage girl who would barely allow him through the threshold, he may be doubting his tactics.
"You're the only one who could accomplish this task Hawks,"
He bowed his head, wings spread far, as he agreed. Not that they doubted him. That wasn't how he had been trained.
"There's one more thing," The chairwoman showed a glimmer of something in her expression this time that made Keigo a little nervous. The only times any of them broke those stone-cold faces was when it was something less than palatable. At least on the morality scale, but it was always for the good of society. Or so they promised.
"So will I be able to see her again?" Keigo asked. He wanted to assess her condition with his own eyes. He was stunned, completely when he saw the video of her fighting All For One. He assumed she was strong, but her quirk was on another level of uniqueness. In terms of versatility and power. He hadn't known it was that monstrous though.
"Yes, in fact, we greatly encourage you to do just that. And as frequently as you can,"
Keigo pulled a smirk, "Sounds like you're doubling up my work. I heard that U.A. is gonna be starting dorms soon, so that's not gonna be easy to follow."
"How close have you gotten to her?"
Keigo shrugged, "She's a block of ice that refuses to melt, but she lets me get in proximity,"
"You'll need to close that proximity as quickly as possible,"
Though he kept his smile, something made his intuition flare. He knew that they were trying to prepare another agent like him for their purposes and honestly, something just said that Sakura would fit that bill well. If she accepted the offer. Now she wasn't easy to push into obeying orders and that was a great fallback. He had honestly reported that to them before. Now it seemed they still had motives to use her for something.
He just didn't know what.
"Sakura Haruno has shown to be difficult to manage, but she has a strong quirk with versatility and power that could rival one of the greatest villains in the world. It's not something we can overlook nor allow to slip through our grasp now that it's in our palms. As far as we've been able to see, she has no living relatives and no parental guardians. The media has already started calling her 'the next symbol of peace,' "
"Yeah, that's funny," Keigo said. He had read some of the articles written about her. Some berated her for acting as a hero when she was unlicensed, but also praised her for her bravery and standing against a villain like All For One. The defining factor was the state of All Might being revealed to the world and crumbling the security people had felt with his existence. But he was a catalyst for all that hope to be placed on her shoulders now. Except Sakura had always made it clear that she had no interest in heroism.
"Somehow I feel like there's more you want to say to me, and I have a feeling it's concerning her,"
The Hero Public Safety Commission had offered her the option to go there or foster care, but from what Keigo saw, she had an independent nature that would let her thrive in any environment. So why did she choose to go to a school she had no interest in?
"There isn't a large age gap between the two of you,"
"Yes," that was obvious so why were they pointing it out?
"You're aware of what quirk marriages are."
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Ever since he was a child, Keigo had been under the authority of the Hero Public Safety Commission, and he didn't care what he had to give up, he would always obey their demands. Even if it meant killing or betrayal, there was nothing he wouldn't do to follow orders. At least he didn't think that was the case until he was given his two latest assignments.
Infiltrating the League of Villains. Certainly, he could do that, hE would be risking his life every day and operating on their whims as well as his career as a hero if this came to light in the wrong shade, but he would do it all the same and with a smile. He walked towards his goal who was laying in bed, after nearly losing her life every day for a week.
Keigo let out a breath, pausing at the door. He never thought he would have an assignemnt he was afraid of both completing and failing.
From what the doctors told him, she had been in a daze since awakening, but when Keigo opened that door, he was stunned to see three plates cleaned but still showing bits of whatever had been served on them, and a petite pink-haired girl scarfing down the rest.
He smirked when he saw her stuffed cheeks and food-stained lips pouting. Keigo held up the brown paper bag, "Aw, and here I thought I'd save you from hospital food, but seems like you're enjoying it,"
Sakura wiped her mouth and gave a big gulp to swallow whatever was in her mouth. "What are you doing here?"
"That's not what you say to the guy who traveled hours just to come and sit in these uncomfortable chairs and keep you company, not to mention bring you food, flowers, and those cream puffs you like,"
He saw her jaw clench, but her shoulders relaxed and he took that as a sign to move in closer, dragging a chair from the wall to bring over.
"Surprised your teachers aren't here,"
"You just missed them," Toshinori and Shouta had left a little over fifteen minutes ago before Keigo showed up, Sakura had assumed she was done receiving visitors for the day. Things were hard because they had to deal with the press that was trying to sneak their way into the hospital, especially after someone had informed them Sakura was now awake.
"So, are we feeling better?"
"Course,"
"Even after we had we hear stopping always twice a day for a week?" Keigo gave her a relaxed expression but his eyes were sharp.
"I am fine," Sakura assured. The ordeal had been torture to a great extent because she had been aware of all that pain and it was still a fresh feeling, like waking from a nightmare and losing all the details of what had frightened you.
Grabbing the bags from Keigo, she greedily consumed everything in the containers without thinking that he might have brought all that food to share. Keigo glanced at the four empty trays and raised his brow, but kept his lips closed.
Sakura had been starving since waking and she had binged as soon as she could. Though the doctor hadn't wanted to give her such heavy meals, he surrendered when she threatened to leave just to get to a restaurant because the simple soups weren't filling enough. Not that she enjoyed hospital food in general. And with her track record, no one could guess if she was bluffing.
"Are you really going to make me ask?"
Sakura cocked her head, "Ask what?"