Sora and Yuu held their breath as the black stuff broke out of Midoriya's arm. " What... is that..." was all Whisper could utter in that situation. Clearly, the thing was out of Midoriya's control.
" It's going wild!" Yuu cried when the whips made for Monoma and he avoided them by a hair's breadth and then they pulled Midoriya through a wall.
A few seconds later, it enlarged and made for both enemies and allies alike while thrashing Midoriya around. The other students didn't seem to realize the severity of what was happening, thinking it might have been a new move or something, only All Might went to ask for Aizawa and Vald's help to stop him.
The black wires kept wreaking havoc upon the arena when Uraraka threw herself on Midoriya, trying to stop him, but to no avail. The whips kept swirling and crushing anything in their way. " That's bad, what's taking Aizawa-sensei and the rest so long!" Sora would have considered flying there herself if it wasn't for the pain lingering in her back.
It wasn't until Shinso brainwashed him that the racket stopped. The whips went stiff before whirling themselves back into Midoriya's arms. It was then they breathed out in relief. Sora flopped down. "Jeez, he really knows how to make others worry, that Midoriya."
Yuu sat beside her tiredly. " So true."
Whisper kept gazing at the screen as the battle resumed as though nothing had happened. " But what was that? Midoriya's Quirk is super strength or something like that, right? Then, what does it have with those black whips?"
Neither of them had an answer...
________________
The match ended with Midoriya and the rest capturing all of class B's team 5. Currently, they were watching the critique.
" Hey, Yuu." Sora nudged him." Something is wrong with Midoriya."
Yuu nodded his head. " I realized. The other souls within him are getting more vivid." He looked back at Midoriya talking to Shinso.
" So are his other auras." Sora rubbed her chin.
"Shouldn't we talk to him about it? With what happened as well, I'm rather worried." Yuu's eyes met with Sora's. She looked over to All Might and nodded...
________________
" You're really good with this, Shirogane." Sato watched in awe as Sora folded the mochi in her hands.
" My grandma is a fan of Japanese treats, so I've learned how to make them from a young age." She smiled pinching the top of the dough ball and placing it down. " Even though, my baking could still use some practice."
" If you're already good with Japanese sweets, I doubt it would be hard for you. And Seijin isn't half bad too."
" I've been visiting Sora's house since we were kids, I managed to learn a few things in the end." The boy smiled.
" Thanks, Yuu," Sora told him before looking at the living room packed with people. " I might have managed if it was just our class, but with class B as well..."
" Don't mention it. I'll always be there for you." He smiled at her sweetly.
" I'm sorry." She began, focusing on the next mochi in her hands. "I get it when you want to keep secrets from me... It's just, after seeing that aura of yours, I was worried about you."
" Don't mention it." Yuu managed to maintain his smile as he put down a finished mochi on the tray. " I'm sorry to worry you too. But, I'm fine now."
Sora looked back at his aura, it felt slightly better but was still dim. " You two, the tea is almost ready," Yaoyorozu called out to them.
" Oh right, we're all done here too," Yuu told her as he took the tray of finished mochi only for Sato to take it from him in turn.
" I'll be serving this, you two wash your hands and get settled down."
" We'll help with the tea serving, Yaoyorozu-san," Kendo told the other girl as she took one of the trays before looking back at Sora. " Sora-chan, how is your back now?"
" It getting better. Don't you worry about it." She reassured her.
" Sorry Shirogane," Kaibara called from the sofa. " I wanted to deter you but didn't mean to tear your wings, I overdid it."
" It's alright, let's not sweat over that. Plus, I was pulling hard myself." She turned around when the door flung open and Bakugo went in.
" Bakugo-kun, we're having Beef stew for dinn-" Iida was cut off when Bakugo walked past him with an irritated face.
" Who the hell cares! Just give me my food!" And he went to serve himself.
" Bakugo-san is back but no sign of Midoriya-san yet." Yuu joined her, clearly worried. " He isn't training all by himself again, after what happened..."
" Let's hope that troublesome kid isn't trying to get himself killed off." Snorted Whisper.
" Seijin-kun." Yuu looked back at Tobio as he walked up to him and bowed his head. " Today's match was satisfying. Thank you very much."
" This kid is very polite.. too much I guess. How did he get into this school?!" Murmured the ghost.
" Gomu-san too, you were strong. And to think you're able to control your ricocheting now, it's a telltale of how much you've been working hard."
" The same applies to you too." Yuu blinked at him and Tobi smiled. " You're not the same boy I met during the entrance exam. Though back then I saw your true strength, but it shines brighter than ever now. I will be training hard for a rematch." With another bow, he went to join Monoma and Tokage.
" Hold on, why is that guy here?" Whisper asked, finding it hard that Monoma would want to visit them.
" I pulled him along." Kendo smiled as she served them their tea. They thanked her and sat down to a table. " It would do him some good to interact with the rest of you guys." She looked at him from the side of her eyes.
" It doesn't seem he's even trying..." Whisper sweatdropped at the boy who was shaking his head scoffingly at class A's taste for movies.
" Hopefully with time, he will be getting better..." It didn't help at all that her own expression was unsure herself.
It was then that Midoriya entered and Iida went to welcome him. Sora and Yuu exchanged looks and nods. They waited until he finished talking with Todoroki before going up to him. And by the look on his face, he had a pretty good idea of what they needed to talk about.
" Let me get it short for you Midoriya," Sora stated. " The conscious and souls within you are getting active."
" We wonder if that was the reason your power went out of control today?" Yuu asked.
Midoriya looked down at his scarred hand. " I'm still unaware of what actually happened back then... But, all I could do is guess so far. If what you're telling me about the souls and consciousness is true, then it would mean that was part of the reason why."
" Then it's the more reason to look into the matter, right?" Whisper joined them, arms folded in front of him and fixing Midoriya with a serious gaze. " You almost got torn from limb to limb today."
" Wait... Midoriya..." Sora faced him. " What do you think?"
" For now, it didn't activate again. But rest assured, I'm fine." He insisted. " It's just that I was a little surprised by it that's all. But I think I'll be able to deal with it."
" But what were those things you let loose anyway? They have nothing to do with your Quirk." Whisper pointed, approaching the boy eagerly as if about to devour him.
" I think it was mostly some extension of my Quirk." Midoriya retorted quickly.
"... Are you sure you don't need any help?" Yuu asked again. He didn't feel it right to end it that way.
" It's alright, Seijin. But if I need anything, I will let you know." That seemed to ease them a bit.
" Very well then, get yourself cleaned and have dinner. It will get cold," Sora told him sternly and Midoriya rushed away to the bathroom.
" Hopefully he would really ask for help," Whisper muttered.
It's alright. Sora thought. Midoriya has All Might by his side. As long as he is around he would take good care of him... she then turned to Yuu. " Very well then, we better get settled down among the rest as well." And they mingled with the mob...
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As it started to snow towards the end of December, Kirishima and Mineta leaped out to enjoy the first snowy day. The dorm was lively and filled with the smell of Yaoyorozu's brewing tea. Sora drew a blanket over herself and nestled beside Uraraka and the rest with a book in one hand and hot chocolate in the other. " This is heavens," she murmured happily.
" This looks like the best place for you, Sora." Whisper smiled at her.
" That's why I like snowy days. It feels really peaceful and puts my mind at ease."
Yuu looked from his phone. " Then you'll be happy to know the snow will continue on for the coming days too."
" That's great!" Sora cheered.
" Hey, do you know what time Todoroki and Bakugo will be back?" Sero asked. " I want to borrow the next volumes of the manga he lent me."
Sora's ears perked at that comment. " Impossible, Bakugo-kun actually reads manga?" She snapped her head to Sero. " Which one he lent you?"
Sero blinked twice at her. " Fullmetal Alchemist."
" And he has that one too! We have to ask him to borrow it, Yuu!" The boy nodded his head in agreement.
" Ho, Seijin-kun, I didn't know you liked reading manga?" Iida pointed at him.
" Sora's effect." The boy glanced at his friend who rubbed her head with a sheepish smile.
"I used to drag him to ready manga with me when we were kids and it seems he grew to like it."
" Honestly I would have thought it was the other way around," Sero mused as he leaned over the back of the couch, looking between them. " Seijin honestly looks more like the type to read manga than Shirogane."
" This kid preferred to read philosophy books over children's stories at a young age," Whispeer snorted, making Yuu blush and try to hush him but the ghost evaded. " If anything, Sora's love for manga allowed him to experience it in the end."
" Either way, Kacchan and Todoroki-kun said it'd be around six that they would be back." Midoriya reminded them of Sero's question.
" The last day of their supplemental classes for the provisional license!" Iida grinned hopefully. " If they pass the test today, then all of class A will have our provisional licenses!"
" Hakuja-san is taking the same exam as them, right?" Yuu turned to Sora for confirmation and she nodded her head.
"I've already sent her a good luck message." She held up a peace sign.
" Todoroki aside, he only failed because he kept fighting with Yoarashi. But I wonder what that delinquent is doing right now?" Whisper leaned his head back and stared at the ceiling as though expecting to see a projection of the exam venue.
" Bakugo-san will be fine," Yuu said taking a cup of tea from Yaoyorozu. " Though it's hard to tell, he surely had matured during the last few months."
" But you know..." Sora settled her mug down and looked at everyone. " We should prepare something for both of them. You know they've been working hard to catch up with all of us I'm sure that they put a lot of pressure on themselves, especially Todoroki." She recalled when Monoma was rubbing the fact that all of class B passed on their faces and Todoroki placed the responsibility on himself. Knowing him, he was probably serious about it.
" Shirogane-kun is right, we didn't take notice of that earlier. As their classmates, we should prepare something for them to relieve the stress they had been holding." Iida supported her with frantic chops.
" Maybe I'll make a cake while we wait," Sato suggests.
" Can I help?" Sato nodded at the eager Sora who abandoned her blanket and tailed after him.
" Then I'll make some confetti crackers," Yaoyorozu added in.
" Do you think we have enough snacks? We could use some." Kaminari pointed.
" I will make a run to the convenience store and get more if we need." Iida volunteered.
" We can make it a surprise too," Uraraka stated excitedly.
" Sounds fun!" Hagakure agreed.
" Oi, we still don't even know if they will pass." But Whisper's point was drowned amidst the chattering. " They only want a reason to celebrate, right..." Yuu had to agree...
________________
It wasn't until nine o'clock that Whisper phased through the door. " They're coming!"
" Hurry up!"
Less than seconds later, the whole dorm was shrouded in utter darkness. The door clicked open and Todoroki and Bakugo stepped in, taken aback by the lack of light and noise.
" Why's it so dark?"
" Maybe everyone went out."
" You got your provisional licenses!" Uraraka called happily as they all popped Yaoyorozu's confetti crackers and Whisper switched on the light. " Congrats!" The whole class congratulated them.
Sato went ahead, balancing his four-level cake. Giving both of them the first slices, they all sat down to eat from it.
" We saw it on the news, what you both had done," Yuu stated.
" Even though you just got your license, you jumped out to action," Whisper added.
" Heroes don't stand around and wait! They take the initiative!"
" Alright, we got it. Have some more cake."
" I don't need anymore, feather-"
Bakugo was shut off when a new slice was shoved into his mouth." Sato-kun and I've worked hard on that cake so don't you let it go to waste." She gave him a warning glare and Bakugo groaned while munching on the slice.
" Ho! Shirogane managed to shut Bakugo up!" Kirishima teased.
"Thud up heer!"
" I'm pretty much sure that was 'shut up hair'." Whisper shook his head with a defeated shrug. " This boy is a hopeless case."
And that night went by filled with laughter and joy. Unbeknown to them, fate was preparing something in store for our aspiring heroes, and by the look of it, trouble was brewing...
________________
Sero and Kmainari had the time of their life picking on Bakugo after his and Todoroki's interview was made public and the blond's part was cut off. Bakugo on the other side looked ready to murder them and the journalists who did the interview.
" Thinking back to all that he said back then..." Sora tilted her head slightly as she recalled how they stood back, watching with dropping jaws as the blond threw insults left and right and at everyone who met his eyes. " That was for the best."
" This delinquent is unredeemable." Whisper sighed and Bakugo glared his way, ready to blast him too. Sora on the other hand looked down at the boy who kept silent for the whole time, eyes focusing on his phone.
" What's it, Yuu?"
" Oh, it's the Deika City incident," he said turning around his phone so she could see it. All that was left of the once-standing city was nothing but dust and rubble sweeping in the wind.
" I heard that the destruction in Deika City was worse than Camino, but because it was less populated, there were fewer victims." Iida said from beside Midoriya.
" No one is yet able to know exactly how did that happen," Yuu added.
" But, they said it was because of a riot or something," Mineta stated in bewilderment.
Yuu shook his head at that. " That was what they got from the 20 people arrested at the scene who admitted to be the cause. But no one actually saw what really happened there."
" You don't suggest it's a cover-up story, Yuu."
" Most likely that it's." His eyes narrowed. " That won't change that it had hit the reputation of heroes hard. Still, the civilians' response isn't as bad as it may seem. "
" Ever since the 'look! Boy', I feel like people have changed how they see things," said Uraraka as she held her hands to her eyes, forming binoculars.
" It's because Endeavor worked hard!" Ashido looked through her own made binoculars at Todoroki with a broad grin.
The door of the classroom then slid open and all of them looked at the very front as Mt. Lady and Midnight strolled in, the former came as a surprise for them.
" We've asked her to come as a special instructor." Aizawa waddled to the door of the class.
His sleeping bag turned into some kind of suit!
The man slid down on the door and sat down on the ground." Since you all are getting more exposure, too. Midnight also came along." They all looked at Bakugo and Todoroki. The ash blonde denied vehemently and Sora thought his teeth were going to crack from how hard he was grinding them.
" Seems the teacher doesn't want his students to end up like him," Whisper smirked.
Mt. Lady then took a card much like the ones they used for their training labeled 'Media' as she announced they would be conducting a media practicum...
________________
Aizawa-sensei... is actually awake in this class!
Midnight, Mt. Lady and her team prepared a stage for them while they were getting changed into their costumes. " Hero Shoto, come here." And he climbed his way up to her.
" Any journalist would rather start with Todoroki after all," Hagakure commented. " Besides being Endeavor's son, he's handsome and skilled."
" Do you... have heart problems?" Sora gagged her mouth before she could burst into laughter at his seriousness.
" Man, he really is cute when he acts that way." She wiped away a tear.
The boy climbed down to use his heaven-piercing Ice Wall and a wave of cold permeated them that Sora and the rest shivered in that winter day. " He is getting better at controlling it," Yuu noted, rubbing his arms to warm up. " Every icicle is well positioned."
" With that amount, it's really amazing how he could." Whisper cranned his whole body to get a better look.
" If I smile... they'll die...?!" Sora gave up on holding her laughter anymore after that.
" We're supposed to show our moves, too? In an interview?" Tokoyami asked her, unsure of it.
" Yeah, wouldn't that put them at a disadvantage against villains? They would know of it." Whisper backed him up.
" You'll have to show them eventually." Mt. Lady squatted down as to look at them in the eyes. " Your ultimate moves are symbols of you! Let people know what you can do through your moves. For real-time teamwork with other heroes, warnings against villainous crimes, and having people trust you with their lives... There's meaning behind why heroes yell the names of their moves out loud."
" By yelling it out loud, you're warning your opponent and reassuring the ones you're defending," Yuu summed.
" I didn't think of it that way." Sora looked down. " I've only thought it was cool."
" Now, let's keep the interviews coming!" Mt. Lady cried. And so one by one they climbed up the stairs and conducted their interviews. Yuu was growing paler the more people walked up there. His turn was nearing.
" I'm Angie!" Sora smiled as she held her hand up in a salute. " No matter where you're I'm riding the wind and flying to you!"
" Sounds promising!"
" Reito..." Yuu hid under his hood and fumbled with his fingers. " I... I'll be there for anyone who... is having it hard..."
" Could use some confidence!"
" I told you to get yourself together! It's nothing!" Whisper shouted in his ear Yuu had to cock his head away.
" But... when standing in front of the camera... I can't help it..." Yuu murmured and Whisper facepalmed so hard that a red hand mark was left on his face.
" We're back to square one." He groaned, rubbing his eyes.
Up next was Bakugo and much to everyone's surprise, he managed to pull through. " You're not as bad in an interview by yourself, huh? I get it now. You just don't see eye to eye, right? With the rest of humanity."
" No one would have put it any better than her!" Snorted Whisper in bemusement.
Sora turned around and doubled with giggles as Todoroki went to apologize to Bakugo for being there for the interview.
Whisper changed his mind drastically after seeing Midoriya. " I pull everything I've said, Yuu. You're way better than that guy. If I don't know better I would have thought his Quirk is pixilating." He beckoned towards the green head who blanched and went stiff, shivering before even the interview commenced, repeating his words and stuttering like a broken record. It wasn't until All Might was brought up that he regained his colors and his voice, too much of it for their class as he started monologuing about the names of his moves.
" As expected of a hardcore fan." Sora smiled.
" By the way, I heard he had been training on that black thingy." Whisper looked back at Yuu and Sora.
" Right, he was coming back just before the curfew because of his training." Yuu looked up at Midoriya as he was getting ready to unleash it, excited to see the fruit of his diligent efforts. Everyone held their breath, hoping it wouldn't end the same way it did during their battle training. But all that came from Midoriya's hand was a faint wisp of blackness, barely visible and short-lived.
Whisper blanched with a deadpanned face. " This guy... his bark is worse than his bite..." Everyone else seemed to share the same disappointment...