A month after the partially successful museum heist, where Kimika and Toga achieved all their objectives but barely escaped defeat by a hero, they emerged as victors. However, this success made them even more heavily pursued. Patrols in areas where they frequently appeared intensified their efforts significantly. This forced them to be even more vigilant and quicker in completing their missions, something they managed well. Kimika, who had previously been holding them back, began to execute tasks much more skillfully, much to Toga's satisfaction as both a mentor and a friend.
They continued to undertake various missions on the same scale as the heist. These included similar jobs, like destroying a café or stealing valuable items, for which they were well-compensated. However, according to Kimika's calculations, they would need to keep up these activities for another two or three months — if not more — to earn the required amount, as the operations her father needed were extremely expensive. All of Kimika's initial hopes that she could raise the necessary sum in a month or two turned out to be nothing but a sweet dream.
This experience became a real test for her, especially because Toga would come every day after Kimika's mother left to help her with her condition. It was both good and bad at the same time, as Toga never missed an opportunity to stay close to Kimika for as long as possible.
Their "friendly relationship," as Kimika saw it, grew closer thanks to Toga's persistence. Now, Kimika could take Toga's hand or hug her without hesitation, or simply approach her and offer to let her drink her blood at any time during the day.
Over the six years, the sensation of Toga drinking her blood became an irreplaceable source of pleasure for Kimika, almost turning into an addiction. She even began to enjoy it when Toga drank more than what was normally allowed, despite the heaviness in her legs or the slight dizziness. Thanks to Kimika's enhanced regeneration and even faster recovery through her quirk, she quickly replenished her blood supply.
At the same time, whenever she saw Toga drinking someone else's blood, her mood would plummet, and Toga knew this well. As a result, they made an agreement: Toga could drink someone else's blood only in cases of extreme thirst that Kimika couldn't satisfy, during their tasks for the plan, or in emergency situations.
Toga also tried to gradually get Kimika accustomed to taking showers together, but it was quite difficult. She managed to do this only a few times, and those moments could be counted on the fingers of one hand, as Kimika always ran away or avoided those situations.
Moreover, Toga was gradually changing Kimika's moral principles, preparing her for the possibility of inflicting harm on an enemy or neutralizing them to avoid a situation like the one in the museum.
She was almost successful in this, and now Kimika could strike or injure an enemy when necessary, although these actions didn't always lead to serious consequences — sometimes they were just minor injuries. During such moments, Kimika often treated the enemy with care. But Toga knew it was only a matter of time.
They also started leaving their signatures after each task, where it was possible, and this habit was introduced by Toga, saying that it was essential. Toga drew her signature in the form of a smiley face with characteristic fangs like a vampire, using the blood of her opponents for this.
Kimika chose a similar style, but instead of fangs, she drew clocks instead of eyes, using a graffiti spray can, as she didn't want to use someone else's blood for it. Of course, she tried several times to convince Toga that a spray can could be used instead of blood, but Toga never gave in, so in the end, Kimika no longer tried to persuade her to stop. And each of their signatures always depicted a certain emotion they felt during the mission.
Their faces usually reflected opposite emotions: if Toga looked happy, it meant that during the mission, one of their opponents might have gotten seriously injured; and conversely, when Kimika was happy because everything went without casualties, Toga showed a hint of dissatisfaction.
However, there were cases when their emotions aligned, like during the jewelry store robbery. At that time, Kimika was happy that no one was hurt and that their haul brought in a lot of money, while Toga was happy because she managed to get a few gifts for Kimika, who happily accepted them, which completely alleviated her boredom from not being able to harm their opponents.
Their costumes also changed in appearance, as Toga knew how hard it was for Kimika to hide her horns and hair color, which detectives had long since noticed. So, she gave her a demon mask that she had custom-made from some acquaintances, with spaces for her horns, which made them seem like part of the mask. This full-face mask could partially conceal her hair, while the hood completely covered it. Toga also started wearing a mask, emphasizing that they were a team of demons.
As for their clothing, Kimika often changed her sweaters and sweatpants because after each task, they were left with cuts. Because of this, she even started spending part of her earnings on buying new ones, since at some point, she simply had nothing to replace them with. Additionally, Kimika insisted on giving Toga her clothes so that she would wear something other than her school uniform. To her surprise, Toga accepted this immediately with gratitude, seeing it as a gift from a friend, and simply couldn't bring herself to refuse.
Their training underwent significant changes. Now, Kimika had to run not 50, but 100 kilometers, as the initial distance no longer posed any difficulty for her. And to make the training truly meaningful, Toga forced her to run along a longer route by the beach, where, to Kimika's surprise, there was a section filled with trash.
Kimika often felt the urge to clean it up, considering such work not only part of her physical training but also a volunteer effort to do something good.
They also started sparring more, as Toga was eager to unlock Kimika's full potential and hone it to perfection. And, to her surprise, during their first sparring session, Kimika began to put up some resistance, thanks to her ability to see the future.
However, Toga also organized sparring sessions in which she prohibited the use of quirks, forcing Kimika to rely solely on her physical skills and not just her quirk.
Today, Kimika left home earlier, deciding to start cleaning the littered beach. It was her way of atoning for her actions. Although she knew that no volunteer work could make up for everything she had done, it felt like better than doing nothing. As she approached the beach, she noticed someone she never expected to see.
"Izuku?" Kimika exclaimed, walking closer as the boy was completely focused on moving equipment and didn't hear her at first.
When he finally heard someone calling his name, at first he thought it was All Might, his mentor, who had stepped away for some errands. But, listening more closely, he realized it was the voice of someone familiar, but definitely not his teacher.
Turning around, he saw Kimika Tanaki — his childhood friend, with whom he hadn't spoken in a long time due to his training for the entrance exam to the Hero Academy and what he had believed was her own reluctance, something Toga had hinted at to him long ago.
She stood there in a sports top, leggings, and sneakers, looking completely different from how he remembered her. Her figure had become more athletic and vibrant, and her face radiated confidence and strength, which gave her a special charm.
Her incredible eyes, each a different color, especially drew attention, glowing not only with confidence but also with astonishment from the unexpected encounter. Izuku realized just how much she had changed over this time: Kimika was no longer the girl he had last seen.
"Kimika? What... What are you doing here?" Izuku asked, trying to gather himself. He quickly looked away, realizing that for a moment, his attention had been focused on her figure. It made him feel guilty — they hadn't spoken in so long, and the first thing he did was look her over.
"I have a morning training session, and I was planning to start cleaning this beach, but, as I can see, you've already been doing that," Kimika replied calmly, though there was a hint of sadness in her voice with the last words. "And I have the same question for you — what are you doing here?"
"I... I'm training here to... well, um... get into UA and become a hero!" Izuku said this with some uncertainty, but his words were filled with enthusiasm.
Kimika immediately noticed that he was hiding something, but decided not to dwell on it and simply ignored it, continuing the conversation as if everything were normal, wanting at least a little time to talk with a friend she hadn't seen in a long time.
"Wow, you want to get into UA and become a hero..." Kimika said, her gaze dropping sadly. Her heart clenched with pain. Once, she had also dreamed of becoming a hero, but now she found herself on a completely different side of that dream. And if Izuku became a hero, they would be enemies, and maybe he would be the one to catch her.
"How ironic..." she said bitterly. "A person without a quirk trains so hard to get into the best academy and become a hero, while I, with a quirk, couldn't manage to do it..."
There was no sarcasm or anger in her words. She was genuinely happy for her friend, but at the same time, she felt a deep sadness. Izuku noticed this sadness and couldn't understand why she was saying it.
He had always considered her quirk incredibly powerful. Back in elementary school, her abilities were impressive, and now, as she had grown and most likely continued to train, he expected Kimika to have become even stronger. But instead of achieving her dream, it seemed like she had given it up.
"But... but why?" Izuku couldn't help but ask. "You had every chance to get into hero academy! You're way better than me! Smarter, stronger, braver! So why did you give up on your dream?"
Kimika sighed, her voice trembling slightly.
"Izuku... there are times in life when you simply don't have a choice. I wanted to be a hero... with all my heart... But fate turned out differently. And I'm really happy that you haven't lost hope and keep chasing your dream, turning it into reality. I believe you'll become a hero for both of us..." Her voice trailed off, and then she continued, smiling through her tears. "Sorry, Toga is waiting for me. I'll ask her to change my schedule so we can see each other more often. I wish you the best of luck, Izuku."
Kimika was about to leave when she noticed a man standing nearby, silently watching their conversation. He was relatively tall compared to her, but his figure appeared disproportionate — too thin for his height, almost emaciated, as though ready to collapse at any moment. His suit looked several sizes too big, hanging off his bony shoulders, and his face seemed almost faded — with hollow eyes and pale skin.
"Oh, hello..." she said, nodding to him respectfully. At first glance, he seemed like just a sickly stranger, but there was something extraordinary about his presence, something that only he and Izuku seemed to understand.
The man merely gave a faint smile in response, but said nothing. After that, she quickly left.
All Might watched the conversation, not believing his own ears. Izuku had often told him about his childhood friend — about her bravery, relentless determination, and a quirk that could have made her a true hero.
From Izuku's stories, it was clear that she had all the necessary qualities to become one of the best: motivation, especially due to her father being harmed by criminals, and she had repeatedly told her parents that she would definitely become a hero, as Izuku had shared with him.
Moreover, All Might learned about her not only from Izuku but also through his close friend Tsukauchi, who was familiar with her family, particularly her father, with whom he sometimes worked.
The girl had been determined since childhood, and despite what had happened at that school, she continued to talk about her dream of becoming a hero. This only strengthened her resolve, and at that time, it seemed inevitable that she would follow that path.
So All Might watched Kimika closely, trying to understand what had caused her to give up such a promising hero career. He immediately noticed her physical condition: every muscle, every part of her body was perfectly developed. This couldn't be the result of ordinary training — such a level required superhuman discipline and persistence. And even now, judging by her appearance, she was still actively training.
His experienced eye quickly picked up on her posture, which indicated combat skills. She stood confidently, ready for battle at any moment. While not perfect, it was balanced enough for her to either defend or attack.
The only logical explanation he could come up with was that she was actively practicing martial arts and had probably already achieved significant progress. Although she might not yet be the best, All Might was certain it was only a matter of time.
But even with such abilities and motivation, he couldn't understand why Kimika hadn't become a hero, or at least tried to. Her quirk, physical condition, and even the events of her childhood all pointed to the fact that she should have been striving to become a hero even more. Yet, something went wrong.
However, one detail kept bothering him. All Might noticed a few faint scars on her neck, as if from bites — scars that couldn't have been acquired during training because they were too symmetrical and resembled each other too much. He felt like he had seen or heard about something similar before, but couldn't quite recall where. This detail left him with a sense that Kimika's story hid more than it seemed at first glance.
All Might sensed that there was a deeper reason behind this. He wasn't planning to interfere in her life unnecessarily, but now his curiosity had been piqued. He asked Izuku to find out more about why she had given up on her dream, and if he could help in any way, he would do so immediately, even if she still didn't want to become a hero.
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How do you feel about the story's direction? Do you like these time skips, or would you prefer to see more of their missions? Though, if I did that, I might drag the story a bit...
But ahead, there will still be a few interesting tasks before the big events! What do you think about all of this? Leave your comments, because without them, I can't improve this fanfic!
Also, your dear (or maybe not so dear) cat has started learning how to draw! He's excited that he can now draw anime girls... Even better — anime cats! And everything together! Anime cat-girls, ohhh, it's making him drool... He'll also be able to draw some arts for you so you can better understand the appearance of the characters or certain scenes. But that's not coming anytime soon, as he's just at the stage of learning how to hold a pencil properly and draw lines and circles — the basics, you know? So, no art in this fanfic... and probably none in the future either...
I also want to inform you that two chapters come out every day on my Patreon! Here, only one is released, but on my Patreon — there are two a day, hee-hee-hee. Come by so you don't miss new chapters and can read them faster than anyone else! patreon.com/Zoi4erom
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