488Hello all,
It's been some time for this story, huh?
I'm not going to sugarcoat it, I honestly let Bearer of the Light slip through the cracks, and I am sorry for that. Admittedly, a lot of it was just no creative drive to post this chapter for the most part, as well as all the medical issues I had near the end of the year.
I'll be frank, I do love this story and I am in the works to get it completed. HOWEVER! Much of my drive isn't focused on it now. One such reason is my enjoyment with FFXIV itself.
I haven't played the game in nearly two years, I watched a streamer play all the way through Dawntrail and... yeah... glad I'm skipping it. FFXIV ended for me with Endwalker.
So, many things I had planned for this story are going to be changed from the original vision. One such thing is the I-Island arc. Originally, I was going to have Gilgamesh show up, and it would lead to the unlocking of Sage. But, going to nix that aspect and have Sage unlock a different way.
Honestly, the I-Island arc is going to be a nice bunch of fluffy chapters, with one (or two) being smut. Kyoka will unlock Bard, and Melissa will unlock Sage. We will also get some shots back at UA of Eri being adorable with her Mama's as well as setting up for a major event that will... honestly... it's going to be a doozy.
So yes, while this chapter will have to be it for now, I do promise to update Bearer of the Light more this year.
Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to My Hero Academia and Final Fantasy XIV; they belong to their copyright holders. If anyone reposts this or any of my stories on Youtube or any other media streaming platform) without my consent, I will be taking the appropriate actions as is my right.
Chapter 63
Dreaming of Forests
Within the hundreds of tubes stored in the massive warehouse within the Kamino Ward, a solitary figure stood looking over one of the newer additions, slowly developing within one of the larger tubes. His tired-looking eyes stared hard at the young woman who had been brought in a few weeks ago and was currently undergoing not only the procedure of becoming a Nomu but another of those 'Primals' that made even the high-ends look as weak as a fly against a bug zapper.
"Quite a beauty, is she not?" The sly voice of Nabriales could be heard coming from a dark portal that manifested behind Tomura Shigaraki, who lazily turned his way from the tube to look at the Ascian.
"If you're into birds, I guess?" The pale man turned towards Nabriales now, his hands in his pockets as the tired look under the 'hand mask' was clearly evident, "But what I don't understand is why we haven't converted all, or just turn the high-end Nomu's into these primal things and just wipe out All Might and those damn heroes."
"Aside from the simple fact that the aether needed to make even one of these Primals is limited in quantity and is lost forever should it be defeated …" The Ascian slid around Shigaraki as he spoke to look up at the floating woman, covered in patches of feathers that were slowly growing out of her body. "Be that as it may, as powerful as the Primals are, or even these Primal Nomu's, so long as the Warrior of Light is around, it would all be for naught."
"The what- Oh, you mean that green-haired brat?" Shigaraki huffed, leaning against a railing as he stared down the walkway that led to the 'wing' where the Primal Nomu's were being stored, remembering the fight he and Kurogiri had been watching from the shadows of the rooftops during the whole Hosu shitstorm. "The noob was getting tossed around for a while; is he really that much of a threat?"
"Oh, he is, my friend," Nabriales spoke in a low tone with a bit of playfulness. "For every new job he unlocks, the more powerful he gains."
"Fucking OP god-modding asshole…" Shigaraki grumbled, scratching the back of his neck now, "Then what's the point of these Primal Nomu's then if that asshole can just one-shot them!"
"The boy is slowly gaining more power, much slower than I had anticipated, truthfully." The Ascian sighed, with Shigaraki raising an eyebrow at the way Nabriales had spoken; it sounded like this asshole was hoping their foe would get stronger! "However, this has been a boon when it comes to our plans…" he continued, his lips curling upward as he looked at the decay-user.
"The hell are you going on about?"
"The longer the Warrior of Light takes to awaken his powers, the longer we have to cultivate what will be his undoing," the robed figure chuckled low and with some glee mixed in before clearing his throat to compose himself. "Tell me, boy, do you know what will topple any empire or ruler, no matter how strong?"
Shigaraki squinted at the Ascian before looking away to think upon the question, scratching his neck some more before grunting and shrugging his shoulders. "I would have said overwhelming power before that whole shitfest at the USJ or Hosu, but I have a feeling that's not it."
"Ah, you are learning, good… good…" Nabriales chuckled softly, with Shigaraki glaring at the condescending tone the Ascian had responded to him.
"Watch it, you fu-"
"It is FEAR!" Nabriales interrupted the young adult, clearly unfazed by the threat. "Fear is what will win us the day and slay our foes; even as such 'beacons of hope' like your master's nemesis or the Warrior of Light will fall!" Nabriales was cackling now like a madman, making Shigaraki raise his eyebrow in confusion.
"You could have that power…." Nabriales suddenly appeared beside Shigaraki, nearly making the decay-user jump out of his skin. "I could give you the power that would not only allow you to have revenge upon All Might and the 'brat', as you called him… but also the power to surpass your own master."
As the two were talking, with Shigaraki taking a more active interest in what the robed figure was talking about gaining more power, one of the hidden cameras stationed around the warehouse—not even the doctor knew about it— zoomed onto the pair from the shadows.
On one of the monitor's back at the base of where All for One, the near-immortal supervillain was listening and watching the exchange between his 'pupil' and otherworldly ally.
As the two plotted and planned in what they believed to be pure secrecy, there was only one thing All for One could do in this situation.
He smiled.
"Holy…" Kyoka softly gasped as she and Momo entered the lavish suite of the hotel on I-Island, placing her suitcase by the door and walking into the room that was nearly the size of their commons room back at the dorm.
Kyoka's gaze turned towards Momo, who hadn't seemed fazed by the sheer size of their accommodations. "Doesn't this seem a little much just for the three of us? I mean, I get that Izuku being a special guest would give us some privileges, but this is a lot."
"It's not all that bad," Momo giggled gently, moving her suitcase toward a set of doors and opening them. "They even have private residences for some of the bigger companies when their CEOs and families come to visit the island."
Kyoka was silent for a moment as she took in that new information, watching her girlfriend enter the new room, "I'm going to take a wild guess, but your family has one of those places?" following after her to see it was the main bedroom with what looked like a king-sized bed, but her focus was on the heiress and raised her eyebrow
"Of course, and this isn't my first time on the island either, though it has been a few years." Momo smiled at the punk rocker as she lifted her suitcase onto the soft-looking bed and opened it. Then, she began to put her clothes and such into the various dresser drawers and the closet.
Leaning against the doorframe, Kyoka crossed her arms over her chest. "You sure are making yourself quite at home already, even though we are here for a week."
Momo stopped, holding what looked to be a red evening gown, blushing as she slowly hung the dress up and shut the door. She turned to look back at Kyoka and then moved to sit on the bed with her hands resting in her lap. "I'm sorry… I know that you, me, and Kinoko are supposed to be here to be bodyguards for Izuku and Mei."
Kyoka watched as her girlfriend's onyx eyes brimming with light, and she smiled up at her. "But Kyoka! Think about it: we have one week alone to ourselves! With all the facilities here on I-Island, we could even set up dates between the four of us!"
Kyoka's cheeks flushed a bright rose color at that before idly tapping her jacks together and looking away, having realized what her girlfriend had said. Her entire face then went even more red, considering her plans for not only herself but also the heiress, who she hadn't noticed was walking up to her with a somewhat predatory smile across her lips.
Kyoka nearly jumped when she felt the arms of the heiress wrap around her neck and held close to her body, with a soft giggle coming from Momo to make Kyoka look up. "My, my… already thinking ahead to what we planned for Izuku?"
"N-No…" Kyoka sputtered and turned her head away, still blushing and pouting.
"You don't need to lie to me, sweetie," Momo cooed and brought the shorter woman's head to gaze into her eyes once again, but also 'trap' it in between her impressive cleavage. "I think it's a wonderful idea, and I know Izuku is going to love it."
"Mmph…" Kyoka muffled against Momo's skin, causing the heiress to giggle. While the pair had only gone on a couple of dates themselves, the first of which was the music store that Momo had mentioned during their talk after her match at the sports festival, it still threw Momo for a loop at just how different Kyoka's attitude could be depending on the circumstances.
There were times when Kyoka was standoffish, with an unamused look on her face, which was often when it came to certain members of their class. Other times, the punk rocker was a mess of emotions, especially when it came to romantic gestures towards her, she acted like she hated it when, in reality, she wanted more of the love and care being provided.
Just like now, where Momo slowly brought a hand up to stroke and pet Kyoka's beautiful deep violet locks of hair. Even though the shorter woman looked agitated and her gaze moved to the side as if to hide her emotions, Momo smiled as she felt her girlfriend's ear jacks slowly coil around her wrist and hand as if to keep it there and continue to pet her, while she gently leaned in and kissed the top of Kyoka's forehead.
"While it's nice to see young love, we don't have the time for it right now," Krile's voice suddenly spoke up from the entrance of their room. Her aged brow raised inquisitively as Momo and Kyoka gasped in surprise and separated immediately, their cheeks flaring up in embarrassment. Behind the elder Lalafell stood Izuku, mesmerized by what he just saw, before the top end of Krile's cane hit his shin and interrupted those thoughts as the elderly woman was glaring up at him. "That means you as well. Focus on the task at hand, Midoriya."
"Y-Yes ma'am!" Izuku exclaimed as he pushed his baggage to the side of the front entrance and immediately shifted into his Machinist kit, beginning to pull out various-sized crystals and went to the bedroom.
Both younger women watched as Izuku began to place the crystals in various spots around the room. Krile slowly walked towards them, and Momo caught her movement. "What is Izuku doing, Ms. Baldesion?"
"Considering we are going to need the powers of Feo Ul to even attempt the ritual this far from the aether-rich soil of UA, I had Nezu prepare some crystals so we can bring her here safely, albeit temporarily," Krile somberly explained, with Kyoka raising an eyebrow at the diminutive woman.
"Weren't we going to do this in your room?"
"We were, and I would have rather done that, but the Oaf's flight is nearly here, and the last thing we need is a media circus at my door during all this," Krile replied. She gently pulled the strange device around her neck and looked over it for a moment before she caught Midoriya walking towards her and shifting out of his kit.
"It's done, ma'am… and um… What is that around your neck?" Izuku asked, his emerald eyes brightening up in curiosity as Krile sighed gently.
"I wish Quinn's memories gave you some insight into the tools that we used back on Eorzea. These are aetherometers used to measure and track aether essentially. Not just in the land or air, but creatures as well." The Lalafell sighed softly and offered the mask-like device to the young man, who delicately took it into his hands, with both Momo and Kyoka moving closer to look at it as well.
"So, like thermal goggles in a sense?" Momo asked with an inquisitive look, her mind already racing with the various formulas in her collective knowledge to replicate such a device.
"In a sense, that would be the best way to describe them." Krile took back the device once Izuku had offered it back to her, "Sadly, they don't work that well outside of heavy areas of aether like we are making in this room currently, or as heavily rich in the aether as it is back at UA."
"I wonder if Mei could use a pair?" Izuku asked and rubbed his chin. "If she is going to be making Magitek most of the time now, it sounds like something that would benefit her when she's making it."
"Given the girl's aptitude for reverse engineering highly sophisticated devices, I don't think she would have any issues replicating it. Of course, when it's not exploding in her face," Krile sighed heavily, knowing full well just how many students in the support class had fallen victim to any number of Hatsume's 'experiments.' "Enough of that for now. Go and summon the pixie, Midoriya. The quicker we do this, the less chance of an interruption."
"R-right… sorry, ma'am," Izuku apologized before turning around and walking towards the bed, turning back to his partners, "Please don't laugh…"
Turning back toward the bed, Izuku raised his hands and, in a clear and loud voice, spoke out into the room.
"O' loveliest of Branches, keeper and protector of dreams, this grateful sapling is in the most dire of need and requests your aid!"
There was a heavy silence in the room after that, and both women barely held back their laughter from how Izuku had just performed the 'invitation' for the tiny creature. Kyoka was the one who did not feel like she was going to last until the ethereal voice of Feo Ul could be heard.
"Late! Late! Late! Such a cruel and cold sapling I have!" A sudden flash of light and sparkles appeared before Izuku, revealing the tiny pixie to the group with their small hands on their hips and a pout on their face. "So cruel, so cold, and HEARTLESS!" they shrieked loudly, causing Izuku to flinch slightly. "It was so hard waiting for you to call to me since our darling apple was slumbering away in pleasant dreams, and my other sapling had also left me back at the rat's homestead."
"I-I'm sorry about that, Feo Ul, and can you please not call the dean a 'rat'?" Izuku asked in exasperation, watching as the tiny red pixie flitted about the room and clearly ignoring him while looking over the various objects. "But speaking about Nezu, did he go over why we are doing this?"
"Oh yes, and honestly, it is a fine idea," Feo Ul chirped as she moved to float in front of Izuku's face. "Plus, it allows me to see my sapling back in their other world for once. Such a bore his retainer's dreams were."
Slowly moving towards both Kyoka and Momo, Feo Ul began to look over the pair before focusing more on the more petite woman. Buzzing about and around Kyoka before stopping just at one of her ear jacks. "Oh my, it still amazes me how truly odd the Humes are here."
"What do you mean by 'odd', pipsqueak?" Kyoka huffed, aiming the jack at the pixie, who gasped and flew back a few feet away.
"My, my… bit of a fire in this one. It reminds me of Alisae." Feo Ul giggled and spun around the small group before floating above the bed. "But we need to get this little nap time started. Already, I am starting to feel the aether draining from my body."
"Oh! O-of course! I'm sorry, Feo Ul, and thank you again for your help." Izuku stood a little straighter, bowing his head to his 'branch.' "So, how do we start this?"
"Oh, you and the fiery one only need to rest upon the bed and let your lovely branch do the rest." Feo Ul flitted away to adjust some of the crystals slightly, looking around to make sure it was in the perfect position before looking towards the other two people in the room. "I wouldn't suggest hanging around, to be honest, as it will be quite boring with these two slumbering."
"I'm going to stay just to monitor the aether levels. I don't want you disappearing while these two are in the dream," Krile said, looking up at Momo. "But she does have a point. It would be rather dull to stick around and watch."
"Oh… alright," Momo said, looking a little disheartened now as she was hoping to watch the entire thing. She felt the warm hand of her boyfriend rest on her shoulder, and she turned her gaze to see the equally warm emerald eyes staring back at her.
"It's ok; Momo, Krile and Feo Ul will be here with us." Izuku smiled, and his cheeks grew rosy when the heiress returned his smile and leaned her forehead against his.
"I know. I'll see if the others have arrived yet and perhaps consider what venues would be ideal for us to visit." Moving her head back after sneaking a gentle kiss, Momo smiled up at Izuku and then toward Kyoka. "Try and keep him out of trouble."
"I'll do my best," Kyoka replied with a smug look, while Izuku put on a hurt expression, clearly faking the response. The punk rocker then moved to her two partners, leaning up to peck Momo's lips with her own and then began to drag Izuku towards the bed. "Try and see if they have any good music stores around here, maybe I can pick up some exclusive Deep Dope merch."
Momo giggled, nodding her head before making her way out of the room. "I'll keep an eye out. Have a good rest, you two." Once she reached the door of the hotel room, the heiress turned around and gently bowed at Feo Ul and Krile. "And thank you both once again for all your help."
"It's no problem, dearie. If All Might shows up before we are finished, I would advise not being spotted, as I'm sure the media will be all over him." Krile sighed, lifting the aetherometer to cover her eyes before turning back towards the two other students climbing onto the bed. "Alright, you two, just lay down and follow Feo Ul's instructions. And Feo Ul?"
"Yes? What is it?"
"No tricks! We don't have enough aether here to attempt this again," Krile warned, lifting her cane at the Pixie, who huffed and zipped over to the elderly woman.
"Why I never-!"
Momo had left the room then, hearing the muffled shouts between the two and giggling gently. She walked away and pulled out her phone to see if any messages from the other group had arrived on the island yet, as well as to check their group chat for any updates back home. The heiress had turned a corner without looking up from her phone and collided with someone.
Momo nearly fell backwards had it not been for the firm grip of the person she had bumped into, who took hold of her arm. The heiress blushed as she regained her balance, stuttering slightly and still a little shaken. "M-my apologies. I wasn't looking where I was—Todoroki?"
The heterochromatic young man helped Momo steady herself before kneeling, picking up the phone she had dropped when they collided and offering it to her once she stood back up. "Nothing to worry about, Yaoyorozu. I was in a bit of a rush myself and should have taken my time when coming around the corner."
Taking back her phone, Momo glanced over it quickly before putting it into her purse. "It's alright, Todoroki. I should have been paying more attention as well." She raised an eyebrow in curiosity as she looked at him. "But what are you doing on I-Island?"
"The presentation on Magitek mostly," the dual-quirked boy answered, crossing his arms over his chest. "Endeavor had been one of the few pro heroes invited to witness it, but a mission came in that demanded his expertise. He asked if I could go in his stead, and given we have been given time off from UA until after the presentation, I figured it would be an opportunity to learn more about the inner workings and dealings when it comes to support companies."
Leaning against the wall now, Todoroki continued, "If I am to one day be a pro hero, I might as well get a head start on these sorts of situations. Even Endeavor will sit in on those meetings when he can, as most often than not, it is gear to be used within his agency, and he'd rather be there to make sure they are adequate."
Momo smiled upon hearing Todoroki's explanation. "That is a wonderful idea, Todoroki. I will have to do something like that the next time my parents' company hosts such an event back home. If all goes well here on I-Island, I know it will eventually return to Japan, where more opportunities like this will happen."
Todoroki nodded in agreement "If Endeavor's agency gets invited to those, I shall do my best to see if I can come along as well."
"Even if you couldn't attend because of that, I know that Izuku or I would invite any of our classmates to attend, not only to practice for these sorts of social events but also to get their names out there."
A hint of a smile crossed the young man's lips, before just as quickly faded. He stood up from the wall and bowed his head slightly to her. "Sounds like a good idea as well, but speaking of Midoriya, have you seen him?"
"He is with Krile and Kyoka at the moment but is currently indisposed." The heiress replied, "I don't know when they will be done, but I'd assume sometime this evening."
"I see," responded Todoroki, now rubbing his chin for a moment or two before looking back up to Momo, "While it's not urgent, I would have preferred to talk with him about this subject, but given your expertise as well, perhaps you can help me?"
Momo looked at the heterochromatic man with a confused expression, which slowly morphed into a gentle smile. "Well, I would love to help you as best as I can, though when it comes to analyzing quirks, Izuku is more knowledgeable than myself."
The silence in the corridor was deafening. Todoroki titled his head, looking equally confused as Momo had previously. "It wasn't about quirks, actually."
"Oh?" Momo could only blink back owlishly as Todoroki gently nodded. The young man's following words further shocked the heiress.
"I was going to ask him for relationship advice."
"Alright, now that you both are all settled, I can send you into your dreams!" Feo Ul spoke with excitement as she fluttered about Kyoka and Izuku, laying beside one another and holding their hands together as the pixie landed gently on Izuku's chest and placed her hands on her hips, "You know you two don't need to be shy and just cuddle, right?"
"It's embarrassing enough as it is," Kyoka grumbled, her cheeks a rosy hue.
Izuku chuckled weakly and used his free hand to scratch at his red cheek, "It's fine, Feo Ul… so what needs to happen?"
"Oh, there's nothing for you two to do. Just lay back and relax while your branch works her magic!" she chirped before taking off into the air once more. "Once you're dreaming, that's where you take over."
"There isn't any danger, is there?" Kyoka asked suddenly, with one of her ear jacks slowly moving down to wrap around her hand holding onto Izuku's. "I-I mean… considering we could end up in a nightmare or something."
"What? And cause harm to my lovely sapling?" Feo Ul suddenly flew close to Kyoka's face before stopping before Kyoka's other jack pointed directly at the petite creature, not in a threatening manner but more that Kyoka preferred her personal space for those she was unfamiliar with. The petite pixie huffed, her hands on her hips again, "I would never send anyone, especially my saplings, into a horrible nightmare! The nerve!"
"I'm sure you have everything under control, Feo Ul, but Kyoka is just worried we may end up in one of Quinn's more… turbulent… memories," Izuku spoke as he squeezed Kyoka's hand in comfort and assurance while Feo Ul huffed and flew back up.
"So long as I am here, there won't be a problem; now, we are during daylight! Time to sleep!" The pixie exclaimed and began to cast her spell, her hands glowing bright orange, nearly blinding the two students on the bed, until suddenly darkness overtook them.
Izuku groaned gently, his head slightly throbbing as another gentle and more feminine groan could be heard coming from on top of him. Izuku tilted his head up to see the top of his punk rocker girlfriend's violet hair, and he gently smiled. "Good morning, sleepy head."
"Shush you…" Kyoka muttered into his chest with her jacks moving up to poke at his face, with Izuku chuckling softly. "How did I end up on top of you? Not that I'm complaining."
"Probably Feo Ul's doing… not like I'm complaining either," Izuku smirked as his arms slowly moved to wrap around her lower back, clearly enjoying himself and the way that Kyoka seemed to cuddle closer to him made his heartbeat that much faster, which obviously the punk rocker clearly heard and was enjoying as well.
"I would say you two should get a room, but we have a job to do here." Another voice spoke up out of the blue, which caught both Kyoka and Izuku off guard and made the hero students jump up and stare out at their new environment.
It was a vast forest, with some trees towering over the pair and beautifully built wooden buildings around them. One such building was on the other side of a small stream, with an elegantly designed bridge to cross if one wished to explore it. However, the atmosphere was odd, made particularly evident by the silence around them.
No rustling of leaves from the wind, no rushing of water of the nearby stream, not even the chirping of birds could be heard, which sent shivers up the spines of both Kyoka and Izuku.
It was then the two students noticed they had been laying on a bench, which had been placed upon a raised platform where a gigantic azure crystal was floating mid-air, with golden rings and ornaments surrounding the crystalline object as some sort of brace, but also decoration. But, much like the environment around them, it was not moving and as silent as everything else around them.
There, standing at the foot of the crystal, was Deku, fully recovered and at the same height as Izuku, and once more, wearing the same ebony armor as before. The dark manifestation of Izuku's psyche sighed as he crossed his arms over his chest. "As much as I would like to test to see if your jacks can pierce my armour, Kyoka, you can put the jacks down."
The two stared hard at one another before Izuku gently took Kyoka's hand, once again squeezing it to reassure her. Once the punk rocker had calmed down, Izuku looked at his doppelganger with curiosity. "Where are we, Deku?"
"It's one of Quinn's memories apparently, something that will awaken the kit tied to Kyoka… but I am getting ahead of myself."
"Apparently, Quinn was born here, and from what Fray has told me, it holds both good and bad memories, so we should be careful where we investigate." Deku slowly raised a hand toward them. Though his facial expression remained neutral, the gesture was still welcoming to a point.
"Welcome to Gridania."