Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Your name is Makoto Naegi, and you really wish you weren’t here right now. 

Well, what you mean is, you wish you were able to contribute more. You’ve been sitting in this damn office chair for well over three hours now.

Graduating Hope’s Peak Academy two years ago had been possibly the biggest achievement in your life. You hadn’t even thought it possible, let alone even be accepted in the first place! You hadn’t known it before, but you were an Ultimate, a human with remarkable powers who used your powers to fill others with Hope, which you had decided pretty early on that that was your true calling in life.

Hope’s Peak Graduates were destined to go on and do remarkable things. You had heard some travel around the world, helping with crime, technological advances… Making real names for themselves. So why the hell were you stuck in an office?

When a guy who called himself Kyosuke Munakata asked you and a few of your classmates to join the Future Foundation, you had been ecstatic! The Foundation was known throughout the world as one of the top Organisations alongside the World Trade Organisation, the World Health Organisation, even the freaking United Nations! What was different about the Future Foundation, though, was that it consisted entirely of Ultimates. You, alongside your friends, couldn’t wait to help make a difference!

Kyosuke had put you, Kyoko, Byakuya, Aoi, Toko, and Yasuhiro in the 14th Division, being assigned the roles of what he had called ‘Lookouts’, which was exactly as it sounded. It was something that Kyoko and Byakuya seemed rather content with, but you and the rest? Not so much. At least their powers allowed them to have a much greater advantage with analytical things like that, but you? You had trouble with basic search-and-finds! And you weren’t even entirely sure that Yasuhiro was completely sober half the time; a snail had a better reaction time than him.

Aoi seemed alright keeping an eye on the countless surveillance screens, often assisting Byakuya with transporting files and important documents to the other Divisions. Toko had spent nearly the entire time sulking in a corner, nose buried in her writing, a hobby which had gotten her a fair amount of recognition online. When her alter, Syo was fronting, however, the office became chaos. Now that you thought about it, it had been quite a while since she had fronted. Not that you were complaining, of course.

And you? Well, you acted as a sort of the unofficial ‘leader’ of the group, even though you knew that was absolutely a mistake. You didn’t have a single leader bone in your body! Kyoko seemed to think otherwise, however, as you found her often going to you for advice on what to do, rather than Byakuya. You supposed you didn’t mind it too much.

You dangled your feet, lightly swinging back and forth in your chair, and fiddled with the zipper on your jacket. It had been quiet the last few weeks. You didn’t see the problem, but it was making Byakuya more on edge than usual. You looked over to see Aoi fidgeting with a Rubix Cube, seeing her grow increasingly frustrated as she struggled to align the colours. Leaning back into your chair, you sighed.

It had been a while since you contacted any of your other former classmates, and you were beginning to really miss them. Two whole years had passed, and you hadn’t talked to any of them. You were starting to feel guilty.

You weren’t even sure if the others had kept contact. Wait, no, you were certain Aoi called Sakura at least twice a day. Were they dating? Would it be wrong to bring that up with her?

You heard her phone ring. She excused herself, and quickly left the office. Huh.

Most Ultimates had it fairly easy. Their powers were contained within their bodies, allowing them to easily camouflage with those around them. Some had it not so easy, as their powers were more… Noticeable.

Aoi, for example, was basically a human fish.

She could breathe underwater, and could swim as fast as a jetski. Faster, even! Her skin was covered in light brown scales, and her eyes were a solid bright blue. You had once heard Sakura comment how ‘their beauty is matched only by the very Heavens themselves’, though you were sure that she had meant that in a platonic way. Nearly every Ultimate has a downside to their powers, though, and Aoi couldn’t breathe oxygen, so when she was out of water she had to wear a bulky looking water tank that went around her neck and covered her gills. Oh yeah, she had gills. For some reason, you always forgot that about her.

You took a sip from what was probably your third energy drink that day.

“Hey, Kyoko?”

You watched as she spun around to face you, an eyebrow raising slightly under her bangs.

“What is it, Makoto?” You let out another sigh.

‘I’ve been thinking… It’s been a while since we’ve spoken to the others, hasn’t it?”

She nodded, frowning. “It has, yes.”

“Have you… Spoken to Celestia since we graduated? I know you two sort of left on bad terms, but I was thinking that maybe you guys had-”

“Reconciled?”

“... Yeah.”

Now it was Kyoko’s turn to sigh. It was clear that she was in pain. 

“Why do you bring it up now?” You shrug.

“I dunno. I guess since it’s been two years now. I feel bad.” You feel her lavender eyes stare into you. Now, she looks surprised.

“You haven’t spoken to any of them either?” she asks. You shake your head.

“... Maybe it’s for the better.” she mumbles, before turning back around and continuing with her paperwork. She seems to be in a bad mood now. Maybe you shouldn’t have brought up her ex.

You think about apologising, but it really looks like she doesn’t want to talk anymore. You decide you’ll apologise later.

“Hey, Makoto, d’you think you could help me with somethin’ real quick?” You turn around, only to find Yasuhiro waving to you from across the room. You nod, standing up, and walk over to him.

“Yeah, what’s up?”

You still find it jarring that he wears glasses now, even though you know they’re fake. He had said that now they were working in an office, he needed to ‘look the part’. Yet he continued to wear those same baggy pants and shirts. At least his hair was slightly more kempt now.

He looked confused about something. “I’ve lost my lucky labradorite charm… Could ‘ya help me find it if you’re not busy?” You frown.

“Since when do you have a ‘lucky labradorite’?” you ask, not entirely sure if you were pronouncing it right.

“Since a few weeks ago, man. Now could you help me look for it?”

“Oh… Sure.”

You start to help him search through his desk, looking through the drawers, not surprised when you find other crystals as well as drug paraphernalia mixed in with his paperwork and office supplies. You fight the urge to roll your eyes. “Are you sure it’s not mixed in with one of these?” You ask, pointing to the large pile of gemstones in one of the drawers. Yasuhiro shakes his head.

“Nah man,” he replies. “Augh, it’s gotta be here somewhere!” He continues to search around the desk, before sighing and walking off to where Byakuya was standing. You don’t hear the conversation, but you have a sneaking suspicion on what was being said, and judging by Byakuya’s reaction and Yasuhiro’s apparent pleading, it was the same thing he had asked you just minutes ago. You pinch the bridge of your nose and chuckle lightly. He really was a character.

Sitting back into your oversized office chair, you catch Toko peering over to where Byakuya and Yasuhiro stood. The two of you make eye contact. You awkwardly wave to her. She scowls, and buries her face back into her writing.

You have no idea why she still acts cold towards you. You had known each other for five years. Your other classmates had warmed up to you, you were sure even Byakuya tolerated you! But Toko… You just didn’t understand. You had thought that maybe she would try to act a little more friendly towards you when she had began to date your younger sister, but apparently not. What were you doing wrong? People are of course entitled to their own opinions, but this in particular bothered you, and you weren’t sure exactly why.

You throw the now empty can of energy drink into the bin in the corner of the room, giving the air a little fist bump as it lands in perfectly. Sweet. You’re getting better.

You’re about to stand up to grab a fourth can from the vending machine outside when suddenly you hear Aoi burst through the office doors. She looks panicked. Something is wrong.

The others feel it too, as they’re sharing that same look of concern on their faces.

“Guys… You’re not gonna believe this.” She mumbles, her voice low. Her turquoise eyes never leave the floor.

“What is it, Asahina?” Byakuya asks, looking over. He looks thankful that there was finally a reason to get out of the conversation with Hiro. Aoi remains silent. Byakuya frowns, raising an eyebrow.

“Well? Spit it out already, we haven’t got all-”

“Hope’s Peak has been destroyed.”

The room goes silent. You feel your heart pounding in your chest.

“... What?”

“I-It was blown up... Sakura called me....”

Toko jumps out of her seat.

“Th-th-that can’t be right! It was there just yesterday, and-”

“Things like that can happen in a blink of an eye.” Kyoko interjects. She’s quiet again for a moment, fiddling with the stitching of her gloves.

“... Were you able to get any more information, Aoi?” The fish girl nods.

“Apparently… It was an act of terrorism. The Academy was blown up from the inside with a wireless detonator… It’s gone… It’s all gone…” You watch as tears begin to stream down her cheeks.

You can’t believe this. Just moments ago, you were thinking about your classmates and reminiscing on old times. And now…

You hear Kyoko sniffle.

“Father…”

Oh shit. Principal Kirigiri.

You rush over to Kyoko who, upon closer inspection, you see was also beginning to shed tears. This was the most emotion you had seen her have since… Well… Since her breakup. You reach out to touch her cheek, before she stops you with a gloved hand.

“Don’t.” she commands. “Don’t use your power on me. I’ll be fine.”

You gulp, nod, and move your hand away. She pulls out a violet handkerchief, delicately wipes away her tears, and places it back into her pocket.

“Why didn’t you tell us this was coming, you idiot?!” Byakuya barks at Yasuhiro, making the much older man wince.

“Dude, I’ve told you, my power only works like, thirty percent of the time!” The blonde man scoffs.

“Pathetic.” He folds his arms, and looks down at the ground, deep in thought. “Where did this come from…? Why didn’t we see it coming…?”

“M-maybe it has something t-to do with the fact that it’s been so quiet lately…?” Toko suggests.

“Hey, yeah!” you reply. But the more you think about it, the more terrifying it becomes.

You jump as Kyosuke bursts through the doors, pushing past Aoi with not even an apology.

“You lot had one job! ” he yells, making you wince. ”One job! Do you know how many lives were just lost?!” You really don’t want to know the answer.

“Seven hundred and fifty four! Seven hundred, and fifty fucking four!”

“Oh, my god…” Aoi clasps a webbed hand over her mouth, falling to her knees. Toko looks like she’s about to pass out, which you really hope she doesn’t.

“We’ve been doing our job!” Byakuya shouted back. He seems unaffected with the body count, but you’ve known him long enough to know that he’s an expert at hiding his feeling, much like Kyoko. You have no idea what he could be feeling right now. Kyosuke glares at him.

You’re sure that if looks could kill, Byakuya would be a dead man.

“If you had been doing your jobs properly, then none of this would have happened in the first place!”

“We had no way of knowing…!” You cut in. You shiver as Kyosuke’s deathly glare turns to you.

“... And why is that?” You gulp again.

“I-It’s been quiet for the last few weeks… Nothing was being picked up!” Kyosuke sighs, and approaches you. You clench your fists as he looms above you.

“... Then let me make things not so ‘quiet’ for you.” he says, before shoving a ziplock bag with a neatly folded piece of paper inside to your chest. You grunt, and quickly grab it before it falls to the ground.

“That was found in the rubble.” he comments. You watch as his intense eyes scan the room, before looking back to you.

“... Mr. Naegi. I’m leaving your Division in charge of looking into this terrorist attack. Don’t fail again.” He stares down at you for a few moments, before turning around on his heel and leaving, slamming the door behind him.

The room is silent once again.

“Oh, here it is!” you hear Yasuhiro remark. “Heh, it was in my pocket this whole time!” Now you roll your eyes.

“People died, you idiot!” shrieks Toko.”A-a-and all you care about is some stupid rock?! If you weren’t my colleague, I’d- ”

“Toko. Calm down.” Kyoko is looking at her with concern. “You know what will happen if you let your stress levels rise too much.”

Toko huffs, and sits back down. Kyoko exhales, and turns back to you.

“Makoto. What does it say?” Oh, right.

You fumble with the dusty bag for a moment, before pulling out the paper. You take a deep breath, before opening it. On it, are three words, which looked like it was written in… Was that blood?!

“... Well?” she asks. Speechless, you turn the note around so that the others could see.

‘ TUNE IN TONIGHT’

“Is… Is that blood…?!” Aoi asks in disbelief. You nod your head.

“Without a doubt.” You watch as Toko turns her head away.

“Yes, that’s all fine and well, but what the hell does that mean?” Byakuya asks, annoyed. You shrug.

“Uhh, isn’t ‘tune in’ what TV stations use to get people to watch their crap?” Of course!

“Yeah! Whoever planted this letter must have been the attacker! They gotta be planning to hijack the stations then!” you say. “Good work, Hiro!” He smiles brightly.

“So, we should warn the station, right?” asks Aoi.

‘Yeah,” you nod. “Can you do that?” Aoi gives a look of determination.

“Of course!” She stands up, and walks over to the landline phone on her desk. 

Things were already going well. You just had to watch the broadcast tonight, and that way you would have a better understanding of just what exactly you were dealing with! Though despite that, you still feel anxious. When you said you wanted to contribute more, this was… A tad more extreme than you were expecting.

This was a planned attack. Whoever destroyed the Academy knew what they were doing. And, despite your newfound confidence, you have a feeling that things were only going to get worse from here.

Your name is Makoto Naegi, and you really wish you weren’t here right now.