Chapter Text
Pursuing a relatively normal life after her trips into the past ended felt like a daunting challenge. Even if the world around her wasn't so mundane and boring, ever since the well had been sealed almost a month ago, it felt as though something was missing.
Perhaps it wasn't so much that she no longer had that facet in her life, but it was the lingering traces she was left dealing with. Gazing at her own reflection in the mirror before her, Kagome brought a hand up and rested it on her cheek. Her expression contorted some into a mild frown as she leaned a bit closer, eyeing her reflection as if it were somehow off.
Sure, it looked the same, but something about it seemed so…
Different.
Despite that feeling, she wasn't able to pinpoint what exactly about her seemed so different. With a sigh, she pulled her hand away, silently glaring at her reflection for a few more moments.
The way everything in the past ended was frustrating, but it was even more frustrating that for nearly the entire month that had passed since the well was sealed for good, she'd been out cold. That meant, because of that, she'd missed nearly the first full week of class at the high school she'd fought so hard to get into.
While the rest in her class had been told that she would join once her health improved, she knew the teachers were more privy to the truth of her situation. That, she knew, was the main contributor to how she was even permitted to remain in the class. It felt strange to know that someone outside her family knew about her strange situation, but, at the same time, it came as a sort of relief to know that she no longer had to hold so tightly onto the secret.
When the jewel had returned to her body, it lost its physical form. While that prevented it from ever coming back into the living world on its own, it also put her under a lot of strain and pressure. Her body hadn't been able to process it quickly enough, and she ended up locked in a near-full month-long hibernation. She only started to wake up almost a week ago, but her body was still under too much strain to do much of anything.
Now, she was feeling a bit better, at the very least. There was still a lot of tension built up in her body, but it was far more manageable now. At least, to the point where she could endure going to class. Any sort of training or exercise done would likely assist in removing some of the tension, as well. So really, sitting around wasn't doing her any good.
She glared at her reflection for a moment longer before finally turning away. She finished adjusting her uniform before walking over to her bed to pick up her bag and phone that she'd tossed onto it.
She picked up her phone and unlocked it. She went to the messages tab, frowning when she saw no response from the message she'd sent yesterday afternoon. Her frown deepened some as she exited it and locked her phone before stuffing it into the pocket of her skirt.
"Don't know what I was expecting…" she muttered, neat brows furrowing some in a mix of annoyance and hurt. Hadn't she pushed all her friends away towards the end of her trips into the past? At the very least, she's stopped responding to them. What did she have to be so upset over? Wasn't this exactly what she'd done?
She sighed and shook her head.
Anyway, it was probably for the best. She was stuck with the jewel energy bound to her own. There was no telling the sort of issues that would come from that. So, really, it was for the best if she didn't get too close to others. The last thing she wanted was for someone she cared about to get hurt for being too close to her.
Even so, trying to convince herself of that was harder than that.
She shook her head once more to clear her thoughts. She could dwell on this later, but for now, there were bigger things for her to worry about.
The classroom was empty when she got there that morning. Considering that it was almost an hour before class was due to start, it came as no surprise. Waiting for her inside was a man dressed mostly in black with a light gray scarf around his neck. His hair was down to his shoulders with a few strands of bangs falling over his face. She could see that his eyes were bloodshot, and the dark circles under his eyes made him look exhausted. Despite that, he looked fully alert.
"Thanks for coming in early," he said once she'd entered the classroom. "We could've had this meeting after class, but I'd prefer to get it out of the way." That way, he'd know a bit more about what he was working with when it came to her. "My name is Aizawa Shota, and I will be your homeroom teacher."
Kagome nodded, adjusting her weight on her feet as she stood across from him. "Right," she said. "Thank you for having me."
He looked down at something on his desk, and she glanced at it briefly. She saw her name at the top, so she knew it must have contained information that had likely been passed on to the faculty of the school. There were a few drawn-out seconds of silence before he picked his head up to look at her, his dark eyes meeting her light blue ones.
"How do you feel?" Aizawa asked. "It says that you only recently regained consciousness."
Kagome nodded and motioned towards herself, placing a hand against her chest. "I feel fine," she said. "There's some lingering pressure and tension from… it, but nothing like it was before," she continued. "My energy has come back enough that I can manage."
He nodded but didn't look away from her. "You scored high on the written exams, and you scored high on the practical exam." Given her experiences from the past few months, he had confidence that she'd catch up to the rest of her peers despite being out for the first week. There was something more about her that he could pick up on. It solidified his belief in not writing her off to start with. "It's impressive, given the circumstances of what you were dealing with at the same time." He glanced back down at the paper in front of him. "Your teachers in middle school were surprised that you applied to UA, citing that you never thought of pursuing the path of being a hero."
At that, Kagome nodded. "Yes, Sir."
He glanced back up at her. "Then why the change of heart? What's different now than last year?" Or even a few months, for that matter?
Kagome glanced down at her feet at his question, her grip in her shirt tightening fractionally. "I…" Why had she changed her mind?
"Eh? You really don't know yet?"
At the remark, she glared at the blonde-boy laid out across her bed, his arms tucked behind his head. She walked towards him, glaring silently down at him. She reached out, flicking him in the middle of his forehead, smiling when he yelped in response.
"Hey-!"
Kagome sat down on the edge of her bed, flopping her weight back so her head was by his. Some of her hair landed across his arm and shoulder, and she sighed. "No, I don't know yet," she said. She had so much more going on, and she couldn't justify getting distracted.
He sighed, the sound rough as he rubbed the side of his head with one of his hands. "Really, it should be a no-brainer for you," he stated in a matter-of-fact tone. She turned her head to look at him, arching a brow in silent inquiry. "With your Quirk, you'd have no issue being a Pro."
She exhaled softly and looked back up at the ceiling. "Pass," she remarked flatly. "That sounds like way too much trouble." She was already getting more than she bargained for in the form of a loud-mouthed half-demon and a cursed jewel shattered into dozens of pieces. Hero work? And, because of the jewel being gone, she couldn't reliably use her Quirk, so that shot that idea down twice as hard. There was no telling how long this ordeal would last, and even if there was, there was no guarantee that her Quirk would go back to normal afterward. So she couldn't just expect to be able to try to apply to a high school for the Hero Course.
"Too much trouble?" he quipped back before scoffing. "Says the girl always solving everyone else's problems."
Kagome sighed. "I'm just being practical here," she stated bluntly. "Anyway, being a hero is more suited to you, Neito." Flashy people and aesthetics… what a perfect match for his personality. He looked at her, glaring faintly.
"... Why does that feel like a dig at me when it comes from you?" he asked in an equally flat tone. She didn't say anything in response, merely humming softly. In a way, it was more than enough of an answer.
The frown on her face deepened somewhat as she sighed. She knew the answer, even if she didn't want to say it outloud. So, instead, she settled on something that, while still true, sounded a lot better. "I realized that, after everything that I've gone through, I can't just sit idly by. The world isn't safe, and if I can make it better, even if it's just a little bit, then shouldn't I try?"
"And you think you can manage that with the jewel back inside your body?" Aizawa asked. "What if you lose control of it? What if something happens that you cannot undo?"
"I'm not worried about losing control," she stated. She knew she had it in her to control the jewel, but… She glanced to the side, sighing softly. If she kept her distance from others, then she knew that she could keep others safe from its influence and whatever might be drawn to it.
"You seem confident about that."
Though a bit forced, she smiled. "Of course, I am," she stated. "The jewel is bound to me. My soul is enough to keep it locked in dormancy while it's in my body. The jewel itself won't cause any more harm for as long as I'm here."
And, even if she wasn't…. Should something happen to her, it would leave the world with her soul. That was the price of taking it back into her body.
"When the jewel was outside my body, my Quirk was significantly weaker- to the point where I couldn't aptly rely on it for even minor things," she stated. "I'm still not sure how, but I know the jewel impacts it in some way."
"... Are you doing this because you want to, or is it out of necessity?"
She was taken aback by his question, the emotions flickering past her expression. She didn't answer as quickly as before. "I…"
"It's fine if it's the latter," Aizawa stated. "A good hero isn't made by the desire to be one or there lackof, but by determination and skill." He stood up from his desk, looking down at her as he closed the gap between them. "You don't have to want to be one to succeed."
Kagome glanced down. One hand came up to twist a lock of her hair around her finger as she thought his question over. After a long pause, she sighed and shrugged. "I… don't know," she admitted. "I just…" She needed to do something, and this seemed like the best route for her to take.
Aizawa sighed and reached a hand out, patting her on the head as if he was reassuring a small child. "There's nothing wrong with not knowing what you want out of life just yet. We all have our reasons for doing what we do. You have enough potential to succeed in this course, and that's what matters right now. You can figure everything else out later."
He was sure that she could do wonderfully in this path, even if she wasn't fully sure it was what she wanted for herself. He couldn't fault her. After enduring what she had, she knew she had the ability and the potential, but she lacked the determination others possessed. She hadn't had time to think about it, to really think about what it would mean for her, so she did something that she thought would end up benefiting others in the long run.
All he could do now was nurture that and ensure she didn't die in the process. A task that was often easier said than done, but regardless.
The door opened as students started to enter the room. It was now less than fifteen minutes before class was set to start. He motioned for her to stay put, even as she was shot several curious glances by some of the people coming in.
Before long, the room was full of faces, and she didn't know a single one. Aizawa motioned towards her with one hand.
"This is Higurashi Kagome. Her health has improved enough for her to join us in class," Aizawa stated. "After class, someone show her around UA to help her get familiarized with the place so she's ready to compete on par with the rest of you." She saw a hand shoot up into the air, the owner of it a tall boy with dark, neat hair and glasses. Aizawa ignored him. "I don't care who does it, just as long as it gets done."
The hand went down, and Aizawa turned away.
"Take your seat so we can begin."
Kagome nodded, making her way to the one remaining seat and settling in quietly. She didn't look at the people around her, instead remaining focused on Aizawa.
She wasn't there to make friends, anyway.
Auroua-chan: Ending this chapter here.
So, Kagome was a late arrival to UA due to some mishap with the jewel. She's back on her own feet now, so that's a plus! She's not focused on making friends, thinking that it'd be better for her to get close to others due to… certain things, but that's bound to go downhill before long. It goes to say that Iida will be the one to show her around, and with him will surely be two others...
Anyway, that's it for now! Thank you all for reading and I hope you all enjoyed. Hopefully I caught all the errors before posting, but if not sorry.
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Bye for now~