#because I am now my headcount is all over and now I have 5 children who I don’t FUCKING KNOW IF THEYRE WITH ME OR NOT

[shannonswizzies]

Rant ahead

#okay so #I teach pre-k just so everyone knows before I go on my thing #so I have the oldest class right the 4/5 year olds YKNOW #and our youngest are little 2 and a half year olds so I GOT BABY BABIES #okay so we had our field trip to the pumpkin patch which we do every year without a hitch #this year we had A T O N more parents wanting to go which fine #like 5 in my class alone #so my NEWEST BEEF WITH PARENTS #if you are going on a field trip with your YOUNG CHILDREN TO A VERY PUBLIC AND PACKED PLACE #p l e a s e dear god either take them or let me watch them #PICK ONE JUST PIC K AN OPTION I AM SO USED TO WATCHING THEM I PROMISE YOU I DO NOT ACTUALLY NEEED YOU #but doing that back and forth BULLSHIT WHILE I HAVE 15 OTHER CHILDREN IS NOT THE MOVE #because I am now my headcount is all over and now I have 5 children who I don’t FUCKING KNOW IF THEYRE WITH ME OR NOT #AND THEN!!!! THEN!!! NOT ONE BUT T W O TWO TWO T W O OF MY CHILDREN #T W O OF THEM BEGAN WONDERING OFF like I need you guys to understand this is a huge farm/cornfield/pumpkin patch BIG PLACE #wander WHATEVER IM NOT FIXING IT #NOT A PARENT IN SIGHT SO I T O O K THEM #only to have their parents COEM TO ME A WHOLE 15/20 MINUTES LATER BEING LIEK ‘oh sorry I got distracted’ #then give me attitude when I’m like ‘they’re just a part of my headcount now’ like STAY WITH THE GROUP NOW #I’m not risking losing a little child #keep in mind this is with MY class #the little guys ONE OF THE DAD’S WHOLE ASS LOST HIS CHILD CAME PNICKING OVER FOUND HIM S O B B I N G AND HE WENT TO THE TRACHER FIRST #anyways #pick one #I really honestly truly am so used and OKAY with having all my class because they are little Angel babies for me #(and yes I got many compliments on how polite and sweet my littles are from the staff thank u one of the best behaved groups THANK YOU) #I lost my train of thought #pls if you come on a field trip just stay with the group or don’t #pick a side choose a side I don’t c a r e what side you choose PICK ONE

[liliesoftherain]

My Hero Academia Main 3 Boys x Reader

Ch. 6 Battles Over but a New War Begins! 

Ch.1 Ch.2 Ch.3 Ch.4 Ch.5

Yay chapter 6! Wow i’m surprised I got two chapters out today, I am still getting caught up on all the requests too(: Thanks for waiting guys! TAG LIST: @rizamendoza808​ ! (:

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

You heard AllMight whisper those two words and felt as relieved as his voice sounded. You tried to stand but your body felt too hot and you were growing weaker by the second. There was still blood on you, but due to the heat it already dried which left a nasty feeling on your face. Managing a crawl, you shuffled away enough to feel someone trying to pull you to your feet. 

"Don't touch," You mumbled, head lolling as more water from your body was being used to cool you down, your suit not being able to do much considering you've only tried that move once in this suit, and had water right away from a concerned Iida during the practice battles. "I'm too hot."  

"That's not an issue." A smooth voice retorted as you felt your body heat going down, a hand on your face as ice was formed and pressed to you skin. You sighed at the feeling hearing his ice crackle as the heat coming off of you was melting it. You were better now, but still incredibly woozy since you didn't have anything to drink.

A yell was heard, and you assumed it had to be Present Mic, because you didn't know anyone else who had such a booming voice. Looking up, the teachers had come through the door and were now running around helping all of the students. You briefly heard more gunshots as the black mist had wrapped around the criminals, being sucked into Thirteen's black hole.

"I may have failed to kill you this time but your days are numbered!" Shigaraki hissed as Thirteen's black hole wasn't strong enough to stop them from warping away. 

When they disappeared you saw Izuku still on the floor where you ended up tossing him, and tried to go over to him.

"Wait you shouldn't be moving, you aren't strong enough." Even though his tone sounded like he was insulting you, you figured Todoroki was just trying to be nice in his own way, seeing as you were standing now but still shaking.

"Thanks but I'm okay." You unsteadily walked over to Izuku and crouched down next to him trying to see if he was okay, but he didn't want your help.

"I couldn't do anything, I wasn't able.. You had to save me.. I wasn't able to help you AllMight!" Before you could answer AllMight spoke up.

"That isn't true, you bought me a few vital seconds. If not for that I'd be dead now. Thank you Midoriya you've saved me once again. Thank you both." He smiled.

"Thank you, AllMight!" Izuku started to cry. "I'm just so glad you're okay."

AllMight looked different, and you couldn't describe it. He looked softer, and not just in attitude. His muscles weren't as defined and his face thinner. Before you had any chance to figure it out a wall pushed you away from Izuku and AllMight, and you were lightly tossed back towards Kirishima who had been running over.

"Hey you guys are you-Oh shit (y/n)!" He lifted you and looked towards Cementoss. He gave you both a firm look.

"For your safety, please stay back children, and join your classmates at the front gate. Leave those two to us, we will take care of them." You looked at each other before nodding in your teachers direction.

"Uh yes sir." Heading back towards were Bakugou and Todoroki were waiting, Kirishima informed them that it was best to start heading back to the gates.

Bakugou scowled at you when you both walked up to the group, leaning on Kirishima for support.

"That was really fucking stupid of you to do idiot." You smiled back, ignoring his insults.

"Maybe, but as long as I got to save someone, it doesn't matter what happens."

"IDIOT OF COURSE IT MATTERS, YOU WERE JUST ANOTHER BODY GETTING IN ALLMIGHT'S WAY!" 

"Why are you so worried Bakugou, she was badass wasn't she!" Kirishima grinned.

"WHO THE FUCK SAID I WAS WORRIED DAMMIT, SHUT THE HELL UP ALL OF YOU."

You laughed, making your way upstairs with the two boys bickering over your head while you were still using Eijiro as a balance. Getting to the top, you saw just about all of your classmates and felt better that no harm had befallen them. You felt a body crash into yours as the breath was knocked out of your lungs, being forced to the ground and letting go of kirishima's arm. 

"I'm so glad you're okay (y/n)!" Mina was crying above you, and you pat her head to calm her down. 

"Hey hey it's alright, I'd be better if you weren't crushing me though." She jumped up and apologized, you laughed her off as you clutched your head. The world spinning.

"Oh no I'm sorry, are you okay?" She grabbed your cheeks in her hands and smooshed them together, making your lips look like ones of a fish, before scrubbing away at the dried blood that you almost forgot was there. 

"Yesh." You got out, swatting her hands away. "I just need some water, my body is using what it can to cool off so I need to make sure I don't lose too much water, otherwise I'll faint." 

The teachers walked all of the students out, and you were handed a bottle of water by the police who were just arriving outside. You chugged three of them like they were nothing before you felt better, standing next to Mina and Ochaco as an officer was doing a headcount.

"17, 18, 19, 20.. Well it looks as if you all are unharmed, with the exception of that boy whose legs are all messed up."

You crossed your arms, looking at Ochaco who had a worried look on her face. You put a comforting hand on her shoulder and smiled. 

"I'm sure he'll be okay, that kid is always breaking some bones."

"Yeah I guess so," she nodded, "but wait, (y/n) weren't you there too with all of them? What happened? How did he break his legs?"

"Uh well, he used his strength and sent it to his legs I guess, and when he pushed off they just broke."

"Let's get these kids back to the main campus." The detective called out, "We should give them time to rest before we question them, they've been through a lot."

"Detective what about Mr. Aizawa?" Tsuyu hopped over towards the man. He looked over at her and pulled out his phone.

"Let's see shall we? I'll call the doctor on the case. When the doctor answers the phone is put on speaker and you hold your breath.

"Well, I'll be honest with you all. The bones in his arms are splintered, and he has facial fractures. Thankfully there seems to be no serious brain trauma, but.. his orbital floor has almost been completely destroyed. There's no way of knowing if he will be able to see once he wakes up.  "

"Well, you heard the man."

"Ribit.."

"Not his eyes.."

"Uh!" Mina walked up, "Sir what about Thirteen?"

"There's no need to worry, despite a few nasty lacerations to the back, Thirteen is going to pull through good as new" 

"And AllMight?" You wondered sheepishly, knowing not everyone saw how hard he fought, so some may question why you're worrying about the number one Pro Hero. But you couldn't help it, your memory flashing to his smaller form, even though you only saw it for a second, and he didn't look too different, there was something that just wasn't right.

"He's also without any serious injuries, he's at the nurses office right now, since all he needs is a quick pick me up from Recovery Girl and he should be A-okay!"

"How about Deku?"

"How's Midoriya?" Izuku's two friends wondered at the same time, both of their eyes drawn in worry.

"Mido-ah, Recovery Girl is taking care for him too, he should be fine!"

Little sighs of relief spreads out among the crowd at the knowledge of everyone's safety and that this was finally over.

"Now, let's get you back to class!" 

"Okay!"

"Sanza, I have some business to attend to in the nurse's office, I'll leave this to you!"

"Yes sir!" A cat replied.

"Wait what?" You mutter.

"It's a cat?" Mina said back.

"Awh look at his bell!" Ochaco gushed.

You were about to board when you saw Bakugou staring at the building, firsts clenched at his sides.

"Bakugou come on!" You shouted, trying to wave him over.

"Yeah lets go man, we're going back to class now!" Kirishima helped you out.

"Yeah yeah, I heard him you idiots." He replied, walking up and getting in right after you.

You all sat on the bus and made the slow ride back to the school, and it was already sunset when you finally arrived. You went to the locker rooms and changed out of your hero costumes, enjoying the peace you felt back in the safety of your school. Your mind kept drifting back to your battle, and you only had pride. It wasn't a common occurrence first years got to see big pro heroes in action, or try to take on big bad guys yourselves and make it out alive. 

You walked out of the locker area, and felt a small pain in your shoulder. Rolling up your shirt, you remember you had to burn yourself. You just stared at your arm and saw the messy patchwork you did to keep yourself from bleeding. Drifting into your thoughts as you traced it. It stung a little more when you did so but you ignored the feeling, just thinking about how it was going to leave a nasty scar. 

"Hey don't worry about it, I think it looks really cool! Battle scars yea?" You heard Kirishima say, walking out of the lockers with Kaminari in tow.

 You dropped your arm and sheepishly rubbed the back of your neck, an awkward chuckle leaving your lips.

"Uh yea, I'm sure it won't bother me too much once it's healed up."

"I think it looks sexy as hell so don't worry your pretty head!" Kaminari winked, causing you to roll your eyes.

"You're all in the fucking way. Move." Looking back, Bakugou was glaring at you all. 

His eyes quickly looked down, right at your shoulder, and you couldn't help but move your sleeve down to cover it and look away. You heard a grunt before Bakugou brushed past you.

"Stop fucking worrying about it, you keep messing with it and it will get ugly."

You gave a smile as you watched him go till he was out of sight, looking back to the other two boys, smile growing. 

"Yea he's right, if I keep messing with it it'll remind me of your face Denki and I couldn't handle it." 

"Hey what! I'm not ugly!" Laughs filled the halls as well as Kaminari's whining. Leaving the school hallways you all left the school and accompanied one another to the station before going your separate ways.

The following day school was closed, you assumed they wanted to give the students, teachers, parents, and media alike a chance to rest before anything blew up. The media being the scavengers they were, reported the U.S.J attack and played it on repeat, knowing it was causing some uneasiness among civilians. 

Your father was proud at you when you told him everything that had happened, but was worried that you were put into the situation in the first place. You didn't tell him when you rushed head first to take the attack for Izuku, you knew his heart wouldn't be able to handle how reckless you acted.  It was reckless, but it was for a good cause and you weren't ashamed. 

You spent your day off training rather than relaxing, the whole incident wanting you to get stronger. The entire night before you found it difficult to sleep, as the events played out in your mind. At first you felt accomplished, but now you felt sick. You were weak, and unable to do much. You might've been able to help someone else, but you weren't able to save yourself.

Without the help from one of the U.A teachers, you don't know what could have happened. You learned from Tsu on the bus ride home that the boss villain had a quirk called Decay. Whenever he touched something it turned whatever it was into dust. That it happened to Mr. Aizawa's elbow, and you didn't know how to react.

That hand had almost touched your face, and you were helpless to stop it. You were way too vulnerable and useless, and you barely did anything to help. You only managed to get in the way of the Pros. It made you feel sick, and you could still hear that disgusting laughter echoing in your head. So your trained and trained and trained some more. Just on your physical body, since you and your father's home-made gym wasn't the best for your hot quirk.

Nighttime rolled around too fast, before you knew it, you were wishing your father a goodnight and trudging upstairs to get some well needed shut eye. You went to bed with hopes of more training tomorrow at school, a new wish on your mind. 

'I have to become stronger, not just for the sake of others, but for myself now. So I can always have the opportunity to protect someone, no matter what.'

At school the next morning, you sat at your desk, not knowing which teacher would be walking through that door, seeing as Aizawa was still in recovery.

"We're totally big deals," Kaminari's voice cuts through your thoughts, "we're basically celebrities."

"Yeah it's kinda crazy right?" Kirishima said.

"Get over yourselves, the hero course that pumps out heroes was attacked and that's what they care about." Jirou grumbled back, annoyed at being seating right next the blonde and hearing his loud voice next to her sensitive ears. 

The class continued to talk as you leaned back in you chair, trying to think of any teacher who would be coming in.

"Who knows what would've happened to us if the teachers hadn't shown up." 

"WHY'D YOU SAY IT LIKE THAT? I'M GOING TO PISS MYSELF JUST THINKING ABOUT IT" Poor Mineta, his cowardly shouts could probably be heard all through the school.

"OH SHUT UP AND GROW A PAIR LOSER!" And then there was Bakugou, of course.

"Did you guys see AllMight fighting the bird guy?" Sato asked excitedly while throwing punches in the air, "that dude was super strong but he still destroyed him!"

"Yes his strength is truly a thing of wonder." Tokoyami mused from next to him.

When the door swung open, everyone stopped talking to see Iida rush in, a stern look on his face.

"Attention home room class is about to begin, everyone stop talking and take your seats!" 

"Uh Iida, we're already sitting?" You sweat dropped at his enthusiasm. 

"Yeah you're the only one standing."

He pouted, and sat in his desk with his head down as if he was ashamed.

"I wonder who is coming to teach class today!" Mina wondered, having to have Tsu push her up as she almost fell backwards from leaning on her chair.

"I've been wondering all morning, " You spoke out, " He's still injured so there's no way he could be here today, I wonder which teacher is going to be taking over."

As soon as finished, the door opened once more, showing a man wrapped in bandages.

"Of course I can be here today, good morning class." 

"Mr. Aizawa what are you doing here!" The class bellowed at the same time, looks of shock on worry on everybody's face.

"Wow what a pro.." Denki mumbled. Kirishima just laughed, talking about how manly Aizawa was. "Mr. Aizawa I'm glad you're okay!" Iida shouted, and when you looked at all the wrappings on Aizawa, you knew he wasn't okay.

"You're walking around like a zombie, you should be at home, or even the hospital, resting up!" You exclaimed.

"My well being is irrelevant. What's more important is that your fight isn't over yet.."

The class started to whisper, wondering what he meant, the talk of more villains made people grow anxious, until Aizawa hushed you guys with his next sentence.

"The U.A Sports Festival is about to start."

"YES!" Kirishima's outburst made you jump, you were excited too but you didn't think anyone could be that happy about it right now with everything going on. The rest of the class sighed in relief at not having to deal with anymore criminals.

"LET'S GO KICK SOME ASSSS!" Denki's hand was shoved over Kirishima's mouth, pushing him to sit down.

"Wait a sec,"

"Is it a good idea to hold the sports festival so soon after the attack?"

"It could cause some anxiety, seeing as we'd all be in the same place. Most people would worry don't you think?" You bit your lip.

"I guess the administration believes this is a good way to show the threat has been dealt with and the school has been safe. Plus there's going to be more security compared to past years festival. "

"This event is a huge opportunity for all U.A. students, it's not something we can just cancel because of a few villains." 

You lost yourself in thought again, ignoring the speech Aizawa was giving about the sports festival and its importance. You already knew that not only did it provide entertainment to people from around the world, but that this was an amazing opportunity for people to get scouted, or even for other kids from different departments to join the hero course. Another importance was that your dad was going to be there, watching you in person. You were going to win no matter what.

"You have one chance a year, and three chances in a lifetime. You better not slack off on your training."

"Yes sir!"

"Class is dismissed."

After the rest of your morning classes, the midday break came. Most kids walked out to go enjoy their lunch, but you weren't that hungry so you stayed in the classroom along with a few other students.

"That villain stuff sucked sure, BUT I'M SO PUMPED FOR THESE GAMES."

"If we put on a good show, we're basically on the road to being pros!" Sero agreed with Kirshima, both boys having shit-eating grins on their face at the thought.

"Yea this is why I'm even here in the first place!" Sato punched a fist into an open palm, determination swirling in his eyes.

"Yes, we have so few chances we have to make this count." Tokoyami sighed.

"Well good luck to you all," You stretched your hands above your head, a smirk forming. "Because my goal is to come out on top, so you'll have to deal with me."

"Ha! Like I'm going to lose to you again (y/n)" Kirishima playfully glared, cracking his knuckles and crossing his arms.

"Just don't come cryin' to me when I'm the one to kick your ass got it."

"Oh okay tough guy, trash talk isn't becoming of you. We'll see who kicks whose ass in the games alright?"

"You're on, I have no worries cause a shorty like you couldn't beat a manly guy like me." 

"What'd I say about trash talk huh punk?" You jumped up and grabbed Kirishima into a headlock, giving him a noogie.

 He tried wiggling out of your grasps but you laughed like a maniac and held him tighter. You didn't see the blush on his face when you squeezed him against your chest. 

"Ah (y/n) I think you're killing him." Sero sweat dropped as you gave one last good knuckle rub before releasing him. Kirishima's cheeks a bright pink as he pouted and looked away, trying to fix his hair.

"Awh c'mon Eijiro don't be embarrassed, I didn't mess up your hair that bad."

"It wasn't that.." You heard him whisper, and you were going to ask what he meant when Ochaco's fierce shout caught you off guard.

"EVERYONE I'M GOING TO DO MY BEST!"

You heard the group she was standing with offer small agreements, before she turned to face you, eyes narrowed.

"I SAID, I'M GOING TO DO MY BEST!" You raised your fist to match hers, walking to Midoriya to ask him what was going on.

"What was that all about?" You whispered, still watching her freak out and yelling crazily.

"I have no idea." He sighed out, a small smile on his face anyways. You threw your arm around his shoulders, a smile on your lips as well.

"Either way it's endearing to see her that way, guess we'll all have to do our best, huh?" Izuku flushed heavily, wobbling on his feat as you swear you saw steam coming out of his ears.

"Ye-yeah uh of- totally yea HAHA!" 

"Wanna get lunch together?" You giggled as the question seemed to put him even more of a flurry of embarrassment, so you grabbed Ochaco's hand to still her from her ranting.

"Let's get lunch yea?" She quickly agreed, and you walked out together while Iida and Izuku followed. 

On the way to the lunch hall, you couldn't help the question that slipped past your lips.

"Hey Ochaco? What made you want to come to U.A. to be a pro hero?" 

She flushed now, as all three sets of eyes were trained on her. She twirled her fingers together before stopping and facing you all.

"Oh well, because.. I want to make lots of money!"

"For the money? You want to become a Pro Hero to be rich?" Izuku was shocked, and Ochaco scratched her head nervously, looking away almost ashamed.

"Well if I'm being blunt then yea, I know it sounds pretty greedy, you guys have such high ambitions, I hope you don't think less of me now.." She looked over at you, "At least I think I know what you want, I don't think you've ever told me why you want to be a hero (y/n)-chan." 

The guys looked at you as well, seeing if you'd answer.

"Well if I'm the one being honest now, I want to be a Pro to show my dad and everyone around me I have what it takes to protect them and keep them safe, no matter what. BUT you're goal is really great too, self perseverance isn't something to be ashamed of."

"Yeah! Perfectly admirable to support your well being!" Iida enthusiastically agreed, waving his arms frantically. 

"It's just surprising as all." Izuku chimed in.

"Well you see, my family owns a construction company, and it really isn't getting a lot of business right now so we're flat broke. It's pretty embarrassing."

"Construction huh?" You thought.

"Oh I bet if you got licensed you could save your family a lot with your quirk!"

"Right! She could sell all the heavy lifting equipment!" You continued a thoughtful smile thrown towards Izuku.

"Because she'd be able to float everything!" Iida smirked.

"I know right! That's what I've been telling my dad since I was a kid! But he's always told me not to worry about it, he wants me to follow my own dreams. But my dream is to help them! To become a pro, sign with a good agency and make lots of money. So that way I can let my parents have an easy life!"

The three of you gaped at her in amazement and you couldn't resist pulling her into a hug while Iida clapped in the background.

"Awh Ochaco I bet every agency is going to want you! Heck, maybe my dad will take you on!" You ooped as you caught yourself. You weren't ashamed of being the daughter of one of the Top 10 Heroes, but people always held expectations so you tried to do everything you could without help from your dad.

"Your dad?" She questioned, "Who is your dad?" You scratched your cheek, a nervous giggle leaving your lips.

"uh you'll see him at the festival, it'll be a surprise until then!" 

Trying to change the subject, you were about to drag them off to lunch until a booming voice caught you all off guard.

"YOUNG MIDORIYA!" AllMight bellowed out, that ever present grin stretching his face.

"Wanna eat lunch with me?" He questioned, holding up a tiny sack lunch. You and Ochaco giggled, saying how cute it was. Once Midoriya followed AllMight, the rest of the group went to the lunch room and stood in line.

"I wonder what AllMight wanted Deku for?"

"Well Midoriya tried to jump in and take down some of the villains AllMight was facing, did he not Hakamata?" 

"Yeah he did, before I shoved him away he was going straight towards those guys, the idiot." 

"Oh, maybe it was a cute way to thank him! Or hey remember what Tsu said, about how their quirks are so similar? Maybe AllMight wants to take Deku as a type of mini sidekick! That'd be so cool!" 

As they talked excitedly about the idea of Deku training to be AllMight's sidekick, you felt a stare and turned to cold eyes staring into yours. The different colors memorized you for a moment before he turned away. You wondered what Todoroki was staring at you all for, but you couldn't cut in line to ask him so you left it alone for now. Planning on asking later.

It was after lunch and afternoon classes when you were packing your bag to leave for the day, the commotion of different students outside of your door made you stop. You walked over after your bag was packed and stared, just like they were doing to all of you.

You felt like an animal in the zoo, having so many eyes trained on you, no words, only mutterings between the other students. 

"Do you have some sort of business with our class?" Iida asked, glasses glinting as you figured he activated his class rep quirk, ready to be official and strict. 

"I won't let you hold us in here-"

"They're scouting of the competition you idiots." Bakugou cut Mineta off, walking straight towards the door with no fear, glaring at the sea of eyes looking back at him.

"We're the class that survived a real villain attack, of course they want to see us with their own eyes. At least now you know what a future pro looks like, now move it extras!"

"Bakugou that's a little rude, even if they are being rude themselves and staring at us if we're here for their entertainment." You huffed walking to stand next to him, narrowing your eyes when you saw a flash of purple move towards the front.

"So this is the famous class 1-A, I heard you guys were impressive, but you just sound like an ass." He was staring at Bakugou, who's eyes hardened at the newcomer daring to speak to him. 

Tired purple eyes didn't flinch at the hard look, before turning to look at you.

"Is everyone in the hero course delusional?" Eyes wandered back to Bakugou, a small smirk ghosting his lips, "or just you?" 

You could feel Bakugou's annoyance radiating off of him in waves, and was that a vein popping out of his neck?

"HUH?!" 

"How sad it is to come here and find a bunch of egomaniacs." His eyes bore into yours.

"I wanted to be in the hero course, but like many others here I was forced to choose a different path, such is life I guess. " Bakugou tch'd, not caring about the sob story, while you didn't care either, his eyes were still staring into yours and they weren't blinking, you felt slightly uncomfortable but didn't let it show. You also didn't catch the way Bakugou's eyes drifted between the two of you, since you were trying to win this unspoken game of you blink you lose.

"I didn't cut it the first time around, but I have another chance. You see, if any of us-"

"We get it." You cut him off sharply, eyes narrowing. "If you do well enough they can consider a transfer into the hero program, and if there isn't enough room and you're better than someone already in, the other is out. But the jokes on you , because we aren't going to let that happen, we'll all be bringing our A-game"

"You better bring yours too if you think you have a chance against us." You finished, and saw how he smirked at you, his tired eyes finally blinking in a silent lose.

"I'm looking forward to it doll." 

 you huffed, thinking to yourself.

"Don't call me tha-"

"Hey you!" Another voice butt in, causing everyone to look towards a white haired student, who looked agitated. "I'm from class 1-B right next door, we heard you fought some villains and I came to see if that was true! But I think you're just a bunch of brats who think you're better than us."

"A little late, sorry guy." You said walking off, pushing your way through the crowd to get out. 

"Hey don't ignore me!" You figured he was talking to you but were surprised when you heard Eijiro yell for Bakugou to reply, since he was the one who started it.

Looking behind you, you saw that Bakugou was walking off as well, right behind you. He glanced back, rolling his eyes as he responded to Kirishima.

"These guys don't matter."

"Huh?" Bakugou locked eyes with you, an intense glare, and this stare didn't make you feel as uncomfortable as it did when the purple guy was doing the same thing.

"The only thing that's important is that I beat them." You gulped, but gave a nod and turned back around to keep walking. 

He followed you out, and without thinking you turned your head to look at him but saw purple eyes staring at you instead, the rest of the eyes a blur compared to his. Your face flushed as you snapped your head forward and gritted your teeth. That guy made you angry and you had no idea why his stare left you feeling cold, not even the icy looks of Todoroki did that. 

"Just so you know," Bakugou spoke up, not sparing you a glance as he shoved his hands in his pockets, "I do plan on winning, and you're one of my targets got that? I won't be going easy on you glitter bomb."

You smirked, giving him a cheeky thumbs up while responding.

"I wouldn't dream of it Bakugou, let's do our best!"

#bnha bakugou #bnha #bnha katsuki #bnha katsuki bakugou #bnha katsuki bakugou x reader #katsuki bakugo #katsuki x reader #bakugou x reader #bnha izuku #bnha izuku midoriya #bnha izuku midoriya x reader #midoriya izuku #izuku midoriya x reader #izuku mydoria #bnha shoto #bnha shoto todoroki #bnha shouto todoroki #bnha shouto todoroki x reader #shoto todoroki #mha midoriya #izuku mha #mha todoroki #mha izuku #mha #shouto todoroki x reader #todoroki shoto x reader #my hero academia #boku no hero academia #big 3

[carrotcouple]

In The Land of Higashiizumo (AO3)

Kiun has four jobs. One, working for an organization called ‘Equilibrium’. Two, guarding the gate of Yomi. Three, taking care of his cousins. Four, being Takemikazuchi’s anchor. The last one is the hardest. It is also the one Kiun is the most invested in.

Chapter 5: Alliance

“Kiun, I want you to answer all of my questions, honestly this time.” Sayuri said firmly. Kiun was seated in a cell surrounded by a barrier that cut off any yokai power. Kiun had only been in the cell once and that was when Takemikazuchi had still been a newcomer. It was strange how this time the one it was being used for was him. And he had no idea why.

“Can you please explain to me what is going on first, Sayuri san?” Kiun asked nervously.

“Kiun, that lightning was not of natural source. Anyone could have been able to tell that. But the main problem was that it cut through my barriers. Until now, other than the Kami there has been close to nothing that could challenge the power of a Jianhuren in their prime and in perfect health. Now either what hit Takemikazuchi was a Kami, which I highly doubt...or it was the power of a Weizhi.” Kiun swallowed, instantly feeling terrified. He knew for a fact that it wasn’t Takemikazuchi, he was sure. But that didn’t mean other people didn’t think the same.

“A Weizhi? Sayuri san, that shouldn’t be possible, right? You can hold off Weizhis perfectly fine. You kept Takemikazuchi tied down for an entire year.” Kiun tried to keep his voice level, but by the time he finished speaking his voice had gone up a pitch and he sounded desperate. Desperate to make her understand that it simply couldn’t be Takemikazuchi.

“Kiun, what does ‘Weizhi’ mean?” Sayuri asked.

Kiun clenched his fists even harder. His palms would be bruised when he got out of the cell. If he got out of the cell.

“It means ‘The Unknown’, Sayuri san.” Kiun managed out.

“That’s right. As far as we have seen, we have yet to have come across a Weizhi that can stand against a Jianhuren. There are currently four known Weizhi in Japan. There might be more, we may not know of their existence yet. Each Weizhi has their own special power. Yato kun’s is the power to use any weapon freely. Depending on his mental, emotional and physical condition, he could even cut apart this centuries old barrier that covers Higashiizumo in one sweep. The other two Weizhis have their own powers I do not have data on. But Takemikazuchi kun? We don’t know what his power is. He has only relied on his Ban Shen power from day one. I believe there are some that know of his powers, namely Tsuyu, the Ningyo in Ebisu and Suzuha, but they will not tell me. Apparently they refuse to tell me to keep the balance of the world safe. They would rather no one knew of his powers. But Tsuyu did let one thing slip, perhaps a warning. She said ‘Kiun’s raijuu will know. Kiun will be the first trigger, I’m sure of it’. So Kiun, either what penetrated through my barrier was a Kami, a Weizhi we have not discovered yet or Takemikazuchi himself.” Sayuri san looked him in the eyes. Kiun shot up.

“It’s not him, Sayuri san! I swear it isn’t! Whatever that was, it hurt him. Why would something he himself did, hurt him? And he wasn’t doing anything at the time! He was simply trying to bury me with cherry blo-” Kiun cut himself off, blushing.

“Using the powers of his raijuu hurts him, Kiun. Why can’t using the powers of his Weizhi self hurt him?” Sayuri asked pointedly. Kiun bit the inside of his cheek. He didn’t know how to explain, but he just knew that what hit Takemikazuchi wasn’t the powers of him as a Weizhi and he knew Takemikazuchi’s Weizhi powers would not hurt him. Kiun stood up straight.

“I don’t know why, Sayuri san. But I do know that it won’t hurt him and that the lightning that hit him wasn’t his own doing.” Kiun said firmly. Sayuri stared at him for a moment. “Sayuri san, I know that Takemikazuchi is a Weizhi and that his mind is unreadable...but please, trust me. I know him.” Kiun looked at the Jianhuren pleadingly. Kiun weaved his fingers together and then found himself smiling. “He is perhaps one of the most dangerous people here in Higashiizumo. He may still be a very real threat, but he’s just a child, really. He’s just started learning how to be kind, how to lean on others, how to lead others, how to think beyond his own personal safety. He’s learning what it means to have family and friends. I would trust him with my life.” Sayuri sighed and massaged her temples.

“Very well, I’ll trust you on this, Kiun. I’ll leave Takemikazuchi in your hands.”

Kiun breathed a sigh of relief.

“Mom?” The door slammed open and Masaomi rushed in. “The training yokai are going wild. Some of the barriers are down. Minor yokai are making it in and out of Yomi.” Sayuri marched over to Masaomi, a grim look on her face, she ripped out her walkie-talkie and started to speak into it.

“This is the head Jianhuren. I’m making this conclusion right now. We seem to be under attack from an unseen force. Masaomi and I have to remake those barriers. All Guancha zhes start setting up temporary shields. All S Class members will be in Higashiizumo on alert and setting Yokai back into place. All A Class and below will do a headcount of all the Institute members and take the children to a safer area. Get eyes on the Weizhi and Yetong. Kiun go to Takemikazuchi now, and someone find Hiyori!” Masaomi followed his mother as she marched out of the cell. Kiun ran towards the clinic. He made it into the building just as three S Class members ran out. Takemikazuchi was lying on one of the beds connected to an IV drip. One of the nurses was busy checking his vitals.

“How is he?” Kiun asked.

“Doing fine actually. Probably because he has a raijuu in him already so the lightning didn’t affect him much.” The nurse looked up to smile reassuringly at Kiun. “Oh, look he’s starting to wake up. He’s a S Class member, right? If he’s fine he should be good to go to Higashiizumo, if I’m correct.”

“I’ll let him rest a bit more and I need to question him about a couple of things.” Kiun told the nurse, a note finality in his voice which put the conversation to an end. She turned and went on her way. “Takemikazuchi sama, how do you feel?” Kiun asked, helping his charge to sit up.

“I feel…” Takemikazuchi looked at Kiun in confusion. “What exactly am I doing here? I remember ranting to you about the cherry blossoms and rabbits and-” Takemikazuchi shot up straight, his eyes wide. “That Weizhi is at full power! He’s getting out of the Institute, Hiyori chan is following him! Kiun this is bad! If he gets out no one can face him but me and the Jianhurens!” Takemikazuchi bolted out of the bed and ran out shoving his knife into his belt. Kiun started after him, whipping out his walkie-talkie.

“This is Kiun, Yato kun is on the move at full power. The next Jianhuren is going after him. Takemikazuchi sama and I will deal with him. Please stay away from the Weizhi, we don’t know what he’s capable of. Both Jianhurens on duty, please continue with what you’re doing, Takemikazuchi sama will handle him.” Takemikazuchi ripped through the stitches and the first seal on his bones. He lit up brilliantly, clothed in blinding lightning. It seemed even brighter than before. In a second, Takemikazuchi had taken off into Higashiizumo. Kiun drew up the power of the raijuu within him but it seemed weaker than usual. Brushing off the strange feeling, Kiun followed the burnt and sizzling trail the raijuu Ban Shen had left behind. It didn’t take long for him to see Hiyori standing near Takemikazuchi and Yato who were glaring at each other. Yato was holding two short daggers he had probably swiped off of someone.

“Kiun san!” Hiyori rushed over to his side.

“You seem to really dislike this Institute, huh?” Takemikazuchi scowled at Yato.

“What would you know? I bet you haven’t had to question everything in your existence! What do you know of what goes through my head? Don’t you dare think that you, a member of the equilibrium that has probably been nesting in peace for the majority of your life knows what’s going on inside of me!” Yato snarled.

A chill passed through the air and then Takemikazuchi pulsed at full power, a stream of lightning lifting up like a beam of light into the sky came from him. Hiyori cried out and covered her eyes. Kiun let out a yelp when his lightning dimmed significantly and his body turned cold.

“You damn brat, you act like you have seen even a little bit of the void inside of me. Trust me, your life is probably a walk in the park compared to mine. I’ll show you what kind of power comes from true darkness!” Takemikazuchi’s lightning went even brighter and Kiun’s went out completely.

“Wha-” Kiun dropped to his knees, clutching his hands. His hands were cold and shaking.

“Kiun san?” Hiyori bent down next to him and reached for his hands in worry when the ground convulsed under them.

“Kiun! What is going on? Barriers are breaking all over the place!” Sayuri’s voice screamed over the walkie-talkie. Yato jumped into the air just as Takemikazuchi launched himself up too. Kiun only briefly saw Yato cutting through Takemikazuchi’s lightning like it was soft bread and Takemikazuchi grab Yato with one lightning covered hand and then he and Hiyori were hit by the impact. The earth tore and the wind hit them like a tsunami. Hiyori clutched Kiun as both of them were thrown across the ground. Kiun tried to pull himself up but his limbs were trembling violently. His entire body was weak and shaking and before he knew it he felt like his insides were burning with a cold fire.

Kiun screamed and threw himself onto his back. The sky spun above him, turning black and red. He clawed at the ground with his fingers, kicking wildly as pain ripped through him, starting exactly from where he had always felt his raijuu.

“Kiun san! Kiun san!” He vaguely heard Hiyori’s voice. Out of the corner of his vision he saw one of Takemikazuchi’s lightning streams. It was so bright, even Kiun, a raijuu jiijin, found it hard to look at. The pain didn’t decrease, it was only increasing. It was as if someone was forcefully drawing the raijuu out of him without either of their consents. Kiun choked out blood. “Kiun san!” He heard Hiyori scrambling around. “Mom? Mom? This is me, Hiyori! Can you hear me? We need help! Please! Kiun san is dying!” Hiyori was screaming and crying into his walkie-talkie. “It won’t work! Why won’t it work?” Kiun’s blood thudded in his ears, his throat hurt, his eyes were stinging, he rolled over and coughed out more blood onto the ground. “Stop it! Stop it both of you! Kiun san is dying!” Kiun heard Hiyori’s far away voice shrieking. “Listen to me! He’s dying!” Kiun’s vision flickered. He was going to pass out. He really was dying. “STOP IT!”

Silence.

Kiun flopped face forward onto the ground as the pain vanished. His muscles were twitching, his ears were ringing. There was dirt in his mouth, sweat in his eyes, blood on his collar. Kiun had never felt so wrung out in his life.

“...un!...iun!...Kiun!” The sky spun once more as Kiun’s body was lifted up. He gazed blankly at the blurry, double image of Takemikazuchi peering down at him. His mouth was moving, but Kiun could barely hear anything. It sounded muted. He was pulled higher and into Takemikazuchi’s arms, his face was pressed into the raijuu Ban Shen’s neck and sweat matted hair. “Kiun! Kiun! Come on answer me!” he heard Takemikazuchi’s voice clearer this time. “Kiun!” His body jolted, eyes clearing and his throat clearing as he spat out blood and dirt on the midnight black hair caressing his face. Kiun sucked in a lungful of air as his quaking fingers found the back of Takemikazuchi’s shirt. He clutched it and then tried to pull himself up. Takemikazuchi was the one to help Kiun sit down of the ground when his body failed him. He had bitten his tongue.

Kiun pressed his hands to his stomach. He could feel the raijuu, sleeping as always, but there. He was still taking shuddering breaths and every inch of his body was shivering. He saw Hiyori supporting Yato who was out cold.

“How?” Kiun rasped. He was startled at how much his throat hurt.

“Don’t really know. All I know is that everything went purple and that Hiyori had knocked out Yato the next moment. She yelled at me about how you were dying. I think Hiyori chan did a Jianhuren thing which stopped both me and Yato.” Takemikazuchi shrugged. He was still holding Kiun up, hands at his waist. “But first we have to get you to the clinic. Kiun, you have no idea how much you scared me. I thought you were dead…” There was worry and anxiety all over Takemikazuchi’s face. “I’ll get you to the clinic in no time if I just use my raijuu-”

“No, do not use your raijuu!” Hiyori snapped, dropping Yato on his face next to them. She looked furious. “Look around you, you idiot! You guys caused this much destruction! Have a great time talking my mother out of locking the two of you up for the next three years! The last time I saw you use your raijuu, it wasn’t like this. This was madness. No raijuu Ban Shen should be able to power up that much in so little time even if you are a Weizhi! Every time your power increased, Kiun san started screaming even more! If I even feel the slightest static electricity in the air, I’m going to knock you out as well!” Hiyori growled at Takemikazuchi. Her knees and elbows were skinned, she was bleeding and bruised, no doubt from trying to shield Kiun when they had been thrown. There was a flurry of flower petals and then Tsuyu and Suzuha were in front of them. Tsuyu nodded at Suzuha and then Suzuha held out out a fruit to Kiun.

“It’ll help you feel better.” Tsuyu explained. Kiun accepted the strange looking fruit and bit into it. “We’re going to have to blame this entire incident on Yato kun.” Tsuyu said simply.

“What?” Takemikazuchi and Hiyori asked.

“Takemikazuchi kun, did you feel a strain on the second seal of your raijuu even though you used up so much power? Were you in pain?” Tsuyu asked. Takemikazuchi shook his head. Kiun, Hiyori and Takemikazuchi connected the dots. The one that had felt the pain instead had been Kiun. “That’s because you were not using your own power, you were using Kiun’s.”

“But that shouldn’t happen cause well...Kiun san isn’t Takemikazuchi san?” Hiyori tilted her head in confusion.

“Not if Kiun’s powers are now connected to Takemikazuchi’s. You see, what he was using wasn’t his Ban Shen powers, he was using his Weizhi powers.” Tsuyu explained.

“Now wait a moment! I have never done this before!” Takemikazuchi protested. Kiun straightened up, his eyes widening.

“Well that’s because the owner of the power you use has to-” Tsuyu began.

Kiun let out a shriek and fell over, feeling his face heat up.

“...some can capture the heart of a yokai.”

“Oh my god. No way. This is ridiculous. I can’t believe this.” Kiun mumbled into the ground.

“Kiun! Kiun, are you OK?”

“Kiun san?”

“There are certain requirements for your power Takemikazuchi and we are not exactly sure what it is.” Kiun shot back up and turned to Takemikazuchi, saying the line very very seriously. Takemikazuchi blinked at Kiun.

“But Tsuyu san was just-” Takemikazuchi started, baffled.

“I was saying, the owner of the power you use has to go through certain requirements.” Tsuyu smiled. She sent an extremely amused glance at Kiun. Kiun closed his eyes in mortification. Great, now Tsuyu and Suzuha knew. He peered suspiciously at Suzuha. The Yetong wasn’t exactly an example of people skills, who knew what he might blurt out. Suzuha grinned serenely at him.

“This still doesn’t explain why we’re blaming all of this on this guy.” Hiyori gestured at Yato.

“Because, the more power Takemikazuchi gets, the easier it is to overpower anything that resists it, it might even overpower a Jianhuren eventually. This would cause chaos if people knew. I would prefer only the four of us who have heard this and the Ningyo in Ebisu san should know about this.” Tsuyu said seriously. Kiun’s jaw dropped. There was a stifling silence.

“Understood…” Takemikazuchi said slowly. “But how am I supposed to fight without using my powers?”

“Actually, the point is, you weren’t using your powers, at least not your Ban Shen powers. You were using your Weizhi powers which come so naturally to you it’s as simple as breathing. When Yato kun was younger, I suppose, he cut and damaged everything when he held a weapon. What you need to learn Takemikazuchi is how not to use your powers. Until then, it might be a good idea to take time off your work and focus on teaching instead. You should practice with Kiun kun to see whether you’re using your powers or not.” Tsuyu told him with a look that dared him to challenge her.

Takemikazuchi frowned.

“I’m not going to teach him anymore, thank you very much.” He sniffed with disdain.

“I’m sure Sayuri dono can talk you out of that.” Suzuha said with that same serene grin. Takemikazuchi made a face.

“Oh, Kiun san, you already look better!” Hiyori said in surprise. Kiun felt better. His body wasn’t shaking anymore and his fingers were warm again.

“That was yokai medicine. Of course he feels better.” Suzuha beamed at Kiun. Kiun, Takemikzuchi and Hiyori gaped at him.

“It worked with the raijuu within. However, other things like your aching throat and outward injuries that were not caused by the raijuu and Takemikazuchi kun taking your power will have to heal on their own.” Tsuyu calmly explained.

There was a sudden whirl of wind and Bishamon landed on the ground next to Tsuyu. Extended from her fingertips were long animal-like claws dripping with blood.

“What happened here?” She demanded to know. “Sayuri san is freaking out over the amount of barriers that have come down. It’s utter chaos.”

There was a moment of stunned silence and then Hiyori spoke up.

“Yato kun was going on a rampage. We only just got him to stop.” Hiyori explained. Bishamon carefully looked over their injuries and Takemikazuchi who was holding Kiun. She eyed Takemikazuchi.

“But the fact remains that Takemikazuchi went beyond the full power we usually see, right?” Bishamon asked suspiciously.

“Takemikazuchi simply caused this destruction down here. The barriers were cut down by Yato.” Tsuyu linked her hands together and nodded her head slightly at Bishamon.

“I’ll go make sure a medic team gets sent this way for you guys. Takemikazuchi, we need your help towards the east side-” Bishamon turned ready to start off with Takemikazuchi coming behind her.

“Bishamon sama, Takemikazuchi sama can’t fight anymore.” Kiun rasped out, trying to get to his feet but falling back into Takemikazuchi’s arms. “He strained his seals and something isn’t going right...it must be because he fought a Weizhi at full power. In fact the one that actually stopped Yato kun was Hiyori chan. Takemikazuchi sama can’t fight.”

“Eh? Didn’t he bail out on us last time too cause he captured the Weizhi? I’m telling you, we need all hands here.” Bishamon said seriously.

“If you really need someone, I’ll come with you.” Kiun attempted to pull himself up again.

“No, that’s no good. Have you even seen yourself? It’s fine, we’ll continue somehow.” Bishamon shook her head and was gone with a gust of wind.

“If the humans need help, shall I help?” Suzuha turned to Tsuyu. Kiun stared. Suzuha didn’t even consider himself human. Tsuyu nodded at Suzuha and Suzuha was gone in  blur of cherry blossoms, plant vines and roots carrying him across Higashiizumo.

“Hiyori chan, you should rest a little. Oh there’s the current Jianhuren, most likely here to put barriers on Yato kun.” Tsuyu noticed Masaomi running over. Hiyori sat down on the ground next to Kiun, wincing as she avoided putting pressure on her cuts and bruises.

“Hiyori are you, OK? Did you break anything? Oh my god, dad is going to freak.” Masaomi fussed over his sister the moment he saw her. Hiyori smiled tiredly.

“More importantly, can you put the barriers on him again? It would be a pain if he woke up.” She gestured to Yato who was still passed out. Masaomi nodded and squatted next to Yato and started to make the barriers.

“The med team will be here soon. I will go and assist Tenjin sama.” Tsuyu bowed to them and then she too was gone in a flurry of plum blossom petals.

Kiun turned back to Takemikazuchi who had been silent the entire time and started. The raijuu Ban Shen was staring straight at him in what seemed to be a daze. Kiun realized, Takemikazuchi’s hands were still on his waist. He went scarlet but swallowed down the embarrassment.

“Takemikazuchi sama, is there something wrong? You don’t seem as lively as you always do…” Kiun said gently. Namely, Bishamon and Takemikazuchi hadn’t argued the moment they saw each other.

“Huh? Yeah, I’m fine, just...won’t that scar?” Takemikazuchi asked, gesturing to the side of Kiun’s face. Kiun slowly raised his hand and put it against the side of his face. He felt blood. He pushed his fingers a little higher and then let out a hiss of pain. There was a slim but sharp stone lodged in the flesh right at his cheekbone.

“Ow! I didn’t notice! It stings!” Kiun wasn’t unused to getting hurt while on the field but he was surprised he hadn’t noticed it before.

“The med team can take care of that.” Masaomi said, tying Yato’s hands behind his back. “We’re going to have to lock this guy up for a while. We need him to calm down. If he continues like this someone will eventually get hurt. But the major issue is, how did he get rid of his previous barriers in the first place?”

Kiun, Takemikazuchi and Hiyori turned the other way, suddenly extremely quiet and attempted to look as innocent as possible.

“There’s the med team.” Masaomi look up. “I’ll come with you guys so I can lock up this guy up and then I’ll return to helping mom.”

------o------

“Hiyori chan, what were you doing when you started following Yato kun?” Kiun asked as they lay their on their clinic beds and stared up at the ceiling with IV drips connected to their arms. Takemikazuchi turned on his side so he could take part in the conversation properly.

“I was actually going to the library. I knew everyone was busy with dealing with some of the barriers that had come down. So I went to go study to make sure I didn’t get in anyone’s way. There was no one in the library but then I heard Yato talking angrily to someone. It was really weird. He was screaming at the person to go away. I couldn’t hear a thing. Then suddenly Yato went quiet and then he said ‘fine, I’ll do it’ and then he just ran out. So I followed him.” Hiyori explained.

Takemikazuchi sat up a smirk on his face.

“Called it. I’ve had a strange feeling since the moment I met him.”

“What do you mean Takemikazuchi sama?” Kiun asked.

“Yato is a Weizhi and most Weizhis are known to work alone. One, because, they are discriminated by everyone else, be it people from this side of the world or the other side. Two, because they are extremely powerful and smart. No one would match their level, they prefer to be alone.” Takemikazuchi put his finger up in the air as if he were making a point. “From all of my interactions with him, I’ve noticed, he behaves like he just ran away from someone who has had a hold on him for a long time and he’s scared that person will find him again. I’m not saying he’s working with someone, I’m saying he works for someone. And to instill that kind of fear into a Weizhi, that person must be very fearsome indeed.” Takemikazuchi looked dark. “I want to tell Sayuri san-”

“No! We can’t!” Hiyori cut Takemikazuchi off. “The only way we can solve this is to get Yato to open up to us. We’ve already blamed an incident on him and he probably hates us enough. But if we get him to trust us, we can deal with this differently. Telling my mother won’t help. She won’t give us the opportunity of time. She has an entire city to keep safe, she won’t put the lives of so many at risk. We have to do it ourselves.”

“I hate to admit it, but Hiyori chan is right…” Takemikazuchi shrugged.

“So you’re saying you’ll become friendly with Yato kun, Takemikazuchi sama?” Kiun asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Friendly?” Takemikazuchi scoffed. “Friendship between Weizhis doesn’t exist because the only minds we can’t understand are each other’s. But I can get him to trust me.” Takemikazuchi grinned almost evilly.

Hiyori chuckled.

“This plan, I want in on it.” The curtain dividing their beds from others swung open and Yukine stood there, rather bruised but a sharp light in his eyes.

“Takemikzuchi sama! Why didn’t you tell us he was there?” Kiun cried out as Hiyori and he started.

“Well, the kid seems interesting, plus, I’ve always wanted to see what a Yukionna Jiijin would be like.” Takemikazuchi said cheekily.

“Our first goal would be to get Yato out of that cell. If you guys were serious about the incidents earlier, then that means we don’t have much time to become chummy with him. And since he’s a Weizhi, he’ll be able to tell if we’re faking.” Yukine said pointedly.

“Point taken.” Kiun swung himself up into a sitting position. “So our first mission is to get him out of lock up.”

------o------

Voices.

“You know what you have to do.”

“I’ll go with him! I trust him!” A familiar female voice said.

Yato felt a dull pain at the back of his head. He slowly stirred.

“You’re not alone anymore.”

His eyes cracked open and for moment he was blinded by the light coming from the window to his left. He took in his surroundings. He was sitting on a chair in a small grey colored room. His mind started to work fast. That was right, he had been fighting that Wiezhi when suddenly that girl, Hiyori, had stopped them. Where was he? He tried to reach for his power but he failed. The barriers were on him again, and more barriers than last time.

He cursed under his breath and wondered how he could get out. There was a loud click, a screech and the door swung open. And old man looked down at him. It was one of the Ban Shens named Tenjin.

“You’re lucky you’re not being locked up much longer. The usual sentence would have been a week, but for some reason it was cut down to four days.” Tenjin told him. “You should thank those who vouched for you.” Then he walked out.

Vouched for him?

“Well that took a little longer than I expected. We thought we’d have you out in at most two days time. Oh well, one can never underestimate Sayuri san.” Yato scowled at Takemikazuchi who was leaning leisurely against the door.

“How are you feeling?” Kiun walked into the cell.

“I don’t think I meant to knock him out for four days. Wait, is that even possible?” Hiyori followed in right after.

“Of course it isn’t possible, he must have been under some kind of spell or something. They probably thought he would be more annoying to deal with if he was awake.” Yukine was the last to enter.

Yato frowned as he tried to understand the logistics behind these people getting him out when others didn’t want him out.

“At least look a little grateful, brat.” Takemikazuchi said.

Yato clenched his fists. This was the first time he had felt confounded by normal humans.

Author Note - I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter! This chapter probably came out faster than any of you were expecting. Well that was because all the research for this chapter was done when I wrote the last chapter! Please look forward to the next chapter!

#sunny writes #sunny's fanfic #in the land of higashiizumo #takiun #takemikazuchi #kiun #noragami

[noordinarytravel]

6 Important Considerations for Family Travel Planning

As a travel agent, I work with clients from all walks of life. Some are couples, some are families, and some are groups. I enjoy working with all types of clients but each have specific challenges.

From time to time I am approached by a client that wants to plan a family vacation but they don’t know exactly what they want.  Sometimes they have an idea of what they want but they aren’t sure it is possible or even a good idea.  When I work with a client I have several questions that help me determine if their dream vacation is possible, if it is even a good idea for the entire family, and the things we need to do to make it doable. It is absolutely crucial if I am going to match them up to a fabulous, successful, memory-making vacation.

Number of and Ages of Travelers

Multi-generational travel has been a growing trend with the large number of retired/retiring Baby Boomers. Creating a trip that appeals to all age groups isn’t impossible if you ask the right questions.

The first thing to consider is how many people are traveling and their ages.  The more people going and the wider the age differences, the more their interests will differ. Some members of the group may want rest and relaxation, some may want fun and adventure, while others may be focused on learning something new. Ask everyone what their goals are so you know how to move forward. 

Interests and Goals

Once you know what everyone’s vacation goals are, you can then begin to look for and research tours and activities to meet the group’s goals. Their needs to be something for everyone to enjoy, and their needs to be something in which they can all participate. 

For a family trip to be successful, EVERYONE needs to have a good time.  That does not mean they have to enjoy all of the same things but there needs to be balance in order to maintain harmony and to create those special family moments that will last a lifetime.

I ask all of my clients to prioritize the tours and activities they want to do so that we make sure we fit in the most important. Time and/or money are always limited resources so I try to get them what they want most before they both run out. I don’t want them to return home from their trip wishing they hadn’t missed out on something very important to them.

  Space Needed

How many bedrooms do you need?  Bathrooms?  Can the younger children share a room?   What about the older children?  Ideally everyone would have their own space but we all know that it can get crazy expensive to do it that way. 

A lot of times vacation rentals work out better for families because they can get a home or condo with multiple rooms and bedrooms, and they can take advantage of shared family space that you won’t find in hotels.  Most of the time it ends up being more affordable when the cost is broken down over the entire headcount.

Don’t underestimate the need for multiple bathrooms. If you are cruising, it may work out better to get two smaller, connected rooms so you still have more space but you also gain a bathroom. The suites are nice but, if you don’t get more than one bathroom, you may end up with people fighting for the bathroom.

If any family members have specific privacy needs, then they should have a unit of their own. I can usually find a smaller apartment or condo in the same building or very close by.

Accessibility Needs

We travel with a daughter that has special needs so we always make sure our trips are appropriate for her.  Accessible hotel rooms are fairly easy to get but you absolutely have to read the fine print when it comes to vacation rentals. 

Not all units have elevators or lifts, especially if you are considering a room, condo or apartment in an old or historic buildings.  If you are looking at a historic location, ask the owner if you don’t see it specifically addressed in the description.

It didn’t take long for us to realize that accessibility is not the same in every country. Talk to your travel agent about your specific needs so that he or she can make sure they find the best option for you. They can also help you find special equipment (i.e. oxygen, shower chairs, etc) if you need it.

 Budget

This is a really challenging topic.  The reason is I sometimes have clients that come in with unrealistic expectations.  Yes, I work hard to find great deals for my clients but that does not mean I can find luxury accommodations at bargain basement prices.  I absolutely believe in “you get what you pay for” and it very much applies to travel.  

If my client wants to visit a city in which I do not have personal travel experience, I research it.  I contact colleagues that have experience in that city, I do online research, and I contact tourism bureaus to find out what areas have high crime rates, which ones have affordable accommodations, which neighborhoods are close to their places of interest. 

Planning a vacation should not be driven only by budget. It should be driven by value. Think about the things that matter most to you and to your family so that everyone has the best experience possible.

Convenience

This is really important because I don’t think vacations should be difficult.  That being said I try to find balance between convenience and saving money.  When my daughter and I went to Paris, staying near the Eiffel Tower was much more expensive than staying a few miles away. 

I found us a great flat in Old Paris that was near a train station so we could take a short ride to our places of interest.   It was worth it to me to save hundreds of dollars over a 5-night stay with the only cost to us being a short train ride to our tours and activities.  An added bonus was enjoying a quaint neighborhood in Old Paris, living among the locals, but still having everything we needed nearby.

For my clients traveling with small children, that may not be a great idea.  It may be worth it to stay closer to the action especially if they want to travel to a popular location during high season. Packed trains may not be a great idea with small children. 

 Itinerary Type

For my more ambitious clients, I have a discussion with them about multiple destinations and how they plan on managing small children.  Exotic two or three vacations sound great……and they truly are great.  We tend to do multiple countries over a few weeks in Europe ourselves. 

It is because of my experience that I know now exhausting it can be.  I know that plans do not always work out as intended.  I know that kids and adults both get tired and cranky, and that some free time should be scheduled to keep the peace overall.

I recommend making the most of international airfare by seeing multiple destinations whenever possible but doing that with children can be challenging.

If you don’t use a travel agent, the items I listed above will give you a great start to planning a fabulous family vacation. If you need help, don’t hesitate to shoot me an email. I do not charge a fee for my travel planning services (my suppliers pay me commission) and I enjoy helping families travel more and travel better.

January has come and gone but we still have eleven months of fun ahead of us. I hope you have a blessed day and that you make this beautiful day count!

Annette

[thesnhuup]

Funding the Dream & Living Our Mission

We announced on March 1 a new initiative to educate 1,000 DACA recipients across the country using our affordable, high quality, competency-based degree program, College for America. The initiative came about when Ed Shapiro, a generous supporter of some of our work with refugees, asked what we might do for DREAMers, the name given to undocumented young people brought to the U.S. as children.

Since the announcement, we have received a flood of support and positive messages. Markedly small in number, we have also received some negative comments. Many of them suggests that those posting do not understand DACA or the initiative we have launched, so I want to take some time to address the comments and questions.

What is DACA?

DACA stands for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, an immigration policy that allowed children who entered the U.S. as minors to receive a renewable two-year period of deferred action from deportation and become eligible for a work permit.

To become DACA recipients, these children were vetted to make sure they had no criminal record, posed no threat to national security, and had completed school or military service. In return, they were allowed to live in the U.S. for two years and became eligible to work, drive, and enroll in college. Currently, DACA has not been renewed, and Congress and the courts are trying to sort through its future, leaving roughly 700,000 DACA recipients under threat of deportation. This is the current impasse in Washington. Courts have allowed DACA to continue and the Supreme Court has recently refused to take it up, leaving the court orders in force. For now, DACA recipients may remain and they are still residing in the U.S. legally.

Why is SNHU launching this initiative?

We often say that we serve the underserved or those for whom college is not a guarantee. Our students work hard – no one is handing them anything in life – and they need the kinds of programs we offer because they work best for them. I like to think we are the most innovative university in the U.S. and that innovation mostly centers on ways to increase access to education, by providing affordable pathways to a high-quality degrees. For roughly 3,000 of our students, living on campus and having the traditional “coming of age” experience of residential undergraduate life is the right choice. We have the SNHU Advantage Program for young people who, for a variety of reasons, can’t live on campus and need a lower cost alternative that allows them to work in the afternoons or care for family. For roughly 90,000 students, mostly adults juggling work and family, our online program works best. For about 5,000 students, our self-paced, project-based competency education (CBE) program is the best option.

It is this last program that we are using with refugee students in Rwanda, Kenya, Malawi, and South Africa (and later in 2018 Lebanon), because the combination of very low cost puts it within reach (for people often living on less than 50 cents per day), while the project-based learning and on-the-ground wrap around support of trusted partners ensures quality and success. We use that same model in the US to work with charter schools to serve marginalized youth – often very poor – in cities like LA, Boston, Providence, and others.

DACA students have no access to federal financial aid and get limited to no state-based aid in many states. They often mirror the profile of the students we serve with our charter school partners: very poor, mostly non-white, often with responsibilities to support their families, low income students juggling work and families, sometimes parents themselves. But unlike every other student we serve, aside from our refugee students, they do not have the same access to loans and financial aid. This is why Ed Shapiro made a seven-figure gift to us to launch the program and was then joined by TheDream.US (a foundation created by former Washington Post owner Don Graham) to serve DACA students. Without someone’s help, these young people have no access to higher education.

So, to go back to the question: we launched our initiative because it is very much our mission to serve the underserved (I sometimes call SNHU “Underdog U”), because we strive to increase access to higher education, and because we had donors who were willing to fund the effort, and because we are trying to level the playing field just a little bit for DACA students.

Are we making a political statement?

Absolutely not. In fact, we have assiduously avoided political commentary and politely rejected offers from various politicians to lend their support. The plight of DREAMers has been too much politicized in my view. We just want to do what we do for thousands of others every day: serve students and help transform lives.

The Criticisms

I want to take up some of the criticism we have seen in social media. I want to focus on those that genuinely feel aggrieved in our announcement of the initiative and who often fall into one of two categories:

“I am still paying the loans I took out for college, why do they get it for free and I don’t?”

“What are you doing for all the poor, hard-working families and students that are not DACA?”

For the first category, there are two primary responses here. First and easiest is that we had donors who said they wanted to pay for the tuition of DACA recipients. Ed, Don, and the others who have stepped forward feel passionate about the needs of young people they see being deprived of the aid available to everyone else.

There are all sorts of scholarships created by individuals that have a special group of students in mind or a specific idea they want to fund. For example, my wife, Pat, and I feel that travel is one of the most powerfully transforming educational experiences and we realize that poor students often do not have the resources to do things like study abroad, so we created a scholarship fund to help really poor SNHU students travel. In this case, we have donors who want to offer these full scholarships. That’s how they are getting their education for free.

The second response is to remind everyone that these students will be in our very low cost CBE program. Almost no one who enrolls in that program leaves with debt of any kind (and those who do have very small amounts of debt). In contrast, if you are a graduate of a higher priced program – say the four-year, residential program; our highest cost program – you chose a program that costs more. Few students can graduate from it without some debt.

I worry about student debt and think about this issue a lot. In fact, I’ve actively tried to steer students and families away from SNHU when I thought they were taking on too much financial burden. One such exchange with a parent actually became a national story: https://www.chronicle.com/blogs/headcount/when-a-students-first-choice-college-is-out-of-financial-reach/28205. Sometimes we can’t make the math work and/or the student wants one of our options that is simply not within financial reach, no matter their sacrifice and our aid. We know how hard our students work and the sacrifices their families make, and while a college degree pays for itself many times over (the research is absolutely clear on this), we will keep working to find ways to make it more affordable and within reach.

The second question regarding what we do for poor, hard-working students and their families is easy. The answer is a lot. Here are just a few examples:

We have not raised tuition for our online programs since 2013.

We had no tuition increase in our traditional campus program this year and when we have had them in the past, they were far less than our peers.

We give out more than $50m in institutional aid every year.

We have created new, lower cost program options of the kind mentioned earlier.

For the past 5 years, we have teamed up with a military-focused non-profit organization to provide full scholarships to military spouses to complete their degrees, and we recently expanded all of our military benefits to include reservists and national guard members.

We gave up our commission on textbooks sales because we worried that textbook costs were climbing too high and we wanted the leverage to negotiate lower prices for our students. As a result, we’ve reduced the typical cost of textbooks from upwards of $200 per course to below $100.

During now multiple federal budget sequestrations, we allowed our military students to continue for free if their GI Bill funds were tied up.

We work hard to leverage employer tuition benefits and have a deferred tuition payment program in place that allows students to pay when their employer has paid them.

We have also instituted robust financial counseling tools to educate our students on the nature of educational debt and urged them to borrow only what they absolutely need. If someone enrolls in our online degree program with no credits, she can graduate with a full four-year bachelor’s degree for roughly $40,000, or $1,000 a course. It’s hard to get much more affordable than that, but our CBE program cuts that cost by another 50%. Few institutions in the in the U.S. are as committed to affordability as is SNHU.

The Big Picture I’m an immigrant. My family came from a dirt poor and hard scrabble farming village in the Maritimes of Canada and my parents worked really hard. They paid taxes, saved up and bought a house, and remained to the end deeply appreciative of what the United States made possible for them. It was access to affordable higher education that then changed the trajectory of my life and made possible for my daughters a world their grandparents could hardly conceive.

I hold as an absolute conviction that talent is universally distributed, but opportunity is not. In the population of the students we seek to serve, including DACA students, is the next scientist, tech star, business success, designer, athlete, start-up genius, or governor (and movie star). But we have to give them an opportunity and we have to give them hope. That’s what we do at SNHU and that’s why we readily accepted the support of our donors and launched the DACA initiative. As I tell our people all the time, never apologize for doing the right thing for students in need.

  http://ift.tt/eA8V8J from President's Corner http://ift.tt/2Hftzrg via IFTTT

#President's Corner #SNHUblogs