Another Strange Dream...

Aizawa approached Izuku that night, once he had found him in the dorms. "Midoriya. Tonight's rotation happens to be Shuzenji's room. You're probably used to this by now, so I'll just text you with the sheet detailing your daily rotations and stop reminding you. That'll be all."

The man was still a bit strict and rough, but he looked out for them, and Izuku could feel that. The other thing he could feel was a bit of a stink built up throughout the day. "Yuck. I should wash up before heading to her room. Don't think I've been there yet-" He stopped short of the door to the bath as he remembered his interaction with Shuzenji during the elections. Should I be punished for that...? Or something, right? What was up with that creepy tone?!

It was only fortunate that he had ways to forget about his worries for moments - when he entered the bathroom, he felt a "Psst~ over here~" calling for him, revealing a naked towel-wearing Uraraka hiding behind the door. "U-Ura- I mean... Ochako-chan? What are you doing there? How long-?"

She shut him up expediently with a big smooch on the lips. "Even a second is way too long... j-just tell me if I'm being too clingy, okay? I don't want to be uncomfy, it's just... this is my first relationship and I've always dreamed of something like this, and being with you makes me so, so happy... that being far away or not being able to snuggle up against you actually makes me a little sad too..."

"Ochako-chan..." It's true, they weren't able to talk during breakfast because of Todoroki, nor to walk back to the dorms because of Momo. It had been a bit of an abstinence day for her, and he could see it was making her feel very lonely. His arms wrapped around her soft, cushiony body, fingers softly ruffling her hair to offer her a bit of comfort. "...you're not too clingy, or anything. I actually really like seeing this side of you, and... I can only confess that I always dreamed of hugging you a whole lot just to know what it felt like."

"Hmph, because I look soft? I'll have you know I'm down a couple pounds since yesterday!" She replied in a mock-offended tone, making him laugh with the tonal shift she just gave the conversation. "Yeah, you look soft, but that's a compliment. It, um... well... when I first saw you in that tight costume, I could only think about... how h-hot it looked on you. Squishing your thighs and everything..." Both of them were beet red by then, and Izuku took the chance to flee towards the onsen to try and hide his face in embarrassment.

"Oh you! Come back here!" Both of them cannonballed one after the other, emerging out of the water already laughing and slicking their hair back. "You meant it?" Her eyes glistened like the first time he touched her by accident, and the way she was slightly biting her lip without realizing it, and laughing so warmly... she was so goddamn cute.

Darkness. Fog. Ruin. Even after bathing together with his loved one, Izuku always felt a little dirty in this liminal place. A bit... incomplete. But unlike last time, his mouth was visible in his dreamscape body. He could finally speak. And like last time, Ichiko and Hikari were there to greet him.

"Yo~ You're still giving my Quirk quite the damn workout, nerd-kun. Mine, and hers." Ichiko started, confident in her approach as usual.

"The time for a revelation has come. Approach forth, Midoriya Izuku." And Ichiko was mysterious as ever, despite her mundane appearance.

Izuku had come to enjoy meeting these two now and then, even if every time it happened it always came with some weight dropped on his shoulders. In this case, however, they were warning him beforehand. "Only open the first door once you feel ready to move forward. You will find your key within yourself."

The door... right. The bunker door on the only intact wall of the throne room. His eyes moved towards the thrones to inspect them, noticing two of them had changed. One of them seemed... ominous, to say the least. It was pitch black and reflective to the point that it seemed made out of pure ink, if ink could gather itself into wiggling tentacles that shape themselves like a seat. The other wasn't as scary-looking, seemingly made out of golden chains and floating above the ground, only stopped from flying away into the infinite by those chains burrowing underground.

"A floating throne... could this be..." Izuku wondered out loud, to which Hikari answered with a loud pat on the back.

"Oh hey! You can talk now! Damn, you're mastering One For All faster than I thought. How much could you output safely, anyway? 50%? Guess we'll find out soon."

"Your suspicions are correct." Ichiko continued. "This is the throne of the Seventh User of One For All. The user of the Quirk 'Float', Nana Shimura, awaits for her awakening once her door is reached. The other one is a mighty and flexible, yet hard to control power. Exercise caution, and keep a tight grip on your anger. The Fifth User of One For All, Banjo Daki, and her Quirk, Blackwhip."

"Both Quirks will react unpredictably to your own, and be bolstered by One For All's strength. Think this through, we still got enough time to breathe, analyze the situation, and reach a smart conclusion. You know yourself better than anyone - are you capable of keeping your emotions in control? Or are you consumed by them in the heat of the moment?" Hikari's tone became more serious here.

He had a choice to make. Would he find the Key of Dark Flow, or the Key of Light Stillness?