Izuku Midoriya, Mad Dog of Shizuoka - DarkestKnightEntertainment - 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia (2024)

Chapter 1: Good Day, Bad Day

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Children's Park, Musutafu

Izuku Midoriya was not having a great day.

No. It would indeed be more accurate to say that he was having a horrible day.

Or even better to say, he was having the worst day of his short four-year-old life. Yes, that seems about right.

Now before anyone writes that statement off as purely childish hyperbole, let's take a few different factors into consideration and add a bit of background.

First, the year is 20XX. 80% of the population has developed a unique ability or trait ubiquitously referred to as a "quirk". These quirks can range from super strength, to flight, to telekinesis, and even the ability to see the future. Yes, quirks truly were the end-all, be-all in such an age.

This brings us to the second factor, not everyone is born with a quirk. As stated before, 80% of the population possesses a quirk.

The other 20% are considered quirkless, including Izuku Midoriya.

It wasn't fun being quirkless. Those with quirks didn't particularly enjoy your company, and more-likely-than-not would use their quirk to set you on fire than piss it out.

Now factor three, public use of quirks is forbidden. As such, someone who would set a quirkless person on fire would be labelled as a villain. Now anyone who's read a comic book before knows that the only way to stop a villain is to employ the help of a hero. Which led to the birth of a major industry called Pro Hero Work. Just about anybody with a strong enough quirk could become a pro hero, but only the best and brightest could hope to be truly successful in such a competitive industry. And only the strongest could hope to top it, as the Symbol of Hope.

Unfortunately, being quirkless automatically disqualified you from this competition, the lack of such a commonly unique trait being seen as disability in the eyes of the majority. In poor young Midoriya's case, his desire to still become a hero made others see him as pitiable and delusional. Evidence of this mindset need not be found further than in the actions of Katsuki Bakugou, Izuku's old "friend" and his most consistent tormentor.

This now rounds out the factors and brings us to our present situation. Katsuki Bakugou was popular, he was alsonotquirkless. Furthest thing from it, in fact.

Bakugou was blessed with a powerful quirk. A quirk that, with enough training and discipline, could see him becoming a top hero, one day.

Alas, on this particular day, the young boy was not acting particularly heroic. He and his friends(read: followers) had been attacking another boy in the park. Most bystanders had simply taken this as a group of young boys playing Heroes and Villains, a game most children were wont to play outside, and went about their business.

Izuku, however, was no such bystander.

After all, what game of Heroes and Villains ended in the "Villian" crying their eyes out while the "Heroes" wailed on them? He'd been on the receiving end of enough of those blows to know just how hard Katsuki and his friends were hitting the boy and he ran in to try to help. After all, what kind of hero would he be if he just ignored someone in trouble?

His actions were indeed heroic, he ran in between the perpetrators and their victim and stood fast. His body was shaking like a leaf and his voice trembled as he told the boys to stop what they were doing, but even still he stood straight and kept his eyes forward.

In a fair world, that would have been the end of it. This was not a fair world.

Instead, the boys redirected their attention from the other boy that they were roughing up and turned their attention to the quirkless punching bag, known as Izuku Midoriya.

And so, here we come to see young Izuku beaten, bruised, and bawling on the ground. The boy he had saved was nowhere to be found, likely having taken off during his savior's beatdown.

Yes, it truly was the worst day of his life.

In another timeline, this would be the point where Izuku Midoriya came to the conclusion that all men are not created equal.

In that other timeline, he would remain quirkless and unacknowledged for another decade.

In that other timeline, he would face hardship after hardship and break himself repeatedly for the sake of others, before he could finally be recognized the world's greatest hero.

Yes, but none of that matters here.

Because in that other timeline, Izuku Midoriya never met Goro Majima.

Goro Majima was having a fine day.

No. It'd be more accurate to say he was having a f*cking great day.

Or even better, he was having one of the best days of his long 40-year-old life.

I suppose it'd be best to provide some context for this great mood that Majima happens to be in.

First, he was Goro Goddamn Majima. Life looked pretty sh*tty for him a while back, he looked pretty sh*tty too as a result. But nowadays, as president of Majima Construction, he was living his best life. His boys did some pretty great work, of course due to his gentle(read: harsh) touch and firm(read: violent) guidance. They had actually just closed an exclusive contract with the Yaoyorozu family for some great metalworking materials so that they could get started on a few "special" projects for U.A. High. Some kind of special "situation training" building and a few news arenas for battle training. Nothing too difficult for his specially trained( learned everything they know on the internet under threat savage beating) boys.

Second, he didn't have to put up with any of the bullsh*t that actually went into building these projects. His boys would go and do it all on their own, only calling him if there was a real emergency. So he had a ton of time to just dick around and have a good time. Nothing better than a bit of time to waste, in his opinion.

Third, he had a family. Not a wife and child. Hell, not even blood-related. But, a family nonetheless.

A kindhearted (if sometimes dense)younger brother, a beautiful sister-in-law, and an adorable little nephew. The lattermost of which he was on his way to grab from the park so they could spend some time together, at the behest of the boy's mother.

It had been a full two years since he had last seen his little Izu-chan, and it was taking all he had to not start sprinting full speed into the park to scoop the young boy into his arms.

He had to stay composed after all. Izu-chan didn't need to see him go Mad Dog out of nowhere.

He was already certain some people would start giving him suspicious, purely by virtue of only having one eye… and no shirt, but that's not important.

No sooner had he arrived at the entrance to the park, did he begin to hear a child sobbing. Clearly they must've quite upset or hurt.

Well, sucked to be them, hopefully their parents took care of that, he had his own toddler to find and look after.

Now, where would Izu-chan be?

Spying with his one eye and attempting to ignore the rudely, loud, sobbing child, he looked for an untameable mop of curly green hair atop a tiny, obviously better behaved, much more appealing child who happened to be related to him.

Well, that's weird. Where're all the other kids?

He hoped he had gotten the right park, he couldn't stand the thought of having to go and explain to Izu-chan that his sh*tty sense of direction had led him to the wrong place and that's why he was late.

(It seemed that, in his excitement, he had forgotten that him picking up Izuku was meant to be a surprise.)

Well, might as well ask that brat over there if he's seen him... and maybe see what's botherin' him.

Walking towards the sobbing he heard, he called out to the child.

"Yo, kid! Can I ask ya somethin' right quick?"

The sobbing quickly stopped as a surprised squeak reached the ears of the nearly middle-aged cyclops.

Great, now I freaked him out. It'll probably take hours to get him talkin'… now.

Before he could even finish the thought, he noticed a few things.

A mop of unruly green hair. Bright green eyes, shimmering with unshed tears. Tear-Stained cheeks with four freckles forming a diamond on each side.

This child… was Izu-chan.

And Goro Majima, for the first time in his life, was going to kill someone.

Chapter 2: "I Will Become a Hero!"

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It took a minute or two, but Majima managed to get his raging bloodlust under control.

Whoever hurt his Izu-chanwouldpay, most likely with their lives, but now was not the time. He had to make sure Izu-chan was okay, after all. The poor thing was trembling, probably out of fear that whoever had hurt him before would be back to hurt him again.

Now, onecouldargue that young Izuku was frightened by the tall, one-eyed man with tattoos and no shirt, but those assertions are ludicrous so shut up and don't mention it again.

sh*t, how do I calm him down?

"Uh… Heya, Izu-chan. How ya been?"

"H-h-how do you know my name!?"

Aw crap, that mighta just scared him more. Alright, just keep pushin' on. Little Izu-chan's gotta remember me.

"It's me. Uncle Goro! Goro-ojisan! GoroGoroGoro-chan! I used ta sing to ya, back when you were still in diapers!" He smiled widely at the child, hoping that that was enough of an explanation.

Izuku stared tearfully at the strange one-eyed man, hoping that he would just leave him alone eventually if he understood that he got the wrong kid.

Majima sighed, realizing that this would take some doing, and got ready to jog his memory in the best way he knew how.

"Alright here we go," he whispered to himself, before continuing loudly with, "From the studio, outta the blue, I bring my singin' to youuu!"

The young boy was startled by the sudden energy of this man, but not uncomfortable anymore. It was almost familiar to him.

"Sunao ni I LOVE YOU! Todokeyou? ﾠ

Kitto YOU LOVE ME! Tsutawaru sa?

Kimi ni niau GLASS no kutsu wo sagaso?"

It took a moment, but as Izuku listened to the man's singing, the mirthful cadence, and cheerful tone, he could remember. There was a man that used to come around with his father and dance around with him and sing to when he would start crying. That man's name was…

"Goro-Jiji?"

"Ha! Remember me now, Izu-chan? Shoulda just led in with that, honestly."

"What are you doing here, Jiji?"

"Coming to spend time with my favorite nephew, of course!"

"Aren't I your only nephew?"

"Yeah, so favorite by default!"

He didn't quite get it, but the cheer in his uncle's voice made Izuku giggle a bit.

All of a sudden, Majima's face became serious. All previous signs of humor, gone completely.

"We need to talk, Izu-chan."

And now, Izuku was nervous again.

"Who was it that hurt you? I want names and addresses."

He gulped.

After explaining exactly, and I meanexactly, what had transpired before his uncle arrived: Izuku, sitting cross-legged in front of Majima, was attempting not to shiver and/or marvel at the pure black aura that the ocularly-challenged man exuded in waves.

Meanwhile, Majima resisted the urge to hunt down and savagely beat several different people of differing relevance to Izuku. Starting with Hisashi, working his way down, and winding right back around to the idiot.

Majima knew why the man had to leave.

Inko-chan knew.

Most close friends of Hisashi knew why he had to leave.

But somehow, the idiot never thought… that his own son, who had just been told that he had been 'afflicted' with his generation's version of a handicap and was likely in a very emotional and unstable state of mind, that he needed to leave on business and that he didn't care that his only son was quirkless.

Now. maybe it slipped his mind, so much was happening after all. And how many people could really say that they had received a chance to work on I-Island as a head researcher in quirk theory and development? Hell, one day they might even make it possible to produce the world's first quirkless heroes or maybe even a way pass on quirks to other people, who f*cking knows? What he does know... is that family comes first.

And in the name of family, he was going to kill Hisashi Midoriya. Just a little bit though, enough for him to learn his lesson. But first…

"Awright, listen up Izu-chan!"

Izuku stood, well sat, at attention at the sound of Majima's voice.

"Ya shouldn't listen ta any of the crap those kids tell ya. The adults too. I'm gonna tell ya a fact of life, kid. Ya listenin'?"

Izuku nodded his head rapidly.

"Good, then listen close. Yer gonna find despair in life, no matter who ya are. Pain, hatred, crushing hopelessness, it's all there. Doubly so for a kid like you."

At this, Izuku began to tear up again slightly, turning his head to the side so that his uncle wouldn't see him start crying again.

He was surprised to feel a gloved hand grab his chin and softly pull his face back up, and all he could see was Goro's Majima's smiling face.

"So remember this, 'Hardship bears character, and pride is born from despair.' So buckle in and put yer foot on that accelerator. Show 'em yer drive, kiddo! Rising from that despair lets ya tower over those fools like a crane over a pile'a trash. Ya wanna be a hero, right? Like, uh… All Might?"

Izuku nodded again.

"Then let's get started. We'll make ya thebestgoddamn hero this world's ever seen. Izuku Midoriya-chan, you've got my word and support as my nephew and my number one hero! You can be a hero!"

Izuku could feel two things at that exact moment. The first, a smile so wide that it would probably make All Might jealous.

And the second, a fresh track of fat tears from his big eyes.

That's what he needed to hear.

Just what he needed.

You can be a hero!

I will be a hero!

And so began the story of the world's most unpredictable hero.

Chapter 3: Call with the Mad Dog

Chapter Text

It was dark out by the time Majima and Izuku arrived back at the Midoriya residence. Inko had given the older man a key, likely expecting something like this.

The young boy of the pair had fallen asleep on Majima's back, the day's events likely having been especially taxing on him. He snored lightly into his uncle's shoulder, the smell of Katsudon heavily present on his breath.

After their little heart-to-heart, Majima felt like Izuku deserved a little treat… and he wanted to maybe make up for getting ready to ignore him earlier(he kept the latter reason to himself).

After telling Izuku he could have as much as he wanted at the nearest Fuji Soba, it didn't take long for the boy to order and scarf down three bowls of Katsudon; it almost reminded him of a certain someone.

And so here they were, at the front door of the Midoriya residence, with a bag of take-out(also from Fuji Soba).

Pulling the key he was given out of his pocket, slightly adjusting Izuku to make sure he wouldn't slide off his back with all his shifting, Majima unlocked the door and opened it.

The man stepped in and closed the door, sliding off his boots before sitting down on the edge of the genkan and setting little Izuku on his lap to do the same for him.

That done, Majima stood with the child in his arms. Softly, so as not to startle the boy he was holding, but loud enough to be heard in the small apartment, he called out, "Tadaima!"

Seconds later, a softer voice called back, "Okaeri!"

A few muffled words, followed by a rush of footsteps soon after, reached his ears. When they stopped, he was greeted by the sight of a beaming Inko Midoriya.

Her hair was the same shade of green as her son's. Far less curly, though. He'd gotten that, and his freckles, from his father. Truth be told, he sometimes found it kinda freaky just how perfect a combination the boy was of his parents. But he would just reason that that was another reason why the boy was so great. He was all the best parts of two of his favorite people in the world(even if he wanted to strangle one of them at the moment) put together!

That aside, Inko came up to the two and gingerly took Izuku from Majima; pulling the man into a quick, one-armed hug as she did so.

"Thought you got lost or something." She let go and quirked her brow, a knowing smile already dancing across her lips.

"Little tyke was hungry. Put away three bowls of Katsudon before he called it a night."

"He always has been a voracious eater."

"Reminds me of a certain someone, actually."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah, a little lady I treated a few times. One time, she left me with a 200k bill."

"Wow! She could eat!"

"Yeah, she could. And here's the funniest thing: She looked a lot like you."

"Huh, that is pretty funny. You should introduce us. Maybe over dinner?"

"Ha! Yeah right. My wallet's already cryin'."

The two chuckled briefly before Inko went to put Izuku to bed, pointing Majima to the one room with a light on.

She seemed oddly smug, for some strange reason… Eh, probably just his eye playing tricks on him.

Ohhh, I see.

"Hm? Inko, you back?"

Inko always was a clever girl. Pretty and smart. The perfect balance for Hisashi's idiocy(of the social kind).

That same intelligence made him love her just as much as his little Izu-chan.

And as he looked at the computer in the room to see an active video call with Hisashi Midoriya on the screen, Majima could swear he was beginning to love her just the teensiest bit more.

"Yo, Hi-chan~. How's I-Island?"

"Huh. Niisan, is that you?"

Closing his eye and leaning towards the camera, the cyclops gave the man on the other side of the screen a pleasant smile.

Any normal person who had never met Goro Majima would think nothing of it.

To someone like Hisashi, who had known Goro Majima for a good two decades, he knew exactly what that smile meant. And it filled him with an intense and familiar fear.

"N-niisan? Is e-everything oka-?"

"I'm gonna f*ckin' kill ya~."

"Hiee! Why?! I didn't do anything!"

"That's. The. Problem. Idiot. Ya didn't do anything when you shoulda been the first."

"Huh!?"

Majima breathed in deeply, he didn't wanna punch the screen and screw up this talk with the dumbass.

"Hi-chan, I'm gonna ask ya a question. I'll beat ya to death real slow if you get it wrong. So… don't. Okay?"

Hisashi, pale as a sheet, nodded quickly.

"Okay, Hi-chan. Answer me this… How many people are in your family."

"N-niisan, where are you going with-" He was cut off by a scalding glare.

"Answer the question."

"Three, there's three!"

"That's right, good job!" He gave Hisashi a quick clap before continuing, "Now… who are they?"

"Um… First, there's you, then Inko, and Dekiru… Oh sh*t."

"Oh sh*t, indeed. Wanna explain why ya didn't tell your son why you had to leave?"

"I… I thought he needed some space."

"Space? Space? You thought he needed… space?"

"Yes?"

"I'm gonna use yer goddamn head as a baseball."

"Ah! Why?!"

"Because yer a goddamn moron!"

"I thought if he had some space he'd be more willing to talk about it later!"

"He's f*ckin' four, Hisashi!"

"He's smart for his age!"

"Four!"

"W-well yeah, but-!"

"Ichi, ni, san, FOUR!"

"Would you just-?"

"Hisashi, the more you argue with me, the more pissed off I get. So stop... and listen."

Hisashi, showing that he did have more than a single working brain cell, kept his mouth shut.

"I don't know how the hell ya got it into yer head that leavin' a child alone in an incredibly emotional state was a good idea. And, truth be told, I don't wanna know. I'd probably catch a plane straight to wherever the f*ck I-Island is right now just to kill ya. And ya know that if I wanted to… it'd be done. Ain't any security system on this green earth that'd stop me."

Hisashi stayed quiet, now wasn't the time to try to defend himself. He knew for a fact that his older brother would make good on that threat. Past history or not, the man took Izuku's well-being to a new level. It'd bring a tear to his eye if it weren't the reason why he was currently under the threat of death.

"Now, in yer mind, I bet ya thought, 'Dekiru won't be alone, mama's right there. When he's ready ta talk, he'll tell her, she'll tell me, we'll all talk about it together herp de derp'. That sound about right?"

"..."

"Blink once fer yes, twice fer no."

Blink.

"Yeah, s'what I thought. Never were the brightest when it came ta people. Always a few grains shortuva a rice bowl. Intellectual genius, social dumbass."

Critical Hit to Hisashi Midoriya's pride.

He knew it was true, but it still hurt.

"So that's why I came up with a better plan. You may thank Goro Majima-sama later."

And now he was preening. Great…

"First, you'll be talking with Izu-chan tomorrow. I don't care what you gotta do, cancel or move it, it's less important."

A nod.

"Next, you'll be cutting out at least an hour every week to call and talk with Inko-chan and Izu-chan… and me, if I feel so inclined ta see yer ugly mug."

Another nod.

"Finally, and this is the big one, yer gonna help Izu-chan become a hero."

"Huh?!"

"Yeah, ya heard that right. Izu-chan's gonna be a hero. Not just any hero, though. He's gonna be the greatest goddamn hero this world's ever seen!"

The conviction in his elder brother's voice shook Hisashi slightly. The last time he had heard him like this was when he was looking after Ma- a dear friend of his.

All he could really do was nod again.

"And no more hare-brained schemes, ya nincompoop."

"O-okay, Niisan."

"Great! Anything ta add, Inko-chan?"

Wait, Inko-chan?

"Nope. You pretty much covered it, Goro-nii."

And there stood Inko, ashtray in hand, smile on her face.

"I'll see you in the morning, dear. Goodnight!"

"G-goodnight, hon."

And the call disconnected.

Chapter 4: Hounds In the Junkyard

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Majima took a moment to let out a breath, most of his anger gone after telling off his well-intentioned, but still foolish, younger brother. He looked at Inko, who had pulled up a chair and sat the ashtray that she was holding on the computer desk.

Well, that's odd.

"Didn't ya quit?"

"I did. This is for you. Figured you'd need it after your… talk."

Ah, that explains it.

Pulling a cigarette out of the pack he had on hand and putting it between his lips, he asked, "Got a light?"

"Yeah, here." She pulled out an Endeavor-themed zippo lighter, put it in front of the unlit cigarette, and flicked.

"Thanks." He closed his eye and took a long drag, while Inko gently set the lighter down next to the ashtray. It was a quiet moment, a nice one on a nice night after a (mostly) nice day.

"So… Endeavor?"

Inko picked the lighter back up, flipping the top and flicking the flint. When she heard the click! and saw the fire from it spring to life, she smiled fondly and explained, "Hisashi and Izuku got it for me last Mother's Day. Izu looked so happy when I flicked it the first couple of times that I didn't have the heart to tell I wouldn't be using it much."

"What made those two get it for ya in the first place?"

"Izu found the one that I got from Mi-chan. His dad told him I was a collector."

"Ah, so that's the rub."

Another beat of silence. Another long drag, another puff. When it was broken again, the cyclops wasn't the culprit.

"Mom..."

"Goro-nii."

"He saves everyone with a smile, no matter what trouble they're in…"

"What's up?"

"He's such a cool hero…"

"Did you really mean what you said?"

"Can I…"

"What about?"

"...be a hero, too?"

"About Izu… about him... becoming a hero. Did you really mean it?"

"I'm sorry Izuku! I'm so sorry!"

The look in her eyes was intense. He could see them glint as she bored into his soul. He could see verdant green flames roaring with emotion as she stared him down waiting for his answer. Guilt, fear, sorrow, and… hope.

"Of course! Izu-chan's gonna be so great, All-Might's gonna be askin' for his autograph! Matter'a fact, when he wakes up, I'm gonna ask him to sign one for me!"

Hearing the earnestness in the voice of the older man's voice as he sang her son's praises made Inko release a breath that she didn't even know she was holding.

If Goro Majima said something was happening, it was happening. Didn't matter how anyone felt about it. It was just his way.

That's why, with a weight lifted off of her chest, tears, and a smile largely present on her face, she hugged Majima tightly and said, "Thank you. Thank you so much."

She didn't need to say what she was so thankful for.

They both already knew.

Hero Training- Day 1

Izuku sat cross-legged on the sandy ground as Majima, sans jacket, stood and addressed him.

"Alright, Izu-chan. Today's yer first day of Hell on Earth, courtesy of myself!"

Izuku was already starting to regret this.

"It'll be hard, you will not like it. But the more you hate it, the more it'll teach ya. You will wanna quit. You may choose to quit, some days."

Regret intensified tenfold.

"But know this. Every single day that you work hard at this training, the closer you are to that dream of yours. Every day that you work yourself to death, the closer you get to living life as a hero!"

Izuku's eyes shimmered as he nodded once with a newfound resolve.

"Alright! So what do I gotta do, Goro-Jiji?"

"Well first… Look around ya! Whaddya See?"

"Umm… Garbage?"

"Exactly! Garbage! Garbage that you're gonna clean up, Izu-chan!"

"... Huh?"

Like father, like son.

"Ya see, it's a man's civic duty to separate his trash! If ya don't, who's gonna be left to take responsibility when we got toxic-ass dioxins floatin' around?!"

Izuku had no idea what dioxins even were, but his uncle seemed so passionate about it that he just let him continue without a word.

"And when a man's slackin' in his civil duties, it's up to a hero to either punish or pick up that slack for him!"

"Y-yeah!"

"You see, Izu-chan; this dump here used ta be a pretty bangin' spot for couples. But in the past couple years, some wise-asses decided they were gonna start throwin' trash and crap in the water. When I find 'em there'll be hell to pay, but for now, yer gonna be a friendly neighborhood hero and start gettin' this place cleaned up."

"O-oh, okay."

"Well, go on now, scamp. Smallest pile'a stuff's over thataway." The man in the eyepatch pointed far off into the distance. "Got a truck set up for ya ta toss the crap into, can't miss it. I'll come get ya before it gets too dark. Scream if ya need anything."

"... 'kay."

"Well, on your way, shoo-shoo." Majima smiled toothily and waved a single gloved hand, as Izuku trudged off in the direction that he was shooed away towards.

As the young boy disappeared into the distance to do as he was told, Majima let his hand and smile drop. Nishida and some of the other boys could watch him till it was time to go.

If he was gonna train that boy to be greater than the Number One Hero, he would need to get his sh*t together and start putting in a bit of work. He'd been slacking lately. Everybody was too afraid of getting bit to fight a Mad Dog, so that took a lot of his edge off.

He couldn't find the old man and ol' Kiryu-chan was too busy being a saint or whatever he was doing, so his options for strong opponents were limited after he left Kamurocho.

But if it was for Izu-chan, he'd train his ass off as much he could before he hit a wall.

He'd punch, kick, chop, and slash 'till he could teach it all to the boy that wanted to be a hero.

He could probably also look into some batting cages, he always did like hitting things with bats. Maybe Izu-chan too.

Looking around quickly to make sure he wasn't being watched, he dropped to his hands and started doing push-ups. Start with the basics, work your way up. That worked for him.

And so began years of hellish training for one Izuku Midoriya, age four.

Hero Training: Day 7

Izuku laid, out of breath, on a recently cleared patch of sand.

The only cleared patch of sand, aside from the pathways he had made for him.

He had managed to take a few things off of the smallest trash pile, dumping them in the back of the truck just like his uncle had told him to. The newest addition being a somewhat heavy mini-fridge.

He now wanted to go with Goro-Jiji whenever he found whoever threw some of the bigger trash away on the beach. He would smile at whatever they had coming to them.

That aside, Izuku was curious.

He was sure that he was alone on that part of the beach he was cleaning. No one would answer whenever he would call out, after all. And everyone knows that when someone asks, 'Is anybody there?' you have to answer. It's the rule.

But for some reason, whenever he was too tired to move anything, he would find these weird drinks. He knew that he shouldn't drink anything that he found in the piles (he was four, not stupid), but for some reason, they were always on one of the paths made for him.

And they all had his name written on them! So that meant they were his. Right?

Right! Glad we agree!

But Izuku's question was: Who was leaving these drinks?

They were really sweet and he felt much better after drinking one, especially the ones with the yellow wrapper and the birdie on it, but he had no idea who was leaving them for him and he wanted to say thank you.

So he laid a trap. He was gonna lay down in the middle of where all the pathways connected and then when whoever was leaving the drinks for him came by, he would pop up and say 'Thank you!'.

Foolproof. Perfect Plan.

And so, there he was. Lying in wait and listening out for footsteps.

Listening…

And waiting.

Listening…

And waiting.

Liiistening…

And wai-

Wait, there it was. The sound of footsteps!

He kept still. Letting them get closer and closer, until…

NOW!

"THANK YOU!"

He jumped up with a huge toothy smile, eyes shut, and waited for the other person's response.

"Um… Kid?"

Huh?

The boy opened his eyes, looking straight forward to see a sea of red surrounded by grey. Looking up, he saw a man's face.

Cool features, he looked a little younger than his uncle but definitely older than his dad. His eyes, slightly widened in bewilderment still held a sort of authority and strength in them like… a dragon.

Izuku would love to say that he was cool and didn't freak after taking in the sight of this huge man, but things don't always work out the way that people want them to.

And if anyone were to ask if he almost peed when he tearfully cried out, "Jiji!"

He would violently deny it.

Chapter 5: Departure

Chapter Text

Takoba Municipal Beach Park- Mad Dog Training- Day 7

Majima kept his stance low as he circled his opponent, who stood in place unflinchingly. It was just a single scrub, he could take 'em down with his hands tied behind his back. Just get ready and…

"Jiji!"

Izu-chan?

Majima immediately disengaged from the combat situation with the training mannequin and took with speed that would make a certain blue hedgehog jealous in the direction that he had heard his nephew crying out from.

What happened? Did he fall off one of the trash piles? Did one of the trash piles fall on him? What the hell are Nishida and the boys doing? Why weren't they there to help? I swear, if Izu-chan's hurt, I'm gonna beat 'em so hard that their grandfather's fathers'll feel it.

Thoughts of vicious assault running rampant through his mind, Majima hardly noticed when he had finally arrived at the spot where the cry had originated. Then he heard another loud cry of 'Jiji!' before feeling a tiny mass slam into his leg and cling on for dear life.

Looking down, he saw the big tearful green eyes of his tiny nephew and he sighed in relief. There wasn't a single scratch on him, this was good. No one had to die. Now came the big question.

"What happened, kiddo? Why'd ya scream?"

Izuku didn't say anything, simply burying his face back into the man's pant leg and pointing behind himself.

Following the direction of his nephew's pointing finger, the cyclops finally took note of the other person present. And as he took in the (visibly bemused) man's features, his eye widened in surprise.

"Kiryu-chan?"

The man's eyes seemed to widen as well, not in surprise but rather recognition as called out,

"Majima-Oniisan?"

It took about five minutes to calm Izuku down and convince him that Kiryu wasn't going to eat him.

"I know Kiryu-chan looks scary on the outside, but on the inside, he's a real softie! Soft as a marshmallow!"

It took a bit of light singing on Kiryu's part, to make him a bit more at ease, but they eventually managed to get Izuku back to working on clearing some of the trash away, while the two men got reacquainted near the entrance.

"So Kiryu-chan, what're ya doin' here in Musutafu? Thought ya took yer girl and ran off to run an orphanage or some sh*t?"

"I did. Haruka's class is on a field trip to see U.A. and the surrounding city, so I have some… friends taking care of the place until we get back. So, what are you doing here?"

Majima chuckled and gestured towards Izuku, as the boy struggled to move a car tire from one pile of trash onto the truck that was waiting for him.

"You mean he's…? You know."

"Nah, nothin' like that. He's my brother's kid."

"You have a brother?"

"That's right."

"A brother that has a kid?"

"Yeah, that's the long and short of it."

"Huh, the more you know, I guess."

"Yeah, the more ya know."

A beat of silence passed between the two, filled only by the sounds of Izuku moving trash and throwing it into the bed of the pink truck that Majima had left for him.

f*ck it. He's here, might as well ask.

"Kiryu-chan, I need your help."

"What?"

"I need your help."

"With... what, exactly?"

"With Izu-chan. I need you to help me make him a hero."

At that, Majima dove into a full explanation about his relationship with Izuku and his family. His talk with the child. The promise he made, all leading into the reason why he and Izuku were on the beach-turned-junkyard.

"So, he's quirkless and wants to be a hero, huh?"

"Yeah."

"Never heard of a quirkless hero before."

"Most of the world hasn't. S'why he's gonna be the first."

"Still don't see where you need my help in all of this. You seem to have it all covered."

"That's just it, Kiryu-chan. I don't."

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean, is that I ain't got much I can do for him at the moment. I've been losin' my touch lately, ain't many bastards to fight with nowadays. At least, not fairly."

"Sounds like a personal hell for you."

"Yer tellin' me. But that ain't the point. The point is, I need someone strong to put him through his paces. And yer the strongest bastard I know."

"Oh no. Majima, I can't. I'm only here for the week and then I'm heading back to Okinawa with Haruka. That's nowhere near enough time to teach a kid anything about fighting or anything like that."

"Unless… he were to end up in Okinawa for the next couple weeks with ya."

"Majima, you can't actually be suggesting that I take this kid back home with me. What about his parents?"

"His dad's away on business and his ma's probably fine with it, I'll ask her tonight when I take him home."

"...You're actually serious about this."

"Serious as cancer, Kiryu-chan."

"..." Kiryu stared into Majima, his gaze unfaltering.

"..." Majima stared right back, his own stare resolute. He wouldn't back down on this.

"...Fine, if you can get his mom to agree, I'll do it."

Hearing the answer that he was waiting for, Majima's glare melted into a look of pure elation.

"You got it, then! Hiihahahahahahaha! This is gonna be great!"

Kiryu sighed. As much as he would love to say that he was used to Majima's… eccentricities, but even still, he couldn't get a read on the guy. He could only hope that the man's nephew didn't share his proclivities for violence...

"Hey, Kiru-chan! Let's go a couple rounds for old time's sake, yeah?!"

For his own sake.

Day 14- Departure to Okinawa

"I love you, sweetie!"

"Love you too, mom!"

"If there's anything you need, you wanna talk, or anything like that; Kiryu-san has my number, so just ask him. Okay?"

"Okay, mom."

"Oh! And your father said he'd send something for you in the mail, so be on the lookout."

"Okay, mom."

"And-and... oh, my baby's growing up so fast!" Inko kneeled, reached forward quickly, and crushed the tiny child in a tight bear hug. Izuku, who was still riding high on the excitement of taking his first trip outside of Musutafu, hugged her back with just as much force as he could muster(which admittedly was quite a bit for a four-year-old).

"Call me when you get settled in, okay?"

"Okay!"

"Be good for Kiryu-san. He's letting you stay with him and 8 other kids, so do your part while you're there."

"Okay, mom!"

"Alright, I'll let you go now. I love you. See you in a few weeks."

"I love you too, mom. Bye!" At that, Izuku turned around and sped off to where Kiryu and a young girl waited at the entrance to the terminal.

Inko waited a few moments for them to all enter the terminal and leave her sight before letting a few errant tears flow down her cheeks.

Wiping them away, she smiled. It would be lonely for a little while, but it would be well worth it.

'Why?', you ask?

Because her baby would be a hero.

Chapter 6: Doubt and Resolve

Chapter Text

On the flight to Okinawa- Late Morning

"We will be arriving at Naha Airport in approximately 30 minutes. Repeat, we will be arriving at Naha Airport in approximately 30 minutes."

Finally.

Kiryu groaned, the sound of his joints popping while he stretched his back was almost soothing.

He both loved and hated these flights from Tokyo to Okinawa.

Loved them, because they were essentially two hours to sit back and relax.

Hated them, because everything after the first half-hour of nothing happening without a drink or a smoke was about as entertaining as watching paint dry.

But at least those two are enjoying themselves.

He smiled slightly as he looked to his right, seeing Izuku and Haruka chatting happily without a care in the world.

Well, to be more accurate, Izuku was doing most of the chatting while Haruka smiled softly at him and nodded, interjecting every once in a while when the young boy needed help with a word or happened to start muttering rapidly.

Kiryu and Majima had decided to introduce the two, seeing as they would be living together for the better part of a month, and they hit it off.

Izuku absolutely adored Haruka, and Haruka found Izuku absolutely adorable. Whenever their uncles would meet up, the two children would be nigh-inseparable.

Kiryu was glad that Izuku so far was proving to be almost nothing like his uncle, who he was sure would've tried to start at least five different fights with him by now (and likely succeeded, due to the aforementioned boredom. He really should've brought a book with him.).

If he were to be completely honest, he had warmed up to the boy pretty quickly, himself. He was earnest, polite, and genuinely cared about other people. He really hoped the other kids felt that way, as well.

Morning Glory Road- Afternoon

The excitement was fading.

No, it wasn't just fading. It was being violently punched out of his chest, dripping, and hardening into a ball of dread in his stomach with every single step that he took towards the building that he was supposed to stay for the next few weeks.

Holding Haruka's hand as she told him about the kids that he was about to meet, he felt a chill creeping up his spine. It was so weird, he was walking right next to a beach on a sunny day, he shouldn't have chills. He tried to ignore it, he really did, but he just couldn't.

Izuku was smart for his age.

Anyone who had spoken with him for more than ten minutes could say that with certainty. He spoke well, using proper grammar usually, and he picked up on new words and phrases quickly. His uncle was proudly shocked when he heard Izuku utter the words, "[Oh, sh*t!]" in English when he tripped while they were walking home from the junkyard the week before. He had immediately been reprimanded afterward and told to never say it around his mother, but the point had been made. Majima had only said that particular phrase in English twice around the boy.

So yes, Izuku was smart. Smart enough to realize that he was weird. Smart enough to realize that he was weird for being normal.

It had only been a few weeks since he had been diagnosed as quirkless, and he noticed how the other kids wouldn't play with him. He wasn't popular before, not in any sense of the word, but the other kids, at least, still included him in things.

They invited him to tag along when they went to play in the woods, even if he couldn't keep up all that well.

They let him play on the hero side sometimes when they played 'Heroes and Villains', even if he wasn't all that strong.

They didn't just sit back and watch Kacchan when he got a bit rough while playing, and if they couldn't do anything to help, they'd at least ask if he was okay.

But when it came out that he was quirkless, it all changed.

They never asked if he wanted to come into the woods with them when they wanted to play.

The times that they'd let him play 'Heroes and Villains' with them, he'd be the only villain in the game. And then he'd get pummeled.

And when Kacchan got too rough, they didn't try to stop him. They didn't ask if he was okay afterward. They'd ignore him.

Sometimes… they would join in.

Kids are cruel. Not due to any malice in their hearts, it's just how things are. They're cruel until they're taught to be kind. But they're never taught to be kind to something unnatural or freakish.

And Izuku, being as normal as he was in a world of quirks, was the most unnatural, freakish thing those kids had ever come across.

So yes, Izuku was weird. It wasn't fair. It didn't make sense, but it was just the way the world worked.

And so, Izuku was scared.

He knew how the world worked for people like him. He knew that as much as he wished for people to be kind like Haruka-neechan, or funny like Goro-Jiji, or gentle like his mom, that it was just that. A dream.

He wanted to brace for it. Square his shoulders and cover up his face like he did when Kacchan would let off an explosion in front of his eyes.

He wanted to hide. Curl up in a ball somewhere and stay there where no one could find him.

He wanted to run. He knew he wouldn't get far. He never did. But he wanted to try.

He wanted-

"Izu-Kun?"

He hadn't even realized that he had let go of Haruka-neechan's hand and stopped in his tracks. He could see her looking at him worriedly, the sign next to her head said 'Morning' something.

Looking down at his side, he noticed that his hands were curled into shaking fists and he couldn't figure out why everything looked so warped and wavy.

And then, a few drops of water fell and hit the sandy road.

But why? It wasn't raining.

Ah, that was it. He was crying.

Haruka-neechan probably thought he was a loser now.

A weirdo.

A freak.

He should've stayed home. With mom. With Goro-Jiji.

He was such a-

"Izuku."

A firm hand landed on his shoulder. He looked up to see whose it was and found himself staring into warm brown eyes.

"You must be nervous. Don't worry, we all get that way sometimes. Even me."

Izuku highly doubted that Kiryu-san, of all people, broke down into tears at the thought of meeting new people and being seen as a freak, but he kept his mouth shut and let the man speak.

"Everyone in there'll be happy to see you. It's not often that we get new faces around here, especially from Tokyo."

Aren't Kiryu-san and Haruka-neechan from Tokyo, though?

"And definitely not a hero from Musutafu."

"But I'm not a hero. I'm just a quirkless weirdo."

"No. You're Izuku Midoriya. Goro Majima's nephew, and soon-to-be first quirkless hero."

"But-"

"Izu-kun."

Turning towards where Haruka-neechan's voice came from, Izuku was unprepared for the pleasant sensation of a tender hand and soft cloth on his cheeks.

He could feel her rubbing at the tear tracks on his face. Looking forward again, he saw another pair of kind brown eyes.

"Honestly, I expected you to cry at some point, but I expected it to be after you had some of Uncle Kaz's 'specialty' curry."

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing! And… All done! There you go, Izu-Kun. All cleaned up." She pulled her hands back and gave him a bright and toothy smile.

"Huh?" He reached up towards his face, feeling his cheeks, which were wet with tears just a moment before, and was shocked to find them completely dry.

"Can't have you meeting the other kids with tears on your cheeks, can we? They might think you don't like them."

"But-"

"Izuku, it'll be fine. Trust us."

And at that moment, with the honest and kind smiles on both of their faces, he decided that he would.

And thus, with his hand in Haruka-neechan's hand once more and Kiryu-san leading the way, Izuku Midoriya took his first steps into Morning Glory Orphanage.

Morning Glory Orphanage- Afternoon

"Uncle Kaz!"

"Uncle Kaz!"

"Haruka!"

"Guys! Uncle Kaz and Haruka are home!"

And suddenly, they were confronted by eight children of varying ages and sizes, with at least half trying to speak to Kiryu-san at once.

The one who had called out first, a brown-haired boy in a blue shirt, was about a head taller than Izuku and didn't seem to notice him as he chattered on about some baseball-related news to Kiryu-san.

The second one who had spoken up, a rather tanned and stout boy in a red shirt, attempted to draw Kiryu-san's attention away from the first boy with something about wrestling or wrestler. He didn't notice Izuku either.

The third person, a girl in green with black hair in two braids, happened to look down as she spoke to Haruka and spotted a small head of green locks peeking out from behind the older girl's legs.

"Hm? Who's this, Haruka?"

Izuku tried to hide further behind Haruka-neechan, not feeling quite ready to meet the new people yet, but was gently ushered forward.

"It's okay, Izu-Kun. Ayako's really nice. Go on, introduce yourself. She won't bite."

"..."

Ayako, seeing that the young boy was clearly uncomfortable in his current situation, decided that she oughta grease the wheels a little bit. Leaning forward slightly, she smiled and said,

"Hey there, I'm Ayako. What's your name."

"I-Izuku."

"It's nice to meet you, Izuku. Where are you from?"

"M-Musutafu."

"Oh, I've heard of that place! That's where that big hero school is, right? What was it called? Umm…"

"U-U.A. High."

"Ah, that's it! Thank you, Izuku-Kun. You're so smart! How old are you?"

"Four. I- I just turned four."

"And you're already speaking so well? You must be some kind of genius!"

"N-no, I'm not..."

At this point, the other seven children had taken note of the young child who had come in with their caretaker and adoptive older sister. They were going to go over and see what was up but were collectively stopped with a hand from the one adult currently present.

He explained that Izuku would be staying with them for the next few weeks as a favor for a friend of his.

He told them that he was pretty shy around new people, so it would be best if they waited for Ayako to finish talking to him.

They listened and watched as Izuku slowly, but surely, detached himself from Haruka's leg.

They observed as he began to speak more and more animatedly, his stutter disappearing as he began to chat excitedly with the older girls.

After a minute or so of that, Kiryu gave the children the okay to go over and introduce themselves while he went inside and made lunch.

They did and began to rush over to where the small boy and the two oldest girls at Morning Glory were talking.

Their hastened arrival startled Izuku slightly, but he had been made comfortable enough to not bolt or hide behind Haruka or Ayako when they came running at the three of them.

He looked at them, swallowed around the slight lump in his throat(he was still, at least, a little nervous), and introduced himself.

Whatever he feared would come afterward, never did. The other kids all just responded in kind.

The brown-haired boy in the blue t-shirt introduced himself as Koji.

The stout boy in the red said his name was Taichi.

A dark-skinned boy in a green polo told him to call him Mitsuo, one could only assume that that was because it was his name.

A bespectacled boy with a bowl-cut and a yellow hoodie quietly said his name was Shiro.

A girl in a long-sleeved pink shirt, a little younger than Haruka and Ayako, told him that her name was Riona.

Next up, a young girl who was seemingly the same age as Riona in a bluish-green polo, said that her name was Eri.

And finally, likely the youngest of the eight, came up and told him that her name was Izumi.

After introductions were finished, they all sat down at a table to the side and fell into a bit of polite conversation, getting to know each other, while Haruka went inside to help Kiryu prepare lunch.

They asked if Izuku played baseball.

If he liked wrestling.

What manga he liked to read.

It was a fun time.

And then, Koji asked, "Hey, if you come from Musutafu and wanna be a hero, you must have a pretty awesome quirk, right? So what is it?"

Izuku could feel his heart drop to his stomach. Here it comes, the moment he was dreading. He was really having fun. He might as well just get it over quickly.

"I… don't have one. I'm quirkless."

Silence overtook the previously loud and rowdy table.

"You're…" Koji.

"Quirkless?" Taichi.

"And you still wanna be a hero?" Mitsuo.

"That's…" Riona.

Here it comes.

"Amazing!" Eri.

"Yeah, that's so cool!" Taichi spoke again.

"Yeah man, that's awesome." Koji chimed in.

"You really are a special one, Izuku-Kun," Ayako added her two cents.

"It's pretty manly. I have to admit. I might end falling for you when you get older if you keep being so cool." Riona added.

They all just kept piling on the praise. Izuku honestly had no idea what to do.

"You… don't think it's dumb?"

"Dumb?" Izumi.

"Why would we think that? " Riona.

"It's pretty amazing. None of us could do that."Shiro.

"Huh, whaddya mean?"

"We're all quirkless. Uncle Kaz and Haruka are too. Most people in Okinawa are. None of us have ever thought about trying to be heroes. So the fact that you are, and you're so much younger than all of us is really amazing." Ayako explained this all with a smile.

Izuku could feel that ball of dread in his stomach pop and float away, while the warm, fuzzy feeling came rushing back in full force. Working its way up from his toes, up his legs, through his stomach, and settling in his chest.

In the end, he didn't know what he was worried about, as he sat and laughed and joked with his new friends. He was going to enjoy his time at Morning Glory. He could feel it.

And as Kiryu and Haruka watched from the door, they both felt the same way. It was gonna be nice having Izuku Midoriya at Morning Glory Orphanage. They would both bet on it.

Chapter 7: See you next summer, Little Hero

Chapter Text

Morning Glory Beach- Early Morning- Day 1: Combat Training

Kiryu and Izuku stood on the beach across from the orphanage, staring each other down from opposite sides of a large circle that they had drawn in the sand a few minutes prior.

The caretaker had woken the boy about a half hour earlier, moving him to the dining room where he fed him some freshly-made miso and a rolled egg omelet, with a side of rice.

He had made more and left it warm in the kitchen for the other kids when breakfast time rolled around.

Now was the time. He had three weeks to get Izuku ready for whatever hell Majima-oniisan would have ready for him back in Musutafu.

Not a ton of time, but he was fine with a challenge. It was pressure that made diamonds, after all.

So first things first.

"Alright Izuku. Your training with me starts today. But before that, I need to know what I have to work with. With me so far?"

"Yeah."

"Alright. So, what I want you to do is hit me."

"... What?"

"Hit me. Punch, kick, knee, elbow, headbutt. Doesn't matter what you hit me with or where you hit me, just hit me."

"Um, Kiryu-san… I'm not sure this is a good idea."

"It'll be fine. I've been hit by way worse than a four year old. So, come on. I won't leave the circle and I won't back. You can leave the circle and you have ten minutes to land a hit. If you can, we move on. If you can't, we'll start you on some condition training. Arms, legs, things like that. Okay?"

"Uh, okay."

"Alright, good. Let's get started, then."

Kiryu walked to the side of the circle and set the timer that he had brought out with them for ten minutes, exactly.

That done, he ambled back to his original position, before raising an arm and putting a fist in front of his chin, leaving the other crossed down in front of his waist. It looked simple, but the red aura that burned around the man was anything but.

Even across the circle, Izuku could feel the Heat from the man burning up the cool morning air.

He had felt this kind of Heat before. Under a different context, and with a lot anger mixed in, but he had felt it.

"Clock's ticking, Izuku. You gonna come at me or what?"

No time to think about that, he had to hit Kiryu.

Luckily, his uncle had had an idea that something like this might happen and prepared him accordingly.

A few days before the boy had been to Okinawa, Majima took Izuku to a different part of the Junkbeach as the boy had taken to calling it. This part of the Junkbeach had a full clearing, with a couple of old store mannequins set up on really heavy looking stands. Looking at them, one could see that the damage done to them was recent. Heavy slashes. Denting from something that had to have been from something like a bat, and even just hard imprints from fists.

Majima didn't explain any of that, simply sliding off his jacket and addressing his nephew.

"Alright Izu-chan, here's what's gonna happen. Kiryu-chan's a pretty soft guy when it comes to kids. He won't wanna to hit ya during training, so he'll likely have ya do a test that ya can't pass and then you'll be stuck doin' some sh*t like breathin' exercises and condition trainin'."

At this, he ambled over to one of the less worn mannequins. Likely one that had used to present men's exercise wear, judging from its build. Firm and muscular.

"I want ya to actually learn somethin' while you're there. I can teach ya conditionin' and breathin' and crap like that here. Kiryu-chan's better off teachin' ya how to do some real damage."

Izuku nodded and waited for his instructions. Whenever his uncle started rambling like this, it would always lead to him having to do some weird or roundabout exercise that showed results pretty quickly, oddly enough. They just left him with this strange feeling of… power. Almost like he leveled up. Like in one of those Arakure Quest games that his dad left behind! Man, he loved those games. He wasn't all that good at them yet, but he loved watching his dad play them and come up with strategies and-

Wait, what was he talkin' about again?

Oh right, instructions.

"Alright, Izu-chan. I'm gonna teach ya a few things how to catch him off-guard so pay close attention to what I do."

Izuku leaned forward and kept his body low, right arm crossed in front of him, the other held loosely at his side, just like he'd been shown.

He hadn't the foggiest idea of how he'd gotten the hang of his uncle's fighting style so quickly, but if he were asked to describe what it felt like when he had seen it action, he'd say that it just clicked. He had a vision in his mind of him using it. Poking eyes, kicking guys into rails, and even choking them. He could see it all in his head. He was too small to do most of that, but that didn't mean he couldn't do anything with what he knew.

At the very least, he knew how to throw a hard and quick punch.

His stance solid, he bent his leg slightly... and kicked off into motion with a war cry. He made a beeline straight for Kiryu, fist co*cked back as soon as he was halfway to the man. The man who seemed almost surprised at the young boy's speed.

Not surprised enough to let himself get hit by Izuku's sloppy haymaker, but surprised.

As Kiryu dodged to the side, Izuku stumbled; kicking up dust and desperately trying to keep himself from falling face first into the sand. He sputtered and coughed a bit as some particles floated into his face.

Kuso.

He had missed his shot, he'd been banking on catching the older man off-guard with his speed. A kind of that no child should conceivably possess at age four. And that's exactly what Majima had trained him in. The boy knew he couldn't put all that training to waste, so he quickly regrouped and ran at Kiryu again, another cry past his lips as he raised his fist once more.

He struck at air once, Kiryu having sidestepped his strike again.

It continued like this for some time.

Punch.

Dodge.

Punch.

Dodge.

It got to the point where Izuku didn't even want to hit Kiryu for the training anymore, he just wanted to punch the man out of sheer frustration.

He was tired, hungry again, and sick of getting sand in his eyes and mouth. It stung and he needed to wipe his eyes before he started moving again so see where he was going.

Wait. That's it!

He didn't have much time left. If he was gonna make it work, he had to have the perfect timing.

Steeling himself, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

In.

Out.

He was ready.

He got low again, right arm raised, left arm loose.

Knees bent again, he watched Kiryu's feet. He wasn't doing anything special, his feet were spread apart slightly for better movement. But looking more closely…

Got it!

Exploding into motion, he charged straight at the man once more, fist raised and co*cked back again.

Kiryu simply began to step to the side once again, but wasn't prepared for the splash of sand that was thrown into his face.

Slam!

Or the tiny body that launched itself, shoulder first, into his groin.

Riiiiiing!

And as the timer sounded off and he crumpled to the ground in a groaning heap, Kiryu mentally reprimanded himself for underestimating the nephew of one of the most unpredictable people he had ever met.

Minutes later, the two sat across from each other in the circle again; the young Midoriya, oddly smug and Kiryu ignoring the sh*t-eating grin on the child's face for the sake of his own pride.

"Alright, that was pretty good. I can see you've already got a solid foundation. That was your uncle's fighting style, right."

The boy nodded.

"I see. It was rough compared to his, though. You're supposed to be able to chain strikes fluidly with that style. Punches into elbows into kicks into grabs. It's brutal, but elegant. So you shouldn't be throwing wild haymakers like that with it. The sand thing was clever, though. Just what I'd expect from someone who learned from your uncle."

At this, Izuku preened.

"But," his preening stopped, "your form's still really rough and you can't just go rushing at an enemy like that. I wasn't hitting back, but I assume a villain would. I also assume that they'd be going for the kill if you missed and stumbled the way you did earlier. So we'll be working your balance for a while, until you get a handle on that."

Izuku nodded, and they got to work.

Morning Glory Beach- Late Morning- Combat Training: Day 10

Kiryu had Izuku pull himself into a number of different poses and used a number of exercises, all to improve his balance.

Reverse Lunges on an old exercise ball.

Tree Poses on a large piece of driftwood.

Sumo Squats on a very large rock at the coast at low tide.

After a week and some change of that and more, Izuku's balance was improving by leaps and bounds.

He no longer stumbled when he missed and his strikes were far more measured and fluid than before, if not as elegant as his uncle's.

As evidenced by the fact that Kiryu was actually starting to break a sweat while he dodged the boy's strikes, as some of the other children from Morning Glory watched on and cheered.

"Get him, Izuku!" Taichi

"You've got it, Izuku-kun!" Ayako

"Take him down, Ikkun!" Izumi

"Beat him up, Izu-kun!" E tu, Haruka?

Little Turncoats.

Izuku was loving it, though. His strikes got faster and more fluid as the grin on his face got wider, almost scarily so. So much so, that he had to restrain himself from striking back when Izuku lashed out with a kick, being so oddly reminded of a one-eyed friend(?) of his.

He was getting much quicker.

His stamina was getting better. A couple of days ago, he would've been winded at this point. They'd been at it for a little under twenty minutes and he was just starting to sweat.

But, for some reason, he felt that if he didn't end this soon; Izuku would keep pushing until he dropped.

Not just because of the encouragement of the older kids that he had started to look up to, no. That helped, but the child's drive was far more simple than that.

If he looked closer, he could see it. Heat emanating from the boy. Like blue flame shrouding him in an aura of power. He knew what it was doing to the boy, because he had felt it before. He had been feeling it at that moment.

Though where his Heat felt like a roaring flaming that you could feel from miles away, Izuku's felt like the embers of a soon-to-lit campfire. He wasn't quite ready yet, but if he kept improving at a steady pace, he would be.

Quickly stepping around Izuku's next blow, he strolled out of the circle.

"That's enough, Izuku! Let's call it for today."

Izuku, who had seemingly been having the time of his life judging from how quickly his smile dropped when he was told the fight was over, dropped his stance and took a breath.

Haruka walked over and handed some water and a towel, which he accepted with a wide smile.

"Thanks, Neechan!"

"Hey! What about me?"

"What about you, Uncle Kaz?"

Wow, that was cold.

"Kidding. Here you go." She walked back over towards the other kids, who handed her a towel and another bottle of water. She ambled over to him with both in hand and handed them over.

"Thanks." He took a long gulp of water, before drying off slightly with the towel and draping it over his shoulders. That done, he looked over and addressed Izuku.

"Alright Izuku. That was good. Better than at the beginning of last week. You're really starting to get the hang of a more intricate fighting style and I think that you deserve a break. So you've got the rest of the day off. Do whatever you like. Just be ready to get back to work tomorrow, okay?"

"Um, okay. Thanks, Kiryu-san." He never felt comfortable calling the man 'Uncle Kaz' like the other kids did. It wasn't that he thought Kiryu would get angry about it, he had even encouraged the boy to do it once or twice in the week that he had been at Morning Glory.

No, it was more that he had felt like he hadn't quite earned it yet.

He didn't bring that up with any of his new friends though, he knew that they would just say he was being silly.

He wasn't, he had to earn it. He would be better. He had to be-

"-or some Baseball, right Izuku?" He snapped out of his train of thought as Koji addressed him.

"Uh, yeah!" He heard Baseball and just assumed they were talking about playing a game.

"Awesome! Let's go then!" Luckily, he had assumed correctly.

As he followed the other kids inside to grab the bat, mitts, and ball, he let all of his previous thoughts leave his mind. He was supposed to have fun too, after all.

Morning Glory Orphanage- Early Evening- Day 16

It was getting close to time for Izuku to go back home.

He had improved by leaps and bounds in the time that he was at Morning Glory.

His form was good. Still a bit rough, but far less sloppy than it was when he had first used it against Kiryu.

His speed was out of this world for a child and would only continue to get better as he got older.

His strength, once again, was amazing for a child. Unfortunately, unlike his speed, he'd have to put most of his weight behind a punch or a kick for it to be truly effective against a larger opponent. That'd be dangerous in an actual fight, but it wasn't like he'd be fighting against any adults any time soon.

So Kiryu's evaluation of Izuku's progress in the past couple of weeks, would say that it was amazing.

If he didn't know any better, he would say that Izuku was even picking up on his fighting style a little bit.

He could see some of his own jabs and hooks being thrown into the mix whenever Izuku would get particularly heated up during a spar. They were crude with a bit of wasted movement thrown in, most likely due to Izuku putting his weight behind them to add in some force. It was less like a Dragon and more like a street Brawler. Just like he was, years ago.

It wasn't hard to see that Izuku was a precocious child, but this was almost ridiculous. At this rate, by the time he was old enough to attend a hero school he'd probably be a monster.

Thinking about it made the old dragon chuckle around his cigarette.

Well, all the better for him. You can do it, kid. I believe in you.

And as he watched Izuku beam and laugh, inspiration in his eyes, as he watched a wrestling match with Taichi, he felt that that belief was truly well founded.

"Aniki."

Stamping out his cigarette and looking to where the voice came from he raised a brow.

"Yeah, Rikiya?"

"We need your help."

Several Days Later- Departure back to Musutafu

Kiryu and Haruka walked alongside Izuku, as he wheeled his little suitcase behind him. It had been half-filled with clothes, a toothbrush, and some comic books when he had arrived in Okinawa. Now, he was leaving with souvenirs from all the people at Morning Glory.

A baseball glove from Mitsuo. It was well worn and slightly(comically) big on his small hand, but he still appreciated the gesture.

Some manga from Koji. It was a shounen manga, heavy on explosive action and friendship. Izuku loved it.

Ayako gave him a book about U.A. and its 'most famous alumni'. It looked slightly used, some of the pages dogeared and the cover somewhat shelf-worn, but she hadn't read it. No, she had gone to a used bookstore earlier in the week and gotten it for him when she saw it. She had used the last of her allowance to buy it and smiled brightly when Izuku slammed into her and hugged her waist. She had said that that reaction made the book worth it for her.

Riona gave him a magazine featuring Pixie-Bob from The Wild, Wild puss*cats on the cover. She said it would "teach him how to talk to girls" when he got older. He didn't get it, he could talk to her just fine, but he went along with it anyway. He wasn't gonna turn down some free hero stuff.

Shiro gave him a book on medical terms, stating that he had read it already. It seemed that he had forgotten that Izuku was four and that a good number of the terms would go over his head, but people older than him have made that same mistake numerous times. He couldn't be blamed.

Eri and Izumi pooled together their allowance and bought him a hand-stitched All-Might doll. He was still holding it. Enough said there.

Taichi gave him a book on wrestling techniques. He said he wasn't a big fan of reading and that Izuku would probably get more use out of it than he would. The gleam in Izuku's eyes as he skimmed the book was enough to make most of the older kids at Morning Glory feel just the teensiest bit sorry for any villains that got on the wrong end of the hero hopeful's righteous anger in the future.

Haruka gave the boy some candy and an amulet. She said that the amulet was supposed to protect him from harm and the candy just tasted really good, it being some of Kiryu's favorite. Izuku loved the candy for the two seconds that he had it. The amulet, the string of which was tied around his neck, made him feel secure.

And Kiryu gave him two more things. One of them was an old lighter. He said it was given to him by an old friend, and he wanted to give it to someone who would actually use it, seeing as he could hardly look at it nowadays. He could give it to his mom or keep it for himself. Just as long as someone found a good use for it.

The second thing was something that Kiryu had made sure to give the boy when he knew that they were both alone.

A magazine.

Not just any magazine, but the mythical shrink-wrapped magazine.

He had seen them before, in vending machines that his mother and Haruka told him to never go near, but never up close.

Kiryu instructed the boy to wait for at least five years before opening that magazine, to never let his mother or anyone else see it, and to not hide it under his bed, saying that it's not as great a hiding place as he'd think it is. He would've asked 'why?' to all of the instructions, if the look on the man's face hadn't been so deathly serious.

Instead, he just nodded solemnly and hid the shrink-wrapped treasure beneath all of the other things in his suitcase, already thinking of potential places to hide it when he got home.

He was sad to leave them.

He almost didn't wanna go. Knowing that while his mom and uncle were back in Tokyo, so was Kacchan.

Just the thought of the other boy made him wanna cry.

But when he started to tear up, the other kids, and even Kiryu, all wrapped him up in a hug and said,

"We'll see you next summer, okay little hero?"

And at that moment, it was all okay.

Chapter 8: Majima Saga: Innocence

Chapter Text

Majima Saga

Chapter I

"Innocence"

Sotenbori, Osaka- 198X

Osaka.

What was there to say about it, really?

It was a city. Not all that different from Kamurocho, if he were honest.

It was a city built all around nightlife indulgence.

Want proof? Look no further than the bright heart of the city, Sotenbori.

Wanna have a good time? There's a Soapland right down the street.

Wanna make some quick with a risk? There's a casino by the bridge, knock yourself out.

Wanna feel like someone loves you for an hour? The Odyssey or The Grand, take your pick.

Sex, cash, and booze. That was Sotenbori.

And then, there was Goro Majima.

He wasn't here for pleasure. He was all business.

He didn't have time to screw around, there was work to do.

He knew this. He was completely aware of this.

So why was he in a park arguing with a kid about the importance of putting trash in the trash can?

He just wanted a smoke. Unfortunately, when he reached into his pocket and pulled out his pack, he realized that he had run out cigs.

Grumbling, he threw the empty pack off to the side and was going to continue on with his day, when this curly haired kid called out to him and started lecturing him.

"Whaddya mean, kid? It's just trash."

"And that's the problem, mister! You know where that trash ends up?"

"No?"

And why should he care?

"In our water! D'ya know how nasty that is?"

Nani?

"What?! No way that's true!"

"It is! My dad showed me a newspaper once that said our rivers were getting more and more polluted, and I saw that a lotta the cans and bottles and other stuff we throw away was floating around in the water that we get most of our supply from, so it had me thinking..."

Geez, who's kid is this?

"... then I started reading about all of these rainforests that have started shrinking in the past few years and…"

This must be pretty important to him. And if half of what he's sayin' is true, it oughta be pretty important to me too. I'm too damn young for the world to end!

"And so, what I think-"

"Alright kid. You've got me. I'll do my best to keep the streets clean from now on."

"Really?"

He nodded, and the boy beamed.

"Thanks mister!"

"Don't mention, kid. Say, what's your name?"

"Oh, it's Hisashi, mister. What's yours?"

"Goro Majima. Just call me Goro, kid."

"All right, Goro-oniisan."

That was a quick jump from 'Mister' to 'Niisan'.

"All right kid. I gotta get goin'. You take care of yourself."

And so, Goro Majima walked his way out of the park, off to handle business at the Midoriya Family office.

Midoriya Family Office- 5 Minutes Later

The office wasn't all that far from the park.

It also wasn't as big as he was used to family offices being, though seeing as the Midoriya Family wasn't all that big itself, it made sense.

Ringing the bell at the front door, he waited a good minute before a pissy-looking prick came to the door.

"f*ck do ya want?"

Well, what a barrel of monkeys this family is, if this guy's any indicator.

"I'm here to see Musashi Midoriya, on orders from Futoshi Shimano."

The asshole told Majima to wait a minute before he stepped away from the door, likely to ask his boss if he should let the man in.

The bowl-haired man rolled his eyes and leaned on the wall to the side of the door.

He understood protocol and all that sh*t, but he just wanted to get this over with so he could grab some cigs and head back up to Kamurocho. Hi-Lites were cheaper in Sotenbori, after all.

Why the hell did I end up gettin' the short straw?

He had no idea why the hell his boss told him to hop in a taxi and come all the way to Osaka to deliver a message.

To a third string family he hadn't even heard of, nonetheless!

Whatever let's review I got on hand, before Mr. Sunshine lets me in.

As far as he could tell, from the info he got from the locals in town, the Midoriya Family was pretty new in the area. They were a subsidiary of the Sagawa Family, a higher established family Omi Alliance, and Musashi Midoriya answered directly to the Sagawa Family Patriarch.

They allegedly also ran Cabaret Grand in town. It wasn't pulling in big numbers, and the place looked pretty empty from time to time, but they seemed to be staying in the black.

Oddly enough, the most confusing part of the Midoriya Family was its patriarch, Musashi Midoriya.

No matter how much info dug up, he couldn't seem to dig up anything about the man.

He could find all sorts of things about the man's men, like how some were hotheads who would cause trouble at some restaurants in town, before coming back bruised and apologetic the next day.

Or how some would get drunk and hog the mic at the karaoke bar, being drunk and belligerent and all around bad for business. They'd come back a few days later, at most, and drop off a briefcase full of cash with a heartfelt apology for their behavior.

Or even how some would start screwin' around and name-dropping their boss for free sh*t. They'd end up missing, the day after; all the free sh*t they obtained being given back by a different person who apologized for the inconvenience on behalf of Musashi Midoriya.

So yeah, he could info on the man's boys and make assumptions, but he couldn't find a damn thing on Midoriya. It was honestly kinda frustrating.

After all, it was generally accepted that you could find info on pretty much any patriarch if you looked hard enough.

Majima had been fishing for just about anything he could find on the guy, and he reeled in jack sh*t.

How the hell does a patriarch, of all people, end up bein' a ghost in a town he's supposed to be runnin'?

So here he stood, waiting for an audience with a ghost all for the sake of a boss who probably wouldn't even appreciate it. Oh, thejoysof family.

Just as the young yakuza tough finished lamenting his lot in life, the door swung open and out peeked the head of the hardass from before.

"The boss'll see ya. Come in."

If he were expecting the office to be any more impressive on the inside than it was on the out, he supposed he'd feel mighty disappointed.

The inside was just filled with desks and a couple of plush chairs, likely for any guests that they weren't rude enough to make wait outside.

There was a painting on the far wall, but as far as he could see, there wasn't some secret safe hiding hundreds of millions in cash behind it.

If the office looked so ordinary, he could only wonder what the owner looked like.

Maybe the reason why nobody recognized him was because he was hidden by someone who looked more interesting.

Coming to a stop at a door that wasn't anything like the others(a shoji, oddly enough), the hardass doorman knocked lightly.

A soft reply of 'Come in' was heard and the prickly man promptly slid the door open, stepping to the side to allow Majima to step in first.

Uttering a quiet thanks, he stepped into the office for his first meeting with Musashi Midoriya.

Majima didn't quite know what he was expecting when he was told he was going to meet the man known as Musashi Midoriya.

He didn't know whether he was an old geezer who'd been in charge of young bucks like the dickhe*d doorman that had let him in for years, or if he was some promising young prospect that had impressed the right people and been rewarded with a nice new family of his own.

Well, what he got wasn't either of those things.

Instead, what awaited him on the other side of the shoji, was a man in what had to be at least his mid-forties.

He had a mop of black, curly hair with a bit of grey peppered in.

Hard features, the kind that you'd expect from a leader with a few wrinkles and defined laugh lines near his eyes, so he must've smiled a lot.

Four freckles in the shape of a diamond on both cheeks.

His eyes were dark, in color rather than content. Instead of any ill-intent or menace, that a good number of patriarchs that Majima had seen and interacted with held, this man's eyes danced with amusem*nt and, what seemed to be, fondness.

And as he looked to the man's side, taking note of the other occupant in the room who had been chattering on the whole time, he could see why.

There sat a miniature version of Musashi Midoriya. A miniature version of Musashi Midoriya, who Majima had met, not even ten minutes prior.

"Hisashi-kun?" The words were out of his mouth, before he even had a chance to give them a conscious thought.

"Hm? Oh! Hey, Goro-oniisan! See? This is the guy, dad. The one that actually listened to me."

Funny how innocent little interactions panned out like that.

"Hello, Majima-kun. I'm Musashi Midoriya and I've heard that you have a message for me?"

This guy doesn't miss a beat.

"Yes, sir. From my boss, Futoshi Shimano."

Third String or not, this guy was a patriarch. He had to show some respect.

"Let's see it, then."

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the envelope that Shimano had given him before shoving him into a taxi bound for Osaka.

Patriarch Midoriya gingerly plucked the envelope from Majima's fingers, eyes roaming and the scanning exterior, before opening it and skimming the contents.

As he reached the bottom, the amusem*nt from before seemed to fade from the man's eyes.

Now, he was all business.

Laying the message face down on the table, he turned his head to address his son, who had been rather quiet after his initial greeting to Majima, with a kind smile.

"Hi-chan, would you mind stepping outside for a bit? I need to speak to Majima-kun about some adult business. It won't take long."

With nary a murmur or complaint, the boy nodded, stood up, and walked his way out of the office. When he closed the door behind him and the two men still left in the room heard his footsteps retreating, Patriarch Midoriya turned his attention onto Majima.

"Tell me, Majima-kun. Did you happen to have any idea about what was in this message that you were told to deliver to me?"

What's he mean? 'Course I didn't.

"No, sir. My job was to deliver the message, not read it."

The older man stared hard at the messenger, while the messenger simply stared back.

He hadn't done anything wrong, so there was nothing that Midoriya could do to intimidate him on that front.

A beat passed, and Midoriya let the hard look fall from his face.

"Good, I'm glad to hear that. Then, may I ask you another question?"

"Yes, sir."

"Do you like children, Majima-kun?"

That's outta the blue.

"What do you mean, sir?"

"I mean, are you good with children? Are you okay with being around them and interacting with them?"

"I guess I am. I don't dislike them at least, and I'd say I get along well enough with the kids that I do interact with."

" Good. Then I'd like to ask you for a favor, Majima-kun."

Majima didn't like the sound of that.

Two Years Later

A now one-eyed Goro Majima walked the streets of Sotenbori.

It was still a city. A city built all around indulgence. A city that he now lived in.

He was stuck there. Kicked out of the Shimano Family and on loan to one of the most reprehensible bastards he'd ever had the displeasure of meeting, Tsukasa Sagawa.

Add that onto the fact that his sworn brother was currently in prison and you had what made for a sh*tty time in the life of one Goro Majima.

He was currently on his way back from a long day of work at Cabaret Grand.

And it truly was a long day.

In the past two years, it had gone from firmly in the black to a hard plummet down into the red.

Business was picking back up, but that was only after the new management came by to give the place a shot in the arm.

Namely, him.

As part of his punishment, he was being forced to run the cabaret and bring in some major profits by the end of the year.

It was April already and profits were climbing up into the millions. He just needed to keep a steady pace and he could shoot past that bastard Sagawa's goal.

If he did that, Sagawa promised to speak to Shimano about letting Majima back into the family.

Majima was at least 80 percent sure that the man was full of sh*t, but he had to do it.

If there was even a 1 percent chance that the bastard would honor their deal, he had to take that chance. No matter how much money he had to pour into the place, no matter how sh*tty a place he had to live in. He would make it work. He had to make it work.

For his bro's sake, as well his own.

Turning the corner into the back alley that led to his apartment, he stopped in his tracks as he heard a noise.

It wouldn't be the first time some asshole tried to mug him here, but he wondered what the hell made him seem like such a great target. Was it the ponytail?

"Alright. Whoever's there, come on out. I ain't gonna ask twice."

He had a lot of pent-up aggression saved up from the day he just had, and the next person who pissed him off would be the one who took on the full brunt of it for the sake of everyone around them.

It didn't have to come to that, however.

Quickly, a small figure with curly, dirty, slightly matted down scrambled from behind the corner, an apology already on their lips.

And as Majima looked closer and listened to the voice, he realized that he recognized this figure.

"No way. Hisashi-kun?"

The boy looked up in fear and slight shock, before his eyes gleamed with recognition.

"Goro-oniisan?"

That was just the beginning of a truly strange time for one Goro Majima, age 23.

Chapter 9: Majima Saga: Choice

Chapter Text

Majima Saga

Chapter II

"Choice"

"You want me to do what?"

"I want to look after my son, in the event that something should happen to me."

So he wasn't hearing wrong.

"Why me?"

The older man chuckled at this. It wasn't anything like his previous bout of laughter; a genuine show of merriment.

No.

This laugh was hollow.

Bitter, though not quite angry, just…

Tired.

"Majima-kun, I've been yakuza since I was fourteen years old. I didn't swear up until three years after, but I'vebeenyakuza since I was fourteen. I was just a punk with nowhere to go, then. Deadbeat dad, trying to make a profit offa gamblin' all around Kansai. Missin' ma, left after my pops racked up the first hundred grand in debt. So it wasn't exactly what most folk would consider a stable environment. Prob'ly didn't help that I had my old man's temper. By the time I was old enough to really think about it, I just figured that since I came from sh*t, I oughta act even sh*ttier."

Midoriya had been speaking with a proper Tokyo dialect before. But as he went further and further down memory lane, he became more and more vulgar.

"Left home at around 11, wandered for a bit. Shoplifted and dumpster dived for a time. Slept in the subway, on rainy nights. Kept to empty parks on clear ones. Getting around unnoticed wasn't hard, 'specially when no one wanted to notice me, y'know? It was a lonely year for me, one of the lonliest in my life."

"..." What could he say to that?

"A little bit after my twelfth birthday, yes I was keeping track while on the move, I ran into a gang. Not a huge operation, but rather sizable. Some of the folks were a little older, others, a little younger than me. We were all punks that ran away from home, though. Came together to form some pseudo-Neverland and wreak havoc on the streets of Osaka. Now, I couldn't give ya a good reason why I thought it'd be a good idea to join up with 'em. But, if I were forced to give an answer, I'd say… I just needed something, anything to look up to. The world's a cruel place, especially for those too young to know just why that is."

"..."

"I rolled with that gang for a good six months or so. Beatin' the crap outta people who looked at us funny, shakin' down assholes so we could go eat at fancy places, causin' trouble at fancy places. For the time I did it, being a goddamn nuisance was fun. Way more fun than being ignored. But then, one day, Just before I turned thirteen, I got my ass kicked during a shakedown. Right here in Sotenbori."

His tone was oddly fond.

"Some yakuza in charge of the turf happened to be passing by when I was doin' it. Told me stop and I told him to f*ck off. He said two words to me and I saw red. Just two. You know what they were?"

"..."

"'Make me.' Can ya believe it? I sure as hell couldn't, and it got me pissed. So I tried… and failed, miserably. He kicked the crap outta me. Humiliated me. And he hardly broke a sweat."

He could see where this was going now.

"And after that, he didn't kill me or tell me to leave town. No, instead, he said 'Good fight' and offered me a job. Next thing I know, I'm runnin' errands for the newly-minted Sawada Family."

Of course. That's how most folks got their start after all. Not specifically like that, of course, but with similar set-ups. Young men with no places to go and no people who want them. They get brought in by new patriarchs and boom! Loyalty bred. Simple and somewhat morally ambiguous, but effective.

"Worked my ass for about ten years, before Sagawa-han took me aside and told me I was in line to become a patriarch. I just had to do one thing… I had to 'get rid of' one Hideo Midoriya."

"What?"

"My father, and an ex-Omi man who was sidling up to some Tojo boys in the area. Probably hoping that they'd pay off his debts for him if he gave 'em some Omi exclusive info. He got banished a little while before my ma had me. Asshole was a lieutenant who tried to start his own gamblin' scam and f*cked up royally. Ended up bringin' the law down on his family, and the patriarch ended up footin' the bill. He was out on his ass the day after the sentencing."

The guy sounded like a real piece of work.

"So, I had a choice to make. I had to choose between my asshole dad, who I hadn't seen or thought of in well over a decade, or my patriarch, who had looked after me and seen that I was looked after for just about a decade. It wasn't a hard choice, but a choice nonetheless."

Majima could imagine so.

"So I found out that he was movin' in & around Sotenbori. Figured I'd find him at some bar or another, so I just hopped from one to the next, before I smelled the stench of the prick that I never seemed to forget. The scent of tobacco from a cig brand that I can't remember the name of for the life of me.

"He looked even more pitiful than he did when I left him twelve years earlier. His hair was grayer, eyes sunken, cheeks were hollow and pale, he was a mess. To this day, I still don't know if the lift in my gut that night was some sad*stic glee that he was suffering after the crap he'd been pulling for all those years, or if it was... relief. Relief that I'd be killing a man that was already dead."

Another chuckle.

"Whatever it was, it didn't change what happened next. I approached him, took a seat next to him, and got a drink. It wasn't exactly part of the plan, but I felt like it would make things more… believable. Mighta also needed some courage, iced and in the form of hard liquor. When I was on my third glass, I looked over and saw that he was still nursing the bottom half of his first. It was strange, I could remember him draining whole bottles in the time it took him to get to the bottom of that one glass. But even then, it didn't matter. I had a job to do. I looked closer at his face, pretended to try and place it, but before I could go through with the whole song and dance, he looked at me and I could see the recognition in his eyes. When he asked if it wasmethat he was lookin' at, I jumped on the chance, hugged him, offered him a bed at my place for the night."

If the patriarch's voice was tired before, it was absolutely strained now.

"We got maybe a block before stoppin' for a smoke. It was nice, dark, and secluded. It was almost like the world was tellin' me that that was the place to kill him. The knife in my jacket felt heavy. It felt like it was pushing me into the ground further and further with every step that I took with it. I handed him a cig and lit it for him. I had to kill the man, what could it cost me to, at least, be polite? It was gonna be his last smoke, after all. When I lit my own, we just sat there for a minute."

Strained to wistful, the man's voice swung from emotion to emotion as his story went about its course.

"It was… nice. But I still had a job to do. So, I pulled out the knife. He had his back turned to me, so I figured I could just get him in the back and be done with it then and there. I pulled it back, my knuckles were turnin' white from how hard I was grippin' the damn thing, and I shoved forward. That's when he turned around. And the blade pushed right into his chest."

Midoriya's hands and voice were starting to tremble.

"It's amazing how easy it was. He was surprised, but he didn't struggle. He looked down at my chest and just seemed to accept it. After that, he looked me in the eyes and patted his pocket. Then, he was gone. Just like that."

He clenched his fists tightly.

"I realize now, that when he looked at my chest, he was looking at my badge. He knew what he had done and it seemed that for the first and last time in his life, he was willing to take responsibility for it. I could respect that. And his pocket, the one he patted, he had a photo. It was one of me and my ma, before she left. He took it when we went to the beach for my birthday. I hardly even remembered it at that point, so I could hardly think of why he would still have it, I tried to not let it f*ck with me though."

Fists unclenched.

"Lo' and behold, that night would f*ck with me for a good ten years after that. I could never wash that blood off my hands or get that picture outta my mind. After I did the job, and told Sawada-han, he patted me on the back and told me my instatement was happening at Omi headquarters the next week."

Clench.

"I would go on to kill a lot more people afterwards, just on instinct at that point. I got so good at it that they started calling the Omi's very own 'God of War'. A stupid f*cking title, I know."

Back came the bitterness. It was more self-deprecating than anything else, this time around.

"Got married to a lovely spitfire of a woman when I was thirty, and she helped me cope a bit. Then, three years later, she died giving birth to a bouncing baby boy. I was grieving, but I couldn't just shut down and go on autopilot like I did before. I had someone countin' on me now. I had to be there for him. For my son. And I've tried to be. He's real bright, y'know. Prob'ly gets it from his ma. I'm doin' my best to turn him into a proper Tokyoite, so he can get outta here, become a doctor or a scientist or something like that. Anything but a yakuza, honestly."

That slightly threw Majima. He knew the kid was smart, but he didn't expect his father to be so against him joining the family business.

"Why?"

"Because it'd be a waste of his talent. And any father, any good one at least, would want his son to at least be a contender, and would hate to see his child's talent wasted. I want him to live better than I did. I want him to have good memories of his father. To be able to go to sleep at night without worrying about the nightmares creeping in and shocking him out of his sleep in a cold sweat. I want him to get married and have kids and not worry about f*cking them up for the rest of their lives because he didn't know what he was doing. I don't want him to join the Yakuza, Majima-kun, because I want him to differ from me as possible."

Okay, that answered that.

"So where do I fit into this?" That was the billion yen question. He had just met the man that day, so why was he being entrusted with what clearly the most important thing to him?

The Midoriya patriarch smiled once again, a kind smile. A genuine one.

He didn't start off on another long tale this time. Instead, he said three words.

"Because you listened."

Sotenbori, Osaka- Cabaret Grand- June

Because I listened, huh?

Majima sat back in his chair. There wasn't much going on in the club downstairs, so he had a rare bit of time to sit back and breathe. He had started to make a bit of a name for himself in the biz in the past few months and that name led people to find Cabaret Grand: "Where the customer is king".

The sh*t was exhausting, but he was making bank, so he couldn't really complain. The Grand made about ten mil the past month. At the rate they were going this next month, they'd likely double it before the 20th.

This was good. It wouldn't be long before they reached 100 mil, and he'd be out of his cage. He'd be able to breathe without assholes watching his every move.

Sawada had people watching him 24/7, making sure he wouldn't just up and skip town one day.

Not like he could, what with his new… roommate. He was almost certain that Sawada knew about him. He couldn't exactly keep him a secret with the, at least, ten people keeping an eye on his place.

He ain't said anything yet, but if I were a bettin' man…

The cyclops took a breath and shook his head. There was no use dwelling on that, he just had to make the money and he'd get both himself and the boy outta Sotenbori.

He made a promise, after all.

Thirty minutes later- Tsuruhashi Fugetsu

"Thanks."

"No problem. Come back soon, Majima-han!"

With a box of Okonomiyaki in hand and his wallet even lighter than usual, Majima left the eatery and started to walk back to his apartment. His roommate seemed a bit down lately, hopefully a hefty serving of his favorite food could help a bit.

Another long day at the Grand, but it was over until the next night at least. Now all he had to do was go home and hit the sack. That plan was kiboshed as soon as he turned onto East Shochof*cku and felt his wallet moving up and out of his pocket.

He whipped around, prepared to slug the sh*t outta whoever thought it'd be a good idea to filch his stuff.

"What?"

He was surprised to find no unlucky schmuck on the receiving end of his punch.

Instead, he found his wallet floating in mid-air and lazily moving towards a small hooded figure.

The hell?

As Majima got ready to move towards the figure, they seemed to realize that their mark was wise to their antics and let their would-be loot fall before turning around and sprinting into the Bunzaemon Outdoor Mall.

sh*t."Hey, get back here!"

And he took off after them(pocketing his wallet along the way, of course).

Neither the pursuer nor the pursued made it far before the latter was cornered in Ashibata Park.

Majima had arrived just in time to hear athud!and see the figure being surrounded by a few yakuza toughs. Normally, he'd let that be it and go about his day. No real choice to be made there.

"Look, I said I was sorry, so could ya just let me get past?"

"The f*ck you just say to us, brat?"

Unfortunately, his moral compass kicked in when he heard just how young the voice was.

As one of the men raised their hand to strike the kid(?), the one-eyed man called out to them.

"Hey, could younotdo that?"

"Huh, and who the f*ck're you s'pose to be?"

Okay, rude.

"A concerned citizen, one who would rathernotsee you beat on a kid."

"Oh, I get it. You must be volunteering for us to beat on you instead!"

Not exactly, but I'm guessin' they're not gonna take no for an answer.

Settling into a low stance, Majima got ready for the punks to come at him.

"Get him, boys!"

Here we go!

Chapter 10: Majima Saga: Sacrifice

Chapter Text

Majima Saga

Chapter III

"Sacrifice"

Hooligans

Focusing his one eye, Majima swept a quick look across the group charging at him.

The world around him seemed to go grey with only the punks still in vivid color.

He scanned from right to left, checking all around the front of their shirts for any suspicious bumps or bulges.

You see, Majima had a keen eye for certain things in what many would consider "Dangerous Situations".

These certain things would be, guns, knives, the occasional bottle, and so forth.

After almost a decade in the Yakuza, he'd been attacked with so many different types of weapons he'd find odd if someone wasn't trying to stab, shoot, or slash him. It just came with the territory.

Add in the fact that people havef*cking superpowersnow, being able to spot guns and knives through someone's shirt almost seems like calling dice on a kid's playground.

Nothing there, good to go. Now to just pick one to start and work my way around.

One thug, a young man in a green tracksuit, bravely volunteered to be the cyclops's first vic-*ahem*volunteer.

"f*ck you!" He threw a wild punch, throwing most of his weight behind it, just as he reached the man.

He struck air, before something slammed into his ankle and he began to fall fast.

"What!?"

Slam!

He hit the pavement hard, face first. He wasn't unconscious, but probably wished he was if the pained groan he let out was any indication.

One down, four to go.

Fights against groups are never like the movies.

You hardly ever have assholes in a group try to take you down one-on-one.

It's all a team effort for X amount of people to gang up on, and kick the sh*t out of, one person.

It's an incredibly smart tactic that would be guaranteed to work on nine out of ten people.

However.

Nine out of ten people aren't Goro Majima.

Two more thugs, clad in dark suits and obviously older and bigger than first, ran up to the tuxedoed civilian together, their obvious intent to do harm present in the punches they threw at him.

They didn't put most of their weight behind their punches like the first one did, but being as thick they were only made life simpler for Majima, who simply used his lithe figure to slip through the gap between the two and grab the collar of one.

"The fuunf-?! " His clearly inappropriate exclamation was cut off as he was roughly pulled back into the front vending machine next to him, before receiving a quick strike to his face.

He began falling forward before the steel tip of a boot found its way into the back of his head. The man's eyes rolled back into his head before he fell forward, hitting the ground with a thud.

Three more.

The other three thugs, likelychinpiraif their badges and hotheadedness were anything to go by, were looking rather unsure about whether or not to cut their losses and leave with their pride still intact.

Well that wouldn't be good, the party was just getting started.

Let's see if this gets 'em stirred up.

Looking towards the bigger punk from before, he sneered and said, "Jyama de, debu."

He seemed to take exception to that.

All signs of hesitation left his body as he charged the one-eyed assassin, arms spread out for a grapple.

A grapple that was swiftly evaded, before being countered with a swift chop to the neck.

Two.

Turning to the two remaining hooligans with a toothy grin, he asked, "So, who's next?"

Only to be disappointed with the sight of one punk, who had seemingly passed out from fear, and the smell of urine. Taking a closer look, it seemed like this punk was the one who had started the whole debacle. He wore a flashy suit with his badge featured prominently on the lapel of his blazer.

Damn it, talk about a co*ck block. Whatever, let's see if I recognize the family you assholes're from.

If they were Sagawa's, it wasn't likely to be a problem. If they weren't, he'd have some explaining to do.

Plucking the unconscious flashy hooligan's badge from his blazer, he gave it a quick gander.

Huh, would you look at that?

Who would've thought that he'd run into punk from that family that night? It wasn't like they were out in force in Sotenbori anymore.

Whatever, not like they could cause me any trouble right now.

He had more important matters to take care of at that moment.

Important matters that seemed to be attempting to tiptoe away quietly.

"Hold the hell up, kid, and pop-a-squat. We gotta talk."

The kid who Majima had just saved(?) stopped in their tracks and sighed before about-facing and moving over to take a seat on a bench.

Majima just got up and followed them, throwing the badge that he had appropriated over his shoulder.

As the man stepped away, the Midoriya Family emblem glinted in the moonlight.

"So what gave ya the bright idea to try and steal from me, kid?"

"..."

"C'mon, I ain't gonna hurt ya or turn ya in. Seems kinda pointless at this point."

"..."

"I ain't got all night."

"..ur cl...s."

"Huh? What was that?"

"Your clo…."

"Ya gotta speak up, kid."

"It was your clothes! Okay? Your clothes! The fancy ass butler sh*t ya got goin' on!"

Woah, wasn't expectin' that. Where'd all that attitude come from?

"You mean my tux? Sorry kid, but this is a uniform. Sourced from my boss and the only one I got. sh*t, I haggled these boots from an old shop goin' outta business a couple'a months ago."

With every word that left the cyclops's mouth, the young… lady, from the sound of her voice, seemed to deflate under her hood.

"So... yer not rich, is what you're sayin'?"

Majima reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet.

"Hold out your hand."

She did and Majima upended his wallet and shook it slightly, allowing its contents to fall onto her open palm.

Three 500-yen coins fell out.

"I-is that it?"

"Yup."

"Are you serious?"

"My jokes ain't this bad."

"Aren't ya supposed to be some 'Lord of The Night' or somethin' around here?"

"That's what people call me, I ain't ever said that's what I was."

"Ya can't even buy a tray o' Takoyaki with this. Don't ya run that big fancy club across town? Where's all the cash goin' from that?"

"Back into the club, ya damn brat."

"Tch.Kuso oyaji ga."

"I heard that, little sh*t."

"Hmph."

Seeing that this conversation was going nowhere fast, Majima took the initiative.

"Look kid, why're ya out here this late at night? Ain't ya got a place to be gettin' back to? Parents who're worryin'. A granny with a bad heart?"

"No, I don't." And she pulled her legs towards her, curling in on herself.

sh*t, she got a helluva lot less mouthy after that.

"So yer tellin' me that ya ain't got anybody waitin' for ya at home?"

"No…"

"So-"

"I'm tellin' ya I ain't got a home. Not here, at least."

Ah, I see.

"So, you ain't got a home here in Osaka. You must be a runaway or somethin' like that."

"Yeah, somethin' like that."

"So… where'd ya run away from?"

"...Shizuoka."

"sh*t, that's far! How the hell'd ya end up all the way down here?"

"Black Thunder."

"Beg your pardon?"

"Black Thunder. Abōsōzokugang. They picked me up one night while they were ridin' through Shizuoka. I've been with 'em for a couple months now."

Ah b ōsōzoku, I've heard about em runnin' through Kyoto and such, but I never heard of pickin' up and droppin' off kids.

"Alright, so you were rollin' with abōsōzokugang. That explains how ya got here from Shizuoka to Sotenbori. My next question is, what'd they want with you? Last I heard, they were mostly made up'a teenagers and twenty year olds. You're like, what- ten?"

"I'm twelve! And I'll be thirteen in July. And as for why they took me with 'em..."

She paused, as if thinking about what she should say next.

"My power. My… quirk."

Ah, I see.

"Ya mean that Jedi Force sh*t you were doin' with my wallet?"

"Uh, yeah. That. Doctors called it 'Attraction of Small Objects', though. I showed it off to Yuya-san -he's the leader of Black Thunder-and he said I could come with."

"Huh, okay. So where are they now?"

The girl stared back down.

"I dunno. We got split up after the cops showed up when we rode into town. I've been on my own for about a week, now."

If it's been a week and she hasn't seen 'em, chances that they're still in town are pretty slim. Last I heard, bōsōzoku don't tend to stick around for very long.

He must've made a face, because the girl seemed to pick up on his thought process really quick.

"Yeah, I know they're probably gone already. I'm twelve, not stupid."

"Alright, then what's your plan. Gonna keep trying to pickpocket unsuspecting passersby? No offense, but it doesn't exactly seem to be your strong suit, kid."

"I was doin' just fine filchin' cash from some drunk idiots before you came along. You're just some kinda freak of nature."

Said the kid with telekinesis and no sense of self-awareness. Might as well set her straight before this gets really dangerous.

"Okay, well what happens when they get wise to ya? Realize, just like I did, that there's some brat with a quirk floatin' sh*t right outta their pockets. What happens when they start lookin' around for ya? Askin' questions. Keepin' an eye out. Settin' traps. What then?"

"I don't know! Okay? I don't know! I ain't got a plan for everything that comes. I don't know how I'm gonna keep this movin', I just know that I gotta! So if yer not gonna kill me or call the cops, leave me the hell alone, will ya!"

By the time she got to the end of her tirade, the little lady was trembling in anger.

Wait no, that ain't it. Is she-

The drops of water that fell out of the opening of her hood only confirmed the ponytailed man's suspicions.

"Hey kid. I know it looks bad, but you ain't gotta c-"

" 'It does not matter how slowly you go, so long as you do not stop.' "

"Huh?"The hell'd that come from.

" 'It does not matter how slowly you go, so long as you do not stop'. It's Confucius."

Okay."Go on."

She reached into her hood, before seemingly wiping away any tears on her face.

"I ain't just gonna sit and wait to die. I wanna live. I'm gonna live as I gotta, I don't care what I gotta do. It doesn't matter how long it takes for me make somethin' of myself. When I do no one's gonna be able to ignore me or leave me behind. You'll see! Everyone will!"

sh*t, that's a lotta conviction. Still, I can't just leave her out on the street. If somethingdidhappen, I'd feel responsible. But what do I do?

After a few moments of thought, Majima's eye lit up as he had his lightbulb moment.

"Alright, kid. That's a good dream. And I wanna help ya."

This seemed to surprise the girl, if the turn of her head at, what had to be, breakneck speed was any indication.

"Really?" The hope in her voice was palpable.

"Yeah. I just need you to answer three questions for me. That sound alright to you?"

"Y-yeah."

"Alright, first question."

The girl sat up at attention.

"What all can your... quirk? Attraction of Small Things is what you called it, right?"

A nod, "Alright what all can it do?"

"Well, like the name says, I can pull small stuff towards me telekinetically. I dunno the exact limit to it, but the heaviest thing I've ever attracted was this book."

She reached into her pocket and pulled out a book with the words, "The Analects"written on the cover.

Huh, so I guess that's where the Confucius came from.

After she handed it to him, he lifted it a couple of times, before lightly tossing it in the air and catching it a few times. It wasn't all that light, but it wasn't back-breakingly heavy either.

Handing the book back to the girl, Majima continued saying, "Alright, next question. You want a place to stay?"

"Huh?"

"It ain't glamorous and there're probably bigger closets than it, but my apartment's got room for one more. I'm never really there, except for when I get off late at night, so it's not like we'd be in each other's way. And you'd only have my… roommate to deal with and he's not likely to object. So… yeah."

He couldn't see her eyes, but he could feel the apprehension coming off of her in waves.

"I dunno, how do I know ya won't try anything… weird?"

"Cuz I ain't interested in bony brats like yerself. Now, if you're done flatterin' yourself, are ya interested or not?"

"...Tch. Fine,Kuso Oyaji ga."

She didn't even try to hide that one. And I'm not that old, I'm 23!

"So what's your next question?"

"Oh right. Last question... What's your name?"

"What?"

"Your name. Y'know the thing that people call ya and that ya respond to."

"I know what a name is, ya jerk."

"Cool beans, so what's yours?"

With a sigh, the girl got up and pulled down her hood. Straight green locks flowed down, framing a pretty face. Big green eyes, slightly puffy and red, stared back at him.

"It's Inko. Inko Terasawa. What about you? I never got your name."

Oh right, suppose it'd be kinda difficult for us to live together without her knowin' my name.

With a small smile, perfected after months of customer service work, he said, "Well, Inko-chan, my name is Goro Majima. Whaddya say we show ya to your new home, huh?"

Seeing as Ashibata Park was only a few minutes away from his apartment, it didn't take long for him to have his key in the door as he shouted, "Tadaima!" into his abode. Inko jumped, obviously startled by the man's sudden rise in tone.

As the door creaked open, if one strained their ears as Inko did, one could hear the sound of a very groggy, "Okaeri." coming from inside.

As the pair walked inside, taking their shoes off as they did, the girl could see what Majima meant about the apartment being small. If it were three adults living there, it would probably be a pretty uncomfortable fit. In one corner of the room, there lied what looked to be a fūton. An occupied fūton.

The one-eyed man called out to it.

"Yo, Hi-chan. Wake the hell up. I got someone for ya to meet."

The fūton groaned, "Ugh. Nii-san, it's 2 in the morning. Can't it wait?"

"Hi-chan, wake up before I get the spray bottle again."

Suddenly, in the blink of an eye, the fūton was no longer occupied.

Instead, there stood a boy. He couldn't have been any older than Inko. He had untamed curly dark hair, likely only made more unkempt by fact that he had just been in bed seconds earlier.

His cheeks were chubby with a set of freckles in a diamond formation on both.

His eyes were big and expressive, if a bit drowsy at that moment.

"Ah good, you're awake. Meet your new roommate."

He jabbed his thumb in Inko's direction, saying, "That's Inko-chan."

Turning his head towards Inko, he pointed in the boy's direction and said, "Inko-chan. That's Hisashi-chan. Get along, you two."

At that, he opened the one window in the room, before taking out a cigarette and putting the end of it in front of Hisashi's face.

"Do ya mind, Hi-chan?"

Rather than answer verbally, Hisashi nodded his and took a breath through the nose and held it.

About three seconds passed before he released that breath, parting his lips ever so slightly. It seemed strange to Inko, who was looking rather confused. But it all made sense when a small stream of fire began to flow from between the boy's lips.

It wasn't for long, the flames fizzled out a few seconds after they appeared and Hisashi was out of breath afterwards.

"You're gettin' better, more control and ya lasted longer too. Keep doing the breathin' exercises in those books I got ya and ya might get up to a full minute soon."

After Hisashi caught his breath and nodded, Majima walked back over to the window.

He brought his, now lit, cigarette to his lips and took a long drag. There was a beat of silence, almost uncomfortable for Inko, being the newcomer and all.

"H-hey, Inko-San."

The silence was broken unexpectedly by Hisashi.

"Huh? Somethin' ya need?"

"Ah, we-well you see. It's-uh. Well-um. I-um. It's just..."

The curly haired boy's face was slightly tinged with red, and he was looking everywhere but her eyes. He was also stumbling over every other word.

It kind of(read: really) annoyed the girl that he was trying to talk to.

"Uh, it's just-"

"Would ya spit out, already!?"

"Ah! I just wanted to say welcome and sorry for my Nii-san being… him."

"Heard that, ya little sh*t!"

The Lord of The Night was promptly ignored.

"So… yeah. Welcome, and I'm sorry."

"O-oh, thanks I guess. Sorry for yellin' at ya."

The corners of the freckled teen's lips lifted into a shaky smile.

"D-don't worry about it. It's nothing that Nii-san doesn't do on a daily basis."

Another moment of silence passed as the two nodded in understanding and a mutual bond of pain was formed. The adult in the room simply pretended not to notice the two ungrateful brats that he was housing.

The silence was broken once again, this time by Inko as she began to giggle into her hand.

Her giggles got louder and louder, until they became full blown laughter. She started to laugh so hard that she was bent over at the waist, tears in her eyes.

Hisashi wasn't much better off, he was almost on the floor. His face was starting to turn red with how much he'd been laughing.

Majima… he just stood at the window and smiled as he took another drag from his cigarette.

It was lively for quite some time after that.

And laughter echoed through the streets of Sotenbori for a good many nights after.

A week later…

Hisashi had a bounce in his step as he walked hand-in-hand with his father.

It was his birthday, one of the few days in the year where his dad could spend more than a few hours with him and he was allowed to put off his studies until the next day.

He grinned toothily at his old man as they made their way to his favorite okonomiyaki restaurant for dinner. They'd eat there and make their way back to the family office to grab his present before heading home for the night.

He wasn't excited to head to the office.

He always had a bad feeling when he saw Hyosuke-san there. His father said that he trusted the man, but he also hadn't seen the way that he looked at Hisashi when the older man wasn't around. Granted, Hyosuke-san's face usually made it look like he had tasted something sour, but there was just something… wrong about the way he looked at the boy.

Something sinister. Hungry, even. It was scary, but he didn't wanna worry his father, who already had a lot on his plate.

That aside, it wasn't like he would have to be there for too long anyway. They were just going to grab his present and go.

His father gave him a gentle smile, the wrinkles near his eyes crinkling as he did.

Bang!

Hisashi shot up, quick as a bullet, as he clutched his chest.

His breathing was heavy and he could smell smoke in the air.

He could tell that it was mostly from his quirk, him having let out his fire breath in his stressed state.

But he could also smell cigarette smoke, that wasn't from him.

Looking over towards the doorway, he didn't see his guardian(of sorts)'s shoes.

So that only left one person.

"Hisashi-kun?"

Without even looking towards the window his suspicions were confirmed.

Taking a quick breath, he steeled himself and smiled.

Lo and behold, there stood Inko with Goro-niisan's ashtray in hand. In it, among a number of old butts, sat a freshly stubbed cigarette. Hers, if basic logic were to be used.

Inko was a smoker. She'd made that clear on the second night of her stay. Neither of the other two residents really minded, Goro-Niisan only really wanted her to make sure she used her own pack and Hisashi grew up around a ton of smokers, his dad and Goro-niisan being the most prominent examples.

Inko was nice. She could be a bit rough around the edges and swore a lot, but still nice. She had an interest in philosophy and gave him a book to read so they could discuss it.

Inko was pretty. Hisashi was at the age where girls smelled really nice and Inko, cigarette scent aside, smelledandlooked really,reallygood. He might've had a bit of a small crush on her, but he really had no idea where to go from there.

Inko was… staring at him pretty worriedly.

"Is… everything okay, Hisashi-kun?"

"Y-yeah? Why do you ask?"

"Your pillow."

Huh?

He reached back and felt his pillow, his hand came back slick with sweat.

Oh.

Bang!

His father's smile twisted into a pained grimace.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Musashi wrapped his arms around his son. His large frame shielding the boy from any of the other shots coming from behind him.

Hisashi could feel his father tense up every time his back was hit.

His breathing was heavy. He could hear his heart trying to beat its way out of his chest.

Tears werestreaming down his face as he felt arms wrap around him.

Neither Inko nor he said anything.

She didn't ask for an explanation.

He didn't offer one.

They just sat there quietly in that one room apartment, as one of them cried softly.

At that moment, Hisashi had never been more grateful to have someone there to see him cry.

July 5th

"C'mon, Hisashi-kun! Goro-nii's payin', so we might as well go big!"

"O-okay!" Hisashi's face was bright red as he was pulled along by the now thirteen year old Inko while Majima chuckled behind them.

It was her birthday and Majima had offered to take the two kids to dinner at the place of the birthday girl's choosing. He took off early from The Grand and told the floor manager to page if something urgent came up. Otherwise, he was off for the night.

Inko, being Inko, chose Komian, a traditional restaurant for japanese cuisine that happened to be right across the street from Majima's apartment. It was also pretty expensive.

But, he had promised, so they were going.

He could only hope that she would take mercy on his wallet, which happened to fit to burst that night for the occasion.

After hearing the young teen order two of everything on the menu, that hope began to burn like a piece of overcooked tripe.

And as she went back for seconds, his wallet seemed to tremble in fear.

When she ordered one more platter of sushi, he could hear it sob knowing that it would soon be empty once more.

But as he looked at Inko's smiling face as she joked and laughed with a still furiously blushing Hisashi, he felt as though it was well worth it.

200 grand dinner bill be damned.

November 20th

It was starting to get colder out.

A fact that Hisashi and Inko lamented as they walked through Shof*ckucho, looking for a gift to give to their guardian for Christmas the next month.

One might say it was a bit early to worry about Christmas in November, but they couldn't help it. They had been saving up the allowances that Majima had been giving them since August.

His reason for doing so, when they asked, was that The Grand was raking in so much cash on a nightly basis that no one would notice if ¥10,000 went missing every once-in-a-while.

Especially since he was the one that managed the books.

He gave it to them to go out and have a good time at the Sega Hi Tech Land or one of the restaurants near his place, if they felt like it.

It's your money, he said,Do what ya want with it.

They wanted to spend it on him, so there they were.

The only problem was…

"So… ya got any idea what Goro-nii would want, Hisashi-kun?"

"A-ah, I... don't, actually."

"Oh…"

That.

So they strolled the streets near the apartment, Hisashi racking his brain and muttering rampantly for anything that his 'Nii-san' had said that he liked before, and Inko with an unlit cigarette hanging from her lips as she stared into store window after store window.

Suddenly she stopped in her tracks and grabbed Hisashi's wrist as she pointed into a window saying, "Look there!"

Hisashi, forcibly snapped out his thoughts, skidded to a stop and looked towards the shop window that the young lady was pointing at.

"You know… I think that might work."

"Yeah, that's what I was thinking."

And the two fools grinned at each other, before stepping into the shop to make their purchase.

"Achoo!"

"Woah! That was a big one. Ya gettin' sick there, buddy?"

"No. I'm fine."

Majima sniffled slightly as he reached down and picked up the briefcase filled with that month's payment, sitting it on the table in front of him and sliding it across.

Tsukasa Sagawa opened it, giving the bills inside a quick glance and closed it, seemingly satisfied with what he had seen inside.

"Alright buddy. Everything seems to be in order. I'll be back next month."

He got up to leave, before stopping as though he had remembered something important.

"Almost forgot. Here." He reached into his suit's jacket, pulling out a wooden box.

"It's an early Christmas gift from Brother Shimano. Said it should give ya something to look forward to in about a year or so."

"..."

Sagawa shrugged and walked his way out of the office, leaving Majima alone at the table.

Boss sent me a gift, huh?

Reaching out and grabbing the box, he took off the top.

Peering in, he saw… a knife.

A tanto, to be exact.

One that he had seen before.

Just before his left eye was gouged out.

Majima slammed the top back onto the box, grabbing it and shoving it into the inside of his tuxedo jacket.

Two years passed or not, Futoshi Shimano still had a really sick sense of humor.

Hisashi bounded down the street with Inko's and his gift-wrapped present for their Nii-san.

It had been expensive, costing a good 40,000 yen, but well worth it. It fit their guardian's personality and style so perfectly that it must've been fate that they were the ones to see it and buy that night.

They just had to get back to the apartment quickly so that they could hide before the adult in their lives got home.

Unfortunately, they were moving so quickly and paying so little attention to their surroundings that they didn't notice the suit-clad man coming around the corner just before they reached their street.

Hisashi ended up colliding with the man and they both ended up tumbling to the ground.

"Oof!"

"Ack!"

"Watch where the hell you're goin' brat!"

"S-sorry, mister!"

The older man got up and dusted himself off before giving a scrutinizing look to the boy who had just barreled into him and was now all apologies, suddenly his gaze shifted into one of recognition.

"O-oyaji?"

Hisashi was too caught up in apologizing to notice what the man had said.

Inko, who had been off to the side, apologized once more for the boy before pushing him along and disappearing around the corner, scooping their fallen package up along the way.

The man that they had bumped into, Tsubasa Kurosawa, stood there frozen for another moment before turning around and walking away with purpose in his step.

"Hyosuke-aniki's gonna wanna hear about this."

November 30th

"Ah Majima, there you are, take a seat right there."

Majima did as he was told, taking a seat on the pillow across from his boss at the low table in his office.

On the table, there lied a shogi board with the pieces for both sides set up.

"You wanted to see me, boss?"

"I did. You play Shogi, Majima?"

"Sometimes, boss."

"Are ya good?"

"I couldn't say. I haven't played a ton, boss."

"Heh. Good enough for me. I wanna talk to ya, but I'm also in the mood for some Shogi. You'll indulge me, won't ya?"

"Whatever you want, boss."

"That's the spirit! Why don't ya start us off, then?"

He had no reason to refuse, so he picked up a piece and made his first move.

Clack!

"Hashiru Hashiru! Oretachi

Nagareru Asemo Sono Mamani

Itsuka Tadori Tsuitara

Kimini Uchiake Rarerudarou!"

"Whoo! Sing it, Hi-chan!"

"You're doin' great, Hisashi-kun!"

Man, if only she knew he was singing this song to her.

It was Hisashi's birthday, and rather than drain his caregiver's wallet at an expensive restaurant, the newly thirteen year old boy decided that he wanted to karaoke with his crush and older brother figure.

They were having a good time and Hisashi decided that he wanted to take the first song of the night.

It was a fun night.

Clack!

"Ya know the fun thing about Shogi, Majima?"

"No boss, what's that?"

Clack!

"Yoku no neon ni" "Oh, rogue of love!"

"Yogorete iku my heart" "Come take my heart!"

"Youshokugyo no you ni" "Odomeche you ni!"

"Yamiwo oyo gu wa " "Oh, rogue of love"

Yep, kid's got it bad. Don't worry, I'm sure if ya keep this up, she'll notice eventually.

Clack!

"It's the strategy. Comin' up with a plan, analyzin' your opponent, and comin' up with the win in the end."

Clack!

"Sunao ni I LOVE YOU! Todokeyou ﾠ

Kitto YOU LOVE ME! Tsutawaru sa? ﾠ

Kimi ni niau GLASS no kutsu wo sagaso?"

"You sound great, Nii-san!"

"Hit those notes, Goro-nii!"

Clack!

"The most useful piece for all that plannin' and such, would be the pawn, I'd say."

He lifted the pawn that he had captured mere seconds before.

"They're all about chess, over in the west. Funny enough, there's a pawn in that game as well. A lot less versatile than a pawn in shogi. But I digress, the pawn's beauty lies in its simplicity."

Clack!

The two teens and their live-in cyclops were leaving the karaoke bar.

They had all sung their hearts out and were having a good time, so they were headed to Tsuruhashi Fugetsu for some okonomiyaki.

They were about to round the corner into Bunzaemon Outdoor Mall before they heard footsteps behind them.

This wouldn't be too strange if they weren't so hurried and in such large numbers.

Turning around, the trio saw a crowd of men blocking the way behind them.

In the direction that they had been headed, they heard more footsteps.

Turning his head, Majima could see that that direction was blocked as well.

There was one more way to go, but they'd have to outrun all of those guys. Not quite optimal.

sh*t.

"Yo, been a while, Hisashi-kun!"

Majima could see Hisashi freeze up.

The voice sounded familiar, but he couldn't quite place it.

From the one unblocked path in the park, there walked a man. He was wearing expensive looking clothes, they likely ran him over half a mil, if his eye for the material proved right.

"What's wrong, Hisashi-kun? Don't ya remember me?" He had a smug grin on his face. The ponytailed man wanted to smack itoffhis face.

"H-Hyosuke-san…" The boy was shaking now and his voice trembled with him, Inko grabbed his hand.

"Ah, seems like ya do remember and ya got a little girlfriend too. How cute." He seemed to finally notice Majima standing next to the boy and his grin twisted into a scowl.

"Huh? The f*ck're you?"

A pissy-looking prick came to the door.

"f*ck do ya want?"

"So that's where I know ya from. What do ya want with Hi-chan here?"

"I don't see how that's any of yer business, asshole. So why don't ya make like a tree and get the f*ck outta here?"

"Wow, so original. I can see why ya had to kill your boss to be in charge."

That seemed to shock the man.

"How didja-?" He turned his gaze from Majima to the boy next to him. His scowl deepened considerably.

"Chatty little sh*t, ain't ya? We'll fix that. " He turned his gaze back to Majima. "You. How much do ya know?"

"I know that ya shot a boy's father right in front of him, on his birthday. And ya chased him out of his home after taking over his father's business, and that you're a prick. Am I missin' anything Captain Hyosuke Serizawa?"

"PatriarchHyosuke Serizawa. And yeah, you are. You missed the fact that I saved this f*ckin' family. I did what was best for it. That's not a boy ya got there, it's an asset and a trulyhelpful soldieruses whatever assets he can to come out on top. Even if some people gotta be sacrificed for the good of his army."

"You're goddamn delusional."

"And you're dead. Kill him, boys. Bring me the boy, alive. I don't care what ya do with the girl."

"Right, boss!" They began to encroach.

Majima settled into a fighting stance, telling the teenagers with him to get behind him.

"Fine then. If ya wanna get to hell quicker… step right up!"

Midoriya Family

They were on him in seconds, two of them swinging on both sides.

Clack!

"Ya see Majima, the bishops here can move diagonally in four directions. As long as there're open spaces for it to occupy or pieces to capture."

He emphasized his point by taking one of his bishops and moving it to the edge of the board.

"See what I mean? Lotta distance in one turn. But, there's still a flaw with the Bishop. Take a look at the space in front of it."

There sat one pawn.

Thud!

One of the thugs fell forward and hit the ground hard as Majima ducked forward under his punch and kicked him in the back.

The other one attempted to whip back with an elbow, unprepared to come up empty with his swing and more surprised to feel an arm squeezing around his neck. He tried to struggle. He really did, but…

Crack!

His eyes rolled into the back of his head as he hit the ground with a deadthump!

Clack!

"Next up's the Lance. It can move straight forward as far as it wants, as long there's space to occupy or piece to capture."

At that, he took one of his lances and slid it across the board, taking a pawn and promoting his own piece.

"Diiie!" Another thug flew straight at him, attempting to dropkick the one-eyed man, but ended up missing completely when Majima side-stepped him. He flew straight past the man and landed next to Inko and Hisashi.

Clack!

"See ain't that great? Check, by the way."

He grabbed at the latter's ankle, which caused the former to stomp down hard on his wrist.

Crack!

"Good use of the Gold General."

Clack!

"Aughhh!"

Good job, kid!

He couldn't verbalize his agreement with his charge's actions, as he was soon grabbed from behind by another punk and another came up towards him with a fist raised.

"Got ya now, asshole!"

He kicked forward, nailing the guy in his stomach and sending him flying, before he dropped down out of the hold he was in, catching himself with his elbow and kicking his assailant in the face with a high kick.

"Ya sure about that?"

Clack!

"But you see, the pawn can only move one space. Just one, and it can only go forward. It likely won't ever capture the king, but…"

Bang!

"That's enough!"

Serizawa seemed to have enough of seeing his boys get torn apart.

The smoking gun and the bullet that had just whizzed by Majima's face were pretty big indicators of that.

His face was twisted into a snarl as he aimed the gun back at the cyclops's face and began to squeeze the trigger.

"It can be the perfect distraction leadin' to-"

Bang!

The gun flew from the Midoriya Family Patriarch's hand and clattered when it hit the ground.

"You're right. Thatisenough, Serizawa-chan."

And there stood Tsukasa Sagawa, Patriarch of the Sagawa Family, Progenitor of the Midoriya Family. Behind him stood at least thirty of his men, armed with bats, knives, bottles and a number of other instruments designed to do harm.

And none of them looked happy.

"Checkmate"

"Good play, Majima. When'd ya pick up on my plan?"

"I didn't. I just saw an opportunity and took it."

"Heh. A different strategy, but one that fits ya, I'd say."

"You can go, Majima-chan. Me and the boys here have got some… trash to take care of here in the park. You should take the kids and go celebrate the boy's birthday. You're only thirteen once after all."

Majima didn't say a word, nodding and ushering the two teens out over the unconscious bodies of thugs long beaten.

"Hold up a minute, Majima-chan. Here."

He handed him an envelope.

"Consider that an early Christmas present from Mu-chan and I. And tell Hisashi that I said… 'Happy Birthday'."

Majima nodded mutely before walking out of the park and taking the kids back to the apartment, at their behest.

The Midoriya Family was never heard from again in Sotenbori after that night.

December 5th

"Do we really have to do this Nii-san?"

"Yeah, it's for the best. Don't worry, I'll still be with ya. Right here." He pointed at the boy's chest, right at his heart.

"That's some corny sh*t, Goro-nii!"

"Shut it, you! You can just go, no goodbye for you!"

"Yeah? Well, I don't your stupid goodbye! Hmph!"

"Too bad, cuz you're gettin' it anyway. C'mere." He quickly ruffled her before she could get away.

"Dammit, Goro-nii! It's gonna take me hours to get this fixed."

"Serves ya right!"

The young greenette glared at the one-eyed man as he stared back with a sh*t-eating grin.

She eventually caved and wrapped her arms around the man's neck, bringing him into a tight hug.

Majima reciprocated, reaching over to Hisashi and bringing him in close to them to make the hug a group hug.

"Alright, you two better get goin'. The address is written on the paper I gave ya last night. And the first two years of rent's already paid. Ya just gotta get there and do well in school. Got it?"

The two younger people nodded in unison.

"Alright then. Go on now. Shoo. Get outta here. Go on and terrorize Shizuoka for a couple years, ya hooligans."

Inko stuck out her tongue at him and turned to get in the taxi that was waiting for the two.

Hisashi stood for a moment before saying, "Nii-san, when you get home tonight, check under floorboards under the table, okay? We left something there for you. Merry Christmas."

His piece said, Hisashi waved and followed Inko into the taxi.

When the door closed, it pulled off into the distance, further and further until...

They were gone.

Majima was gonna miss those two.

The city felt a little bit less like a cage with them around.

But if they were going to be able to live happy and free from all the bullsh*t he was stuck in, he'd be plenty happy to sacrifice a bit of comfort.

That's just what a Nii-san would do.

Right, bro?

Later that night

Majima moved his table to the side. The floor under it looked normal enough.

Hisashi had said to check under the floorboards, so he reached towards one end and pulled.

Several boards came up together, revealing a compartment that he could've sworn wasn't there when he moved in.

Hope I don't gotta pay to get that repaired.

And in that compartment, was a wrapped bundle.

A gift.

He pulled it out and looked at it fondly for a moment.

Damn kids. I gave ya that money to use for yourselves.

Despite his thoughts, he made short work of the wrapping paper.

What lied beneath it was...

The tackiest jacket he'd ever seen.

Geez, it ain't really my style. You'd have to be blind or crazy to wear somethin' like this in public.

But it was thought that counted, so instead of throwing it in the trash(as most sensible people would), he opened his closet and took out a hanger.

When he closed the closet back, therewithin hung two things.

A shimmering, spangled idol costume.

And a gaudy, golden snakeskin jacket.

Chapter 11: Daily Life of Izuku Midorya, Age 8

Chapter Text

Musutafu, Tokyo- 201X

Inko Midoriya was a sweet woman.

She didn't raise her voice.

She didn't curse.

She didn't smoke.

She hardly ever drank.

She didn't hit people.

She was, all-around, just a sweet lady.

Inko Midoriya was a caring wife.

She started dating her husband after their second year of high school.

Moved from Shizuoka to Tokyo with him before their first year of college.

And married him a year after they graduated, he and her with degrees in Quirk Sciences and Applied Ethics in Hero Society, respectively.

Their relationship only bloomed further when they found out, at age 26, that the better half of the couple was pregnant. And a couple of weeks after they celebrated Inko's 27th birthday, on July 15th, Izuku Midoriya was born.

Inko Midoriya was a loving mother.

From the moment she laid eyes on her son, she knew that she loved him.

His freckled cheeks, just like his father's.

Green tufts of hair, just like her's.

A fine set of lungs, as evidenced by his cries.

Everything about him made her love him, and the feeling only grew as he grew older.

She cheered enough to drown out a full baseball stadium when her son took his first steps.

"There you go, Izu! You're doing it! Just a little bit more!"

She busted her sides laughing at his first word.

"C'mon, Dekiru. Please just say papa."

"Jiji."

"Pftt!"

"It's not funny, Inko!"

And when he cried after being diagnosed as quirkless, she cried with him.

"I'm sorry Izuku! I'm so sorry!"

So yes, Inko Midoriya loved her son. That much was clear to see. Irrefutable, even.

And it was because Inko Midoriya loved her son that she was incredibly worried after he came in, in the state that he did, after a long day out.

"Izu." Her tone betrayed nothing.

"Y-yeah, mom?"

"What happened?" Her tone betrayed nothing, but the glint in her eyes said nothing short of, 'Tell me everything.'

"Well, i-it's a long story-"

"We have time."

Inko's usually comforting smile widened, as she gestured towards an empty seat across from her.

"Pop-a-squat. We need to talk."

Izuku gulped.

Hours earlier, near Tatooin Station…

Izuku Midoriya was having an alright day as he left the convenience store, smile on his face with a water bottle and bento in hand.

School was out.

The sun was shining.

The flowers were blooming.

And, best of all, there was no one crying out for-

"HELP!"

Aw, crud.

The shout had come from a nearby alleyway. Not quite dark in the light of noon, but secluded and far enough out of the way that he wouldn't

Now normally, a young boy of eight years wouldn't be put out by the sound of calling out for help.

Startled and curious, maybe. But, not put out.

Well, most eight year old boys weren't Izuku Midoriya.

The child's legs were moving towards the danger long before his actions could register.

He wanted to be a hero and his usual company often led him into strange situations.

Izuku liked to help people, so if he happened to hear someone shouting 'Help!', his instant reaction was to run on over and see if he could.

Most people would call that a lack of 'self-preservation', his uncle and Kiryu-san called it a 'moral compass'.

Whatever that meant.

As he neared the spot that he heard cry come from, he could hear someone saying, "-ut the hell up and empty your wallet before this gets ugly."

Ah, muggers.

In a world of superheroes and supervillains, there are often a good number of petty crimes that slip through the cracks.

Muggings, assaults, sometimes murder. If there wasn't a quirk being used in full view of a hero, it was free game.

Quirkless-on-quirkless crime was making a killing in hero society.

The police would try to keep up, but unless you were in a place with a high concentration of quirkless, villains would take priority.

Villains have the capability of doing more damage than criminals, after all.

So, if no one was going to protect the defenseless, Izuku was going to.

That's just what a hero does.

Reaching the point of the alleyway where he heard the cry for help coming from, Izuku quickly assessed the situation.

There stood two people, both men, one holding the other by his collar with a fist co*cked back and the other quivering in fear.

It was definitely a quirkless-on-quirkless crime. Which made it the perfect time for a little quirkless hero's intervention.

Kiryu-san and Goro-jiji told him that supervillains were completely off-limits until he was older, but in the words of the latter, "Punks and jackasses with knives and guns are fair game. Go wild, champ!"

He'd taken these words to heart, and so he placed his bento off to the side, got low, and readied his fighting stance.

Left arm loose at his side, right arm crossed in front of him. He'd gotten much taller since the first time he'd used this used this style. Almost four years of training and healthy dieting would do that, he supposed. Taller than most of his peers, at over 140 cm, not many people wanted to mess with him at the park anymore.

Didn't really translate well against adults, but that's what the whole "learning to fight" thing came in.

Oh, right! Safety first.

Closing his left eye, Izuku squinted his right and focused on the man's pants pockets and torso. He was searching for any 'suspicious bumps or bulges' as his uncle had called them.

The training for this particular skill was… interesting to stay the least.

"Alright,Izu-chan. What do they got?"

In a cleared area of the Junkbeach, Izuku stood beside his uncle and across from four men wearing yellow hard hats that said 'Majima Construction'.

Majima had told Izuku that they were some of his employees and they would be assisting in his training that day.

The boy didn't really need to hear much more than that, so he closed his left eye and focused on the group of four with his right.

As he swept his gaze from right to left, he called out the following:

"Gun."

"Correct."

"Knife."

"Right."

"Nunchucks."

"On the money."

"Banana."

"Ye- wait, what? Nishida, what the hell?"

"It's what you gave me, boss!"

The throttling that Nishida would receive soon after would be one that Izuku remembered for many months after the fact.

Snapping out of his thoughts of the year-old memory, the green-haired boy focused back on the situation at hand.

The perpetrator didn't have a weapon of any sort on his person, so Izuku wouldn't have to worry about any nasty surprises in what was sure to be a fight. He could feel the Heat burning through his body, as well. Now all he had to do was grab the mugger's attention.

Clearing his throat, he called out, "Hey! Why dontcha pick on someone your own size?"

Startled, the mugger whipped around, dropping his victim, and searched for the person who had clearly just challenged him. He couldn't seem to find anyone at first, if his confused countenance was anything to go by, but when Izuku cleared his throat he looked down and snorted.

"This is a matter between grown-ups, kid. If ya don't wanna get hurt, get the hell outta here."
At that, he began to turn back to his victim so that he could resume his nefarious scheme-

"Why? Scared you're gonna get laid out? Tch,chinpoko."

That seemed to grab his attention.

"...The hell'd you just say to me, brat?"

Izuku closed his eyes, rising slightly out of his low stance and giving the mugger his most innocent smile with a slight tilt of his head.

"Oh nothing…Chinpo-san."

The criminal was fuming now. He was grinding his teeth and his face was turning red. That was the moment that Izuku knew… he had him.

The man completely forgot about his original victim and turned fully towards the small child that happened to be taunting him.

"Ya got three seconds to say you're sorry, brat, before I kick your little ass."

"I'm sorry...Chinchin-chan."

"Grrrr!Gonna beat your ass! C'mere, ya little sh*t!"

Pokochin-Sama

The man ran straight at the green-haired child, winding up a punch and swinging straight at the small boy.

Woosh!

Only to be left dumbfounded when his fist struck nothing but air.

"What are you aiming at?"

"The hell?"

The adult in the situation turned to see the boy that he had failed to assault, not only behind him but staring at him with a sh*t-eating grin.

So he swung again.

And he missed again.

Swing.

Miss.

Swing.

Miss.

Burabura Suru.

Shisokunau.

This would continue for over a minute or so, before the poor mugger found himself winded.

[!] Heat Move: Essence of Blindside

And as he bent over at the waist, hands on his knees, in an attempt to catch his breath, he heard a whistle.

Looking up to see where it was from, he was assaulted by the sight of a rapidly approaching small fist and a brief sensation of pain before it all went black for him.

"And good night."

As the criminal fell to the ground in a heap, Izuku turned to the victim of the mugging, who had been frozen in fear from the moment he had been dropped, and walked over to him.

He offered a hand to the man, which was quickly taken, and helped him up.

"Th-thank you. Thank you so much." He bowed repeatedly and thanked his tiny savior over and over again.

Izuku just offered him a big, toothy grin and told him, "Don't mention it, mister. It's what heroes are supposed to do."

That said, he walked away, retrieved his bento and drink, and went about his day.

Izuku wasn't even five full steps out of the alleyway, before he was stopped by someone calling out and saying, "Hey! You, with the green hair! Excuse me! Please wait up!"

Hm?

Substories 1

Dreamers on the prowl

Turning to address whoever it was that called out him, Izuku was soon confronted with the visage of a what had to be a middle school boy with short brown hair and kind brown eyes.

Izuku's eye for hero merch immediately made the Limited Edition Bronze All Might hoodie that the older boy was wearing.

The boy was also incredibly out of breath.

Izuku offered him his water bottle, before being waved off and putting it away.

It took the brown-haired boy a few moments more to catch his breath before rising up to his full height; he was taller than Izuku, but still pretty lanky.

He offered the younger boy a smile before saying, "That was an amazing fight!"

"Huh?"

"Back in that alley there. The way you took that guy down. It was awesome."

Oh."Thanks."

"Like, you're just so tiny and unassuming. I never would've guessed that you'd have moves like that!"

"Thanks, I guess?"

"Are you a new hero or something?"

"N-no, I'm not."

"Then are you a…" He looked around and leaned in before whispering, "Vigilante?"

"No, I'm not. "

Technically he wasn't. Under the Rhode Island New State Statute, and many of its international counterparts, Vigilantism is stated as the act of using a quirk to apprehend criminals without a provisional or permanent hero license issued by the Hero Public Safety Commission.

Izuku didn't have a quirk, therefore his crime fighting was legal and completely quirk free.

"Hm, but how did you move like that? You had to have used a quirk, right? Some sort of speed quirk or reflex enhancer?"

"No, just…"

A seven year old Izuku stood across from Kiryu, who held a bundle under his arm, on the sands of Morning Glory Beach.

"Alright Izuku. We're going to work on your evasion today."

"Okay, so what are we doing?"

"Well first, you're gonna wanna tie your shoe. I'd rather you not trip during this."

"Oh. Thanks." The young greenette bent down and began to tie his laces.

As he finished the loop, he heard the sound of something light hitting the sand.

He thought nothing of it until…

Chk-Chk!

He had seen enough zombie movies with his uncle to recognize that sound and his head whipped up.

"K-Kiryu-san, why are you holding a shotgun?"

"For today's training, Izuku, you're going to dodge the bullets that I shoot at you. They're all rubber, so they won't kill you, but they still really hurt. Your objective is to not get hit by a single one. If you do, we do it again until you don't. We start on the count of three. One."

"Kiryu-san, this isn't okay. There has to be a bet-"

"Two."

"Can we please not do this?"

"Three."

"KIRYU-SAN!"

BAM!

"...Training. Lots of training."

"Huh. Well, that's pretty cool either way. The way you didn't even hesitate to help that guy was cool too. Didn't ask for a reward either. Are you planning to be a hero?"

"Yeah, I am. I'm gonna be the world's greatest hero! Even greater than All Might!"

"Woah, that's a tall order. Well I'm gonna be a hero too. I hope to see you in the papers sometime. Speaking of, I never got your name."

"Oh, It's Izuku. Izuku Midoriya. What's yours?"

"It's Koichi Haimawari. Pleasure to meet you."

"You too, Haimawari-san. So, if you don't mind me asking…"

"Something on your mind?"

"I-uh just wanted to-um ask what your quirk is?"

"My quirk?"

"Y-yeah. I have this thing for analyzing different quirks, ya see. Um, most people find it kinda weird when I start nerding out, so I try not to…" He began to taper off into mutters near the end.

Koichi seemed to take pity on the younger boy and said, "I don't mind, go right ahead."

The mutters continued.

"Um, Midoriya-san?"

muttermuttermuttermutttermuttermuttermuttermuttermuttermuttermuttermuttermuttermuttermuttermuttermuttermuttermuttermuttermuttermuttermuttermuttermutter

"Midoriya-san!"

"Ah! I was muttering, wasn't I?"

"Big time."

"Sorry that happens… a lot."

"Don't worry about it. Anyways, ask away."

"Okay, so-uh whatisyour quirk?"

"Well, I've taken to calling it 'Slide and Glide'. I can use it to glide over just about any flat surface in any direction, even backwards. I don't have much control over turns and braking, though."

Izuku's eyes shined as he started scribbling notes into a notebook that he definitely wasn't holding seconds before, "That's so cool! When you say just about any flat surface, does that mean walls and steep inclines and stuff? What about-?" His excited questioning would've continued had he not been interrupted by-

Vvvvrrr!

The sound of a phone vibrating came from Koichi's hoodie pocket, so the boy to boy reached in, took it out, and flipped the phone open.

His eyes scanned across the screen and he had broken into a sweat by the time he reached the end of it.

"Uh, sorry Midoriya-san. That was my mom. I just remembered that I'm supposed to be grabbing some vinegar and it's been an hour and I haven't been to the store yet. So, I've gotta go or…" He shuddered here.

"Oh, okay. It was nice meeting you again, Haimawari-san."

"You too. Oh, and before I go, are you planning on trying for the U.A. Entrance Exam next year?"

"Um, no. I'm 8."

"Ah, I see…" He nodded and closed his eyes, before they snapped and he stared in shock.

"Wait, you're what?!"

It was on that day that Koichi Haimawari learned that heroes come in all shapes and sizes.

Substories 1

Dreamers on the prowl-END

After bidding his new friend farewell, Izuku continued on down the street. He was on his way to the Children's Park to eat his bento and play for a while before he went to the clear more of the Junkbeach for the day.

He was about to turn the corner onto the street, when he recognized a certain someone sitting on a bench and called out a greeting.

"Hey there, Tsukauchi-san!"

The man, who was wearing a green polo over brown slacks, looked over to see the young boy approaching him.

"Oh, Midoriya-kun, hello." The man had been the Midoriya family's neighbor for just over a year and always had a smile and kind word for the young boy.

Which was why Izuku was concerned when he saw the man looking like death. His usually well-kempt hair was completely bedraggled, his clothes askew, skin pale, and eyes bloodshot.

The officer looked like a dead man walking.

"Um, Tsukauchi-san? Are you doing alright?"

"Hm? Oh, yes, I'm fine Midoriya-kun. Just fine."

You sure don't look fine.Izuku wisely kept that comment to himself.

He still wanted to see if he could help his neighbor though. The man had always been truly kind to him.

"Are you sure? You look like you have something on your mind."

"No, it's really-uh nothing." Looking closely, Izuku could see a silver ring flash around the man's pupils.

Huh, weird.

He could tell that the man wasn't going to tell him what the problem was, unless he got out the big guns. So he tapped the forlorn officer on his shoulder to grab his attention and waited for the man to look at him. When he did, the plan was on.

Blinking several times to prepare himself, he puffed out his cheeks, widened his eyes to almost frightening proportions, and…

Stare.

"Midoriya-kun, what are you doing?"

Stareee.

"M-Midoriya-kun, you're making me kind of uncomfortable now."

STARE!

"Alright, alright. If I tell you what's up? Will you stop doing…that?"

Izuku let his eyes go back to normal, before smiling wide and responding with, "Yep! Now spill!"

"Jeez. Kids these days."

Izuku just kept smiling and waited.

Tsukauchi sighed and said, "It's my mother."

Substories 2

The Good Son

"Your mom?"

"Yeah, my mom."

"Is she… sick?"

"What? No! W-well, n-not that I know of..."

"Oh. So what's the problem?"

"I'm single."

"Huh?"

"I'm single, 29, and have no friends my age."

Oh…

"My mom knows this, and she's not pushy about it or anything, but… I can see that little bit of disappointment in her eyes whenever I tell her I don't have a girlfriend yet. But it's not my fault! I'm just so busy studying up for the detective's exam and I haven't had time to get out and..."

This was starting to bum Izuku out a bit. He also didn't really know how he could help at this point, seeing as he was 8.

And a boy.

But Tsukauchi was nowhere close to done with his rant, as he looked down and gripped his hair, "And I swear that I heard her crying one day when I told her that I wasn't planning on having any kids time soon. I mean, c'mon! I can't bring a kid into my bachelor lifestyle! The only kid I know that really even likes me is…"

He turned to look at the boy he was talking to.

And Izuku immediately decided that he didn't like where the situation was headed.

Most Icely Cafe

"Alright, Midoriya-kun. She always arrives right on time. We're here five minutes early, so that's how long we've got to get this down. Remember the story we went over?"

"I still think this is bad."

"Midoriya-kun, I know how you feel about this. I really do. I just need your help this one time, please."

Izuku sighed.

Minutes Earlier...

"Tsukauchi-san, no."

"But why not?"

"Lying is bad. Especially to your mom."

"It's hardly lying, just…"

"Not telling the truth."

"Exactly!"

"That's lying, Tsukauchi-san!"

"Nhg." The officer looked pained as Izuku stared him down, judgement present in his big green eyes.

"Midoriya-kun. Please. I've never disappointed my mother before. I always scored high on exams in school, I did my best to be a good example for my sister, I even graduated from the police academy at the top of my class. This is the only area where I've ever disappointed her, and that hurts. So please, Midoriya-kun. Please, help me."

The longer that Tsukauchi-san went on, the more Izuku's stare faltered. Yeah, lying to your parents was bad, but disappointing them felt even worse. His own mother had once given him a look that made him feel like another trash that had washed up on the Junkbeach, and all he had done was say a curse that he had heard his uncle say.

He couldn't imagine how that would feel for Tsukauchi-san, who put his all into making his mother happy. That's a good thing.

His uncle and Kiryu-san didn't always do the right thing, but they always did it to help someone, and helping was good. Right?

Lying was bad, but Tsukauchi-san wanted to do it to make his mother happy, and that was good.

He needed Izuku's help for the lie to work, and even if Izuku didn't want to lie, heroes helped people.

Therefore the right thing to do would be…

"Okay. The story is, I'm your adopted son who you've been taking care of for the past month. You took me in because my parents had trouble providing for me, because I have a special condition that means I require more assistance than your average child."

His time with his uncle had left him far quicker on the uptake than anyone would ever reasonably expect him to be.

"That sound about right,dad?"

Far more sardonic, as well.

"Yeah… sss- kiddo." He looked off to the side, awkwardly.

It seemed that Tsukauchi-san was just as uncomfortable with the situation as he was.

The cafe was pretty empty, supposedly because not a ton of people were interested in a little hole-in-the-wall cafe when there was a Smile Burger right down the street.

It was because the cafe was so empty that the dishonest duo heard the bell of the cafe ring when the door opened.

Izuku, being quite the curious child, turned to the door to see who had just entered and was greeted with the sight of an older woman with greying hair tied up in a tight bun. Her face was stern and somewhat familiar, but he couldn't quite place it until he turned to his companion.

He nudged the man sitting next to him, who hadn't stopped staring embarrassedly at a portion of the floor. The man looked up before shooting out of his seat and making a beeline straight towards the woman. With a cry of 'mother' fresh from his lips, he promptly began ushering her towards the table while chattering rapidly in her ear.

Subtle, Tsukauchi-san. Real subtle.

When they reached the table, the older lady(who seemed to have little trouble keeping up with her son's bombardment of words, if her prompt responses were any indication) noticed the young freckled boy sat across from her.

Turning to her son, who was sliding into his seat beside the young boy, she asked, "And who might this be, Masa-chan?"

"Mom, I'm almost thirty years old. Could youpleasenot use the same nickname for me that you made up when I was two?"

The older Tsukauchi smiled and said, "I'm waiting."

The good son, knowing from years of pleading that he would be unable to convince his mother to let that particular issue drop, sighed and turned his attention to the previously asked question.

"Mom, this is Izuku. My s-." He stopped suddenly as if he lost his voice.

He cleared his throat, "Ahem. My suuuh-"

"S-s-s-s"

"Masa-chan?"

"My s-soo-oor."

This is… really sad.

Izuku was beginning to suffer from second-hand embarrassment and from the look of it, Tsuckauchi-san's mother was beginning to catch onto the farce.

Not like it's all that hard, what with Tsukauchi-san malfunctioning and all.

Deciding to save the lie before it died upon birth, Izuku stepped in quickly.

Tugging on the drowning man's sleeve, he waited for him to turn his way before he made his move.

"Tou-san? Is this my… Obaachan?"

His question caught two people off-guard.

"W-what? M-Masa-chan?"

Tsukauchi-san, it's up to you now. Please don't mess it up.

Part of being a hero was helping others save themselves, wasn't it?

And it seemed like Tsukauchi-san understood that, as well.

Giving the boy a small smile, he put a hand on his shoulder, looked the older woman in the eye and answered, "That's right, Izuku. That's your obaachan."

Addressing his mother now, he said, "Mom, meet Izuku. Your grandson."

"M-my-my-my-"

"I wanted to introduce you earlier, but he's just gotten used to being around new people and I didn't want to overload him."

It was as if a switch had been flipped.

Tsukauchi-san just went about selling his lie with all of his heart; a far cry from the fumbling he'd displayed mere moments before.

A fond smile on his face, he heaped praise upon praise onto his (fake) son.

All the while, and Izuku did assume that it might've just been the lighting, a silver ring lit up around the man's pupils, occasionally flashing gold.

Minutes later, after receiving food and drink(coffee for the adults, fruit tea for Izuku) Tsukauchi-san excused himself to head to the bathroom, leaving Izuku alone at the table with his 'grandmother'.

The older woman stared at him from across the table.

He stared back.

Stare.

Stare.

Staare.

Staaare.

Tsukauchi-san sure was taking a long time to get back to the table.

"Izuku-kun."

"Yes, Obaachan?'

"Thank you."

"Huh? For what?"

"Helping my son with his lie, of course."

Izuku's blood ran cold, if he wasn't making a conscious effort to look ignorant of any wrongdoing, he was sure his eyes would've widened to the size of saucers.

"I've got no idea what you're talking about, Obaachan."

"I think I should tell you a little something about Masa-chan's quirk."

"Tsu- Otou-san's… quirk?"

"Yes, his quirk. It's called 'Judge Eyes'. Anytime he's speaking with someone, he can see what they're saying and determine if they're telling the truth or not by examining their statements. Their tone, word choice, even the speed at which they speak. A rather useful quirk for police work, I'd say."

Rather useful would be a gross understatement. A quirk like that sounded invaluable as a police officer.

"There are several major drawbacks, however."

Of course.

"One, if the person that Masa-chan is speaking to is lying, but either doesn't know that what they're saying is a lie or believes that lie to be true, it will be perceived as a truth by Masa-chan's quirk."

Well, that made sense. Superpower or not, someone can't really say you're lying if even you don't know you are.

"Two, he can only listen and examine the statement of two people at a time. If he were to try and listen to more than that, the statements would become jumbled and he'd be left with a massive headache."

Again, another reasonable weakness. For the life of him, though, he couldn't possibly understand where she was going with this.

"And three, his quirk is always activated. Anytime he hears a statement, his eyes will flash gold for truth or silver for a lie, without his knowledge if he's not focusing… even for his own statements."

Oh then that's… oh.

Of course she figured out they were lying. Ifhenoticed the ring of silver around the man's eyes, even if he didn't know what it meant, it would be impossible for his mothernotto.

If he felt bad for telling the lie before, he felt even for being caught in it.

He opened his mouth, not quite sure if he was about to justify what he did or apologize for being complicit in it.

"I-"

"But even so, thank you."

Huh?

"I'm willing to guess that my son did this because he believed that I was disappointed in him. Is that right?"

Izuku nodded.

The mother sighed, "I'm not. Really, I'm not. He and his sister are my world. They've always made me happy, and I'd like to think I've made them happy as well as they grew up, even if I couldn't always be the fun parent. But I won't always be around, and I want them to, one day, feel the same joy that I felt with them. Mako-chan's always been good with people, so I don't worry that she'll settle down one day when she's older, but Masa-chan's always been a bit of a loner."

"Single, 29, and have no friends my age."

Yeah, that sounds about right.

"But… I think that if he made a little friend like you, he'll be completely fine."

The kind older woman smiled and took a sip of her coffee before turning back to Izuku, "And so Izuku-kun, I have two requests, if you'd care to hear them."

Izuku nodded again.

"Well first, I'd very much appreciate it if you'd keep getting along with Masa-chan. He's always been a fine boy, but I feel that he could use a good friend, even if you are quite a bit younger than he is."

A nod. He liked Tsukauchi-san, so as long as the older man would like him around, he'd stay.

"Okay, thank you. And second… could you call me 'Obaachan' one last time?"

As he saw Tsukauchi-san coming back from the bathroom, Izuku gave his 'grandmother' a smile.

"Okay... Obaachan."

Substories 2

The Good Son- END

Minutes after Izuku bid goodbye to both Tsukauchi-san's mother, who had said something about meeting up with some friends in the area, and Tsukauchi-san, who was extremely grateful for Izuku's help, the boy noticed that it was getting a bit too late to go play in the park and still be able to get any significant amount of work done at the Junkbeach.

So, he decided to forgo the former and move onto his 'civic duty' as his uncle would call it. He had called it 'Hero Training' when they were younger, but after Izuku became acquainted with his uncle's right-hand man Nishida, he understood that what he was doing was essentially community service.

Granted, he was alright with that. Nothing wrong with doing something good for the neighborhood and he was getting stronger too, so that was nice.

But Kiryu-san always said to call a spade a spade, so that's what he would do.

But I seem to have gotten off topic, this humble narrator apologizes.

Ahem...

It took a good ten minutes for Izuku to make his way to the Junkbeach and when he got there, he was met with an unexpected sight.

"...Jiji?"

"Yo… Izu-chan!"

Indeed.

There at the entrance of the Junkbeach stood two men.

One was an all too familiar cyclops who had been gone on business for months up to that point. He stood with a sh*t-eating grin, that was also all too familiar.

Izuku ran for his life, his legs burning from the exertion.

He had to get away. Couldn't get caught.

He had to keep running. He couldn't let that thing catch him.

"YEEEHEHEHEHE!"

Oh god, it was catching up.

He had to run faster, so he did.

He kicked up sand every time his feet hit the ground, making it all blast up in clouds around him.

That didn't slow his pursuer down at all.

And when he ended up tripping-

"Izu-chan!"

"Jiji, no!"

-it was over.

Awful memories associated with his uncle's grin aside, Izuku was happy to see the man.

He'd been gone for months on business in Kamurocho and Izuku was worried that he wouldn't be able to see the man before leaving for Okinawa the next week.

He always loved going back to Morning Glory, but it wouldn't have been the same with his uncle missing and unable to see him off.

But there he was, smile and all. And it seemed he wasn't alone this time.

Behind Majima stood a mountain of a man.

His face was stern and his hair was dark and long, falling to his shoulders.

Had Izuku met this man four years ago, he'd likely be close to bolting at this point.

Though when one considers the company that the two most prevalent male role models in his life happen to keep, it would come as no surprise that Izuku would simply walk up to the (presumably) devious duo.

Self-preservation doth not a good warrior make.

That was said by one of the smartest people he knew.

Well… knew of.

"When'd you get back, Jiji? And where've ya been?"

" 'bout an hour ago, and there was somethin' important that I had to take care of."

"Important enough that ya disappeared for almost half a year, Jiji?"

"Yeah,thatimportant."

The grave tone in his, usually jaunty and boisterous, uncle's voice deterred Izuku from pressing the issue any further, so he nodded and watched his uncle perk back up.

Truth be told, he had more important questions to ask, chief among them being the one related to the giant who stood just a few feet away from his ocularly challenged relative.

"Who's this, Jiji?"

"Ah! Glad ya asked."

He turned and gestured towards the massive man with a flourish, saying, "Izu-chan, this is my brother, well my other brother, Taiga Saejima."

With an even more extravagant flourish, the cyclops directed his words towards the colossus who had been quiet throughout the entire interaction between the young boy and his uncle.

"Saejima, this is my amazing nephew, Izuku Midoriya-chan!"

Izuku, despite having been subject to it for a number of years, preened at the praise.

Saejima simply stared back, though a discerning eye would note the slight quirk at the corner of his lips.

To eyes like Izuku's, who had slyly kept them on his uncle's brother the entire time his uncle had been speaking, this was proof enough that this new man was alright.

He just needed to figure out what to call him.

Would Saejima-ojisan work? Nah, too stuffy.

Taiga-jiji, maybe? Mm-mm, too much like Goro-jiji.

Then maybe… Ah, that'll do!

Speaking directly to the ogre-like man, Izuku smiled and said, "Hajimemash*te, Taijiji!"

Saejima blinked.

Majima laughed.

And Izuku, he grinned through it all.

When Majima told him that there was someone he wanted him to meet, Saejima didn't know what to think.

Things had been so hectic and he had been so busy trying to reign in some of the young bucks in his family that they hadn't exactly had a ton of time to catch up.

So when the cyclops approached him earlier that day and asked him to come meet someone in Musutafu, of all places, his interest was piqued.

When they got there and Majima brought him to what looked like a sandy junkyard, the interest sparked.

And when a young boy with green hair and freckles approached the two of them without a hint of fear or apprehension in his eyes, calling Majima 'Jiji', that interest burned with a raging passion.

But even still he remained quiet.

Until the boy called him, 'Taijiji'.

What the hell could say to that?

He had just met the kid and he was already calling him 'uncle'.

He didn't mind it, but it was… weird, to say the least.

Is that just what the kids do these days?

Even weirder still, was the feel he got from the kid.

He looked like a cheerful puppy at first glance, but for what looked to be a 7 year old, he gave off this strange presence that bubbled beneath the surface.

It reminded him of a rabid mutt, snarling in a cage.

This kid just got more and more interesting by the minute.

"Ahhh!"

Crash!

Well that didn't sound good.

Izuku didn't seem too perturbed, as he sighed and made his way over to where the scream and the succeeding crash had come from.

The two adults with him just gave one another an inquisitive look and followed along.

When Izuku, his two uncles in tow, reached the spot that he had heard the ruckus coming from, he wasn't all that surprised by what he found.

"Hatsume-san, you really need to be more careful."

"Oh, Midoriya-kun! There you are. Think you could give me a hand with some of this scrap here? I can't seem to get a good grip on it."

"That's probably because it's slowly turning you into a Hatsume pancake. Stay still, I'll get you out."

It wasn't very rare for Daiki Hatsume to be found at the Junkbeach, looking for scrap for some invention or another.

It was far less rare to find him buried under a pile of trash that he toppled over through haste and carelessness, much to Izuku's chagrin.

Whatwasrare, however, was the sight of him buried under the pile without a head of pink hair poking out right beside him right beside him.

And so, as Izuku began lifting a mini-fridge off of the man, he asked, "So where's Mei-chan, Hatsume-san? She's not in another section, is she?"

He sure hoped she wasn't, as much he liked the girl, even he would have to admit that she was a walking disaster, if left unchecked.

"Oh, MeiMei? She's sleepin' back at the workshop. I figured that while she was down, I could come out and grab some new materials for my latest little darling. She's gonna be a real beaut', I tell ya."

"Right… and how many times has she exploded, so far?"

"Three times. But hey, fourth time's the charm, right?"

"I think you mean third. Hold on, keep still, I don't want this shifting."

"Yeah, but we already past the third, so fourth it is!"

But four's an unlucky number, isn't it?

"Right, Hatsume-san."

He knew better than to argue with the eccentric man.

Months of experience have conditioned him against that.

And as the man continued to ramble, Izuku managed to get the last large bit of trash(a thick stack of sheet metal) of him.

"Alright, there you go Hatsume-san. Where's your truck? I'll help you carry this stuff there."

He didn't even bother asking what the inventor wanted, he knew the answer.

All of it.

Hatsume started walking in a direction, so Izuku picked up the stack of sheet metal and walked off after him, leaving his somewhat baffled uncles behind, until he came back to retrieve more of the trash.

About half an hour passed before Izuku left with the last of the trash and scrap.

Majima and Saejima, who had sat down and started smoking, heard what sounded like a small explosion ring out from the direction that Izuku had walked off in.

Saejima had been ready to go and see if the child who had been seen walking in the direction was alright, but Majima, being the responsible and attentive adult that he was, stopped him.

"If he needs some help, he'll call for it. Just give him a minute."

Lo and behold, a mere few moments later, Izuku came walking down the path, completely fine.

His clothes were slightly singed and tattered and he was covered in soot, but otherwise he was completely fine.

"Yo, Izu-chan! What happened over there?"

Izuku coughed slightly, exhaling a bit of smoke, before answering in short, breathy bursts, "Hatsume-san. Machine lifted trash. Truck. Then last load, too heavy. Machine overloaded. And boom. I'm okay."

Majima shrugged and replied, "Well, if ya say so." Before taking another drag from his cigarette.

Saejima, long having decided to stop trying to comprehend this child, simply sighed, a puff of cigarette smoke escaping between his lip.

Izuku just layed down (read:collapsed) and tried to catch his breath.

After a few moments of relative silence, broken only by the sound of Izuku's labored breathing, Majima spoke up.

"So Izu-chan. It's gettin' a bit late, but I got a surprise for ya. You mind comin' with me and Saejima here, for a bit?"

Izuku perked up at the words 'surprise for you' and his response was no surprise to either man.

10 Minutes Later- Karaokekan

"Kenka sun wo kekkou ya ga
Moshi uchi no shima ni haitte kitara
Son toki wa kega suru dake ja sumanee ya
Majima no maji rock…
Iku de!"

This really is a surprise. I didn't know Goro-jiji made music.

"Go all out, Majima!"
"You're doing great Jiji!"

"Ah, kora erai kimochi ee!"

Definitely a surprise.

"I ain't doin' it."

"C'mon bro. Just one, and ya ain't gotta be especially great at it either."

"You tryin' to start sh*t, Majima?"

"Please, Taijiji?"

Saejima was about to say no once again before he took a close look into pleading, teary green eyes.

Moments later...

"Dame da ne
Dame yo dame na no yo
Anta ga suki de suki sugite
Dore dake tsuyoi osake de mo
Yugamanai omoide ga
Baka mitai…"

Both Izuku and Majima stayed quiet.

They could both hear the emotion in the man's voice, and they weren't going to interject before he could get it all out.

When Saejima finished his song, there were tears in his eyes.

No one felt the need to mention them.

When it was Izuku's turn to pick, he took a few moments to scroll and look through his options.

Zetsubouchou Pride? That sounds cool.

"Artist(s): Judgement Kazzy and Gorogorogoro-chan."

Pass.

Like A Butterfly? Nah, I don't have a good feeling about that one.

Then how about…

Almost as if it were made for, Izuku felt drawn to this song. So he pressed 'Confirm', picked up the microphone and got into the zone.

"Saenai boku to boku wo kakomu sekai de
Egaite mo tsukande mo mada tookute"

"[I-Z-U-K-U. Sing your song, I-ZU-KU!]"

"Looking red hot, Izuku!"

He sang through the verse, feeling his Heat rise with every word.

And when he hit the chorus, it exploded.

"Saenai boku to boku wo kakomu sekai de
Egaite mo tsukande mo mada tookute"

He could see himself on a fully cleaned Junkbeach, all grown up and muscular with a smile on his face.

"Nani wo suteraba soko ni tadoritsukeru
Nando mo nando mo sakende mite mo"

Villains stood all around him and the people he was protecting.

When they came at him, he took them down, giving the civilians time to get away.

Pretty soon, all of them were beaten. And Izuku stood above them proudly.

Just before the ground opened up beneath him and he was blown away.

And there stood a massive, snarling, sandy-furred, red-eyed pomeranian.

"Boku wa boku de shikanai kara
Yume de arou to genjitsu darou to"

When Izuku got back up and charged at the massive hound it barked and blew him away with a massive blast.

"Chippoke na boku wa kienai hikari wo…"

And the vision started to grow blurry as he fell deep into the water.

Was it over? Was that where his adventure as a hero stopped?

Maybe he couldn't make it.

Maybe the doctor. The kids at school. Kacchan…

Maybe they were all right.

Maybe he should just-

A hand found its way to his back.

Then another.

And another.

And he felt more and more.

And he could hear a myriad of voices, all of them so easy to recognize.

Izumi.

Eri.

Riona.

Taichi.

Shiro.

Mitsuo.

Koichi.

Ayako.

Haruka.

Kiryu-san.

Goro-jiji.

Dad.

Mom.

Their voices mixed. High, low, young, old.

But as different as their voices were, their words all rang the same.

"Don't give up! Keep pushing on! You can be a hero!"

And then… theypushed.

"...Soredemo sagashi tsuzukeiteru"

He could feel himself rushing towards the surface.

Closer.

Closer.

Closer.

Until he broke through and flew.

He could feel all the hope that his family had in him.

And it was with that hope, that he charged right back at the colossal pomeranian.

"Donna ni tokute mo tadoritsukeru
Shiramu sora wo mite koko ni kizamitsukeru"

It barked another blast at him, he charged straight through it.

"Nando mo nando mo sakenda mite mo
Boku wa boku de shikanai kara"

It swiped a massive paw at him, which was swiftly avoided, before Izuku jumped and sprung off of it.

"Yume de arou to genjitsu darou to
Kitto koete yukeru"

He flew straight past the monstrous pooch's head and went up into the clouds before he came back down, fist co*cked behind him.

"Korondatee ii"

The big blonde dog wasn't prepared for this attack, so when Izuku came down hard on his snout, it let out a big yelp and a whimper before going down.

Hard.

"Naitatte ii"

When the dust cleared Izuku stood above his defeated foe.

Looking all around he saw men, women, and children, all clapping and cheering for him.

Looking forward he could see all the people who supported him.

"Itsuka sono subete ga hana ni naru kara!"

With a big bright smile, he raised a fist to the sky and loudly proclaimed, "I AM HERE!"

And the song was over. He was sweating and panting, having put his soul into his singing, but he still had the biggest smile plastered onto his face.

Soon after Izuku finished his song, the lady at the front desk called to inform the trio that their time was nearly up and asked them to return the microphones.

As Saejima put the microphones back into the box that they were brought in, Izuku thanked Majima for his surprise.

"Huh, whaddya mean? I haven't given ya the surprise yet."

"What?"

"Yeah, that ain't the surprise. This is." And he held out a bag that Izuku didn't notice that he had, before then

"Happy Late Birthday, Izu-chan. Go on, open your gift."

With his initial surprise gone, Izuku opened the bag and took out the contents.

He was greeted with the sight of a green varsity jacket, with a Hannya mask on the back.

It had red kanji written all around the mask that said, "Bring on the fights!"

"So how d'ya like it? Special-order material that'll make sure it grows with ya. That jacket's gonna last for a while, kiddo."

Izuku began to tear up slightly, but even still he smiled wide and said, "I love it, Jiji. I love it."

Present- Midoriya Household, Kitchen Table

As Izuku finished his story, he looked towards his mother, who had been listening attentively the whole time.

She stared him down a bit longer before sighing.

"Alright Izu, eat and get out of those clothes. I'll go run you a bath."

As Izuku nodded and set upon his dinner, Inko walked to the bathroom to start his bath.

As worried as she was, her baby was going to be a hero.

She would have to accept that.

And she would, as this would turn out to be just an average day in the life of Izuku Midoriya, the most unpredictable hero the world would ever see.

Chapter 12: Good Days, Gone

Chapter Text

Kamurocho, Tokyo- 199X

Goro Majima wasn't having the best of days.

It wasn't awful, mind you. Just not great.

Though that wasn't all that unusual for him.

It took some time for him to end back up in Kamurocho, but like most of the trash that got thrown out, there he was, back on the street.

Though unlike most trash, when he walked through the streets, people parted and made way for him to come through.

He wasn't all that put out by it. If anyone had a problem with him being back, they could kiss his leather-clad ass.

To show how not put out by it he happened to be, Majima began humming a jaunty tune.

His snakeskin jacket glinted and shined in the streetlights. It was hardly designer, like most of the crap he saw most punks wearing out when they went out to hit the town, but he hardly gave a sh*t.

It was loud, tacky, and outta place.

Just where he was at the moment.

If Mirei was there, she'd probably tell him to at least put a shirt on under it.

At that thought, his humming ceased, and he walked with a lot less swagger in his step.

Mirei.

He'd tried not to think about her since the divorce.

Really, he had.

But every once in a while, there'd be that one intrusive thought just pushing to the front of his mind.

Far more frequently than that she'd be in magazines, a bright smile plastered on her face.

And if that weren't enough, he'd hear people talk about her everywhere he went.

"The next big idol."

"She's just so talented!"

"Hey, have you heard about Mi-chan's performance at the Tokyo Dome? It's gonna be amazing! I've already got my tickets booked!"

He had no right to be upset.

He was doing well enough back in Kamurocho, there wasn't a single person who didn't know about 'The Mad Dog of Shimano' and the Majima Family was going strong.

Mirei was following her dreams. Who was he to get in the way of that?

Though, as much as he thought that, it didn't make the reality of it hurt any less.

He missed her.

He's the one that left, and he had no right to miss her, but he did.

He wanted to see her.

Talk to her

Laugh with her.

Sing with her.

See her smile again, just at him.

He wanted to do all of those things, but he couldn't.

Because he left because he-

Creeach!

He could hear the sound of leather being wrung against even more leather.

Looking down, he could see his hand balled into tightened fists.

Loosening his grip and closing his eye, he took a deep breath and started walking again.

f*ck it, I need somethin' stiff.

And so, he walked off to go find some very hard alcohol.

"Goro-nii?"

Before being stopped in his tracks at the sound of a familiar voice.

Musutafu, Tokyo- 201X

Izuku Midoriya was having a strange day.

Not a bad kind of strange, just... pretty weird.

It had all been normal until school let out for the day.

And then, several peculiar things occurred in sequence.

First, he'd witnessed this strange foreign guy ranting and raving about 'The perfect shot'.

That was something he found interesting, but felt like he shouldn't get too deeply involved in, so he discreetly listened for a few more moments as the man talked about opportunities for things called 'Revelations' popping up all around Japan. The man was very clearly disturbed(or maybe that's just how foreigners were) but some of the things he said did resonate with the boy, who decided that he'd keep what the guy said in mind.

Next, he found himself accosted by some cooking show host that he had seen his mother watching on TV once or twice.

It wasn't odd to see a few famous figures wandering around Musutafu, given the fact that U.A.( a school for heroes in training, staffed by pro heroes) wasn't all that far from the city.

Though most of those famous figures were heroes like Vlad King, Lunch Rush, or even Hound Dog.

What made the host's presence so peculiar to him was the fact that he was so… normal.

Normal meaning quirkless in that sense.

It was so strange for Izuku to think of meeting so many quirkless people like him on his walks through Musutafu.

Granted, the dozen quirkless people that he'd met in the full decade that he had been alive paled in comparison to the several dozen quirked people he had met, but in a quirked society, one could hardly expect to find half as many non-superhumans without lookingreallyhard.

Izuku's oddly frequent encounters with the less abundantly present members of society aside, the host(Kawa-something, he couldn't quite remember) asked Izuku to find and refer him to some local eateries, if he knew any, so they could be featured on the man's travelling cooking show.

Why he would ask an actual child for help, no one could say.

But Izuku, having been most of the local eateries in Musutafu with his uncle and neighbor(while keeping up a lie that had long been uncovered), was able to help and referred Kawasomething-san to the Most Icely Cafe, referencing their signature 'Carboniced Coffee'.

Sweet with a tinge of roguish bitterness, for the outlaw in everyone.

With a smile on his face and Izuku's recommendation in mind, Kawasomething-san and went off in the direction of Most Icely, while Izuku went about his day.

Which brings us to the strangest event of the boy's day so far, at the Children's Park.

"Hello, Musutafu! My name is Pop✰Step! I'm a new idol and I hope you enjoy the show that I'm about to put on for you!"

The 'idol' stood between two speakers in the center of the park, dressed in a cutesy black devil girl ensemble, complete with bat wings, knee high boots, and a rather short miniskirt.

The third item in the ensemble caught Izuku's the most, as it revealed an… interesting part of her body to the boy.

Yes,veryinteresting.

Especially after he read the magazine that Kiryu-san had given him all those years ago.

I need to thank him when I see him next.

His slight nosebleed and wobbly smile would likely make the man proud, seeing as it meant that the boy had finally become a man…

In the strange twisted way that only the old dragon could see.

That aside, when the lecherous thoughts passed and Izuku tuned back into reality to hear the idol's performance, he was impressed.

Her singing was beautiful and her dancing was nothing to sneeze at.

Her overall performance, however, seemed to be… lacking something.

Yes, her singing was fine. On key and on beat with the music playing from the speakers.

Her dancing looked nice, too. Her steps were certain and looked, for all intents and purposes, to be professional. But it seemed… that that was also the problem.

Her steps looked professional, but there was hardly any passion or flair to it. It just all seemed to be so by-the-book. Very briefly, it would seem like she was trying to say something through her movements, but it never quite reached.

And it seemed he wasn't the only one who noticed.

Most of the crowd that had gathered to watch the spectacle lost interest in the rather standard idol routine and went about their days.

Soon enough, Izuku was one of the only people left loitering in the park, apart from some very young children and a few pearl-clutching mothers.

Pop✰Step finished with a distinct lack of enthusiasm compared to the bouncing excitement she had when she started.

And as she got ready to start taking down the speakers dejectedly, Izuku approached her.

"Um, excuse me. PopStep-san?"

"It's Pop✰Ste- Wait. Huh?" She stopped her automatic answer and whipped around, eyes landing on the green-haired child that had appeared in front of her.

Substories 3

A Pop, Step, and a Leap Away

"Oh! How can I help you?" The dejectedness in her form and voice seemed to disappear at the sight of the young boy, and her exuberance from before seemed to come rushing back in full force.

"I just wanted to talk about your show."

"Is that so? What did you think, little guy?" Her expectant smile was incredibly wide.

"It was… kinda bland."

"Huh?" The idol's face froze.

"D-don't get me wrong. It wasn't bad, your singing and footwork was great, but it was also pretty standard. I've seen a lot of other idols doing the same movements you did. They were professional, but even professional gets stale after a while, y'know?"

With every word that spilled from between the boy's lips, the Pop✰Step recoiled as if struck.

By the time Izuku got to his point, the idol looked almost like she had been trampled by herd of horses.

"...So, I wanna help."

Pop✰Step perked back up slightly at that.

"Help?"

"Yeah."

"Help how?"

"Well, I wanna help put a little more umm-'Oomph' in your dancing. Something to keep people's interest. You're really good, but that didn't keep the attention. You need some more flair."

"Um, that's all well and good, but what can you really teach me? I've been dancing for years, you're- what? Nine?"

"I'm ten, and I can teach you loads of stuff! I know how to dance too."

"Uh huh. Sure, kid."All of the warmth that the idol exuded was gone, replaced with a somewhat snide and cold demeanor.

It ticked Izuku off a little bit, but he knew how to get her to listen to him.

"Well, what do ya say to a dance battle, then?"

"Beg your pardon?"

"A dance battle. They're pretty big in Sotenbori, but they're picking up here in Tokyo, as well. If you think I can't teach you anything, beat me in one. I'll clean up for ya and leave you alone after."

"And if I lose?"

"You let me help you with your dancing. No complaints."

"Right, kid. So I feel I should let you know, when you're taking down the speakers, you go speaker first, then stand, then base."

Izuku smirked, "Alrighty then. Then let's pick a song and start."

Pop✰Step pulled out a remote and pressed a button, the speakers started playing and the game was on.

"Izu-chan, put on the skates."

"Jiji, I really don't get how this'll help me be a better fighter."

"Because I say it will! Now put on the skates."

"AH! Okay, I'm doing it."

Izuku pulled the line skates onto his feet and stood shakily.

Majima gave him a quick glance over.

As soon as he saw that Izuku was stable, he said, "Alright, now dance!"

"... I'm sorry?"

"I said… DANCE!"

Blink.

Majima sighed, "Look Izu-chan, either ya dance or ya run. Pick one in three, two, one-"

"SocanyashowmeafewstepsJiji?" This question was incredibly rushed.

"Heh, just watch and learn, kid."

As Izuku watched Pop✰Step panting on the ground, he smiled. He figured he would need to thank his uncle for the lessons, when he saw the man for New Years.

Kneeling down and offering the tired idol a hand, Izuku grinned and asked, "So, why don't we go talk on one of those benches?"

Taking his hand, Pop✰Step gasped, "Where- did you- learn to dance- like that?"

With a cheeky little grin, he answered, "Takoba Municipal. Maybe ya heard of it."

Moments later, the two sat on a park bench.

"Okay Pop✰Step-san. Let's talk about your performance."

The idol nodded.

"Like I said before, your dancing and singing are really professional. But, even still, professional doesn't mean fun. And if you're not having fun, how can ya expect anyone else to?"

"Well… I guess you're right. But what's your secret trick to dancing the way you do?"

A sigh. "Didn't ya hear a word I just said? I have fun while I'm doin' it."

"Yeah, but I can't just let loose and have fun, I'm an idol. I have to be a professi-"

"Pop✰Step-san, why did you become an idol?"

"What?"

"Why- did you- become- an idol?"

"Because… I wanted to make people smile."

"Hm?"

"I love idols. I always have. When I was younger, I put on shows in Naruhata to give the people something to look forward to when they walked by. I always had such a good time, that I decided that I wanted to make a career out of it. So I practiced and practiced and practiced. And here we are. This was meant to be my big breakout performance into the public eye, but here I am, unnoticed and pouring my heart out to a kid who just kicked my butt. How pathetic is that?"

"... I don't think it's pathetic at all."

"What?"

"I think, as an idol, what you want to do is amazing."

He had Pop✰Step's undivided attention now.

Good, because what he was about to say would be important.

"Whether you're a hero or an idol, you're saving people. But while a hero saves people's lives, an idol saves their hearts. And they get to have a great time while doing it, all with a smile. And for that, Pop✰Step-san, I really admire you and other idols. For working hard and having fun."

Izuku closed his eyes with a smile. He'd said his piece, he'd just need to hope that Pop✰Step got his meaning.

When he heard movement to the side of him, he knew what was coming next.

He could hear the footsteps of someone walking in front of him, and stopping.

Opening his eyes, he could see Pop✰Step standing in front of him and leaning down towards him with a smile.

"So why don't we get to work then, Midori-sensei?"

"Alright! So before we get back to dancing, I've gotta ask, what's your quirk?"

"My quirk?"

"Yeah, so you can incorporate it into your routine. Is it lasers? Firework-popping? Floating?"

"Uh no. Nothing that fantastic. My quirk is called 'Leap'. It basically allows me to leap really high and not take damage when I fall."

muttermuttermuttermutttermuttermuttermuttermuttermuttermuttermuttermuttermuttermutter

"Um, Midori-sensei?"

muttermuttermuttermutttermuttermuttermuttermuttermuttermuttermuttermuttermuttermutter

"Midori-sensei."

muttermuttermuttermutttermuttermuttermuttermuttermuttermuttermuttermuttermuttermutter

"MIDORI!"

That snapped the green haired boy out of his semi-trance, and he put down a notebook, which he definitely wasn't holding before.

"Ahem.Sorry, I… do that sometimes."

"O...kay?"

"But anyway, your quirk is perfect. Do you have any idea how many acrobatics moves you can apply to that? Flips, tumbles, springs. The possibilities are endless!"

Saying that, he showed his notebook to the idol and watched her face slowly light at what she saw.

"So, whaddya think ? Can ya do it… Pop✰Step-san?"

The idol grinned and said, "Let's do it, Midori-sensei!"

"Hello again, Musutafu! Once more, my name is Pop✰Step! I'm a new idol and I hope you enjoy this next show that I'm putting on for you!"

Okay, Pop✰Step-san you've got this, just remember why you're performing.

The music began to blast from the speakers and the show was on.

People gathered once more…

And were enraptured.

The idol had seemed to receive a breath of life.

No, not a breath. A full-on gust.

Her by-the-book movements rang with personality and fervor.

And through them, the rapidly forming crowd could hear exactly what she was telling them.

Smile.

Just watch me and smile.

And when the song came to its conclusion, she gave them a reason to.

A step, turn, and spin, before suddenly… she leaped.

In the air, she spun, flipped, and rolled, before coming back down and landing on one knee with a flourish.

And the crowd went wild.

Izuku, however, was hit with a flash of inspiration.

He had an idea.

A breakthrough.

A… Revelation, if you would.

And as he scribbled furiously in his journal he could see it all in his mind's eye.

He couldn't leap as high as Pop✰Step, no that'd be impossible without a quirk.

But if he could leap over a charging enemy, he might get a quick and easy chance at a counterattack.

It was all hypothetical, of course. But he would call this Revelation of hisEssence of Hurdling.

With a nod, he put his notebook away and turned back towards the stage to see Pop✰Step taking down the speakers and equipment.

This time, helped by a group of, what looked to be, adoring fans.

Remember why you do what you do Pop✰Step and you'll astound everytime.

And the young greenette walked away.

Substories 3

A Pop, Step, and a Leap Away-END

After Izuku left the Children's park, he knew he had to get home.

It was almost time for a certain broadcast thatcouldn'tmiss, under any circ*mstances.

So he began rushing home, dodging cars, people, and even stray cats.

"Hey, stop right there, ya little sh*t!"

Ah, crap.

Izuku skidded to a halt as three men, no older than 20 stood in his way.

"Hey there, Chinpoko-chan, Oshiri-chan, Kōgan-chan."

The three adults, mean-looking and red-faced stared daggers at the boy.

The trio had been fighting with the boy for the past two years.

Well, saying 'fighting' would be giving them a bit too much credit.

It'd be a bit more accurate to say that they'd been getting by Izuku for the past two years.

They would seemingly prowl Musutafu every week, looking for the boy and confront him whenever they found him.

It was unlikely for the three to be together most times that they went looking, seeing as they were most likely the 'divide and conquer' method of searching.

But of course they'd all be together when I'm in a hurry.

"Listen guys, I'd be glad to fight ya any other day. But, I need to get going. So please move."

That was clearly not the right thing to say, if the purpling of Chinpoko-chan's face was any indication.

"Let's get him, boys!"

Oh boy, here we go.

Mooks

Okay, I'm strapped for time, so I shouldn't drag this out. It'll take too long to tire 'em all out, so I'll have to take 'em down with one or two strikes each.

He got low and centered into his fighting stance.

First up is Oshiri-chan. He always comes at me with a charging hook.

Woosh!

Like clockwork.

While dodging the older man's reckless attack, Izuku delivered a quick, hard strike to his solar plexus, knocking the air out his lungs.

When he bent over in an attempt to catch his breath, Izuku pirouetted and viciously jabbed his elbow into the man's temple.

Oshiri-chan went down like a bag of bricks.

Next up is Kōgan-chan. He's likely sending a high round at my head. I should duck.

Woosh!

After evading the kick, Izuku scrambled toward the man's other leg, using his head to ram his knee at full force.

Seeing as his other leg was still off the ground, Kōgan-chan was hardly what most would balanced, so it was a surprise to no one but himself when the ground suddenly came rushing to meet him.

Even more surprising was the fist that rushed towards his face before it all went black.

And now, Chinpoko-chan. Oh, there he is, coming in with… a tackle?!

Well, that's new! Let's meet him halfway.

And so, Izuku got to his feet and rushed at the charging man, feeling the Heat all the while.

[!] Heat Move: Essence of Hurdling

As soon Chinpoko-chan sprung into what would've been a beautiful spear tackle, Izuku leapt into the over him, kicking the back of the man's head and moving into a mid-air tumble, before adjusting and falling to the ground with a graceful landing.

Chinpoko-chan hit the pavement hard with a groan, while Izuku ran off shouting, "Alright guys, good fight, see you next week!"

And he was off, while the trio of beaten men that he left behind moaned in pain.

"Tadaima!"

"Okaeri, Izuku. Did you have a good day?"

"Yeah mom. The show didn't start already, did it?"

"No, not yet. It won't be on for another ten minutes, so take off your jacket, wash your, and eat your dinner."

"Right." Slightly winded, but incredibly relieved, Izuku took a breath and slid off the stajun that his uncle gave him.

Stajun. That's what his mom called it. Apparently it was pretty cool to have one when she was a kid.

He just liked it because his Jiji gave it to him.

And the mask on the back looked just like his tattoo.

After putting his stajun away and eating dinner, Izuku sat on the couch with his mom, waiting for the broadcast to start.

"Remember to finish packing your bag tomorrow. We're leaving on Sunday."

"Alright, mom."

"And don't forget to pack more than just your manga. You need clean undies and shirts too."

"Okay, mom."

"And don't forget to charge your phone. I was in Shizuoka with your father long enough to know how easy it is to get separated, especially around Sunpu."

"Got it, mo- Oh! It's starting!"

Onscreen, a man in a gray suit with glasses was lowered by a platform towards two stages.

"How are you doing, everybody?! It's showtime! I'm your host, Dolce Kamiya!"

He pointed and spoke with a bountiful supply of energy.

"Princess League 201X has finally reached its climax- - the finals begin now!"

The audience erupted into cheer. Izuku was getting pretty close to doing the same.

Kamiya quickly explained the rules to those in the audience, but Izuku tuned out during that portion, it wasn't all that interesting to him.

He already got the gist of it. The two contestants in the league would battle it out live in a concert battle, to win over the crowd. This would go on for three rounds.

The contestant that curried enough favor with the crowd by the end of their performance, would win that round.

Whoever won the final round, would win the League for that year.

Izuku didn't really care about all that, though.

He was just waiting for the man to announce the contestants.

"Let me introduce you to the two top contenders! Starting with this contestant team!"

A camera panned to one of the darkened stages, revealing a pair of silhouettes standing back-to-back.

"Dancing in perfect unison and singing in perfect harmony is this duo's claim to fame! Their popularity has been soaring right out of the gate! With a string of Princess League wins under their belt, it's the super idol unit.., T-Set!"

A light illuminated the stage, showing the silhouettes to be two pretty brunettes, who struck a pose at the sound of being announced.

The crowd cheered and the camera went to the other stage, where only one silhouette stood.

"And the talented newcomer who suddenly burst forward to beat out all other challengers! Can this rough-hewn diamond realize her dreams here in the Princess League? Haruka Sawamura!"

The crowd cheered here as well, and to the amusem*nt of his mother, so did Izuku.

With introductions out of the way, the show was on. And Izuku was blown away.

The next morning, Izuku spoke on the phone, while he packed his bag for the trip he and his mom would be taking, the day after. As he packed, his Present Mic radio played music and the occasional news story behind him on his desk.

"I know, Haruka-neechan was amazing! I didn't doubt that she'd win for a second."

Ayako spoke with a laugh from the other side of the call, "We didn't either. By the way, did you get your letter ready for that magazine interview yet?"

"Um, yeah. I've got it right…" He took a moment to walk over to his desk and look, "here, on my desk. I'll send it tomorrow when we pass the post office."

"-ain, our top story is the Sapporo shooting incident early yesterday morning."

Hm?

"Hokkaido Police have determined… The victim was a senior member of Kanto's organized crime syndicate, The Tojo Clan."

Tojo Clan? Crime syndicate?

"He's been identified as Goro Majima. Given the victim's status as a member of the largest quirkless crime syndicate in Kanto-"

Izuku tuned everything out after that point, and his phone fell to the floor as one thought beat out every other and bounced against his skull.

Jiji… was shot?

Chapter 13: Lying and Running

Chapter Text

Bantam-Kamurocho, Tokyo- 199X

"I've gotta say. When I heard you were back in Tokyo and decided to come looking for you, I didn't think I'd find you right on the street."

"... I didn't think ya'd come looking for me. Where'd ya hear I was back in town anyway?"

"You're kidding, right? Goro Majima, The Mad Dog of Shimano is back in town. What? You think people don'ttalkabout sh*t like that?"

"Wow, with that Tokyo accent of yours I almost thought you grew up or something. Glad to see the dirty-mouthed brat I sent up to Shizuoka's still kickin'."

"Oh, shut it. Don't try and change the subject." A retort said with no real bite behind it, just a chuckle and theclick!of a fancy silver lighter, before the smell of a cigarette filled his nostrils. AHuffy, if the sweet scent were any indicator.

"I'd ask if you wanted one, but… I'm pretty sure you don't want menthols."

"Yer right about that." That mint sh*t just didn't suit him.

Puff.And the smell, even though she turned away before her exhale, filled his nostrils again.

"So, how are you doing after… you know?"

Ah, I see.

"I'm doin' fine."

"Okay, with less bullsh*t now."

"Really, I'm… doin' just fine. It wasn't gonna last anyway. Dumb to think that it would."

"Well, glad to see how smart you think I am."

"That ain't what I meant, and you know it."

"How can I, Goro-nii, if you don't talk about it?"

"Dammit Inko! I don't need ta talk about it! Alright?"

"I'm just saying it might help ya move on, even if just a little bit. 'The Journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.'"

"Quoting Confucius at me again?"

"Lao Tzu, actually."

"Well if the journey begins with a single step, why don't I start by steppin' on outta here?"

"Goro-nii! It's not your fault. Not completely, anyway."

"What?"

"I heard the rest of the story from Mi-chan. You shouldn't have… well, y'know. But, she doesn't blame you for it. So you shouldn't either."

"Catch ya later, Inko-chan."

And with that, Goro Majima put some cash on the bar's counter to pay the tab and walked out of the bar.

While Inko Terasawa looked on, worry written across her face.

Midoriya Residence-Musutafu, Tokyo- 201X

Inko walked to Izuku's bedroom door, tray in hand.

It was still closed. Most likely locked, as well.

Knock! Knock!

"Izuku, I made your favorite." She kept her voice soft and quiet.

"..."

No answer. She hadn't expected any different, but she'd hoped.

"I'll leave it out here. Just put the tray back out when you're done."

Putting the tray down in front of the door, Inko stepped away and walked over to her room. She had work to do and seeing as their trip to Shizuoka was postponed until Izuku was feeling better, there wasn't anything stopping her from getting it done.

Especially since she needed a distraction, as well.

Though, if she had stuck around for a few moments longer, she might've seen the door behind her open to reveal a bedraggled, puffy-eyed Izuku Midoriya.

He grabbed the tray with nary a word and retreated back into the dark room.

It had been over a week since he'd heard that radio broadcast.

He'd looked up the incident on multiple news sites since and the stories all added up.

Goro Majima was shot and killed in Sapporo, Hokkaido over a week ago and if he hadn't happened to be near his radio at the time that he was, he likely wouldn't have heard for a while.

Tojo Clan.

Crime Syndicate.

Goro Majima, Patriarch of the Majima Family.

What did it all mean?

His uncle could be scary sometimes, but he wasn't a criminal.

The Tojo Clan.

He'd looked them up as well, they were a huge mass of yakuza families, but quirkless.

The only family said to be able to rival them was The Omi Alliance in Kansai.

But, his Jiji… he wasn't a criminal. He wasn't yakuza. He wasn't a criminal. He wasn't a bad guy.

He took him out to the batting cages and taught him how to hit home runs.

He walked him home from school, whenever he was in town during the semester.

He gave him his stajun, which he wore every day during Winter and Fall.

He couldn't be a bad guy

He couldn't be a criminal.

He couldn't be yakuza.

HE'S NOT DEAD!

That's right, Goro-jiji wasn't dead.

He'd walk right through the door and say it was all a big mean prank.

They'd laugh and go to Fuji Soba and Karaokekan again.

Taijiji could come too, if he was back from wherever he disappeared to for the past two years.

And then, he and Kiryu-san could talk about Haruka-neechan's performance.

Drip!

He wasn't crying, there was nothing to cry about.

Everything was fine. He was fine. His eyes just hurt because he'd been up to long.

He hadn't been telling himself the same few lies every day.

That'd be silly.

And with that, Izuku layed back on his bed, his tray of Katsudon and Miso untouched on his desk.

Two Days Later…

Ding Dong!

They had a visitor.

Even from his place under covers, Izuku understood that much of the situation.

It wasn't a package, his mom didn't close the door soon enough for that.

Wasn't a repairman, he didn't hear boots when the outsider walked in.

No, he heard heels clacking as they walked through the doorway.

It wasn't long before he heard two voices in the living room.

Both female. One, his mom. The other, he didn't know.

Couldn't be Aunt Mitsuki. She was out of town.

Not Mei-chan, she wouldn't wear heels.

So who was in their house?

Especially at… 10 at night?

I should go see.

And so, for the first time in over a week, Izuku opened his door and walked out of his bedroom.

"This is a really nice place you have here, Ko-chan."

"Thank you."

"Could I offer you a smoke? You likedHuffy,right? I've just opened a new pack an-"

"I actually quit a long time ago, so no thanks."

"Oh…"

"..."

"So, is Hisashi-kun still overseas, or-?"

"What are you doing here, Mirei?"

"Oh, I was in the area and thought I'd drop in."

"Again, with less of the crap this time."

"...Heh, you've always been sharp."

"And you've always been bad at keeping secrets. Why are you here?"

"Talking to you, of course."

"Park, stop playing games and tell me why you're in my apartment, trying to reconnect with me like a deadbeat parent."

"I just… wanted to see how you were holding up after the news."

"I'm doing fine."

"That luggage under your eyes says otherwise."

"That's because of-"

"Mom?"

"Izuku! I didn't hear you come in."

Izuku didn't respond right away, instead turning towards the newcomer in the room and drinking in what he saw.

The woman was fair-skinned, pretty too. Her hair was short and dark, parted to the side. It was stylish and functional, from what little he knew about hair styling and function.

Looking closer at her face, he noticed that she didn't look that much older than his mom. A little more tired though.

Her clothes were fancy, but the only things of note were a simple brooch with a cracked green jewel and a brace on her right wrist.

She looked familiar, he couldn't remember from where, though,

Turning to his mom, Izuku asked, "Who's this?"

Taken aback slightly by her son's question(and presence, considering the circ*mstances) Inko hesitated slightly when answering his question, "O-oh, um this is Mirei Park, an old friend of mine."

Turning to Mirei, Inko said, "Mirei, this is Izuku. My son."

Mirei's eyes widened slightly in surprise, but not enough to notice if you weren't looking for it.

And as quickly as her surprise had appeared, it was gone.

But Izuku noticed, and he was intrigued.

Mirei turned to Izuku and said, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Izuku-kun."

Izuku nodded and bowed slightly, not a word from between his lips.

A beat of silence, tension thick enough to cut with a knife.

And it all passed when Izuku turned around… and walked back to his room.

This left two remaining adults staring at the spot where he had just left.

When they heard theclick!of a door closing and locking, only then did the two women look at each other to resume their conversation.

"Inko, I-"

"We'll talk about it in the morning."

"Inko, I-we need to talk about this-"

"In the morning. I just- I can't deal with this now, so in the morning, please."

Mirei, who clearly hadn't expected the conversation to end so abruptly, sighed and nodded.

Inko lifted herself out of her seat and said, "You can stay here tonight, if you want. Guest room's right next to Izuku's. Just look for the door with the All Might sign on it."

"Thank you, Inko."

"You're welcome… Mi-chan."

Later that night…

Izuku awoke to the sound of shifting in the room next to his.

It was followed by the sound of a door opening and closing softly.

It wasn't his mom, her room was down the hall and her door was always open.

Maybe that Mirei lady stayed the night?

But it was only four in the morning. Where was she going?

Bathroom? No, the door didn't open, he would've heard it.

Her footsteps were quiet, but he was straining his ears to hear them easily enough.

They sounded like they were headed for… thegenkan?

Mirei slipped her heels onto her feet, slung her purse onto her shoulder, and quietly slinked out the door.

Several blocks away, she called a cab, told the dispatcher where she was, and stood on a curb while she waited for it to arrive.

She needed to get back to Dyna Chair. She had work to do.

Horie was likely holding the fort, just fine, and Haruka was most likely learning a lot from Christina, but she needed to be there and not in Inko Midoriya's guest room.

She couldn't stay there. She was so bold around her employees. So cold to the world.

But against Inko, all of that seemed to fall apart.

It only makes sense, he had the same effect and they've always gotten along well.

The thought made her smile wryly.

She wanted to talk to Inko about him, the letter she got from him, the one sitting right in her purse, but she wouldn't know how to bring it up.

She tried breaking the ice, complimenting her old friend's (admittedly) nice apartment.

Offering the cigarettes that they had both loved when they were younger.

Inko saw straight through her.

And then her son… that cute curly-haired child of her's.

It was too much.

Mirei acted like she had moved on from the past, but even then, seeing that child reminded her of all that she had given up.

Everything that deprived herself of in pursuit of a dream that fell apart anyway.

Too late to go back now, I made my choice.

Snap!

Mirei whipped around instinctively at the sound of a twig snapping behind her, pepper spray in hand.

It wouldn't do much against most villains, but seeing as she wasn't dead already, it would give her a chance to run somewhere.

It was also… completely pointless, because as she looked down, she saw a head of curly green hair atop a small figure wearing a green stajun and pajama bottoms.

"Oh, Izuku-kun" She put her arm down and slipped the canister of pepper spray back up her sleeve, "What are you doing out here?"

"Following you."

Kids just say the darndest things.

Shrugging that off like it wasn't one the creepiest things she had heard in years, Mirei responded, "Ah. Well, you should get back inside now. You shouldn't be out this late."

"Neither should you."

Wow, can't beat that logic, can I?

"Why areyouout here, Park-san?"

"I... just needed to get some air."

"Is it easier to get air in a taxi? I've never been in one, so I wouldn't know."

So he heard that. He's a sneaky one.

"Alright, Izuku-kun, you caught me. I'm going back to Osaka."

"...Why?"

"Why?"

"You had something you wanted to talk about with my mom, right? Why are you leaving before you can do that?"

He heard that too?

"It's a complicated issue, to say the least."

"Seems pretty simple to me."

"Hm?"

"You're scared."

"...I beg your pardon?"

"You're scared and running away."

"And what do I have to be scared of?"

"I dunno. I just met you. What doyouthink you have to be scared of?"

That stalled Mirei for a second.

Whatdidshe have to be afraid of?

She was just here to talk to Inko. Inko was her friend.

'Was'.

Maybe that's what she was so afraid of.

That the friendship she had with Inko was another thing of the past.

Another thing she left behind.

And the proof of it was the child standing right in front of her.

If Haruka was the daughter she'd never had, then Izuku was the son she could never have.

The perfect blend of his mother and father. with just a little bit of a certain someone mixed in.

She wanted that. But because of a mistake that she made years ago, she could never have that.

And she had absolutely no one to blame, but herself.

She could feel herself tremble ever so slightly, but she wouldn't cry.

She had run out of tears to cry, years ago.

She wouldn't cry.

She couldn't cry.

She-

The thoughts all came to a screeching halt when Mirei felt arms wrapping around her waist and a small, warm figure pressing against her in the cold night.

And the next words she heard, "It's okay to be scared, it's okay to run. I do that too. But what's important is that we know that we can't be scared forever. RIght, Mirei-baba?"

And Mirei was incredibly confused.

"Mirei… Baba?"

She felt Izuku nod, "You were married to Jiji, right? I saw a picture of you two. Someone else was in it, but you two looked close."

She could only remember one picture like that, and that was taken years ago.

Where could a ten-year-old have found it?

When she asked, she was given the answer, "It fell out of Jiji's wallet when we went to Fuji Soba, once. I asked who it was, and he said it was a really 'special girl'. I asked my mom what 'special girl' meant, and she told me it meant wife."

So, he kept it.

The thought made her smile while she reached down to hug and grip Izuku back gently, with her good hand.

And as she heard a car coming around the corner, turning her head and confirming that it was a taxi, she said to Izuku, "Thank you, Izuku."

The young boy said, "No problem, Baba. Can you tell Jiji that I said, 'Hi' if you see him?"

And she didn't have the heart to tell him 'no'.

When the taxi pulled up to the pair's spot near the curb and she got in, Mirei could only think one thing.

Maybe I'll bring Izuku to Haruka's debut. I think he might like that. Inko too. Hell, I might as well bring them both.

After Izuku saw off his aunt, he decided to go back to his room and wait for his Jiji again.

He turned around and began walking back home.

He made it a block before being stopped by a man who stood in his path.

He was tall. He wore a sharp black suit with black pinstripes, with a shiny pin on the lapel, and fancy steel-tipped dress shoes, not too unlike his uncle's boots.

He had long dark hair that covered one of his and spattering of freckles on both of his cheeks.

The strangest thing about the man though was the vicious grin he wore on his face.

It made Izuku feel tense, he didn't like it.

"Hello there. You're Izuku Midoriya, correct?"

"Who are you?"

"That's not something you should worry about. Now, my question."

"Answer mine first. And tell me what you want."

The man sighed, "Fine. People call me 'Yamikumo', but you, dear Midoriya-chan can call me Mikumo Akatani. Seeing as we'll be spending a lot of time together for the foreseeable future."

Izuku's fist clenched. "And whaddya mean by that?"

"What I mean, dear boy, you'll be coming with me. But, by all means, do resist. I'd love to see how a boy trained by the 'Mad Dog of Shimano' fares in a fight."

I see, he's picking a fight.

After a week of no action, Izuku was ready for a scrap. And if this weirdo Akatani was willing to give him one, who was he to refuse?

So he got low and settled into his fighting stance, while Akatani grinned and started walking towards him.

"Looks like the pup's got some bite. Let's see if it's enough."

And the fight was on.

Chapter 14: The Game Begins

Chapter Text

Strange Man

Akatani didn't waste time, quickly closing the distance between himself and Izuku.

This startled the boy, who lashed out with a quick punch, that was swiftly evaded.

"Sloppy, Midoriya-chan."

"Shut up."

He attempted to make some distance, jumping away from the man, but that idea was shot when Akatani reached forward and grabbed the boy by the collar of his jacket, dragging him closer and lifting him.

He smiled before saying, " Strike one" and tossing the boy into the wall to the side of him.

SLAM!

Izuku's back hit the brick wall so hard that he bounced off of it slightly, with the air knocked out completely out of his lungs.

When he hit the ground, he didn't even have time to breathe.

Instead, he was forced to roll to the side in order to avoid the axe kick that cracked the pavement where his head was.

Holy crap!

"Hahaha! Strike two, Midoriya-chan! Start doing better!"

This guy's really... annoying.

"What do you want from me?"

Woosh!

He had to duck incredibly quickly to avoid the round that sliced through the air above his head.

He hadn't felt danger like this before.

The man was skilled, quick. Nothing like the thugs he'd been fighting before.

No, this man reminded him of Kiryu-san or his uncle.

He couldn't even take time to think, he was running fully on instinct.

He could feel the Heat in his body rising with every strike he dodged, but it wasn't enough.

Maybe I could tire him out? No, this guy's definitely got more skill than Chinpoko-chan and the others.

Woosh!

Could I distract him? With what?

He dodged a punch coming towards his face.

Craaack!

It hit the wall behind him, smashing the area that it hit and spreading spider web cracks all around it.

My god…

"C'mon, Midoriya-chan. Considering who trained you, I expected a better fight than this."

What?

"I definitely expected a better fight… after all, I'm the one who shot Goro Majima."

He... what?

"You… shot Jiji?"

Akatani grinned, "That's right. I'm the man... who shot your uncle."

He raised his hands in a mocking shrug.

"Now, what are you going to do about it?"

Izuku saw red.

This man shot his uncle.

He's the one who shot Jiji.

Thismonsterwas going to pay.

In a rage, a crimson haze flooding his sight, Izuku charged straight at the man, poised and coiled for an attack.

Eyes straight ahead he co*cked his fist back and punched forward.

Akatani dodged to the side.

"Unf-!"

And was hit by the spinning elbow that lodged itself into his side immediately after.

If he was put off by that, he didn't show it.

No, instead, the grin on his face got wider.

Nastier.

"Nowthat'sthe spirit! Show me more, Midoriya-chan!"

With that smile and those words, there seemed to be a wave of… foulness that permeated the air.

He took a step away and reached for the boy's neck slowly.

And Izuku... couldn't move. His body was trembling all over. He shook like a thin branch in the gusts of a harsh storm.

Is this his quirk?

He'd never felt like this before.

He'd been afraid before, but that fear wasn't like this.

No, this fear…

It was the fear of death.

I- I don't wanna die. Kiryu-san, Jiji, Mom, Dad, help… please.

Izuku couldn't even scream out for help, all he could do was tremble and stare as the man's gloved hands reached closer and closer, until…

BZZZZTTT!

Hands mere centimeters from Izuku's throat, Akatani rolled his eyes and pulled away.

Reaching into his pocket and pulling out a phone, he said to Izuku, "Just a second, Midoriya-chan. I have to take this."

Izuku couldn't respond even if he wanted to.

Akatani flipped his phone open, greeting the person on the other side, "Moshi Moshi.What's that? You're already done?Kuso…I was just starting to have some fun. Fine, I'll be right around. Hm?" He turned his eyes to Izuku, who still stood frozen in fear, and a conspiratorial smile curled upon his face while he lifted his finger in a shushing gesture, "No. I haven't caught the kid. Apparently, some of our intel was off. Yeah, I ran into a little punk. I took care of him, but he's not quite who we're looking for."

What?

"Are you doubting me? Oh, you're not? Sure as hell sounds like you are. Listen, be in the damn car and ready to go when I get there. Otherwise, we'll have a little more than just words on our hands. Bye."

Click!

Huffing and turning to Izuku with an exasperated grin, Akatani said, "Lackeys these days, am I right?"

"..."

"Okay, Midoriya-chan, so here's the deal. I was supposed to have you come with me and we were going to take a little trip. That was the plan. I'm changing that plan, because I was having such a great time before we were interrupted. So, we're gonna play a little game now. Yay!"

He gave a little clap with his cheer.

"Here's how the game's going to work.I"he pointed to himself here, "am going to take something of yours.With me so far?"

"..."

"Good. Soyouare going to find me. Do it quick enough, we'll have a rematch, and you'll get it back no problem. Well… that's under the assumption that you find it quick enough. Now, the game starts as soon as I leave, can't have you seeing my hiding place, after all. But don't worry, before I go, I'll give you a hint. Listen closely now. A-hem,Meet me at the place where the shogun rests under Hollyhock and Tamaryu."

Shogun? Hollyhock? Tamaryu? What does any of that have to do with anything?

Akatani got up and began to walk away, "So, you've got your clue and your time limit's two days. I'll be taking my leave. Make sure to count to a hundred before you come looking for me.Ja ne, Midoriya-chan."

He turned a corner and he was gone.

And as soon he was, Izuku fell to the ground, gasping for breath.

He wanted to puke.

He wanted to cry.

To cry and puke.

He'd never fought someone with a quirk before.

He hadn't felt helpless in years.

He'd certainly never felt helplessness like that. Kacchan had never been terrifying like that.

He didn't know how long he stayed like that. Only that he needed to get moving.

"Urk-!"

He forced down bile while pulling himself to his feet.

Home. Mom.

He had to get home.

Had to tell his mom about that man.

Had to go somewhere where things made sense again.

With his destination and thoughts all bouncing around in his mind, Izuku began to stumble back home.

Minutes later…

Izuku stopped in front of his apartment building.

There were police cars with red, flashing lights outside. People looking and trying to see what was going on, while being shooed away by the officers on the scene.

Izuku ignored them. He ignored the sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach as well.

He walked forward, past the officers and onlookers and towards the stairs.

As he began to walk up, one of the officers on the scene noticed the young boy and moved to stop him, rushing forward and reaching out to grab him.

"Hey, stop right there!"

Woosh!

When he pulled back, he was surprised to find no one there and the boy already halfway up the stairs.

Izuku just kept moving along.

Up the stairs.

Past Tsukauchi-san's apartment.

Past Dojima-san's.

And right to his.

There stood several police officers and men in suits. One of them was one he recognized.

It was Tsukauchi-san.

He was talking with the other men in suits and it seemed pretty grim.

But why are they here?

More importantly to him…

Where's mom?

He walked in through the door and looked around.

The place was a mess.

Things thrown around, broken, and…

Is that blood?

In several different places Izuku could see it.

Crimson red sanguine, dripping from the counter.

On the wall, falling from a knife embedded in it.

Pooled on the ground, with strands of… long, green hair…

Oh my god…

Izuku could feel the bile creeping up again, he covered his mouth.

He felt someone pulling him back. He let them.

His vision was swimming.

His ears were ringing.

He wasn't in the apartment anymore.

Tsukauchi-san was in front of him.

He was saying something, but Izuku couldn't hear what it was over the ringing.

He opened his mouth, likely to ask him it was he said.

All that came out was vomit.

And then...

Darkness.

Chapter 15: Invitation and Venue

Chapter Text

Musutafu Police Station

"Whether going ahead or staying behind, it is all the same; I am unable to take you with me, so it seems that this is where we must part."

-Lord Tokugawa's Death Poem

Okay that's nice, but where were you buried, Shogun-sama? And what does it have to do with Hollyhock and Tamaryu? I have only five hours left.

Izuku flipped through his biography on Tokugawa Ieyasu.

It was lucky that he had been reading up on the man before the trip he and his mom were supposed to take.

It was luckier still that he managed to get Tsukauchi-san to pilfer it from his room, along with a change of clothes.

The man was a detective now and, until they could get a hold of someone to take care of him, his guardian.

That was fine with him. The detective had managed to get the boy set up in an old interrogation that wasn't being used anymore and was bringing him food as well.

Speaking of food and Tsukauchi-san…

Creeeak!

"Midoriya-kun, I've brought you some lunch. It's… not much, but it's better than nothing."

Slam!

Izuku heard the sounds of the man coming closer setting something down on the table in front of him.

He didn't have to look away from his reading to know that the man had gone to Smile Burger.

He'd recognize the scent of a Small Might Meal anywhere.

Uttering a quiet 'Thanks' and pulling a burger from the bag, Izuku dogeared the page he was reading before closing the book and asking Tsukauchi a question that he'd been asking for a day and a half.

"Have you found her yet?"

Tsukauchi sat across from the boy and set the small stack of files that he'd been holding down on the table before answering, "Not yet. We've identified a few people from eyewitness reports and have warrants for their arrest. If anyone sees them, we'll know immediately."

"What about Akatani? Whoishe?"

Tsukauchi pulled what looked to be the thickest file that he had from the stack and slid it across the table to Izuku, who opened it up and began to skim the first page.

"Mikumo Akatani, age 23. Patriarch of the Yamikumo Clan, a subsidiary of the Omi Alliance. Apparently they're made up of old members of another family called the Go-Ryu Clan, but that's hardly important now. Whatisimportant, is that he shouldn't even be here in Musutafu."

"He said… he was here for me."

"Yes, you told us that, but we don't know why, exactly."

"Are there any heroes on the lookout?"

Tsukauchi looked at him, eyes awash with pity.

"Ah, well. We're trying, and we 've gotten a few locals on the line. A lot of the heroes wanted to help, but they're also incredibly busy."

Izuku watched the man's eyes flash silver at the final statement.

His stomach turned.

Is that really how things were?

Musutafu wasn't all that dangerous.

A villain would attack here and there, but overall, it was mostly quirkless crime on the streets.

U.A. was literally right up the hill. A short train ride or a taxi away.

But this is how it goes. Not all men are created equal and those that are lesser get thrown away.

He'd learned that at age 4, but he'd never been truly able to apply it until that point.

The point where it all sat right in his face.

After the news that his uncle was shot, Izuku sat by the radio for hours upon hours.

He waited for something more.

More news on what happened.

He flipped from station to station just waiting.

But just like his uncle, no news came.

The world just moved on.

No heroes on the case.

Didn't seem like the police cared, not really.

It was just a quick broadcast and then… nothing.

And so, he waited. Waited for an uncle who was never going to come.

Not all men are created equal and those that are lesser need to work twice as hard as the norm.

So he would.

He wrapped the half-eaten burger in his hand, and put it down on the table before picking his book back up and opening it to the page that he had dogeared. He never noticed the worried look on Tsukauchi's face.

"350 years after the Shogun's death, a flower bed in the shape of his crest was made using Tamaryu and white and brown gravel at his castle in Sunpou (See image at bottom of page). It is a common misconception that this is where the Shogun was buried when, in fact, his resting place is-"

Izuku skipped the rest of the text, gaze shooting straight towards the bottom of the page.

Bed of Tamaryu and… the Shogun's crest, the Hollyhock.

"Meet me at the place where the Shogun rests under Hollyhock and Tamryu."

That's not where he was buried, but people think it is, so that where he 'rests'.

So that means-

Tearing that page out of the book and closing it, Izuku slid his chair back and stood up.

"Tsukauchi-san, I need to go to the bathroom."

The detective looked up from a file that he'd been skimming.

"Oh, sure. It's just down the hall. Just give me a sec, I'll take yo-"

"No!"

Tsukauchi jumped slightly at the boy's rise in volume.

Izuku composed himself and quickly explained himself, saying, "I'd rather go alone. I can find it myself."

At that, he turned and walked towards the door.

He muttered a soft 'Thank you' before opening it and heading off down the hall.

Never noticing the perturbed frown on Tsukauchi's face.

The bathroom was just at the end of the hall and, in it, a window in the corner-most stall.

That was good. At the very least, he wouldn't have to try his chances walking out the front door.

Okay, up and out, right?

Walking to the stall and closing the door, Izuku looked up towards the window.

Yep, up and out.

A quick climb atop the toilet and then a hop and Izuku was on the window sill.

He pushed the window open and was quickly greeted with the sight of iron bars.

Of course.

He could feel frustration and panic building. He needed to get out. He needed to get out soon. If he didn't Tsukauchi was going to come looking.

He grabbed onto two of the bars and started shaking them.

C'mon, come loose.

When he felt that that wasn't working, he shook harder. He could feel the Heat in his body building.

C'mon. C'mon. COME LOOSE, DAMMIT!

And a moment later, he was still holding the bars.

But they no longer connected to wall.

And the bits of the wall that they had been connected to were slowly crumbling onto the asphalt below.

He dropped the bars and clambered out the window after them, falling to the ground with a softthud!in a crouch.

Okay. First, home. Then I'm coming, mom.

Sneaking in and out of the apartment was easy enough.

He was only there for two things and they were both in his room.

Now he just needed to hop on a train, closest station was Tatooin, and make his way to-

"Hey, brat!"

Dammit, not now.

He started walking faster.

"Don't ignore me, ya little prick!"

And faster still.

He heard a frustrated growl and three sets of hurried footsteps behind him.

Woosh!

He quickly ducked under the fist that came flying at the back of his head.

He knew exactly who it belonged to and felt no remorse when he swung around and lodged his fist into their stomach.

Kōgan-chan fell with a pained groan and the wind knocked out of him.

He stared down Oshiri-chan and Chinpoko-chan, who stopped in their tracks.

Oshiri-chan looked towards his leader, who looked back at him, before he came charging at Izuku with a fury in his eyes.

Chinpoko-chan stayed rooted to his spot.

When Oshiri-chan got close, he threw a punch which Izuku moved to avoid-

Thwack!

Before catching a kick to his side and flying off to the side.

A feint?

Thud!

He hit his head after he fell. Blood filled half of his vision as it spilled from his split crown.

"I-I got him…"

Oshiri-chan couldn't seem to believe his eyes.

While he was seemingly stunned, Izuku picked himself and rushed at him with unbelievable speed.

Crack!

It took a moment for Oshiri-chan to realize that his nose was broken as it began to bleed, and he fell back, too shocked to scream or even groan.

Izuku turned to Chinpoko-chan, who seemed rooted to the spot that he had been standing in that entire, and advanced.

Chinpoko-chan looked like he wanted to run or scream or do anything that would get the boy away from him.

But he couldn't do anything but stare.

Good. Then listen close. I'll only say this once.

He leaned in really close and whispered in the man's ear, before he got up...

And walked away.

Leaving three men, one groaning on his back, another bleeding on his ass, and the last wide-eyed with a dark stain at the front of his pants.

On his way to Tatooin Station, Izuku was stopped once more.

This time by another familiar face.

"Hello, Midoriya-kun."

Crap.

"Tsukauchi-san. What are you doing here?"

"That's my line. I was worried when you didn't come back from the bathroom, so I went to check on you. Imagine my shock when I saw the window open and the bars taken off of it."

"Tsukauchi-san please list-"

"No, Midoriya-kun, you listen to me. I know you're worried about mom. And I know you're frustrated-"

"Tsukauchi-san-"

Tsukauchi raised a hand and Izuku stopped talking.

"But, you should have told me."

What?

"Midoriya-kun, you're a good kid. A really good kid. You help just anybody who asks, and you almost never ask anything in return. And your mother's always been good to me. If you would've asked, I would've helped. Why do you think I set you up in that interrogation room? I wouldn't pull those strings for just anybody, you know. So please, Midoriya-kun. Talk to me. I want to help."

Izuku looked the man in the eyes and saw them flash gold.

He nodded and pulled the page from the book out of his pocket, showing it to the man.

"Alright, so I think I found where they went. Akatani said something about meeting him at the place where the Shogun rested under Hollyhock and Tamaryu. I kept thinking it was the place where he was buried, but that's not it. It's the place where people think he's buried. With his crest, the Hollyhock, made out of Tamaryu."

Tsukauchi's eyes widened.

"So that means..."

Izuku nodded, his gaze steely, "That's right, Akatani took my mother to Ieyasu Tokugawa's castle. And I'll be going to get her back."

"You mean-"

"That's right. I'm going to Shizuoka. And I want you to come with me, Tsukauchi-san."

Chapter 16: Penalty

Chapter Text

Tap!

"I'm sorry that I couldn't do more about that cut, Midoriya-kun."

"Don't worry about it, it's not bleeding anymore, so it's fine."

Tap! Tap!

Izuku ran his fingers along the gauze on his forehead.

Before they got on the road to get to Shizuoka, Tsukauchi was adamant that Izuku at least let him clean and bandage the cut he had gotten from his earlier scuffle.

Izuku felt fine and wanted to get going immediately, but the detective wouldn't budge.

It didn't take long for him to cave.

It took even less time for Tsukauchi to get the boy mended and on the road.

And there they were, an hour away from Shizuoka.

An hour away from mom.

It would be great news if they weren't stuck in traffic with Tsukuchi incessantly tapping his finger on the steering wheel. They had just over two hours left.

Tap! Tap! Tap!

It would've been faster by train.

We should've gone by train.

Why didn't we go by train?

"Midoriya-kun."

Tsukauchi snapped him out of his thoughts.

"Yeah?"

"Why'd you go back to your apartment?"

"Hm?"

"You knew where you had to go, and I know for a fact that you knew how to get there from the precinct. So why'd you head back to your apartment? You know, the active crime scene."

Didn't feel all that active.

It was almost embarrassingly easy for him to slip in and out. The few cops on the scene didn't notice a thing.

Okay, that's a lie, he did end up getting grabbed by an officer who happened to notice him on his way out.

He elbowed the guy in the nads and ran, before the word could get out.

It would probably be a bad idea to mention that to Tsukauchi-san though.

"I had to go grab a couple of things before I took off."

"And those things were...?" He started to tap his finger even more quickly on the steering wheel.

Tap! Tap! Tap! Tap!

Izuku sighed, opening his stajun and pulling two items out of the inner pocket.

Seeing that it would be a while before the congested traffic on the highway began to flow again, Tsukauchi stopped tapping on the steering wheel to see what Izuku had pulled out.

"Okay, an amulet and an old lighter. What do you need those for, exactly?"

Pocketing the items once more and buttoning his stajun again, Izuku scratched the back of his head and said, "Well, I don't exactly need them. Something just didn't feel right about leaving them behind. Some really important people gave them to me. I feel safer having them than not."

At the end of his explanation he patted the pocket where he put the amulet and lighter, smiling softly as he did it.

Tsukauchi didn't broach the subject any further, simply nodding and turning back to the still congested traffic ahead.

"Ne, Tsukauchi-san?" Tsukauchi turned his gaze towards Izuku to see the boy fidgeting slightly.

"Something wrong? If it's the bathroom, I'm afraid you'll have to hold it." He gestured to the road ahead.

"N-no, I just wanna ask if I could take another look at that file on Akatani?"

"Oh yeah, sure."

It was lucky that he had the presence of mind to throw the Yamikumo Clan files in the backseat of the car before he went to cut off Izuku at the station.

He handed the thick file to Izuku, receiving a thanks from him, before turning back towards the road.

The still heavily congested road.

Tap!Tap!Tap!Tap!Tap!Tap!Tap!Tap!Tap!Tap!Tap!

"What the hell is this traffic? Is there a thirty car pile-up down there or something?"

Izuku ignored his neighbor's grooming frustration in favor of reading the file in his hands.

"Mikumo "Yamikumo" Akatani, Age 23. Patriarch of The Omi Alliance's Yamikumo Clan. Indicted for several different charges of assault, fraud, public intoxication, kidnapping, obstruction of justice, and…"

"Murder." Izuku felt his blood run cold.

Tsukauchi quickly moved to reassure the boy, "Don't worry Midoriya-kun. I'm sure she's fine. The boys at the lab indicated that none of the blood on the scene was her's. And her fingerprints were the only set on that knife."

"Thanks, Tsukauchi-san." He began to read again.

"All charges but the assault charge were dropped."

He was only ten, but his mom had kept up with enough court cases for him to understand that getting even one of those charges dropped was a big deal.

Who was his lawyer, Ryūchi Naruhodo?

All that aside, there was something he needed to know.

He flipped one page, skimmed that and repeated the process when he saw that it wasn't what he was he was looking for. He continued on with this for about ten more pages, but he still couldn't find what he was looking for.

Where's his…?

"Ne, Tsukauchi-san?"

"Yes, Midoriya-kun?"

Tap!Tap!Tap!Tap!Tap!Tap!Tap!Tap!Tap!Tap!Tap!Tap!Tap!Tap!Tap!Tap!Tap!Tap!Tap!Tap!Tap!

Izuku could swear that the detective's finger was starting to smoke at the speed that he was tapping it against the steering wheel.

"I can't find his Quirk Registration Form. Did the record guys forget it?"

"Quirk Registration Fo…?" His voice tapered off as he seemed to understand the question he was asked.

"Midoriya-kun, maybe you should check the first page again. Really take a look at the bottom of it."

The bottom?

Flipping back to the first page of the file, Izuku's gaze shot to the bottom.

There, he saw a box with words "Noted Proficiencies And Behaviors" typed just above it.

It read, "Akatani shows lack of empathy for most human beings, often mocking and belittling those that he assaults. Though, as shown from his disposition during his detainment and succeeding trial, he is a well-spoken individual, capable of taking control of a situation with a few well placed words and a smile. Physically, he has been shown to be adept in hand-to-hand combat, skilled enough to defeat a well known vigilante while being quirkless."

Izuku didn't even feel the need to read anything after that.

Quirkless. He's quirkless? But, there's no way he's quirkless. No way at all.

And as he came to grips with the thought of someone so monstrous being quirkless, traffic began to move again.

They had an hour and thirty minutes before the day was over.

Shizuoka Chou Police Station

"Why are we here?"

"Because we're out of my jurisdiction and The Yamikumo Clan is a few hundred men strong."

"We're wasting time. We only have thirty minutes left and we're here, we need to-!"

"We need some backup before walking into what I'm almost sure is a trap."

"But-"

"Midoriya-kun, you're ten. Admittedly it would be shocking that you made it this far without someone with you, but I'd imagine that a nutcase like Akatani would jump at the chance for some easy pickings, and if I lost you and your mother on my watch…"

"Tsukauchi-san…"

"Please, just trust m-"

VVVRRR! VVVRRR!

The sound came from Izuku's pocket.

VVVRRR!

Izuku pulled his phone out of his pocket, looking at the caller ID as he did, and his eyes widened.

He showed it to Tsukauchi and his eyes widened as well.

Because on the little LED display, it read, "Mom."

Tsukauchi quickly got control of the situation, "Answer it."

"What?"

"Answer it, I'm going inside to grab an officer."

"Why can't I come inside with you?"

"Because if that's who I think it is, we won't wanna make it obvious that we're at a police station."

Izuku didn't question the man any further, simply flipping the phone and pressing the answer button.

"Moshi Moshi."

"Midoriya-chan! How are you doing?"

"Akatani."

"Aw, so cold. I figured I'd give you a call. Time's just about up, after all."

"You got your facts wrong. The shogun wasn't laid to rest under Hollyhock and Tamaryu."

"Bah! You understood my meaning at least. The spirit of the shogun lies here at least. So, I assume you've made it into Shizuoka okay?"

"..."

"Glad to hear it! For that much, you deserve a reward. So, if you'll just wait a moment, I have someone here who'd very much like to speak to you. Someone who I'd imagine that you very much want to speak to, as well."

There was a bit of noise from the other side of the line. Footsteps, a door opening, two voices speaking to each other, before it suddenly settled and there was a new voice speaking to him.

A far more familiar voice.

"Hello?"

"Mom!"

"Izuku. Izuku, is that you? Is that really you?"

"Mom, it's me. Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

"Where are you? Are you safe? Please tell me you're safe."

"I'm safe. I'm with Tsukauchi-san. He's inside, grabbing a police officer. We'll be there soon."

"What do you mean you'll be here so-"

She was quickly cut off, as the sound of the phone switching hands was heard.

"Midoriya-chan. I am shocked and hurt, right now."

"Put her back on."

"You know, I don't think I will."

"Give the phone back to my mother, Akatani!"

"I don't think you're in any position to be making demands of me, Midoriya."

The playful lilt to his tone had disappeared completely.

"This game was between you and I. The rules were clearly laid out before you and there no mention, I repeat,no mentionof you getting outside in this game."

"..." Even if he wanted to speak, he couldn't. The words kept getting caught in his throat

"So… it seems, I'll have to incur a penalty."

Izuku didn't like the sound of that.

Click!

He recognized that sound.

He'd heard it in his training with both his uncle and Kiryu.

He didn't like the fact that he was hearing it then.

"Midoriya-san, I'm sorry about this. But I'm afraid that you're son's broken the rules of our game, so I have to punish him. Please don't take this personally."

"What are you-"

Bang!

Izuku could feel his heart drop into his stomach.

No. This can't be happening.

"This is what happens when you don't follow the rules. A hero hopeful should know better."

Mom?

"I'm not so cruel as to leave you out in the cold without a consolation, so I'll say this. If you get here quick enough, you might be able to bring her body back with you. Feel free to bring your friends, I'll be bringing mine."

And the line went dead.

And Tsukauchi, with a local officer in tow, arrived back at the car to see Izuku holding the phone to his ear, tears streaming down his face, and a single word on his lips.

"Mom…"

Chapter 17: Maul

Chapter Text

"..."

"A hero hopeful should know better."

Bang!

"This is what happens when you don't follow the rules."

"Midoriya-kun."

"What are you-"

Bang!

"This is what happens-"

"follow the rules."

Bang!

Bang!

"don't-"

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

"follow the rules."

Bang!

"This is what happens-"

"Midoriya-kun!"

Izuku's head snapped up, looking into the worried eyes of Tsukauchi.

"I'm sorry, what were you saying?"

Tsukauchi hesitated for a moment, he opened his mouth to say something, before snapping it shut again.

He shook his head and cleared his throat before saying, "The police down here in Shizuoka are getting a team put together. Luckily, your phone had been auto-recording your conversation with Akatani. That was more than evidence to move on him."

Bang!

Izuku twitched.

"We also have a few local heroes on their way. There's not a ton, since the crime rate is so low here in Shizuoka, but it's something. It should take a few hours or so before they're in position."

"A few hours?"

"Yeah, a few hours."

"Tsukauchi-san, we're less than ten minutes away from the bastard."

"The bastard and who-knows-how-many members of his family, Midoriya-kun."

"What if he gets away?"

"We won't let that happen."

"If it does?"

"It won't, trust me."

"Last time I did that, it got my mom killed."

Tsukauchi flinched slightly.

Izuku stared on.

"I'm sorry, Midoriya-kun."

"'Sorry' won't bring her back."

"And rushing straight into danger will?"

"..." Izuku's glare was smoldering. Tsukauchi's was steely.

The staredown was only broken by the sound of someone clearing their throat off to the side.

The pair turned their heads to see the officer that Tsukauchi had initially brought out to help.

"Excuse me, um, Tsukauchi-san?"

"Yes?"

"We need to see you inside the station for a moment. A few things came up with the… operation."

"Ah, I'll be right there."

He turned back to Izuku with a look that said, in no uncertain terms, "We'll continue this later."

"Tch..."

"what happens when-"

"don't"

"follow the rules."

"should know better."

"follow the rules."

"don't"

"What happens when you-"

"don't"

"follow"

"the"

"rules"

Bang!

Fine, I won't.

And so Izuku hopped out of the car and began to leave the lot.

He didn't get more than several steps before being stopped by a hand on his shoulder.

"Midoriya-kun."

"You won't stop me, Tsukauchi."

"Not planning to. Get in the car."

Izuku turned around and looked in the man's eyes, seeing a flash of gold.

He was back in the car in seconds.

"What made you change your mind?"

Tsukauchi took a moment to answer.

"I'm sorry."

"That doesn't answer my question."

"I- I bungled that situation. I don't know what I was thinking. I could've done- I should've done things differently."

"Tsukauchi-san…"

Izuku took a breath.

"Tsukauchi-san, what made you change your mind about waiting?"

The detective sighed.

"Midoriya-kun, if we were to wait, we'd be waiting forever."

"Huh?"

"According to the officers here, it's a bit of a delicate subject. Not only are there more Yamikumo Clan members than there are officers here, they're also holed up in Sunpu Castle, a place filled with civilians. What if they take hostages?"

"..." He hadn't thought of that.

"There's a lot of protocol that needs to be followed for an operation as big as that. And that's ignoring the fact that we wanna get heroes on the scene too. Paperwork, tactical planning, coordination with prefectural headquarters. It would take days, most likely. We don't have days. I'd go so far as to say that we don't even have hours. So, I figure that the easiest way to do this… No 'easiest' is a bit misleading. The quickest way to do this is just the two of us going in and fighting our way through."

"Won't they just shoot on sight?"

Tsukauchi shook his head.

"Not likely. Well, if it were just me, then definitely. But with you there, they'd probably keep their hands off of whatever guns they've got."

"What makes you say that?"

"Tell me, Midoriya-kun. What did Akatani say to you the night that he fought you?"

"That... I would be coming with him."

"Not that he wanted you dead or anything like that?"

"No, nothing like that."

"Then that's it."

"I'm not following."

"If he wanted you dead, he would've done it then and there. He wanted you for something. And I feel like this little 'game' of his might've been something off the cuff."

"Apparently some of our intel was off."

"Hm…"

"I was supposed to have you come with me and we were gonna take a little trip."

"You know, Tsukauchi-san…"

"But you can call me Mikumo Akatani. Seeing as we'll be spending a lot of time together for the foreseeable future."

"I think you might be right."

They turned another corner, Izuku hardly even noticed the time passing, before seeing their target.

Sunpu Castle.

They were there.

Izuku and Tsukachi stopped a ways down the street from the castle.

Well castle park would be more accurate. The place was an attraction for tourists and locals alike.

That was hardly important though.

Whatwasimportant was the group of men in black who stood near the Higashi Gomon, only parting for a black car to pass through and over the bridge.

Izuku stared through the windows, Akatani wasn't there.

Good.

"Midoriya-kun, are you ready?"

"Yeah."

"Alright, let's see if we can get in through one of the other entrances and surprise them."

"No, we go in straight through the Higashi."

"...I had a feeling you'd say that."

"I don't hear a 'no'."

"Would you listen if you did?"

"Probably not."

"Well, there you go. I'm trusting you, Midoriya-kun. Let's go get them."

Despite the situation, Izuku found the corner of his lips twitching upward.

"Yeah, let's."

Tsukauchi shrugged off his overcoat and suit jacket, leaving only his vest on and the two were off towards the gate.

As they walked, Tsukauchi rolled up the sleeves of his shirt, showing off a strong pair of forearms.

"We need to figure out where Akatani is."

"Well I figure those guys know."

"Why don't we ask, then?"

"Sure they'll answer?"

"Maybe if we ask really nicely."

"Alright. I'll follow your lead, Midoriya-kun."

They weren't far from the men in black when Izuku called out to them.

"I assume you're with Akatani?"

The men didn't say anything, not to the approaching pair at least. Instead, they whispered to each other and pointed, coming to an agreement about something, if their nods were any indication.

"I'll take that as a yes. Here another question for ya: Where is he?" The pair didn't stop their approach.

Tsukauchi spoke up, "If ya speak up now, we won't beat ya into a coma."

Nice bluff, Tsukauchi-san! Nice Kansai accent too.

The men at the gate clearly didn't appreciate his bluff… or accent, for that matter.

Several of them began to charge the duo, with the others hanging back.

"Don't kill the kid!"

"Let's do this, Tsukachi-san!"

"You've got it, Midoriya-kun!"

The pair charged right back across the two, meeting at the middle of the bridge.

Izuku found himself standing in front of one of them, one that wasn't much taller than he, and took the initiative.

He jumped up and…

Thud!

The guy was rattled after receiving a devastating hook to the chin.

Yamikumo Clan

Thud!

"Ahhh!"

Splash!

Off to the side, it seemed that Tsukauchi had handled two of the members that charged him with one lying on the bridge and the other splashing around in the moat.

That left one more, a heavyset one who he was grappling with. Grappling with and losing the grapple.

Let's give him a hand.

[!]Cooperative Heat Move: Essence of Foul Play

With a speed that he was only vaguely aware was unnatural without a quirk, Izuku was across the bridge and swinging from the heavyset man's neck.

"Tsukauchi-san!"

"Get the hell offa me, brat!"

He tried shaking Izuku off of him, but the boy just held on tighter.

"Get offa m-ack!"

Crack!

Izuku's knee ended up in the man's right rib cage, likely breaking something if the noise were any indicator.

Thwack! Crack!

And Tsukauchi drove his elbow into the man's nose, definitely breaking it.

"Thanks, Midoriya-kun!"

"Don't mention it." He turned towards the group at the gate, "Now, who's next?"

And the group charged.

Tsukauchi took a grounded stance with his arms in front of his face and torso.

Izuku just took his usual stance, left arm loose at his side, right arm crossed in front of him.

Izuku was vaguely aware of a few bystanders a ways away from them, gawking at the sight that they just had witnessed. But that didn't matter.

They were ready to rock.

Chapter 18: Smile

Chapter Text

Thud!

As the last thug fell, Izuku and Tsukauchi stepped through the gate.

"Okay, now we actually need to find Akatani."

"Well, I'm pretty sure he's in the tower."

"Tower?"

Izuku pointed up towards the tower on the other side of the castle.

"Huh, neat. How d'ya figure he's there?"

"He's a narcissistic asshole and that's probably the most important building in the park."

"Good detective work, and diction. Points off for the expletive, though."

"Let's go."

They made it several steps before being confronted by ten more Yamikumo members.

And the thunderous sound of score more behind them.

Izuku turned to Tsukauchi, "Split up and meet at the tower?"

"Split up and meet at the tower."

And they both proceeded to run in opposite directions.

"Don't get shot!"

"You either!"

And the two groups of Yamikumo members, split into 5 members each, took off after the two.

Izuku ran onto a path, his five pursuers hot on his heels.

Okay, that's the Higashi Gomon Square over there. I should-

"Over there! Get him!"

Go left!

He veered left and kept up the speed. All that time he spent running away from his uncle was really paying off that moment.

Okay, that's the Ninomaru bridge over there, I should be going past the Engraved Stones pretty soon.

It was darker out, but he could see the wall with the engravings in it with his discerning eye.

If I keep on the path I should end up right in front of the tower.

"Stop there, brat!"

Izuku took a hard right onto the path towards the Sunken Garden.

He could feel himself sink slightly, as he got further onto the wet and muddy ground.

He could hear the sound of footsteps behind him, rumbling like rolling thunder.

And in front…

"We've got ya now!"

Fine, if that's how ya wanna play it…

He skidded to a stop and looked around. There were over thirty of them. They stood at his flank, where they'd just been snapping at his heels, and in his path, walling off his way forward.

But the tower was so close too. Akatani was right there. He couldn't let him get away. He wouldn't.

There were only two words that he could think of to strengthen his resolve.

Two words that he had heard from his Jiji time and time again during most of the awful situations that he found himself in.

f*ck it.

He took his stance once more and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Whoever wants to die first, step right up!"

And they took that challenge.

One set upon him in an attempt to grab him.

An attempt that was swiftly evaded and countered with an even swifter punch to the gut.

He didn't have time to catch his breath, as two more tried their luck at restraining the boy. Launching themselves at him in an attempt to catch him off guard.

Izuku ran to meet them.

[!] Heat Move: Essence of Hurdling

He jumped up and kicked off the back of one of the pair, sending him to the ground hard, with his partner stumbling over him and falling as well.

And Izuku landed quickly with a roll, getting ready to get back up and keep fighting.

THWACK!

Before his head snapped up after taking a savage kick to the chin, which lifted him a foot off the ground.

He would've tried to recover, but before he could, a fist plowed into his cheek, snapping his head to the side.

And he flew.

No. It'd be more accurate to say that hecutthrough the air for several feet until he hit the ground hard, rolling a few times for good measure before he settled on his stomach near a mikan tree.

He could feel something seeping down his forehead.

Moments later, his eye stung and the left half of his vision filled with red. His cut must've opened up again.

His head was throbbing, and he felt warm and cold at the same time.

He could hear voices drifting in and out.

"W- -ould -et -im to the boss."

"-at c- looks -retty -ad."

"-ou -kay Suzuki? C'm- I- get ya a -rink."

No.

He looked up to see the tower again. It was so close.

Akatani was just so close.

His vision was starting to fade and blur and swim and mix.

The red half of his vision could see the past the tower, towards the moon. It was such a pretty shade of crimson.

It was almost comforting. The throbbing was clearing slightly.

He could feel himself drifting ever so softly away on a wave of nothingness.

Maybe it wouldn't so bad to just lie down for a littl-

"Izu-chan."

He snapped out of his thoughts quickly. He knew that voice.

"Izu."

He knew that one too. His eyes searched wildly for both, everything coming back into perfect clarity.

"Izu-chan." "Izu."

Where are you?

"Over here, Izu-chan!" "Look here, Izu!"

Where? WHERE?

He was starting to lose the clarity, his vision beginning to swim again.

Where are you?

He needed to find them, needed to see them.

Needed to-

His eyes stopped their frantic search as he stared straight ahead.

Mere meters away, he saw them.

Mere meters away, they stood smiling.

Mere meters away, Izuku could see his mom and Jiji.

His mom looked almost radiant in the moonlight. Her green locks, the same shade as his, swayed slightly as she breathed. She had an almost otherworldly glow to her.

His uncle. He stood there with the same wide smile that he always had when he saw him. He waved, his jacket shimmering with his own glow in the night.

He reached forward, gripping the ground in front of him, and pulled his body after.

He reached forward again with his other hand and repeated the process.

And he did it again.

And again.

And again.

He could feel the wet grass and mud sticking to his pants, but he didn't care.

He pulled again and again and again, until he was halfway there.

And then, they turned and pointed.

His eyes followed where they were pointing to only to find…

The tower.

And when he turned back to where his mother and uncle stood, they were gone.

"A hero hopeful should know better."

"- my number one hero!"

"Even greater than All Might!"

"-soon-to-be first quirkless hero."

"-little hero-"

"-saves everyone with a smile-"

Tower. Gotta get to the tower. Gotta get to Akatani.

Gotta-

He felt a hand reaching towards him.

"Where do ya think you're goin', bra-"Crack!"Ah!"

The Yamikumo grunt found his three of his fingers twisted the wrong way, gripped in the hand of the still prone child.

He attempted to wrench them free, "Lemme go- AHHH!"

Only to find himself in more pain as the grip around his dislocated fingers tightened.

"Hehehe."

The sound was strange.

"Hehehehehehe."

It was high pitched.

"Hehehehehehehahaha!"

It was coming from the boy on the ground as he shook.

He rose slowly, shoulders still shaking, taking time to plant his unoccupied hand on the ground below him.

He gave a slight push and rose to his knees, facing away from the men standing behind him.

From there, he took to one knee. He still shook with laughter.

He still held on tightly to the man's fingers, while the man in question was almost in tears.

He twisted further before letting go and the thug fell forward, cradling his now broken fingers.

Izuku stared at him for a moment, before turning away to look at the score of men behind him.

He stood tall in the pale moonlight, his green jacket, like most of his front, caked in mud.

He stared at them, one eye open, an emerald glinting amidst more mud and blood.

And one thing that they couldn't but notice was plastered across his muddy, bloodied face…

Was a big, bright smile.

Chapter 19: Game, Set, Match

Chapter Text

Izuku had a smile wide enough to split his face.

He could feel his skin crawling as the heat in his body rose.

He could see the Yamikumo members staring at him, eyes wide. So many of them towered over him before, but now, as he watched them start to tremble at the sight of him, he felt like a giant.

In the back of his mind Izuku, wondered if this was what Akatani felt that night that he kidnapped his mother.

Akatani. Need to get to Akatani.

He scanned the crowd of yakuza again before he let his eye(the one that he bled into was clenched shut) rest on one of the men directly in front of him. They all stood behind and seemed to defer to him, he was probably a lieutenant or something similar. He'd read about them while he was looking into his uncle's murder.

"Ne, Yamikumo-chan. I've got a question for ya."

The captain that he had singled out, snapped to attention, "W-what is it?"

"How many of you…" His bloody grin grew wider here and he could feel the skin crawling feeling only increase by second,"are willin' to die for yer boss?"

He could see a lot of their faces pale. That was good, he needed fear for this to work.

He took a step forward.

They took a step back.

He took another step forward.

They took another step back.

Let's make this work.

He stared them down again, letting the smile drop from his face.

He opened his mouth and spoke plainly, "Jyama de,Nikubukuro."

As firm a grip as he seemed to have on them before saying that line, it disappeared and the feeling of his skin crawling ceased as well.

They charged him altogether and he charged them right back.

He ran at the lieutenant, who led the group in their charge, and was struck by a flash of on-the-fly inspiration.

Only got one shot, let's make it work.

He continued his run and waited until he was just a few feet away from the leader of the pack before dropping into a sliding tackle and sliding through the legs of the pack leader.

He could feel it, the Heat was coursing through him at full force. He could do it.

[!]Climax Heat Move: Essence of Crowd Control

He popped up quickly, right in front of a yakuza that was still running.

Before he could react to the boy's sudden appearance in front of him, Izuku scrambled up the man's body and delivered a vicious headbutt to the bridge of his nose.

CRACK!

"AH! f*ck!"

He pulled back and did it again.

THWACK!

He quickly kicked off of the man, springing backwards and flying into the lieutenant, who was positioned in front of his first victim.

Arm hooked around the man's neck, he began to swing around, legs flying and striking anyone within reach.

Roku…

Thwack!

Ichi…

Whack!

After hitting a few more people, he used all of his momentum to bring down his human swingpost with a-

SLAM!

Kyu!

It's a good thing that he watched so much wrestling with Taichi, some of those American wrestlers were so acrobatic.

He had taken down half a dozen yakuza with that one move.

That had stopped all of the others advancing in their tracks.

He could feel it again. That feeling of his skin crawling, it came back in full force with a bit of extra kick.

And if he could feel it, he was sure that they could too.

He looked at them again, and there it was.

That hesitance in their eyes, hesitance that sat by just the tiniest bit of fear.

Good, I can't waste anymore time.

Planting one foot on the back of the yakuza that he just slammed, Izuku turned his attention to the remaining, but now stock-still yakuza in front of him.

When he spoke, he spoke clearly to all of them, "Yamikumo-gumi!"

He could see them tense.

"Look and listen closely! This guy's a lieutenant, ain't he?"

They all remained silent.

"AIN'T HE?"

They all jumped and nodded so quickly in affirmation that a battalion of bobbleheads would be jealous.

"So if I could do this tohimso quickly…" He grinned again and sweeped his gaze across the men as a number of them gulped audibly, "Just imagine what I could do toyou."

And that was the nail in the coffin.

The remaining kicked up dust as they ran, not even looking back to entertain the thought of retrieving their fallen comrades.

And with that, Izuku could advance to the tower.

It was a short walk to the tower from the Sunken Garden. However short it was, though, the feeling of his skin crawling, that foulness, wouldn't go away.

It dogged him with every step that he took.

The Heat had died down a little bit, as well. While it had been a roaring inferno mere moments before, it dimmed to something a little less than a candle light.

The tower was right there, just a few steps in front of him. Tsukauchi wasn't there, but he could hardly go and search around the entire park.

Akatani was so close. He was going to get to Akatani and end this.

Catch up, Tsukauchi-san. Please.

He walked to the doors of the tower and pushed.

CREEEAK!

And inside… there was nothing. No suits of armor or exhibits, not even a stone floor. There was nothing. Nothing but the echoing sound of his quarry's voice.

"My answer is no." He sounded serious, deathly so.

A beat of silence. Izuku began to encroach upon the area that he heard the voice from.

"Why? Because it's a ridiculous notion. I don't think you realize how intrinsic they are to the society we live in."

Another beat. He was close now. There was a wall with an empty doorway, the room on the other side was where Akatani's voice was coming from.

"Listen to me closely now. I've done a lot of sh*t in the past six years, none of it that I'm proud of, nothing that I'd ever let know if she were still around. But if you think you're gonna intimidate me into joining your little coup, you've got another thing coming,Kyoudai."

Kyoudai?

He hadn't heard that word before, he had to look it up later.

"Shove it, Chisaki."

Click!

Chisaki...

Why did he feel the faintest hint of dread when he heard that name?

"You can come out now, Midoriya-chan. I'd thank you for letting me finish my conversation if I didn't know you were eavesdropping for half of it."

The jig was up, so Izuku stepped through the doorway to face the murderous bastard himself.

And he looked… annoyed.

Mikumo Akatani, for all intents and purposes, looked pissed.

He leaned against the wall on the far side of the empty room.

His eyes were shut, his eyebrow twitching.

His mouth was turned down in a discontented frown.

His arms were crossed, with one gloved hand gripping his sleeve and clenching harshly on the expensive looking fabric.

All in a second, that all seemed to disappear. Akatani's grin returned to its vicious form upon his face, his posture straightened and his arms returned to his sides, hands in pockets, as pushed off of the wall that he was leaning against.

"You're not looking too good. Trip and fall on the way here?"

"One of your 'friends' knocked me down in the garden."

"Oh, my deepest apologies. Is there anything I could make up for that."

"You could just drop dead."

"Oh, so much venom. And here I thought we had something special." He turned, wiped away an invisible tear, and sobbed.

Izuku's fists clenched, "You murdered my mother."

Akatani ceased his faux crying and gave Izuku a condescending stare.

He put a hand back in his pocket before running a hand through his hair and asking, "Midoriya-chan, are you really still caught on that? It's more your fault for breaking the rules. I don't see how you're angry at anyone but yourself."

"I didn't break any rules, you bastard! You didn't say anything about bringing in the police."

"Hmph. You got me, then. You're right, Midoriya-chan. I was planning to shoot your mother the whole time. Do you wanna know why?"

"Tell me."

"To show you that youcan'tbe a hero."

Izuku saw red.

He charged Akatani, appearing across the room in seconds, arm in motion for a quick straight.

SMACK!

A quick straight that was quickly caught in Akatani's hand.

Mikumo Akatani

Patriarch of The Yamikumo Clan

"Not bad, but you're gonna have to try harder than that Midorya-chan."

He pushed back, and Izuku jumped back and took his stance.

Akatani reached for his shoulder and grabbed his suit jacket.

He took one good pull and his torso was completely bare, showing off an incredibly cut physique.

After that, he entered his fighting stance.

A simple, grounded stance that he could sense a fair amount of power in.

One fist by his chin, the other by his bicep, hips square with Izuku's.

"If you're feeling brave, come at me,Little Hero."

Izuku took that challenge.

Within seconds, he had Akatani in striking range again and was lashing out with an elbow.

SMACK!

Blocked again, this time by a knee and he ducked down and forward quickly to avoid the roundhouse kick that came his way just after.

Whoosh!

He dodged by a hair's breadth.

"Look at you. I guess handicapability runs in the family." He gestured with his left eye, the one that Izuku had clenched shut.

"Shut up and die, you scumbag."

He turned and kicked at the man, heel first.

THUD!

Only to find his leg firmly in the grasp of his opponent.

He came around with a kick from the other leg.

THUD!

That leg was caught as well.

Akatani grinned, "Up, up, and away-you-GO!"

Slam!

Draaag!

Izuku hit the ground hard and was soon dragged and thrown into the air.

Looking down, he could see Akatani winding up for a punch.

Izuku could feel a smirk coming on.

Gotcha!

[!]Improvised Heat Move: Essence of Hokorikumo

He clenched the dirt that he had grasped in his hand while he was dragged and waited until he began to fall.

Wait for it…

Akatani winded up a bit more.

Wait for it…

He watched Akatani's muscles tense in anticipation.

Wait…

He was close now, he could feel the Heat in his stomach. Akatani's fist was coming for him, straight towards his stomach.

Now!

He twisted his body and threw the dirt directly into Akatni's eyes.

"Ack! sh*t!"

"Eat this, asshole!"

And while still twisting his body, he used his legs in a spinning kick, catching Akatani across his jaw, sending him flying.

THWACK!

"Unff!"

Unfortunately for Izuku, he couldn't celebrate the strike he had just gotten on his opponent-

SLAM!

-as he hit the ground hard on his side.

"Agggh!"

He writhed for a few moments.

Can't stop here, Akatani's right there.

He forced himself through the pain and got up, looking towards Akatani to see him doing the same.

And all of the sudden, he could feel that same feeling of foulness from two nights before. The same foulness that he felt crawling across his skin earlier.

Akatani stared him down, that same vicious grin on his dirt-covered face from two nights before.

Izuku stared back blankly and he felt his skin crawl again.

"Is that supposed to scare me?"

Akatani's grin shrank slightly, becoming far less vicious as a result. It almost seemed… kind.

"Alright, what say we end this, Midoriya-chan?"

Izuku nodded and felt the foulness recede once again, with his Heat rising as well, "Yeah, let's do that, Akatani."

They squared off once more, hips squared, legs bent and ready to kick off. Izuku could feel it again.

He could Feel The Heat.

THUD!

And in a flash, they were in the middle of the room again, Izuku's fist buried into Akatani's stomach, while the latter coughed blood and spittle and fell to the side.

And the fight was over.

Not for Izuku though, as he mounted Akatani's chest and began pummeling the man's face.

Thud!

Thwack!

Thud!

Thwack!

He kept hitting him.

"Happy Late Birthday, Izu-chan. Go on, open your gift."

He started hitting harder.

THUD!

THWACK!

THUD!

THWACK!

THUD!

"I love you, sweetie!"

He started hitting faster.

THUD!
THUD!
THWACK!

"- my number one hero!"

"Even greater than All Might!"

THUD!
THUD!
THWACK!
THUD!
THUD!
THWACK!

And the entire time that he did it, Akatani didn't even lift a finger to defend himself.

He just laid down and took it.

Until eventually, Izuku just stopped.

He stopped, looked Akatani in his eyes, past the blood and swelling that he inflicted, and asked one thing.

"Why?"

Akatani grinned again, coughing a bit more blood, before answering, "Because, you were weak."

"What?"

A wheezy chuckle here, "Midoriya-chan. You just don't understand how weak you are on the world's scale. You don't get to be stronger than All Might, just because 'you really want it'. I'd know that better than anyone."

"What do you mean?"

"Because…" He coughed again "I wanted to be a hero, too."

Izuku's blood ran cold.

"You… what?"

"That's right, I wanted to be a hero. Just like you."

"No, no, nonononono…"

"Yeah, got as far as the U.A. Entrance Exam … and then I flopped."

Flopped?

"The Hero Course doesn't want quirkless brats, no matter how hard they work, or how much they wanna help. They want kids with flashy quirks to make headlines when they grow up."

Shut up…

He could feel his skin crawl again.

"We're nothing but scum on the side of their shoes. Not even footnotes in the grand annals of history."

Stop it…

His skin was writhing at this point.

"And you couldn't even protect your mother from a two-bit thug like me. How are you gonna become a hero that can saveeveryone?"

SHUT THE HELL UP!

He felt the Heat again burning through his writhing skin and he co*cked back his fist for one more devastating punch.

"Midoriya-kun, no!"

He could feel someone grab his fist before he could bring it down on Akatani's face and turned to see… a very sweaty and dirty Tsukauchi.

"Midoriya-kun, he's had enough."

"Tsukauchi-san, you know what he's done."

"I do, and he'll pay for it. In prison."

"That's not enough!"

"Izuku!"

Izuku stared hard at the detective.

"I don't care if you never trust me on anything ever again, but please, trust when I say this. If you kill him now, you'll be killing a part of yourself that you can never get back."

With this, Tsukauchi loosened his grip on Izuku's fist.

And Izuku turned his gaze back onto Akatani.

He raised his fist again, his skin still burning and writhing all the while.

And brought it down hard-

Right next to Akatani's face.

"Where's my mother's body?"

Akatani smirked, "I knew I had a good feeling about-"

THUD!

"Don't. Test. Me."

"Alright, you won the game. So here's your prize. Your mother is in Tokyo."

"What?'

"Just before you got here. I sent her on her way to Tokyo. Depending on which entrance you came in from, you might've actually seen her leaving."

-Group of men in black who stood near the Higashi Gomon, only parting for a black car to pass through and over the bridge.

Izuku stared through the windows, Akatani wasn't there.

"Which part of Tokyo?"

"The dazzling city of red lights that's seen more chaos and triumph than this whole island nation."

"Stop waxing poetic, and tell us."

"She's in Kamurocho, dear boy. Kamurocho."

Izuku turned to Tsukauchi.

His pupils were ringed with gold.

Izuku got off of Akatani and let Tsukauchi turn the yakuza onto his stomach, cuffing him immediately.

Akatani had one more thing to ask, however, "Ne, Detective-san?"

"What is it?"

"Would you mind checking the gun in my jacket? There's something you might find interesting in there."

"You realize you're asking a police officer to tamper with evidence, right?"

"I'm already under arrest, and I doubt that you're here legally, so…"

"This better not be a trick."

"Trust me, if I wanted to trick you, we wouldn't be talking here right now."

With a sigh, Tsukauchi walked over to Akatani's abandoned jacket and shirt and pulled a semi-automatic pistol from it.

Akatani smiled and said, "Check the magazine."

He did so and pulled out one of the bullets.

He took a look at it before his eyes widened.

"These are-!"

Akatani's smile widened further, "That's right. Rubber bullets."

And when his eyes turned on Izuku, they took on a softer edge as he said, "I'm not hero material, kid. But looking at you, I think I've found someone who might be."

Three hours later…

Back on the road, Izuku ran his fingers over new gauze on his forehead.

After the whole debacle at Sunpu, Shizuoka Law Enforcement arrived and arrested Akatani and most of the Yamikumo Clan on the scene.

Akatani didn't put up a fight, and when he came across one of his family members who were, he just stared them down until they stopped and complied.

He said nothing. Not a single word to anyone. And whenever he looked at Izuku, he just smiled and nodded.

After the police took away the Yamikumo Clan, they took Izuku's and Tsukauchi's statements, patching them up as they did so.

And so, three hours later, they were back on their way to Tokyo.

Tsukauchi had got in contact with an old friend of his from the Police Academy, Tanimura-san or something similar, and had gotten information about a place called New Serena. It would apparently be the best place for the two of them to start finding information about his mother's whereabouts.

But first.

"Ne, Midoriya-kun?"

"Hm?"

"You doing alright?"

"... Yeah, I'm fine."

"Judge Eyes says differently."

"Dammit."

"Language."

"I know."

"Wanna talk about it?"

"Not really."

"Okay, I'm here whenever you do."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Fine."

"So, what's up?"

"It's just… I almost killed him, Tsukauchi-san."

"Akatani?"

"Yeah. I almost killed him and became just like him. I-I- almost, I almost…" His breathing was heavy and he was starting to tear up.

And then, he felt a firm hand land on his shoulder. He turned to see Tsukauchi with his eyes still on the road with a firm grip on his shoulder.

"It's fine, let it all out."

And he did. For a good five minutes, he cried his eyes out while Tsukauchi remained silent and supportive.

And when he finally composed himself after those five minutes, Tsukauchi spoke.

"You're not like Akatani."

"Huh?"

"You're nothing like Akatani. You're a kind young boy who has helped every that he could in Musutafu for the past six years with no wish for a reward. You're not a monster, just because of what you might've done after being put under pressure that would've broken most people. You know what you are?"

"What?"

"You're Izuku Midoriya. Little Hero of Musutafu, future number one hero of the world, and... my friend."

Tsukauchi's words actually blew Izuku away. He'd never heard someone speak about him like that before. It felt… nice.

"Tsukauchi-san… Thank you."

"Don't mention it."

He noticed that they were slowing down, and he could see a huge red glow right in front of them.

They made it.

They had made it back to Tokyo.

They made it to Kamurocho.

Terms to know-

Hokorikumo- Dust Cloud

Kyoudai- Sworn Brother

Chapter 20: Dragon and Pup

Chapter Text

Tenkaichi Street, Kamurocho

Izuku hissed slightly as his body creaked with every step he took.

The adrenaline from his brawl with the Yamikumo Clan had worn off long ago, and despite feeling worn and tired during the whole ride from Shizuoka to Tokyo, he couldn't drift off and allow himself to sleep.

He actually hadn't slept since the whole situation had begun with Akatani. He was too busy trying to decipher the clue the man had given him. And then after that, he was far too wired to sleep on the way to get his mother back from Akatani.

Pain aside, he could still say that Kamurocho was… interesting, to say the least.

Flashing neon lights everywhere.

Barkers drumming up business for one hostess club or another.

Salarymen looking for a place to drink away their paycheck.

A few couples stumbling about and looking just a bit too deeply into one another's eyes.

His mom had told him about a short period in the 80s called the "Bubble", where she said cash flowed like water, and looking at Kamurocho now, he could almost imagine that the bubble never popped.

"Okay, so Tanimura-san told me that New Serena is a bar here on Tenkaichi Street and that we should speak with the Mama there, Mariko-san. We'll regroup there and then get around to canvasing the city. According to Akatani, we should start at the Millenium Tower and work our way around. Apparently most of Japan's yakuza are huge fans of the place."

"Right."

"Now let's see if we can find New Serena…"

"You mean the New Serena right across the street from Stardust?"

"I'm sorry?"

Izuku pointed at the little sign that said, "New Serena"across from one of the brighter buildings on the street.

"Wow, I amofftoday. Do I need glasses or contacts? Maybe Lasik? This is getting embarrassing. What do you think, Midoriya-ku-? Midoriya-kun?"

Izuku was already halfway down the street when Tsukauchi turned to him.

"He-hey, wait up!"

And the detective ran after the boy.

DING!

The detective and child duo stepped off the elevator and walked over to the door at the end of the hallway.

The sign on the door readclosed, but they weren't there for any of the actual services that the bar should provide, so it was promptly ignored.

Semi-remembering years of etiquette that had been drilled into him by his mother, he knocked twice and opened the door.

"Excuse me, but we're looking for…" He trailed off as soon as he looked toward the bar counter and saw a familiar sight slumped over it.

White shoes, gray suit, and the popped collar of a red shirt.

He'd recognize that sight from anywhere. The man in front of him was-

"Kiryu-san?"

The man turned back to look at the boy in the doorway, recognition flashing in his eyes.

"Izuku…?"

"Izuku?" That voice sounded familiar too. It came from his right so turned his to see-

"Taijiji?"

His head was shaved and he hadn't seen the man in two years, but he was still a mountain of a man with a very distinctive voice, so Izuku remembered his uncle's brother well enough from the few days that he had spent with the man.

"Okay, so who's this now?" Izuku didn't recognize that voice, but it came directly from Taijiji's side, so he just turned his head to see who it was.

He was greeted with sight of a man wearing a maroon pinstripe jacket, a black shirt, and dark gray slacks.

Before Izuku could respond to the stranger, he heard a gasp behind him.

It was clearly from Tsukauchi, seeing as he had come in after Izuku, and the detective was pointing at the only other man wearing a trench coat, who sat next to Taijiji.

"Y-y-you're…"

"Um, Tsukauchi-san?"

"Y-you- You're- Y-..."

"Tsukauchi-san, you're malfunctioning. I thought I was the one with a concussion."

"MAKOTO DATE!"

"Okay, you're yelling now."

"I'm sorry, it's just… he's my hero. He's the whole whole reason why I'm in Division Four. I wanted to be just like after I finished my time as a beat cop. The guy's a legend."

"Well, thank you. I'm happy to hear that."

"Makoto Date just said 'thank you' to me!" Tsukauchi's squee both intrigued and disturbed Izuku.

Regardless, he had damage control to run, "Just… give him a minute, this is a big moment for him."

Five Minutes Later…

It took some time, but eventually Tsukauchi managed to compose himself and the group(sans Kiryu, who still sat slumped over at the bar) moved to an alcove off to the side.

"So Midoriya-kun, you're telling me that you've met both Kazuma Kiryu, The Dragon of Dojima, and Taiga '18 Counts' Saejima?"

"Yup."Gold.

"You've known the former for over half a decade, and you met the latter just before he went back to prison two years ago? "

"Didn't know about the prison part, but yes."Gold.

"Alright, last thing. You've never met Makoto Date in your life?"

"Aside from hearing about him in passing from Kiryu-san, I never knew he existed."

Tsukauchi's eyes flashed gold one more time and he sighed in relief.

"Okay, good. Now I don't have to shoot you."

"Tsukauchi-san!"

"Sorry, sorry. I didn't mean that. It was a joke."Silver.

Choosing to ignore the homicidal thoughts of his friend, Izuku turned towards Akiyama, the man in the maroon jacket.

"So what were you saying before we interrupted, Akiyama-san?"

Akiyama, proving himself to be incredibly used to strange people and situations, proceeded to explain the situation as he had been doing before the duo interrupted.

He explained that the entire debacle involving Majima's shooting and the multiple situations that had to do with Saejima's daring escape from prison to Sapporo to Kamurocho, and even Kiryu's return were kicked off by one man.

"The Omi Alliance's Seventh Chairman, Tsubasa Kurosawa."

"Omi Alliance?"

"Sound familiar to you, kid?"

Tsukauchi chimed in here, "We just took down an Omi family down in Shizuoka. The Yamikumo Clan."

"Never heard of it. How about you, Saejima?"

The escaped convict shook his head in the negative.

"Not me."

"They were an offshoot of the Go-Ryu Clan."

Date brows shot into his hairline.

"The Go-Ryu Clan? I thought we wiped out most of them years ago."

"Apparently not. The leader and a few of his guys ended up kidnapping Midoriya-kun's mother a couple of days ago. They took her to Shizuoka and we just got back from there."

"That's horrible. Did you get her back?"

Izuku answered, "No, but the leader told us that she was here in Kamurocho, so we're here to get her back."

"Wait, so when you say that you took down a family in Shizuoka, do you mean that you brought the police in and had them make arrests?"

"Of course… after we fought our way through them and Izuku kicked the crap out of one of their lieutenants and their patriarch."

"Wait- he didwhat?"

Akiyama seemed shocked.

"I'm sorry, that kid right there took out a lieutenant and a patriarch?"

Date did as well.

"Huh, figures. Anyone who went through Majima's trainin'd a special kind of weird."

Saejima, however, was quite unflapped.

"Look, that's enough about me. What's with this picture, Akiyama-san?"

He gestured to picture on the table, one that he had before.

It was a picture of his uncle with his arms slung over the shoulders of two people.

One was a man that he didn't recognize.

The other was a woman that he had seen just a couple nights before.

Mirei-baba.

He had heard on the radio that she was putting together a debut concert for Haruka at the Japan Dome, but he hadn't heard from the woman herself since a couple nights before.

"Right, well in the middle it's Goro Majima. To the right, that's Natsuki Katsuya, President of Osaka Talent and Patriarch of Osaka Enterprises. And to the left, it's-"

"Mirei-baba, my uncle's wife."

"Well ex-wife, but yeah. And 'Mirei-baba'?"

"I saw this picture fall out of my uncle's wallet once. My mom told me that the girl in it was Jiji's wife, so 'baba'."

"Alright, then. Moving on, these three had ended up realizing what Kurosawa was planning and worked to protect each other, and it ended up working. For the most part."

Izuku shifted his position slightly. He was still hurting, but he could bear it. He needed to hear this.

Akiyama reached into his jacket, pulling out an envelope and sitting it on the table.

"Most of the situation down in Osaka revolved around this. It's a letter from Majima-san to Park-san. As it turns out, it ended up sparking some issues between Osaka Enterprises and Dyna Chair, where Haruka-chan is signed."

"Why?" Izuku asked.

"Well, if you look close, you'll see that the postmark shows that it was sentafterMajima-san was supposedly killed in Sapporo."

Really? But Mirei-baba didn't say anything when she visited mom.

"Not only that, but the letter indicated Majima-san's whereabouts. When the people at Osaka Enterprises learned this, they figured Majima-san was still alive. So they figured that getting a hold of the letter would help him pin down his location."

Well, that makes sense. But, wouldn't Mirei-baba keep it on her? Maybe in her purse? She had it with her when she visited.

"This led to a ransacking at Dyna Chair. No one was hurt, but Park-san ended up going to ground. She gave a key to the safe in her office to Haruka-chan, left some instructions for the employees, and disappeared until the end of the Princess League. Now she's here in Kamurocho with Haruka and T-Set, getting them ready for their debut as Dream Line. And she left this letter with me."

"That's… a lot."

Akiyama chuckled, "That's not even the end of it, kid."

"Wait, so does this mean that Jiji's still alive?"

"No, I don't think so, unfortunately."

That's still hard to hear, but fine.

"If he were alive, he would have come after Kurosawa last night."

But lemme guess, he didn't-

"- he didn't show. It's likely he was already..." He eyed Izuku for a moment, before choosing the next word to say, "gone by the time Park-san received the letter."

"Then how did Majima get the letter over to this Park woman?" Date asked.

"Katsuya. That's what Park-san told me when I asked her earlier. She figures that Majima-san had left the letter with him from the start, and I agree. But something still bothered me."

"What's that?"

"How on earth would the people at Osaka Enterprises know about the letter. It just didn't add up."

"Someone from Dyna Chair coulda leaked it." Saejima suggested.

"No, that's not possible. Park-san had kept it in her safe, and then took it with her after going into hiding."

Probably when she came to visit mom.

"None of her employees even knew she had it."

So how? More importantly, why didn't she show it to mom? That was probably why she was there in the first place.

"-was Katsuya-san and Park-san themselves that leaked the info about Majima-san's letter."

"But why?"

Izuku had an idea why. He'd gone fishing with Kiryu-san in Okinawa a few times, and he remembered putting smaller fish on the line to attract bigger ones.

"To see who would take the bait."

"That's right, kid. They leaked word that Majima-san might be alive, even after he was supposedly killed, to set a trap. They wanted to find out who was behind it all. And whaddya know? They bought it: hook, line, and sinker."

Then that must mean…

"-Osaka Enterprises captain working under Katsuya. Along with Kurosawa, who posed as a detective to get me all riled up and keep Haruka-chan from leaving Osaka."

"Then that must mean that he was the one after Jiji's letter."

They talked about a man Daigo afterwards, Izuku didn't understand, so he leaned over to Tsukauchi and asked who that was.

"Ah. Well, if I remember correctly, Daigo Dojima is the most recent chairman of the Tojo Clan. He runs all the families in it and he apparently went missing in f*ckuoka when this whole mess started."

Okay, so he's Jiji's and Taijiji's boss. Wait. Dojima?

He was instantly reminded of one of his other neighbors, an older woman named Yayoi Dojima. She had moved into the apartment on the other side of Tsukauchi's, a year ago. She was actually quite nice and a friend of his mom, but the events and revelations of the past few weeks made him wonder.

Is she a part of this too?

He quickly shook his head free of those thoughts, he had to focus. He would worry about that later.

Tuning back into the conversation at hand, he balked at what he heard next.

"The concert at the Dome's in danger?"

What!?

"Yeah, that's the main thing I wanted to talk to you about. Haruka-chan is about to perform her major debut concert at the Japan Dome. But we think there's some serious trouble brewing."

"I thought the concert got cancelled."

"Nope. Like I said earlier, Park-san's with T-Set and Haruka-chan, getting them ready for their debut as Dream Line. Only thing is, she and Katsuya pulled some strings to get the date changed from today to tomorrow. And now, Haruka-chan'll be performing with her former rivals from Osaka Talent. As was the plan all along, apparently."

"Wait a minute, weren't T-Set set to do their debut in Haruka's place today?" Date asked.

"Yep. But, the plan was always to get them all together. They're likely practicing their big debut song as we speak."

Saejima asked, "So what's this threat to the concert all about?"

Akiyama, who seemed to have all the answers, replied, "Both Park-sanandKatsuya realized that Kurosawa was targeting Haruka-chan's original concert. So they made the conscious decision to stop it from happeningandget Dream Line off the ground."

"Wait, but I don't get it. Why would this Kurosawa guy go after Haruka-neechan?"

"Well, I'm pretty sure she's the backup plan. If he can't finish off Kiryu-san, then threatening Haruka-chan's the next best thing."

"Now that ya mention it, Kurosawa did say somethin'. He said Kiryu-san better watch out for Haruka."

Izuku already didn't like Kurosawa, considering the fact that he was already sure that his mother's kidnapping was the man's fault. But every word that came out of the mouths of the men around him, made him start to hate the man even more.

"But holding a concert at the Dome was something Park-san and Katsuya had wanted for so long. So, while I couldn't get any more details while I was with Park-san, I think they changed the day, hoping that would dodge the threat to Haruka-chan. Things definitely didn't go to plan though."

That confused Izuku. "How do you mean, Akiyama-san?"

"Right, you just got here. Well, to put things shortly, I imagine that he wanted to end things with Kurosawa last night. But Kurosawa got away. And even if we wanted to cancel the concert, Park-san's refusing."

"So then what's the plan now?" Tsukauchi asked, after remaining silent for the longest time.

"We have to stop Kurosawa's men from getting into the concert tomorrow. Failing that, our only option is to beg Park-san to either postpone the concert or cancel it."

"Cancel it, huh?"

"It's a concert at the Japan Dome. You're talking tens of thousands of people going in and out."

"I agree with Date-san. Even if we stopped Kurosawa from getting in, there's no feasible way of weeding out all of his men."

"Up until today, I was all for helping Haruka-chan get her chance in the spotlight and allowing Park-san to fulfill her dream. But with Kurosawa mucking things up, we haven't got much choice."

Izuku took this chance to speak, "Then let's make a choice. We can't let this concert be cancelled."

"Huh?"

"I agree." The voice came from the counter.

"Kiryu-san…!?"

Kiryu had been slumped over the counter since Izuku and Tsukauchi walked, but now he was sitting upright, and getting up to walk towards the group.

"How are you still walking?" Date asked incredulously.

Kiryu ignored the question, "Izuku's right. You can't cancel the concert, no matter what."

"Did you hear all of that?"

"I got the gist."

"Then, surely you understand how risky it is to go ahead with it."

"I do."

"Then, why?"

"Because even if Haruka heard what was going on, she'd still choose to go on that stage."

"Yeah, Haruka-neechan's always been the most likely to put her neck on the line for us."

"You knew that before you came to talk with us, didn't you? And you also know that I'm the only one that could convince both her and Park to pull out."

Akiyama rubbed the back of his head with a tired chuckle, "You got me there. Haruka-chan would go on with the concert even if she knew the risk, especially with Park-san still completely on board. But if you told them to drop it, maybe even you took the kid here with you, they'd listen."

Both Izuku and Kiryu remained silent.

"Are you willing to put her up on that stage knowing that her life is at stake?"

Kiryu kept his silence and walked out the back door. Izuku waited a moment before following him.

Izuku looked at Kiryu across the roof of New Serena.

The man leaned on the railing and stared down onto the street below, a cigarette hanging between his lips as he tried to light it.

Kiryu had always been an ideal for him to look up to, a pillar of strength parallel to his uncle for him to draw his own strength from.

But looking as he was now, Izuku could see Kiryu for what he really was.

A man.

A tired old man.

A tired old man that needed someone to lean on, just as others needed to lean on him.

And Izuku, he was willing to do that. More than willing to do that.

"Kiryu-san."

Kiryu didn't even turn around, "What do you need Izuku?"

The boy approached slowly, "I just wanted to make sure you're doing alright."

"I'm doing fine, you should get back inside."

"So should you."

"Heh, can't argue with that logic."

This wasn't getting him anywhere, he needed to be more direct.

"Kiryu-san, we can go through with the plan. We can't let that concert get cancelled, no matter what."

"Izuku, you keep saying 'we', but I don't think you understand. You're not going with us, no matter what plan we make."

This was first he was hearing of it.

"What? Yes, I am."

"No, you're not. I couldn't ask for you to do something dangerous."

"Then you're not asking, I'm offering. I wanna do this for Haruka-neechan, Mirei-baba, even Jiji."

"And what about your mother? You still need to look for her."

"I'm pretty sure that that Kurosawa guy has her. If we take care of him, we can save Haruka-neechan and my mom, all in one."

"You. Are not.Going." He stared Izuku down.

"Yes. I. Am." Izuku stared right back.

And they stared in silence, the only sounds made being those of the streets below.

Eventually, Kiryu broke the silence.

"Fine, prove that you're ready."

"How?"

"You have ten minutes. Ten minutes to land a hit on me. Punch, kick, knee, elbow, headbutt. Doesn't matter what you hit me with or where you hit me, just hit me. We have this entire rooftop and I won't leave the rooftop. You won't either. Same as six years ago, only this time… I'll be hitting back."

The man took his fighting stance, raising an arm and putting a fist in front of his chin, leaving the other crossed down in front of his waist. After all these years it still looked simple, but the red aura that burned around the man was anything but.

Izuku couldn't back down though. This was his benchmark, his way of seeing if he had really made progress since his uncle had found him crying in the park, all those years ago.

"Fine then" He took his own fighting stance leaning forward and keeping his body low, right arm crossed in front of him, the other held loosely at his side "Let's do this!"

And so, Izuku was set to fight a Dragon.

Kazuma Kiryu

Dragon of Dojima

Chapter 21: Scramble

Chapter Text

Kazuma Kiryu

Dragon of Dojima

Within seconds, Kiryu was upon the boy, fist swinging straight towards his temple.

Izuku ducked under it quickly, moving in for an attempt at a counter attack, only to catch a kick to the cheek.

Thwack!

He flew back, hitting the ground hard, while Kiryu moved out of his range once more.

His already aching body screamed out in protest, but he refused to give in.

"Is that all you've got, Izuku?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing. Your age catching up with you, old man?"

He brought himself back up to his feet, he could feel his crying joints and weeping muscles telling him to stop, but he couldn't.

The Heat was back again. He could feel it rising in the pit of his stomach, but even more so he could feel an even greater Heat from someone else.

It came right across him, on that very rooftop.

It came from Kiryu.

He had seen that aura of his before, but he never truly felt it like he felt his own.

His Heat often felt to him like a warm stove sending a tingle through his whole body.

Safe, secure, and strong all at once.

Kiryu's Heat, however, was on an entirely different level.

It burned like a raging inferno. It stifled the air and made him sweat the longer he focused on it.

He's really strong. Can I really…?

He shook his head to clear those thoughts before he could even finish them.

Kiryu was on another level, but he knew that already. He couldn't let that stop him. He had to win this.

He steeled himself and came at Kiryu again, fist aimed at the man's stomach.

Thwack!

He flew back again, spittle flying from his mouth, as Kiryu pulled his fist back from the straight he had delivered to the boy's torso.

Izuku could feel bile rising up in his throat. He forced it back down and stood up again, rushing his opponent again.

Thwack!

Swatted again.

He got back up and charged again.

Thwack!

Again.

Thwack!

And Again.

Thwack!

It continued like this for a while.

Thwack!

Thud!

WHACK!

Kiryu would knock him down and Izuku would keep getting back up.

By the time five minutes had passed, Izuku stood with shaky legs and stumbled with every step that he took.

If his body was begging to stop before, it was practically screaming at that point.

Even taking too deep a breath hurt.

"It's over, Izuku."

"No, no it's not."

"Izuku, you can hardly even stand. The challenge is over."

Izuku's feet began to drag halfway scraping across the concrete.

Shffff! Shfffff!

"No, it's not. I'm still standin'... and I've got four more minutes… 's not over till I hit ya or time runs out."

Shffff! Shfffff!

"You don't know when to quit, do you?"

Izuku grinned, the fatigue that he felt only showing on his body, never his face, "Ya never taught me how."

Kiryu sighed, but if you looked closely, you'd be able to spot the tiniest twitch at the corners of his lips.

And when Izuku finally reached the man, he could feel his Heat die out. That was fine.

I can hardly stand, my legs feel like jelly and concrete all at the same time. I've only got one shot at this, I need to make it work. I just need one hit.

Kiryu's aura, his red Heat, burned hotter and brighter than it had moments before and a particularly persistent bead of sweat rolled from Izuku's forehead.

From his crown, to his temple, down his cheek, until it stuck to the tip of his chin.

It stayed there for a few seconds.

3…He kept his eyes on Kiryu, he was still in his stance.

2…He balled his hand into a fist.

1…His muscles tensed.

NOW!

His balled fist flew forward-

Woosh!

-striking nothing but air as Kiryu sidestepped him, and moved to counterattack and likely end the challenge right there.

Boom!

"Nani?"

He likely would have succeeded if he hadn't been thrown back by the explosive counter-punch that Izuku launched into his chest. He anchored his feet and skidded to a stop before he could possibly stumble, while Izuku silently celebrated.

Gotcha!He then started to fall.Oh dear.

He caught himself on the rail at the edge of the roof.

Clunk!

He hit the chilled metal hard. It was definitely going to bruise, but he wasn't on the ground, so he would accept both of his victories while he tried to ignore his body'sscreechingreprimands.

And as Izuku tried to not only celebrate his triumph, but regain feeling in his legs, he heard footsteps approaching. Seeing as there was only one other person on the roof with him, he figured out who it was quickly enough.

"Where'd you learn the Tiger Drop, kid?"

"Oh, so that's what it's called…"Has anyone actually used to drop a tiger? I mean, it definitely hits hard enough."Well, anyway, you used it on me earlier, so I just… copied what you did. "

He heard Kiryu chuckle, but he ignored that in favor of trying to push himself upright.

Damn legs, work!

After a few more seconds of struggling, he felt himself being turned and sat down. When he looked to see why Kiryu was manhandling him, his vision filled with the sight of a small bottle with a black label decorated with an image of a blue star.

"Staminan Spark?"

"Drink it, it'll make you feel better."

That sounds incredibly suspicious. Then again, this is Kiryu-san so… Bottoms up!

He twisted the cap and chugged the sweet drink with a taste that seemed... almost familiar.

And as he felt it slide down his throat, he suddenly felt energized and all the feeling in his legs returned.

Whoa! I've gotta get more of these.

As he picked himself up off the ground, grasping the railing for support, he heard the sound of a flint being flicked repeatedly.

Click! Click! Click!Click!Click!

Kiryu grumbled under his breath as his lighter sparked and sparked, but stubbornly refused to light his cigarette.

"Here."

He looked down to see a smaller hand holding a familiar old zippo that he distinctly remembered parting with, over half a decade earlier.

He chuckled again as he took it from the boy and lit his cigarette, "Still holding onto this old thing?"

"It was a gift from you, so I've been taking care of it. Even if I don't use it for much."

"Well that's good of you." His cigarette lit, he attempted to hand the lighter back to Izuku, only to be stopped when the small boy's hand pushed it back.

"You can keep it if you want. You know, since the one you've got is… Well, you know."

Kiryu pushed back and pressed the lighter into Izuku's hand.

"It's yours. I gave it to you, and I'm not taking it back. Just keep it, I won't be asking for it."

Izuku looked at Kiryu, who just leaned over the railing and enjoyed his smoke.

He put the lighter back inside of his stajun and joined the old dragon, leaning on the railing just to his side.

And once more, on the rooftop of New Serena, there was silence.

A silence that was soon broken by the older male of the pair.

"So, now that you're calm, do you want to tell me what it was that was bothering you?"

"Huh?"

"You've walked into the bar as stiff as a board, and I could tell that it wasn't just because of your pain. So, c'mon. What's your problem?"

Of course. He's been dealing with the guys at Morning Glory for forever. Course he'd notice that something was wrong with me.

Seeing that there was no use lying or pretending that nothing, Izuku just sighed.

"Alright. Have I told you about Kacchan?"

"You've mentioned him before."

"Right. Well, we were friends for a while before he got his quirk. Well, not really friends, I kinda just followed him around, and he let me. Our moms wanted us to be friends though, And Kacchan tried. Well, okay, he didn't really try. He was always kinda really cruel and mean and put me down and tellyouthetruthIdon'treallyknowIwantedtobehisfriendsobadlylikemymomwouldn'tcareshewasfriendswithhismombutevenshecouldadmitthathewasabitmucandmuttermuttermuttermutter..."

Kiryu, having dealt with Izuku before after he'd gone into one of his fits, simply put his fingers in front of the boy's forehead and…

Flick!

"Ow. Sorry Kiryu-san. What was I saying, again?"

"You were friends with Kacchan before he got his quirk."

"Right. So, before he got his quirk, he was still a jerk, but a much less violent jerk. He showed me the kanji in my name and then rearranged them to turn it into Deku."

"'Useless'"

"Yup. It's got a few other meanings too. 'Good For Nothing', 'Wooden Doll', 'Puppet'."

There was a bitter edge to his tone, as the final word spilled from the boy's lips.

Kiryu stayed silent, waiting for him to continue.

"He played me. I'm supposed to be so smart and Akatani played me. He got me all the way to Shizuoka, made me think he killed my mom, and if I had gone to get him by myself, like I was planning to do, he would've taken me."

"..."

"He strung me along like a puppet. Everyone says that I'm sof*ckingsmart and he still played me. And when I actually beat him, he almost made me- I almost- I-" His breathing became heavy.

Kiryu didn't say anything, he just gave the young greenette time to compose himself.

It took a while, but Izuku eventually managed to compose himself and continue what he was saying.

"What kind of hero falls for that? All Might wouldn't. Best Jeanist wouldn't. You wouldn't. And I know Jiji wouldn't."

The boy was breathing heavily again and he was gripping hard enough onto the railing that the metal began to twist.

Kiryu decided that it was time for him to cut in. He put a hand on Izuku's shoulder and squeezed slightly.

"I was twelve when I made one of the biggest mistakes of my life. It was on Christmas Eve, and in the orphanage that I grew up in, there was this older guy who used to come in and visit us kids there. We never knew when he was gonna pop up. Well, we never knew with the exception of one day: Christmas Eve. He always came to visit on Christmas Eve, it was one of the few things we orphans could count on."

The look in his eyes was somewhat fond; that fondness only served to make the melancholy beneath it more pronounced.

"Then one year, when I was twelve, he didn't show. I was worried, so that night, I snuck out here to Kamurocho to see what the problem was. I saw him right there, getting into a car right across the street from where we're standing."

He pointed to the front of an office building across the street.

"I saw him, he saw me, and he told me to go home. I didn't. Instead, I followed the car he was in to where it was going, and when I found him again, he was at gunpoint. I thought he was in danger so I rushed in to save him. He wasn't and I ended hurting both the old man and someone who I'd end getting close to, years later."

"Kiryu-san…"

"Fast-forward about eight years or so. I ended up joining the Yakuza to try and follow in the old man's footsteps, to see if maybe I could live a more fulfilling life as a Yakuza. Then one day, I ended up the smack dab in the middle of a full-on political war between the three lieutenants in the family I joined. I ended up having to leave the Yakuza for a while, go straight, and try to figure things out. I made some friends around town, went on a few dates, I even ended up running a real estate firm for a while. It was a fine life while it lasted. It was too bad, honestly, that that's not what my life was intended to be."

"What do you mean?"

"There was still a war going on in the family I left, Izuku. And the old man that I ended joining the Yakuza to emulate, he was in danger because of it. I wasn't going to let that stand. So with some help from a few friends, associates, my bro… I ended up pushing back. It was hard, a lot of people, good people, ended up dying. It wasn't fair. It was even worse when I found out the person behind it all was playing me like a fiddle the whole time."

So that's why…

"I know how you're feeling right now, Izuku. It's normal to feel that way. It'd be shocking if you didn't. Majima wasn't perfect. Neither are any of those heroes of yours. I'm definitely not. And that's because, under the shine that we have in your eyes, we're just people too. We can be tricked or hurt or fall into despair, just like anyone else. But keep this in mind, alright? 'Pride is received from despair. Accepting that despair allows you to tower over the fools who doubt you, like a crane over landfills.'"

Did he really just-?

"Kiryu-san, did you really just quote your own song at me?"

The older male turned his away from the young hero hopeful, "...No idea what you're talking about."

"Sure, ya don't…" A sh*t-eating plastered itself across the boy's face, "Judgement Kazzy."

"Cut that out."

"I dunno, maybe I'll start callin' ya that now."

"Or you could not."

"I think I will."

"I try to cheer you up and you use that as an opportunity to make fun of myveryshort music career and myonecollaboration project with your uncle?"

"'The gods cannot help those who do not seize opportunity.'"

"Pardon?"

"It's Confucius. My mom quotes his stuff all the time to win arguments."

"Does that actually work?"

"More than you'd think it would."

"Huh, neat. Anyway, getting back to the matter at hand, don't call me that. Especially around the kids at Morning Glory. They don't know about that chapter of my life, and if I have it my way, they never will."

"Alright, it was a joke anyway, Kiryu-san."

That made the corner of Kiryu's lips quirk down just a little bit.

"You know, you could just call me 'Uncle Kaz'. I've been telling you that you could for six years, now."

"Yeah, and…"I still haven't earned it"I'll make ya a deal."

Kiryu raised an eyebrow, "Oh, what is it?"

"As soon as we save Haruka-neechan and my mom, I'll call you 'Uncle Kaz' as much you want. I'll call you 'Uncle Kaz' so much that you get sick of it!"

Kiryu looked the boy in his eyes. As usual when he did this with Izuku, he saw nothing but earnestness.

"Alright, you've got it. Now let's get back inside, I think I hear your detective friend yelling again."

"Yeah, we should probably get on that."

And with that, the two walked back down the stairs to New Serena, the younger of the pair with a far lighter load on his heart.

Several Hours Later…

Izuku sat quietly at the counter of New Serena.

He was tired, but still couldn't sleep.

After he and Kiryu came down from the roof, they met Akiyama's friend, Tatsuo Shinada.

He was a nightlife writer in Nagoya, and a former baseball player who received a lifetime ban after being accused of stealing hand signals for a home run.

He was also the one that had told Akiyama about the plot to target the Japan Dome, after trying to borrow over 300 million yen to get Haruka's concert cancelled.

After introductions were finished between him and the other men in the room(and after Tsukauchi finished his second fanboy session of the night) they made a plan.

Shinada said that if anyone wanted to take a shot at Haruka with a rifle, they'd do it from the outfield stands. It was the only place with a clear view on the home plate, which was where the stage happened to be set up.

That narrowed down the area even further, making it so that the only viable spot would be next to the batter's eye screen.

So the plan was set. They'd head out to the Dome just before the concert started and work their way in from there.

Date and Tsukauchi would scan the crowd, and look for anyone suspicious among them, while Kiryu and Akiyama would head into the crowd and keep an eye out there.

Meanwhile, Shinada and Saejima would hide out in the outfield stands and wait for the sniper, and Izuku would sneak his way backstage and keep an be on the lookout there.

He knew both Park and Haruka personally, so if he got caught, he could explain his way out of it.

New Serena's Mama, 'Mariko-san' as she told Izuku to call her, said that everyone was free to make themselves at home.

And after the plan was set, everyone went about their business.

This led to Izuku having nothing to do until it was time to go, which wouldn't be for at least another twelve hours.

His phone was dead. It had been since he and Tsukauchi left Shizuoka. Akiyama did the kind thing and offered to charge it for him upstairs in his office, which he accepted.

Kiryu trusted the man well enough, and he trusted Kiryu's judgement.

Tsukauchi had left with Date to go make some arrangements at the station, so he wouldn't be back for a while.

Saejima and Kiryu went to go pick up some supplies from Kotobuki Drugs, and they'd been gone for hours.

Shinada went… somewhere. He wasn't quite sure what the man went off to do, he just took off, saying something about needing to stock up on gear.

Akiyama was asleep on the couch in the corner behind Izuku.

The only one that was present in the room(and conscious), besides Izuku, was Mariko.

She had been kind enough to give him a glass of juice and let him watch the TV in the bar while she cleaned.

"So, Izuku-kun, can I ask you something? "

"Yes, ma'am?"

"I told you, it's 'Mariko-san'. 'Ma'am' makes me sound far older than I am."

"Right, sorry Mariko-san. What did you wanna ask?"

"I just wanted to know how you know Kiryu-san."

"Ah, well it's because he knew my uncle. Goro-Jiji."

"Goro-jiji?"

"Ah! Sorry. Goro Majima. I call him 'Jiji' because when I was really little, I couldn't say 'Ojisan'. Even after I could, 'Jiji' just stuck. So, Goro-jiji."

"Ah, well that's cute. And your uncle introduced you to Kiryu-san?"

"Not exactly. Haruka-neechan was on a class trip to see U.A. High School in Musutafu. They toured Musutafu for a while and Kiryu took a short break to take a smoke break. I was cleaning up garbage on a beach there and we ran into each other. I was scared of him when we met, but my uncle told me he was nice. He asked him to train me and Kiryu-san said 'yes'. So I've been training with him in Okinawa every summer for the past five years."

"Well, isn't that quite a story?" She giggled slightly.

This made Izuku smile.

"Well, thank you for sharing that with me, Izuku. I've got some errands to run, but there's juice and snacks here behind the counter, so help yourself."

"Alright, thank you Mariko-san."

"Don't mention it."

She walked out the back door, and there was silence again.

Aside from the TV show playing on the television, something called Truth Man or something similar, and Akiyama's snoring.

This is gonna be a long day.

Eleven Hours Later…

"Here's your phone, Izuku-kun."

"Thanks, Akiyama-san."

He checked his phone and balked at the number of missed calls and texts from his father. He'd have to call the man back on the way to the dome, but at the moment, he just sent him text to let him know that he was fine.

"Alright, should we head on over to the Japan Dome?"

SLAM!

The backdoor slammed open suddenly and Mariko ran in, out of breath.

"We've got a problem!"

"What is it, Mariko-san?"

"The TV. Turn on the TV!"

Akiyama did as she asked and everyone in the room watched as a new bulletin appeared on the screen.

"Breaking News: just after 5:00 PM today, the Tokyo Metropolitan issued this announcement. The Millenium Tower has been seized by an unidentified group. They have taken a hostage- Goro Majima, a high ranking member of a criminal organization known as the Tojo Clan. He is being held on the top floor. I repeat, just after 5:00 PM today..."

The rest went on to be ignored as Saejima said exactly what Izuku was thinking.

"What the f*ck?"

Chapter 22: Scramble(Part 2)

Chapter Text

Izuku could hardly believe what he was hearing.

First, his uncle was dead. He refused to believe that.

Then, forced to face facts after a long week and a very long two days, he accepted it.

And after that, after all of that, his uncle was not only alive, but inKamurocho?

What the actual fu-

Vrrrrr! Vrrrrr!

His phone was buzzing.

That didn't matter. He had a more important matter to think about.

Vrrrrr! Vrrrrr!

How is he-?

VRRRRR!

Why is he-?

VRRRRRR!

Just what is going on?

VRRRRR! VRRRRR! VRRRRR!

And who the hell is calling me, right now!?

He shoved his hand into pocket, yanking out the offending device and glaring at the Caller ID.

Inko Midoriya.

He answered immediately.

"Hello?"

"Ah, finally."

He knew that voice, he knew it so well at this point that it disturbed him.

"Akatani. How are you calling me from my mother's cellphone when you're supposed to be in jail?"

"Yeah, I escaped, but listen-"

"YOUWHAT!?"

"I escaped early this morning, but that's not important, listen up-"

"That sounds incredibly important! What do you mean,you escaped?Howdid you escape? Most importantly, why the hell are you calling me after escapi-"

"Midoriya, shut the hell up for a minute and listen! We can talk about my amazing escape and flight to Kamurocho later."

"You're in Kamurocho?"

"Yes, and I've got some info and a warning for ya. Is your detective friend there?"

He had no real reason to be obstinate at this point, Akatani had already lost to him once and he didn't even have backup that time. He had Kiryu and Saejima to back him up now, so if Akatani tried something, the guy was screwed.

"No, not now, but I'm with some friends."

"You trust them with you and your mother's life?"

"More than anyone in this world." No hesitation.

"Alright, then listen close. The chairman knew I was gonna give up the gig. He had most of my boys ready to gut me after I got locked up. I got out and managed to make my way here."

What?

"You probably just saw the news, right? Well, that's the Omi for sure. I've got a couple of assholes here that were looking for ya earlier. They've got something to say."

He heard some struggling from the other end of the line, a few grunts and thuds, before it ultimately devolved into whimpering and slight sobbing.

"Now tell himexactlywhat you told me. Or else I break another one… Got it?"

"Y-yes, sir. N-Nanadaime-sama told us that we should keep on the lookout for a green haired boy wearing a green stajun. If we saw him, we were supposed to take him t-to the Millenium Tower immediately."

"And who'satthe Millenium Tower?"

"N-Nanadaime-sama a-and some woman."

"Come on, don't be stingy with the details. What's the woman look like?"

"Y-y-young, green hair, p-pink sweater."

"Cardigan, but close enough. You get all that, Midoriya-chan?"

"Yeah, I got it."

"Good, I've got some more business to take care of, but I'm pretty sure you and your friends have got that situation with your mom handled. Ja ne!"

"Wait, don't hang up! I've still got ques-"Beep!"Tions. That friggin' guy…"

He put his phone back in his pocket and looked around him, all of the adults in the room were looking at him like he'd grown a second head.

He took a breath and cleared his mind before saying, clearly and concisely, "We have to get to the Millenium Tower. Now."

Moments Later…

Nakamichi Street, Kamurocho

After relaying all he had learned from his conversation with Akatani to the men in the room, Izuku was happy to see that all of them were ready to go.

He walked with the other five men down Nakamichi Street, he could hear police sirens at the base of the tower.

It would've been nice to have Date or Tsukauchi with the group, to see if they could maybe talk their way past the police line, but things didn't work out that way.

Truth be told, he wasn't exactly sure what the plan was when they got to the tower. He just knew that his mother and his uncle were there and he was going to get them both back.

They arrived on West Taihei Boulevard, to the sight of a crowd being held back from the tower by a police line.

They needed to get past that, but Izuku had no idea how.

Screeeeech!

The sextet turned back to see a black car tearing down the street, plowing through a few people, and heading straight towards them.

Wait. Heading straight towards us?

The group of males quickly moved out the way as the car rounded the corner and screeched to a rubber burning stop.

From the next street over, they could see an identical car doing the same.

Izuku had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.

A feeling that only grew worse as four men in black emerged from the two vehicles, with what looked to be… submachine guns in hand.

Akiyama seemed to assess the situation quicker than Izuku, shouting for everyone to run just before the four men let loose a hail of bullets.

RATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATAtATATATATATATATAT!

Izuku ran for cover behind a cop car, sliding behind it just as Kiryu and Akiyama rolled over the trunk and hood respectively.

He didn't have a clue where Saejima or Shinada ended up, but he could hardly peek out his head to try and check.

RATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATAtATATATATATATATAT !

He heard a bullet whiz by his ear in the rumpus, and felt a strong hand pull him closer towards the back door of the car.

He looked to see Kiryu peeking above the trunk intently, in the spot that Izuku had previously occupied, while Akiyama kept Izuku's head down through the barrage.

Thank you, both of you.

The fusillade continued a few more seconds before it stopped, and Kiryu and Akiyama sprang into action.

They leaped over the car, taking out two of the gunmen upon landing and when the two remaining assailants attempted to fire on them, Akiyama hit the one closest to him. The man in black snapped to the side, finger firmly on the trigger.

RATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATAtATATATATATATAT!

And that was that.

Izuku stood from where he had taken, seeing Saejima and Shinada do the same, and walked over Kiryu and Akiyama.

There was ringing in his ears, but aside from that, he was fine.

Through the ringing he could hear screaming, he didn't like it.

He took a moment to shake it off, before listening to what the men around him were saying.

"-trying to make this look like the Majima Family's work."

They're what!?

"That's why they took Majima hostage. Now the Majima Family looks like they resorted to violence to rescue they're patriarch."

"But that's stupid. Nishida and the guys wouldn't do that!"

They were always so nice. They were ones that used to bring him stuff at the Junkbeach whenever he got tired and they never even asked for a 'thank you'. They helped him with his training, his homework, they even danced with him on roller skates during his balance training.

They wouldn't do this. They'd never do this.

"We know that, but no one else does."

And suddenly there was the sound of footsteps from all over.

All around them, footsteps.

And looking about he could see why.

They were surrounded. There had to have been at least a hundred men there.

And none of them looked very friendly.

Akiyama spoke again, "What's our move? Majima-san and Haruka-chan are in danger. Hell, the whole town's at risk! Taking them on here would be playing right into their hands."

"Not much choice but to split up." Kiryu said.

"Then I got a request. Let me and Izuku go after Majima and his ma."

Taijiji...

"Saejima-san."

"Now that I know that my bro's alive. I'm gonna go punch him in the face and I feel like Izuku feels the same."

Well, he's not wrong.

"What about Haruka-chan?"

Shinada answered this time, "I'll handle it. I think that's the play."

"You?"

"Yeah. Kiryu-san would stick out like a sore thumb."

Once again, not wrong.

"I know the layout of the stadium and the bad guys won't recognize me."

"But one wrong step, and you could end up dead. I couldn't let you go alone."

"Didn't you just say we don't have much choice!? I owe it to Dojima-kun for giving my dream back. I had given it up completely, but he protected it like it was his own. For that, I'll do whatever I can to help. Even if it means giving my life."

Shinada-san…

"Let me handle it. I'll make sure Haruka-chan comes to no harm. So Kiryu-san, Akiyama-san, it's up to you to protect the town Dojima-kun put his life on the line for. You've gotta save the Tojo Clan. Please." He bowed deeply.

Kiryu didn't hesitate, "We will."

As they finished their discussion, they once more took note of the hoard of men that now surrounded them.

"Izuku, Saejima, Shinada. Akiyama and I will hold the line here. You all can get where you need to go from through the sewer tunnels."

"Got it."

"Let's do this."

"You got it… Uncle Kaz."

And the fight was on.

Omi Alliance

Chapter 23: Like A Demon

Chapter Text

Shizuoka Prefectural General Hospital- July 15th, 200X

Majima bolted out of the taxi that he arrived at his destination in.

Rushing through the door, he made beeline for the front desk, startling the receptionist there.

“Inko Midoriya checked in here. What room’s she in?”

“U-um, I’m afraid I can’t give you that information.”

“And why the hell not!? Yer mouth’s workin’, ain’t it?”

“U-um, i-it j-just um- well, you see-”

The cyclops glared.

“Eek!” The woman trembled.

This continued for a few moments before it was interrupted by a call of, “Niisan, over here!”

Majima looked over towards the elevator to see Hisashi waving at him.

With nought but a glance back at the receptionist to glower at her once more, he ran to the elevator and quickly stepped in.

The receptionist just slumped down into her chair, face a rather unhealthy shade of pale.

Inside the elevator, Majima was a bit less tense.

Hisashi wasn’t fidgeting like he had been in the months leading up to the day, so clearly, nothing had gone wrong.

As great as that was, it didn’t make the silent ride of anticipation too much better, so Majima opened up the conversation.

“So, how’s she doing?”

“Much better now. She’s the one who told me to come down and see if you were here. Good thing I did. That poor lady looked like she was about to cry.”

“Serves her right. She wouldn’t tell me what room to go to. Honestly, who does she think she is? Ya know what we call people that, Hi-chan?”

“A hospital receptionist that’s doing her job while following the law?”

“A narc. That’s right, Hi-chan.”

The freckled man opened his mouth, seemingly to protest, before thinking better of it and snapping his mouth shut.

The silence continued for another beat, before being broken by Hisashi this time.

“I’m really glad you made it, Niisan.”

“Are ya kiddin’? Wouldn’t miss it for the world.” The man in the snakeskin jacket grinned.

DING!

They were there.

Majima could feel a genuine smile creep across his face as he walked out of the elevator, following behind his younger brother.

Halfway down the corridor, however, he felt his grin drop.

His one dark eye met the bright and sharp red eyes of his ashen haired nemesis.

Mitsuki Tengan.

Though, judging from the man at her side and the band on her finger, it was actually Mitsuki Bakugo.

Hmph.

It wasn’t that he didn’t think of the possibility of being there. She was Inko’s best friend, after all.

It was just that the thought of being in the same room as her made his stomach turn like a washing machine left on a spin cycle.

Of course, he wasn’t the only who let his distaste be known through their locking of eyes.

Mitsuki was hardly one to let her opinion go unknown, least of all, her opinions on the bowl-cut man that she had found herself engaged in a glaring contest with.

Her husband Masuru, on the other hand, sighed and readjusted the cooing blonde child in his arms, offering a nod of acknowledgement to the similarly exasperated Hisashi.

The freckled man sighed and asked, “Can you two just… not ? For today, at least. Just don’t .”

The two opposing parties ceased their clash of wills and came to a quick consensus.

No blood would be spilled on such a joyous day.

But next time, I ain’t lettin’ ya off so easy.

And with that, the conflict was resolved and the quartet(plus one) walked into the hospital room of one Inko Midoriya.

One Inko Midoriya who was currently cradling the newest member of the Midoriya family.

A small babe of a mere few hours at the most. Wide green eyes like his mother’s, chubby freckled cheeks reminiscent of his father’s, and a shock of curly green hair.

He thought the kid was cute, so did the ‘she-devil’ and her husband.

Hisashi was on an entirely different level from all of them, though.

Within an instant, barely even the blink of an eye, the new father was at wife’s side, fussing over both her and the curiously staring infant.

It made the oldest man in the room smile, as one thought ran through his head.

He grew up nice, Midoriya-han. He grew up real nice.

And then, he heard the faintest of chuckles. Not from anywhere in particular, and certainly not from anyone in the crowd he was with. It felt almost familiar, though.

Shaking himself out of his brief distraction, he turned back to the new parents, who were looking at him expectantly.

“Huh?” He’d clearly missed what they asked him.

That didn’t seem to bother Inko at all, as she asked her question again, “Do you wanna hold him, Goro-nii?”

Hold him? As in the kid?

“A-ah, I’m good.”

“C’mon, Niisan. Just for a minute.”

“I ain’t sure that I should…”

“Please, Goro-nii?”

The look that he received not only from the pleading parents, but from the curious infant as well, was more than enough to cancel out any protests that he had in mind.

He leaned down towards the young mother, scooping up the baby in her arms and ignoring the snickers from his blonde mortal enemy.

“Alright, give him here. I hold him like this, right?”

“Yeah, just shift him a bit, he’s oddly active for having just been born. He’s likely to try and wriggle out the door over there if you let him.”

Heeding the greenette’s instruction, Majima adjusted the small baby in his hands so that he was nestled into his chest and just… looked at him.

The little thing looked so soft.

Fragile, almost.

It was something he almost had.

Something we coulda- He stopped that thought before it could even get off the ground.

Happy day. It was a happy day.

Whatever he could’ve had didn’t matter. What mattered, was what he held in his hands right at that moment.

What’d they say they were namin’ him, again?

It was right on the tip of his tongue…

Ah, that’s right!

“Izuku-chan.” As if he knew he was being addressed, the newborn stared directly at the eyepatched man’s face. Not focused on any one thing, but certainly focused on him.

Izu-chan, I want ya listen real close. As long as I’m alive, no one’s gonna hurt you. I promise.

West Taihei Boulevard, Kamurocho, Tokyo-201X

THWACK!

Izuku’s knuckles were starting to hurt.

That had to have been the twelfth Omi Alliance member that he had just knocked out.

And looking towards the rest of his companions, he was still far behind.

Saejima had picked up one of Kurosawa’s men at some point and was swinging him around like a ragdoll, knocking down anyone that came too close to him. It was a thing of beauty. To Izuku, at least.

Shinada had disarmed a pipe-wielding yakuza, and was wielding that same pipe with the dangerous elegance that Izuku had only seen in samurai films. In the back of his mind, he could feel a spark of inspiration, almost like the inspiration that he had felt at Pop✰Step’s show. He decided to follow up on that later.

Akiyama was quick and dangerous. Kicks a flurry amongst the group of mooks surrounding him. He resolved to ask the moneylender for some pointers when all of the fighting was over and done with. His resolve was strengthened when he saw the man kick a particularly beefy yakuza into the air, before jumping up after him and bringing him down hard with a dolphin kick. He’d definitely need to learn that.

Greatest among them was Kiryu. The dragon sped from man to man. It hardly even looked like he was stepping. The blink of an eye, and he was just there knocking out the next guy. And after that, he could feel an even greater Heat than he had felt when he fought the man. At that moment, Izuku counted all of his blessings. Kiryu had definitely held back just a bit when they fought atop New Serena. If he hadn’t, Izuku had no doubt that he’d’ve been left comatose afterwards.

Seeing the rest of his party doing their best, pushed the boy to go past his best. He could feel the Heat envelop him again and knew exactly what to do next.

Running into a particularly thick group of yakuza with a burst of speed, he put his plan into action.

[!]Climax Heat Move: Essence of Crowd Destruction

THUD!

“URK!”

Burying his fist into one man’s stomach, he quickly pulled back and ducked under the strike of another assailant, sliding through his legs and jabbing him in the crotch as he did.

After that man went down, he moved on to the next, springing up and attaching himself to a particularly portly man’s neck.

Leaning into his ear, Izuku whispered, “Go ahead. Struggle.”

“GET OFFA ME, YA DAMN RUNT!”

He tried grabbing at the small child, who simply swung to the man’s front and gripped his lapels.

sh*t-eating grin in place, the greenette sang, “Guess ya missed~” and the man began to froth at the mouth.

He wound up and brought his fist down hard to smash the little pest on his chest.

THUD!

All the while not realizing that the same little pest had already scampered back to his back.

“Unf!”

With all the wind knocked out of his human jungle gym, Izuku kicked off, sending the big man to the ground with a hard Thud!

He hooked an arm around the neck of his next and final target, a tall and lanky fellow, and used his momentum to start swinging and kicking every poor schmuck that happened to be too close.

Roku…

THWACK!

Ichi…

WHACK!

KYU!

THUD!

OI!

SLAM!

Several kicks and one slam later, Izuku stood amongst a considerably less congested portion of Taihei Boulevard.

Unfortunately, less congested didn’t mean clear, there was still over a score of men surrounding him and even more around his friends.

They needed to get away, but Izuku had no idea what he could do aside from…

He had taken down half a dozen yakuza with that one move.

That had stopped all of the others advancing in their tracks.

He could feel it again. That feeling of his skin crawling, it came back in full force with a bit of extra kick.

And if he could feel it, he was sure that they could too.

He looked at them again, and there it was.

That hesitance in their eyes, hesitance that sat by just the tiniest bit of fear.

Izuku wanted to kick himself. Of course, why didn’t he think of that earlier?

Whatever, I just need to do it now.

Focusing on the men around, he could feel his skin start to crawl, the feeling was disgusting as always, but it was necessary.

C’mon, get scared.

He could see some of the men hesitating, but it wasn’t enough.

C’mon, GET SCARED DAMMIT!

He pushed even further, his skin was writhing at this point, and saw even more of them stop in their tracks, but even still, it wasn’t enough.

Is this really how it is? Fine, let’s go.

He could feel the sensation begin to recede and took up his stance again, ready to continue fighting, when he heard a noise.

SCREEECH!

THUD!THUD!THUD!THUD!

And suddenly, a lot of the Omi members in the crowd directly went flying as yet another car came barrelling through the crowd… directly at him.

Oh… shi-!

HONK! HONK!

He dived out of the way as the vehicle skidded to stop right next to him.

From it, stepped four men in black suits, and one of them had a very familiar face.

“Yamikumo-chan?”

The Lieutenant that he had singled out and made an example of in Shizuoka stared back at him. Not with malice or even discomfort. On the contrary, it seemed to be a stare of… grudging respect.

“It’s Yamamoto, kid. Listen, you should get going. The boss told us to take care of the trash in the streets, apparently you’ve got a steaming pile’a sh*t to take care of on top of that tower.”

The boss… Akatani?

Yamamoto shooed the boy, “Go on now, off you go. One Yamikumo clan member’s worth ten of these bastards. Let’s see how they do against twelve of us.”

Twelve?

Screeech! Screeech!

THUD!THUD!THUD!THUD!THUD!THUD!THUD!THUD!

And right on time, two more cars came careening through the other portions of the crowd, slamming into any unfortunate yakuza without the chance to move out of the way.

And from those two cars, out stepped four men each. All of them presumably Yamikumo clan.

But none of them were Akatani. He voiced his observation to Yamamoto.

“The boss is busy with somethin’ at the moment. You just get to where ya need to go.”

Seeing as almost nothing about the man made sense to Izuku at this point, he took it for what it was and found Saejima and Shinada.

“Shinada-san, Taijiji! Now’s our chance, we gotta go!”

“Right!”

“Got it!”

In his peripheral, he could see Kiryu and Akiyama had come to the same conclusion as he, as they took off down another street.

Good, now we’re coming for you. Mom, Jiji, just wait. We’ll be right there!

And so, the trio, headed by Saejima took off towards the sewers.

Fuji Soba- Musutafu, Tokyo-200X

Sluuuurp!

“Careful there, Izu-chan. Last thing I want is to have to explain to your mother that you choked on a stray noodle.”

“Er errying too mush eji. Um fun.”

“Swallow, kid. Yer gettin’ noodles everywhere.”

Gulp!

“Yer worrying too much, Jiji. I’m just fine.”

“Right, should I call the ambulance now or later?”

This made the six year old greenette giggle.

The cyclops smiled before saying, “Alright, c’mon, pack that up to go. I got somethin’ to show ya.”

Izuku tilted his to the side, inquisitively.

Yaomajima Batting Center

CRACK!

“Ooh. That was awesome, Jiji!”

“Aw, that was nothin’. Shoulda seen me when I was younger. Home runs aplenty.”

Majima’s grin only widened at the sound of his nephew’s praise.

The batting center was a great investment. It was a good pastime for both high schoolers and families(quirked and quirkless, alike), making it a big hit after school and over break. Truly, a brilliant business decision.

The Yaoyorozu Conglomerate seemed to agree, seeing as they only agreed to give Majima Construction the material for it under the condition that they be allowed to co-opt the name.

Apparently the Yaoyorozu Patriarch had even brought his granddaughter there on the day it opened.

Fun times for all.

“Alright, Izu-chan. Your turn.” At this, he turned the bat, presenting the handle to his nephew.

“Huh?”

“C’mon, take the bat, hit the ball, home run.”

“But…” Whatever protest he had prepared died on his lips as soon as he saw his uncle’s smile.

“Okay.” He grabbed the proffered bat, hardly taking note of the weight due to years of moving heavy trash from the Junkbeach.

He squared his hips, stood in the batter’s box and waited.

The machine pitched, he swung…

[!] Heat Move: Essence of Fence Swinging

CRACK!

“Ack!”

“HOME RUN!” Izuku dropped the dented bat that he appropriated from one of Kurosawa’s men, and looked over towards Saejima and Shinada, who happened to be taking care of their own assailants .

The trio had been attacked just after entering the sewers, but they had managed to fend them off and stand at the crossroads. One way leading to the Japan Dome, the other to the Millenium Tower.

Shinada spoke first, “Guess this is where we part ways.”

Izuku responded, “Yeah, stay safe out there, Shinada-san.”

“You too, kid. And when this is over, think about joining a baseball team in school. That’s a nice swing you’ve got.”

He grinned, “I’ll think about it.”

And with that, they were off.

It was a mad dash to get to the top of the tower, but when they made it, it was all worth it.

Right at the center of the rooftop’s helipad, stood Tsubasa Kurosawa.

He wasn’t a very imposing man, in his dark overcoat with his graying hair, and Izuku really just wanted to punch him, elder abuse be damned.

Though as he began walking forward to do so, he felt Saejima held him.

Looking up at the mountain of a man, he saw him shake his head.

Grrr.

“I figured you’d show up.” The chairman spoke up. Surprise, surprise, Izuku hated his voice as well.

“You guys are painfully predictable. Almost shocking.” He looked down towards Izuku, “ Granted, I expected you would have been captured hours ago. You Midoriyas always have had a penchant for mucking things up, though.”

“What do you mean?”

“You don’t know? I would’ve thought that your father would’ve clued you in about this. Foolish as his father was, the man was always honest at least.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” He really wanted to slug the man.

“To think, Omi’s God of War would have an inept if ‘gifted’ son, who would then go on to have a clueless, useless son of his own.”

That’s enough!

Before Saejima could stop him, Izuku was halfway towards the man insulting his family, body coiled to strike.

Click! Click! Click! Click!

He stopped his approach upon hearing four identical, and very familiar sounds.

Behind Kurosawa stood several men, each armed with a pistol.

sh*t.

Kurosawa didn’t even look surprised, “Oh? Where’d all of that bravado go?”

Crap. Calm down.

Saejima took this moment to speak up, “That’s enough, Kurosawa! Where’s Majima at? And the kid’s mom?”

Kurosawa waved off two of the gunmen who stepped off the helipad for a moment.

When they returned, they returned with two familiar figures: one, a man in a tacky snakeskin jacket with an eyepatch, and the other, a woman with green hair, wearing a pink cardigan.

“Mom! Jiji!”

Inko had her eyes closed and a slight bruise on her forehead, but overall, she looked unharmed with ropes tied around her wrists.

Majima however, seemed to have taken the worst of it, his face bloodied, beaten, and bruised. Unlike Inko, Kurosawa and his men had taken the utmost precaution in keeping him restrained. Instead of tying a rope around his wrists, they had wrapped a heavy chain around his arms and body, keeping it together with a heavy padlock.

The man grunted as he pushed and fell to his knees.

“Izu-chan, bro…”

“Majima!” “Jiji!” The two began to run towards their respective brother and uncle-

BANG!

Only to stop in their tracks as one of the men fired a shot at their feet.

“Dammit, I messed up you two. I’m sorry… that I let it get this far.”

Izuku turned to glare at Kurosawa, not trusting his words at that moment.

Saejima spoke up for him, “Kurosawa! What the hell’s this about? Start talkin’!”

Kurosawa smirked, “All in good time.” He began to approach Majima, pulling a key from his coat “The best part’s still to come.”

He sauntered past a still glaring Izuku and up to the kneeling Majima, bending down and inserting the key into the padlock.

Ch’trik!

Thunk!

The lock hit the ground, chains following soon after. Majima’s head hung low, arms limp at his side.

“What’re you playing at?”

Saejima was promptly ignored by the chairman, who whispered something that Izuku couldn’t quite make out.

Kurosawa then called out to one of his men, who had put down his gun and held a rather familiar knife, offering it to the older man.

He took it and dropped it in front of him.

“Okay. Start the show.”

The show? What’s the show?

Majima grabbed the knife, standing on wobbly legs and shambling towards Izuku and Saejima.

Izuku took a few steps back, backing into Saejima. His uncle had his frightening moments, but this was a bit much.

“Jiji?”

“Move out of the way, Izuku.”

“Majima… Hey… What’re ya doin?”

“Sorry, brother. Seems that you and I gotta try to kill each other.”

Izuku’s eyes widened.

What?

Saejima appeared to be of the same mind.

“What the hell?”

“I couldn’t do it. She means more to Kiryu-san than life itself. And these guys...” he looked between Izuku and Inko “These guys are my world. I couldn’t just let it happen.”

“You’re not makin’ a goddamn lick of sense!”

“No, I think he is. It’s Haruka-neechan. Right?”

Kurosawa spoke up, now holding a smartphone out to the trio across from him, “Wow, maybe you’re something a bit less than useless. No quirk, but at least you have brains.”

Bite me, ya old dick.

Unaware of the venom that Izuku spat at him with his mind, Kurosawa tossed the phone to Saejima, who caught it and positioned it so that Izuku could see the screen as well.

And on the screen, Izuku’s suspicions were further confirmed.

A live recording of Haruka's concert, being streamed from the outfield stands, right next to the batter’s eye screen.

“What the hell’s goin’ on!?”

“When I give the signal, that girl gets shot. You should be able to work out the rest.”

“Bastard!”

Kurosawa addressed Majima, “If you want to save Haruka Sawamura and your ‘little brother’s’ family, kill your sworn brother.” Looking at Saejima, “If Majima wins, I give the signal for these men to shoot. You can both head on up to heaven together. As a bonus the boy and his mother get to see tomorrow.”

What is wrong with you?

Kurosawa continued, “But if you win, Saejima, I’ll let the girl live.”

What? “What?”

“Then you get to spend the rest of your life behind bars for the kidnapping and triple homicide of Goro Majima, Inko Midoriya, and Izuku Midoriya . In retaliation for the foremost kicking you out of the Tojo Clan.”

Saejima said nothing.

“What? I thought you’d enjoy rotting in a cell.”

“You twisted f*ck.”

More than twisted, he’s filth. Akatani’s got nothing on him.

Majima stared silently, hand gripping his knife intently.

“Bro… we really doin’ this?”

“We don’t, my world dies right here. And her dream dies in front of 50,000 people. You and I kick the bucket, though- the world goes on, hardly anyone bats an eye. The choice ain’t that hard.”

“Jiji…”

Majima turned his sight to Izuku.

“Jiji, you’re a f*ckin’ idiot.”

His eye widened.

“‘Hardly anyone bats an eye’? ‘The world goes on’? Jiji, when you ‘died’, my world stopped. I sat in my room crying for a week, I felt too sick to eat some days. Are you stupid?”

“Izu-chan…”

“I want in.”

“What!?”

Izuku turned and addressed Kurosawa, “I’m fighting too.”

The man snorted derisively, “Do what you like. Just understand what’s happening after.”

“Right.” He turned back to Majima, “You heard him, Jiji. Right now, all I wanna do… is kick your ass.”

The cyclops looked like he wanted to say something, but thought better of it. Shaking his head, he grasped the shoulder of his jacket, in a similar manner to Akatani, and pulled.

With one motion, his jacket was off.

And Izuku finally saw his uncle’s tattoos in full.

No.

He’d seen his uncle’s tattoos before, but this was the first time that he actually looked at them.

Black swirls, whirling with flowers, and twin snakes wrapping about his arms and legs.

He couldn’t see the man’s back, but he knew exactly what was there.

The Hannya. The same symbol on the back of his stajun.

He knew what it meant, and now he could finally apply to the man that stood in front of him.

The complexity of human emotion. He had felt it earlier, after he almost killed Akatani.

He could see it stirring in uncle’s eye.

“Fine then, Izuku. Show me what ya got. Consider this your final exam from me.”

Izuku nodded, taking note of all of his injuries.

Saejima, however, was the one to speak up, “How ya gonna fight us all banged up like that?”

Majima kept silent.

“Ya won’t last five minutes. We ain’t even on the same playing field. Heard ya say so yerself You ain’t what ya used to be. Way you are now, the kid could prolly take you with his hands tied behind his back. ”

“You’re right about that.”

“Then what’re ya doin’!?”

“Two years ago, I couldn’t fight you.”

“Uh-huh...”

“That’s because… ya were too damn weak, brother!”

What?

“Huh? The hell?”

“It’s true, I saw all I needed at that battin’ center. I saw ya’d gone soft as a broke-open clam. Made me wanna cry.”

Taijiji? Soft? Sure ya have the right guy?

“But I knew what I hadta do. ‘Cause in our world, it’s all over when ya go soft. That’s why I gave ya an easy out. That expulsion letter, brother… It wasn’t Morinaga or Aoyama who wrote it... It was me. Sent it out while I was headin’ out to Sapporo!”

“Bro… how could ya?”

“I really didn’t want ya dragged into this. Never wanted any of ya dragged into this, if I’m bein’ honest. I never thought that legend about you killin’ eighteen men would make ya such a target, but here we are.”

“Yeah, here we are.”

“So, get yer shirt off, an’ prove yourself worthy of the myth! Show me you haven’t lost it, old friend. Show me yer fangs.”

And after that came the rasp of a blade against its sheath, as Majima drew his dagger, decorated with demonfire.

In response, Saejima grabbed the shoulder of his coat and pulled it and his shirt off in one simple motion.

From the corner of his vision, Izuku could see Kurosawa grin.

Majima spoke up again, “We ain’t got a choice. Bear with me, you two. Would ya?”

“Dumbass” Saejima responded “If you were the kinda guy who’d just let her and these folks die… I’da killed your sorry ass anyway.”

“And I’d help. Hate to say it Kurosawa, but I owe ya one.”

For the first time in the encounter, the unflappable older man seemed surprised.

“Huh?”

“I’ve done a lotta growing these past few days, if it weren’t for you being a complete dickhe*d, it would’ve taken years.”

“Yeah, and thanks to you, I get another real crack at my sworn brother. If he’d died before I proved myself… I’d carry that regret to my grave. So let’s go brother. Izuku.”

“Yeah.”

“You got it.”

Tonight, I’m not gonna fight like Izuku Midoriya...

“One last rush of blood through our veins.”

Tonight, I’m gonna fight…

“Let’s show ‘em how it’s done!”

Majima charged. Izuku struck out at him but was swiftly evaded, as the man jumped into the air coming down at Saejima with a cleaving motion.

Tonight- I’m gonna fight...

Saejima grabbed Majima’s arm and spun the man around, letting him go and watching him land on his feet and slide.

That didn’t stop him though, he was quickly back upon the mountain of man in a flash, never noticing the small figure quickly approaching from the other direction as he slashed at his sworn brother again.

THWACK!

Only to catch a small fist straight to the cheek and be sent sliding back several feet.

And Izuku pulled his fist back and slipped into his fighting stance.

Tonight- I’m gonna fight… Like a demon!

Goro Majima

“Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it. Let’s do this!”

After the brief exchange, Majima was back upon the two, lashing out with his dagger and feet in quick combo.

Izuku dodged a spinning high kick, and tried to counter by kicking the man’s other leg, only to miss as Majima pirouetted and kicked him away.

“Unf!”

He was lifted a few inches off of the ground, but managed to stay upright, digging his heels in and sliding back when he landed.

While he was in the air, though, Majima had gone back to attack Saejima again, thrusting his blade at his sworn brother.

Saejima evaded, but Majima kept up his pursuit, moving forward still, but spinning and tossing the knife into the air, catching it after completing the spin and thrusting once again.

Saejima evaded still, deftly avoiding the sweeping kick that the eyepatch-wearing yakuza lashed with soon after, with the knife in the air once again.

Another catch, another thrust that was swiftly avoided, followed by a roundhouse kick that Saejima ducked under, and concluding with two more thrusts, the second of which saw the blade knocked out of Majima’s hand, though he quickly caught it again.

It was a macabre dance between the two, one that Izuku found himself fascinated by.

One that he desperately wanted to cut in on.

He began running at the two with the speed and abandon of a wolf on the trail.

Majima had just begun another savage combination with his blade, slashing and lashing out with his off-hand in tandem.

Saejima backstepped, moving closer to the railing at the edge of the helipad, and then sidestepped another slash.

Majima came flying past, right into the railing. Not losing a step, he jumped onto the railing and sprang off of it, coming down with a twirling slash.

Only to be caught by Saejima, who used the opportunity to slam the man’s head into the railing.

CLANG!

After ringing his knife-swinging brother’s bell, Saejima spun him around and tossed him towards a still rapidly approaching Izuku, who used the opportunity and forward momentum he had accumulated to strike his uncle with a dropkick to the stomach.

THUD!

To his credit, Majima didn’t make a sound, aside the harsh Thud! that his body made after hitting the ground. He laid there still for a moment, while Izuku took to a knee to catch his breath.

Is it over?

It wasn’t.

Majima quickly rose to his feet again, knife still firmly gripped in hand.

And then, he multiplied.

Izuku hardly blinked, and suddenly several shadowy dopplegangers of his uncle had appeared.

What!?

They all then took to the offensive, striking in tandem at Izuku and Saejima.

The fu-!?

Schwing! Woosh!

He quickly dodged from a strike that came a bit too close to his right eye.

Woosh!

The attacks didn’t stop there, he then had to avoid a shadowy boot to his torso, falling back and scrambling away.

Eventually, he found himself back-to-back with Saejima, who seemed less perturbed by the appearance of actual shadow clones of their opponent.

“Taijiji, what’s going on!?”

Schwing!

“Calm down, Izuku. These ain’t real. They’re just afterimages. Majima made ‘em usin’ pure speed.”

He’s that fast?

“So, what do we do now?” Whoosh! “These things hit like they’re real!”

“Yeah, well we just need to find Majima and slow him down.”

“How? That’s impossible! We’re hardly even on the same footing now!”

Wait, that’s it! Same footing!

“Taijiji! I’ve got a plan, we can end this right now.”

Schwing!Schwing! Whoosh!

“Well, I’d be glad to hear it!”

“We need to throw off his footing! Do ya have somethin’ that can do that?”

With a brief look in the man’s direction, Izuku could see a realization spark in his eyes.

“Yeah. Now that ya mention it, I do. Hop on!”

Izuku didn’t need to be told twice, quickly jumping onto the massive man’s back and wrapping his arms around his neck.

[!!!] Cooperative Climax Heat Move: Essence of Shock and Awe

Raising a fist high into the air, Saejima wound up for a huge punch, Izuku could feel all of the tension in the man’s body. The raw power built up in his muscles. The smoldering Heat that permeated the air. It made him sweat, but it felt great.

He could see the dopplegangers moving in tandem, all of them closing in, poised to strike.

And once they got close, Saejima brought his fist down. Hard.

SLAM!

And all of the doppelgangers disappeared leaving only the one, true Goro Majima to fly into the air.

“Izuku, NOW!”

“Right!”

He stood on Saejima’s back and locked his vision onto his uncle.

Bending his knees, he felt the Heat rise in his body.

It was intense, more intense than ever before. So intense, that he could actually see blue flame surrounding him.

Blue flame, with small flecks of green.

It motivated him, and from Saejima’s back, he sprung.

Fist co*cked back, he rapidly approached Majima who was still suspended in the air, ready to fall.

They locked eyes, and Izuku gave him the widest smile that he had given in weeks.

THWACK!

His fist met the man’s cheek and Izuku watched him spin in the air, knife spiralling off into another direction, before they both hit the ground with a slam.

“Ngh!” “Unf!”

Izuku sat up and took a knee again, catching his breath and watching Majima groan and do the same.

Majima spoke up, “That was well fought, you two. ‘Specially you Izuku. Yer definitely not that sobbin’ brat I found at the park six years ago. He’s pretty great, ain’t he Saejima?”

“Yeah, kids are weird like that, take your eyes off of ‘em for a second and they end up growin’ up without ya.”

“You guys are makin’ me blush. You two are pretty awesome too.”

Kurosawa spoke up for the first time the fight began, impatient and enraged, “What? That all you got to offer!? It ain’t over yet!”

The fighting trio just looked over at the man.

“Keep fighting, or Haruka Sawamura and Inko Midoriya get a bullet each!”

They continued staring.

“Damn it!” Kurosawa pulled out a phone and quickly dialed a number, impatiently listening for a few moments to the tone, before pulling it away and asking, “What? Why isn’t he answering?”

Izuku responded with the snideness that the man regarded him with earlier, “C’mon, you’d think that if you were smart enough to pull all this off, you’d at least have the brains to understand what was goin’ on under your nose.”

At this, Saejima slid the smartphone that Kurosawa had given him back to the man in question.

After picking it up and watching what was on the screen, Kurosawa’s face twisted into a snarl.

“What!?”

Izuku could feel a smirk on his face.

“Who the hell is this!? He failed me?”

Sometimes you just suck, old man.

“Damn it!” He threw the smartphone down and stomped on it.

Pulling out his own gun from his jacket, Kurosawa pointed it at the youngest of the trio.

“Fine, change of plans. You all get to die right now. Starting with the damned Midoriya.”

BANG!

And the gun clattered uselessly after being shot out of his hand.

The force of it knocked the old man over, and they all looked to see who fired the shot.

“Yeah, I don’t think so.”

And to the side, just at the stairs of the helipad, there stood three men.

The first one, the one who had fired the shot, he didn’t recognize.

The second looked familiar, he supported the first man as he slung the man’s arm over his shoulder, but he couldn’t quite place him.

And the third, the one who had spoken up, was someone he now knew disturbingly well.

It seemed that Kurosawa also knew the man, seeing as he had just tried to have him murdered.

“Akatani, what are you doing here?”

The men that Kurosawa had brought with him trained their guns on the newly arrived trio.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

And were taken down by several well aimed shots to the torso.

Akatani gave Kurosawa his regularly infuriating grin, “Just handin’ in my resignation.” He looked over to Inko, then Izuku, and his smile took on a genuinely gentler edge, “And makin’ sure all my affairs are in order, ‘fore I do my time.”

He’s planning to go back?

That didn’t matter to him, there was something more important to care of.

His mother was still unconscious behind the gunmen. He had to untie her and wake her up.

So he stood on shaky legs, waving off the concerned looks of Saejima and Majima, before he began shambling his way over to his mother.

The men spoke in the background, but he ignored them, there was still something important for him to do.

But halfway there, he noticed something.

One of the gunmen was still breathing.

Not only that, he was still moving.

In his hands, his gun.

Aiming.

He was aiming at something.

Not at him, it was too far to his right.

He was aiming past him.

Aiming right at-

“NO!” He ran at the man, as quick he possibly could while his legs were still wobbly-

BANG!

And he felt an impact as the bullet struck him, tearing through his stajun, hitting him in the ribs.

He fell back and hit his head.

And it went all black for Izuku Midoriya, after taking the fatal bullet meant for Mikumo Akatani.

Chapter 24: End of The Prologue

Chapter Text

Midoriya Residence- Musutafu, Tokyo- 200X

"I don't get it."

Majima smiled at the five year old sat across the couch from him and paused the movie that they were watching.

"What don't you get, Izu-chan?"

"Well, why did Hiro-san jump in front of him? Wasn't he the bad guy?"

"Ah, that. Well, it's complicated, but I think because it was the right thing to do."

"Whaddya mean? He's the bad guy, and he hurt a lot of people. Wouldn't the right thing be to let him die?"

Majima sighed fondly, muttering under his breath about 'kids' and 'black and white'.

"Yeah, but you saw how he was doing the right thing at the end, right?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, if he could do the right thing there, who's to say he couldn't do the right thing again?"

It wasn't Majima who spoke up this time. The voice was decidedly female and came from behind them, in the doorway of the living room.

Izuku turned his head and beamed, "Mom!"

"Tadaima."

She was dressed in her usual attire, a cardigan and skirt combo, with the added addition of a pair of reading glasses. Under her arm, she held a folder, likely filled with student's papers that needed grading.

"Okaeri!"

"Yo."

The older greenette smiled and walked over to the couch, lifting up the small boy and taking his spot, before plopping him down on her lap and giving the top of his head a light peck.

Izuku leaned back into her and got comfortable, as she sat her folder on the arm of the couch and ran her fingers through his hair.

"What did you mean mom? About the bad guy doing the right thing again? Wouldn't that make him, I dunno, not the bad guy?"

"Well, think about it this way. Do you think people are born bad?"

"Mm-mm."

"Well, then how did they become bad?"

"Well, in the movie, people did bad things to the bad guy and he got really mad and sad and started doing bad things to other people."

"So, what if something good happens to him? Maybe he could be good."

"I didn't think about that. But, why did Hiro-san have to jump in front of him? His mom and his grandpa are waiting for him. Doesn't he wanna get back to them?"

"Well, yes. But, it was the right thing to do. A hero saves people. And at that moment, he saw someone who needed saving, so he saved him."

"Hmmmmm..."

Izuku squeezed his eyes shut, putting a hand to his chin and puffing out his chubby, freckled cheeks, straining his mind and thinking really hard about what his mother said.

The overwhelming cuteness of it made Inko wish that she had chosen to take her phone out of her purse, which sat on the shelf near the genkan, when she came in. But the sight of Majima holding out his own phone and giving her a thumbs up made her smile.

New wallpaper GET!

She really needed to stop watching Izuku play Hisashi's old games.

Izuku finished up his brief period of concentrated thinking and nodded firmly.

"Okay, I think I get it. If a hero can't help someone who really needs it, how can he save everyone? Right?"

"That's right, Izu. Good job!"

Leave it to the Hero Ethics professor to explain the themes behind a kid's movie, and have it actually stick.

"Wow, well when I'm a hero, I'll be the kind of hero that saves everyone! Just you wait!"

He started laughing in a manner similar to a famous blonde superhero, his mother and uncle joining in, filling the apartment with laughter.

All the while, the Arakure Quest movie sat paused and forgotten in the background.

?- 201X

Beep! Beep! Beep!

Izuku's eyes opened to bright, blinding light.

Ah! Too bright. Way too bright.

He squeezed them shut again and waited for a few more moments to open them, listening to the beeping sound once again.

Where was he?

He felt something in his arm. It didn't hurt, but he knew it was there. Almost like someone was constantly pinching him.

He smelled the overwhelming scent of pine and bleach, the aroma of flowers, and a dash of antiseptic.

Okay, let's see where I am now.

Cracking open his eyes, bit-by-bit, he looked up to the ceiling.

Plain white, not quite as bright as before.

Turning his head to his left, he saw a heart rate monitor and an IV drip, the tube leading into his arm.

The latter certainly explained the pinching feeling in his arm.

He didn't know what would happen if he took that out, so he left it alone.

To his immediate right, he saw a side table next to his head. He couldn't see what was on it.

Further away, next to the wall, was an empty chair.

Ok, so he was left alone.

Izuku took a breath and his brain went into overdrive.

Okay, let's review.

I was on a rooftop, I had just fought Jiji with Taijiji. We won and then Kurosawa pulled a gun on us.

"Fine, change of plans. You all get to die right now. Starting with the damned Midoriya."

And then...

BANG!

He fired…

The boy blinked.

Wait no, that's not right…

BANG!

The gun was shot out of his hand and he fell.

"Yeah, I don't think so."

Akatani, he showed up just in time to shoot the gun out of Kurosawa's hand…

Izuku thought a little harder, realizing that that wasn't quite right.

No, Akatani showed up, but he didn't fire that shot.

BANG!

"Yeah, I don't think so."

Akatani was there for sure, but he showed up with two other people, one leaning on the other and one of them fired the shot.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Then, he shot the guys that Kurosawa brought with him.

They started talking after that, but I didn't pay attention to what they said. I was walking over to my mom.

And while I was doing that, I saw one of guys who got shot… aiming at…

Akatani.

"NO!"

I ran at him to stop him and-

BANG!

BEEP!BEEP!BEEP!BEEP!BEEP!BEEP!

His breathing hitched and his heart raced as he remembered what happened after that.

He was shot.

He took the shot for Akatani, right in his lung.

According to the book he got from Shiro all those years ago, he should've choked on his blood and died.

Yet, here he was.

Maybe this is-

SLAM!

And suddenly, in the doorway in front of him, stood an out-of-breath Inko Midoriya.

They locked eyes and within the matter of half an instant, holding the younger greenette tightly and peppering the young boy's face with kisses before he could he even react.

Izuku, for his part, just held her back tightly and let her do what she was doing.

And if he cried just a little bit, that was nobody's business but his own.

It took a few minutes(realistically over half an hour) but the reunited mother and son were finally calm again.

"Mom, how am I still alive?"

"What?"

"I got shot. Didn't I? I should be dead."

"Hon, don't say that."

"It's the truth. So how?"

Inko sighed, reaching into one of the pockets of her skirt and pulling out a small, familiar object and pressing into Izuku's hand.

"My lighter?"

"Yep, it was inside the inner pocket of your jacket. When you got hit, it took the bullet for you."

"Good thing I went home to get it, then."

"Yeah, real good thing."

Bzzzzt!

Inko reached back into her pocket and pulled out her cellphone, checking the message that she had just received and typing out a reply.

Wait. Her cellphone?

"Mom?"

She didn't even look up from her phone.

"Yes, Izu?"

"You got your phone back?"

"I did."

"I thought Akatani took it?"

"He did, but when I woke up, it was back in my pocket."

She finished her reply and snapped her phone shut, slipping it back into her pocket.

"Speaking of Akatani, where is he? And Jiji, and Taijiji? They were pretty hurt too."

Inko hesitated for a moment, before clearing her throat and answering him.

"Well, Goro-nii's out for the moment. He had to make a few statements to the police and they're grilling him at the station currently."

Well, he seems like he's okay at least.

"Saejima-san and Akatani-kun, however-"I'm sorry. Akatani-kun?"-turned themselves in to the police."

Well Taijiji, I understand, he did kinda break outta prison to get here, but Akatani?

"Huh, well then. Did Akatani say anything before they took him?"

"He did actually, he said to make sure you checked your phone. I'll give it to you in a bit, your uncle has it. You should get some rest, though."

Okay, guess I'll be doing that later.

"Okay, one more thing though."

Inko smiled again, "Yes?"

"Why am I here?"

Smile gone. "Pardon?"

"Well, I didn't get shot, right? My lighter did. I feel fine, so why am I in the hospital?"

Concern. "Izuku, baby, you have three minor concussions."

"Really, where'd the third one come from?"

"That's the one that landed you in that bed!"

Three Days Later…

"So, you're pleading guilty?"

"That's right."

"Why?"

"Feel like it."

"Stop being a dick."

"Alright, alright. Guess it couldn't hurt to tell ya."

Izuku couldn't see him, but he was sure the man had a sh*t-eating grin on his face on the other end of the line.

"I wanted to make a change in my life. The Omi ain't quite been a barrel of monkeys it was years ago, with my oyaji around. I've been lookin' to leave for awhile now. Take my boys and just get the hell outta the yakuza, live a life with them and the girl I love."

His voice was decidedly sobered.

"This was the perfect opportunity, and I'm sorry ya had to get caught up in it."

"What do you mean? Weren't you told to kidnap the two of us?"

"I was. But I was also told to take you both straight to Kamurocho."

Really?"Well, why didn't you?"Not that I'm complaining.

"It was a social experiment."

"What?"

"You reminded me of this dumb kid I knew a long time ago. That kid wanted to be a hero too. He lived in almost the same circ*mstances as you, had all of the same choices, picked the wrong answer every time."

"What happened to him?"

The line went quiet for a moment.

"...He died."

"I'm sorry."

"Nah, don't be. It was a long time ago anyway. Thanks for carin' though."

Akatani's voice seemed genuine, it felt nice.

"I wanted to see how you, someone so much like that kid, handled all the pressure. See if you'd crumble like he did. To see if you could really become a hero in this world."

"To show you that youcan'tbe a hero."

"And congratulations, you passed! And it's because of that, that I'm doing this."

"What do you mean?"

"The world's moving on, kid. It's time the Yamikumo Clan does too. This is just the first step. I held onto the Yakuza because I was stuck in a past where I was just a bit happier than I am now. Well, I've decided that I'm doing that anymore. I've recently heard from a wise man that we should move forward, without looking behind. So that's what I'm gonna do."

"...That's 'Senbonzakura'."

"Yeah, I've been really into Vocaloid lately, I really think it's gonna take off. Worldwide tours, arenas sold out, that kinda stuff."

"Right…" He liked Vocaloid well enough, he didn't quite think it would become a global phenomenon like Akatani was so sure of.

"Right, my time's almost up, but that brings me to my next point. Before I came to help ya, I ended up transferring half of the stocks that I owned to you. They'reyourresponsibiltynowokaygottabye!"

"Wait, what?! Akatani, hold up-!"

Beep! Beep! Beep!

Well, crap.

Slide!

The door slid open, and there stood Akiyama and Tsukauchi, the latter with a laptop under his arm.

They both nodded at the boy and pulled a chair up to his bed, which he had been instructed by his mother not to leave, unless he had to go to the bathroom.

"Yo, what's up guys?"

Tsukauchi was the first to answer, "Well, we're just here to see how you're doing. And well, in my case, I've got a few things to talk to you about before I get going."

"Yeah, I guess things would be buzzing in Division Four after all of that."

"Yeah… that's one of things I need to talk to you about."

"Huh? Everything alright?"

"Well, yeah, it's just that... I'm being transferred out of Division Four. Effective immediately."

"WHAT!? Why!?"

"Well, in the span of two days, my charge has left my custody, assaulted a police officer, found himself back in my custody only to not be returned to the station but spirited away to Shizuoka, where he then proceeded to fight a whole yakuza family under my watch. If that weren't enough, the straw that broke the camel's back was when the chief heard that not only was I back in Tokyo, I was in Kamurocho and my charge was currently in the hospital with several concussions. Truth be told, I should've been facing immediate dismissal and possible jail time, but Date-san put in a good word for me."

"I'm… sorry, Tsukauchi-san. Really, I should've never-."

"Don't even finish that sentence, Midoriya-kun. It was my choice, and if someone gave me a chance to go back and change it, I'd do it all again." His eyes flashed gold.

A lifetime ago, Izuku would've bursted into tears after hearing such a heartfelt statement. But as he was then, tired and content, he offered Tsukauchi a simple 'thanks' and a smile.

"Oh, right! There's something else you need to see. Have you been on Yootube since you got in?"

"Mm-mm. I don't have my computer here and my phone doesn't play video. I can play a mean game of Snake, though."

Tsukauchi set the laptop on Izuku's lap, there was already a video queued up.

"Right, well take a look at this, will ya?"

He pressed 'Play' and the video began. And he recognized exactly where it was filmed.

"Stop there, brat!"

"We've got you now!"

"Holy sh*t, those are actual yakuza chasing that kid?"

"Are you even sure that's a kid, man? You saw him on that bridge! Maybe he's just another really short yakuza?"

"I dunno, man…"

"Whoever wants to die first, step right up!"

"Okay, maybe they recruit really young."

And there stood a small figure surrounded by over thirty men.

Moments later, he had taken down two of them before being knocked away.

"Woah! We should probably get outta here. This fight seems like it's over."

"Ah!"

"Hehehehehehehahaha!"

And there the figure stood, cackling, covered in mud and blood and illuminated by the moonlight.

All with a big, toothy smile smile on his face.

The rest of the video was standard fare. He threatened the Yamikumo Clan members, they attacked him, he kicked some of their asses, threatened them again, and they ran.

And the video cut there.

Izuku turned to Tsukauchi, "People were there? They saw me? Us?"

"Just a couple punks with a smartphone. No one's ID'd us, but you've been making waves."

He clicked into another tab and Izuku was bombarded with memes, speculation threads, and short clips all taken from the video he'd just watched.

And among them all, one thing remained predominant.

"Mad Dog of Shizuoka?"

"Well, yeah, the way you fought in that video was insane. Almost like a 'Mad Dog'. It was ferocious. And a lot of people saw the statue of Tokugawa Ieyasu in the background and everyone knows about the castle park in Shizuoka. So the name's kind of stuck."

"Well, I don't mind that. I kinda like it."

Mad Dog of Shizuoka, sounds like a videogame boss or something.

Tsukauchi stood up, grabbing his laptop as he did, "Well, I should get going. They moved me to the Vigilante Division in Naruhata and apparently they're a bit short on hands, dealing with this guy called, The Hauler or something. Apparently he's got a crew with him. Oh, and so you're not caught off guard, my boss is coming in to see you and touch base."

He walked over to the door and slid it open.

"Take care of yourself, Midoriya-kun."

"Tsukauchi-san."

The man turned his head.

"Call me Izuku. That's what friends do, y'know?" Izuku gave him a wide, toothy smile.

Tsukauchi was taken aback for a moment, but then he smiled back, just as wide, "Yeah, you're right. So, take care of yourself, Izuku-kun."

"And you too, Masa-chan."

Tsukauchi twitched, but he just let it slide.

And with the slide of the door once more, Tsukauchi was gone, leaving only Akiyama and Izuku in the room.

Oh, right!

Izuku turned to the moneylender with a smile full of dubious intent. The latter raised an eyebrow.

"Ne, Akiyama-san…"

"Yeah?"

"You're good with money, right?"

"Well, it's kinda my business, so I'd like to think so."

The dubious intent increased dramatically.

"So how good would you say you are at… Day Trading?"

"Well, I'm pretty good there too. Why? You've got some stocks you want me to manage?"

"Well, yeah."

"Well, that's not exactly a service Sky Finance provides, but you're a good kid. I'm certain we could come to an agreement." He said this with a grin.

And Izuku grinned back.

And it was after that day, that Sky Finance hired its first, only, and youngest part-timer.

The Next Day…

Munch!Munch!Munch!Munch!Munch!Munch!Munch!Munch!Munch!Munch!Munch!Munch!

"Goro, you really shouldn't be sneaking this stuff in for him."

"Now yer sayin' that, Mi-chan, but I wonder where that box of Doryaki in the trash came from."

"Hm, so do I."

Mirei and Majima sat chatting by Izuku's bedside while the ten-year old inhaled the bowl of Katsudon that his uncle had brought him.

He'd had nothing but hospital food up until then, so when his aunt and uncle had shown up with Doryaki and Katsudon, respectively, he was in heaven.

Just as he finished his meal, his mother slid the door open, laptop in hand.

She smiled at the chatting, joking couple and set the laptop down on her son's lap.

On the screen, smiling at the boy and waving, was Hisashi Midoriya.

Izuku's grin grew exponentially.

Minutes Later...

"I see... Kurosawa, huh? Yeah, he was a slimy condescending ass back then too. No love lost between us."

Izuku had just finished telling him about the adventure he had just had, with Inko, Majima, and Mirei(who Hisashi had been incredibly surprised to see) chiming in to fill in the gaps.

"Yeah... Dad?"

"What is it, Dekiru?"

"I think it's time you told me about Grandpa Musashi."

Hisashi froze, eyes wide, and the other three room occupants shifted uncomfortably.

"W-what was that, Dekiru?"

"It's time you told me about Grandpa. Every time I would ask, you would clam up. You know Kurosawa, he definitely knew you, and I'm in the dark about it. Now I find out from some old bastard who wanted me dead that he was a yakuza and you're refusing to tell me anything and it's stupid and unfair-"

"Izuku, that's enough!" Inko chided.

Izuku stared on.

Hisashi kept his silence. After a few more beats of silence, he spoke up.

"Alright."

"Hisashi…"

"It's fine, Inko. He's right. It's not fair for me to keep this from him. Nii-san."

"Yeah, Hi-chan?"

"I'm gonna need you to fill in some of the gaps, I know your memory isn't the best, but would ya mind helping me out?"

"Of course."

Hisashi took a deep breath before slapping his cheeks and breathing out.

"Okay, so around twenty-someodd years ago, I was playing in a park near my dad's office when I happened to see this one guy with a bowl-cut littering there. So I went over to him to give him a piece of my mind…"

Many Minutes Later…

"... about a week later, he sent us off to Shizuoka. We went to school there, made some friends, graduated and moved to Tokyo for college. About eight years later, you were born. Ten years after that, here we are."

"That's… a lot."

"Yeah."

"Aren't we supposed to be the normal family?"

"You've met your uncle, where exactly does 'normal' factor in?"

"Good point."

"Hey, what the hell, you two?"

"You've gotta admit Goro, they've got a point."

"Yeah, and that jacket isn't doing you any favors, Goro-nii."

"Yougot me this!"

"Well yeah, but-"

Knock!Knock!Knock!

Whatever Inko had been about to retort with was soon cut off by the sound of a knock at the door.

"Pardon the intrusionwoof!"

Woof?

Slide!

And in walked a dog wearing a suit.

Okay, that's slightly diminishing.

It would be more appropriate to say that a bipedal dog man walked into the room.

In the world of quirks, this was normal, Izuku however…

Seriously. Woof?

The dog man bowed and spoke, "Once again, pardon the intrusion. My name is Kenji Tsuragamae, I'm currently Musutafu's chief of police, but I'll be making the move to Hosu soon."

He's transferring too?

"I've come to apologize on behalf of my subordinate, Tsukauchi."

"That's really not necessary, Tsuragamae-san." Inko responded.

"No, it is. If I may be perfectly candidarf!,I'd like to say that young Midoriya-kun did a wonderful job when faced with the odds that he faced, both here and in Shizuoka."

Wow, thanks, but did you actually say arf? Are you a dog man or a man dog? Why has there never been a comic series about this?

"-great feat, especially for a quirkless child."

"Ah, actually, about that Tsuragamae-san…"

"Hm, did I say something wrong?"

"Well, not quite, it's just… I think I may have awakened my quirk."

And the shock was present throughout the whole room, if the resounding 'HUH?' were any indication.

Locking eyes with his on-screen father, he sent the man a few hands signals.

Fingers in an 'L' shape.

Thumb over index, middle, and ring finger with pinky up.

Finally, thumb curled under all other fingers.

Luckily, Hisashi had taken JSL as an undergrad.

He was actually the one that taught Izuku, stating that sometimes heroes would have to talk to people who either couldn't talk or hear.

Hisashi just nodded.

"Excuse me, Tsuragamae-san?"

The chief snapped to attention and Izuku turned the screen so that it faced the dog man.

"Hi there. I'm Hisashi Midoriya, Izuku's father, and I'm actually the head researcher here on I-Island for Quirk Theory and Development, as it so happens, I may actually have a working theory on why my son's quirk is appearing so late."

Tsuragamae's eyes perked up, Izuku guessed that that was a sign of the chief displaying interest.

"Please, I'd be glad to hear itwoof!"

"Gladly, so my theory is-"

Izuku tuned out here, as his father went into a ten minute explanation about the properties of the 'Quirk gene' and adrenaline, high stress activation, and even the possibilities of the threat of a near death experience triggering something something something.

Izuku was just glad that Tsukauchi wasn't around, while he and his father lied like dogs.

No pun intended.

After Hisashi finished his (totally bogus) theory, Tsuragamae remained quiet for a moment, tapping his foot on the tile floor.

Tap! Tap! Tap!

"Well, it certainly seems plausible and you all wouldn't have any reason to lie about this…"

Tap! Tap! Tap! Tap!

"Well then, I suppose that I can get the paperwork filled out and have you registered. It's the least I could do after my department failed you."

Okay, feeling slightly guilty now. Too deep now, though. This lie goes to the grave.

Tsuragamae was already halfway out the door when he turned back.

"Ah, before I go. Do you have a name for it? Based on what it does?"

A name, huh? What would be a good-

Izuku grinned as the perfect name came to mind.

"Yeah." He looked the dog man right in the eyes, "I wanna call it… 'Heat'."

A few minutes after Tsuragamae left, Hisashi hung up, and Izuku listened as Mirei spoke to Majima.

"Alright, so I'm going to catch the first train back and say goodbye to Yuki-chan and everyone at Dyna-Chair. After that, when I get back to Musutafu, I remember the way to the building, but I wouldn't mind having a certain someone… meet me at the station and show me the way."

"Wait, you're coming visit us again, Baba?"

Mirei giggled, "Not quite. Seeing as Haruka's debut was the final show that I decided to manage, I've suddenly found myself with quite a bit of free time on my hands. So, I figure that a change of scenery would be nice. Especially if it moves me closer to my old friend" she smiled at Inko, who smiled back and nodded, "my spoilable nephew" she teasingly pinched Izuku's cheek, "and my darling husband." Majima looked at her with an indecipherable look in his eye, though if forced to describe it, Izuku would say it reminded him of the way that his dad looked at his mom.

As happy as he was to hear the news, there was still something on his mind.

"Hey, guys?"

They all turned to face him.

"Where's Kiryu-san and Haruka-neechan?"

They all looked at each other and hesitated.

His uncle was the one who spoke up, "Ya may wanna lay back for this one, Izu-chan…"

Izuku didn't like the sound of that.

Three Years Later…

Ryukyu Boulevard, Okinawa-Afternoon

"Dakara [please], [GET UP MY BABY]"

A thirteen year old Izuku sighed as he walked down the street.

The music on his phone blared through his earbuds, as made his way to Ryukyu Station on the cold day.

The plane ride over felt longer than it ever had before.

The taxi ride to Ryukyu even longer.

It might've been because no one was there to meet him, unlike before.

Alternatively, it could've been because he was there for a different reason than he was usually.

Maybe it was just the fact that it was winter, early January made most things seem to drag.

He ran a hand through his hair and sighed again.

He had already known it was too long.

Even in the ponytail that he had it in, it reached down to his mid-back and bounced.

According to his mom, his uncle had worn his hair in the same style. Izuku just wasn't sure if it fit him personally.

Vrrrrr!

Oh, a message. I had my phone off during the ride here, so I should probably check and see if someone messaged me then too.

Pulling his phone out of the pocket of his stajun, now complete with bullet-hole, he tapped out of his music app and checked his messenger app.

Oh, one from Mom and Mirei-baba. They asked if I got here okay. I'll just send a quick 'yeah'.

Got one here from Mei-chan. She wants me to bring back some scrap from one of the shops in the mall. Alright, guess I can do that.

Oh hey, Akiyama-san sent me my pay. 'Try and have a good time', he says. Yeah, I can try, Akiyama-san.

"[Excuse me, young man?]"

Huh?He took his eyes off of his phone and turned around.

He was met with the sight of a foreigner, a tall man with blonde hair and blue eyes.

"Huh?"

"[Can you tell me how to get to the station?]"

Okay, that was definitely English. Mine isn't the best, but this should be pretty simple.

"Ahem. [The station is just down this road, I am on my way there now. Follow me, please.]"

Okay, that should be passable. English is my second best subject in school, so I couldn't have been that bad.

The foreigner's eyes lit up, "[Thank You!]"

Okay. I did good.

"[You are welcome.]"

Izuku gestured for the man to follow him, and continued down the street.

It didn't take too long, and soon as they reached the station, the foreigner cheered and reached into his pocket, pulling out a 10,000 Yen note and attempting to hand it to Izuku, who quickly attempted to refuse.

"[I want you to have this.]"

"Ah! I can't accept this, I was just doing the right thing!" In his panic, Izuku had forgotten to speak English.

"[Please, take it, I have to catch this next train. Bye now!]" With that, he pressed the note into Izuku's hand and took off, hopping onto a train just before its doors closed.

Izuku looked down at the note in his hand, and pocketed with a sigh.

Man, foreigners are weird. But, helping 'em's what we do. Right, Kiryu-san?

Morning Glory Orphanage-Evening

It's almost amazing how this place, despite being bulldozed, rebuilt, and standing for over half a decade after that, still looks exactly the same as it did when I was four.

"Arf! Arf! Arf!"

Except for this little guy of course.

Approaching quickly from a small doghouse to the left of the yard, came a small Shiba Inu.

Izuku crouched down as it approached, grounding himself and waiting for impact.

Slam!

Lick!Lick!Lick!Lick!Lick!

As soon as the dog slammed into his body, Izuku grabbed him and was soon assaulted by a flurry of wet kisses.

"Ahaha, it's good to see you too, Mame."

Izuku had met the dog years ago, when he was just a pup.

They had met during Izuku's second visit to Okinawa. He had come back to find a rebuilt Morning Glory, Kiryu with a healing stab wound, and Izumi playing with a little pup.

They had hit it off immediately.

"Mame? What's wrong? What are you barking at?"

In the doorway of Morning Glory, there stood a teenage girl wearing a red hoodie and jeans, with her hair styled into a ponytail, a much shorter one than Izuku's own.

And when she noticed the freckled, ponytailed boy holding her dog in the yard, she froze.

Izuku smiled, "How ya been, Izumi-chan?"

No other words needed be said after that.

Izumi ran straight at the boy and caught him in a bone crushing hug. Luckily, he had put Mame down and stood up before she reached him.

She squeezed his back, grabbing fistfuls of his jacket, and rubbed her face into his chest.

Wow, she's shorter than me now.

"Izumi, everything alright out here?"

And again at the door, stood a glasses-wearing boy in a short-sleeved plaid hoodie, a pig-tailed girl in a green striped shirt, and another, older girl in a long-sleeved pink and white shirt.

And they too froze at the sight of the person that Izumi was hugging.

"Hey guys."

And he was soon set upon by Eri, Shiro, and Riona.

Soon after that, the greenette found himself caught in a crushing group hug courtesy of his longtime friends from Morning Glory Orphanage.

Riona was the first to speak up, "Where have you been for the past three years? We missed you!"

Izuku didn't have a chance to answer as Shiro quickly asked his own question, "Yeah, and why couldn't you pick up the phone? We've all tried calling a hundred times each."

Izuku was again stopped from answering, this time by Eri, "What're you even doing here? I'm not complaining, but you'd usually show up during the summer."

Izuku waited to answer, looking down at Izumi, who had decided to stop rubbing her face into his jacket and lay there quietly.

"Alright, so in order: I'm sorry guys, I missed you too. I started a summer job three years ago and I've been busy working there during my summers. Next, I actually got a new phone a couple years ago. Unfortunately, I kept forgetting to tell you guys the new number, so that's entirely my fault. And the third, I just wanted to visit you guys before winter break ended, I'll only be here for a day or two."

They seemed content after that, and so they stood there in silence for a moment.

Until Izuku broke it, "So… as happy as I am to see you guys, Idoalso wanna get outta the cold. So could we maybe head inside?"

After entering the building, Izuku soon found himself trapped in a headlock.

"Ngh! Hello to you too, Taichi."

The aspiring wrestler had only gotten bigger and stronger in the three years that he hadn't seen the boy.

"Hey there, stranger. You gettin' soft there, Izuku? When you were younger, you could've broken outta this no problem."

"Yeah, I still can. I'm justlettin' ya hold me like this. It's not polite to toss your host afterall."

"Heh, right. Good to see you haven't changedthatmuch, Izuku."

Taichi let the younger boy go and they walked further in, where Izuku soon found Koji and Mitsuo.

The former was reading a manga, while the latter was tossing a baseball up and down.

If it weren't for the fact that the two of them looked older, Izuku would've sworn that he'd never left.

And the minute they noticed him, they were on him just like everyone before them.

But before they could get the chance to grill him, yet another familiar face appeared out of the kitchen.

"Alright, guys. Dinner's almost done, do you mind-"

And again, this person was stopped at the sight of Izuku.

"Izuku-kun?"

"Yo, Ayako-neechan."

Her reaction compared to everyone else's was the most restrained.

She didn't come running at him, simply walking over and wrapping her arms around him.

And squeezing very hard.

He could hear her say, under her breath, "He's actually here."

He just wrapped his arms around her and squeezed back gently, saying without words, 'I'm actually here.'

After a moment of silence, she released him from the embrace, and led him by the arm to the door of the bedroom that all of the kids shared.

She stood back when they arrived at the door, and nodded at Izuku.

Izuku took that as a sign to go in.

Knock! Knock!

"Pardon the intrusion."

Slide!

And when he opened the door, he saw two people, one of them holding a small bundle.

The other, he recognized instantly. White hoodie, red shirt, black hair tied in a ponytail. The last time he had actually seen her was when she was on TV, performing for hundreds of thousands of people at the Japan Dome.

And from the looks of it, she seemed to recognize him as well.

"Izu-kun?"

"Hey, Haruka-neechan. Been a while, huh?"

Haruka got up from her spot and walked over to Izuku, soon finding herself wrapped in a tight embrace.

"Don't disappear like that again, neechan. You had Mirei-baba, and Mom, and Akiyama-san, and Mariko-san, and-and me… we were all worried…"

He could feel Haruka return his hug, laying a hand on his head and running her fingers through his hair.

"I'm sorry, Izuku. It won't happen again."

That was enough for him. He just stayed there for a few more moments before letting go.

And when he did, he looked behind Haruka to see that the figure behind Haruka was a man. A good looking guy, with dark, slicked back hair and a slim build, who was staring at the pair with slight confusion.

"Neechan, who's this?"

"Oh, right! I forgot to introduce you two." She kept her eyes on Izuku, gesturing behind her, "Izu-kun, this is Yuta-kun." Turning to face Yuta, she gestured back towards Izuku, "Yuta-kun, this is Izuku."

The bundle in Yuta's arms began to squirm.

"Oh! And how could I forget him?" Haruka walked over and retrieved the bundle from the dark haired man, bringing it over to Izuku.

"This is Haruto. My son."

I'm sorry, your what?

"My son, Izu-kun. With Yuta."

Oh, he had said that out loud. He hadn't done that in a while.

More importantly, SON?

Izuku was careful not to verbalize what he was thinking. Simply giving Haruka a smile and an 'excuse me', before walking over to Yuta and crouching in front of him.

He didn't say anything; just looked him dead in the eyes and stared.

Stare.

"Um, can I help you?"

Stare…

"H-Haruka, what's going on?"

STARE!

"..." The man was sweating bullets.

Izuku simply closed and nodded, saying one word.

"Acceptable."

He then proceeded to fawn over the baby in Haruka's arms.

Leaving Yuta to ponder what the hell just happened to him until everyone was called for dinner.

Morning Glory Orphanage- Nighttime

After dinner, while everyone washed up and went to bed, Izuku and Haruka sat on the steps outside.

"So, Izu-kun. Are you doing okay?"

"I'm doin' fine. Why do you ask?"

"Well, if you've been speaking to Akiyama-san or even your uncle, then…"

"Yeah, I know what happened to Kiryu-san."

"Do you wanna talk about it?"

"Not really."

"Okay."

And they sat in silence for a while, staring up at the stars. Izuku sighed.

"That's really unfair."

"I didn't do a thing."

The grenette pouted.

Haruka smiled back.

Sighing again, Izuku said, "I came here… for closure."

Haruka kept quiet.

"I almost couldn't believe he was gone, y'know? All the things I wanted him to teach me, everything that we would do, it's all gone. I didn't even get to say goodbye. I didn't wanna believe it. In a way, I still don't. I keep expecting him to come walkin' down that street, cigarette in his mouth." He could feel his nails digging into his palms, feeling blood roll down his nails. He hadn't even noticed that he had balled his fists, let alone balled them so tightly.

Haruka didn't say anything for a moment, simply grabbing his hands and unballing his fists, before reaching into her pocket and retrieving a handkerchief.

She wiped the blood off of his hands and blew on the little cuts on his palms.

That done, she put handkerchief back in her pocket and stood up, Izuku's hand still in her's.

It wasn't a long walk, the room that she was bringing Izuku to was right there after all.

"This is…"

"Go on. It's not locked."

Izuku reached out a hand to the door, stopping just before he touched it.

He tried to move his hand forward, but it didn't move.

He tried again. No result.

Again. Nothing.

Instead, it just stayed halted a few inches away from the door, trembling.

And then, he could feel a soft palm and slender fingers wrap around his wrist.

He didn't need to look to see who it was.

His hand was moving forward then, touching the door, grasping it, and pushing it to the side.

Slide!

And there they were.

Kiryu's room.

Izuku had never been in. Haruka gave him a gentle shove, and he stepped in for the first time.

It would be hard to describe the room.

The best description that Izuku could give would be, 'Kiryu-san in room form'.

It was small, but there was so much in it.

So many odds and ends accumulated from a lifetime of adventure.

So many different books and magazines.

So many pictures and mementos, including a stack of what looked to be Hostess Business Cards.

And three pictures stood out the most.

One, a woman in a business suit with her hair styled into a messy updo smiling at the camera. Haruka's gaze lingered on this picture longer than it did the others.

Two, a group photo of everyone at Morning Glory, including Izuku and Mame. The last time he could remember everyone being together.

And three, a picture of a seven year old Izuku holding onto a fish that was half his size. The first time Kiryu had taken him fishing, he caught a Mahi-mahi. That was that night's dinner. Kiryu looked so proud...

Izuku could feel himself tearing up, he blinked the tears away and instead walked over to something else that he had found interesting.

An old, beaten up bat.

There was nothing really special about it, but compared to everything else in the room which was so well kept, the bat seemed incredibly out-of-place.

"Uncle Kaz got that from Majima-san."

"Really?"

"Yeah, when he stalked him for a month. Uncle Kaz beat him again, and he left that behind. I actually heard him say it was the best part of his year. You can take it if you want."

"I… don't know if I should."

"You should, it's technically yours anyway. Uncle Kaz said he was gonna give it to you when you came for the summer, along with a few books that I'll be packing for you."

"Oh, um, okay."

He stood in silence.

Everywhere he looked, he could see him. He could smell his cigarette smoke. Hear him humming an old rock song.

And he stood in that room, he finally understood. He was never coming back.

Kiryu-san, his Uncle Kaz, was never coming back.

He felt the tears prick his eyes. He couldn't blink them away this time.

He felt arms wrapping around him again and heard a soft voice in his ear.

"Uncle Kaz always said that a kid who walked through that door up front was part of this family. So the minute you walked through that door nine years ago, you became the youngest member of our family. And a family… is always there to catch you when you think you'll fall. So come on, just let yourself fall. I'm here. I'll catch you."

And at that moment, Izuku fell. He felt the tears streaming down his face, as his body wracked with sobs and he cried into the night.

Two Days Later…

"Are you sure you have to go so soon, Izuku-kun?"

"Yeah, I've gotta catch my flight or else I won't make it back to Tokyo for the start of the semester."

"Honestly, it feels like yesterday that you were just four years old and hiding behind Haruka's leg. How is it that you're already in Middle School?"

"Careful, Ayako-neechan. You're almost sounding like a mom there. We've already got one of those in this house."

"Hmph. Alright, I'll let you go, but don't you wanna see Haruto walk first?"

"Ngh! Damn, I do. Alright, I can spare a minute or two."

Izuku adjusted his bag, his new-old baseball bat hung on the side, and walked after Ayako to where all of the other residents of Morning Glory were watching Haruto take his first steps.

Thud!

Correction: Where all of the other residents of Morning Glory were watching Haruto fall and encouraging him to try again.

Izuku stood next to Yuta, who was crouched down with a video camera, saying, "C'mon, just one more time. You can do it."

The baby rose back on wobbly feet.

"C'mon, Haru-chan!"

"Come to us, Haruto!"

Izuku and Yuta, respectively, egged the child on .

"You can do it, Haruto!" Haruka called out to the boy.

He stood straight, took a step…

Thud!

And fell again.

"Ah! So close." Koji said.

Izuku kneeled down, "C'mon, Haru-chan! Don't give up there. Your Uncle Izu believes in you!"

Haruto stood again, and took another step.

"All right!"

"That's it, Haruto!"

And then, Haruto turned his head and saw something outside. He reached towards it with a smile and a gurgle, and Izuku and Haruka looked to see what it was.

But there was nothing.

Just the wall and the oceanline behind it.

Izuku looked for a little longer, before he felt a small weight bump into him.

Looking down, he saw a smiling Haruto and was enamored.

Ryukyu Airport- An Hour Later...

Izuku knew that this visit would be his last for a long while.

He had gotten what came for, though.

He had gotten his closure.

But something still felt wrong.

It wasn't just closure he wanted.

He wanted to say 'goodbye'.

He wanted to say 'thank you'.

He wanted to keep his promise.

He wanted to-

Huh?

At this moment, he saw the familiar back of a tall man wearing white shoes and a grey suit, with the popped collar of a red shirt peeking out.

It could only be-

"Kiryu-san."

The man's back was quickly receding, moving into a crowd.

Izuku gave chase, he wouldn't let him get away.

"Kiryu-san!"

The man kept his pace, weaving through the crowd with ease.

It took everything that Izuku had to follow him through.

"Kiryu-san!"

Please, don't go yet. There's something I still need to say!

The man was about to enter a terminal.

Please, don't go. Please, come back. Please-

"UNCLE KAZ!"

The man stopped long enough for Izuku to catch up.

He skidded to a stop just a few feet behind him.

The man turned around and Izuku felt his heart stop.

Itwashim. It was Kiryu. In the flesh.

All of a sudden, his heart hurt all over again.

But that didn't stop him from saying what he needed to say.

"Thank you, Uncle Kaz. Thank you."

He bowed deeply, feeling the weight of the books and the bat on his back.

He stayed in that position, waiting for the man across from him to say something. Anything.

Izuku then felt a strong hand grip his shoulder, it was a familiar feeling and he knew exactly whose it was.

"Izuku…"

The greenette looked up at the dragon, the man was smiling.

"If you wanna thank me. Become the world's greatest hero, like I know you can. And have a good time doing it."

Izuku could feel his eyes tearing up again, but he fought through it with an unsteady smile, "I will, I promise."

Two Days Later…

Aldera Junior High- Musutafu, Japan

Izuku walked down the sidewalk with his earbuds in again, the drums of the song he was starting helped him think.

He wanted to do what Kiryu said, but he didn't know exactly how to do that.

Have fun while trying to be a hero?

It almost seemed like an oxymoron.

Then again, there were heroes like Miruko and Ms. Joke, who very clearly loved doing what they do.

One person who always seemed like a hero to him, while also fun, was his uncle.

Maybe… that's my place to start.

But even if he started acting like his uncle, he'd still feel like there was a missing piece...

Bump!

He had bumped into someone.

Rolling eyes fall...

"Ah, my bad."

"Watch where you're going, Ponytail!"

Okay, apparently this asshole's gonna be pissy.

"I said 'my bad'."

"Yeah? Well that ain't- wait a minute… Deku?"

As Izuku whipped around, he took note of the aggressor's ash blonde hair and red eyes.

He only knew two people with features like that, and only one of them was male.

Ruling dies out...

The ponytailed greenette could feel the final piece of the puzzle clicking into place as he looked the blonde right in the eye with a straight face.

"Yo…"

He grinned toothily.

"Kacchan!"

END

Chapter 25: Hectic Morning

Chapter Text

Musutafu, Tokyo-201X

08:15 am

"[WOW, Breakin' the law, Breaking the world!] Kowase…"

The old rock song played and echoed off the walls of the small apartment, a long-haired boy humming along as he tied his curly green locks back.

Looking in the mirror as he finished, he buttoned up his shirt and pulled on the jacket of his gakuran.

"Hey there, good lookin'. What's cookin'?"

Giving himself a quick once-over with a co*cky grin, he nodded and turned, grabbing his phone, pausing his song, and leaving the bathroom.

Walking into the living room, his eyes plastered to his device's screen, he muttered while grabbing a yellow backpack and a wrapped bento off of the counter.

'Murderer strikes again in Kamurocho! Another Kansai Yakuza found with eyes gouged out in Red Light District.'

"sh*t, there's another one now? And this one's goin' after yakuza. Geez. First, the 'Hero Killer' and now this guy. Can't these jackasses just play video games?"

Stepping out towards the genkan and slipping on a pair of oversized red boots, he looked down at another notification that had popped up on his phone with aboo-boop!

He gave it one glance and popped up.

Tatooin Station, huh? No time to waste, I smell an opportunity!

Grabbing a dinged-up bat from beside the doorway, he turned the knob and swung the door open, speeding down the hallway and bounding down the stairs.

When he reached the last two steps, he jumped and hit the ground running, taking off towards Musutafu Station.

Tatooin Station, Musutafu

When he arrived, there was already a huge crowd of people on the scene gawking at the very thing he had come to see.

There he is...

Boom! Crash!

An actual...

Standing at over fifteen meters high stood a humanoid figure.

"Damn, what led to this?"

"Apparently the guy snatched a purse, got cornered, and panicked."

"Really, a quirk like that and he's just a purse-snatcher? Laaame."

A criminal, if the chatter around the greenette were to be believed.

Well 'criminal' isn't quite the correct term for one such as he.

Yes, the proper term for someone who would abuse their quirk so blatantly is-

Supervillain!

The greenette's eyes sparkled as he pulled a notebook out from… somewhere and began to furiously scribble upon the pages.

"How long is this gonna take? I'm meeting my mom for breakfast today."

"Hello, sir? Yes, I'm going to be a bit late. There's a villain attack right outside the station today..."

"Oh, look mom! The heroes are here!"

Ah yes, and then you have the antithesis of a supervillain…

A superhero.

The boy lifted his head from his notes, taking note of the new arrivals.

An incredibly bulky one, wearing thick wrist-guards and a headband decorated with caution patterns called out.

"Everybody get back! The situation's under control."

"It's Death Arms, 'The Punching Hero'!"

Huh, neat. And he's not yellin' at me this time. Next.

He already had notes on Death Arms, so that couldn't be the opportunity that he was looking for.

Next, a barricade rail made entirely of water, with 'X'-shaped warning symbols appeared in front of the now buzzing crowd, courtesy of another hero dressed as a firefighter, with a white mask on his face.

"Like Death Arms said, please stay behind the line. We'll get this taken care of as soon as possible."

"It's Backdraft, 'The Rescue Specialist'!"

Alright. Still not what I'm lookin' for, but it's good to see him in the flesh again. Next!

The observer began moving through the crowd to get a closer look, barely taking note of a shadow that passed over him before having his eardrums ruptured with a combined cry of, "You can do it, Kamui!"

Okay. First, ow. And second, Kamui? As in... Woods? Nowthat'swhat I'd call interestin'.

As he pushed closer up towards the front, he saw something that kicked his senses into high gear.

A man covered in wood wearing a dark blue bodysuit extended a long branch from his arm and used it to swing up onto the train platform, dodging a swipe from the gigantic villain.

"GET AWAY!"

The greenette grinned.

This'll be good.

"Oh, well if it isn't the little hero himself."

Hearing a familiar voice, the ponytailed teen turned, seeing a bald older man with star-shaped stalks protruding from his face.

"Oh, what's up Old Man Hoshizora? Shouldn't you be at the shop?"

"Yeah, I should, but I stepped out to grab some vinegar for the chirashi and I got caught up out here. How about you? I thought you'd be front and center at somethin' like this."

"Ehehe. Yeah, see, I would, but I think they've got this handled."

Not to mention the scolding I got from ol' Death Arms there the last time I helped.

"The hell do you think you're doing!?"

The greenette felt his eye twitch as he turned back towards the fight at hand.

"Petty theft, illegal quirk usage, and disruption of traffic during rush hour. You are the pinnacle of evil!"

I wouldn't go that far, but go off, I guess.

"And so,thisis your punishment…" Kamui Woods' arm began to expand and extend, soon becoming a tangle of roots and branches.

The teenager grinned, "Here it come, 'Absolute Preemptive Confinement-"

"Lacquered Chain Prison!" The tangled roots and branches shot out towards the gigantified villain, spreading out and-

"Canyon Cannon!"

-breaking as a colossal figure, clad in purple and orange spandex, drop kicked the terrified evildoer.

CRASH!

The villain was out for the count after that devastating blow, while the figure who struck him, a blonde woman with impressive… 'assets', bent down to grab the unconscious ne'er-do-well, speaking as she did so.

"Today is the day of my debut. My name is Mt. Lady. A pleasure to make your ass-quaintance."

And so, a large group of men (the occasional woman mixed in) with cameras sidled in front of the green-haired teen chanting, 'Money shot. Money Shot. Money Shot.'

All while a dejected Kamui Woods stood

Meanwhile, behind the group of perv-ahem,amateur photographers...

Holy sh*t… That's Rad!

The greenette's hand glided across the page, scribbling and sketching hastily as he focused on what he was seeing in his mind's eye.

If I'm fightin', I can make an asshole flinch away with a feint or even just some dust. They'll lose sight of me for even just half a sec, and then, BOOM! Fight's over.

Yeah. Matter of fact, that sounds like somethin' I already know, but better. I'd even call it… extreme.

That's it! I'll call this move…

"...Essence of Blindside: Kiwami."

"Huh? What was that, boy?"

It occurred to the teen that he had said that last bit out loud.

Thought I got a handle on that. "Nothing, Jiisan. Just thinkin' out loud."

The older man chuckled, "About your hero stuff, right? Well, keep on, kid. I gotta get back to the shop, road's clearing up and the missus is probably cursing me as we speak."

Well, it ain't exactly your fault, not like ya asked for a purse snatcher to freak out on this street.

"Stop by later, why dontcha? We'd love to have ya."

"Yeah, I'll stop by after I hit the cages. See ya, Hoshizora-jii."

"You too, kid."

And with that, the two parted ways, the teen looking down and smiling at his phone.

Another revelation thanks to Troublr. Now what time is it?

08:29 am

Well sh*t.

And anybody who had stuck around to see what the commotion was, would be left tumbling by the blustering gust left in the wake of the speeding teen.

Aldera Junior High School- Classroom

08:43 am

"Owara."

"Here."

"Ozaki."

"Here."

"Maebara."

"Here."

"Midori-"

SLAM!

"HERE!"

An out of breath teenager stood in the doorway, hand held high as he rested the other on his knee, attempting to catch his breath.

"Midoriya, you're late."

"Actually… sensei… I'm two… minutes… early."

"I was in the middle of roll call when you arrived."

"I was... caught at the site of… a villain attack… until a few minutes ago."

"Are you hurt?"

"No, hungry though."

A few students around the class chuckled. A red-eyed, blonde-haired student just glared hard at his green-haired classmate.

The teacher, seeing that a reprimand would just go in and out of his pupil's ear, just sighed.

"Just take your seat, Midoriya. You're here."

The non-tardy student beamed, "Thought you'd see it my way, sensei."

He bounded over to his desk and plopped down into the seat unceremoniously. His yellow backpack followed soon after.

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his phone and earbuds, popping the latter into his ears and pressing play, while his sensei just continued with roll call.

"Furiagero, nigirikobushi wo oretachi wa..."

Sou sa oretachi ga…

"JUDGEMENT."JUDGEMENT.

And thus began another day in the life of one Izuku Midoriya, age 14.

Chapter 26: Meeting Your Heroes

Chapter Text

Aldera Junior High School- Classroom

8:50 A.M.

"Alright kids, since you're third years now, it's time for you to buckle and start thinking about your futures. Now, I'm going to give out these future plan handouts and…"

The attentive class sat politely and quiet, attention locked.

The blonde teacher sighed.

"Who am I kidding? You all wanna be heroes, right?"

Within seconds, the quiet attentiveness of the class was broken, transmuting into a cacophony of screeching teenagers eager to show off just what made them special.

In response, the sensei named Subarashii sighed once and dropped the stack of 'future plans' forms into the wastebasket next to his podium.

"Yes, yes, your quirks are all quite wonderful, but please stop using them in the classroom. In full view of your teacher, nonetheless."

"Oi, teach!"

Subarashii took a deep breath and turned to address the student who had called out to him.

"Yes, Bakugo-kun?"

With his feet propped up onto his desk, and his chair leaning on its back legs, Katsuki Bakugo said his piece.

"Don't lump me in with all these rejects, I'm not gonna be stuck at the bottom with them."

With a single sentence, he drew outrage from his peers.

"Uncalled for, Katsuki!"

"Where do you get off!?"

"I'll show you a reject!"

"Yeah, yeah, you extras should just shut up already!"

Subarashii, who had at some point began to slump over the podium, said, "Oh, that's right, you want to go to U.A. High, don't you, Bakugo-kun?"

And the classroom exploded into murmurs.

"U.A.? That national school?"

"It was in the top 0.2% this year, you know!"

"Their acceptance rate's always really low, too!"

"That's exactly why you guys are all just extras!"

With everyone's attention now locked onto him, Bakugo jumped onto his desk.

"I aced the mock exam! Out of all the faceless drones in this dump, I'm the only one who has the chance of getting into U.A. So watch! I'll definitely surpass All Might and become the top hero! My name'll be inscribed on the list of top earners!"

Clap!Clap!Clap!Clap!Clap!Clap!Clap!Clap!Clap!Clap!Clap!Clap!Clap!Clap!Clap!Clap!Clap!

"Bravo, Kacchan! Bravo! Inspired performance! Though personally, I do feel that you coulda spiced it up with an explosion or two for effect, I'll give ya a solid 8!"

"f*ckin' Deku…"

Two words, both said with enough venom to poison almost anyone they were aimed at.

Though the target of those words simply smiled back as he stood up from his own desk.

"What's the problem, Kacchan? I swear I would've given it at least a 9 if you had added some poppin'. Oh! And if it were more than just half true."

Bakugo's teeth grinded together as he forced out his next few words.

"What do you mean, Deku?"

The rest of the class shifted their eyes to the greenette, who was still smiling.

"Well, I aced the mock test too. And hey, it ain't like these folks can't get into U.A. I mean, look at Yubiwa. Those fingers look perfect for hero work."

The mentioned student blushed at the recognition while the ponytailed boy continued.

"Then you've Moeka-chan, her hand isliterallyfire. Kumogiri can turn his body into rock. Aoi-chan's hair whips around. Damn Kacchan, now that I think about it, just about everyone in this room has a shot at U.A."

The boy's smile widened slightly, as the glint in his eye became sharper and more malicious.

"Even me."

BOOM!

Within seconds, Izuku's desk was destroyed by an explosion, courtesy of Bakugo who had invaded the boy's personal space, mouth pulled into a nasty snarl.

Izuku's grin grew wider and more vicious.

"You wanna go? Cause I'm ready when you are,Kacchan."

Pop!Pop!Pop!Pop!

"Midoriya! Bakugo! That's enough! Anymore outbursts like that and I'll have you both suspended for a week."

Subarashii's tone was sharp, a far cry from the almost lethargic drawl a few minutes before then.

It was a tone reserved specially for Izuku and Bakugo, the two most volatile elements in his classroom. A tone that the two boys knew all too well from the year that they had spent in the man's class.

It defused the situation immediately, Midoriya's smile becoming pleasant again, as he sat back down in his chair.

Bakugo grumbled and stomped back to his own desk.

Subarashii sighed again, his tone losing its edge.

"We're starting off with independent study today, class. Turn to page 240 in your books and read up to 260. Midoriya, go get a new desk."

"Hai, Sensei!"

"Everyone else, just read and don't bother me until everyone's done."

"Hai!"

With that, the class began to do what they were told while Subarashii pulled up a chair and sat slumped over at the podium.

It was only the first day of classes and he had already reaffirmed a fundamental truth that he'd known since he had started teaching.

To be Subaru Subarashii was suffering.

3:15 P.M.

Ding-Dong, Bing-Bong

As everyone filtered out of the classroom, Izuku stayed back and waited.

He promised at lunch to help some of his kouhai clean the koi pond in the courtyard, but he wasn't gonna head there on his own.

Not to mention- "Oi, Deku!"

He had company.

Baring his teeth for his widest smile that day, Izuku turned and faced his ashen haired classmate.

"Yes, Kacchan? Oh, hey Yubiwa, Komouri."

The two boys behind Bakugo quietly returned the greeting while their leader stared hard at the seated boy.

"The hell do you think you're pullin'?"

"No idea whatcha mean."

"You tryin' to embarrass me, nerd? What was that earlier? What? You think we're equals now that you've got a sh*tty quirk of your own?"

"Kacchan, of course not." The boy seemed shocked at the implication, "You've still got a ways to go before you're on my level. Try eating a bowl ofMightiesevery once in a while. They're a heroic part of a balanced breakfast after all."

In the blink of an eye, Izuku was yanked out of his chair, his gakuran gripped and scrunched up in Bakugo's fists.

"Am I a f*ckin' joke to you?"

"Well, you do make me laugh a lot." Bakugo gripped harder.

"Shut up, you damned nerd. Where do you get off? Huh!?" He shook the greenette, hands beginning to smoke as he did so.

"Hm. C'mon, Kacchan. What's the matter? I'm just havin' some fun. Why're you so angry?"

The ponytailed teen tilted his head to the side with a pout, before snapping it back up in realization.

"Oh, I see! It must be because you're atthatage, right?"

One hand left Izuku's gakuran curled into a fist that co*cked back before swinging towards the boy's face…

And stopping just short of Izuku's right eye.

And the nearly empty classroom was filled with tension so thick, you could cut it with a knife.

"K-Katsuki, I think that's enough man." Yubiwa nervously spoke up first.

"Y-yeah, let's just go." Koumori was next, just as nervous as his friend.

Bakugo stared Izuku down once more, before dropping him back into his seat, turning, and tramping out the door.

Yubiwa and Koumori offered Izuku a quick bow and a hasty apology before taking off after their friend.

Izuku, now left alone in the deserted classroom, sighed and straightened out his clothes.

He was so close. So close to getting the reaction he wanted from Kacchan.

He'd been pushing the guy's buttons for a year at every chance he got since he saw him at the gate that day.

You didn't have to be a genius to know that Katsuki Bakugo's temper was on a hair trigger and anything that didn't go his way could set him off.

Izuku knew that better than anyone and had been continuously trampling on the boy's pride to get him to fight him, but somethingalwaysgot in the way.

Confronting him at lunch, the cafeteria caught fire.

Taunting him at the gate, 'Hey! Time for an emergency assembly!'

Pissing him off after class, the guy stops himself!

What's a guy gotta do to start some sh*t around here?

And one could argue that Izuku could just pick a fight with someone else, surely there would besomeonewilling to indulge his violent tendencies.

Well, that person should feel bad because they'd be wrong.

After garnering a bit of a reputation as the guy that's got a bone to pick with Katsuki Bakugo, a few boys in Izuku's year thought that they could rough him up a bit, get into the popular second year's good graces.

All of them were found bruised, beaten, and faces covered in various kanji, all of which said 'penis' in some way, shape, or form.

After that, people in his year just left Izuku alone.

And Izuku began to chase after Bakugo even more doggedly.

So what do I try next time? Maybe I should ask Auntie Mitsu for some of his baby pictures. I could copy 'em, blow 'em up, and hang 'em on the bulletin board. Ooh or maybe-!

Slide!

"Um, senpai?" A shy voice called into the room. Its owner was a young, rather unremarkable boy.

"Hm? Oh. Yo, Sato-kun. You guys ready?"

"Yes. Everyone else is getting started right now. They sent me to come get you."

The greenette jumped to his feet, "Alright, let's get 'er done."

Twenty Minutes Later…

"Aaaannnnd done!"

"Thanks again, Midoriya-senpai!"

"Don't mention it, guys. What kind a senpai would I be if I didn't lend my kouhai a hand every once in a while? Anyway, I gotta get goin'. Ja ne."

His underclassmen all chorused a goodbye as he took off.

He'd lost some time after helping them, so he decided to take a shortcut beneath an overpass.

Okay, I'll put a pin in the baby pictures idea, but maybe I could just do it the old-fashioned way, I'll just walk up, slap him with a glove, and challenge him to a duel.

"Wait, no! I wanthimto throw the first punch, the point's lost if I hit him first."

Okay, maybe I can…

The greenette was so far deep into his planning that he didn't notice the clattering and clanging of the manhole cover behind him.

Nor did he notice the sound of sludge creeping out of the uncovered hole, before forming into a humanoid shape.

"sh*t. I didn't expect that guy to be here. I gotta find some cover quick." The sludge man looked forward and saw a green haired boy mumbling to himself.

"A medium-sized invisibility cloak. Better than nothing."

He creeped forward to take a position behind the boy.

"Or maybe … with some whipped cream and mags..."

Closer.

"Nah, he ain't the type for it, then maybe…"

Closer…

"A clown? Hm, if I remember correctly…"

Until he was right behind the kid.

He coiled his mud like body like a viper andlunged.

Only to keep flying forward as the teenager stepped to the side at the last second.

"Oi, do you mind? I'm tryin' to think here."

"The hell?"

He lunged again.

Missed again.

"Stop dodging!"

"Stop attacking."

Another lunge.

One last miss.

"Just let me inside you!"

A pause, accompanied by a disgusted stare.

"Today was just going too well, wasn't it? Of course I'd run into one here."

The sludge man was confused, "One ofwhat, exactly?"

"As if you even need to ask, ya f*ckin' pervert. HELP! RAAAAAAA-"

WHOOSH!

"No need to worry... Why? Because I am here!"

Wait a minute, that's-

The greenette turned around and nearlysqueedin joy.

Because standing right behind him, in a tight t-shirt and green cargo pants, was-

"ALL MIGHT!" The sludge manactuallysqueed for an entirely different reason than Izuku.

"You thought you'd get away and assault this young man, did you? Well, not today, villain!"

"GET AWAY!" Forming a tendril with his sludgy body, the sludge man struck at All Might, but was evaded, and he hit the bottom of the overpass instead.

CRASH!

"Nice try, but it's my turn now! TEXAS…"

Here it comes!The one spectator had stars in his eyes.

"SMASH!"

With a powerful straight, the fight was over. Wind pressure blew from the strike, blasting the villain apart and All Might, now armed with two empty soda bottles, caught and contained the villain before any part of him could hit the ground.

Awesome…

With the situation contained, the blonde hero turned back to the starstruck civilian behind him.

"Thanks for your help, young man. If it weren't for you, this fiend might've continued to give me the runaround."

"N-no problem, All Might."

"Are you hurt?"

"N-nope, not at all."

"Good to hear! You never know what a desperate ne'er do well like this may do."

He glared at the eye in one of the bottles.

"Ahem.Well anyway, I've got to get this fella to the police station. So, as the kids say, [later, dude]!"

At this, he pocketed the bottled villain, walked past Izuku, and bent his legs.

"O-oi, wait! I've got a question for ya!"

"I cannot. If there's something you have to ask me, forward it to my agency!"

Dammit, I can't let him get away without askin' him. I guess I'll hafta-

Ignorant to the thoughts of the greenette behind him, All Might took to the skies with one big leap.

When he was a few hundred meters into the air, he noticed an odd weight on the back of his leg.

Looking back to see what it was, he was greeted with the sight of a teenager whose face was being hit with wind resistance of over 200 newtons of force.

A struggle ensued.

Random Rooftop- Musutafu, Tokyo

"That was incredibly dangerous young man."

"Yeah… but… like I said, I hafta to ask ya somethin'."

"And like I said, you could forward it to my agency. I do my utmost best to answer as many fan letters as I can."

"Yeah… but this is a question... I need to ask ya... in person."

The out-of-breath student stood tall, finally catching his breath, and stared directly into the eyes of his hero.

"Tell me. Can someone without a quirk become a hero?"

"Someone without a quirk?"

"Yeah, someone like…" He was likely never gonna see the man again, no real harm in saying the truth, "me."

"Well-urk!"

The muscly hero suddenly gripped his chest, and steam emitted from his body.

"All Might!" Izuku started towards his hero.

"Stay back, Young man!"

A hand that was far smaller than the hulking fist he had seen seconds ago was held out towards him.

"All… Might?"

When the steam cleared, a skeletal man stared back at Izuku.

The green haired boy could only say one thing.

"[Oh. My. God]"

Hiya! Been a while. Glad to be back.

So let's ignore my extended absence and talk about how you guys feel about the chapter. I figured it would be boring and unrealistic to stick to regular canon with this Izuku so here we are.

Tell me whatcha think. See you in two years.

Chapter 27: Worthy

Chapter Text

Tatooin Shopping District- Musutafu, Tokyo

3:55 P. M.

Katsuki Bakugo was angry.

This was not new.

Nor was the reason behind his anger.

You see, Katsuki Bakugo was a genius.

He could read perfectly at age four, cook a simple breakfast at age 7, and consistently outclassed his peers in both athletics and academics from ages 8 all the way to 13.

He was special, he knew this. He had been told every day since he could understand Japanese that he was special.

It wasn't just lip service. For all of the boy's life, it was fact.

Irrefutable, immutable, and intrinsic.

He was the hero of the tale.

A man larger than life, destined for greatness.

The human condition pushed to its very best, nothing could stand in his way.

And then came Deku.

Defenseless Izuku.

The worthless punching bag.

The weak, quirkless crybaby.

Bakugo hadn't seen the boy in over ten years.

In fact, the last time hehadseen the green-haired loser, he was shaking in his boots trying to defendanotherloser from him and his friends.

Katsuki thought he was pathetic.

Then over ten years later, in the second term of his first year in junior high, there he was.

With a long stupid ponytail and a big stupid grin, there he was.

"Yo… Kacchan!"

Crunch!

Pop!Pop!Pop!Pop!Pop!Pop!

Just the thought of it made Katsuki's blood boil.

f*ckin' Deku…

From that moment on, Izuku Midoriya had once more become a persistent thorn in his side.

Heckling him at the school gates.

Jeering at him during lunch.

Taunting him after class.

And always with that same f*cking nickname.

"Yo… Kacchan!"

"Bravo, Kacchan!"

"What's the problem, Kacchan?"

KacchanKacchanKacchanKacchanKacchanKacchanKacchanKacchanKacchanKacchanKa-

BOOM!

"Dammit…"

"Katsuki! What's the problem, man?"

Katsuki threw the remains of his exploded juice can over his shoulder.

"f*ckin' Deku."

"Katsuki... what's the problem between you guys, man?"

"What?"

"You guys have been at each other's throats since the second half of first year. I mean, I know he's different than he was when we were kids, but… where all this vitriol come from?"

"It's all Deku's f*ckin' fault! He just doesn't know his damn place!"

As he exploded at one of his companions, he kicked a bottle lying in his path, sending it flying off in a random direction.

Yubiwa, who had been the one to speak in the first place, raised his hands in the universal gesture of surrender.

"Alright, my bad, forget I said anything."

Sato, a stand-in for the afternoon, because Koumori had to run some errands spoke up next to alleviate some of the tension.

"Whaddya say we go to the arcade for a change of pace? Katsuki, you'll come too right?"

Katsuki took a moment to compose himself, taking a quick deep breath in through the nose and out through the mouth.

Bastard almost got to me again.

"Yeah."

Yuvbiwa grinned, "Then let's go to the one across from the station. Plenty of prey around there."

"You're terrible."

And Katsuki's irritation spiked once more.

"Are you two stupid!? If we get caught, it'll go on my record!"

The two made to respond but suddenly stopped, staring over the blonde's shoulder with wide, terrified eyes.

"H-hey, look!"

It was only then that Katsuki noticed the shadow that loomed over him.

And as he turned, he felt the cold hand of fear clench inside his chest.

"Hey, kid. That's a nice quirk ya got there. Mind if I borrow it?"

He was vaguely aware of the sounds of his companions running off before darkness overtook him.

Random Rooftop- Musutafu, Tokyo

"[Oh. My. God.]"

"I know that this must be shocking for you. But please, list-"

"So… it's happening."

The oddly skeletal man seemed confused.

"Pardon?"

He was ignored by the now hyperventilating greenette in front of him.

"Oh sh*t. Oh my god. She's actually done it."

"She?"

"But how? I destroyed that damn thing. Got her working on something else. And how did it affect All Might first? And why now of all times? Wait, no. Can't think about that now, gotta contain the infection."

He grabbed his bat from the side of his bag, raised it over his head, and...

"I'M SORRY ALL MIGHT!"

...rushed at the skeletal husk of his hero.

"Wait! No! Stop!"

Two minutes later, the pair stood across from each other once more, the younger of the two having put down his bat and the older wiping a bit of blood from the corner of his lips with a tissue.

"You sure you're okay All Might? That was a lot of blood you coughed up."

"I'm fine, young man. Thank you for offering me this pack of pocket tissues."

"No problem, and… sorry for trying to bash your head in because I thought you were a zombie."

"Let's just move past that."

"Right… anyway, back to my question. Can someone without a quirk be like you? A hero who saves everyone with a fearless smile? Whose presence at the scene makes everyone feel safe? Can someone like me become a symbol of peace like you?"

"...A fearless smile, huh?" The shrunken hero looked down for a moment, seemingly to think something over.

When he looked back up, it was with a deathly serious expression.

"Young man, what I'm about to tell you and show you are top secret. I need your word that no matter how we end up leaving this conversation, none of what is said here will end up on the internet."

Izuku stared directly into the hero's eyes.

"No matter what you say to me, it won't leave this roof. You have my word, All Might."

The hero looked down once more, taking a deep breath and grabbing the hem of the t-shirt that hung loose on him.

One more deep breath in and another out, with a slow and deliberate tug the shirt came up, unveiling a large scar covering most of the left side of his chest.

Izuku could feel himself grimace.

All Might gave him a wry smile.

"Pretty gross, right? It's an injury I got from an enemy's attack five years ago. Half of my respiratory organs were destroyed, and I lost my whole stomach. This form that you see before you is the result of repeated surgeries and their aftereffects. Right now, I can only work as a hero for three hours a day. "

"No way… but h-how? Who coulda…?"

Izuku racked his brain.

Five years ago. Five years ago… What was going on five years ago?

Incident after incident ran through his mind.

News articles.

There was Naruhata Vigilantes, but All Might wasn't involved in any fights with them, so no.

Trending topics.

Shizuoka comes to mind, but I know for a fact that All Might wasn't involved with any part of that sh*tshow. So definitely not.

Major brawls.

What about... ? Ah that's it!

"Was it your fight with Toxic Chainsaw?"

"You're well-informed. But a punk like that couldn't do this kind of damage to me."

All Might clenched his fist as he looked below at passing cars and people flitting about on the sidewalks.

"It was a fight that I asked not to be made public."

He unclenched his fist and looked the young man in the eye, once more.

"'I will save people with a smile.' 'The Symbol of Peace cannot be daunted by evil.' When I smile, it's not fearless. It's a mask to reassure the people who depend on me and trick the fear inside of me."

"I- I don't wanna die. Kiryu-san, Jiji, Mom, Dad, help… please."

I understand that.

"Pros are always risking their lives. I cannot simply say, 'You can become a hero even without power.'"

"-you can't be a hero."

You too, huh?

Izuku closed his eyes and took a breath.

"I see."

All Might stood up and started walking towards the roof access entrance.

"If you really want to help others, consider becoming a police officer. I know that people make fun of them because they usually only contain villains after heroes capture them, but it's a profession that truly makes difference."

Opening the door, he said one last thing.

"It's not bad to dream. But you still have to consider what's realistic, young man."

And with that, he was gone and Izuku was alone.

Izuku walked over to the railing at the edge of the roof and just leaned over it, reaching into his gakuran.

When he pulled his hand out, it held an old, beaten up zippo lighter with a big dent in its side.

He flipped the top on and off with his thumb as he spoke to himself.

"So, add another to the list. It ain't gonna stop me, but damn if it doesn't sting just a bit."

Click!

Watching the flame, he thought about what he just learned.

So, even the greatest hero in the world gets scared, huh?

It wasn't like he thought that was impossible before, but even still, when you brought up 'scared' and 'All Might' in the same, you usually wouldn't use it to describe the hero.

But was it just me, or did he seem… angry?

Not anger directed towards Izuku, really, but just angry in general.

Izuku recognized the man's tone.

After all…

"He strung me along like a puppet. Everyone says that I'm so f*cking smart and he still played me..."

He'd held that same tone against himself, just five years before.

Izuku shook his head and sighed.

"I'll give him another minute before heading down."

It'd be pretty awkward to have to walk past the man that, in different circ*mstances, had essentially given him what could be considered a sobering, dream-crushing speech and thenleft him on a rooftop unattended.

Yeah, no joke, that was kind of a dick move.

BOOM!

Izuku was snapped out of his thoughts by an explosion off in the distance.

Wait a minute, that's near Tatooin Station.

He checked his phone.

Nothing on Troublr. sh*t, maybe I should go check it out. If the heroes have it handled, I'll leave it at that.

And though he thought such, in the pit of his stomach, Izuku felt that that wouldnotbe the case.

Tatooin Shopping District- Musutafu, Tokyo

Minutes Later…

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Izuku ran towards the commotion as quickly he could, stopping when he reached the edge of a crowd that had gathered.

The situation looked pretty drastic already.

The shopping district was engulfed in a sea of flames.

They grew ever higher, swallowing stands and storefronts.

BOOM!

Another explosion rocked the area.

People in the crowd were panicking, so he listened in on what they were saying as he pushed his way to the front.

"What's going on!?"

"A villain! He took somebody hostage and is going crazy right now!"

A villain took a hostage?

He was getting closer to the front now.

He could feel the heat of the flames on his face.

There were heroes there. He recognized Death Arms, Backdraft, and Kamui Woods. The latter two heroes engaging in rescue operations.

And bounding towards them, if the rumbling from the huge, crashing footsteps meant anything, was Mt. Lady.

"Mt. Lady, she's here!"

The gigantic hero stopped in her tracks.

"I can't get through! I need at least two lanes free!"

sh*t! Who the hell's the cause for all this!?

Izuku kept pushing his way forward until he finally reached the front, laying eyes on-

"What?"

The sludge villain from earlier? But how? Didn't All Might-?

A flash of his midair struggle with All Might hit the boy like a truck.

For the briefest of moments, in his peripheral, he'd seen something fly right past his face.

All Might had put the bottles that the villain was in in his pockets.

Did he have those when he left?

He thought back to when he saw the man leaving the rooftop that they had landed and talked on. He didn't remember seeing those bottles at all.

Why?

Because they weren't there.

So that meant…

I did this. This is my fault…

If he hadn't grabbed onto All Might, they wouldn't have tussled and the villain wouldn't have fallen and gotten loose.

"You Midoriyas alwayshavehad a pension for mucking things up."

I'm the reason why someone was taken hostage.

"This is what happens when you don't follow the rules."

I-

BOOM!

"LET ME GO!"

He looked forward when he heard another explosion, followed by a yell.

He knew that voice. He had heard it not even an hour before then.

He looked forward and saw ashen blonde hair and, looking closer, pleading bright red eyes.

There was no mistake, the hostage was-

His body was moving before his brain had the chance to catch up.

"The hell are you doin'!? Get back here!"

Death Arms tried to reach out to the boy who had run in but was swiftly evaded.

Alright, Izuku, think! The bastard's not too fast- duck!

"GET AWAY FROM ME!"

He slid under a slimy tendril, before springing up getting back on the move.

If he's slimy like that, body shots won't work. I'll have to find a point that'll actually hurt him. Like… his eyes! And his teeth!

If he caught him unaware and moved in quick, he could effectively blindside the villain.

After that, he would just have to pull Kacchan and leave the rest to the pros.

He only had one shot.

If he screwed up, he died.

So I'll hafta give this everything I've got. Let's f*ckin' go!

[!]Scrapper Style Heat Move: Essence of Blindside: Kiwami

Still in motion, Izuku pulled his bat from where it hung on his backpack.

"Oi, Pervert!"

"STOP CALLING ME TH- ACK!"

The villain recoiled violently as the wide end of a bat found itself lodge into one of his eyes.

"You little sh*t, I'm gonna kill y-AGH!"

Crack!

The malfeasant howled in pain as Izuku jumped and delivered a hard jab to one of his front teeth, breaking it.

Not wasting a second after he hit the ground, the greenette reached for where the captured boy protruded, grabbed a handful of gakuran with both hands, andyanked.

Squelch!

Bakugo greedily sucked in air as he was partly freed from his living imprisonment, before glaring at the one who did so.

"The hell are you doin' here!?"

"Stopping you from getting molested by a sewer monster pervert, now shut up and struggle some more so we can get out!"

"I don't need your help, I've got it under control, Deku! Get outta here before you get yourself killed!"

"Now you say that, but the fact that this disgusting bastard was just in your mouth a few seconds ago leads me to believe that you're not telling me the whole truth."

"Just shut up and go!"

"No!"

"Why are you going so far for me right now!?"

"Because you looked like you needed help, you asshole! And that's what a hero does!"

"The hell're yo-?"

"DIE!"

A huge mass of sludge approached from above, Izuku knew he wouldn't be able to dodge it in time.

I guess this is game over. I'm sorry mom, dad, Jiji, Kiryu-san… This is the end for me.

I just wish I could have saved even one person.

He closed his eyes and awaited impact.

THUD!

"I really am pathetic."

Huh?

Izuku opened his eyes, only to bear witness to an empowered All Might, taking the full brunt of the attack from the enraged villain, some of the slime wrapped around his broad arm as he shielded the two boys.

"Even though I admonished you, I wasn't putting what I said into practice!"

The hero wrenched his arm free and co*cked it back.

Izuku could see blood spraying frond the blond pro's mouth as spoke next.

"Pros are always risking their lives!"

Izuku could feel something wrap around the hand that he was holding onto Bakugo with.

The sludge villain, though he had already been beaten by the man before him, raised one more large mass of sludge and began to bring it down in an attempt to crush the below him/

"ALL MIGHT!"

"DETROIT SMASH!"

With a downward punch, All Might struck the villain, blasting him apart once more while Izuku felt himself being blown back by the shock wave created by the impact.

In All Might's grip, he felt like a flag being tossed about in a raging tempest.

So this is power…

When everything had calmed down and Izuku was put back down onto the ground, he felt something wet hit his face.

He reached up and wiped it off, before feeling another.

And another.

And even more, soon after that.

Looking up, he saw the cause.

It was raining.

All Might had changed the weather with one punch.

Yeah... this is power.

"What were you thinking!? You could have been killed!"

Izuku was being yelled at.

This was to be expected after the stunt he had just pulled.

And it made sense that it was Death Arms who would be doing it.

Again.

The man had already told the ponytailed student about how dangerous it was to interfere in pro hero work.

Multiple times, in fact.

Though, while Izuku believed that the man was justified and well within his rights to criticize him all those other times, something rubbed him the wrong way for this particular incident.

He didn't expect or even really want praise, but hearing pro heroes off to the side praising Bakugo for being brave and offering him internships at their agencies, just… irked him slightly.

And so, while he was being scolded, he got up and just walked away, grabbing his bat from where it had fallen as he did.

"Wha-? Hey! Get back here!"

Izuku just kept walking, he didn't feel like heading to the batting cages or Old Man Hoshizora's shop.

He needed to go somewhere to clear his head, and he knew just the place to do so.

He could smell it before he saw it.

What used to be an unbearable stench was now replaced by a relaxing ocean mist.

He rounded the corner, and there he was.

The Junkbeach.

Or, as would be more appropriate to call it in its current state, Takoba Municipal Beach Park.

Izuku had finished cleaning the place a year earlier.

It was a great accomplishment for him, one that even made it into the newspaper.

When he had come around just a week before third year began, he saw that the place was buzzing.

Couples and families all coming together to enjoy the water and the sand under their feet.

All of them completely unaware that he was the one who had made that possible.

Even if didn't get any credit for it, it made him happy.

That's what being a hero is all about.

He sat down and looked at the waves.

No one was there. It was just him.

Just the sound of crashing waves and gulls along the pier.

I need to apologize to All Might when I get the chance.

He would've done so earlier, but before he could even say a word, All Might was swarmed by reporters, while he and Bakugo were pulled to the side by the other pro heroes.

It was a pretty late thought, but Izuku regretted not asking for the man's autograph.

If I see him again and he doesn't hate me for ruining his day and making him do extra work, I'll-

"Young man!"

"Ah!"

Izuku jumped several into the air as he was startled.

Running up behind him like a man possessed was All Might.

"Okay, I guess All Might is here!"

"I'm glad I caught you."

"All Might, are you sure you should still be in that form? What about your time limit?"

"Not even a worry. After what just happened, I feel GRE-ACK!"

"Holy sh*t, that's a lotta blood! That can't be healthy."

All Might waved a hand flippantly.

"It's fine, young man. You wouldn't happen to have any more of those pocket tissues, would you?"

"Y-yeah, here ya go."

"Thanks. Now, I have something to say to you."

And here it comes…

"All Might, I-"

"I'm sorry, young man."

Huh?

"I told you earlier that you couldn't be a hero without power. That pros are always risking their lives. And then, not even an hour later, there you were. Putting your life on the line to save someone else's, while I stood there feeling powerless and sorry for myself. And for that, I'd like to say I'm sorry."

All Might…

"Not only that, but I'd like to make a correction and to ask a question."

"O-okay."

The shrunken hero grinned.

"Alright, then first my question. What is your name?"

My name?

Izuku was confused.

Why would All Might need to ask his name? Didn't he…?

And then it occurred to him, he had never introduced himself to the hero.

He almost smacked himself.

"Izuku Midoriya. Sorry for not telling you earlier."

"Midoriya... The name almost sounds familiar…"

The depowered pro shook his head, there was still something he had to say.

"Anyway, Young Midoriya. The correction I'd like to make is my mistake from earlier."

"It's not bad to dream. But you still have to consider what's realistic, young man."

"I could see in the way that you moved that you weren't thinking when you ran at that villain. You know, top heroes have stories about them from their school days. Their stories usually have one thing in common: Their bodies moved before they even had a chance to think."

"NO!" He ran at the man, as quick he possibly could while his legs were still wobbly-

BANG!

There was no mistake, the hostage was-

His body was moving before his brain had the chance to catch up.

"That was true for you, too, wasn't it?"

Izuku couldn't trust himself to speak, he was almost stunned. Though he still had the presence of mind to nod.

"I'm not hero material, kid. But looking at you, I think I've found someone who might be."

Akatani.

"You're Izuku Midoriya. Little Hero of Musutafu, future number one hero of the world, and... my friend."

Masa-chan.

"You're Izuku Midoriya. Goro Majima's nephew, and soon-to-be the world's first quirkless hero."

Uncle Kaz.

"Izuku Midoriya-chan, you've got my word and support as my nephew and my number one hero!"

Jiji.

He could feel himself tear up slightly.

In another time, in another life he might have burst into tears, wracked by sobs, but as he was at the moment, he could only blink the tears in his eyes away and look back at All Might.

"Izuku Midoriya, I believe... that youcanbecome a hero."

And Izuku could feel the widest smile spread across his face.

"Thank you, All Might."

"And so…"

Wait, there's more?

The man pointed at Izuku.

"I say you are worthy to inherit my power."

One blink and a quiet stare.

"Nani?"

Pretty standard stuff, but it's necessary.

Chapter 28: Succession

Chapter Text

Izuku Midoriya's reality was breaking.

He'd seen and heard a lot of strange things in his fourteen years of life, but even then, in a world of superpowers with loose butclearly establishedrules, what he was hearing from the strange skeletal man in front of him just shat completely on his worldview.

"One person cultivates the power and passes it on to another person, who also cultivates it and passes it on. It is the crystallization of power that spins together with the voices of those who need help with a courageous heart."

"But… that literally breaks the rule of Quirk Inheritance, Quirk development- sh*t, Quirk Theory in general. Why would you wanna give somethin' so great to a punk like me?"

"... I've been searching for a successor. One with the wish to do good and the heart to follow through. After seeing you today, I've decided thatyouare that person."

The depowered hero put his hand on Izuku's shoulder.

"Izuku Midoriya, you're a strange young man with a foul mouth and a lofty dream, but at that moment that you ran in to save your friend, you were more heroic than anyone on that scene. You are a hero worthy of this power!"

"..."

All Might removed his hand and scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

"Well, if that's what you want, of course."

"All Might…"

The number one hero's words ran through his mind over and over.

"I… I would be glad to inherit your power."

"Really, that's great! Let's-"

"But you'd be better off finding another successor."

"Huh?"

"All Might, I want you to look around right now. What do you see?"

"A beach."

The boy smiled.

"Yeah, a beach. Now tell me, do you remember what used to be here?"

"...A beach, no?"

"Well yes, but also no. A little over a decade or so ago, people decided to start throwing trash and scrap and a right mix of other assorted sh*t into the water, and because of the currents, it all washed up on this part of the coast. This place was more like a junkyard on top of sand than it was a beach."

He chuckled a bit.

"A veritable Junkbeach."

All Might didn't seem to get the joke, so Izuku cleared his throat and continued.

"Anyway, about nine or ten years ago, a strange man with an eyepatch brought a confused four-year-old here and ranted and raved about how it's a man's 'civic duty' to separate his trash, and when a man's slackin' in those duties, it's up to a hero either punish him or pick up the slack for him. He then subjected that four years old to about a decade of hellish training, where he'd pick up varying sizes of trash, be chased around by the eyepatched man as he'd scream relentlessly, and be forced to learn how to dance, both on and off roller skates."

"Alright, now dance!"

"... I'm sorry?"

"I said… DANCE!"

"It wasn't all bad, of course. As time went on, the beach started clearing up bit-by-bit. Eventually, that kid ended up meeting some friends. The first being an old dragon."

"Um… kid?"

"JIJI!"

"The kid screamed when they first met, but they ended up becoming friends, practically family."

"Thank you, Uncle Kaz. Thank you."

"A couple years later, the kid found a very strange man digging through one of the trash heaps."

"Um… Mister? What are you doing?"

CRASH!

"Oh my god! Are you okay!?"

"Why I'm just fine, young men. Now would you three oddly in-sync triplets mind going and grabbing my daughter? She should be deeper into one of the further heaps."

CRASH!

"There she is."

"He had his daughter with him and she was just as strange as him. She and the kid became good friends."

"Well, if you wanna be a hero, you're gonna need some support items. Don't worry, my babies can help with that!"

"Babies?"

"Fast forward about seven years and the kid finds some of the people who were throwing trash into the water, trash that ended up washing up here. He politely asked them to stop."

"I better not catch you doing this again, or you'll get more than broken noses."

"Yes, sir! Please just stop!"

"And if I find more garbage washed up on that damn beach… IT'S YOUR ASS!"

"AIEEEE!"

"After that, clean-up here on this beach sped up exponentially. Likely because those same people began to watch out for other people attempting to litter and stopped them whenever they could."

The young man smiled fondly.

"And about a year ago, that same kid decided to come back after finishing up the clean-up and he saw a beautiful sight."

The boy's smile widened.

"Families splashing in the water, a couple sharing an ice cone, little 'heroes' with beach towels for capes picking up the occasion can or wrapper. It was strange. For over a decade, it was a deserted trashy wasteland where you couldn't even see the sea past the heaps of garbage. But then, at that moment, the place was finally what the sign called it. The Takoba Municipal Beach Park."

"Young Midoriya… are you trying to tell me…?'

"That the kid who restored this place is standing right in front of you? Heh, guess I am."

The smug mirth in the boy's tone was so subtle, it looped right back around to being in your face.

"And that's why, All Might, I think you'd be better off finding a different successor."

"..." The boy's tone grew serious and so too had All Might's expression as he listened intently.

"I've got eleven months until the U.A. Entrance Exam. I'm quirkless and I can't do half the things you can, but the Entrance Exam is where I plan to show the pro heroes just what kind of hero Izuku Midoriya is. And when I ace it, I plan to show the world the same thing. Like I said, I'm honored that you would considermeof all people to be your successor, but I can't lie and tell you that I'm not curious to see just how far I can take this."

Izuku clenched his fist.

"With all these people at my back, supporting me, I wanna support them too. Keep my head held high, and show them that I can make it all the way to the finish line. I've been entrusted with all the hopes of everyone who cares about me, and I don't wanna break that trust. This is the path that I'm walking, and I won't change that."

Izuku looked All Might in the eye.

"That said, All Might, I'm not the best choice of a successor, I know that for a fact. But if you somehow can't find a candidate better than me by next year, I'll gladly take on the torch and tell the world thatIam here."

A beat of silence.

And then another.

And another, as All Might looked back at the boy who had rejected his offer.

The silence went on for so long Izuku was slightly worried that he'd offended the man.

And then...

"Ha…"

Huh?

"Hahaha!"

"A-All Might?"

"Hahahahahahahahaha!"

The pro hero burst out laughing.

Huge guffaws echoed across the empty beach, all coming from the hunched over blonde, while a baffled Izuku watched on.

Am I missing something?

The laughing went on for a while longer, while Izuku's confusion only continued to grow.

"Um… All Might?"

"I-I'm sorry, Young Midoriya, you just… said something so hilarious at the end there."

"Something… funny?"

Confused still, the greenette watched the laughing man compose himself and stand back up again, wiping a tear from his eye.

"Whew! That was a good laugh. Oh, my stomach would hurt if I still had one."

"Yeah… that's nice, glad I could say something... funny? What was that, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Young Midoriya. After all you've said and done, did you really think that I'd decide you weren't worthy?"

"Um, yeah…?"

THUNK!

"Ow! Why'd you hit me?"

"You hit idiots. It's how they learn. It's what my predecessor taught me and what I'm teachingmysuccessor."

"Whoever said that just wanted to hit people!" Then the tail end of what the skeletal man said to him registered. "Successor?"

"That's right. Successor. It's what you are now."

"But-"

"No buts, I'm set on it."

"I gave you a year to pick someone else."

"I don't want anyone else, I want you."

"That sounds awful out of context."

"Good thing wehavecontext, then."

"You're really set on this?"

"Absolutely. I won't force this power on you, especially since there are things that you want to do on your own, but there's no one else that I want to give this to."

The freckled teen sighed, "Fine, All Might, but you can still back out if you find someone better."

The bony man grinned again, "Fat chance, young man, fat chance. Oh, and it's Yagi."

"Huh?"

"My name when I'm this form. It's Toshinori Yagi. Since we're gonna be spending a lot of time together for the next year or so, it's best that you remember it."

Toshinori Yagi… Okay, I've got it.

Izuku closed his eyes and gave his new mentor a big, toothy smile.

"Alright... Yagi-sensei."

A short chapter to help transition into the next phase before I take a short, maybe week-long break.

I hope you enjoyed. If you did, tell me why in a comment. If you didn't, tell me why in a comment.

See you all next chapter.

Chapter 29: Interlude: Buddy

Chapter Text

Takoba Municipal Beach Park- July 16, 200X

Izuku was bored.

After celebrating his seventh birthday the day before, Izuku had figured that he should get back to working at the Junkbeach.

Every time he left them alone for too long, he felt like the mountains of scrap and trash only grew to loom larger and more imposing.

He'd clear a pile of sheet metal and come back to find a pile of CRTs and retro PC parts.

It was annoying, to say the least.

He waved at Nishida as the man brought in the dump truck for the day.

After his uncle had started using some of the Majima Kensetsu members to help train him, Izuku had gotten pretty close to the crew, they all seemed to share this strange bond after being subjected to the strange force of nature that was Goro Majima.

After setting down his bento near the truck, Izuku set out amongst the junky wasteland to get to work.

An Hour Later…

I hate coming in this deep.

A lot of the smellier trash was located at the heart of the Junkbeach, likely because it had been sitting there the longest while the garbage around it grew thicker.

It's almost like trash royalty.

He wished that he could just go back home and play video games, and truthfully he could've, nobody would've stopped him from just calling it quits and leaving that day.

But he didn't. Heroes didn't leave a job half-finished, and if he wanted to be the world's greatest hero, he'd have to give it 110%.

All Might wouldn't give up, neither would Jiji or Kiryu-san, so I won't either!

With puffed cheeks and a fist that he thrusted towards the sky, he let out a cry towards the heavens, "You hear that, World!? I'll be the greatest hero there ever was! And I'll start showing that by cleaning up this beach!"

"Right on, little man! You've got my support!"

"Thank you, random gu-" Wait, what?

Izuku turned his head to the side, and took note of a peculiar sight.

A man with dark hair and a heavy-looking pair of goggles, they seemed almost steampunkish in design, and clad in coveralls stood hunched above one of the larger heaps of scrap, pulling at something.

He… probably shouldn't be up there.

He called out to the man, "Um, excuse me! What are you doing?"

He was ignored, so he tried catching the man's attention once again, in hopes of getting him down before someone got hurt.

"Excuse me, sir. You should probably get do-"

"Just a little bit more… and… THERE!"

With one hard yank, the man pulled a… gramophone out of the heap.

Hand on his hip and toothy grin plastered across his face, the man raised the antique over his head triumphantly.

And then the heap collapsed.

CRASH!

The gramophone flew and landed on the sandy path, relatively unharmed.

The stranger, however, fell straight down and hit his head hard on an old TV.

The greenette ran over and knelt down next to the likely concussed man.

"Oh my god! Are you okay!?"

"Why I'm just fine, young men. Now would you three oddly in-sync triplets mind going and grabbing my daughter? She should be deeper into one of the further heaps."

CRASH!

"There she is."

Izuku looked over to where the sound came from.

If there's a girl there, she'll probably need help, this guy doesn't look too hurt, but I don't know if I should just leave him here.

"LITTLE BOSS!"

The boy heard footsteps approaching rapidly and looked to Nishida rushing towards him.

As soon as he saw him, the decision was made.

Jumping back to his feet, he ran past Nishida, telling him to bring the man to the truck and ran off in the direction of the second crash.

When he arrived, he found the toppled pile of scrap, but no girl.

"Hey! Is there anyone here?!"

No response.

Crap!

He got down and started digging through the rubbish.

"Please, if you're down there, say something!"

He pushed a rotting bookshelf off the pile and was midway through picking up an old engine block when he heard shifting off to his side.

"Huh?"

He heard more shifting, so he abandoned the engine block and moved towards the shifting and started to move the things around there.

After moving a sheaf of sheet metal, he was greeted with the sight of a grinning disembodied head.

He stared.

It stared.

He blinked.

It said one word.

"Hiya."

He definitely didn't scream in terror for a full minute.

Five Minutes Later…

After Izuku calmed down and dug the girl out of the garbage, he brought her back to the entrance, where Nishida stood with the girl's father.

And the father-daughter pair stood across from the greenette, the foremost individual still holding on tight to the gramophone he'd retrieved.

"Sorry for the trouble kiddo, but when we found this treasure trove, we just had to come in. And just look! This is just what I need to complete my next little darling."

At that, he began to hug the antique to his chest, rubbing his cheek against its horn.

Right…

It seemed like Izuku's life was just defined by his series of interactions with weird individuals.

"Well, either way, you two shouldn't be digging through this place by yourselves. I'm only really here because I wanted to get a jump on my hero traini-"

"You wanna be a hero?"

He was now staring into wide yellow eyes, the crosshairs in them locked onto his soul.

P-personal space?

"Y-yeah?"

The pink-haired girl grinned and grabbed the greenette by his shoulders.

"Well, if you wanna be a hero, you're gonna need some support items. Don't worry, my babies can help with that!"

"Babies?"

The pinkette wrapped an arm around the greenette's shoulders and pulled him in close. She put out a hand towards the bright sun as Izuku blushed heavily.

"My inventions! Soon to be well-received all around the world! And with heroes like you using them, Mei Hatsume will be a household name, just like my dad told me!"

Confused and embarrassed as he was, Izuku couldn't help but get caught up in the girl's conviction. She was really hyper and had no sense of personal space, it seemed, but she had heart, and it seemed to be in the right place.

So with a grin, he shrugged off her arm and stood with his hands on his hips, he looked Mei Hatsume directly in the eyes.

"Well, fine. But if you're gonna be makin' inventions for Izuku Midoriya, you better bring your A-Game. Got it?"

A beat of silence.

Followed by the giggles of two seven-year-olds that echoed across the beach.

BOOM!

Izuku's eyes fluttered open as he heard the all too familiar sound of an explosion.

His vision was filled with an all too familiar 'Ora Ora Ora'.

Lightly jerking his head to the side caused the manga he was reading to hit the floor with a satisfyingslap!

Sitting up on the couch, he arched his back and stretched, relishing in the sound of his joints popping.

Must've fallen asleep. But she'll be coming up pretty soon.

Hatsume Family Residence-April 18th, 201X

He had been waiting for about an hour, it wasn't quite a stretch for him to believe that he'd drifted off at some point while he laid back and readJump.

At least they gave me my own key, I'd really rather not be stuck outside today.

He'd received an awful thrashing during his spar Yagi-sensei that day (Despite being so skinny in his true form, the man still packed a wallop).

It was just a good thing that the hero didn't mind if he took off a little early during their training session for the day. Even if it had only been two weeks since their mentor-student relationship had started, they'd both understood the need for accommodation on both sides.

And he absolutely needed to make time for that day.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The sound of heavy boots tramping up the stairs.

The smell of smoke and oil getting ever so closer.

Izuku got up and got into position next to the door.

Ready…

Set…

Creeeeeeak!

POP!

"Happy Birthday, MeiMei!"

The ash-covered pinkette blinked.

"Huh, Izu? When'd you get here?"

"'Bout an hour ago, not important. Come over here for a sec."

He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and her to the living room, where a small chocolate cake sat on the table.

Izuku knew that even though it was her birthday, Mei would likely spend most of it cooped inside the workshop.

She'd done it before, much to her friend's chagrin, but he wouldn't let her do it that year.

There was only one thing that could stop Mei Hatsume from going back down to that workshop to tinker with her 'babies'.

Chocolate.

Ten Minutes Later…

That's almost impressive.

Izuku might've only sprung for a small cake, but to see his friend put it all away by herself was like watching a mini calamity as it wreaked havoc upon a tiny moussey island.

Where does it all go? Is she even chewing?

It hardly even seemed like the dessert was being eaten, more like sucked up into the cold, uncaring vacuum named Mei Hatsume.

Shaking his head and ignoring the possibility of his friend being an unnamed eldritch horror, Izuku decided to make conversation.

"So what exploded this time?"

"Baby 12032."

"Huh. Still haven't gotten that one down?"

"Yeah, it's been oddly finicky."

"Isn't it a toaster?"

"Awireless, flyingtoaster."

"Right…"

The girl continued to demolish the cake.

Okay, well, now's as a good time as any.

"Hey, Mei."

"Sup, Izu?"

"Remember when we met?"

"You mean when you screamed like a girl?"

"Yeah, then. But remember what happened after that? What you said?"

"Well, if you wanna be a hero, you're gonna need some support items. Don't worry, my babies can help with that!"

"Yeah, what of it?"

"Well, ya know how we're starting at U.A. next year and my quirk would work best with support, and that I still need to design a costume?"

"Yeaaaaaah?"

She grinned and leaned forward.

"You're really gonna make me say it?"

She nodded slowly.

Izuku sighed.

Here goes.

"Mei… will you make... babies... with me?"

Within seconds, his vision was dominated by yellow, and black crosshairs aimed directly at his soul.

"I thought you'd never ask."

Hope you enjoyed this short baby right here.

The next chapter will be up soon.

Also, I want to thank everyone who's read this far. I don't say it enough, but I really appreciate the fact that you folks take time to read this.