"What's a soulmate" A three year old Izuku Midoriya asked her mom.
Inko looked down at her daughter happily drawing away. "Well" she began "Its like a best friend but more.'
"Like me and Kaachan?" Interrupted the girl a big beaming smile on her face as she crawled into her mom's lap.
Inko laughed "Kinda, Soulmates are the only people in the world who will know you better than anyone else. Somebody who makes you a better person."
"Actually she amended hugging her daughter close "They don't make you a better person you do that yourself, because they inspire you. A soulmate is someone you carry with you forever. They're the people who knew you and accepted you and believed in you before anyone else or when no one else would."
Pausing to take a sip of her tea a fond smile gracing her lips thinking if her own soulmate "And no matter what happens you will always love them. Nothing could ever change that."
Izuku looked up at her mom eye shining happy and hopeful "I can't wait to meet my soulmate."With one last squeeze Izuku jumped down running off to play.
….
It was a long day for Izuku, Burns littered her arms along with some cuts and bruises. Kaachan was especially mean today, Him and his cronies ambushed her after class pushing her around, making fun of her for not having a quirk saying she probably would never have a soulmate.
"Just because I don't have a quirk doesn't mean I don't deserve love." The ten year old whispered sadly, she was almost home. Stopping outside her apartment door Izuku listened for any signs that her mom was home. The clanking of dishes on the other side had the small green haired girl taking a deep breath and forcing a smile, Opening the door with a happy shout of "Mom I'm home!"
"Welcome home honey" Inko greeted back informing the girl "Dinner should be ready in a bit."
Taking off her shoes, Izuku started asking about her mom's day, "Anything cool happen today, Has Toshinori-san talked to you at all?"
"Not at all it was quite a boring day" Inko laughed "No he hasn't, the bond has been strangely silent today. He must be busy."
Izuku kept grilling her mother about her day trying to keep her occupied so Izuku could sneak past -Her mom didn't need to see what kaachan did- "Oh by the way Mrs. Saki from the pos- Izuku what happened!"
Forgetting about dinner Inko rushed for the first Aid kit in the bathroom ignoring her daughters calls of "Its not that bad mom!" Pushing her daughter into a chair, Inko took the pots and pans off the burners and sat across from the fifth grader.
"What happened?" Demanded her mother. Tenderly cleaning and bandaging the injuries.
"N-nothing I just, I just tripped. Ya I tripped that's all." Defended the younger.
"Must have been one hell of a fall to get burned" Inko's eyes burned with tears as she called her daughter out. Who in turn was looking at the floor cheeks burning in shame.
"Mom please don't cry" Pleaded Izuku, drawing her mother into a hug once she was finished "I'm okay I promise, Things just got a little rough today that's all."
After a few minutes Inko calmed down telling Izuku to go wash up while she finished dinner. That was how the Midoriya household ran until.
…...
"M-mom?" Izuku called shakily walking into the living room holding her arm like she broke it. Tears building in green eyes.
Inko set her coffee mug down and walked over to her daughter checking for any new injuries "Izuku, Baby what's wrong are you okay?"
"Soulmates aren't suppose to hurt each other right?" The small female asked, trying to keep her voice steady.
Inko was worried why the sudden interest in soulmates? Izuku hardly ever asked about them only on occasion asking about her own soulmate but besides that nothing. "No they aren't."
Clutching her arm tighter against herself, tears streaming down her face as she asked "Then why does mine?"
Gently grabbing the ten almost eleven year olds arm pushing her sleeve up, Inko was shocked to see the writing from her daughters soulmates.
Your old man still being a fuckin bastard?
He increased my training schedule, It's not fun. You seem more mad than usual.
Fucking deku's being a whiny little bitch again
oh
It was plain obvious who one of them was, Izuku was shaking with the effort of holding her emotions back and the arms wrapping around her was the breaking point. Harsh cries filled the room. "I-I dont want a soulmate anymore." she choked out clutching her moms shirt in a death grip.
It was heartbreaking to hear her baby girl say that. Being quirkless was something they could deal with but this it was a whole new ball game. Soulmates were supposed to love, protect and support one another it should have been physically impossible to hurt your soulmate. The only thing Inko could do was hold her daughter and whisper reassurance as she cried like her life was over.
Something changed in the Midoriya household that night. Izuku never once replied to her soulmates instead keeping the words locked behind long sleeve and pants never mentioning the words that appeared on her skin almost everyday. It became an elephant in the room. She became more reclusive and withdrawn even from Inko herself. She would come home with more injuries everyday and It worried Inko to no end. The only thing that didn't change was her dream of becoming a hero but the bright flame that once burned an inferno was now dimmed to a ember.
….
Izuku wasn't having a very good day. First thing this morning Bakugou dumped her backpack into one of the compost bins and set her homework on fire causing her to get a scolding from the teacher. Her lunch was ruined when her classmate poured water all over it. Class ending for the weekend should have been a blessing but only turned out to be worse, Katsuki had cornered her in the empty classroom, shoving her into one of the desks.
"What the hell do you think your doing applying to U.A as if they would actually accept a whiny quirkless bitch like you" He taunted, pushing Izuku harder into the desk "Listen up you useless deku. I am the only one going to be accepted from this shitty school so don't even bother trying."
Katsuki grabbed one of her notebooks blowing it up, throwing it out the open window. With one last shove he left the girl alone but not before telling her. "Why don't you just jump off the school roof! Maybe you'll actually get a quirk in your next life shitty deku. You're mother would probably be happy to get rid of such a useless daughter."
Alone in the classroom Izuku stood on shaky legs, Numb and dissociated. Somehow she grabbed her backpack and made it to where he now ruined notebooks fell. When Izuku got home it was to an empty house, When she finally came to herself she was sitting on the bathroom floor, sleeve rolled to her elbow a small pocket knife -she bought it years ago for self defence- hovering above it.
Bakugou's words rang through her head 'Why don't you just jump off the school roof?' "Good idea, but this is better" she mumbled dazedly before pressing the blade into her arm. Once, twice, again and again. Words started appearing on her skin just below the cuts.
Oi shouto what the fuck are you doing? Tell your old man to lighten up some would you my arms bleeding like a stuck fucking pig!
It's not me!
What the hell do you mean "It's not you", You're the only one it could be
Exactly what I said, I think we have another soulmate
What the fuck, Oi whoever the fuck you are stop it's annoying
Katsuki! Look I understand your hurting but this isn't the answer talk to us we can help
Words kept appearing directed at her but Izuku just ignored them, dropping the knife and leaning back against the wall. An unknown amount of time passed fading in and out of consciousness as blood loss increased. A door being opened and the shout of "Izuku I'm home" was faintly heard.
In. out
A scream jolted her a bit but not by much then someone was shaking her yelling "Izuku! Can you hear me baby? Come on please open your eyes."
In. out
"My daughter she, Please I need an ambulance." who was she talking to?
"Mom?" she slurred trying to comply with what her mother was saying
In.
Inko sounded like she was crying "Oh Izuku thank goodness, Yes she's conscious please hurry"
There was pressure against her arm and then that's all the teenage girl knew.
out.
When she woke up it was to steril walls and a bandaged arm, Inko hunched over in a chair beside the bed. She looked terrible Hair knotted and half escaped from its tie, dark circles were stark under her bloodshot eyes as tear tracks dried on her cheeks.
"Mom?" Her throat was dry and scratchy. Empty "Why am I alive?"
Inko jump. Zeroing in on her daughter, and in a blink of an eye was holding her tightly sobbing. "Don't say that!" she scolded between tears "Don't you dare say that, You are alive because the world needs you. I need you. You are my world Izuku and I can't lose my world so please don't-" Inko was crying too hard to finish
Izuku soon followed "I'm sorry, Im sorry" she cried.
It was announced that Izuku had a severe case of depression and was prescribed some Anti-depressants.
…
When she was 14 Izuku met All Might. It wasn't as star striking as she thought it would be meeting her childhood hero. It was actually kind of sad. Sure he saved her from a villain and signed her note book but she found out he had been badly injured and weakening, Then he told her she couldn't be a hero if she didn't have a quirk.
"Think of your soulmate" He told her gently. The bony hand placed on her shoulder was suppose to be a comfort "You're practically a sitting duck out there without a quirk, What would your soulmate think if you died before you met?"
"Kaachan would probably be ecstatic, the other I'm not to sure about." She didn't mean to say it, it just slipped out.
Walking back home, Izuku passed a villain holding someone hostage. She would have kept going but once she caught sight of the hostage her mind went blank. At the end of it she was scolded and sent home while Bakugou got praised left right and center.
Meeting All Might for the second time was probably the best thing that ever happened to her in all her 14 years of life the words "Yes you can be a hero" Light a fire she never knew was extinguished. He was giving her a reason to live. To be able to achieve her lifelong dream of becoming a hero.
"What do you say Young Midoriya?" The number one hero asked.
"Yes" She replied without hesitation. Tears running down her face and for once they were from happiness.
….
Training with the number one hero was hard but totally worth it.
"So" All Might began one day. He was sitting on a tipped over fridge in his skeletal form "When we met you told me that one of our soulmates wouldn't care if you died, Why do you think that?"
Izku dropped the microwave she was carrying in shock narrowly missing her foot. "I-i don't feel like talking about it."
All Might hummed jumping up and over to the teenager. "You know you can talk to me right my girl?"
Izuku nodded looking down a shy blush covering her face, "What about you tell me something about yourself and i'll tell you something about me that no one else knows? How does that sound"
Izuku picked the microwave backup and agreed. She was his successor after all "O-okay."
"Alrighty then" Quipped the pro hero "My real name is Toshinori Yagi."
"It's nice to meet you Yagi-san" She smiled at the older man as they walked to the truck together. Setting the old rusted appliance into the truck box Izuku thought about what to tell him
"It doesn't have to be anything big, You can start with something small" He encouraged.
"I like to take notes on quirks both villain and hero" she told him. "I have about eight and a half notebooks."
The two went back and forth like that almost every training session telling the other things about themselves. They started off small then worked their way to bigger things.
"I tried to kill myself a year and a half ago" The teenager admitted quietly staring at the almost diminished piles of afraid to look at her mentor.
"I'm glad you're still here." Was all he said
…..
"I have a soulmate" He told her one day, "Her name is Inko, We've never met before."
"Wait what!?" Izuku turned around so fast she almost gave herself whiplash "What did you say?"
"I have a soulmate?" He approached slowly.
"I got that part but what was her name?"
Toshinori was confused at the sudden change in attitude "Inko?"
Izuku felt like she just died a little bit, All Might, is possibly her mother's soulmate. How the hell did that work. Face burning she admitted "I think I know who your soulmate is."
Toshinori looked confused and before he could ask anything she blurted "I-I might be wrong but I about 85% sure I know who it is. Um if I'm right and if you would like I could probably introduce you two. Sorry I'm overstepping my boundaries just forget I said anything. Sorry"
A hand on her shoulder stopped her before she could run off "I trust you Midoriya."
Later that night Izuku hesitantly approached her mom "Um mom? Can I talk to you?"
"Of course sweetie"
Izuku sat down beside her fighting slightly before admitting "I think I met your soulmate."
Inko looked just as confused as Toshinori had been when she told him earlier "Can I borrow your arm for a minute?"
Holding out her arm and a pen Inko watched curiously as her daughter wrote something down. A minute later Izuku smiled looking up at her "Do you want to met him?"
Nodding Inko couldn't help but to mirror her daughters blinding smile. A date was set one week. That's how long she had to prepare herself. That week long wait felt like both a lifetime and not enough time and in no time at all she was following her daughter to a secluded beach filled with trash.
"Wait here" Izuku told her before running off. She returned not even a minute later came back with a thin blond man.
…
The entrance exam was hell, Waiting for the results were even worse Izuku felt like she was drowning in her depression. Her mom did the best she could, encouraging and reasuraing her daughter but it still weighed heavily in her mind.
When the results finally did come she felt she could have punched Toshinori, It was her first day of class she found out who her other soulmate was. Todoroki Shouto the son of the number two hero. But that didn't matter to her she found friends a bubbly brunette with a gravity quirk named Uraraka, an eccentric boy named Iida. girl with pink skin Mina and a energetic redhead named Kirishima.
The USJ happened fear, worry and pain lots of pain, Then the sports festival. It was hard nerve wracking but her friends cheered her on. She learned a bit about her second soulmate, his father was abusive his mother forced away.
Summer vacation brought new disasters first the Mall and then the training camp.
….
It took a lot to convince her mom to let her move into the dorms it caused quite a few fights between Inko and Toshinori. More than once she would hear the two fighting from her room.
"I almost lost her because of that boy" Screamed Inko -Izuku could tell she was crying- "and now you want her to live with him. I could accept her going to school with him but not this."
"Inko please" Tried Toshinori
"No, You don't understand."
Izuku doesn't know what her mother's soulmate said but the next day she reluctantly agreed to let Izuku go live in the dorms.
"Call me every night, Take you meds and don't be afraid to tell your teachers if its too much or if you need a break" Inko told her once she was packed and ready to leave.
…
Living in the dorms was a chaotic mess but the good kind. Kirishima and her started getting closer. They spared together and studied with the friends but soon those little sparring sessions turned into small dates to coffee shops and trips to the mall.
One day they were in her room cuddling feeling brave she asked "Do you know your soulmate?"
The redhead chuckled pressing his face into her hair "Ya but we decided to stay platonic. Not my type at all. What about you?"
She was expecting the question but she still tensed up when he asked. "Ya" She breathed after a few seconds "I have no interest in being with either of them."
…
It was a rookie accident on her part. Something that should have never was sparring with Mina, Kirishima, Todoroki, Momo, Bakugou and Ochako. Uraraka was the referee while Ashido and her went at it. It was fun friendly taunting until mina slipped and Izuku tried to catch her. Resulting in mina's quirk burning the left half of her shirt. The sleeve was completely ruined showing everyone her scars and the words there.
You going to spar with Deku and the other extras?
You should come too, you might learn something
Fuck fine
Bakugou and Todoroki looked at her one in shock and the other in anger. "I- i h-hav-have to go" she stuttered out before running. Hearing Bakugou's screams of rage had to running faster back to the dorms.
She managed to avoid them until dinner where they corned her in the living room.
"Why the fuck didn't you tell me?" Demanded the explosive blonde.
Izuku stayed silent.
"We're fucking soulmates, Those words on your arm are mine."
"Katsuki stop" Hedged Todoroki, moving in between the two
"Fuck that I want to know why the fuck she never told us, Bitch probably kept silent all those years just to laugh at us."
"Is that what you think?" Laughed the girl. "Why would I want a soulmate who physically, mentally and emotionally abused me for years,"
Her anger was getting the best of her "But oh no that's okay, it's all forgiven because your my soulmate fuck that!" Screamed the green haired girl angry tears burning down her cheeks "What gives you the right. Absolutely fuck all. I don't care if you are my soulmate, Those words mean nothing to me they're just words that appear on my skin written by others. Nothing to do with me."
"Izuku, Katsuki can we please talk about this calmly."
"You fucking bitch" Bakugou grabbed the collar of her shirt dragging her up. "Those words give me the right."
Distantly she hear someone yelling to go grab a teacher as Izuku slammed a knee into his stomach causing him to drop her in shock which was quickly turned into fire hot rage. Launching himself at the small girl the two landed on the coffee table behind them shattering it, pinning Izuku's arms small explosions burning her.
Ignoring the pain Izuku activated one for all kicking the raging blond off her with a vicious shout of "Fuck you."
Izuku tried to dogged as the blonde lunged again explosions fuling his speed, fist swinging "I'll fucking kill you"
Just as he was about the hit, scarves wrapped themselves around him pulling him back as his quirk was forcefully deactivated. Izuku was stopped from going after him by a pair of bony arms grabbing her. "You already tried remember" she shrieked kicking and screaming against Toshinori years of anger and frustration pouring out "You told me to jump off the school roof.I took your goddamn advice and I slit my own wrist!"
The room stopped dead, even Bakugou but Izuku raged on " Do you want to know who found me? It was mom. You put me through hell. Bullied me everyday' kicked, hit, burned, called me names. For what? Shits and fucking giggles?"
Like a taut string being cut the manager left Izuku, slumping in her guardians arms as she cried. You say the words on my arm are proof I belong to you and Todoroki but I'm not an object. I don't belong to anyone. Even if i did your actions speak louder than the words, How can we be soulmates if all you ever do is hurt me?"
Unable to say more Izuku cried not even noticing when Bakugou was carried away. No one moved from where they were. Speechless at what they witnessed. Watching as the girl they came to love and care about fell apart at the seams holding onto their teacher like a lifeline.
…
"Hey Kiri?" Izuku asked snuggling into the redheads arms. It was a long day at work villains causing a ruckus left right and center.
"Hmm?" he sleepily mumbled gripping her tighter. A simple gold band shining in the moonlight.
"What's a soulmate?"
Kirishima was silent working the question through his sleep foggy mind "A soulmate is a best friend someone who inspires you to become a better person. Someone who believes and supports you before anyone else will and accepts you for who you are."