(FULL SUMMARY)

"In a world where 90% of the population has a superpower called a quirk, starry-eyed Izuku Midoriya yearns to be a hero. However, his plans are hindered when everything he has ever loved is taken away from him in one mighty fire. Shoved into a harsh, new and cold environment, this time without the warmth of his mother, he continues to reach towards his dreams, despite being quirkless."

Hello, readers!

I know that not everybody enjoys authors notes, so I'll try to keep this quick:

Please be warned that there is: major character death (sorry Inko), emotional angst, contemplations of domestic abuse (blink and it's gone), attempted murder, and child abuse (please note that the child abuse is only in the firstchapter) in this chapter.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Boku No Hero Academia

Enjoy!

XXX

The blaze burned brighter.

Hotter.

Higher.

The deceptive flames flickered, twisting in a pattern of destruction. They claimed the apartment building, wicked tongues licking everything to be near, and smoke ruined the haze-filled sky. Smoke drifted through the sky above like it was meant to be there. As if, a painter had painted it on with a paintbrush of flames, and decided it perfect.

Ashes fell from the sky like burning snowflakes, and everything was painted a corrupted, disgusting shade of red. There was an eerie silence in the air, only interrupted by the roaring and cackling of the blaze. But if you listened, if you dug in to the very depths of your soul, and brought forth the power. The power to comprehend and understand, the power to hear.

And you could discern, a tiny, sorrow-filled voice, calling his mother's name amidst the cries of his sobbing.

XXX

"Hisashi," Inko said, breathless, and she resisted the urge to shut the door and hide her tiny son away from the man she had once called husband.

He was her husband before the corruption.

Before Hisashi had gotten obsessed with quirks.

Before he had left them because Inko's quirk was too weak, because there was better quirks elsewhere.

Because he believed that their son, Izuku, had a useless quirk as well.

The fire-breather nodded curtly, "Inko,"

"W-what brings you here? I mean, you left, so why are you here again? Is it because-"

"Cut your rambling, woman!" He snapped, almost backhanding her, but halting before doing so. He was a man of business, after all, and he mustn't be bothered with trivial things like family and such. After all, the only reason he had returned to this wretched city was to see if his son (useless brat, like his mother in every way) had developed a quirk powerful enough to appease him. If so, he would take the maggot, and train him to become a hero, and bring large sums of money to the family. He was sure Inko would not let him take the brat, but Hisashi was much more powerful than her, and was sure to overrule her claim over the boy. He took a deep breath, and looked into the green eyes of the trembling woman before him, and lowered his hand. He must play nice, after all, if the woman showed signs of abuse, he would not be able to get his hands on the slimy little worm that shared his blood. "I'm here about Izuku."

Inko froze, and she was sure she saw her breath mist before her, "E-exuse me?"

"Has he gotten his quirk yet? If I remember, his fourth birthday was five months ago, am I correct?"

"O-oh...Hisashi…" Inko looked away, sorrow in her eyes and nerves betraying her features.

The man patience was running thin, as he was on a schedule, "Well?!"

"Hisashi, he's….he's quirkless."

The last word was barely whispered, but to Hisashi, it was shouted from the rooftops for all to hear. Him? A quirkless son? There must be a mistake.

This couldn't possibly be his child.

XXX

The silence formed between the two was thicker that earth itself, waves of tension rolling in great laps. Inko heart beat faster, and she felt flushed, and as if the walls were closing in. She started into the man before her's glowing red eyes. She saw the emotions flickering in there. Disbelief. Dry humor. Shock. And….

Hate.

Pure, unbridled, hate.

Such loathing, let out for the world to see, spilling in great fold of great, black, waves. It suffocated her, brought to the depths of insanity and back. As the hate unfolded, doubling in size and-

"Mamma?"

One beat.

Two beats.

Inko turned quivering eyes to her small son, who was standing in the doorway, clutching an All Might figurine in his pale, shaking, hands.

She looked at his fluffy green hair, his emerald green eyes, the freckles glowing like constellations across his cheeks. She looked his his red T-shirt, his tan shorts. She looked at the fear shining in those bright green orbs. She looked at her precious son who will forever have it harder than the other children because of his lack of quirk.

Her beautiful, bright, quirkless son.

She loved him regardless.

Inko rushed to him and scooped him into her arms, picking up his tiny form. She felt Izuku pushing half-heartedly at her arms, whining softly. But soon, he relented, leaning into her gentle touch.

His socked feet dangled uselessly as she carried over the the strange man in the doorway. Inko propped him on her hip, and she felt her child's heart beating rapidly against his bird-like ribcage. She couldn't blame him, as she had always known that Hiashi was terrifying.

Those glowing red eyes, bored into her soul, and she felt Izuku shiver. (She was sure that he detested the feeling of icy fingers on his spine.)

"Mommy," he tried again, "Mommy, who's this?"

She smiled sadly at him, eyes crinkling lovingly at the corners, "He's no one, baby."

XXX

Hate is a fickle thing, some would say.

Hiashi was fuming, he felt rage build up inside him like a wildfire, heaping on top of everything and warping into a big hurdle of the worst anger he had ever felt in his thirty-something years of life. His rage bubbled, quietly scorched his insides, and set fire ablaze to his heart, shrinking it to a dry, flaking husk.

Rage was what he felt emotionally.

Fire was what he felt physically.

"You mean to tell me," He spoke in a low, growling voice. "That my son, a boy who blood runs through my veins. Someone who is me and is not. Someone who I had to endure nine whole, torturous months of taking care of you, just to make sure the baby graces us with its presence." He began to yell, tendrils of fire spouting from his mouth and catching on the carpet, like he was spitting destruction. "YOU MEAN TO TELL ME, THAT MY OWN SON, MY OWN HEIR, IS CURSED?! THAT HE IS FORSWORN TO BE ONLY THE HARBINGER OF DEVASTATION AND FAILURE!? ARE YOU TELLING ME THAT HE'S USELESS, THAT HE'S A WRETCHED, PATHETIC PIECE OF FILTH, AND HE COMES FROM MY LINEAGE!?"

"Hisashi-" Inko tried to say, but was cut off as those glowing red eyes, burning hot with hatred, were directed at her. "Hisashi, please, you're scaring Izuku!"

The boy in question was trembling in his mother's hold, fistfuls of her shirt in his hands. Tears cascaded like a river down his freckled cheeks. "Mama…"

"LIKE I CARE ABOUT THE WRETCHED BRAT! HE CAN GO DIE FOR ALL I CARE! HE IS NO SON OF MINE!" The last sentence was hissed lowly, hatred and rage entwined in every syllable.

Fire had begun to catch onto the carpet.

Sparks had begun to pop.

And an inferno rose.

XXX

Toshinori Yagi, more commonly known as All Might, was enjoying a relaxing day in a new city, when he had gotten the call.

It had been peaceful in this new town, no bank robberies, no crimes. Everyone in this town seemed to be in good spirits. Happy children raced around their mother's legs as food was ordered, and friends happily pushed each other on swings. Dogs wagged their bushy tails as they dashed after balls thrown, and nearly everyone had a bright light in their eyes and a spring in their step. Almost the only person that he saw that looked unhappy was a little boy as he exited the doctor's office, his mother clutching his hand with a strained smile.

The boy was tiny, even for a child, with a curly mop of dark green hair sitting atop his head. His skin was pale, unblemished and splattered with freckles as if ink had been placed there by an artist. His emerald green eyes glistened with tears, and yet were the most vibrant color Toshinori had ever seen. Grass and forest merged into a beautiful hybrid of the two shades, and danced in the light of tears.

Shaking his head, the Pro-Hero wandered away, whistling nonchalantly.

It wasn't until hours later when his phone rang loudly, when he realized how powerful the influx of one sad, little boy could cause.

XXX

The blaze roared with furious might, barbed tongues licking the air. The cackling of a thousand flames sounded in tandem, amidst the wails of sirens below. Heat circled around the room at dizzying speeds, and the smell of many different things burning would churn even the strongest of stomachs. There was...a peculiar smell hiding within the scents, like a cowardly general hiding amongst his soldiers.

How would one describe the scent?

Imagine barbecue, some sort of meat cooking swiftly over a fire, savory scents wafting into the air. If you are a vegetarian or vegan, do not despair, for thou can also imagine a campfire, the woodsy smell comforting. Now imagine these two scents together, but sweeter, and almost morbidly sweet, as it was, after all, the horrid stench of burnt flesh.

And if you listened over the sound of the cackling blaze, you could hear a voice, sorrow and an almost hysterical fear laced across each word. The voice called, screamed in anguish and agony, and sobbed loudly and wettly.

"MAMMA!" The voice called, choking on tears and its tone shifting to a high pitch warble, while choking and hacking on the corrupted air. "MAMMA NO! MAMMA DON'T LEAVE! PLEASE DON'T LEAVE ME! YOU SAID YOU WANTED TO SEE ME GROW UP, GO TO U.A, BECOME A GREAT HERO AND MEET FRIENDS, MAKE NEW ADVENTURES AND SEE THE SUNSET EVERY SINGLE NIGHT! YOU SAID YOU WANTED TO SEE ME GET MARRIED, AND GIVE YOU GRANDCHILDREN, MAMMA PLEASE DONT GO! I NEED YOU! PLEASE!" The sobs had turned into begging now, and the child had begun to scream between pleas, an the sound of a fist pounding on carpet was heard over the wails of a mourning child. A coughing fit interrupted he child's pleas.

All was silent, and then a blood-curdling scream rang out, far surpassing any level of volume ever heard. "MAMMA!"

XXX

Inko looked down at her son with love, her green eyes sparkling in the light of the sunset.

The two had traversed to a grassy hill to watch the last rays of sun disappear and the sky to succumb to a dark, starry night. Her toddler son, a pinkish tint to his skin from the bright colors in the sky, was lying on the green grass with his head in her lap, and her pale fingers raked through the soft curls of his hair.

She ruffled the green tresses before licking her lips, "Izuku?"

"Yes Mama?"

The boy's emerald green eyes were upon her now, sparkling with wonder and curiosity, and she didn't know what did it; those eyes,or the compelling feeling emanating from the sunset, but she felt as if she needed to say something, as if she had sworn upon her soul to let words grace her lips and let sounds vibrate her vocal cords.

" Baby," Inko began, gently pulling a lock of green hair out of her son's eyes. "Izuku, baby, I want to see you grow. I want to see you go to U.A, and become a great hero." The mother smiled softly at how her child gasped in delight and stars filled his wide eyes. "I want to see you make new friends, have adventures and see the sunset every single night. "Inko began to caress Izuku's cheek, her thumb softly going over messy freckles. "Baby, my beautiful baby boy, I want to see you get married, and I want you to bring me grandchildren." With that, she carefully took him out of her lap, got on her knees and bent down, pulling him into a gentle hug. One hand was pressed against the back of his tiny head, while the other rested on the middle on his back.

The tiny boy sank into the hug, his hands fisting his mother's cardigan and he burrowed his face in her hair. Inko smiled and put a hand on his back, fingers resting softly on his spine."Mama..Why are you telling me this?"

"I don't know, baby. Maybe it's just the sunset, or maybe it's just my love for you shining as brightly as these rays of sunshine." Said Inko, breaking the hug. The green-haired mother took her son by the shoulders, gazing into those alluring eyes, before taking a hand and pressing the curls back from his forehead, and then kissing him on the top of his head. She leaned back onto her heels, and gently ran her hands down her son's arms, grabbing his tiny hands in hers. She placed a small kiss on each hand before tucking those hands close to her collar bone and saying:

"One thing I do know, is that I will be with you, every step of the way."

XXX

Have you ever lost someone?

Have you ever said goodbye to a loved one?

Have you ever felt reality gripping you, and cold, numb disbelief seep through your veins?

Have you ever felt you word tipped upside down? Ever felt that sick feeling in your chest, suppressing you and leaning a heavy weight on you heart?

Many people have.

Young and old.

From countries and genders and races alike.

But at this moment, a green haired boy, with stars in his eyes and compassion in his heart, with dreams and wishes and so much love to give, such a bright future ahead of him, he felt that feeling.

He felt numbness as his mother's eyes grew glassy, and disbelief as his name passes through her lips, bubbling with blood, and then her lips cooled.

Everything about her was getting cold.

Her hands, in which she would hold his so gently were stiff.

Her skin, which had glowed so beautifully, was mottled and deathly pale.

Her eyes, which had been so vivid and alive, were now cold and dull, staring blankly ahead for all eternity, tears leaking out of the corners.

His beautiful, warm, loving mother was cold.

She was stiff.

She was never coming back, oh no, never.

Because she was dead.

XXX

"I will be with you, every step of the way."

Lies.

XXX

All was tranquil when he got the call.

Toshinori was reclining on his couch, his tremendous mass causing the poor piece of furniture to sag tiredly, its busted springs crying out loud whenever the hero moved. The Pro-hero was watching the news, it was something about a newly debuted hero, which would have normally sparked Toshinori's attention, however, his eyes were set on something else.

On the table, a tiny, red cell phone sat, to the unarmed eye it was nothing special, just a scratched, dented phone. Nonetheless, the blonde hero found that it entrapped his attention, ensnared his consciousness. He felt his bright blue eyes drawn to it, like a moth to a flame.

He then realized that everything was blurring together like a view from outside a rainy window.

Toshinori was just suffering from sleep deprivation.

Sighing, the hero reached to turn off the television, hoping that he could at least get a few hours of sleep before being called to help. This was his third day going without sleep, and the ever-smiling-hero felt himself in an urgent need of a nap.

The Symbol of Peace was disappointed to find that his happy, calm attitude from earlier that day had disappeared, leaving behind a drowsy husk. Yawing, Toshinori bagn to stand up, this time the couch springs groaning in relief. He had just about gotten to his bedroom when his own loud, boisterous voice called to him from his living room.

"A phone call is here! A phone call is here! A phone call is h-"

"Yes, yes, a phone call is here! I get it!" Snapped Toshinori, surprising himself with his short and snappy response. The sleep deprivation must really be getting to him. He flipped open the cover and saw that Backdraft was calling him. Pressing the 'answer' button, he placed a smile on his face, puffing out his large chest. "It's fine now. Why? ' He gave his signature laugh,"Because I am here!"

"All Might!" Backdraft sounded hurried, and there was the cackling roar of a fire in the background. "There's a fire. In an apartment building in Musutafu...I-I'll text you the address. We've got everyone out except the family from the apartment building where the fire started. The neighbors say that a woman in her early thirties lives there. Her name is Inko Midoriya. Her son Izuku Midoriya is still in there too. H-he's four, Yagi." Backdrafts voice dropped a few octaves, and it sounded as if the young man was crying, and Toshinori's stomach -which had dropped down to his toes when his fellow hero had said the age of the boy- plummeted impossibly lower when Backdraft sobbed the next sentence.

"Yagi...There is a child's screams coming from that apartment."

And All Might, Symbol of Peace, bolted out his apartment door.

XXX

Hollow.

Empty.

That's all Izuku felt.

Like a discarded toy, left out in the rain, nether cared about or missed.

Left behind.

His bright green eyes, always so kind and happy, where now dull. They were shrouded in darkness and dry of tears, pupils shaking in disbelief. There was an understanding in there, a deep brokenness, shards and fragments of memories and sanity drifted there, lost, forever.

The tiny boy was on his knees, shaking, his curly hair dangled over his face, and his teeth tore at his lip, drawing blood that trickled down his chin, and dripped onto his neck. Izuku reached out, his trembling fingers closing his mother's eyes, something nobody, let alone a child, should ever have to do.

The green eyes of a mourning son slipped closed, and the bleeding lips of a child who had lost everything pulled back into a pained grimace, titling back his head, up to the hazy, red sky, Izuku screamed.

He screamed in the agony of his burns.

He walied for all he had lost that day.

He sobbed for his mother.

And then oblivion came crashing down upon him.

XXX

"The worst part about being a hero is the fact that you cannot save every person that needs help"

All Might skidded to a stop before the apartment building, blond tufts of hair slapping him harshly in the face. He rushed over to the courtyard, where several ambulances, fire trucks, and police officers resided. Many of the civilians sat in clumps, eyes wide and faces pale. Some were being treated for small burns and scrapes, while others had shock blankets draped over their trembling shoulders.

Children, with tear tracks making grey lines on their soot stained faces, were being comforted by adults, who looked breathless and shaken. Not one person noticed him. As the Pro-hero made his way over to to the worried-looking officials conversing in a tight circle by an ambulance, he caught a bit of a conversation between a young couple, both looking ragged.

"Inko Miodirya's still in there."

"And her son too! Poor boy!"

"I just hope both of them are all right."

A weary sigh was breathed out, almost like a curse. "I dont know, Haru...It doesn't seem like the Pro-Heroes can get them out..I mean, it has been a while...and those screams-"

"Its okay, Im sure the Pro's will do soemthing! We can't lose hope, Takara."

"If only All Might were here…"

The Pro-hero in question gave his signature laugh, startling all the citizens. Pale, wide-eyed faces were turned to him, mouths agape. As he called out for all to hear that all was alright, something else touched the faces of the fire victims.

Hope.

Faces regained color, small smiles were set on mouths that had just been quivering. Children's tears were dried and a light was set to eyes that had been dull with sorrow. It was like a candle had been lit, warming everyone who had fallen victim to the traumatic event. A new energy repossessed the scene, it flowed so brilliantly, inviting a breath of fresh air in the ruined air.

Seeing that he had given a spark, a hand to hold, a warm reassurance of safety , to these people, who had been through so much terror, All Might smiled harder. For them to rise and put a smile on their faces, to be strong, it warmed the Hero's heart.

All Might walked through the fray, towards the assembled officials, leaving a spark of hope in the wake of every footstep.

XXX

Hisashi watched.

He watched his son (worthless, useless brat, not worth the air he breathes. Oh, how Hisashi wishes his son was dead) as the boy screamed into oblivion, tears sliding down his face and mingling with the blood on his son's maw.

He watched as the worm writhed his sorrow, desperately, grabbing his mother's face, shaking her, screaming her name, begging, pleading for her to come back. The boy was taking large gulps of air, tears cascading down his face, as he clawed at his arms and screamed his pain out to the world.

Hisashi had seen enough.

His foot made a soft crunching noise on the broken glass of a fallen picture frame. The picture inside was of him and Inko, holding their newborn son with smiles that could rival the sun on their faces. The fire-breather grinned at the irony, making his features -that were thrown into sharp relief but the bright flames- seem demonic.

His son looked up at the sound, fear twisting his face. The boy scampered back, raising his arms in a x-shape to protect his face. Soft whimpers started to iment from the boy, making Hisashi laugh, before the man crouched down in front of the quivering boy, and tilted up Izuku's blood-stained chin. Twisting his features in a snide smile.

"I hate you. Now make yourself useful and die,useless."

The boy could barely gasp before Hisashi pulled back his lips in a wolfish smile and barked a laugh, white fire shooting out of his lips. The tongues of flame engulfed the boy, and after hearing the worthless failure's scream of agony, Hisashi, once spitting into the ball of flames that was once his son, stepped into his flames and vanished.

XXX

Burning.

Twisting.

Destroying.

All Might gazed at the fire. A police officer next to him was sprouting off information that normally, he would've had paid attention to. However, the smiling-hero found himself ensnared by the sight of golden tendrils of fire swirling around the building.

Demolishing all.

The hazy, red sky was tainted by white smoke and falling ashes, and everything was warm, too warm, and All Might found his eyelids get heavy. It was almost like the flames were writhing, thrashing, claiming everything with a ravenous glutton.

The building was turned black by the fire, and bits of it lay on the ground, indistinguishable from the abnormally large piles of ash littering the ground.

The entire scene was something out of a nightmare.

A horrible.

Vivid.

Nightmare.

That was very much real, thank you.

With a shouted reassurance, All Might raced into the building, his smile betraying the horror he felt, and the deep fear for this family.

The screams had stopped some time ago.

Was the family still alive?

Or had they perished, screaming for help that was to late, as the excruciating process of being incinerated alive overcame them, smoke smothering their cries.

All Might hopes that it was the former.

XXX

These are things.

The things we've lost.

The things we've lost.

To the fire.

Fire.

Fire.

XXX

Agony.

Pure, unfathomable agony.

That's all Izuku felt.

His eardrums were bursting, spikes of excruciating pain shooting up in his ears. And no matter how much he clawed at them, he couldn't block out the shrill shriek where his head throbbed to new levels he had yet to discover. Warm, gruesome blood leaked from his ears, dripping down on his red shirt. He wailed in agony, hunching his shoulders up to his head, as the feeling of burning, boiling agony crashed against him much like a wave.

Pain radiated from the ragged stump that was his leg, and -if possible- his screams grew louder as the pain registered in his brain. The skin was bubbling and with each pop of a bubble, agony sang through his veins like a choir. His vision was gone, replaced by a white nothingness as agony jolted through his body, tearing and destroying every pain receptor he had.

The boy bucked on the ground, writhing in agony. He retched dryly, clawing at his arms with shaking fingers. His eyes were shut tight, and his eyebrows creased so much he was frightened they would stay that way. As the screams burst out of his mouth, he slammed his head against the floor, leaving smears of blood.

Izuku felt unconscious dig it's gnarled fingers into his body and pull him down, deeper into a void that unmatched the depth of anything ever known. He screamed for his Mama, but a cloyingly gentle hand grabbed his mouth, and another covered his eyes. His limbs felt sluggish, and the pain was fading into a dull throb.

While his physical body lay still and limp, Izuku screamed in the void of unconsciousness, tears falling down his cheeks.

...he wanted his Mama.

XXX

But soon Izuku would feel nothing.

And he would doubt he would ever feel anything again.

His mother was dead.

His father a murderer.

And he…

He was a broken child.

XXX

Please.

Please dont let him be too late.

All Might skidded into the room, his blue eyes open in a wild frenzy, pupils shaking. His muscular form quickly cleared the wreckage.

Time was of the essence.

Each step he took could cost this family their lives.

Each breath he took could be exchanged for their last.

And every tear he shed for their loss would be useless.

Pathetic.

XXX

All he was..

All he is..

Is just a forgotten doll

Shattered.

XXX

...He was so pathetic...

All Might raced into a small opening in the writhing flames, smoke invading his lungs. His ever-smiling face was twisted into a concerned frown.

And there.

Right there.

Was a little boy, his wild green hair matted with blood. With a sick realization, All Might recognized the child as the boy he was seen so unhappy this morning.

The child was lying on his back, arms and legs splayed out, his rib cage protruding. The child was unconscious, yet those vibrant green eyes could be seen beneath half-closed eyelids. There was a distant look in the child's eyes and his expression was empty, his features devoid of emotion. All might could discern tear tracks marking the blacked skin, and as he walked closer to the boy -who had yet to wake up- and crouched down-

Oh goodness.

Laying next to the boy was a corpse.

All Might gagged, looking at how the corpse's features were burned beyond recognition, and how the fire latched onto it with such hunger.

Glancing back at the child on the ground, All Might took stock of the boy. The child's ears were bleeding sluggishly, a crimson puddle surrounding the boy. Numerous burns littered the boy, making him look like a twisted painting, and they were oozing. The ever-smiling hero guessed that the burns were mostly First-Degree, which made his heart beat even faster.

And when the Pro-Hero reached the boy's leg, he almost screamed.

The entire appendage had been burnt off, leaving behind a smoking stump behind. Ragged pieces of bloodied flesh still clung to the stump, and when looking closer, All Might could see the sheen on bone glistening there. Miraculously, it seems as if the fire had cauterized the most wound as soon at it was made. But a thick-paste like material was leaking out of the burn.

It was...Barbaric.

Deep in his gut, The Symbol of Peace felt an overwhelming rage take over him- but he pushed that aside, as the boy was his top priority.

Genly sliding his large hands under the boy's prone form, All Might stood, and adjusted the child's meager weight into an arm. All Might grabbed a fist of the greenette's shirt and held it up to the child's brunt nose. Suppressing a cough, he turned and bolted out the room, desperately hoping that the boy would be alright.

But as soon as he turned around…

The boy snapped.

XXX

Izuku woke to the feeling of warmth.

He felt himself being carried, and rough cloth around his nose. It seemed as adrenaline had kicked in, as the boy couldn't feel anything. As he inhaled, he smelled ash and brunt flesh, and he gave a barely audible whimper, closing his eyes, as he remembered all he had lost that day.

He remembered how just a fortnight ago, he and his Mama had baked cookies together, and she had grabbed the empty salt shaker on the counter labeled "love" and had shook it over the dough, claiming that the most important ingredient was love.

The greenette remembered how just a week ago he had put on an All Might onesie and his mother had grabbed him and ran around the room with him in her arms, pretending that he was flying.

He remembered how, just yesterday, his mother had read him a book before bed and tucked him in with a kiss, saying how much she loved him.

And she was dead.

Gone.

Tears fell down his already swollen cheeks, and he would've started wailing if it wasn't for what he saw next.

His mother's body.

He…

He couldn't leave her.

Not now.

Not ever.

And then he snapped.

XXX

"I love you so much, Izuku."

But who's going to love him now that she's gone?

XXX

All Might felt the boy twitch in his arms.

Turning bright blue eyes to the prone form, All Might opened his mouth to say his catchphrase when the boy jolted. Surprised, he loosened his grip, and the boy dove out of his arms and hit the ground with a shriek, but soon recovered, and began to crawl towards his mother, screaming the same word over and over again, "MAMA!"

All Might felt his heart ache for the boy, but instead he grabbed the tiny form like one would a cat, and threw the boy over his shoulder, "It's okay, kid! Why?" He laughed. "Because I am here!"

"All Might..?" For a split second, the boy seemed to calm, and the Symbol of Peace could have sworn he saw stars of admiration dancing in those emerald eyes, but it was soon shrouded by panic. "LET ME GO! MAMA!"

Ignoring the feeling of tiny fists beating his back and the tears soaking his hero suit, All Might ran through the halls, dodging columns of feasting fire, and leaping over colossal piles of ash. The boy began screaming loudly in his ear, begging All Might to put him down so he could go to his mother.

'I know the kid wants to go to his mother, and his plea's are making my heart cry, but I don't want this boy to die.' Thought the Number One Hero dryly.

The boy sobbed dryly on All Might's shoulder, trembling fingers attempting to pry All Might's grip off of the boys back, but to no avail.

"PLEASE! I NEED MY MOTHER! TAKE ME BACK, TAKE ME BACK! MAMA! MAMA! MAMA COME BACK!" Each crack in the boy's voice was a crack in All Might's heart, and each tear the boy shed would be repaid later that night by All Might.

Smoke burned at his lungs, but the Pro-Hero kept going, coughing and wrestling the bucking child on his back into a bridal style carry. Dashing past the last pile of smoking ashes, All Might threw open the doors, the fresh air hit his face and he greedily gulped it up.

The child in his arms had worked himself into exhaustion, and the poor thing had began to tug at All Might's costume (as well as his heartstrings) "P-please, Mama…" Tears bubbled down the boy's face sluggishly, and a pout played about the child's lips. "P-p-please...I...I can't live without her…."

All Might smiled sadly, murmuring apologies under his breath as he passed the near dead weight that was the boy over to the paramedics, giving green, blood-matted hair an affectionate ruffle.

When he turned around, the boy was being whisked away, weakly calling out his mother's name with sorrow lacing his words.

"Please….bring my mama back…"

Later that night, All Might cried himself to sleep.

But the world -or frankly anybody- doesn't need to know that.

XXX

"In other news, an apartment building in Musutafu has been set on fire by a mysterious villain with a powerful fire quirk. Nearly everyone got out safely, however, Inko Midoriya, age thirty-four perished in the fire for reasons yet to be determined.

Four-year-old Izuku Midoriya is being hospitalized with life-threatening injuries-"

The television was shut off abruptly.

XXX

Authors notes:

I'm sorry for killing Inko...

I don't know when I'll update, but I'll try to update soon:)

Please inform me of anythiny that I might need to improved,

~Cloudy