Death of Snipers: To answer your question about Izuku's kagune appearances, he'll be able to use whatever forms he wants, but he has preferences and they'll be as... I think... mentioned in the beginning of the last chapter but if you didn't see it I'll be glad to mention it again! He'll have an ukaku like Yomo's (black wings), a koukaku like Hinami's, a rinkaku like Kaneki's, and a bikaku like Nishio. As for the OFA-which gave me a brain fart because for the life of me I didn't realize you were talking about One for All-I decided to hold a poll because I'm unsure as to whom I'll have as its successor; Izuku or the original person they chose in the manga, Mirio (sorry if that's a spoiler).

As for everyone else that commented, and didn't leave a specific question, I'm glad you guys find my story interesting and that you like it! I hope I don't disappoint any of you as you continue to read this story.


Author's Note: Hey guys! I'm back and with another update!

In the previous chapter, we all learned Izuku's new quirk and the restrictions, what he can and cannot do or have, and other stuff that will change in our young bunny's life. I've decided that I will be, after all, introducing new characters from the Tokyo Ghoul world, and I will be describing them, and matching their personalities, as best as I can! If I get anything wrong, let me know!

Also, please don't flame me for shitty third-person and how I keep switching between active and passive voice… I suck at that. I had decided this story needed to be in third-person because I felt it would fit better instead of my normal first-person writing habits. I am, though, welcome to any and all suggestions on what I can do to make my third-person writing better!


Chapter 2: Tears and Sorrow and House Arrest

From the moment he learned what his quirk was, and what it did to him and his body, Izuku no longer wanted a quirk. He no longer wanted to be a hero. It's been half a year since he learned the truth and quite frankly, he didn't want to exist anymore.

Even though he liked his new teachers and fellow students that held the same quirk as he did, he felt like he was nothing but a burden. He especially hated when it came to eating; alone or surrounded by the people eating the very same thing he was. It disgusted him to the point that he refused to eat. It wouldn't last long because the second his complexion looked sickly or anything of the sort, his teachers would be on him, alone in a room, until he ate something. Then would remind him of the consequences of starving himself over and over again.

He learned how to control the change in his eyes, how to control his other gifts of the rinkaku, kokaku, ukaku, and bikaku, under his new teachers. A teacher per ability, because he was special; a source quirk, and needed extra tutelage on how each one worked and how they affected his body.

Izuku learned quickly, in the short amount of time he was at his new school, the teachers he liked, the one he despised with his entire being, and one he became terrified of because of her impatience. Touka-sensei was nice, but sometimes she had a short fuse that'd scare him, especially when she let both of her eyes turn black. Tsukiyama-sensei literally scared the absolute shit out of him, to the point that he didn't want to be left alone with him during his extra lessons he had with the blue haired creep. It was those lessons he was grateful for having Touka-sensei stay with him—apparently she didn't like the guy either.

His favorite teacher, by far, is Kaneki-sensei. The man, though young, showed great amount of restraint, patience, and made learning fun, yet this was also the teacher that would hound him for starving himself so sometimes he was scary too, but in a good way. The one thing that Izuku found particularly weird about this teacher was his white hair, and asked frequently if it was that color his entire life. But he never got an answer, just a sad look before lessons continued, the question ignored.

It was between terms, the kids now age seven, when Izuku and his friends went to the park they used to frequent as children. Hide and seek was the game this time to give heroes and villains a rest—because Izuku would either play the villain or nothing at all, given how he still felt like he'd never be a hero because of his quirk, even though his heart still wanted to be one.

Bakugou was it and had to count to twenty while Izuku and Konsei hid. Konsei choosing to hide up in a tree and Izuku in an alley behind some trash cans. Izuku had started to believe he hid too well when Konsei was found first, and that both of them were now searching high and low for him.

However, it was neither Bakugou or Konsei that found him.

"You're that kid… been a few years hasn't it?" Someone spoke up behind Izuku, causing the small boy to flinch and turn around to see a distantly familiar mop of bluish, silver hair and cracked lips. Unfortunately, Izuku couldn't remember what happened with this person from when he was four.

"Do I know you?" Izuku asked, blinking up at the man as he talked.

"You should, I'm the one that told you to stop worrying whether or not you had a quirk because you couldn't stop crying." He spat. "You were such a cry baby too."

"Oh, that's right!" Izuku beamed. "I recognize your scent now."

"Huh?"

"Oh… that's… part of my quirk…" Izuku answered, his voice lowering as his gaze went from the man's soft, yet irritated eyes to the ground.

"See, I told you there was nothing to worry about being quirkless."

"I wish I was quirkless…" Izuku sniffed as the man sat on the ground next to him. "Being quirkless is better than having what I ended up with."

"What is your quirk then? I mean, there can't be anything worse than what I have… I can't touch anything with all five of my fingers without it crumbling away on me."

Before Izuku could speak up, his stomach rumbled loudly. Reminding him that he had not only skipped lunch, but every meal since break started two weeks ago. This would be the first time since he got the nerve to lie about eating to his mom and hiding the fact that the meals he was supposed to have eaten in the trash or down the toilet when his mom ran dish water to clean dishes as he emptied his stomach of everything before it could digest.

A blush spread across Izuku's face as he curled in on himself, his thoughts elsewhere so he wasn't aware that the man had pulled out a candy bar from his pocket and offered it to him until the guy cleared his throat.

"I know it's not much, but I know you're not homeless from the look of your clothes. It can be something to hold you over until you get home and eat lunch."

"I… I can't, but thanks for the offer." Izuku muttered, his stomach grumbling in protest.

"Why? Are you allergic or something?"

"I… I have a strict diet… ever since my quirk manifested…" Izuku sighed. "Everything makes me sick."

"Oh! So it's one of those quirks where you have to eat a certain type of food. I get it." The man nodded and put the chocolate back in his pocket. "Are you here with friends, or are you here alone?"

"I'm here with two of my friends, and we're playing hide and seek but I'm always the last one found. I hide too well."

"Oh? I figured you'd be playing heroes and villains. Every kid plays that stupid game lately. Makes me sick."

"I don't like playing it… if we do I volunteer for the villain." Izuku told him, unaware that his eyes were turning black because of his hunger clawing at him again in another rumble from his stomach. "I mean… I wanted to be a hero, but with what I have there's no way I could be one, no matter what everyone tells me."

"Not everyone can become a hero with those pretty, flashy quirks." The man agreed.

"But…" Izuku grated before looking up at the man, red tinted tears falling from his black eyes. "I can't live like everyone else."

"What the hell is your quirk exactly, to make your eyes look like that?" The man asked, his eyes wide as he stared at Izuku's.

Izuku could only stare at the man, eyes widening as he watched the man reach out to touch him, one finger higher than the other. His friend's voices could be faintly heard but what he could mostly hear was his own heart in his ears and felt in his throat.

His hunger had been so bad that he lost control of the RC cells and allowed his eyes to turn; something that hadn't happened since his first attempt to starve himself a couple years ago.

"Tch, Pro Heroes are a joke kid, give yourself a livable goal to aim for."

"I can't touch anything with all five of my fingers without it crumbling away on me."

"If you don't shut up about All Might, the next thing I touch will be your face"

"Don't touch me!" Izuku yelled, his eyes closing tightly, the yell startling the man and he accidentally touched Izuku's left forearm with all five of his fingers, causing the skin to crumble away until muscle could be seen.

Immediately Izuku's rinkaku sprouted from his lower back and shoved the man off of him, his right hand gripping his left as pain spread through his body like electricity. It was just as bad as his hunger pains.

"Deku!" Bakugou's voice rang out as the rush of footsteps could be heard. Before his friends could find him, Izuku ran off further into the alley and past the man he threw on accident. He didn't want to be found or seen by anybody. And because he was faster than either of his friends, they lost him within moments.

"What the fuck did you do to deku?" Bakugou raged when they rounded back down the alley to the man, who is now slowly getting up with a hand on his head, one finger sticking up so he wouldn't make himself decay on accident.

"We startled each other and I accidentally got him with my quirk." He groaned.

"He better not be hurt you stinky pile of shit!"

"Watch your language! We need to find him before he gets lost." Konsei said as he grabbed Bakugou by his shirt and dragged him away from the blue tinted, silver haired man. "Especially before something else happens!"

"Next time I see you I'll blow you so fucking sky high you'll never come back down!" Bakugou promised before he reluctantly ran off with Konsei hot on his heels.

*#*#*

Izuku ran blindly away from that man, from his friends, and was in desperate want of a place to hide. He didn't want his friends to see how injured he was and be questioned as to why he's not healing yet. He knew why he wasn't healing; his body weak from starvation.

He couldn't even feel his left arm from the elbow down anymore. And because he refused to see if it was even there, he made himself believe it was already gone. It was only when his breath ran out and he needed to stop for air that he allowed himself to slow down and catch some much needed air in his heaving lungs.

"Izuku?" A familiar voice called out, making Izuku's trembling body tense. He knew that voice… it was one of his teacher's, his favorite one; Kaneki-sensei.

"What are you doing here?" Kaneki called out, his voice now closer to Izuku, startling him when a hand pressed on his shoulder.

Repercussions of what just happened with the guy earlier still fresh in his mind, Izuku flinched away from Kaneki's touch and jump away from him. Now that Izuku got a good look at his teacher, he could see a mask that was pulled down and hanging around his neck. He'd ask questions, but his pain and hunger fogged mind pushed it aside.

"You're… Why haven't you been able to heal yet Izuku?" Kaneki asked. "Don't tell me you're trying to starve yourself again!"

With a click of his tongue, Kaneki reached into his pocket and pulled out a cell phone. Quickly typing in the number he needed and pressed send before raising it to his ear.

"Touka-chan, I have Izuku and I need you to come help. He's injured and not healing… Yeah, bring it if you can. I'm behind Tatooin shopping district on business when he showed up out of nowhere… See you soon." After the phone call ended, Kaneki put his phone back in his pocket and returned his full attention to Izuku, who hadn't moved from where he landed moments ago.

"Izuku, Touka-sensei is on her way with first aid." Kaneki said calmly, hands raised up in front of him to show Izuku he meant no harm. He knew exactly what the boy was going through. Now wasn't the time to get mad at him.

"You mean with human meat, not first aid!" Izuku corrected him. He wasn't stupid, and it only angered him that Kaneki thought it'd work.

"Alright, fine, she's coming with food. That's the only thing that can help you right now." Kaneki assured him, but it seemed to only anger Izuku even further.

"She can shove I where the sun don't shine!" Izuku yelled, his ukaku wings bursting from his shoulders but before he could do anything, the smell of blood hit him like a face full of bricks. It wasn't coming from his teacher who showed no signs of injury. No, he would have smelled that before running into the alley. It was coming from around the corner that was followed by a string of curses.

Kaneki, who noticed this too, turned to see who was down the alley on his right and saw Konsei and Bakugou, though it was Bakugou who was on the ground, sporting a bleeding nose from falling and hitting face first into the cement.

"Shit! Run Konsei, Bakugou!" Kaneki yelled, hoping the two kids would listen but before he could move, Izuku was already running past him towards his friends. The familiar look of hunger, rage, and madness present in the boy's eyes in the split second of a glimpse that he got.

Before Izuku could get close, though, and before either of his friends and Kaneki could try to do anything to stop Izuku, someone jumped down from the rooftops and landed in front of the boy, a hand coming down on the nape of his neck just hard enough to render him unconscious.

"Do not worry, for I am here!" The tall, muscular man said as he picked up Izuku in his large hands before the boy collapsed to the ground. A moment later, a woman with shoulder length purple hair landed from the rooftops, holding a refrigerated bento box in her hands.

"All Might! How'd you…?" Kaneki gaped.

"I heard a commotion and had to see what was going on. I didn't think that it'd be made by a child of all people." All Might answered as he gently gave Izuku to Kaneki. "I'm glad I intervened when I did, though, because it looked like he was going after these two boys over here… Are you this boy's guardian by any chance?"

"I… We're his teachers, I'm Kaneki Ken and this is Kirishima Touka. We are part time teachers at a ghoul education center and work part time at the Anteiku coffee shop. I'm a retired, underground hero but still have my hero license because I teach kids how to control their kagune and stuff."

"All M-M-Might!" Konsei and Bakugou finally shrieked behind the tall man, causing everyone to tense, almost because they forgot they were even there. "I can't believe… All Might's here!" Bakugou continued. Konsei was still too awed to speak any further.

"And I'm glad you two boys are alright." All Might said as he turned and knelt down, a large hand resting atop their small heads. "From the looks of it young man, you didn't break your nose either so you should be fine. Here's some tissues."

"Tha… Thank you All Might!" Bakugou beamed, almost having forgotten his nose was bleeding until it was mentioned. He thankfully took the tissues and held them up to his nose.

"Is Izuku going to be okay?" Konsei asked, his attention moving past All Might to look at Kaneki, who's still holding an unconscious Izuku in his arms.

"He'll be fine once he gets something to eat." Touka answered for him. "But… because of what happened… he may need to be put under either house arrest with one of his teachers, or be put in an institute designed to help him stay on his diet until he does so."

"What? But he…" Konsei argued.

"He wasn't eating, was he?" Bakugou asked. "I mean… that'd be the only reason why his arm still looks like that."

"Apparently not…" Kaneki sighed, his gray gaze drifting down to the unconscious boy in his arms.

"I'm going to beat it into him this time. You're too soft Kaneki." Touka groused.

"No, I don't think there's any need for that anymore." Kaneki sighed with a small shake of his head. "But anyway, thank you again, All Might. We should really get going and get him to a hospital before he wakes up."

"No problem! I'm glad to help wherever I'm needed!" All Might smiled, raising his left hand and giving a thumbs up. "Now see you later! There was an accident I was heading to when I stopped by."

"Bye All Might!" Bakugou and Konsei cheered, neither of them having been aware that Izuku had targeted them because of his hunger. Neither Kaneki or Touka knew how to tell either of them that was the issue they now faced, and had to force Izuku to realize the danger he nearly caused.

With a small wave, and a hearty laugh with his toothy smile, All Might jumped with all his strength above the buildings that surrounded them, heading in the direction he intentionally was going and leaving Izuku in the hands of his teachers and friends.

"Bakugou, Konsei, will you go with Touka-chan and call Izuku's mother and have her meet us at Anteiku? We'll be with you guys shortly." Kaneki asked, a small smile on his face as he put his attention on the two boys still looking at the sky where they last saw All Might.

"But… what about Izuku?" Konsei frowned as the two of them turned to look at Izuku, who was starting to wake up.

"Now would be nice Touka-chan. Leave the bento here, I'll make sure he eats." Kaneki rushed as he turned to Touka, who placed the bento in Kaneki's open hand. "And don't worry boys, Izuku will be fine in a few minutes."

"Alright…" Konsei sighed and dragged Bakugou with him as they followed Touka towards the street, leaving Kaneki alone with Izuku even though he didn't want to.

Before Kaneki could put him down, Izuku suddenly shifted and pain surged from his right forearm. Making him drop Izuku and the bento he was holding.

"That's disgusting!" Izuku cried out as he spat out the flesh from his mouth. "Why do you taste so horrible?"

Izuku never got an answer, what he heard was a shuffling of noise before his head was reared back and the cold, refrigerated meat from the bento was shoved into his mouth. He tried to spit it back out, but his mouth got clamped shut and his nose pinched.

"Swallow it, then I'll release you." Kaneki hissed into Izuku's ear, making him tense because it wasn't a tone he ever heard Kaneki use before.

When Izuku managed to chew what's in his mouth and swallowed it. Once Kaneki was satisfied, he let Izuku go but only to make him finish what was in the bento. Neither of them talked until Izuku was done with everything in the bento. The strict glare coming from Kaneki only made Izuku tremble and tears falling from his black and red eyes.

"Izuku… I'm not trying to scare you, but… there are some things that the two of us should talk about. I'd rather it not be here, but back at Anteiku." Kaneki sighed as he knelt next to Izuku, a hand resting on top of his head. "Touka-chan has called your mother and is taking Konsei and Bakugou there right now. They should be there soon, so we need to start heading in that direction."

"But—"

"I'll answer any questions you have when we get to Anteiku, okay?" Kaneki said before Izuku could say more. A hand reaching into his pocket for a tissue to clean the blood from his lips and chin. "And since we're only a half hour away from Anteiku, I'll give you a ride and we can bypass the train today. You'll be in charge of holding the bento."

Izuku hesitated as Kaneki turned to allow him to climb onto his back. It took a few moments for him to accept his offer and climb up. Gripping onto his teacher's shoulders, bento between him and Kaneki's back.

*#*#*

No words were exchanged between Izuku and his teacher as they walked to Anteiku. Izuku kept his face hidden most of the time because his eyes wouldn't revert back to their original white sclera and green iris. Kaneki figured it was either because he was still hungry or it was because of the bento box between them. He was going for the latter for personal reasons. Eventually, Izuku's breathing slowed and evened out compared to how it was earlier; short and quick as if he was trying to stop himself from crying. Kaneki let him sleep until they reached Anteiku. The brick building large enough to hold several stores inside, except there were only two doors. One door led to the donation and distribution center on the left and on the right was the door to the coffee shop, a two story establishment that had windows for walls on the first floor. Latin letters written in cursive that said "Anteiku" written on the door in bright red paint.

"Izuku!" Inko cried out, rushing over the moment Kaneki walked in with a sleeping Izuku on his back.

"He's sleeping but otherwise doing much better than earlier. And before we all have a talk… there's some things I have to say and talk to him about."

"As long as he's alright." Inko sniffed. "Touka couldn't tell me much of what happened, and neither could Konsei and Bakugou seeing as they weren't there when everything happened."

"We'll all have answers shortly. I'll let Touka-chan know when you guys can come up."

"I'll be there in a few with some coffee for you and Izuku, Kaneki." Touka called out from behind the counter.

"Thank you Touka-chan. Well… see you guys shortly." Kaneki smiled and headed upstairs behind the "STAFF ONLY" door.

Once inside the meeting room Kaneki carefully set Izuku down on the couch, picking up the bento and taking Izuku's shoes off. He put the bento on the coffee table and Izuku's shoes by the door before taking a seat on the other end as he waited for Izuku to wake up. About ten minutes later, Touka entered with a tray holding a tray carrying a pot of fresh made coffee, two cups, and a bowl that looked like it had sugar cubes in it.

"He's still sleeping?" She asked as she sat down in the chair on the other side of the coffee table. Pouring them some coffee as she waited for Izuku to wake. "Bakugou and Konsei told Inko how they met All Might. She freaked out of course, but she was glad that he helped nonetheless. It's just that neither Konsei or Bakugou know exactly why Izuku was going towards them."

"I'll explain to them when I'm done talking with Izuku."

"Yoshimura would want you to put him under house arrest and stay with you until he learns why he can't starve himself like he has been." Touka sighed, knowing that Kaneki was probably going to ignore that part of his conversation with Izuku.

"I know… but I think it'll be different from now on, once he learns what happened. The smell of Bakugou's blood was the last straw on the camel's back. He probably doesn't remember it."

"Let's just hope that he doesn't turn into you." Touka sighed. "I'll head back down before Nishio destroys the coffee shop with his stupid ass sarcasm."

"Don't beat on him in front of the customers please." Kaneki chuckled under his breath, though he knew she heard him when she slammed the door on her way out.

With the slam of the door, Izuku jolted awake. Eyes snapping open as he slowly came to and taking in his surroundings.

"We're in the meeting room, if you're unsure of where you are." Kaneki said when Izuku slowly sat up.

"I thought I recognized this place." Izuku muttered, swinging his legs over the edge of the couch so his feet wouldn't be on the couch anymore.

An eerie silence fell between the two; Izuku not knowing how to continue the conversation with his questions, and Kaneki trying to figure out what he would talk about first. Then it clicked.

"What… do you remember happening, Izuku?"

"Well, I remember us arguing in the alley… then I'm biting into your arm. Between that I don't know what happened." Izuku answered with a sigh and slight hesitation as he tried to remember.

"You were starving, and injured, so when you smelled Bakugou's blood because of an injury he got when he tripped you were taken over by your hunger." Kaneki explained, well aware of the look of terror on Izuku's face without looking at him. "Izuku, madness caused by hunger for someone with the ghoul quirk is exactly that; madness. We attack whoever is nearby without hesitation because hunger has clouded our senses. The only thing we can think of is eating so it doesn't hurt anymore. We don't die of starvation; the madness of it keeps us alive."

"Are… is Kacchan and Konsei okay? I didn't… did I?" Izuku cried out, shifting on the couch so he was on his knees next to Kaneki, hands clenching the black trench coat he still wore.

"They're fine, didn't even get close to them. We were able to stop you and get something in you before that happened." Kaneki smiled, a hand coming up and resting on Izuku's head. "Let me tell you about myself a little bit, if you don't mind hearing a story."

Izuku only shook his head, unable to get words past his tongue as he tried to calm himself down. His shoulders shaking as Kaneki wrapped an arm around him.

"I was born into an underground hero family. My father was from a family of ghoul quirks, but my mother wasn't and had a rare quirk called 'photographic memory'. My dad died before I was born and my mother died shortly after I was born due to a complicated birth.

"Their marriage was never approved by either family; my dad's parents not wanting to sully the family quirk and name and my mother's parents never wanted her with someone with such a quirk. And because of this, neither family acknowledged my existence and I was thrown into one foster care after another.

"When I turned four, I got my mother's quirk first. A week later I got my dad's quirk. To say I was terrified is an understatement when I ate food I used to love suddenly turn into playdough on my tongue, feel like leather between my teeth, and a texture close to being a coarse sponge. The smell was a different story. It's pretty much the same way you got yours in a way, but I had no one to tell me such a thing would happen until I went to see a doctor because the foster parent I was with worried a lot.

"After the appointment, and learning what I was, I refused to follow my diet restrictions. Even after Yoshimura himself took me under his wing and adopted me when no foster parent wanted me, I didn't want what I was born with, even if my best friend was being supportive of me and tried to make sure I ate when no one else could keep an eye on me.

"Hide… even after we got through primary and about two years in middle school together, kept an eye on me until he had to go to see his family in another city for about a month and a half, made sure I ate even if he had to shove it down my throat. But while he was gone, I barricaded myself in my apartment, refusing to eat, talk to people, and refused to leave for anything. When Hide came back, I was already long gone. He came over with Touka-chan to see if I was alright when they both learned that I lied to them both and… I attacked Hide. Touka-chan got injured and Hide has a regeneration quirk so any damage he took from me was gone within a few days because it's slow."

"Does he… still talk to you?" Izuku asked when Kaneki paused.

"Yes, we're still close friends but I pushed him away for years, afraid of what he'd think about me. We ended up going to different high schools; Yoshimura insisted on me getting into the Hero course at UA and I ended up just listening to him. I was, by the time I learned what happened to Hide, refused to starve myself because I didn't want to hurt anybody anymore, so I wasn't in any danger of hurting anybody else., though my first year at UA consisted of me throwing myself in danger. And because I was born of only one parent having the ghoul quirk, my skin isn't as tough as someone who is born from two ghoul quirk parents—or a source quirk—I ended up getting injured a lot in high school."

"Wait, you were a hero?!" Izuku shrieked.

"Yes, I went to UA for the hero course and got my certification. Worked as an underground hero before I decided to retire and become a teacher for others with ghoul quirks. Besides, I missed working here in Anteiku and needed a break from hero work."

"Did something happen?"

"A lot of things, but I'll tell you another day." Kaneki smiled, though Izuku could tell it was a false smile to hide something, but he didn't press any further.

"Does… Konsei and Kacchan know what I was going to do?"

"I don't know." Kaneki sighed. "You are free to tell them if you wish, but please promise me something that no matter what you do you won't push them away. When I pushed Hide away when I was starving myself and with what happened afterwards, he almost got himself killed trying to help me."

"Where's Hide-san now?"

"He's in Sapporo, Tokyo right now on an assignment. He works for Yoshimura you know, and is a donator when he can." Kaneki smiled. "You should be able to meet him one of these days."

"Awesome! I wanna see this mysterious Hide-san!" Izuku bounced, Kaneki's arm raising so he wouldn't end up hitting himself from Izuku's enthusiasm.

"We have to discuss punishment for you, Izuku." Kaneki said, making Izuku tense and refuse to make eye contact with his teacher. "You broke the rules and almost caused a massacre. Normally the police would be involved, but since you didn't actually hurt anybody, we don't see a need to get them involved. But, you will be under house arrest with one of your teachers until we make sure you'll eat properly to keep this from happening again."

"With a s-s-sensei?" Izuku squeaked.

"Yes…"

"Anybody but Tsukiyama-sensei, please! He scares me!" Izuku pleaded.

"I'm willing to make an exception with him… so are you willing to do what we tell you from now on?" Kaneki nodded.

"I… I don't want to hurt anybody. And I almost hurt Kacchan and Konsei." Izuku muttered. "I thought I was only hurting myself, but… you're right."

"You don't have to like it, but you do have to accept what is." Kaneki suggested. "Like I did after I learned I hurt Hide. It's a part of life, something you're born with, and you can't control what you're born with."

"Can I… stay with you? Touka-sensei scares me sometimes too and I feel like she's going to be extra scary if I stay with her."

"I won't be going easy on you either young man." Kaneki assured.

"I do… have a question though." Izuku said after he stared at his teacher for a moment. "Who actually stopped me?"

"It was Touka-chan and I. She dropped at the right time from the roof tops and literally slammed you into the ground." Kaneki lied, knowing that if Izuku were to learn that his dream hero, All Might, stopped him from going berserk, he'd be heart broken and wouldn't want to see the light of day again because of guilt.

"That's why she's scary."

"She even promised to shove food down your throat if you refused to eat."

"Kaneki-sensei!" Izuku cried out.

"Don't worry Izuku, she wouldn't hurt you too much, but she is serious. She's the one that shoved food down my throat, literally, when I attacked her the first time we met because I was wanting to starve myself to death. Anyway, your mother's downstairs with your friends, would you like to go see them?"

"Un." Izuku nodded. "I need to apologize to Kacchan and Konsei and okaa-san. And Kaneki-sensei… thank you…" He added before throwing his arms around Kaneki's neck in a hug. Startling his teacher, who wasn't used to such contact from anybody besides Hide. Even so, he gave Izuku a hug back.

"Before we go downstairs, let's drink the coffee Touka-chan made for us." Kaneki offered, and Izuku accepted.

"What's the cubes?"

"They help curb our appetite if we're getting too hungry. I like putting them in my coffee for a snack. You're welcome to try it. If you find it to your liking I'll see about getting you some, especially for when you're relieved of your house arrest and go back home."

Izuku nodded and let Kaneki put a cube in his coffee. When Kaneki stirred the cups contents he handed it over and watched carefully how Izuku handled it only to smile when he watched Izuku down the cup with beaming eyes.

"It helps those with ghoul quirks to get used to the fact that they have nothing else but water, coffee, and human flesh to survive off of. If you like to hear a secret, I always told myself I'm putting sugar in my coffee to put my mind at ease."

"Really? You don't get nauseated at the thought of it being sugar when it isn't?"

"Nope, and I've been doing that for years." Kaneki said with a thumbs up and drank his own once he put a cube in his coffee and stirred it. "It may disrupt the natural taste of coffee, but sometimes just coffee isn't enough to put a hungry stomach at ease when someone doesn't have the time to eat right away."

"I'll keep that in mind." Izuku nodded, and the twinkle in his eye made Kaneki believe he meant every word. It was the same look Izuku got when he went hero watching and wrote notes on when he could before classes were to start.

"Okay, let's head on down and meet everyone."

"Touka-sensei won't hit me will she?"

"If you don't give her anymore reason, but I think you'll get one hit for good measure so brace yourself." Kaneki said, knowing Touka would most definitely throw in one hit on the top of Izuku's head for causing her so much trouble.

They went downstairs together when Izuku put his shoes back on and stomped down the stairs one at a time. His mood having lifted for the moment until he reached the door. His small hands hesitant on the handle before he looked back up to Kaneki. Eyes that were glowing a moment ago now dimmed and searching for an answer to a question that didn't need to be asked.

"They've stayed friends with you for this long knowing what your quirk makes you do, they'll still be your friends now." Kaneki smiled. "Now go sit with your friends and Touka-chan while I talk with your mother."

"Okay." Izuku nodded, his hands still hesitant on opening the door for a moment before he turned the handle and went to the café floor.

Izuku didn't go far without his mom rushing over and pulling him into a tight hug, tears falling from her eyes as she told Izuku how sorry she was. Izuku had to fight back his own tears as he told his mom that nothing was her fault, and that it was all his before saying that Kaneki wanted to talk to her. Inko was reluctant in leaving Izuku, but she followed Kaneki up the stairs anyway and left Izuku with his friends and Touka.

*#*#*

Bakugou didn't know what to expect from Izuku when he finally saw him after an hour of waiting. He almost wanted to blast the deku sky high for doing what he did to himself, but he thought better of it when Touka slapped the deku on the back of his head before lecturing him.

It didn't matter, though, that it still scared him about the fact that from what Touka could pick up of the situation, the deku almost attacked him and Konsei. The explosive boy would know that Konsei wouldn't blame Izuku for what happened, but Bakugou didn't know if he could. He wanted to forgive and not blame Izuku. He knows how much the deku suffered because of his quirk, and why he would starve himself, try to stab himself with anything sharp he could put his small hands on when the deku thought no one was watching, and why he almost threw himself off the roof of their old apartment before they moved. He had managed to talk the stupid deku out of that one somehow, but he wasn't sure it'd work another time if the deku tried it again.

For now, he'd focus on making sure the stupid deku would eat so he wouldn't do that again, but he'd also be more strict in his methods. He did not want the deku to stop chasing his dreams of becoming a hero, even though the other boy showed signs of giving up on it.

Bakugou was about to start a plan on how he'd make sure Izuku would keep to his strict diet when the words "house arrest" escaped the deku's mouth.

"What?" Bakugou asked.

"I'm on house arrest until they make sure I follow my diet. I don't know how long it'd take, but Kaneki-sensei said it may not be long considering what happened. And I'll be staying with him and it won't be like I can't see anybody or talk to either of you while I'm there." Deku said, avoiding on making eye contact with him as he spoke.

"Where does he even live? I doubt our parents will let us travel far without them to come and visit you." Konsei spoke instead of Bakugou. He was still trying to wrap his mind around the fact that Deku was moving, again, and possibly further away.

"He lives here on the fourth floor." Touka answered. "I live across from him."

"Huh?"

"The third and fourth floors are apartments for those with a ghoul quirk that Yoshimura-san rents out to until they feel more confident with being on their own with other humans around them. Kaneki and I have a special arrangement with Yoshimura and are permanent residents in those apartments." She explained. "And whether or not any of you will be able to visit is up to Kaneki, since he'll be his live-in-jailer."

"He wouldn't be that mean… would he?" Deku asked.

"You have no clue how scary Kaneki can be… and you may learn that while you're with him." Touka sighed. "Anyway, would you like another cup of coffee Izuku?"

"Yes please."

"I'll give it to you on the house this time, but remember that I won't do it often." She said as she stood. "I'll bring you and Konsei a drink too, what would you like to have?"

"Milk!" Bakugou answered immediately.

"Water is fine…" Konsei muttered, finally speaking after being silent since they left Deku in the alley.

"I'm serious, you boys are on the house too. Ask for anything you want, but you're limited to one thing."

"Bubble tea… made with Matcha green tea then." Konsei sighed. "And I still want the water."

"Alright, I'll be back with your drinks in a few." Touka smiled, knowing that Konsei was having a hard time wrapping his brain around what happened today. She wouldn't blame him if he'd want to spend time away from Izuku while he was on house arrest.

"Deku!" Bakugou hissed and hit the back of Izuku's head just like Touka had. "You nearly gave us heart attacks!"

"I'm sorry!" Deku whined. "If… if I knew that I'd hurt anybody I wouldn't have done what I did."

"We'll forgive you this time, but next time I won't hesitate to blow you sky high." Bakugou promised.

*#*#*

The boys spent time catching up with each other as they played a board game as they drank their drinks Touka gladly made them. They wanted to be as quiet as possible so they didn't disturb the atmosphere in the coffee shop until Inko made her way back downstairs with Kaneki. She looked sad, but accepted the fact that Izuku would be away from her home for a while. She understood how much Izuku needed to accept who he is for because of his quirk and supported the decision Kaneki made about the matter.

However, she didn't want to leave him so soon, and with the start of school being so close. She worried that it'd put too much of a strain on the teacher and voiced that when she talked with him.

"Don't worry Midoriya-san, it won't be too much of a problem. I swear." Kaneki had said. "He's a good boy and I trust him to follow my rules. He knows the consequences if he doesn't and I have a good feeling what this house arrest will bring for him in the future. It may not sound like it right now, but in time it'll be worth it."

She only hoped he was right, and left Izuku in his care. Especially when Kaneki told her that he wouldn't cut Izuku from family and friends and allowed them to visit when possible. Izuku just wouldn't be allowed to go to them without Kaneki or Touka or one of the teachers being with him.

Kaneki had left Izuku in the care of Touka while he took the boys and Inko home with the purpose of bringing back all of the things Izuku would need while he stayed with him. Izuku didn't want to say bye to either Bakugou or Konsei, but he gave them a hug and a promise to keep his word as they left first. He gave his mom a hug the longest, knowing that it'd be just as hard on her as it would be on him to be away from her. She promised to visit him every day if it was allowed. So when they left, Touka pulled Izuku to the side back to the table they had occupied most of the afternoon.

"Izuku… I know that what I will say may sound alarming, but please take it to heart what I'm about to tell you. If Kaneki ever starts showing signs of stress, screaming in the middle of the night, or stops sleeping altogether while you're with him, come running to me immediately. Don't try to help him. It will only hurt you if you tried." She told him.

"Does… Does it have to do with why he stopped being a hero?" Izuku asked, earning a shocked expression from her and wondered if he said the wrong thing.

"If Kaneki didn't tell you, then I cannot answer that, Izuku. He has to tell you in his own time, and if he didn't say anything to you this time, then he isn't ready for you to know yet. But, please promise me you'll do this for me."

"I promise Touka-sensei." Izuku nodded, and Touka couldn't help but smile. She knew the boy had many questions, but also knew he was smart for his age and knew how to keep out of other people's business. She admired that about the boy and ruffled his green hair before returning to work.

*#*#*

While under the strict watch of Kaneki-sensei, Izuku felt like he was in school at all hours of the day, every day of the week. Kaneki seemed like he was a strict person, but also allowed slip ups when necessary. School started and Izuku felt overloaded with the lectures and his studying, but Kaneki helped when he was asked and smiled when Izuku eventually worked everything out on his own after a few guiding words from him. He prided himself in how Izuku was able to apply himself to his studies to get good grades.

When he learned why Izuku was trying so hard, it shocked him. Izuku had wanted to attend the same middle school as Konsei and Bakugou; Orudera Middle school in his home town. And after hearing the reason being was because he was thinking about going back to his dreams of becoming a hero and wanted to be with Bakugou and Konsei, who would keep him on his path without hesitation, he couldn't help but smile. It only faltered when Izuku added that he still had reservations on becoming a hero, mostly because he was a source quirk and worried that people would be too scared of him because of his power.

The house arrest only lasted a month; three weeks into the new school term, and Izuku suggested that because his school was about a twenty minute walk away from Anteiku, he asked if he could stay for the rest of the term to help his mom with the travel expenses needed to get to school. She hesitated, but allowed it as long as Kaneki was okay with the arrangement, who was ecstatic that Izuku wanted to stay with him longer. Bakugou and Konsei were sad, but understood that the travel cost to go to school 6 days a week at a school that was half an hour away from home was a lot so they weren't too mad with Izuku. They just visited whenever they could and held study groups in one of the meeting rooms at Anteiku to catch up, play games, and of course study.

An incident that Touka warned him about that could happen, never did that entire month.

After staying up late to study one night, Izuku dragged himself from his bedroom to get a glass of water before falling asleep. He debated whether or not he should make some coffee and have one of those cubes in it to stave off some hunger he was feeling due to being bored and wanting a snack. But when he read his alarm clock and saw that it was nearing midnight, he thought he'd better not. He didn't want to wake Kaneki-sensei in case he was sleeping already.

With a glass of water from the kitchen in hand, Izuku made his way back to his room only to pause when he heard a groan of pain coming from his teacher's room. Being a child, he was curious as to what could be causing his teacher pain, almost wondering if someone snuck into the apartment and was trying to hurt him. So he went to his room to put the water on his desk by his bed and rushed back to his teacher's room where loud, incoherent muttering could be heart through the cracked door.

Steeling his nerves, Izuku opened the cracked door a little bit more to peek in and saw that his teacher was definitely alone. But now the sound of flesh tearing, the smell of blood that filled the air, and a scream that tore through the silence like a hot knife to ice cold butter.

He wanted to burst into his teacher's room to help him. Wake him up from whatever nightmare he was having, but he remembered the words that Touka told him the day he started living with his teacher had him thinking otherwise. She seemed to be genuinely frightened that Izuku would be hurt if he tried to help his teacher during one of these nightmares.

He went against his urge to rush in there and wake his teacher before running to the front door and across the hall. Touka had also told him her door was always unlocked in case this would happen. The feeling of breaking and entering bothered him, but the thought didn't stay long when he burst into her apartment crying.

"Touka-sensei!" He cried out. "Touka-sensei!"

"You little creep! Do you have any idea what time it is?" Touka's sleepy, irritated voice yelled through the apartment as she stomped to the doorway. Her anger vanished, though, when she saw his tears and frightened eyes.

"Stay here." She ordered and rushed across the hall, closing the doors behind her and Izuku went further into the apartment and crawled onto the couch. He couldn't get the smell of his teacher's blood out of his nose. Nor could he get the terrified sound his teacher made as he lived in his nightmare, whatever it consisted of.

He cried himself to sleep on the couch in Touka's apartment before she came back, spots of blood on her night clothes that weren't hers. She let him sleep on the couch and covered him with a blanket before changing and going back to bed herself. She had hoped that Kaneki was over the nightmares, since he hadn't had one in two years, but now she was thinking that he was rebounding on his therapy. She'd have a proper talk with her fellow teacher when they could be alone together. Right now, she had to worry about how this would affect Izuku but since he was asleep, she couldn't do much until morning when they got ready to go to school.

*#*#*

After the nightmare incident, Touka urged Kaneki to have Izuku stay with her. She brought up the fact that after three nights back in his apartment Izuku was getting less sleep each night. She, however, couldn't tell if the boy was frightened of Kaneki or was having nightmares himself, but she deemed it bad for Izuku's health to stay with his favorite teacher much longer.

When this was brought up with Izuku, who continued to study despite how exhausted he was, felt shocked that Touka wanted him to stay with her instead.

"But, what if Kaneki-sensei needs help again? Who will be there to hear it when it starts so I can get you before it gets too bad?" Izuku asked, his worry filled eyes that sported heavy bags and black circles underneath them, pleaded with Touka to let him stay. "Kaneki-sensei needs help and I'm the only one that can get him that help before it gets too bad."

"Izuku, I know you worry about him. But he has to deal with this on his own. You losing sleep like this isn't going to help him either, and it's certainly not helping you. You're barely staying awake during lessons and can barely keep up during kagune practice." Touka sighed. "I am beyond happy that you want to help him, but staying with me is what needs to be done. Kaneki thinks you should stay with me too, he's afraid that he's scared the shit out of you that night."

"Is that why he's avoiding me?" Izuku asked, his gaze falling back to his studies he'd barely been able to concentrate on before Touka came to talk to him. "He scared me yes, but what it was that did that was the smell of blood as he hurt himself in his sleep and didn't even wake himself up because of the pain."

"I'll tell you one thing about him that you should know, Izuku, and it's that he can no longer feel physical pain. Hasn't been able to for years."

"No wonder he isn't fazed during practice when he gets hurt." Izuku sighed, a hand resting on his head and pulling him to the side as Touka pulled him into a hug. "I figured it might have been so, but not that bad."

Silence filled the air between them. Not tense. Not threatening. Not heavy. It was a calm silence as both of them thought of what words were needed to be said.

"Let's make a compromise, so I don't have to move again and that will help you keep an eye on him in case he has another nightmare." Izuku proposed.

"What would that be?"

"This may sound stupid but… one-way baby monitors work wonders."

Irritated that a nine year old thought of this before she did made her grab a handful of Izuku's hair and shove his face into his text book.

"Get studying you little shit stain."

"You're copying Kacchan, Touka-sensei." Izuku laughed.

"Who do you think helped teach that shit stain his language? His mother isn't the only one with colorful words." Touka groused. "But that was a good idea, Izuku. I'll take you up on your offer if you buy the materials and set it up for me. I have an assignment that I have to do or I'd go buy it myself."

"So the 'White Rabbit' has work today?"

"Keep your mouth shut."

"Is the 'Black Rabbit' working with you on this one?" Izuku beamed. "You're both so cool! I wish I could actually meet your brother!"

"He's always busy but I'll drop him the hint when I see him. Now get studying, you won't make it in Orudera with the grades you have now if you keep slacking." Touka smirked. "Be good and if your friends come over, stay in the apartment. The meeting rooms are all booked today."

"Sure thing Touka-sensei!" Izuku smiled.

"And if they don't come over, take a nap or go to bed early. Kaneki should be back by dinner but he's working on an assignment so he may be late."

"I thought he retired?"

"It's a pick up job from another donation site and the paperwork needed takes a while to go through."

"Alright. Bye Touka-sensei! I'll make sure I go to bed early tonight. If I don't then Kacchan and Konsei will make sure of it anyway." Izuku promised.

"If you need anything, go to Anteiku and they'll help you."

"Yoshu!"


Author's End Note:

Hey guys! Here's a new chapter! I want to let everyone know now that the next one won't be here for a while. Next week (12/4-12/8) is finals week for my online class and I need to study and take my exam. But don't worry! I will be back with a new chapter for all of you very soon!

I did kind of make this chapter very focused on the Tokyo Ghoul characters, but I felt that was needed in this chapter because of Izuku not accepting his quirk. If I'm making things confusing for anybody, please ask me questions, Don't be afraid to ask because I will answer them to the best of my ability at the beginning of my next chapter like I did this one.

Also, I'm thinking about holding a poll to see if Izuku should still be the next holder of "One For All" like in the anime/manga. Whichever answer gets the most votes will be what I will go for. Just add a yes or no when you review and I'll reveal in the next chapter which one is the winner. There's one more chapter I need to do before I'm ready to start with the stuff from the show—more like there's more research and figuring out how things will play out since I'm adding two students to class 1-A. We all know that Konsei is getting in, but the second one will be a secret until I make the big reveal.

Please review, follow, favorite, whichever you wanna do and I'll see you next time!