Disclaimer: Of course I don't own My Hero Academia, its characters, or the franchise.
Story: Izuku was a fervent fangirl who wanted to be a hero. But despite her weird mutated genetics and a self-serving Quirk, she was determined to be like All Might! She just didn't know that, in history, Soulmates was a phenomena that preceded Quirks…But why'd she have to get three of them in this day and age?!
Set as an AU genderbending fic.
Spoilers: Most definitely for all seasons, even if this is an alternate take.
Warnings: Age disparity, cursing and violence for now…hm, just in case since I'm usually writing it, bit of crazy humor, perverted humor, morbid or sarcastic humor, and maybe some sexual situations…
Pairings: Fem!Izuku/All For One, Fem!Izuku/All Might, Fem!Izuku/Endeavor, side-Dekubowl (because my regulars know my habitual obsession with the protag/one-sided (or not) others XD), maybe later on Asui/Ochaco, etc…
Advent of a Heroine
Chapter Two: Puzzle Me This
There was something in the air tonight. He could feel it, but didn't know what to make of it or why he was feeling that way.
Behind him, the fires of hell were burning. But he'd be damned if he died now, and at the hands of that fool. Despite the injuries he'd taken on because of the man he'd fought against just hours earlier, he'd managed to find his way far from where the battle had taken place. All Might may have thought he'd defeated him and was currently helping out with the causalities and injured back at the battlefield, but he'd slipped away and made it as far as he could into this quiet neighborhood.
All For One wasn't someone that would easily go down after all.
However, his injuries were extensive and serious. It was a shame he didn't have some sort of healing Quirk —or better yet, a regeneration Quirk. It would be extremely useful at a time like this.
Finding a small park, he grimaced as he maneuvered himself towards it and went to go find a place to momentarily hide in and rest until he could continue on. Shigaraki and Kurogiri were waiting on him after all, and if he could just…
A loud gasp alerted him to someone's presence, and though he'd lost his eyesight because of the battle, he still had a useful Quirk in his arsenal that allowed him to 'see'. There was a small girl nearby and it was obvious she'd seen him. He cautiously stood still, watching her with his sightless eyes, knowing he looked a wreck and was probably scaring the girl.
"Mister, Mister, are you okay?" she asked and he was surprised to hear English from her lips. "Oji-san, you look really hurt!" She switched to Japanese and hurried to his side.
What a sweet but naive girl…She didn't know the monster standing right in front of her darling self and how easily he could crush her, even with his injuries…
He took a step closer to her, but unfortunately stumbled. To his amusement, she leaped forward and held onto him, trying her best to stabilize him despite her small size.
"Oji-san, come with me! I'll take care of you, 'kay?" she said and he silently allowed her to half-drag him after her, trying to use what strength he had left to help carry himself on with her support.
What a cute, silly girl accompanying a wolf to her home…
Izuku didn't know what to make of seeing the strange, injured man appearing practically out of nowhere. He was covered in blood, his face scarily gored up with his eyes missing, and looking like he'd come out of a horror movie. The suit he wore was damaged and he looked like he was at death's door.
There was no possible way that Izuku could leave him like that, especially when she wanted to be a hero. Heroes had to help those in need!
"Oji-san, we're almost there, okay?" she told him worriedly.
He coughed, blood splattering out of his mouth. She winced.
"Don't call me Oji-san," he muttered. "Call me…Sensei."
She blinked but inwardly shrugged. "Okay, Sensei. We'll be home soon and I'm going to make sure you'll be okay. I promise 'cause it's what heroes do and I'm gonna be a hero!"
It didn't matter if she was 'Quirkless' and had a weird 'non-Quirk' power. She would be a hero no matter what, someone who made others feel safe with her smile. Just like All Might!
He kept silent and followed her along to where her home was. She helped him up the steps and then reached her door, where she unlocked it and entered inside.
"Okaa-san~ I'm home!" she called out. "I have someone I'm going to be a hero for, okay?"
There were hurried steps at that. "Izuku, what in the world?" her mother asked bewildered. Then she saw her and the man she was sort of carrying and gave a small shriek. "Izuku!"
"He was injured," she said patiently, ignoring her mom's shocked and terrified look. "So I decided to take him in so I could take care of him."
"Izuku, we have to get him to a hospital," her mom hurriedly interrupted her. "He's really injured and they're better equipped to help him! He looks like he's dying, Izuku!"
Izuku missed him quickly opening his mouth, instead focused on replying back to her mom. "Nuh uh! I can help him better, Okaa-san! They won't be able to help him like I can!"
Her mother hesitated but ended up shaking her head, coming towards them to help Izuku grab hold of the man. Together, they helped carry him into Izuku's room, where they laid him down. Her mother stood back and Izuku then concentrated, focusing intently and then grinning wildly when the shield of light appeared around the man and blood began to disappear while his head and face reformed. Whatever other injuries he had, she was sure was healing too.
But then her body started feeling tense and then she was straining. Before she knew it, after she was sure she'd managed to fix him, her eyesight was blacking out and she inwardly panicked.
All For One felt surprisingly revived. It was as if he had never been injured at all. However, when he looked at the girl, he saw (with his own eyes at that) her looking strained, before she was trembling and then falling. He leaped forward, reminiscent of the girl's actions earlier, and caught her just as her mother rushed forward to try to catch her daughter herself.
"What…what did she do to me?" he asked, feeling amazed and curious about this new development. Even his clothes were repaired and back to normal.
He cradled her in his arms as he looked to the girl's mother.
"Izuku has a strange…Quirk," the mother said carefully. "She can reverse things that happened in time."
Reverse…time?
Now that was a Quirk he wanted and had to have as part of his collection. But this girl did save him, so a part of him felt obligated to do something in exchange for her. Perhaps give her a useful Quirk in compensation and to exchange for the Quirk of hers that he dearly wanted to have for himself…
"Why is she like this?" he asked, keeping his thoughts off of his face and private.
"She's not used to using it or doing it so heavily like this," her mother explained apologetically, hovering near and watching her daughter worriedly. He surprisingly didn't want to let go. "You looked really injured, so I'm guessing the amount of time and energy she used took a toll on her," she grimaced. "She's never done this before, so I don't know if she's fine."
He glanced at the girl —Izuku? —and even checked her pulse and her breathing. "She'll be fine," he declared. "I'm sure she'll just need…rest." He looked to Izuku's mother. "May I stay until she's okay, and help take care of her? I believe I owe her that much, after what she's done for me."
Izuku's mother looked unsure. "You don't really have to…"
"I would like to. Please."
She gave in. "Very well then. My name's Midoriya Inko…?"
"You may call me Sensei," he told her like he had her daughter.
Inko lightly raised her eyebrows. "Thank you, Sensei."
"No, thank you," he said firmly.
This was unexpected but felt very fateful. He couldn't not grab this opportunity with his hands right now. Not just this amazing and unheard of Quirk, but what had just transpired with him —a complete reversal of his injuries, of the wreck his body had gone through! He felt brand new, as if he hadn't been in a life or death battle with All Might that he'd barely left intact from.
In the next few minutes, Inko had her daughter ready for bed and the two of them set up a way for them to watch over her. A cold compress was left onto her forehead and a bowl with water and a rag was left by her side table. A medium-sized futon was left on the floor next to Izuku's Western bed for him to use and the door was left open in case Inko was needed.
But when he was sure Inko had gone to bed, he stood up and placed his hand on the girl's head, concentrating and feeling for his own Quirk.
He tensed up in the realization that there was…nothing. His Quirk didn't react and he was unable to search out her own Quirk. It was like she was empty.
"What in the world?" he murmured.
How mysterious.
When the rays of the sun hit Izuku's face, she could still feel her body feel like…lead? It felt heavy and she didn't think she was capable of moving. Whimpering, she tried her best to sit up, only to be alarmed at being unable to.
"You're awake," Sensei's soft voice noted carefully.
"I can't move," she sniffled, trying not to cry and be a crybaby.
"Not unexpected," he nodded. "You seemed to have expended a great deal of power and energy fixing me. Which I greatly thank you for, little one."
She gave him a watery smile. He gave a smaller one back before coming closer and helping her up, grabbing a glass of water to the side and helping her take tiny sips through the straw that was in it.
"I'm curious about this Quirk of yours," Sensei started inquiring politely. "It doesn't seem…like a healing Quirk?"
Izuku meshed her lips in thought, remembering what her father told her about it but also the fact he'd told her not to say anything.
"Well…" she said hesitantly.
Sensei smiled encouragingly at her. "Don't worry. You saved my life. I owe you a great deal, little one. I promise I won't speak about your Quirk to anyone."
Encouraged by him, she decided it wouldn't be too bad letting at least him know. "Un! Papa said it wasn't a Quirk." She saw him raise his eyebrows. "Last year, the doctor told me I was Quirkless! When I was with Papa, I burnt myself when I dropped my hot chocolate. It really hurt! And I wanted my hot chocolate," she pouted as she remembered. "So I was just sad and I thought about how much I wanted it back and how my legs kept hurting. Then my power worked and all of a sudden my hot chocolate wasn't on the floor and the cup was back to okay and my legs were normal! I thought it was a Quirk, you see, and I was sure the doctor had made a mistake. Papa did some tests though. He said it wasn't a Quirk and that's why I can't talk about it to anyone," her pout intensified. "But Sensei said he'd keep it a secret, right Sensei?"
His lips curled into a smile and he held out a pinky, causing her to giggle and squeal quietly in happiness.
"Pinky promise," he quirked up an eyebrow just as he smirked at her.
She giggled again and watched him turn thoughtful.
"Not a Quirk, huh. Did he tell you what it was or how it happened?" he asked her.
"Uh uh," she said. "Papa just said I had to keep it secret."
He made a humming noise in the back of his throat before he stood and gently laid her back down. "Are you hungry? It's breakfast time and your mother is making breakfast. I will let her know you are finally awake."
"Finally?"
He gave her another thoughtful look. "You've been out a night and a full day."
What?
All For One had a lot to think about. Izuku had strange circumstances that he couldn't stop thinking about, and as he helped feed her, he tried to shift through the myriad of questions he wanted to ask.
If her power wasn't a Quirk, then what was it?
"Did Okaa-san go to work already?" Izuku asked, watching him with a tilted head. The pillows piled behind her to help her be alright was shifting precariously and he absentmindedly used one of his Quirks to telekinetically move them back into place and secure them. He saw her eyes light up in awe and curiosity.
"Sensei, what's your Quirk?" she asked excitedly.
He inwardly frowned, thinking to himself. "It's…complicated," he said, thinking quickly about what he could say. But…if he wanted to get this girl to be on his side in the future, he'd have to invest in her and that meant giving her some truths in exchange for her belief in him. "My Quirk can…take other people's Quirks," he carefully said, watching her closely. "I ended up being able to use those Quirks myself."
Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped a little. "Really?"
"Mmhm," he answered, encouraged by her behavior and interest. "It's like a…pull inside of me and my Quirk draws me to other Quirks, and I feel the need to have those Quirks. In the beginning, it was very hard to control and I ended up taking Quirks without my control or wanting to. It just happened, you see? That's why I wasn't very liked and thought of as bad."
She was listening intently to him, which was good. He had her ear right now.
"Are you sure you're Quirkless?" he asked her, still confused and skeptical.
She bobbed her head, capable of some movement by now. "The doctor and Papa said so."
"You know, one of the Quirks I have will let me know if you really are," he said faux casually, determined to get down to this mystery. "Would you like me to make sure? It might hurt a little though."
"Yes please!" she said, excited again as only a child could get.
He reached out his hand and grasped her shoulder, with several nerve-like tendrils erupting from his fingers and jabbing into her shoulder. The short distance and him willing it to be, made it less painful than it normally would be and she only gave a small yelp. He concentrated on trying to feel for her Quirk like he had before. Only this time, he didn't give up after feeling nothing, his All For One Quirk still not finding anything. He kept up his focus, willing his All For One to go deeper.
There. There was something there and it felt dormant, as if it was just seeped into her very DNA and kept ingrained. Using the Forcible Activating Quirk he'd acquired some time ago, he willed it to activate this girl's Quirk, using that Quirk in this strange way.
Whatever her Quirk was, it had either been kept in the state it was in her body and likely wouldn't have ever manifested, or maybe it would've eventually —maybe in a stressful situation for her, or just naturally in a much later time than was usual for people these days.
"Did it work?" she asked wondrously.
He gave her a smile. "I managed to find it and I activated it for you. I have a healing Quirk I can use on you. It was useless on me since it's limited and can only be used on others, but it'll be helpful in this situation as I can speed up your healing process a little; at least enough so that you can tentatively try to use your Quirk for a moment."
She nodded eagerly, though he could tell that fatigued her afterwards. He reached out again and held her hand, bringing up said healing Quirk. That was when things went wrong.
The moment he started using that Quirk, he could feel the familiar pull of the All For One Quirk. But it wasn't coming from him. Instead, the healing Quirk he was using was being pulled away from him and he knew she'd somehow taken it. He yanked his hand away.
She looked worriedly at him. "What…what's wrong, Sensei?"
He stared at her hand for a moment, mind racing. He took a deep breath before focusing on her, making her flinch by how intense his gaze had probably become.
"You have my Quirk," he said plainly.
She gasped. "W-what? What do you mean, Sensei?"
"I mean that you have the ability to take Quirks like myself," he said patiently, even as he was doing his best to try to come up with a reason why this was. "I was trying to heal you when you were somehow able to take that Quirk from me."
Izuku gasped aloud, looking horrified. "Oh no! I'm so sorry, Sensei! Please don't be upset with me!"
All For One nearly chuckled in hysteria. This girl's reaction…compared to himself, she was the epitome of sweetness. It was strangely contrasting to the likes of himself, especially for the kind of Quirk they had.
"I'm not upset," he said slowly, trying to think of how to spin this situation. "You are…unique like myself. But like I told you earlier, our Quirk isn't a very favorable one to others. People…people will be afraid of you. So you have to keep it quiet, okay? Just like your time power. Otherwise, you'll be disliked and thought of as bad like I was." It was strange to share a Quirk with another and refer to it as 'ours'. But it was true and made him feel vaguely a little possessive of the girl who shared something so important with him.
"You're so nice," she said with a childish pout. "You're not a bad man! Mean people."
The irony wasn't lost on him.
All For One merely chuckled and ruffled her green hair. "Just remember, people are generally not nice when it comes to things they fear. So you mustn't let others know about your Quirk unless you're sure of them." He would've told her to keep completely silent about it, but she was a child and he knew she'd slip. As long as she kept mostly quiet about it though, she'd learn quickly enough to not speak too much about it…
"Izuku, would you like to watch TV? I'll make us lunch in the meantime…"
Sensei's healing Quirk came back after two days.
When Izuku was capable of limited movement around the apartment, she had accidentally tripped and had hurt her knee. It bled and she tried not to cry, but she ended up letting loose a few tears. Sensei quickly came towards her and had knelt down, checking on the wound. He'd looked quizzical a moment later, and then he'd held his hand over her wound and started healing it to their surprise.
"How surprising," he'd said. "I apparently have my healing Quirk back."
He'd looked like he was thinking and all of a sudden he'd cut himself on something. She'd gasped loudly and had grabbed his hand worriedly.
"Try healing it," he'd told her. "When I take Quirks, it never comes back to the Quirk user. So if mine is back, I wonder if you only temporarily took it and don't have it anymore."
She'd nodded hesitantly before looking at his hand. She'd tried not to use her power, focusing instead on the healing Quirk, like how Sensei how taught her to do before. To her surprise then, she'd ended up healing him.
"Hm, another surprising development, huh little one?" he'd said, smiling at her.
She'd found herself beaming at him happily.
Since then, Sensei had taken to experimenting with her, letting her mother know about her Quirk, though he made it sound like it was some sort of Copy Quirk. Her mother had let her take her Quirk and they found out that her mom's Quirk came back within 2 hours.
"Interesting," was all Sensei had to say about that.
He also let her take a few of his Quirks and they tried to keep track of the time it took for them to return.
"I think it depends on you," he told her. "And how powerful the Quirk is. If you will it to come, it'll come back sooner than otherwise, though how powerful the Quirk is will play a factor. I also believe, if you want it to be, you could take that Quirk away forever —like how our Quirk is supposed to be."
He hmmed and she waited patiently for him to finish his thought. "I think your version seems to be a mutation of our Quirk, its capabilities the same but also with additional 'features' that mine aren't capable of." He gave her a strange smile at that. "We'll practice more on that, but I'd like to help you practice more on your other power before I have to leave."
She felt disappointment fill her at the thought of him leaving. "You're leaving soon, Sensei?" she asked.
He gave her a fond smile, running his fingers through her hair. "I have to get back to business soon, little one, but I will try to look in on you as often as I can. Now, why don't we start practicing, okay?"
All For One was ready to return to his plans, already having contacted Kurogiri to let him know his status. Though he had surprisingly enjoyed this small 'vacation' of sorts and had stumbled upon a treasure of immeasurable worth, he still had to get back to business and plan for the future, especially the inevitable rematch with All Might.
Still, he would miss his little Izuku, who had somehow wormed her way into him. But they were special after all —the two of them with the All For One Quirk. He was sure no one else had it but them, and it was likely to stay that way.
It was the two of them.
"We're unique, Izuku," he said to her that night, putting her to bed. "The two of us, we're two of a kind."
Her green eyes widened at him. "We are?" she asked in awe.
"Yes, we are," he said firmly. "Now close your eyes. I have a gift for you."
She quickly did as she was told and he placed his hand on her head.
In the time he'd been with her and had helped her practice not just their Quirk, but her astounding, mysterious power, he'd realized the weakness with it. She was capable of using that power without problems, except when she was using it excessively or on something that was as extensive as what happened to him. So the Super Regeneration Quirk he'd been hoping to have and thought would be useful became much more important and urgent for him to find and have, given how it would help her heal and recover more easily when using her Reversal power.
So he went out to find it and was lucky to find it as quickly as he did. Now he was letting her take it from him, confident in the fact that he would be gaining it back soon enough, even if he wasn't sure when that would be.
"Now you'll be able to use your Reversal better in the future," he said. "It's time for bed, Izuku," he pulled up her covers.
"I don't want to sleep. You'll leave," she said calmly, in one of her less childish and more mature moments, gazing at him with darkened green eyes that was too serious in her age. How intuitive and intelligent, this girl was.
"What if I told you a bedtime story?" he murmured.
She pursed her lips, but reluctantly nodded. He wracked his brain for some sort of story and then remembered something he used to believe in.
"You see, there was a myth of a long time ago that humans once were made up of four arms and four legs with a single head with two faces. They had great power, enough to threaten the gods. In punishment, these humans were split apart by the gods, but became so miserable that the gods took pity and sewn each half up. Each human would have one set of everything and one genitalia, with only the navel the only thing from their original form. However, they would now forever long for their other half —the other part of their soul. If ever two halves were to find each other, it is said that there would be no greater joy and that they would immediately and instinctively have an unspoken understanding of each other. They would find unity and feel whole and complete. That is the legend of Soulmates, the Twin Flames ideal."
To his amusement, even as bitterness that he thought he'd long forsaken came frothing forth, little Izuku looked wide awake now and was listening to him earnestly. He continued on with his story.
"Around 200 years ago, back in the old days before Quirks existed, there were an abundance of Soulmates. It was common —a right of age even —for those who turn 14 to gain the initials of their Soulmate on their wrist. If they found their other half and came in contact, their full name would be revealed. It wasn't always usual to run into your Soulmate though, but having one at all and being able to sort of feel their presence filled in the ache. It was rarer still for there to be someone who never received their Soulmate Mark."
"How come I've never heard of Soulmate Marks and there's no one around talking about Soulmates or getting a Soulmate Mark?" Izuku asked.
"They've become rare, nonexistent even," All For One remarked candidly. "Quirks was the phenomena that replaced the Soulmate tradition and it seemed Soulmates and Soulmate Marks somehow died out."
Izuku looked sad and disappointed. "I wish I could have my other half or at least know I had one."
All For One took one of her hands and squeezed it. "Don't you worry, little Izuku. If you want, one day I'll find you the perfect match."
That (forcibly so, if need be) or be her other half —they were two of a kind with their Quirk and needed no one else.
He'd never gotten his Soulmate Mark after all.
Started 8/4/18 — Completed 8/4/18
A/n: Hooo, what the hell just happened? This is the fastest and longest response I've gotten to a fic for a long time. It's amazing and I'm really happy, guys! I'm going to do my best to update quickly these days before the school vacation is over and it's back to teaching. So thank you all for you guys' support! Please continue to enjoy the story and remember to drop a review!
Quick Points:
1. Timeline: So technically, the huge fight between with All Might and All For One should've happened when Izuku's 9ish (10?). I just moved it up and had it happened earlier, so Izuku is like 5 right now (heading onto being 6).
2. Soulmates: It's…complicated. Haha, so you get a glimpse of what's like here, as to how All For One explains it, but…there's more to it. Also, Soulmates are so not a happy thing in here. Er, at least not completely? XD
3. OP Izuku: 'Cause I just want to. I never get to write awesome kickass characters without overly worrying about making them OP for people, so here I'm just going to be like fuck it. I mean, like usual, of course I'm going to do my best to write it with sense and all, but I just want to have fun writing BAMF female character without worries.
4. Pairings: Pairings are pairings. Also, 'cause angst. And the insanity. I love these pairings, so come at me :D
Anon Reviews:
1. Amon among: Thanks! I've got a lot of plans for Izuku's 'not-Quirk'! It's really integral to this story, not just to make her OP~ I really look forward to writing more on it!
2. Guest: Thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying this and think it's a good fem!Izuku fic so far.
