Magnus: I'm enjoying writing this, and I sure hope you enjoy reading it. The build up is going to be slow, but the pay off will be worth it, at least to my taste, so, enjoy! And remember: Read and Review!
Disclaimer: I just noticed that the labels about the characters were not showing; I'll have them fixed now.
Beta'd: Dec 27, 2018
Cursed Blood
Chapter 2
A sinister resolve.
Six months had passed since the incident in the forest, and it had been six months of problems for the boy with cursed blood.
While the first week after had been given to him by the school to take time to heal, mostly his mind due to his healing factor, Inko hadn't easily accepted such a short reprieve. She'd argued that Izuku had suffered a major trauma and needed more time, but the principal had insisted—pointing to the boy's lack of need for medical attention—and he'd been forced to return before either Midoriya felt ready.
"This is a waste of time…" Izuku whispered as he finished his test less than fifteen minutes after it'd begun. He knew beyond a doubt he'd aced it, so he'd just spend the time thinking…
As embarrassing as it had been, Izuku almost would've preferred it if he could go back to that first week; it had been an enlightening period after all. Not only had he learned way too much about female anatomy, he'd also received a crash course in the etiquette involved with dealing with the opposite sex. While Tae had obviously been completely cooperative, his mother had insisted that he learn everything possible about her and how to treat her. That, as it turned out, included how to dress her and make her presentable…
"Let's hope Mom makes lots for dinner tonight," Izuku whispered over to Tae, who stood by his side dressed in her now customary green tracksuit. The garb easily succeeded in concealing her curves, but more importantly it hid any signs of her being undead. "What do you think?"
After that rather informative week, he'd finally returned to school… and pandemonium. The principal had 'forgotten' to inform the teachers about his extra 'baggage' that he would be bringing with him, that he had a right to keep bringing with him. Rumors had immediately spread like wildfire; Izuku had hired an actress to simulate an upgrade of his Quirk, he'd sold batches of his blood to buy a slave to do his bidding, his mentally challenged cousin had been disowned and he'd taken her in for 'favors.'
It wasn't until Bakugo had tried to start up his bullying routine again that it became obvious to all that something wasn't right with the green-haired boy.
"Aaahh…" Tae let out a soft groan in response, one of the reasons her true nature hadn't remained hidden for very long. Raising a brow, Izuku was pretty sure that was the zombie-girl's way of agreeing to something. He still doubted she actually understood him though…
"MIDORIYA! Keep that abomination of yours quiet and on a short leash!" The teacher shouted, fear evident. Since he'd begun bringing Tae with him, Izuku no longer had teachers walking to his seat or even a piece of chalk thrown his way. The zombie-girl had proven to be harder to deal with than an overly aggressive Doberman.
"Fucking Romero…" Bakugo muttered loud enough for all to hear. On cue, the rest of the students began to mutter amongst themselves.
'Romero.' That was his new nickname. It might've been better than 'Deku,' but Izuku had ended up hating it even more.
Not even a week after returning to school, Bakugo had confronted him, looking to 'put him in his place.' Apparently he'd taken offense to the rumors of him hiring a girl as a bodyguard. The explosive blond hadn't gotten farther than grabbing the collar of Izuku's shirt before Tae had darted forward, digging her nails into his face. Before the green-haired teen had been able to separate the two, Bakugo had blown off half the undead girl's face in retaliation.
The results… weren't pretty. It had been the first time the blond had used his Quirk against another person without checking his power. When the smoke had cleared, raw and charred muscle, a glassed eye, and free-flowing blood had caused the surrounding witnesses to grow faint. But it was Tae unflinchingly charging at him again through it all that finally made Bakugo back away in horror.
When Izuku had finally managed to get the zombie-girl to calm down, the class had been aghast to see her skin and eye regenerating back to perfect condition; saying they'd all been horrified would've been an extreme understatement. He'd heard that the school had even had to hire a temporary counselor for some of them.
"Professor, we're going outside," Izuku said, not bothering to ask. Since he'd already gained the attention of the teacher, who usually did his best to ignore the two if at all possible, he'd decided to make use of it.
"Wh—you know what?" The teacher said, cutting himself off. "Just go."
Izuku was once again thankful for the coward not wanting to expose the other students to his 'abomination' any more than necessary.
"I'll be feeding Tae-chan if anyone needs me." Izuku replied with a neutral tone… sending shivers through everyone in the classroom. Needless to say, he was out in less than five minutes.
In the relatively short amount of time he'd spent with the zombie-girl, Izuku had learned quite a bit. One important discovery was that Tae's organs were largely non-functional at this point; 'feeding' her wasn't really necessary. She no longer had any real need for food, the bathroom, or even air. Even so, she still asked for food occasionally. He chalked it up to an ingrained instinct to seek out nourishment.
His mother had at first attempted to serve their new family member her own homemade food, but it quickly became obvious to them that the undead girl preferred something more… unconventional.
"GOD FUCKING DAMMIT!" Izuku yelled, slamming a fist into the wall of the staircase at the rooftop of the school. He was so fed up with how the school had been treating him, and Tae, that he didn't even feel the breaking of three of his fingers or the tearing of the skin of his knuckles. He'd proven time and again that she was perfectly harmless unless he was physically endangered, but no, they were still all but demanding that he put an honest to God muzzle on the zombie-girl.
"Mmaaaahh!" Speaking of… Tae quickly grabbed his newly broken hand and started licking the wounds. The zombie-girl continued slurping at the bloodied limb until it had completely regenerated, only a minute passing.
"Why…? Why do you still act so kind and caring toward me?" Izuku asked his undead companion in distress, the sight of Tae licking his injury reminding him that he'd been lying to everyone. "Aren't I the reason you died? Aren't I the reason you're still getting hurt? Aren't I the one who's refusing to let you go?!"
Four weeks in to their new lives, Izuku had noticed with mixed feelings that Tae had started to act stranger than normal; her movements slowed considerably, appearing to take great effort and instead of just sticking close to him she'd taken every opportunity to lick him. Using the wonder of search engines, it hadn't taken him long to discover the zombie-girl was exhibiting early signs of 'rigor mortis.' His Quirk had finally begun to lose its grip on the poor girl.
Initially, he'd been relieved, believing it had been a good thing. It was going to be Tae's opportunity to finally rest as she'd always deserved.
Then… he'd begun to panic.
Perhaps it was purely unlucky the timing that his Quirk had reached the end of its natural lifespan, but only the previous day Izuku had come to a realization. Undead as she was, Tae was abnormally strong for a Quirkless, held no fear or hesitation in the face of pain or death, and was relatively inexhaustible. She was everything he needed to be a Hero; he'd create the strategies and Tae would do the heavy lifting. It'd be no different than any of the other heroes with pet-controlling Quirks.
Seeing Tae 'dying' for a second time had stopped him cold; he was going to lose his chance to be a hero. Keeping the zombie-girl moving had instantly become an all-consuming focus. Turning his over-productive mind to the task, Izuku had quickly decided to try giving up more of his blood. He'd banked on the hypothesis that the attempts at licking him were a compromise between the undead girl's desire for nourishment and her inability to harm him.
With all of his resolve to become a Hero potently mixed with the sheer terror of being caught, he'd snuck an unused syringe from the first-aid kit his mother kept in the bathroom. Luckily it'd never been used, only bought at all before the discovery his Quirk made worrying over injuries or sicknesses slightly moot.
Izuku had determinedly fought through the nerve-wracking and painful ordeal of plunging the needle into his own flesh and siphoning the needed blood. Injecting it into Tae had turned out to be as simple as finding the biggest vein in her arm and stabbing once.
Miraculously, in less than half an hour Tae had regained much of her mobility, a healthier appearance, and in Izuku's opinion, a happier disposition.
"Tae-chan… I wish you could tell me what to do…" Izuku said to his companion. "It would be so much easier if I knew I had to let you go, or could keep you with me."
Fishing out a piece of beef jerky from his extra bento, he placed it in the zombie-girl's awaiting mouth. Happily, Tae began to chew on the dried meat. Watching her munch away, the green-haired teen counted at least one blessing as a stray wind began to kick up.
"At least that odor's gone," he remarked, smiling lightly. "I sure hope you at least feel cleaner now."
Having lived with her for so long, it had only been recently that the Midoriya matriarch and son had realized that the undead addition to their family no longer exuded a putrid aroma. In one of his notebooks, Izuku had ended up hypothesizing that his blood must have finally eradicated the STDs that had plagued Tae in life. Regardless, his mother had made sure to remind him no crimes could be committed with the zombie-girl's body.
They'd continued to use the same mix of incense and rose essence though. No one had yet to complain about the pleasant smell—except for Bakugo, who stated that it made him sick—and no one knew if Tae's body could or would begin to decay as long as his blood was present. It was better to be safe than sorry. Needless to say, Izuku had come to love the perfume.
After school…
Basking in the solitude they'd been able to enjoy for months now once Bakugo began to actively avoid them, Izuku and Tae walked home in companionable silence. Deciding to put times like this to good use, the green-haired teen had been trying to teach Tae how to walk more… humanly… and overall look less haunting. In his opinion, he'd had some degree of success.
"Tae-chan, we're going to have to train a lot more with entrance exams so close…" Izuku said to the zombie-girl, who lulled her head to the side in response. "So… etiquette or power?"
Tae groaned, lulling her head back to its normal position.
"You're right," Izuku agreed, feeling he knew approximately what the noise had meant. "We've really got to polish your behavior under duress. It'd suck if we were disqualified due to a sudden urge to bite."
It wasn't that he didn't feel the need to work on building power, it was just that at this point he'd hit something of a plateau. Throughout the months that had passed Izuku had taken up trainings of all sorts. In the mornings he'd take early jogs, lifted some weights, and had even thrown the occasional punch against a tree. After a homemade lunch from his mother, he'd gotten right back to it until the sun went down or he'd been called home for the night.
From all of that work, he'd discovered that gaining any noticeable muscle would be incredibly difficult for him… and Tae. The zombie-girl had been an easy enough guess, due to the nature of being undead, but his own lack of growth had seemed unreasonable. That was, until he'd gone to save a cat.
After school one random afternoon, Izuku had found a kitten trapped below a tree trunk that must've fallen during the previous night's storm. With no one else around to help, he had expected to work up quite the sweat to rescue the little critter. To his shock, he and Tae had easily moved the massive trunk.
After calming down, Izuku had gone straight into his muttering analytics mode. Shortly after, he'd come to the conclusion that Tae's undead body no longer had subconscious limiters tied to her physical capabilities; she could unleash all of her strength regardless of resulting self-damage.
For himself, after a bit of embarrassing self-examination and fumbling, he'd found that instead of increasing the size of his muscles he was actually developing more muscle fibers. Luckily for him, the fact he'd never be as buff as All Might hadn't even registered in the face of the benefits of being able to grow stronger without adding bulky mass. It was no super strength, not by Quirk standards, but it was better than Quirkless strength.
"We've also gotta do something about this hunger," Izuku groused, rubbing his stomach. "Man, I wonder if we can get something like a burger to-go on the way ho—Tae-chan?"
Izuku stopped, turning in the middle of the tunnel they'd been walking through to shoot a questioning glance at his partner. Tae ignored him, rigidly hunched and growling in the other direction.
"Tae-chan?" Izuku asked, "What's wrong?"
The green-haired teen wasn't expecting his answer to come in the form of a manhole cover blowing up right in front of them. In the blink of an eye, a large blob of sewage had oozed up and into the tunnel. Then a pair of eyes and jagged teeth floated up to the front of the blob, grinning nastily.
A villain.
"A medium sized invisibility cloak!" the villain exclaimed as he loomed over the pair, "And his sister to boot?"
Before either Izuku or Tae could react, the globular villain had captured them both in tentacles of sludge.
"Don't worry little man," the villain cooed, smile growing beyond human limits, "It'll only hurt for forty-five seconds when I take your body. Then you'll feel good. Promise."
A gelatinous eye swung from Izuku to a struggling Tae, who was hopelessly clawing at the tentacle wrapped around Izuku. The eye flowed from its original spot, down the tentacle holding the zombie-girl, before trailing over every inch covered by the slimy appendage.
"Mmm! Especially when I use you to rape this cute big sis of yours!" With those parting words, the villain forced open Izuku's mouth and shoved a tentacle into the orifice.
The moment the invading limb entered his mouth Izuku felt his trachea and esophagus collapse. He was glad for the automatic response, it would stop the villain from reaching his goal, but he was now in even more danger of asphyxiation. Fighting through the pain in his throat, the green-haired teen focused on finding an opening to give Tae an order. Her superior strength was his only hope.
'Just a small chance… gotta tell her… aim for the eye!'
Izuku's thoughts became muddier as he struggled, the lack of air affecting him faster than he'd anticipated. Through his blurring vision, the besieged teen noticed that Tae was crouched, as if ready to jump.
It wasn't a groan or a growl that ripped from Tae's lips as the zombie-girl leapt through the air and clenched one of the sludge villain's eyes in her hand; it was a berserker's trumpet. Completely unbidden, the ravenette had managed to capture one of their foe's weakest points. Sure enough, writhing in pain, the villain dropped Izuku.
"We need to—" Izuku started to shout, cutting himself off to spit out the horrible taste in his mouth. "Tae! Run!"
Instead of running away, the zombie-girl darted and dodged around the sludge villain's wild attacks as she ran to him. In seconds, the undead ravenette had returned to Izuku's side.
"You! I'LL KILL YOU!" The voice of the sludge villain modulated uncontrollably as his rage caused his body to lose cohesion.
"You will not touch them!" Boomed a powerful and manly voice from behind the villain, "Why? BECAUSE I AM HERE!"
The iconic words caused Izuku to freeze, his heart skipping a beat. It couldn't be? But the sight of a mountain of muscle bursting from the same hole the sludge villain had wiped away all doubt.
It was his idol. All Might!
…In casual clothes?
"TEXAS SMAAAAAASSSSSHH!" All Might shouted, punching a fist in the direction of the villain. The insane amount of air pressure this caused forced a literal wall of wind to disperse the sludge villain, splattering him all along the walls. Pushed back as well, Izuku and Tae tumbled to the ground.
In less than a minute, All Might zoomed through the scene, encapsulating the villain in a pair of plastic bottles. Taking a moment earned, he examined the two kids his own ineptitudes had almost caused harm.
Judging from their sizes and dress, he guessed he'd just saved a middle schooler and his older sister. They had to have had some familial connection surely; both hadn't stopped checking over the other for injury since he'd arrived after all. He sort of worried for the girl though; she still appeared to be in a daze.
"Are you two alright?" All Might asked, approaching the youngsters, "I'm terribly sorry for not arriving sooner… it must've been a truly awful experience."
He'd have to make it up to them somehow. An autograph never hurt right? All Might hoped it'd be that simple, he really had to leave as soon as possible.
"I'll be fine," Izuku waved off, seeming to forget whom he was speaking to while checking Tae for damage. "I'm a regenerator after all."
Then the green-haired teen's brain caught up with current events.
"A—All… ALL MIGHT?!" In his shock Izuku accidently let go of Tae, who sunk down to the ground bonelessly, and dropped his backpack, spilling its contents all over the place.
"Sorry! Sorry!" Izuku quickly fell into a panic; he'd managed to not only drop poor Tae, who was obviously feeling the effects of low blood supply, but also spill his backpack everywhere and embarrass himself in front of the Number One Hero!
Distracted as he was by helping Tae up, Izuku completely missed All Might snatching up a random notebook and signing the first pair of blank pages he could find.
"Here you go, citizen," All Might said, handing back the notebook while thinking of how to lie himself out of a no doubt longwinded fan-freak-out. "I hate to leave so soon, but I really must be getting this villain to the proper authorities!"
"Wait!"
For a single moment, All Might paused.
"I need to ask you something," Izuku managed to start without stuttering. "You see… I'm aiming for UA and—"
"No time!" The ever smiling Pro declared, beginning to leave. "I hope to see you both as heroes in the future!"
With a single leaping step, the Symbol of Peace was gone.
Izuku stood there, soggy from the excrement of the sludge villain and bruised all to hell, and felt more pain in his heart in that instant than he'd ever thought possible. He'd been dismissed. Just like that. His idol didn't even see him as worth a single conversation.
"I… I guess he was in a hurry…" The words fell flat even to his own ears. Izuku knew the police station was in the opposite direction. Trying not to wallow in his self-pity, the green-haired teen finally set about gathering his things. "I mean… he even signed my notebook upside down."
Putting away the new memorabilia, Izuku shouldered his backpack without further thought. Tae, blank as ever, stepped up to his side.
"He didn't even notice you being…" Izuku looked at the empty expression across his partner's face, her slight swaying as she stood waiting for him to do or say something. "…You. I—What do you think, Tae-chan?"
Maybe for once his companion would offer him some advice? Or miraculously she could give a plausible explanation for why he was practically abandoned by his favorite hero? Really, he just needed to get rid of his dark thoughts. His bottled up emotional stress was no excuse to hate others.
"Haaahh…" Tae's short groan put a small smile on Izuku's face. Not at all satisfied but accepting it was all he was going to get, the green-haired teen began the walk home.
"Yeah? Well you stink too," Izuku replied in a lighter tone, "Come on. We've both gotta get a bath."
Moans, groans, and grunts. While that was all he'd ever gotten from Tae, Izuku was pretty sure by this point he'd developed a pretty on point 'feeling' for the zombie-girl's intentions. In any case, he made an effort just so he'd have some semblance of conversation. It kept away the loneliness somewhat… and definitely the bullies.
"…And I've got to think of what to tell Mom…"
A week later – the junkyard of Dagobah Municipal Beach Park…
"GOD FUCKING DAMMIT!"
The roar of frustration was accompanied by the crash of a punch being slammed into a dryer. The clenched fist dented the metal skin of the machine, earning broken bones and bleeding wounds. Gritting his teeth through the pain, Izuku managed to lift the already mending hand to his partner's face. Slowly, Tae began to lick away any blood that had yet to fall.
Over the months the actions had become a sort of ritual for the green-haired boy and his zombie companion.
Izuku's plan had been to finish middle school as a ghost; he'd keep quiet, garner no attention, and make it into UA with no past to haunt him. Although he'd made peace with the fact that Bakugo would also apply to UA, and with his Quirk be a shoo-in for acceptance, that hadn't meant they'd end up in the same class. Of course, like the piece of scum he'd long since proven himself to be, the homeroom teacher had ruined his efforts in moments by reading aloud his accepted application for entry to the prestigious high school.
"Why? Why did he have to overreact like that?" Izuku asked the junk around him, "Why does he feel the need to push everyone else down—me down?!"
Izuku's loud supplication ended in another broken fist lodged in the side of the dryer, this time followed by a larger indentation in the metal skin than before. Patiently, the detached Tae lifted the newly wrecked limb and raised it to her lips. Gently, her discolored tongue darted out and licked away damage as it was found. The zombie-girl's treatment continued until the hand was completely healed.
In another life, another timeline, Izuku might've been a fearful kid, one prone to accepting the abuse dealt by those around him. But as the Regenerator—as Romero—he'd long since been driven passed the point of feeling fear. Or so he thought.
He hadn't flinched when Bakugo, incensed by their teacher's announcing his approved application, had savagely snapped at him. The blond had spat out insults, declarations of being number one with no challengers, and stated how the green-haired teen had no choice but to give up and disappear. In the face of such treatment, Izuku had passed on watching and disappeared from his ex-childhood friend's warpath.
None of it had fazed him after all. Nothing the blond loudmouth could do to him, no amount of pain or degree of injury, could even slow him down for long. And death? That would only put a permanent stop to the exploding boy's dream, while Izuku would likely wake up a few minutes later completely fine.
Bakugo's response? The angry teen had pushed Tae out of one of the classroom's windows… from the third floor.
"That should've been me, not you Tae-chan," Izuku said, hugging the zombie-girl. Laying her head on the green-haired teen's shoulder, Tae merely gave a soft moan. "I still can't believe he only got a warning…"
In the face of the blond once again getting off with a slap on the wrist, Izuku's reaction to the aggression had been explosive. None present had expected him to clock the bully in the face, leading to a broken and bleeding nose, before rushing out of the room to help the zombie-girl.
An hour later, the two had stood before the principal in moody silence. The sweaty, balding man had petitioned both teens to keep quiet about the altercation; no provable harm had come to Izuku and Tae, who's broken neck had already healed, while Bakugo risked seeing his future as a Hero destroyed by a report of such murderous behavior.
Apocalyptic in his seething rage, Izuku had threatened the coward in charge of his school with a lawsuit; dues for years of physical and psychological abuse just a start. In response, the principal had offered to expel Bakugo at the next sign of trouble. The bomber had nearly erupted at that, not seeing any reprehension in his actions.
Needless to say, no one had left the office satisfied.
"Maybe… Maybe I should use my Quirk on him…" Izuku pondered to himself, allowing a certain dark thought to surface. "Maybe it'd fix that heart and brain of his? What do you think?"
"That would be villainous!" The unexpected male voice took the green-haired teen by surprise, causing him to yelp, while the ravenette beside him growled in warning. Having thought he was alone, Izuku wasn't prepared for the sight of his furtive observer when he turned around.
Skeletal. That was the only way to describe the man before him. With eyes so sunken in their sockets they couldn't be easily seen and a lanky frame more skin and bone than muscle or fat, the visitor looked worse than half dead. The sad expression on the skeleton's face contrasted sharply with his vibrant, golden hair.
"I wasn't planning on committing a crime!" Izuku shouted, grabbing Tae's wrist as a precaution. She hadn't lashed out at an innocent person yet, but it was his responsibility to make sure it never happened in the first place. "I wasn't gonna hurt anyone."
"Well… using your Quirk without a license, to beat someone up to boot, is a crime," quipped a young man, probably a year or two older than Izuku, as he came up to join the sickly adult. The new newcomer sported a rounded face, blue button-like eyes, neatly combed back gold hair, and a wide smile. "…even if the person deserves it!"
"Young Togata… you worded that wrong," the sickly older man mildly reprimanded. The boy, Togata, hardly seemed too worried about it.
Izuku looked between the two intruders who'd probably been spying on him for who knew how long, suddenly feeling self-conscious about letting out his inner grievances. This was all he needed right now, two complete strangers thinking he was planning on committing a crime. They'd no doubt call the police if he didn't try to clear the air.
"I think there's been some degree of confusion here," Izuku nervously started, inching away from the two blonds. With little effort, he managed to pull Tae along with him. "I… I don't have a combative Quirk."
"I find that hard to believe young man," the skeletal man retorted, raising a sharp brow. "Besides, we aren't here to arrest you or anything."
While glad to hear he wasn't facing imminent police action, Izuku was saddened to hear that once again an adult didn't believe him. Was there anyone besides Tae he could talk to in this world?
"Why don't you believe me?" Izuku asked with a heavy sigh. A pair of fingers pointing behind him caused the green-haired teen to whip his head around.
Oh.
He supposed the sight of the manhandled dryer he'd been thrashing could be misleading.
"…That's why…" Izuku muttered. He guessed he'd been so focused on punching as hard as he could so he could actually feel something that he'd completely ignored the state of his target. Going by how the dryer was completely trashed now, he'd have to further explore this facet of himself before he hurt someone.
"So… what's your Quirk?" Togata asked in clear, honest curiosity. To himself, the blond young man entertained the idea of sparring with the green-haired boy. If it worked, it'd delay the insane workout his new coach had planned for him… for a little while.
"I'm just a regenerator," Izuku eventually said through his reluctance, earning further disbelieving stares from the pair.
It wasn't exactly a lie. The Quirk Registry Association had accepted the change of his Quirk's name to Blood Repair, as that better reflected its abilities… but with the high possibility of more capabilities being discovered in the future, Izuku had decided to keep referring to himself as a simple regenerator. It might've been an oversimplification, but it was easier than the alternative.
"But… that would mean that you've been enduring the pain each of those impacts implies," the sickly man said, apparently concerned about Izuku's well being. The green-haired teen had to admit, that would be a first.
"That must be quite the regenerative ability," Togata added, taking a thinking pose. "You've obviously been beating on this scrap for awhile now."
"Breaking my hands or legs while training is nothing compared to some of the things I've had to endure," Izuku confessed, scratching the back of his head. His audience of two gaped in shock at his easy admittance, which was missed as the green-haired teen had turned his gaze to his feet. He'd never considered his Quirk strong, not after failing to save the living Tae back then. "As for being strong, I hope so. I need to be strong to get accepted to UA this year."
Shock morphed into appraisal, the blonds now examining the green-haired teen before them in a new light.
"Ah… what's her deal?" Togata finally changed topics, bringing attention to the tall girl with a vacant expression that hadn't said a word yet.
"Oh Tae-chan?" Izuku asked, "She's not much of a talker. She's a fast healer too though."
"Hhmmmh…" Izuku tried his best to hide a grin at Tae's grunt, earning confused glances and raised eyebrows in return.
"Fine. And she packs a mean bite," Izuku added, acting as if the ravenette had actually spoken instead of merely forced out a noise.
Togata opened his mouth, ostensibly to ask for clarification, when the sickly man coughed harshly. The distraction seemed enough to wipe the question from the younger man's mind as a new concern directed at the older man colored his expression. Shaking his head, the skeletal man waved the distress away.
"That makes sense," the thin man said, wiping something from his mouth. "It's not unheard of for siblings to share close similarities in their Quirks, especially Mutant types like regenerators."
Nodding his head, Izuku gladly passed off the man's assumptions for truth. If he could avoid explaining Tae's true nature and risk further ostracization then he would.
"That being said…" the man continued, "We actually came to train up young Togata here. Would you care to join?" Surprised by the offer, Izuku instantly fell into deep consideration.
"Are you sure coach?" Togata asked, smile blooming strong once more.
"Of course!" the sickly man answered quickly. Too quickly apparently, as for some reason he seemed to force himself to calm down. "I mean, yeah. A little friendly competition might push your limits you know?"
In the end, it didn't matter, as Izuku had reached his own decision.
"Thank you for the offer, but I must decline," the green-haired teen said, sure in his words. "I dream of being a commander, someone who guides others to victory and makes their jobs easier. I don't wanna get in your way, and if All Might doesn't think I'm even worth his time, I know I'll just drag you two down as I am right now."
Once again the blonds were speechless, each for their own reasons. Togata was amazed by the kid before him; such determination and will were hallmarks for great hero potential. He couldn't wait to see the green teen at UA!
The skeletal man, in contrast, was feeling his non-existent stomach sink into the ground. This was the kid he'd run into while catching that sludge villain, the one who'd been holding his own with his sister. He'd made an abrupt exit sure, but… did he really leave the impression that All Might had thought he wasn't worth his time? Had he really screwed up so damn much?
"Thanks for the offer anyway," Izuku shouted as he began to leave the junk heap, pulling Tae behind him. "I hope to see you again at UA!"
In silence, the two blonds watched as the two disappeared down the street. One was fired up, the other slipping into self-recrimination and guilt.
"What do you think, Yagi-sensei?" Togata asked with a hammy smile, hopeful that they'd just found a stroke of luck. "Could he be another candidate?"
Unfortunately, the shaking head of vibrant golden hair wasn't the answer the smiling teen had hoped for.
"He has the right heart, sure… But…" Yagi trailed off, choking on the truth he was realizing he might've had a hand in worsening. "…There's resentment in him too. We can't take the chance with him as he is at this moment."
Nodding at his own words, sick as they made him, the skeletal man shifted to a heroic pose.
"Now, I'm giving you four months to clear this entire beach. Let's get to it!" They'd lost enough time; it was time to see what his old sidekick's candidate could do. He was anxious to see if the kid was worthy of inheriting his Quirk… and the responsibility that came with it.
Four months later, UA…
The large cement and glass behemoth that was UA loomed brightly in the light of day as Izuku and Tae walked up its steps. It was a day of days; the Entrance Exam was finally here. Scores of other hopefuls poured in from all sides, squeezing through the relatively small pair of double doors that stood as the final barrier to the prestigious academy's lobby.
Izuku did his best to accept his nervousness and move past it; he couldn't afford to be a ghost anymore. His mother had once said, years ago, that being a hero required honesty, heart, and forwardness. He wouldn't let her down now. The green-haired teen swore to himself then and there, as he cleared the last steps up to the long common area that led to UA's front doors, that he'd shine. He'd shine… even if all others saw it in a sinister light.
"Well… we're finally here…" Izuku muttered, getting a low grunt from his partner. It was an incredibly intimidating experience, being so close to one's dream—
"Out of the way, fucking Romero!"
In the span of seconds, Bakugo was there, as if there wasn't an entire open entryway he could've used instead. As the blond passed, he roughly checked Izuku's shoulder, causing the green-haired boy to lose his balance… and fall forward face first.
"GUUAAAHH!" The scream came in a stereo of panic and distress. Izuku squeezed his eyes shut, hating that he'd be causing a scene before the first day. Unseen by him, Tae tried to lurch sideways in an attempt to catch him.
Then, the falling abruptly stopped.
"Are you alright?"
Slowly, Izuku cracked open his eyes. Staring back at him was a cute brunette with rosy cheeks and innocent features, a gentle hand grasping his arm. He was… floating?
"Yes…?" Izuku replied, piecing together what had happened. "Thanks to you I think…"
As he floated, and holy shit he was weightless, Tae was quick to pull at Izuku until he was in an upright position.
"Sorry I didn't ask first," the brunette coyly murmured. "But I just thought falling on the first day would be bad luck, you know?"
Even with his feet now on the ground thanks to Tae, Izuku realized he still wasn't able to keep his weight under him. The girl's Quirk was incredibly strong!
"Why was that boy so rude to you Romero-san?" The question, asked in ignorance and naivety, nonetheless caused a lance of pain to shoot through Izuku, easily showing on his face.
"I… I know it's not your fault… but…" Izuku struggled with how to phrase what he needed to say. How did one explain a lifetime of bullying to a stranger? "I'd be most grateful if you never say that name again. My name is Izuku Midoriya, and before you ask, 'Romero' is that guy's way of insulting me."
The green-haired teen hated the way the brunette flinched back, realizing she'd unintentionally offended the stranger she'd been trying to help out. He pushed on, hoping he could offer some small comfort.
"Don't feel bad about it," Izuku reassured, "He's been doing it for a long time. I just hope UA has ways to deal with people like him…"
It dawned on Izuku, as he finally relaxed from the adrenaline shot his impromptu fall and save had given him, that he was actually talking to a girl. Well, a girl that wasn't undead. Strangely, he couldn't seem to muster up the same icy fingers of panic he normally felt in such a situation.
"Still… I'm sorry, I didn't know," the girl insisted, a wavering smile equal parts apologetic and friendly on her face. Wordlessly, the brunette pressed her fingertips together, and Izuku felt the laws of gravity pass judgment on him once more. "But… why Romero? Sounds like a nice foreign name to me."
Izuku grit his teeth, really not wanting to explain. Still, hadn't he just been thinking about being more honest with others? Heroes didn't lie, no matter how they felt about the situation. Besides, the only friends worth making at UA would be those who could accept him regardless of his Quirk anyway. Awkwardly, the green-haired teen pointed to the seemingly distracted ravenette at his side.
"M-my Quirk…" Izuku stuttered, "M-makes… zombies…"
It was always in the eyes. Initially there were looks of confusion; people never seemed to be able to compute the idea of real life zombies. Then there was recognition; Tae's pallor, vacant expression, and red eyes were undeniable pieces of evidence for most. Then, panic often followed shortly after, skipping acceptance entirely.
Panic… just like that now filling the chocolate orbs of the now pale-faced brunette.
"Y-you kn-know what?" The girl stammered, obviously leaning away from the reanimated corpse, "I j-just remembered I-I have to t-take an exam. Yes! R-right now actually! B-bye!"
Izuku had to admit; the brunette didn't run away screaming. She did power walk away faster than the green-haired teen had ever seen someone attempt before though.
"…That went well…" Izuku deadpanned, turning to his zombified companion. "Think we'll ever be accepted without prejudice here?"
Tae groaned.
"You're right," Izuku agreed to the largely incoherent statement, "There's no time to wax poetics, we've a test to ace! Let's go!"
Once more resolute in his purpose, Izuku and the zombie-girl resumed their march toward the first obstacle to the green-haired teen's dream.
Magnus: I don't dislike Ochaco, not in the slightest. In fact, I think all the ladies from class 1-A are lovely. But for this story, she won't be the main love interest.
