"This man here is Edward Childstone. He's been accused of rape, attempted murder, murder, sex trafficking, pedophilia, and many more crimes. Do you want me to list them all? This man is a criminal. He blackmailed and ruined so many lives. Where were the heroes to save these civilians?"
These words were stuck inside Izuku's mind for hours. After the encounter with the masked killer, he couldn't stop himself from questioning who he is what's his goal. The name Edward struck a nerve in him. He never felt so much despise for someone he didn't know. At first he didn't believe the killer's words, so he decided to do some research on this guy. He was surprised and not surprised to fInd that the man was telling him the truth. All of the accusations he listed on him were true. There are 104 people who came out of the shadows and described their horrible life, which was ruined by this man, to the authority. What surprised Izuku is that the story had little media coverage as if it wasn't big news at all. He wondered how the media could ignore it. The few newspapers who wrote about it makes it seem like the victims were lying or mistakes the man identity for someone else.
How can 104 people lie or mistake the identity of someone? It didn't make sense to him. The man was in court fifteen times and each time, he was pronounced innocent for the lack of evidence. Izuku gripped harder on the mouse. Seeing the alleged victim's accusations being ignored and toss away as if their pains aren't important. So many people who took a big chance by coming out of their shell, trying to expose the truth about the man who hid behind his money and law. Not everyone could have come forward like them. It took enormous courage to do this. And seeing them forgotten by the world or being treated like liars, made him want to hit something.
"Calm down Izuku. Your acting more and more like Kacchan." He took a couple of deep breaths, counting each time he exhaled through his mouth. His eyes were closed as he recollected himself.
He shouldn't let his emotions control his judgment. Even if the man was a monster, he shouldn't have let him die. He should have fought harder to defend him. The worst thing about this situation is that he knew that he had the strength to stand up but not the mental capacity. He saw the masked killer slowly walking toward his target and he did nothing. Not because he couldn't move or he didn't have the strength to do it. In the back of his mind, he secretly wished to see the man dead. Once he saw the man's life leaving his eyes as his gaze fell on him, he couldn't stop his tears from pouring down his cheeks. He never felt so low in his life. It felt like he was a killer. The man died because of him, he let it happen because his anger stopped him from taking actions to protect the businessman.
"Can I really be a hero after choosing to let someone die in front of me, knowing that I could have acted but willingly decided to let his fate take its course?" Izuku closed his right hand into a fist, staring at it like an owl before activating One for all through it. He felt a sense of shame from seeing the quirk which was given to him by the former symbol of peace himself, his own mentor and the man whom he looks up the most. Reflecting on his action, he questioned himself if he now has the right to wield it. This quirk was made to create hope in the citizens of the world. It's meant to be used for the fight against evil, to protect the people from villains, to be a symbol of peace.
He, Izuku Midoriya, who was chosen to bear this power and the responsibilities which it holds, he chose to let someone died under his watch. How can he be All might's successor and the ninth holder of One for all after what he did or more specifically what he didn't do? After the accident, All might call him and texted him multiple time. He ignored each of his calls, feeling unworthy to talk to him. He knew that his mentor wanted to congratulate him on saving these people from the fire. However Izuku didn't feel like he deserved these praises from him. If he knew the truth, his mentor will say that he failed him as his successor.
Ring*
Ring*
Izuku jumped on his seat as he was caught off guard by the ringtone of his phone. Looking at the phone number, he knew that it was All might who was trying to contact him. He pushed the phone away, ignoring the ringtone before resting his face on his hands. Sighing under his breath, he didn't know how to tell him. He wanted to answer his phone and tell his mentor the truth but he's too scared of his reaction if he told him.
"AAAARRRGGH" His vocal cord arched as he let out a deep scream of frustration and anger. In a quick movement he took his phone in his hand, throwing it against the wall. The ringtone finally stops and he could finally relax. He didn't know that a ringtone could be so annoying to hear every second.
""Once you will get your invitation, the guards will escort you to the secret events, where you will found the sad truth about these people. I hope you are ready?"
Izuku didn't know if he was. He still has the fear that this was a setup. Plus, there is a chance that someone might recognize him from the news.
"Also don't worry about them, noticing you. Come on Izuku, you can't keep ignoring him. You will have to tell him the truth eventually. He's your teacher, after all, you can't just ignore him for three semesters. I have to get a hold of myself." While he was still scared of facing his mentor, he knew that he is the right thing to tell him the truth, no matter how painful it will be.
Seeing his clock reading 08:33 pm, he yawns as his body gave up from all the anxiety and frustrations from the fight. Thank god, he had the option to take the rest of the day off. He never thought that Aizawa would be so kind as to let him have the day for himself. He was grateful for his teacher decision.
Shutting down his computer, he rubs his eyes with both hands. He really needed to sleep. Hopefully, my mind will be clearer once he wakes up tomorrow. He told himself before he the darkness took him into the dream world.
"Wait What's going? Izuku felt disoriented. He didn't know where he was. He looks around but the only thing he could see was the darkness devouring him. All of his sense of disorientation was stripling remove.
"Am I dreaming... but it doesn't feel like a dream. I can sense all of my body. If it's a dream then it is the most realistic one that I have."Slowly walking through the darkness, hands pushing forward in case he hot something along the way. Something felt wrong about this place. It felt like it didn't even exist but yet, he was here.
There was no sign of life around him, no humans, no animal, no light, no sound. It was the very definition of emptiness. Not knowing where to go, he continued to walk onward until he touched a hard wall in front of him. He couldn't see it but he definitely felt it. Roaming his hands across the wall to find an access point to continue, the hard surface suddenly became softer.
"This area is softer than the rest of the wall. Maybe I can punch it through."
Pulling back his right arm, he aimed and punched through the wall. What he didn't expect is everything breaking down around him right before his eyes. The shadows were being torn down like a piece of paper, letting the light of this place penetrates his eyes. Shock by the sudden lack of darkness, he looks around to see where he tried to jump into the air, only to find that he couldn't float, making him question if the rock beneath is feet has its own gravity compared to the rest. However, there aren't any stars. There wasn't even a sky when he looks up with awed eyes. Plus, the gravity didn't work normally. While the rocks weren't affected by gravity, his body was. He tried to jump into the air, only to find that he couldn't float, making him question if the rock underneath is feet has its own gravity compare to the rest.
"Why am I overthinking this? This is a dream." He facepalmed himself for trying to understand a dream but... Is it really a dream? Because it didn't feel like one. It wasn't like he never dreams before, he knew exactly how a dream felt but this one wasn't just your common subconscious, creating images in your mind. Something else was behind it... but what? Is it a villain who was capable of controlling his mind or does this place really exist somewhere on earth.
Walking toward the edge of the rock, he looks down to see the bottom was filled with emptiness like the rest of this place. He had no idea where to go. Should he go up, down, forward or backward? Is it really important to know since the place seems endless? It wouldn't matters since he would end up nowhere and elsewhere at the same time.
"Izuku"
Izuku jumped on his feet as he heard a deep voice calling him from behind. Quickly turning around, he raised his fist, ready to defend himself in case the owner of the voice is a villain trying to attack him. As his eyes look up to the man above him, his mouth fell down at the realization that it wasn't a man who spoke to him but a giant whale, swimming above him. His dark eyes fell on him. Both of them were staring at each other, not moving a single inch away or closer to one another.
Fear slowly took over his body by the size of the creature who slowly swim or floated toward him, never leaving his gaze on him. What kind of whale is it? He never saw one of his kind on any books or animal documentary. His best guess is that it was historic species before mankind ever existed.
"Izuku"
Once again, he heard his name coming out of the beast's mouth. Its sharp teeth could tear him apart if it wanted to.
"Who are you"
He waited for the whale to respond but it never did. It only stares at him with his black eyes. Suddenly the creature launched at him at a rapid pace, opening his mouth to devour his victim.
With widened eyes, he immediately turns around and started to run away. His legs were working as hard as they could. The beast was slowly reducing the distance between them. Looking around to find another rock, close to his, he stood in front of the edge before jumping across the void. He lands on top of the rock before jumping another one, as the teeth of the creature bit his last known location before charging at him again.
Seeing nowhere to hide or to escape, he knew that he will have to fight it. There is no end inside this void. No matter where he ran, he could never hide or escape from his predator. Plus running endlessly will only tire him and bring him out of breath, leaving the whale the perfect opportunity to devour him. Stopping in his track, he pulls back his right arm, channelling One For All in his arm, only to find out that he couldn't activate his quirk.
"Shit" Cursing under his breathing, he gulped as he realized that he wouldn't have time to outrun the beast.
"AAAAHHHHH" He raised his arms into a defence form, waiting for the pain to come.
Everything fell into silence as soon as he closed his eyes. Nothing happened to him. He never felt a sharp pain across his body. He didn't feel like being devoured or anything. He opened his eyes, expecting to see the beast or to be enveloped in the dark, but to his surprise, he found the white surface of his room ceiling.
"What was that about?" He rubbed his eyes, looking around his room to verify that he was indeed back into the real world. Looking at his clock, it read 7h30. He only has thirty minutes to prepare himself before his class began. He has English with Present Mic which will likely make his ears bleed from the loud voice of his quirk.
Rising from his bed and fixing it, he did his morning routine. Brushing his teeth, washing his faces and wearing his school uniform. He will have to skip breakfast since he wouldn't have time to finish it before his class began.
"Should I talk to All might about the weird dream that I had" Thinking more clearly about his the details of his dream, he kind of found it ridiculous. What is he going to say to him? I was somewhere where the law of physics didn't exist as I was being chased by a gigantic historical whale.
"Yep! It sounds too ridiculous, even for me. I will not mention my dream to All might once I meet him. If it keeps happening, then I will speak to him but not before. I don't want to worry him for anything."
Thinking about his idol, suddenly made his heart squeeze painfully in his chest whilst he felt his stomach going upside down. The reason for these reactions is that he will have to tell him the truth about what happened back inside the building which got into flames. He really wasn't looking forward to this conversation but he knew that he will have to be frank with his mentor. He can't bring himself from hiding something this big, no matter how hard it is or no matter how painful it will be to see the disappointed look on his face. Maybe he is overreacting over the situation but it doesn't matter since he couldn't shake off this feeling.
Gathering up all the courage that he could muster in his body, he opened the door and took a step toward his class.
Walking through the hallway, he tried to figure out a way he could tell his mentor the truth with jeopardizing his relationship with him. He began to see him as a father figure and he didn't want to ruin that.
He looks outside to see the sky is clear with a bright sun covering the city. If it wasn't for the events of yesterday, he would be smiling right now.
"Even if I don't feel like it. I have to keep a smile on my face. I don't want to worry everyone about my problem. Plus I don't feel like telling them that I chose to let someone die in the hands of an assassin."
Being stuck in his mind, he didn't realize that someone was calling him from behind until a finger poking him on the back, which made him all jumpy by the sudden action. Not expecting anyone to be with him, he immediately turns around and sighs in relief from seeing the cheerful face of Uraraka.
Uraraka saw how scared he became when she touched him. Just like always, he was in his own little world, thinking about who knows what. She found it really cute to see him like this. Her cheeks became a bit red at the thought of calling him cute.
"Calm down Uraraka. It only the morning and you're already thinking about him in this way." Trying to control her emotion she distracted herself from these thoughts by having a conversation with him, with a handsome boy who she has a crush since their first semester together.
"Uraraka-san? Are you alright?"
Now it was her turn to jump on her feet as she realized that she was standing in front of him with her mind completely distracted. She's so embarrassed by this that she quickly wave her hands forward, trying not to worry him because she made a fool of herself.
"It's fine Deku-kun. You don't have to worry about me. I was just thinking about something important that I will need to get after school." She gave him one of her biggest smiles. She hoped that he wouldn't question her further since she didn't have anything to say anymore if he asks.
While she told him that she was fine after all, Izuku couldn't bring himself smile. Seeing her right now made him want to tear up all over again for what happened inside the flaming building. He couldn't get rid of the mental image he created in his mind when he hears what Edward, the businessman, did to hear. He raped her weeks after weeks until the day her parents finally managed to find enough money to pay their debts to him. Thinking about the pains that she must have endured at an early age because her parents didn't have enough money to pay back their debt. It really sickened him to the bones. It wasn't her parent's fault for these violations on her body. It was the monster, who dressed like a man, fault for her pain. He knew that their company didn't fare well so he took this opportunity to blackmailed them out of their company by bringing the laws into their affair. Part of him still didn't regret that he died by the hands of the assassin.
"Deku-kun? Are you crying?" She asks as she noticed a single tear pouring down his cheek.
Looking back at her, he didn't know how to respond. How can he tell her that he felt kinda happy about seeing someone die? How can he face her after not noticing the pain from her past? Since he inspires to be a hero, he read about the psychological minds of victims of sexual abuse and rape. He knows that sexual victims from a young age have mental repercussion of this kind of attack. These repercussions can be a lack of sleep because they can relive their experience in their dreams, others have a hard time communicating in their social, some you can even see the fear in their eyes when they have physical contact with someone from the opposite sex. If she was indeed the one who got raped, then how come he didn't see anything for almost two years of being together. They are best friends after all, he is supposed to figure out that something was not right with her but he couldn't remember a time where she acted weirder than usual.
"I'm such a failure for not noticing anything"
"Yes I'm fine Uraraka-san. It's just that my eyes are dry." He gave her the best smile he could afford right now.
Uraraka could see that he was forcing himself to grin, so she wouldn't worry about him. She found it really sweet from him but she didn't like to see him deal with his trouble alone. He has friends and her. He could at least ask her to help him with his trouble. She hates being in the sideline when her best friend is bothered by something.
"If he doesn't feel like talking about it, then I shouldn't force him to do so. No matter how hard I want to help him. I hate to see him trying to force a smile for my own sake." With a sympathetic smile, she tried to change the subject. Maybe it will help him forget about whatever was troubling him in the first place. Unfortunately, she chose the wrong subject.
"Anyway, congratulations on yesterday. You saved so many people from the fire. You really are becoming a great hero. Your accomplishment was all over the news." She beams at him, raising her hand for a high five, not knowing that this was the very event that is his cause of troubles.
Reluctantly, he raised his hand and high fived her. Watching her being so cheerful and carefree, he really wondered if she was indeed the girl, Edward was referencing in the recording or if it was another girl who happens to have the same first name as her. Maybe she wasn't the girl who got violated by the prick.
"Thank you Uraraka-san. It wasn't really a big deal. Any heroes would have done the same thing. It's nothing special about it."
"Yes but you were awesome while doing it. You should have seen the video from your rescue. Everyone was cheering you on."
"Come on Izuku. Just ask her." He was demanding himself about how he should approach the subject of her past. He was afraid that if it was her from the confession recording, then he was afraid to cause her a trauma by mentioning it. He will have to be careful to not bring back these memories if it happened. By the way, she acted all these years, it suggests that she created a mental barrier, keeping her away from reliving them. He didn't want to break her memory barrier, at least not yet.
"I'm not this cool yet but I really appreciate your compliment... Also by the way, how are your parents?"
She got taken aback by the sudden interest for her parents but not seeing anything wrong with it since they are best friends, she decided to answer his question. After all, she had asked him a few times about his mom well-being so she didn't found it weird for him to ask for their well-being as well. He just took her by surprise.
"Yes, they are doing well. My dad is still the same as always and my mom working on a big project to help the homeless in our country."
What about their company? Are they going well financially?" He's being careful in his next words. They could cause her mental harms if he is reckless.
Not noticing his mental debate, Uraraka's heartbeat raised a bit at his concern for her parents whilst not knowing the real reason for it.
"They still have difficulties with their business but they are doing well than in the past, which made me really happy for them."
"By the way... Do you mind telling me how your parents have financial problems in the first place? You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I fully understand if it's something private for you."
Not seeing any harm or seeing his real intention for his question, she told him about the cause of her parent's misfortune.
"It's alright. I don't mind sharing it with you. When my parents started their constructed business, a long time ago, they wanted to hire people with quirks which are best suited for construction. Unfortunately, these type of people is very expensive to hire since their quirk can three times reduce the time it takes to finish a project than the ones whose quirks are not suitable for this job. Since they didn't have a lot of money back then and that they just started their company, they decided to borrow money to a rich banker who also worked in construction."
Izuku felt his throat dry at the mention of the banker. He hopes that it wasn't who he thinks it is.
"This guy financially supported my family for a long time and he expected us to repay him back with interest because of the services he provided to us. As the day of the payment came, two third of our construction sites were got in flames all of the sudden. On this day we have no idea what was the cause of the fire. Because of this accident, he had to replace a lot of materials, which made us impossible to repay our debt."
The more she talked the more Izuku shook in fear. His heart was now beating a hundred mile per hour. His worst fear was coming true. He didn't want to believe it but her situation was the perfect opportunity for a monster like Edward to take advantage over her and her family. However, to confirm his theory, he will need to have a name to their financial supporter.
"Since, we couldn't pay him in time, he increased the interest while, at the same time, he took parts in our company. My dad had to sell it to reduce the debt he had on us."
Until now, He didn't see any sign of turmoil of any kind in her body language. Now, it will be a real test to see if her mind will shut down by mentioning the businessman who lent them money.
"Do you remember the name of the guy who lent your parents money."
Izuku's heart stop when he finally notices something he truly wishes he didn't see. He saw for a split second, the fear in her eyes. The same fear as Eri when he first saw her. It appeared and disappeared as quickly as it came, but there is no doubt in his mine that mentioning the businessman caused her body to react, probably without her realizing it.
"I don't remember his name at all. It was quite some time ago since the last time that I saw him. My parents finally managed to pay him back, so he disappeared from our site." As she finished answering his question, she noticed that Izuku was looking her with a strange pair of eyes.
Inside of Izuku's head, he was debating if he should dig deeper or if he should stop it right there before he might trigger something that he doesn't want to.
"Is she unintentionally forgetting his name because of the rape experience or maybe she wasn't the Ochako the recording was referring to and she wasn't the one who got sexually attacked by him." He hopes that his second's theory is true.
"Look at the time. We should keep walking to our class before present Mic blows our eardrums with his voice." He interrupted Uraraka before she could speak. Sighing in defeat, she follows him toward their English class, where the other will probably wait for them.
"I should avoid discussing the subject before I have definite proof that she is or isn't the girl from the recording. If she isn't then he wouldn't need to mention it again but if she is then he wouldn't know what to do. Maybe he could speak to a teacher but how will he explain the source of this information. He couldn't talk about the fire accident. All might is the closest teacher he trusts with this information, maybe he could help Uraraka of she turns out to be one of the victims of Edward.
Finally reaching their class, Izuku opens the door to see his classmates staring at him. They immediately started to congratulate him on his exploit from yesterday. Kirishima walked over to him before giving him a friendly punch on his elbow.
"What you did yesterday was super manly. Do you know that you save a hundred and forty-five people in twenty minutes? I didn't know that you were fast like this."
Izuku was surprised by this new piece of information. He knew that he save quite a lot of people but he didn't know that it was this many. He was so caught up in his heroes duty that he didn't even count how many innocents persons would have died if he wasn't there to help them.
"His right. You were so awesome that every media outlet talked about you. If it wasn't for you all these people would have been turned into ashes." Mina's stood a few inches away from his face, stepping inside his personal bubble which made the poor hero to turn completely red as he took a step back. Unknown to them, a brown-haired girl wasn't to please by their closeness.
"What you did yesterday was honourable to the true meaning of being a hero." Tokoyami gave Izuku a small bow, without breaking his personal space.
"Kero. You really got a better control of your quirk compared to our first year. You still remind me of All might."
Izuku ignores Tsuyu comments, not wanting to draw any attention to his connection with All might.
"I'm really impressed Izuku. You are becoming quite the hero." Momo was the nest one to congratulate him, making Mineta fume with rage at the girl's attention to Izuku.
"WHAT'S YOUR SECRET. I KNOW YOU SAVE THEM SO YOU CAN GET ALL THE HOT..." He got muffled by Sero's tape.
"Sheesh. I still wonder how you of all people manage to pass the first year. You sound more like a sexual predator than a real hero." Sero sweatdropped at the grape boy lustful look on his face while Kaminari laughs at the situation.
"Ahaha... I can't believe that you are still shocked by his behaviour."
Jirou jabbed Denki's ear with one of her ears jack, making him shriek in agony.
"Your jokes are even worse than Mineta perverted look" She told him simply, while not admitting that she found his joke sightly funny.
"Midoriya! Your behaviour and action are deemed of a real hero. Seeing you go through the fire makes me want to work even harder to reach your level."
Izuku waves hands, trying to calm down lida before he chops him up with his hand.
All these praises made him super embarrassed and self-conscious about himself. Also, he didn't feel he deserve to be treated like a hero. If they knew the reality if what happened then they will surely push him away, just like his former friends in middle school when he was diagnostic quirkless.
ALLL RIGHT KIDDDS! TAKE YOUR SEATS"
Everybody covered their ears by the sound of Mic voice. They could literally feel blood coming out of their ears drum.
"Must he always scream before class. I don't know if I can handle another semester with him." The class agrees with Tooru statement.
The students followed their teacher's instruction and sat on their seat, before class officially began.
As everyone listening to the next lesson, Izuku noticed that Someone was watching him on his left side. Turning his head he notices Bakugo stare on him. He didn't look angry or annoying. It seems like he was thinking about something... but what?
"I wonder why he is looking at me strangely. Usually he was the type to ignore him when he had nothing to say
Then, Why is he staring at me right now?" Before he could think any further, he heard the door of the classroom opening, revealing All might, the former symbol of peace, in his weak state.
"ALL MIGHT" Everyone screamed, making Izuku wince a bit from seeing his Idol.
"Shit, I'm not ready."
All might's gaze moves towards Izuku, staring at him with a bright smile, without seeing the distress in his successor's eyes.
"All might! What a surprise. Why are you here? Shouldn't you be with the principal?"
"I just finished the meeting and decided to come here because I need to borrow Izuku for a minute."
Bakugo raised an eyebrow upon seeing his green-haired boy shaking in fear. "What are you afraid about? Did something happened to him or what." Bakugo felt like the nerd was keeping something away from hm and he hates it.
Present Mic found it funny to see the relationship between All might and Izuku. "I know that you and Izuku are close but don't you think that you are becoming an overprotecting father" Toshinori gave him an embarrassed smile upon hearing his choice of words.
"Sorry Mic for this. I promise that it will only take a minute." He signalled Izuku with his hand to follow him.
"Dad might"
Almost all of the class though as their classmate walked outside the room. Izuku turns his head toward Uraraka to see her giving him a thumb up with a small blush. Once outside, Toshinori took a long five seconds to stare at him, which made Deku sweat all over his clothes.
"Is he mad at me? Did he manage to figure out what happened yesterday? Is he here to punish me? Does he hate me" It was a complete war in his head?
Deku immediately relaxed when he felt his mentor gentle touch on his shoulder while giving him a reassuring smile with no anger or disappointment in his expression.
"How are you feeling young midoriya? I noticed that you didn't answer my calls or texts, so I wanted to make sure that you were feeling well. Also, I came here to tell you how proud I am. Yesterday, without your knowledge, you showed Japan that You were here to protect and save the innocents."
The way his mentor was praising him, how proud he looked and seeing the pride in his eyes, makes it harder for him to confess his sin. How can bring himself to tell the truth? All might is his mentor, Idol, the one who told him that he can also be a hero while the others didn't believe in him, how can he crush his mentor's hope by saying that his chosen's successor just let willingly someone died in front of him because his emotions took the better of him.
"Yes I'm fine. It's just that I forgot to charge my phone so I couldn't answer you."
"Don't worry kid, these things happen." He gave himself a small laugh because he got concern for no reason at all.
"Come on Izuku, tell him already. No one is here to listen in then tell him the truth. You can't hide forever." It's so much easier to say something than to actually do it. Before he was so set on speaking to him but now, with All might in front of him, he couldn't muster the words he wanted to say. His fear of losing him as his idol made it impossible for him to say anything. How pathetic he is.
"Uh... All might"
Toshinori laughter shortly ended upon hearing his successor's voice trembling. Looking into his eyes, he could see that something was troubling him but what? He also noticed his hesitation in his eyes. As his teacher and mentor, he should comfort him at the best of his ability. Putting one hand on Izuku's head, he starts to rub it.
Surprisingly, Izuku found himself relaxing on his mentor's touch. His senses a protective aura coming from him. He felt like he will be saved as long as he is always with him by his side.
Taking a deep breath, he asks "Can I have a green card to visit my mom today."
He couldn't do it. No matter how hard he tried to persuade himself that it is the right thing to do. He couldn't bring himself to say anything.
"So this is what you had in mind" All might patted him on the head one last time.
"No problem kid. I will personally ask the principal to give you a green pass. Go to my office once you finished school. I will have your card."
"Thank you All might." He bows his head.
"No need to bow young Midoriya. You deserve it, especially after what you did yesterday."
Once again A struck of guilt hit him right into his chest but he managed to keep his composure. He wasn't ready to tell him yet.
At the final bell, The young hero walked toward his mentor's office to which the former number one hero gave him his green card, which allows him to leave the U.A ground for tonight. He will have to return tomorrow before his classes began. While picking it up, Izuku still didn't have the courage to tell him, so he just smiled and thank him for the permission.
Now in front of his house, he felt content for visiting his mom. He wished that he could have visited her more often. However his hero program made it hard for him to do so. Reaching with his hand the door, he knocked a couple of time before getting the response he wanted to hear.
With the door open, revealing Inko Midoriya, the middle age mom began to cry with happiness upon seeing the jewel of her life.
"IZUKU" The mom tackled him into a bear hug, almost choking him out. Even if he felt his rib cage breaking down, he was happy to be finally back with his mother tonight. He missed greatly missed her. She always had a way to make him feel protected and cherish, almost like All might.
"Hi...mom... I miss you...too." He let out a breath once his mom stopped hugging him.
"Come inside quickly. Dinner will be ready in ten minutes."
While her mother went to prepare food, Izuku sat at the dinner table and waited for the food. He looked around the place to see that it hasn't changed at all since he moved in the U.A dorm.
"I miss sleeping in here" He had a nostalgic smile upon reliving the memories of his early childhood with his mom. Back then, he was the only person he could really trust and love. She was always there for him, even though he was quirkless. He practically owes his life to her for being the best mom he could ever wish for.
Once the meal was ready, the two Midoriya spent the rest of the night, eating, and chatting. They watched a comedy film together, making them both laugh at its silliness. They both wish that they could here forever but at last, Izuku had to sleep early if wanted to make that he will be on time for school tomorrow.
"Goodnight Sweetheart" Inko gave her son a kiss on his forehead before placing his cover on him.
"Goodnight mom and I love you"
"I love you too sweetheart. I wish you could visit me more often. I miss you and this place is getting lonely without you."
"Then why don't you find a boy..." He never got the time to finish his sentence before he received an All might figure into his face.
"Stop teasing your old mother" They both laugh at that.
Two hours later
On a rooftop stood our young her hero, looking over the city, scanning every inch of it to locate his objective. The night was cool with small winds brushing over his clothes. Above him, he couldn't see the stars because of the light pollution caused by the skyscrapers and light poles of Japan. However, the moon is shining bright above him, creating a sense of beauty which was lost during the industrializing revolution in his home country.
Izuku didn't ask All might if he could visit his mom for no reason. Sure at the time, in a way, It was to dodge the conversation about the fire accident but he didn't ask it randomly because he wanted to avoid the conversation. There was two reason why he needed to return to his house. The first one is that he really indeed missed his mom and he wanted to spend more time with her. The second reason, which his more crucial for him, he wanted to find the assassin who he encounters inside the burned building. After remembering his words from yesterday, he wanted to locate the man, not to arrest him but to better understand his point of view. He wanted to know what is his goal and objectives and if he plans to strike again. However, if he tries to take another life, then this time he will stop him for good.
"Where are you Assassin?" His eyes scan each rooftop in his surrounding, trying to find any humanoid form on them.
"You don't have to look for me anymore."
Izuku rapidly turns around to see the same faceless mask from yesterday. Without a doubt, it is the assassin who stands before him. He noticed that his blade was still in his belt, which means he isn't planning on attacking him, yet.
" By the way your body is relaxed, suggest that you aren't here to arrest me or anything. If you are not looking to bring me to justice then why are you here exactly?"
Izuku narrows his eyes. "What makes you say that I was looking for you. Maybe I just wanted to take a fresh air."
"If a hero in study witnessed the assassination of a man and decided the next day to wait on a rooftop for nearly two hours. One might suspect that the witness is searching for the Assassin who committed the act. However, why you this person search for him. That's a question only you can respond.
Izuku took a bit of time to respond as he was thinking over the assassin's words for a while.
"I want to know the truth. I search on Edward child stone and found multiple accusations of rape, robbery, blackmailing and much more. There were 104 victims who came out of the dark and spoken out. Unfortunately, they were all dismissed in court for lack of evidence."
"And do you believe them?"
Izuku didn't know what to say. A part of him felt like this was bullshit. How can a hundred and four people lied about these allegations or mistook his identity? But another part of him couldn't believe that multiple judges dismissed these witnesses, as if they were not real evidence.
"You don't need me to tell you the truth. You figure it out by yourself. This man was a vile beast who deserved to die before he could ruin many more lives, just like your friend."
"Uraraka" Images of the cheerful girl filled his mind. sadness and Anger slowly took over his body.
"Still, I can't just believe that the media and the law decided to let free a man who created so many miseries. If they didn't sentence him to jail then it means that Edward is innocent after all."
The assassin raised an eyebrow at that. "Do you really believe it in your heart" The assassin's had a small grin underneath his mask as he could see the doubt in the hero's eyes. He knew that the young man isn't an idiot by the way he fought yesterday so he knew that he couldn't possibly believe the officials over Edward's case. However, he also knew that the young lad has a strong sense of justice, which he likes about him, but made him a blind by the reality of the world. He will have to show it to him.
"If I can't prove it you with words then I will have to show it. After all, your eyes can't lie better than my mouth."
"Show me what?"
"Follow me and you will see. But if you prefer, you can also choose to arrest me right here, right now." He raised his arms, inviting him to take him down if he wishes to.
In a normal situation, Izuku wouldn't have hesitated to launch himself at this guy but something told him that he should trust the guy for the time being. At least until he finds the answer to his question, to know if what he's saying is false.
"Alright then, show me the way."
The assassin smirked underneath his mask before signalling the boy to follow him. Running across rooftops to rooftops, Izuku was impressed by his speed. He ran like a gazelle and he jumps high like Kangaroo. He must have trained himself for years since he didn't seem to use his quirk.
"Quirk?"
Speaking of quirks, he wondered what kind he has. He knows that he could teleport to an unknown distance but he also remembered that he managed to levitate objects like a chair toward him during his fight with him. Maybe he is like Todoroki, who can use both ice and fire.
"Unlike Todoroki, these two power has no links between each other than how is that possible."
He narrowed his eyes at the only explanation...All for One. He must have multiples quirks just like him. The only question is if he All for One gave him or if he has a quirk which can steal or even stock more quirks in him.
"I never asked before but what's your quirk?"
The man didn't answer for a while as he leaped into the air before landing in a light pole. Izuku noticed that he had to close his left hand to activate his teleportation. With his quirk, he jumped before landing right next to the assassin who still didn't respond. He clearly thinking if he should tell him or not.
"I'm quirkless"
Izuku was taken by this. His eyes fill with confusion, he didn't understand at all.
"Uh...What?"
"You heard me. Don't make me say it again."
He didn't understand his statement. How can he be quirkless when I just saw him teleport across the street. Granted, he, also, was quirkless before he met All might. But once he got One for All he didn't proclaim that he was quirkless. Maybe he hates his quirk and he's in denial. It reminds him of Kota who used to hate the quirk society.
"If you survive this, then I will tell you all you know about my power."
Power? So he admits that he has supernatural power but he refuses to call it a quirk. What a strange individual. There is probably more to him than what he wishes to show me.
Ten minutes later, They reached their location. Down below, across the streets, they saw a line of high profile people entering a big nightclub. There was a red carpet which was reserved for the more richest and influential people in Japan. This was a house auction where people will bod on valuables to buy them.
"Why are we here" Izuku asks him as he couldn't understand his logic on showing him a bunch of rich people in an auction house.
"I told you that in other to see the truth, I will have to show you."
"I know but how is this related to the Edward's case"
"You will see." He gave Izuku an earpiece for communication and a VIP invitation card
"You will sneak inside the place" 'What?" He was shocked by his sudden plan of action. Why will he need to sneak inside a house auction? What's so important about this place that he had to drag him here and why did he decide to follow his crazy plan. He explained that if he wanted to know the truth about the cover-up of Edward, then he needs to be deep inside the swamp "How did you managed to get a VIP invitation. I may not know your real identity but I don't think that you are a high profile businessman. You don't act the part."
"Hahaha... You're right. I stole the invitation from someone else." The assassins notice the look on Izuku face as he could see him sweatdrop.
Knowing exactly what he was thinking, he told him "Relax kid I didn't kill him. I just knock him out and tied him in his basement. His servants will probably find him before he starves to death."
Izuku was still not convinced by it but dropped the subject anyway before something came back to his head. "Wait a minute, if I going inside then how will follow me."
The assassins told him that everything is going to be alight. He will find another way to go inside. Originally, his plan was to use the invitation card to sneak inside but since he gave it to Izuku, he will have to put in action plan B, which his more entertaining to him than to predict to be a rich guy.
Most of them are way up their asses to follow the news. They are in their own little world in the sky."
Well, that's one less problem to deal with. Now he will need to have some clothes for the events. Fortunately for him, the assassin already bought a tuxedo for him, making him wonder how long did he plan all of this. How did he know that he will be outside looking for him? These questions will have to answer another time. Right now, he needs to get dressed up and enter the auction house. Jumping down the street, he walked over to the front door, where there were two huge bodyguards, wearing glasses.
"Invitation please." The first man asked him.
Handing him the stolen invitation slip, he felt nervous that they might find out that he is a fraud. Luckily for him, they didn't question and let him through the door. Once inside there was another agent waiting for him to escort into the VIP section.
While walking through the country, he saw many rich and famous people talking to each other. Some of them were an artist, singers, celebrities and even politicians.
"Hey kiddo, can you hear me?"
Izuku jumped a bit by the sudden voice in his ear. He almost forgot that he had an earpiece to communicate with him. Reaching silently his ear, he quietly whispered: "Yes I can hear you."
"Good. I want you to know that the people on the first floor are innocent. They have no idea what is happening right in front of their nose. The people you should be a concern about is the ones who have the same VIP invitation as yours."
He didn't know what he meant by it but he concluded that he will eventually figure it out. They finally reach the elevator where the agent let him through. He pressed the last floor, descending the elevator into the basement of the auction house. As the door of the elevator opens, his eyes went wide by the sight before him. When the assassin told him that the people with the VIP card were guilty, he didn't imagine this scene. In front there was a couple of dozens man bidding their money for the objects of their desire. The big difference was that these objects are in fact women. There are selling women as if they aren't human at all. This scene made him his blood boil from anger.
"Since you read about the Edward case, you must know the name of the judge who let him free for 'lack of evidence'."Still shock by what was in front of him, he didn't respond for a few seconds.
"Yes I remember. If I recall right his name's Otaku Rako. His 65 years old with a scar on his cheek"
"You are right kids. Now I want you to look closely at the people who are buying these women like objects and tell me if you found a familiar face in it."
Izuku scans through the men sitting comfortably while they took advantage of these women. Narrowing his eyes, he tried to memorize which of their faces and characterization. He plans on exposing which one of them to justice after he is done in here.
While looking, his eyes finally landed on someone familiar. He couldn't believe that he was here. Otaku Rako, the judge who dismissed the victims of Edward is currently in front of him and bidding fifty thousand dollars on a young Japanese woman. If he wasn't in a human trafficking auction house, he would have a blush from the sight of a naked woman.
"I can't believe it"
"You finally see the truth, don't you. All these guys are part of the system. Once you are in, they protect their own. Otaku, who is supposed to bring law and order into our country, is buying off humans as if they are objects. So tell Izuku, where is justice for these women. Are they doomed to serve a life of servitude for some rich bastard in a suit. As long as they love, more people will suffer."
His last sentences snapped him back into reality. He isn't here to kill them, he's here to bring them to justice.
"We can't kill, no matter how horrible they are. There must be a way to expose their crimes." He told him through his comm as he took his reserve seat.
"Do as you wish. I only show you this because the heart of a hero in you. With the truth exposed, I hope that you will be able to save them within or without the law. Just remembers that this society is rotten deep inside. The deeper it is, the harder it is to bring them to justice. This is why I kill them. I'm not trying to be a hero, I'm here to make sure that no more innocents blood are spilled by these monsters. The longer I wait, the longer these people will suffer."
No matter how hard Izuku tried to disagree with him, he couldn't stop himself from understanding his point of view. All these women have been ruined and the heroes aren't here to protect them because their assailants are hiding behind the law, making them impossible to reach. The heroes can't do anything about them since they don't have the authorization of the police to search them or to arrest them. If more judges like Otaku are organizing in these criminal acts, then they can easily block dismissed and block any attends for a search warrant. And if they have no choice to give a search warrant, they can still warn their comrade before police could arrive.
"What's your plan. I bet we didn't come here to watch the auction."
"You're right captain obvious. Do you see the old man on the second stage to your right?"
Izuku turns his head to see an elderly person wearing a gray jacket with a cowboy hat above his head. He must be an American.
"Yes I see, what about him?"
"This man his in charge of this auction house. He took these women from the United States and shipped them here. He's a big player and needs to stop, which means he needs to die."
Izuku wasn't here to kill someone. He only came here to see dark truth deep inside our society and free these women from their fate.
"Wait a minute. I can't let you kill h-"
"What will you di? Stop me or save these women. You make the choice."
Izuku could hear the irritation in his voice. He was right though. These women come first before him but he couldn't let someone die in front of him again. However, seeing the women on stage, completely naked with collars around their neck.
"No, I have to free all of them before trying to save the man who stole them away from their family." He thought before agreeing with the assassin plan, which made him smile for his decision.
"Alright then, look up."
Following his instructions Izuku looks up to see him standing over a pipe above the stage. He signaled him to wait for his signal. Watching jumping around the pipe while moving closer to his target, he started to analyze the number of guards in the room if he needs to take them down. And as for the women, his best guess is that they are hidden behind the stage.
Because everyone was distracted by the beauty of the slaves, they didn't expect to hear an explosion from above, where the water pipes were located. It was literally raining inside the auction house, making everyone run away.
Seeing this as the signal, he started to run. He punched the first guard in the face before twisting his arms, making him drop the gun, as he threw him over his shoulder. He crashed against his colleague who was trying to aim at Izuku.
Tilting his head to the right, he saw another one with arms as long as a giraffe's neck.
"His quirk allows him to stretch" Izuku saw the guard's hands launching at him in full speed. Predicting this attack, he crouched down and grabs the arms above him, making the agent stare at him in surprise. With all his strength, he pulls the man toward as he did a 360 spin, which created a power mounted in his feet. The man flew across the room as Izuku's foot collided with his stomach. The wind pressure of his attack was so strong that the guards around him were also launched into the air before crashing against the wall.
"With them out of the way I can free these girls" Izuku jumps on top of the chains,breaking the girl's collars on their neck.
"Where are the others?" He asked them.
"They are in the basement, behind the stage." One lady said to him.
"Good. I will need you to run away from this place and call the police. Also I will like if you don't mention me." The girls nod at their hero's request before gathering together, to leave.
In the meanwhile, Izuku went behind the stage to see other girls in chains. The sight disgusted him. Ripping through each one of them, the women thank him as they dressed up and left. Reaching the end of the room, he saw a door underneath the floor.
"This must be where the rest are being rested."
He opens the door, revealing a staircase leading to the basement. As he slowly walks downstairs, he heard a couple of voices. At least three people were having a conversation. Once downstairs, he saw cages fills with humans, not just women but also men and children. Despicable... don't they have any sympathy for them. He will free each one of them even if he must fight all of the guards in the building.
"Let's go we need to transfer all these quirkless people back into the ship." A man said to his colleague.
"Quirkless? Why are they targeting quirkless people?"
Izuku moves behind a cage, whispering to the hostage that everything will be fine and that he is here to help them. Nodding at him, the hostage remained silent. Izuku leans toward the corner to see three people moving the cages inside a truck at the end of the room. One guy was inside the back of the truck while the other two were displacing the cages.
"Alright, I need to be quick."
Izuku went to the first guy on his left, charging at him he jumped through the air, delivering a kick to his face. The man crashed inside the truck, surprising the other man from inside. The man looks up from his unconscious colleague to Izuku who uppercut his other friend on the face, making his head collide with the ceiling.
The last man reached inside his pocket, pulling out a dozen video game CD in his hands.
"TRY TO DODGE THIS BRAT" He threw multiple CDs at the young her. Unfortunately for the man, none of them hit their mark. You could see the fear in his eyes as he could only stare at a green energy moving left and right across the room. Struck by the fear of his power, he didn't see the green energy right next to him before he felt a massive pain across his face. The pain ended when he crashed on the floor with stars feeling his vision until darkness to over.
Izuku stood there with a proud smile as he cleared the room. Now it's time to free these hostages. One by one each one of them was set free from their restraints, thanking their savior for his help. Izuku couldn't be happier by the smile of the people he helped. He really felt like a hero at this moment.
"Hey kid, did you manage to free the slaves." The monotone voice of the assassins filled his ears.
"Yes. All of them are free." He hesitated on the next part, " What about you? Did you do the deed" John Rock is dead."
Surprisingly, Izuku didn't feel any kind of remorse after seeing how he treated these people as slaves. They were inside cages like animals with collars around their neck and a bowl of food right next to them. He didn't feel any sympathy for the old man. However, he was still torn by this feeling. Shouldn't he suppose to feel bad about it? It isn't like he kills him but still...
"Wait a minute. What's that smell." Izuku looks up to see gas coming out of the vents. He suddenly felt like sleeping.
"Shit, sleep gas." He was too late to escape the basement. The gas took effect quickly. His vision started to get darker and once he reached for the stairs, his body couldn't handle it and crashed on the bottom of the steps. He faintly heard voices above him.
"He saw too much..." These were the last words he heard before his body went to sleep.
"Where am I. This feels familiar."
Izuku didn't sense the world around him. Life, beauty, molecules, atoms, all of it is gone. He knew this feeling, the sense of emptiness as if you weren't here but you are. The place where even if you walk for hours, you will never see the end of the tunnel.
"Izuku"
That voice. He heard it before. The deep voice of the flying whale. He opens his eyes, only for them to meet the void itself. Standing near the edge of the great fall, he stares out into the open. Not scare anymore by the scenery. He didn't know why but he felt kind of content in this place. He didn't have to worry about anything.
"Izuku" He hears his name coming from a rock where he could see a humanoid form standing motionless. His body was covered with black smoke, making it hard to see who he was.
Feeling attracted to it, he took a step over the edges. And before he could fall, a small bridge started to build underneath him, leading our young hero toward the black smoke. As he was getting closer and closer to his objective, the smoke started to clear up until he finally saw his caller. It wasn't the whale from before but he had the same voice as the creature. Did he transform into a human was he originally a human and transformed into a whale. Or maybe he isn't one of those things.
The spirit who was now a few feet away from him is a plain-looking young man with short brown hair and black eyes, wearing a brown coat, blue-gray pants and black boots.
"Who are you." Izuku the stranger who was levitating above the ground.
The man looks at him with his dark eyes, showing no signs of emotion or life.
"Without knowing the consequence of your action, you stepped inside the spider webs. I do wonder what you will do once you discover the many secrets in this world. Deep secrets that most people would prefer not acknowledging it. And for this, I have chosen you and drawn you into the Void. I am the outsider, and this is my Mark. There are forces in the world and beyond the world, great forces that men call "magic,' and now these forces will serve your will. Use this new-found power, my gift to you. Now, Come find me"
