Chapter 3: Hisashi
The journey back to Japan was long and exhausting. On the plane Hisashi sat behind a screaming child that instantly enraged him. In the days when Izuku was a baby, on the rare occasion he cried, Hisashi simply left until he felt Inko had things calmed down.
The parents of the child hadn't even apologized to the surrounding people, they merely fussed over the squalling infant. By the time he got off the plane, Hisashi was itching to set something on fire and watch it burn. Hisashi seriously considered it for a moment, but decided it would take too long to reign himself in. Once he started to burn things for fun rather than a purpose, it was hard to stave off the insanity.
So Hisashi worked his way through Musatufu, back to the house he had bought so long ago. He wasn't sure what he would say to Izuku to convince him of the folly of heroes, but Izuku got that quirk from somewhere. Hisashi supposed that his son wasn't as innocent and blinded by "goodness" as he appeared.
On the way, Hisashi checked a newspaper. It was Saturday, meaning Izuku would be at home most likely. He vaguely remembered Inko crying to him about their son not having friends, and Hisashi assumed that wouldn't have changed, quirk or not. He himself could barely tolerate the boy, as all he ever did was cry. Hopefully that, at least, had changed.
His emotions were curiously absent when Hisashi knocked on the front door. He heard the scurry of feet followed by a quiet gasp before the door swung open to reveal his wife.
Hisashi blinked. Inko had really let herself go. She'd sent pictures of herself and Izuku occasionally, so he'd known she wasn't as… youthful as the woman he'd married. He simply hadn't known how bad it was.
Inko stared with wide eyes. "Hi-Hisashi?"
He attempted a smile, but it felt flat, misleading. "I'm home."
His wife was speechless as she opened the door for him. Once inside, Hisashi surveyed the living room. The decorations were simple, mainly consisting of pictures of Izuku, with the rare picture including Inko as well. Hisashi frowned, realizing that the only indication of his existence was a faded wedding photo tucked away in the corner where it was barely noticeable.
"Wh-what are you doing in Japan?" Inko asked, breaking Hisashi out of his thoughts. Maybe he should have found something to burn after all.
"I got a promotion at work," Hisashi said after a beat. "They stationed me back here at Musutafu."
After a moment Inko nodded, her eyes leaving Hisashi unsettled. Even now she was able to read him too well, to a degree that was unsettling.
Her back was rigid, belying an anger he hadn't expected. "You saw the sports festival, didn't you?" she asked, no longer stumbling over her words. Usually a timid person, whenever Inko thought something might harm her son she became a force of nature.
And now Inko thought Hisashi posed a threat to his own son. The way her eyes blazed bore witness of that.
"He's not here," she said abruptly. "But I won't stop you from seeing Izuku, but only if Izuku wants to see you. I loved you once, Hisashi, and I like to believe you loved me as well, but I won't let you hurt my son."
Hisashi pasted a smile to his face, attempting to close in on the space between them, but Inko only stepped further back into the room. Clearing his throat to hide his irritation, Hisashi said, "I jumped at the chance to be back, Inko. I wanted a chance to get to know my son."
She clearly didn't believe him, and it enraged Hisashi. His eye was twitching, and Hisashi could feel flames begin to build in his chest. He managed to quell the flames before smoke began pouring from his nose, and he managed to fight off the insanity. That was why his master had recruited him to go abroad, after all.
"Like I said, how much or how little you're in his life depends on what Izuku wants," Inko said flatly, her arms harshly crossed over her chest. "You can stay in the spare bedroom until you find an apartment for yourself."
Hisashi almost staggered backwards. Had Inko just kicked him out of his own house? Then his mind registered what she said. "Spare bedroom? There are only two bedrooms, unless you mean the office…"
"I told you, Izuku isn't here. U.A. has dorms for their students. You can sleep in Izuku's room for a few days," Inko said coldly.
"Inko, let's talk. I feel like there's some strain on the marriage from me being abroad for so long," Hisashi said, attempting to sound genuine.
She merely shook her head. "I would have worked with you if you had visited or even called once in the past fourteen years, Hisashi. Actions tell you what a person truly thinks, and you've shown that Izuku is your son in name only, just as I'm your wife in name only. I don't know what happened, but I've made my peace with it. If you develop a relationship with Izuku that's great, but he won't forget every birthday and Christmas he spent asking where his father was."
Hisashi was internally fuming. He hadn't expected Inko to be so… adamant, or resistant. In truth, Hisashi had always seen Inko as a rather spineless woman, but she was also at least a marginally intuitive woman. But no matter. Maybe it was for the better that Izuku was removed from Inko so it would be easier for Hisashi to get his son to see his perspective.
Even if it meant going to that school.
Hisashi contemplated this as he bid farewell to his wife, beginning to walk in the direction of U.A. As a villain, Hisashi had a code of ethics. He only killed heroes, he refused to kill anyone else, even another villain. Seriously maiming wasn't out of the question, but any non-heroes were still breathing when Hisashi left. Additionally, any younger heroes were given the chance to change career paths, but as with Mississippi Mud, they almost never did.
However, there were always exceptions to the ruled, and the exception to Hisashi's second rule were U.A. students. He'd heard just how competitive entrance to the school was, and Hisashi found that even a first-year. U.A. student in the heroics department held a conviction that rivalled even some seasoned pro-heroes. When a hero trained at U.A. came across Arson, he found he was incapable of letting the hero live.
After all, Arson's code of ethics was his way of keeping some semblance of control over the insanity, but in some things the insanity couldn't be suppressed.
Hisashi hoped that Izuku would be the exception to the exception, but if he accidentally killed Izuku at least there was one less hero to plague the world.
Odd looks from passersby told Hisashi he had been muttering again. He wished he could blame that on the insanity, but Hisashi had muttered when thinking deeply for all of his life.
Straightening up, Hisashi began striding forward with new purpose. He even wore a small grin when he realized that even if Izuku refused to speak to him, Hisashi could gather information about U.A. if he ever felt like burning it to the ground.
And there the school stood before him, almost shining in the autumn sunlight. The very sight of it made Hisashi disgusted. However, he began striding forward with a smile pasted on his face. Standing directly before the front gates, he moved to enter them when an intercom sounded.
"State your name and purpose," a flat voice demanded.
Pushing a button, he clearly stated, "My name is Midoriya Hisashi, father of Midoriya Izuku. I'm here to visit him."
There was a slight pause before the voice grated," Have identification ready to show. Don't move, I'll meet you out there."
So Hisashi waited, and before too long a man wearing all black and an absurdly long scarf appeared.
Without a word he took Hisashi's identification, studying it intently despite his aura of exhaustion. Black eyes then drilled into Hisashi, leaving Hisashi strangely unsettled for the second time that day.
"You're Midoriya's father?" the man asked.
"I am," Hisashi said, keeping his smile in place.
"Your name isn't anywhere on his paperwork. That means we need parental consent for you to see Izuku," the man said.
If he wasn't careful, smoke would start pouring out of Hisashi's mouth and nose. U.A. was obviously putting him on edge, but this guy was pushing Hisashi's buttons like few people could. With a forced brightness, Hisashi said, "I could call Inko if you want me to."
"That won't be necessary, I will speak to her myself," the man said flatly.
Hisashi noted with irritation that the walking corpse had Inko's contact information on his phone. Stepping away from the front gates, within seconds he was murmuring to Inko in hushed tones.
Hisashi felt his eye begin to twitch, and the warmth in his throat grew more pressing. The tiniest curls of smoke began escaping his nostrils.
The man in black hung up the phone after a short conversation, but he had somehow known exactly how far away to stand so that the conversation had been inaudible to Hisashi.
The man procured an access card and waved it at a panel before gesturing for Hisashi to come in. "Your story checks out. If you'll follow me, there's paperwork to be done, then we'll go get Izuku to see you."
Hisashi felt his eye begin to twitch again, but he had gotten his flames under control so only a faint smell of smoke lingered in the air. Hisashi had to keep himself in check, after all, because now was his opportunity to gather information on U.A. He also supposed it would be important to make a good impression on the kid.
Following the scarfed man, Hisashi looked at everything intently, as if it held the secrets to the universe. All it revealed, however, was that it was a rich school. The security measures in place weren't obvious to Hisashi's eyes-he had always dealt with his victims in a secluded location, far from their homes.
Inside the school yielded even fewer results, as the scarfed man led Hisashi into the first room on the right, keeping him from seeing almost any of the school.
Hiding his frustration with a smooth smile, Hisashi said, "I don't think I got your name."
"Aizawa Shouta, I'm your son's homeroom teacher," the man said flatly.
He was a teacher? Hisashi had heard that U.A. hired pro heroes to be teachers, but this man was too… tired to be a pro. He didn't look like much.
"I will warn you, if you don't keep your quirk in check, you will be escorted off campus without seeing your son. You are not authorized to use your quirk here," the man said in the same flat voice.
Hisashi nodded, his mind working furiously. "So, uh, does Izuku do well in his studies?" Hisashi asked as Aizawa milled about getting the paperwork gathered.
"You can ask him yourself once you finish this," Aizawa said, slamming a veritable mountain of papers onto the table. "I need to speak briefly with a colleague."
Hisashi's eye began to twitch in earnest. Part of him itched to burn the papers, then the school, then take his son.
The paperwork was literally twenty pages long, and aside from his contact information, it was an incredibly detailed and personal questionnaire. Not even customs had been so awful in any of the countries Hisashi had entered. It had extensive questions about his employment history, criminal history or lack thereof, and his quirk.
Hisashi wasn't even a fourth of the way through the paperwork when Aizawa walked in, saying, "One of the other teachers is getting Izuku. You can speak to him as soon as you finish the paperwork."
It too everything in Hisashi to suppress the insanity and not hurt this man in some way. More and more Hisashi found himself hating the man for reasons beyond being employed by U.A.
The man was silent as he watched Hisashi fill out the paperwork. Did he ever blink? Aizawa rubbed Hisashi in all the wrong ways, but Hisashi had to pretend to be the man who would marry Inko and have something to do with his child. He had to pretend to be someone who hadn't existed for fourteen years.
Hisashi caught a glimpse of himself in the decorative mirror hanging on the wall. That was no good, Hisashi's smile held more malice than blandness, more insanity than stability. He quickly trained his smile into a Hisashi smile rather than an Arson smile.
After scribbling down the last of his medical history, Hisashi set down the pen. Aizawa scanned the pages with bloodshot eyes before looking directly at Hisashi. When their eyes met, Aizawa looked less dead inside and more like a… like a threat. Those eyes unsettled Hisashi more than he was willing to admit.
"Izuku will be here soon. I'll remind you, if you start to use your quirk like you did at the gates, we will call the police. At U.A. we take the safety of our students seriously. If Izuku wants you to leave, you will leave."
Hisashi coughed, the slightest scent of smoke dusting the air. Smiling, he said, "I'm glad my son is in good hands.
Aizawa merely stared Hisashi down until the door cracked open to reveal a skeletal blond man that towered over a kid with wide green eyes.
Inko's eyes.
The silence was heavy as father and son stared at one another. Every second of silence weighed more and orme on the pair until Aizawa cleared his throat.
"Let us know if you need us, Midoriya," Aizawa said.
The boy nodded, but was pale and withdrawn. It could've been normal for the kid, but Hisashi doubted it. Any son of Inko's was bound to smile too much and cry even more.
However, before they stepped out, the walking skeleton placed a hand on the kid's head, which set Hisashi on edge. With a revolting smile, the man murmured, "Remember what I told you, Midoriya my boy."
Unbidden, flames began building in Hisashi's chest, quelling only when he remembered Aizawa's threat. Instead of flames, rage burned through Hisashi's entire body. His fists unconsciously clenched, and he clenched his jaw as well so he didn't begin muttering.
What had the skeleton told his son? Who was that man to call Izuku "Midoriya my boy"? Why did Izuku look so comforted by the man?
To make Hisashi even more enraged, Izuku turned to the man and smiled with a blinking brightness before thanking both teachers.
"As soon as you're done we'll be here to escort out," Aizawa said flatly, the skeletal man nodding in agreement.
Hisashi couldn't help but notice the looks that Izuku and the blond man shot each other before the door shut behind the two teachers. It infuriated him, the way the blond man kept glancing at Izuku with worry and compassion, like he was Izuku's father.
Izuku looked at the door for a beat before turning back to Hisashi, obviously wary. Slowly, he said, "I'm Izuku, but I guess you knew that already."
Hisashi grinned in the best imitation of fatherhood he could muster. "It's been a while, kid. I haven't seen you since you were this big," he said, vaguely gesturing with his hands.
His son sat down at the other side of the table, his back ramrod straight. But the boy said nothing, merely observing Hisashi.
Keeping the grin in place, Hisashi continued, "I was so happy when I got transferred to Japan so I could be near you and your mother again. Let me tell you kid, when I heard you made it into the heroics course at U.A., I was amazed. Sometime I'm going to have to see that quirk of yours in action."
"Oh, you saw the Sports Festival," Izuku said faintly. Staring directly at Hisashi, his green eyes were cutting. "You came back to Japan because I have a quirk now, didn't you?"
A/N: The entire time I wrote from Hisashi's perspective, I was totally disgusted, especially with the way he treated Inko. This was also a pretty intense chapter to write, which took me a little longer to write than normal. I also had a HUUUUGE research paper to write, so that took precedence. But I'm back! I hope you enjoy this story. As always let me know what you think in the comments, your comments are always an inspiration for me to keep writing. Any constructive criticism is doubly helpful, I post these so I can learn how to improve my writing.
I didn't respond to comments last time, so here it is!
fencer29: Interesting prediction, and sharp eyes. We'll see if you're right. And thank you so much for your feedback on the action scene, it's incredibly helpful for me to hear. I'll definitely be thinking about your advice for the future. That was also some great insight about the provisional licenses, I'll have to do some more research on the logistics of those.
s082829: I'm going to put in as much Dad Might as I can think of. Any ideas are totally welcome, I would love to include things that the readers want to see. That invitation is extended to everyone.
bajy: I get the chapters out as quickly as I can. I hope you keep reading!
DARCRY: I'm glad my story has intrigued you so much! At this point, no one knows that Hisashi is Arson except a handful of people from the League of Villains. I hadn't thought of Stain and Arson meeting and having their ideals clash. That's a really intriguing thought and I already have some ideas for that. Thanks for the request!
I hope everything is going well for each of you, and I'll see you whenever the next chapter rolls around!