Summary: Oda meets death and a ghost.
This was not what Flawless thought death would be like.
Although everything leading up to it went pretty much as expected. Not that he had been expecting to die, or wanting to. A part of him still wished he could have retired like he had planned, bought that house near the sea and lived peacefully writing books. Once he had attonned for his past, once he had saved enough people and done enough good, then he could have had a happy ending.
This ending, however, is one he knows he deserves.
And it is brutal.
When the crazed man ambushed him in this alleyway, Flawless knew immediately who he was and what he planned to do. The man spoke of his own, impossible, crazy, unrealistic ideology. Of false heroes and the need to take action. Of Flawless' own dark past which apparently marked him a necessary sacrifice, one whose blood had to be spilled in order to achieve the mad man's utopia. Apparently the fact that Flawless was striving to redeem himself, to be a good person meant nothing.
Flawless was of a mind to agree. A part of him always knew that no matter what he did his sins would always cling to him.
Flawless did not have a strong drive to live, but neither did he want to die. A secret part of him might always have known there was no way to save himself, but he was still determined to be a hero. Helping people, saving others when he could not save himself was the only thing that gave Flawless hope.
And the Hero Killer was murdering people and would continue to do so until someone stopped him.
So they fought.
Flawless would have won. The Hero Killer was fast, but speed did not matter. Power did not matter. Precision did not matter. Flawless could dodge any attack. Few could compete with his quirk.
But every quirk has a weakness and Flawless had suspected from the beginning that the Hero Killer knew his strengths and weaknesses- he had been studied.
The killers movements were all wrong. He moved to injure, yes. Flawless' quirk would not have been activating otherwise. But it was as if the Hero Killer did not expect to ever land a hit.
There was a trap set up somewhere in this alleyway. Flawless knew it. He could feel himself dancing at the edge of danger, one miss step away from death.
So he fought to end it quickly, his vow and need for redemption the only thing keeping him from putting a bullet straight through the man's forehead. Instead he used what skills he had learned in the art of combat. He was careful, quick, and precise with his movements.
Victory was a breath away when it happened.
The Hero Killer must have been watching for a while, waiting for Flawless to injure himself out on the field.
The mad man suddenly darted forward, every muscle in the man's body schreaming intent to harm. Yet Flawless' quirk did not activate. That is why he hesitated.
That is how the killer was able to get close. That is how the killer smeared Flawless' own blood onto his hands. That is how the Hero Killer, after stalling for five seconds, was able to ingest just a drop of Flawless' blood.
And that is how Flawless ended up crumpled on the ground, body frozen and unresponsive as the mad man stalked closer to him.
Flawless had not even noticed that his wound from a recent fight had reopened during their battle or that blood had seeped through the bandages. He had been so focused on his attacker and on the alleyway around him, hyper aware of any hidden traps, that he had neglected to take stalk of his own body.
To make matters worse, he wasn't even dying saving anyone. He was dying because he could not save himself.
How fitting, he thinks. It's strangely poetic.
Dazai always did say he had the flare for the dramatics. Ah, there was one comfort. Maybe Flawless would finally get to see his dear friend again.
The next twenty minutes are pure torture. Flawless knows everything the killer is going to do to him. He knows ever stab, every slice, every twist of the blade before it comes. What is worse is he knows exactly what he needs to do to avoid, to keep his precious blood in his body.
But he cannot move.
All he can think is that this must be his punishment for heartlessly and efficiently killing people just because it was his job. For not caring that what he did for a living hurt other people. For being too late to rescue the children he had sworn to protect. For failing to save his only friend. For believing, even for a moment, that he could possibly redeem his sin soaked soul.
Finally it is over. The killer leaves and Flawless is left- (No, not Flawless. That is a name of a hero. He is no hero.) -Oda is left lying on the ground, his body and blood set up as an example like all the others the Hero Killer has ended.
There is nothing Oda can do but wait now for the end.
He is not expecting to hear a voice.
"Flawless!"
Oda opens his eyes and looks.
First he sees a dark spirit. He knows immediately who- what that is. Relief that his life and this pain is almost over washes over him.
Movement catches his eye and Oda's eyes travel down to the one who must have spoken and is surprised to see it is a boy. The child is obviously a spirit based on his rather transparent appearance. His form is glowing a faint green while his eyes flicker and shine as if it were made of an emerald fire.
Their gazes meet and both stare. The spirit child's face is an open book. Eyes wide and terrified, Oda can read perfectly the genuine concern this little spirit feels for him. What he cannot understand is why the kid would be so emotional over him.
It doesn't matter though, the child has come with death and Oda does not want to wait any longer. He sighs and smiles, ready for the pain to end and his miserable life to be extinguished.
The boy must have seen the resignation in his eyes because the little green spirit cries out, "No! Y-you can't! Just- just hold on! Please! Help will come."
The boy's honest emotions, open heart, and genuine care for his well being strikes a nerve with Oda. Children were always his weak spot and this one reminds him of the orphans he failed so long ago. They were good kids too. They had not deserved to pay for his mistakes.
Oda chokes on a bitter laugh. Is this apparition which has taken the appearance of an innocent boy another form of his punishment? It seems almost too cruel. Why won't death finish its work instead of standing in the corner like a silent spectator, dragging out his agonising suffering.
"Isn't it your… job to….. to take me?"
The reaper does not answer. It does not move. The child does, though.
The spirit kid's hands move wildly in panic and he stutters out a jumble of words, "I-I'm not- It's not my job. I'm like you. E-except you have to keep fighting. You can't give up. You c-cant!"
Ah. Oda understands now. The kid isn't an apparition. He's a ghost.
The kid couldn't save himself- just like Oda.
"No…" Oda smiles, a sour taste is in his mouth. "You aren't… like me…... You shouldn't have died..."
'You shouldn't have needed to save yourself,' goes unsaid.
The boy does not believe Oda. He doesn't want to. Poor kid looks around as if somehow help will come.
But Oda knows his time is up.
The reaper is drawing nearer.
The boy finally realises that no help will come and he breaks down, crying on his knees over Oda's dying body. Words spill and mix with his sobs as he says how wrong the situation is, how this should not have happened.
Oda feels his heart clench for the boy. The kid shouldn't feel so sorry for him. He shouldn't be so broken up about this. He shouldn't be calling Oda a hero. He's not Flawless, never really was.
The kid needs to move on and forget about him. He's not worth such sorrow.
But Oda can already tell what type of person this kid is. He is selfless. The kind that is self harming in order to help or protect others. The kind that blames themselves when others suffer.
Oda can't let that happen. He can't let anyone else suffer because of him. He has to help this boy. One last time he will do some good.
Gathering up strength Oda speaks with a voice he has not used since the Mimic incident that destroyed him so many years ago and put in his place something hollow and not quite alive.
"Kid."
The boy stops. His attention is immediately trained on Oda.
"It's okay. You don't need to be sad. I'm fine now. I'm at peace…. I'm ready."
He says this last part to the silent reaper which seems to nod back at him.
Then there is a soft warmth gripping his hand and suddenly it is the only thing Oda can feel. The boy is holding on to him and he can feel the child's empathy through the touch. He can also feel just how scared the kid is.
"N-no…. this isn't right. Who- who could have d-done this?"
"Does it…. matter?" Oda smiles to hide his spark of fear. Oda does not want the boy anywhere near the Hero Killer. He doesn't want the kid go looking for his killer, to seek revenge, to allow Oda's death to haunt him. Oda knows what it is like to be haunted by your failures. He doesn't want this innocent boy to take on such a burden, even if the kid is already dead.
Oda struggles to breath, but manages to get the words out "What's done is done…... Thanks though… for caring…... You're a good kid."
Then Oda squeezes the child's hand in comfort. It is the first move he makes since being paralyzed by the Killer. It is the last move he makes in life.
A peace washes over him. Pain slips away and Oda is ready to rest.
He dies.
Something is holding him back, however. Even though he knows he is dead, Oda is still aware of the kid. He senses their sadness, feels their tears. He feels the reaper too and realises that the dark spirit is not actually death- though he has no name for it.
Then Oda feels a touch and realises the boy is reaching out to him once more. Like before he can feel the boy's emotions. But now it is so much stronger, he can sense and read so much more.
Oda learns everything about the boy. His deep driving love, adoration, and care for his mother. His need to be useful and to help people. To do the right thing just because it is right. His unmeasurable drive and determination fueled by a hope so strong that nothing could break it. His compassion and empathy which overflow in him and push him to seek out others and help them no matter what. His brilliant analytical mind. His drive to always be better and strive to become more. His dream to become a hero who inspires people and always smiles despite how dark times may get.
Oda also sees the darker parts. His fragile self esteem which had been chipped away by years of bullying and being told he was worthless, useless, nothing. His little self regard for his own safety because he believes the nasty words that say he isn't worth it. The conditioned belief that he is worthy of everyone's scorn, that he has to prove himself to be loved instead of just being accepted for who he is. The kid holds no scorn for his abusers, instead turning all his negative emotions onto himself as if it is he who is at fault.
He realises that the boy is the perfect hero- as perfect a hero that can come out of this broken world.
He also realises how much validation and comfort this kid needs.
So he gives it to him. Oda poors emotions into the boy, filling him with his own peace and calm to try and wash away the fear and sadness. He comforts the boy, cradles the kids fragile heart which he knows has always been so open, giving and giving even when there is almost nothing else to give. Oda tries to fill up the cracks in his self esteem, to mend the hurt in his heart. He lets the boy know that he is good, amazing, beautiful, and worth the world. He is not useless.
But this emotional link goes both ways and just as Oda now knows everything about the boy, the boy knows everything about him.
If helping this boy was not so important, Oda might feel ashamed and try to pull away. But Oda must help this boy- even if he can only bolster the boys confidence a little it will be worth it.
you can still be a hero kid
how
by doing what you have been doing all along
helping people
being there for them
comforting them
you helped me after all
you are a hero too
no kid
i'm not
you are
you have helped people
you have saved people
you helped me too after all
"You are a true hero."
So I do not usually do this, but here it goes.
I am sure you've noticed by now that Class 1-A is one student short now that Izuku is… dead. I need your help in picking a student to fill that spot.
You can either pick a student from Class 1-B or maybe someone you saw in the entrance exam who looked really cool but didn't seem to have made it. This student is not going to be playing a large role- I'll just be referencing their quirk and including them in some of the major events (like USJ).
There are a few students who will not be available for voting because 1) they would create problems with the natural flow of the class, 2) poor Aizawa does not deserve all of the top ten entrance exam students crammed into his class, and 3) *spoilers*.
The Unvotables
-Monoma Nieto
-Kendou Itsuka
-Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu
-Hatsume Mei
-Shinsou Hitoshi
Totally Votables
-Awase Yousetsu
-Sen Kalbara
-Kamakiri Togaru
-Kuroiro Shihai
-Koudai Yui
-Komori Kinoko
-Shiozaki Ibara
-Shishida Jurota
-Shoda Nirengiki
-Tsunotori Pony
-Tsuburaba Kosai
-Tokage Setsuna
-Fukidashi Manga
-Honenuki Juzo
-Bondo Kojiro
-Yanagi Reiko
-Rin Hiryu