Chapter Eight: I'll Be the One to Protect You
Aizawa was tired.
That really shouldn't have come as a surprise for how long he'd been awake. He was pretty sure he'd just set a new record for himself keeping watch over his student. He had, in fact, taken Nezu's advice the night before and allowed himself several hours of uninterrupted sleep propped in a chair in the corner of Midoriya's room.
It was early morning now. Sunlight weakly shined through the barred window beside Aizawa, warming his side and tempting him to let himself drift away into another nap like a cat. Aizawa ignored the urge. He had a job to do.
He felt slightly more alert now after his power nap. He no longer felt like he was about to drop from exhaustion. His eyes, though, still felt like they were full of gritty sand. Aizawa's stash of eye drops was getting dangerously low. He would have liked to sleep a few more hours but he didn't feel comfortable doing so while so much uncertainty still hung over his student.
Midoriya had mercifully slept through the night, curled on his side under heavy blankets. After dinner and several bottles of water he'd promptly slipped into unconsciousness. Several times he'd become distressed and cried out in his sleep. Without waking the boy, All Might had been able to quiet him with a gentle hand on Midoriya's back and a murmur of soft words in his ear. Midoriya had yet to wake.
Aizawa glanced across the room at All Might. The blond hero hadn't moved from his spot by Midoriya's bedside all night. He sat hunched forward in his seat like a drooping scarecrow. Exhaustion and heartbroken helplessness shadowed the man's skeletal features as he stared at his sleeping student.
Aizawa understood All Might's distress. Listening to Midoriya's recount of his time with the League of Villains had made Aizawa's stomach churn and his blood boil. He'd barely been able to contain his rage as he'd listened to the torture Shigaraki and this new villain, Rorschach, has subjected his student to. Before becoming a teacher at UA he'd worked for several years as an underground hero. He'd seen countless horrors and bore witness to the worst of what humanity was capable of inflicting on each other.
But this… This torture, degradation, and rape of the mind that Midoriya had described was a level of evil Aizawa had not encountered before. It made him want to hunt down these villains and hurt them as badly as they'd hurt his student.
But he couldn't. There was no time for revenge when so much damage still had to be healed – if healing was even a possibility at this point. He had a responsibility as Midoriya's teacher to be there and protect the boy from himself if the need arose. He would not leave Midoriya. At least not yet. He would watch over his student for now. But if he ever saw Shigaraki again…
Aizawa didn't know what he'd do exactly. But it probably wouldn't be something becoming of a hero.
The shuffle of footsteps and a murmur of voices coming down the hallway alerted Aizawa to newcomers. Casting his sleeping student a quick glance, Aizawa went to the doorway to meet them. He didn't want anyone disturbing Midoriya if it wasn't necessary. The boy had been through enough. All Might remained by Midoriya's bedside.
"Good morning," Nezu brightly greeted as the Erasing Hero emerged into the hallway. The prison guards stationed on either side of the doorway remained as silent and motionless as stone sentries. Nezu seemed determined to ignore their presence – as if he could pretend they weren't in a maximum security prison and instead just having a pleasant conversation in the halls of UA. "I hope there were no issues overnight?"
"No," Aizawa confirmed in a hushed voice. "Midoriya slept through the night better than expected. No other incidents like the one with the IV line."
Aizawa glanced at the two people that accompanied Nezu. "I see you brought reinforcements."
"As promised," Nezu confirmed.
"We volunteered to come relieve you and All Might after Principal Nezu explained the situation this morning in an emergency teacher meeting," Cementos explained. "We'll watch over Midoriya so you and All Might can have some time to rest."
"Yea, got ta say, you're not lookin' real hot right now, Shouta."
Aizawa glared at his other replacement. "You brought Mic?" he growled at Nezu.
"He volunteered," Nezu explained with a chirp. "As a UA teacher Yamada is more than capable of keeping order in the unlikely event Midoriya suddenly becomes violent again."
Present Mic pretended to look wounded. "What's the matter, Shouta? Aren't you glad to see me? Nezu told us how hard you've been working. I volunteered to come to Tartarus so you could get a nap."
It was at that moment All Might appeared in the doorway. "Principal Nezu," he greeted in a hushed voice. "Yamada. Ishiyama. Thank you for coming." He joined them in the hallway.
"All Might, are you alright?" Cementos asked. Open worry shined in his eyes. Yamada also seemed taken aback.
Aizawa only then realized how startling All Might must be to Present Mic and Cementos. They hadn't seen him since before his clash with Midoriya at the train station. The older hero was still in his skinny form. Under normal circumstances that wouldn't be so disconcerting. All the teachers at UA knew about All Might's time limit for bulking into his public persona. But the extra dark shadows around his eyes and haggard way he held himself – like he bore the entire weight of the world on his withered shoulders – was new. In the harsh glow of the prison's florescent lights, All Might seemed to have aged several decades over the last few days. To see their country's unbendable Symbol of Peace so beaten and emotionally drained was unsettling.
All Might did not seem willing to meet any of their eyes. "I'm fine. Just didn't get any sleep last night. I wanted to make sure I was awake in case Midoriya needed me."
Nezu hummed with concern. He said something to All Might which Aizawa didn't catch. Aizawa's attention was locked back onto his childhood friend.
Stepping forward, he gripped Yamada by the arm and dragged him several paces down the hallway away from the others.
"Ow, ow, ow!" Yamada yelped in pain.
"Be quiet!" Aizawa snarled into Yamada's face. He glared at his childhood friend over the folds of his capture weapon. "This was why I wasn't happy to see you. In case Nezu didn't fully explain what's going on, my student is currently sleeping in that room trying to recover from two months of extended torture at the hands of villains."
Yamada quieted, sullenly rubbing his arm where Aizawa had grabbed him. "Nezu did explain what's going on. He told us the League has a new villain that has needles for fingers and can manipulate other people's minds with his quirk." Yamada gave a visible shudder of revulsion. "Said they were also using some kind of drug on Midoriya that was making him act crazy."
"Exactly," Aizawa growled. "Midoriya is emotionally and mentally unstable right now and doesn't need someone like you around screaming at the top of his lungs. He needs peace and quiet so he can rest. If you're going to stay here you have to promise me you aren't going to do anything to disturb him. Your main mission here is to be quiet and stop Midoriya from hurting himself or anyone else if he has a sudden relapse. Do I make myself perfectly clear?"
"Yea, yea, crystal," Yamada groused. "No need to go all Scary Teacher Mode on me." Growing serious, he met Aizawa's eyes. "How bad is it?"
Aizawa gave a weary huff, his shoulders sagging with a sudden rush of exhaustion. It was only in front of Yamada that Aizawa felt comfortable enough to show such weakness. "It's bad. The League messed with Midoriya's mind so he's not sure what's real anymore. They made him believe that everyone he thought he could trust – his friends, the police, heroes, even All Might – abandoned him to the League. He's angry and confused. He's been hurt in ways we're still not sure the full extent of. And, unfortunately, he has a quirk that makes him very dangerous if he gets angry. If I hadn't been there at the train station I'm not sure if All Might would have been able to stop Midoriya's drugged out rampage. And to top all that off, Shigaraki made a very clear threat that he plans to come after the boy again."
"Nezu's looking to do a complete security system overhaul of UA's campus," Yamada said. "I think having one of the kids kidnapped and turned against us has him scared of it happening again. He's still putting up a bright and optimistic front, but this situation has definitely gotten to him."
Aizawa nodded, a wave of possessive anger rising in the back of his throat. "He's not the only one. If I ever see Shigaraki again or meet that doctor that hurt Midoriya I swear to all the gods I will personally make sure that neither of them hurt anyone else again…"
Yamada eyed Aizawa for a long moment of silence, his gaze solemn. "Let's just hope Shigaraki's not stupid enough to actually try following through on his threat," he finally said. "I'd hate to have to make a habit of visiting you in prison."
The sound of more footsteps coming down the hallway made both men look up. More visitors wouldn't necessarily have been a cause for alert if one set of footsteps wasn't the distinct clack-clack of women's heels on tile. Aizawa knew it wasn't Recovery Girl. Recovery Girl had long ago given up wearing heels and now only wore flat, soft-soled boots. No, this was some other woman.
Out of the corner of his eye Aizawa saw All Might swell to his full size.
The group of teachers turned as a group towards the sound just as Detective Tsukauchi rounded a corner and came into view. A short, plump woman with green hair accompanied him. She walked with a noticeable skip of urgency in her gait, as if it was taking everything in her power to remain by the detective and not just run ahead of him. Visitor badges hung on lanyards around their necks.
"Mrs. Midoriya," Nezu greeted. He, Cementos, and All Might came to stand beside Aizawa and Yamada. "Thank you for coming so quickly. My name is Nezu. I am your son's principal at UA High School."
He and the other teachers all offered bows of respect to Inko Midoriya.
Inko, for her part, seemed unsure how to immediately respond. There was a frazzled look in her eyes as if she was still trying to figure out if everything that was happening was real or some kind of fever dream. "I- yes, thank you. Pleasure to meet you all." She gave a hasty bow before righting herself and looking at each man questioningly. "Detective Tsukauchi called me earlier this morning. Said that my Izuku is still alive. Is this true? Is my son really still alive?"
There was a pained note of desperation in her voice, as if she was afraid to believe what she'd been told was really true. A line of tears was beginning to bead along the bottom of already tired, tear-reddened eyes.
Nezu nodded. "Yes. I know this must be quite a shock, but Izuku was not killed in a villain attack like we all originally thought. We were able to rescue him from the villains that were holding him and place him into protective custody."
"In a prison?" Inko said, incredulously making an all-encompassing gesture towards the building around them. "Why does my boy need to be protected in a prison?"
"There were some unforeseen circumstances surrounding his rescue," Aizawa explained. "The villains that were holding him were using powerful hallucinogenic drugs on him and had a specialist with a quirk that made Izuku believe things that never actually happened which warped his sense of reality. When he was rescued he was acting violently and was a danger to everyone around him. For both his protection and everyone else's he had to be brought to a secure location where he could detox and doctors could do a medical assessment."
Inko seemed too distraught by this information to know how to respond.
"Mrs. Midoriya," All Might carefully spoke up. "I understand how disturbing this must be to hear, but we are going to do everything in our power to help young Izuku. I swear to you I will make it my personal mission to help him recover. I will not let him go through this by himself."
Nezu nodded in agreement. "Yes. Izuku is UA's most important student right now. Its entire faculty, staff, and alumni are here to help. The police department has also-"
"Please," Inko weakly interrupted, the tears in her eyes welling dangerously. "I appreciate everything that everyone has done and plans to do for Izuku but I honestly don't care about that right now. Right now I just want to see my son." Several tears slipped down her cheeks. She took an unsteady gasp of air that sounded more like an overwhelmed sob. She appeared to barely be holding herself together. "I've just spent the last two months believing my son was dead. Right now I just want to see Izuku and know he's still alive for myself."
"Mom?" a soft voice drifted into the hallway from the hospital room.
Inko's ears perked, her eyes widening with hope. A renewed sense of urgency seemed to engulf her.
"Izuku?" She frantically pushed her way past the knot of teachers clogging the hallway. "Honey, is that really you?"
Inko hesitated at the sight of the prison guards stationed on either side of the door with their stun rifles. But with a renewed look of determination she hurried past them and disappeared inside the room. There was a brief pause before a sharp wail of near-hysterical joy echoed out of the room, followed shortly by a cacophony of muffled sobs.
Aizawa and the other men stared after her in downcast silence. This should have been a happy moment. What greater joy could there be for a hero than to be able to reunite a mother with a child she'd thought she'd lost?
But this did not feel like a victory. At least not to Aizawa. And he doubted it did to All Might or anyone else there. It did not feel like a victory to return a child to his mother when that child had been so terribly tortured, defiled, and abused. There was so little of the original Midoriya that Aizawa recognized anymore. If not for his face, Aizawa wondered if Midoriya's mother would still recognize her own son.
No. This did not feel like a victory. If anything it felt like another twist of a knife in the stomach by Shigaraki. Listening to Midoriya's mother cry in distraught joy Aizawa renewed the promise he'd made to himself. If he ever saw Shigaraki again the man was not going to walk away alive.
Midoriya woke with a spastic jerk. He didn't immediately remember where he was and sat up quickly. The room was empty and dimly lit. But it was not his cell in the League of Villains' hideout he realized after several panicked moments of confusion. As his heart rate evened into a steady rhythm, Midoriya realized he was in a bed with several blankets draped over him. When he'd been Shigaraki's captive none of the villains had ever given him blankets, let alone an actual bed.
That's right… He was currently in Tartarus's hospital wing. All Might and Aizawa had rescued him from the League of Villains and brought him to the maximum security prison to detox Rorschach's drugs. Once again he was being held captive. But at least for the moment, he was not being hurt or tortured.
Relaxing a bit back against the pillow, Midoriya glanced around the room. It seemed to be morning. Sunlight was coming in through the only window. He must have slept through the night. If he'd had any dreams he didn't remember them. Midoriya couldn't remember the last time he'd been able to sleep so well. For the first time in as long as Midoriya could remember, he actually felt rested and alert. His headache from the day before was mostly gone, though his mouth still felt cottony. He wondered if Recovery Girl and the gruff prison doctor would bring him more water whenever they came to check on him.
As Midoriya rubbed the sleep from his eyes he caught the murmur of voices in the hallway just outside his room. The door to the room was open. From where he sat Midoriya could just make out the outline of a prison guard standing at attention on the other side of the doorframe. He was pretty sure it was a stun rifle the guard held at the ready against his chest.
Unaware of his own actions, Midoriya's arms wrapped across his stomach and around his sides in memory of the straightjacket that had made him feel safe from himself not that long ago. He shouldn't forget where he was. Even if his former idol and homeroom teacher had "saved" him, he couldn't forget he was a prisoner again. He still wasn't sure if they were ever going to let him leave Tartarus after what he's done. He was a dangerous villain now. He'd hurt other people with his quirk. For all Midoriya knew they were getting ready to throw him back inside a cell right now.
The murmur of voices was barely louder than a whisper. Midoriya stilled his breathing to try and hear better. He could pick out what sounded like All Might's deep baritone amidst the others. He thought he also heard the squeaky chirp of Principal Nezu's voice, but distinct words were indiscernible. Every so often he thought he caught the murmur of his name, but couldn't say for certain in what context he was being discussed.
A sour note of dread formed in the bottom of his stomach. What if they were deciding what they were going to do with him? Would they give him a chance to defend himself before they put him back inside a cell? Did he even deserve a chance to plead for mercy? A part of him felt like he deserved to go back inside a cell and never see sunlight again. Not after what he'd done at that train station...
The murmur of voices abruptly quieted as two sets of footsteps approached. Within a few seconds the voices started again. Midoriya strained to hear what they were saying. A morbid sense of curiosity compelled him. If he had an inkling of what was coming he could prepare himself to accept whatever fate they were deciding for him.
He couldn't make out anything they were saying before he was finally able to discern the higher pitched tone of a woman. "Please…" it whispered in and out of hearing, "…plans to do for Izuku but… see my son…"
Tears stung Midoriya's eyes as his mother's voice finally registered in his brain. It took him a moment to find his voice the rush of frayed emotions was so intense.
"Mom?" he called to the door. He wanted to get out of bed and rush for the door to see if it really was his mother. He remained where he was though. He'd been tricked into believing things that weren't really there before. It had been one of Rorschach's favorite games. He also didn't know if the guards would turn their guns on him he suddenly got up and ran towards them.
"Izuku? Honey, is that really you?" his mother tearfully called back.
Midoriya couldn't find his voice to answer. His throat was constricted with emotions. Tears blurred his vision. He waited with baited breath as footsteps hurriedly approached the door.
And suddenly his mother was there.
Inko froze several steps inside the room, her eyes wide and filled with terrified hope. She stared at Izuku as though wondering if she wasn't really seeing a ghost.
Mother and son stared at each other for several moments of overwhelmed silence before a sob of hysterical joy burst from Inko. In a green blur, she rushed the bed and suddenly Izuku was enveloped in his mother's arms.
"My baby!" Inko wailed into the top of Izuku's head. "It's really you!" Her grip was crushing, almost as if she was trying to absorb her son back into her body where she could keep him close and safe. "You're really alive!"
"Mom!" Izuku greedily hugged his mother back, wrapping his arms around her back and pulling her to him in sheer desperation to feel the sheltering protection of her presence. He buried his face in the side of her neck and released a body-wracking sob he hadn't even realized he'd been holding inside until now. Like a flood dam breaking, all the despair, loneliness, and horror of the last two months came rushing to the surface. He gripped his mother tighter.
For the first time in as long as Izuku could remember he finally felt safe. The soft, pudgy warmth of his mother's arms squeezed him so hard Izuku imagined he could actually feel the broken pieces of his soul being pushed back together. In that moment Izuku almost felt whole again.
Overwhelmed with emotions, Inko blindly rocked Izuku back and forth where they sat. Mother and son continued to sob against each other, locked in each other's embrace and lost in the sheer magnitude of the realization that this was real and the other was actually there – alive and real.
Izuku didn't know how long they stayed like that. But his eyes were swollen and his throat raw from crying when Inko finally relaxed her hold around him and sat back. Breaking apart, Inko cupped Izuku's cheeks and stared up at him as though desperate to remember every curve of her son's face.
"My Izuku," she sobbed. She seemed unable to process that he was really there. Her lower lip trembled as she spoke. Her face was red and wet with tears and snot. Izuku doubted he looked any better. "You're still alive… You're really still alive. I spent so long believing you were dead…"
"I'm sorry," Izuku heartbrokenly whispered. He could never stand seeing his mother upset. She looked so tired. He couldn't remember ever seeing his mother with such dark circles around her eyes. Worry lines Izuku didn't remembered being there before his kidnapping creased the corners of her mouth. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to make you worry."
"I wasn't worried," Inko clarified with a choked off sob. "I was devastated when the police told me what happened at that shopping mall. I thought my boy was gone. That you were dead."
Izuku squeezed his eyes shut and turned his face away in shame. "I'm sorry, mom. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you." A fresh rush of guilt washed over him. His arms snaked down across his stomach to hug his sides.
"Honey," Inko gently tutted, pulling her son into another hug. Izuku melted into her embrace. At least in his mother's arm he didn't feel like he was about to fall apart at the seams. "I'm not blaming you. How could I ever do that? It's just… I was so broken by losing you. I thought you were dead. There wasn't even a body for me to hold a funeral for. You were just gone. And I… I just…" Inko wasn't able to finish her thought as a new round of sobs overtook her and she dissolved once again into tears.
Izuku tightly hugged his mother in apology. Silent tears of remembered despair dampened the shoulder of his mother's sweater. This was all he'd wanted for so long. To see his mother and be reminded there was at least one person who had missed him and wanted him back.
Several minutes later when the two regained some semblance of control again, Izuku leaned back and met his mother's teary gaze. Now that the immediate joy and relief of seeing his mother was beginning to ebb, the uncertainty and lingering doubts of his rescue began to creep back. One of the reason's he'd wanted to see his mother so badly was to get the truth. Inko had never lied to him in his life. If he could ask anyone this and finally trust the answer, it would be his mother.
"Mom… after the shopping mall attack, did you see All Might give a press conference about me being kidnapped? Did you hear about the League of Villains making any ransom demands for my release?"
Inko seemed confused by the question. "No, dear. The evening you disappeared police came to the apartment. They said there had been a villain attack and thought you might have been caught up in it." Inko's eyes misted with tears, but she somehow managed to keep herself from bursting into a new round of sobs. "They had me come down to the police station and ID your backpack. There… there wasn't anything else for me to identify as yours…"
Inko fished a tissue from her purse and dabbed at her eyes. "When I did they said that the villain that attacked the mall had a quirk that turns people to dust. None of your friends could find you and there wasn't anything they could find that proved you were still alive. They… they told me it looked like you were dead." A sob slipped past Inko's resolve to maintain her composure. "I refused to let them list you as dead for several days in case you came back. But you never did and the police finally said they had to list you as killed in the attack."
Inko stared into Izuku's eyes. Nothing but honesty and sincerity was conveyed. "That attack was the talk of all the news channels for several weeks because so many people died. But All Might never gave any press conference about it. All the newscasters were saying he should make a statement, especially since one of his own students had been killed. But he never did. I… I did not deal with things well after I thought you'd died. I don't remember much of what I saw on television. It was so hard for me to find the strength to get through the day or focus on much of anything those first couple weeks. But I know All Might never talked to the press. Of that I'm certain."
Against his will, new tears stung Izuku's eyes. His lower lip began to quiver. Bowing his head he leaned forward in silent plea for his mother to hug him. Inko immediately complied. She pulled him to her bosom and wrapped warm arms of safety around his quaking shoulders.
"What's wrong?" Inko pleaded. "Why's it so important if All Might gave a press conference or not?"
"Because I was afraid you were going to say something like that!" Izuku cried into her shoulder. "I thought I knew what happened to me, but now I don't! I was so angry for so long because I thought All Might had abandoned me, but now I don't know what's real anymore! I don't know what to believe. At first I thought everyone was just lying to me. But… If you're saying what All Might said is true, what else isn't real?"
Inko was silent for several moment as though trying to decide how best to respond.
"I don't know, Izuku," she finally murmured. She hugged him tighter as though she could somehow smother away his pain with the sheer force of her love. "I honestly don't know... All I know right now is that you're still alive. And as long as you're still alive we can figure everything else out as we go. Until this morning I never thought I'd see you again." Inko's voice caught for a moment in the back of her throat. "For now… let's just focus on you being alive and back with us. Okay?"
Izuku gripped his mother tighter. He couldn't reply past the knot in his throat. His mother's arms were a sanctuary of warmth and protection. But there were some things not even the love of a mother could protect her child from. Yes, Izuku might be back. Yes, he might still be alive. But so much had happened to him that his mother knew nothing about. And he hoped he would never have to tell her the details of his captivity. He doubted she would be able to handle it. She had already suffered so much because of him.
No. For now he would let her celebrate his return. But that did not change the fact Izuku no longer trusted his own memories. Everything he thought was real was in question. And if he couldn't even trust himself how could he hope to go back to the life he once knew?
Despite Cementos and Present Mic's arrival, All Might and Aizawa did not immediately leave the prison. Now that Midoriya's mother was there, there were a number of important things that needed to be discussed. Nezu and Tsukauchi were to lead the discussion. As the boy's mentor and homeroom teacher, All Might and Aizawa opted to stay and sit in on the meeting. If All Might was being completely honest with himself, he wasn't staying just out of professional responsibility. The truth was he wasn't ready to let his resurrected successor out of his sight quite yet. The thought of leaving Midoriya made All Might's stomach clench with a rush of anxiety. He'd spent too long believing the boy dead to leave him now so easily.
They gave mother and son an hour before they felt it was appropriate to interrupt their reunion.
All Might quietly followed Nezu and Tsukauchi into the room after a soft knock on the doorframe by Tsukauchi. Aizawa slouched in after him. Present Mic and Cementos remained outside in the hallway.
"Good morning," Nezu chirped in greetings as they all entered. "If it's not too much trouble, Detective Tsukauchi and I would like to discuss some things now that Mrs. Midoriya is here."
Izuku and Inko seemed to have mostly calmed down since Inko's arrival. Both of them still had puffy eyes and watery expressions, but otherwise seemed composed. Inko sat close beside Izuku's bedside on the same stool All Might had spent the majority of the night watching Izuku sleep. Although calm, Inko gripped her son's hand tightly as if afraid if she let him go he'd disappear in a cloud of smoke.
All Might couldn't fault her need to be near her son. He was still having trouble processing Izuku's return even now almost three days after his unexpected return. He couldn't imagine what the last two months had been like for Izuku's mother.
Inko nodded, her grip tightening around her son's hand. She hastily wiped at her face and hair with her free hand as though trying to freshen herself before a parent-teacher meeting. "Of course. What is it you want to discuss?"
With a little help from the detective, Nezu seated himself on the edge of the bed near Izuku's feet. Tsukauchi took a seat in one the other chairs. All Might and Aizawa remained standing behind them.
Tsukauchi kicked off the meeting. "Mrs. Midoriya, I first off want to reiterate some of what I told you in the car on the way here for Izuku's sake. The police department will continue to investigate Izuku's kidnapping and work to bring those villains responsible to justice. Until the doctors give him a clear bill of health the plan is to keep Izuku here in Tartarus where we can be sure he is safe and secure. Once he's cleared to leave we will take steps to ensure he remains protected from any other villain attacks. Unfortunately, during his retrieval from the League, Shigaraki made a direct threat to come after him again."
Izuku seemed surprised. "You mean… you're not going to keep me locked up here in Tartarus? I thought… I was afraid that since I hurt people with my quirk that I was going to be locked up here permanently. I broke the law…"
"Of course not, my boy," All Might instinctively assured. His stomach clenched with the realization of what Izuku must have thought they were planning to do with him. "You are in no way to blame for what happened. Shigaraki was manipulating you. What happened at that train station was not your fault. You are not a villain and I won't let anyone treat you like one."
"All Might's right," Tsukauchi nodded. "No one is planning to put you in jail. Once it's certain you're on the mends you will be released from Tartarus as a free person."
Izuku initially seemed relieved by this announcement but then seemed to withdraw inside himself, as though he doubted he deserved such mercy.
"That brings us to our next point," Nezu carefully spoke up. "Due to recent events, UA is taking measures to better ensure the safety of its students. It has been an idea I've toyed around with for several years now, but after Izuku's kidnapping I feel it is my duty as principal to make sure he is safe from any more villain attacks, both on campus and off. That's why, effective immediately, UA is changing to a dorming style model. As we speak, construction workers are breaking ground on new student dormitories. They are scheduled to be complete by next week. All students will reside on campus where they will be monitored and protected by professional heroes and state-of-the-art security systems 24/7."
All Might wasn't sure how he thought Inko would react to such news but her response was not something he was expecting.
"No," Inko said, firmly shaking her head. Her teary expression had been almost instantly replaced by one of firm resolve. "After Izuku's released from here he's coming home. He's done with your school." She squeezed her son's hand harder as though to reassure herself he was still there. "He's been through too much. And this was only his first year too! I can't trust you to keep my son safe. I already went through losing him once. If something else happened to him I know I won't survive. I won't let you put him in any more danger. He's coming home with me so he can move on and leave all this dangerous nonsense of heroes and villains to other people. I won't let him be put in any more danger."
"Unfortunately, we can't let Izuku just go home," Tsukauchi said. "He has to return to school. The leader of the League of Villains made a direct threat to come after him again. Going back to UA with its new security enhancements is the only way to ensure his safety."
Inko remained undeterred. "Then we'll leave Japan! My husband works abroad. We'll move. We'll move far enough away no villain will ever find us. We'll changed identities if we have to. I'll move Izuku to the other side of the planet if that's what it takes. But he is not going back to that school. Not after everything that's happened."
"There's no guarantee that will work," Tsukauchi sadly informed her. "Despite all my taskforce's efforts we still don't know how powerful or widespread the League's influence is. And if they do recapture Izuku, what then? UA is the only place that can ensure Izuku remains under constant surveillance by pro heroes. We also don't know the full extent of the damage the League inflicted on Izuku yet. UA has an entire staff of professionals who can help him reintegrate. From previous experience working with victims of prolonged captivity, the time spent with the enemy doesn't magically disappear once they've been freed."
Nezu nodded in agreement. "At UA Izuku has friends and staff to fall back on that can help support him. UA has a responsibility of care to Izuku. He deserves the best care he can get and UA can provide that."
Izuku hung his head. Overlong bangs hid his face in shadows. "So… I can't go home?"
Tsukauchi shook his head sympathetically. "Unfortunately not. We can't risk it. The League surely knows where you live or could easily find out. Your mother would be in danger if you go home. I've already made arrangements to have a patrol unit placed on your residence for her protection, but having you there too raises the chances of the League attacking. For her safety as well as yours, your best bet is to return to UA."
Izuku sat for a long moment of angry silence. "You know I can't do that," he finally hissed. "I can't knowingly put my mom in any danger."
"You will be safe at UA," Nezu insisted. "There we can get you whatever professional help you need to reintegrate with your classmates and continue with your hero track studies."
"But what if I don't want to be a hero anymore?"
The question took a moment to register in All Might's mind. When it finally did he wasn't sure whether to believe he'd heard what he just thought he did or not.
"You… you want to quit?" he somehow found his voice. His trademark smile was dangerously close to slipping from his face.
What he thought he just heard was impossible. Izuku might be battered and beaten, but there was no way his idealistic protégé was actually saying what All Might thought he was. Izuku Midoriya had come too far and worked too hard to actually be considering giving up his dream of becoming a pro hero. All Might refused to believe that was what Midoriya was saying.
For his part, Izuku stared into his lap as though warring with his own thoughts and emotions. "I… I don't know…" he mumbled in tired confusion. He rubbed at his temple as though fighting off a headache. "I just don't know if I'm right for hero work anymore. Shigaraki made me do so many bad things… I hurt Kacchan. I tried to kill you. I don't know if I trust myself anymore. How do I know I won't go berserk again and try to hurt someone else?"
"We won't let that happen," All Might insisted. The knot in his stomach was tightening. He'd just gotten his protégé back. He felt almost panicked at the thought of losing Izuku again, even if it wasn't to the jaws of death. "We will get you back on track. What happened with Shigaraki and the League doesn't have you derail your dreams. I know you're scared and that you feel guilty about what happened, but that just proves what you did under Shigaraki's influence wasn't really you. I will help you get back to where you were before all this happened. I am not giving up on you. You can still be a hero."
"Whether Izuku decides to continue in the hero track or not is immaterial at this point," Aizawa tiredly interrupted. "Whatever he decides, the only logical place for him to be is at UA. We can keep him safe there while he decides what he ultimately wants to do."
"That's right," Nezu agreed. "Izuku does not have to make any decisions about his studies right now. Right now the only thing that's important is ensuring that he's safe and gets the care he needs."
All Might waited with baited breath. Neither Izuku or his mother appeared particularly happy with this idea. Their eyes met and mother and son exchanged a long, heavy look. His heart clenched at the dejected look of disappointment in his successor's eyes.
"I just wanted to go home…" Izuku murmured, looking back into his lap. "Every moment I spent in that cell all I wanted to do was go home. But now I can't even do that…"
"I'm so sorry," All Might commiserated, his heart aching with sympathy for his student. "But we will help you. I swear to you I will do everything in my power to help you. You will not have to do this alone."
Izuku didn't immediately answer. Then with a resigned sigh, "Fine. I'll go back to UA…"
For some reason, Izuku's capitulation did not buoy All Might with much hope.
Midoriya did not hear much of anything else the adults said after that. His mother took over the conversation from there. He thought they were discussing plans for once he was discharged from the prison and was able to be transferred to the school's campus. Izuku heard little of it. His thoughts were focused on the fact that he was to return to UA where he was supposed to carry on as if the last two months never happened.
He doubted Bakugo or any of his classmates that had been at the train station would forget his stint as Shigaraki's attack dog. Already he dreaded having to face them and pretend like he had any right to be on the same campus as them after his shameful rampage. No matter what All Might said he no longer felt like he deserved to call himself a hero in training.
His teachers' reassurances felt hollow to Izuku. They still didn't know everything Shigaraki and Rorschach had done to him. They had no comprehension of how much rage and fear still simmered under his skin. Izuku didn't know if he trusted himself to be among his classmates. Who knew what he was still capable of, or what triggers might still exist from Rorschach's conditioning…
Lost in dark, wandering thoughts Izuku only came back to himself when Tsukauchi looked at his watch and abruptly stood from his seat. "I'm afraid I can't stay much longer. I must get back to the precinct. Mrs. Midoriya, may I speak with you in the hallway for a moment before I go? There are some details I want to discuss with you about the patrol unit we're going to assign to you. No need to bore Izuku with the details."
"I-" Inko glanced at Izuku as though warring with her desire to comply with the detective's request and her newfound need to keep her son in sight.
"It's okay," Izuku said, forcing a weak smile onto his face. "I'm not going anywhere."
"Alright," Inko said. She rose to follow the detective out of the room. "I'll be right back, dear."
"I must go as well," Nezu announced. "With the new dormitory plans underway, I can't stay away from campus for long." The mouse jumped down from the edge of Izuku's bed, but not before offering Izuku an encouraging smile. "I know it might not feel like it right now, but you are not alone in this. Everyone is here to help you."
"Thank you," Midoriya politely replied. His heart wasn't behind it though. He didn't have much of any feelings right now except a quiet sense of dread and soul-sucking emptiness. They kept making it sound like returning to his old life was going to be so easy. Midoriya was wearied just by the thought of everything that lay ahead of him.
"Aizawa, will you be accompanying me back to the mainland?" Nezu asked as he headed for the door.
"Yes," Aizawa agreed. The Erasing Hero cast Midoriya a parting glance as he followed Nezu out the door. "I will be back later. If Mic gets too loud you have my permission to tell him to shut up."
"Yes, sir."
With Aizawa's departure, Midoriya found himself with only All Might left in the room. He stared down into his lap. He didn't want to meet All Might's gaze. He couldn't think of anything to say to his former mentor. It was still so difficult to look at him. He'd resented All Might for so long for abandoning him it was awkward to be in his presence anymore.
Beyond the curtain of green bangs he hid behind he heard All Might step closer to his bedside. Midoriya's arms unconsciously slid across his stomach to hold his sides. He couldn't bring himself to look up and see the disappointment he knew must be on the older hero's face.
"My boy… Did you really mean what you said before about not wanting to be a hero anymore?"
Midoriya couldn't say why, but All Might almost sounded… distraught.
"I don't know," Midoriya murmured. His sight was fixated on a fold in the blanket by his knee. "I don't know what I want anymore… but I don't know if being a hero is one of them."
Unfolding one arm from across his stomach he reached up and dug into the mess of curls on the side of his head. With a sharp tug he withdrew a single strand of dark green hair.
"Here," he said, holding the strand out to All Might. "Take it back. I don't deserve it anymore. Not after what Shigaraki made me do… Take it and find somebody better than me…"
He couldn't bring himself to watch All Might take the hair – and with it One For All - from him. He knew it was for the best. He no longer deserved a quirk. He'd lost any right to wield such power when he'd tried to harm other people with it. That didn't mean giving it up didn't come with a twinge of regret and shame. He'd wanted a power to call his own for so long it felt like he was now relinquishing a piece of his very self.
When Midoriya instead felt a gentle hand pushing against his own he looked up to find All Might standing over him. The Symbol of Peace was still in his muscular form. Midoriya realized something was wrong before realizing with a jolt that there was no trace of a smile anywhere on All Might's face. It was the first time Midoriya had ever seen All Might in his hero form without the smallest hint of teeth showing.
"No," All Might said, shaking his head sadly. The shadows masking his eyes seemed so much darker than Midoriya ever remembered. "Keep it. You might still need it. Think this over before you make any hasty decisions. So much has happened… I know things feel very bleak right now but I'm going to help you get through this. There was a reason I chose you as my successor. I still believe in you and what you're capable of. I don't want you to give up on yourself so quickly."
Midoriya couldn't say why – maybe it was because of All Might's display of unbreakable faith in him, or maybe it was because he was disappointed that All Might wouldn't just accept his admission of defeat and take the strand of hair from him - but tears stung Midoriya's eyes.
"I don't deserve it," Midoriya choked past the knot in his throat. "I'm a failure. Shigaraki turned me into a monster. I can't be your successor anymore. I don't trust myself."
"No he didn't. How could a boy with so much power be willing to give it up if he really was a monster? I believe in you. Just… please. Don't give up on yourself yet. I know there's still fight in you. You're a fighter. It's one of the reasons I chose you. Don't let Shigaraki beat you. I promise you, we'll get through this together. I didn't abandon you then and I'm not going to abandon you now."
Midoriya retracted his hand and stared down at the strand of hair pinched between his fingers. All Might seemed to take that as a sign that Midoriya was willing to renew the fight and released a sigh. Puffing his chest out, the Symbol of Peace clapped a relieved hand against Midoriya's back.
"We'll get through this, young Izuku! You have my promise. I won't let you down!"
Midoriya did not reply. All Might might not be willing to take One For All back now, but Midoriya knew it was only a matter of time before All Might finally accepted the truth and took his gift back. One For All was too powerful and dangerous a quirk to leave in Midoriya's care. He couldn't be trusted with it anymore. For his and everyone else's sake Midoriya knew One For All could not stay with him.
To be continued