The sun had just touched the horizon as Eijiro was saying goodbye to his Mum. Strangely, instead of saying their farewells at the dorm, or at the entrance of the school, they had wondered over to a wide expansive training field at the back of the campus.
Class 1-A and some other interested onlookers had followed behind the unusual pair, equal parts curious and worried. Now they looked on from afar, whispering amongst themselves. Aizawa and Bakugou watched from the front, both tense. So far Kirishima's Mum had made no mention of her quirk and no one had brought it up. This was the last chance they had to see what it was. If she used it at all.
Eijiro was aware of his classmates stares but chose, with effort, to ignore them. As always, his Mum was indifferent. Though Eijiro was sure she could hear the whispering.
Eijiro hesitated, kicking the dirt with his shoe. "I guess you have to go now, huh?" he said reluctantly.
She nodded, "it's long past time."
Eijiro pouted, while his Mum was many things empathetic was not one of them. Still, he had grown increasingly fond of her over the few months he had trained his new quirk. He admired her, in the way that people often admire the powerful, and loved her in a way that stemmed more from obligation than connection. But it was love nonetheless, and he would miss her.
"I still have so much to learn. What if I go through another growth spurt?"
"I have explained everything I can to you. You will just have to tough it out. If you don't die that is."
Eijiro shuddered, remembering the pain of his awakening. "Right."
A strong breeze blew through the training field, stirring up dust. His Mum focused her narrow crimson stare on him. One clawed hand cupped his face, so large her talons curled all the way around his head. She tilted his face upwards until they made eye contact.
"I need to go Eijiro. Since this," her eyes flickered, landing on his horns and his claws. "I have begun to see you less as my child and more as my competition."
She smiled, it was not a pleasant expression. There was hunger in her teeth, blood-lust in the way those claws pressed ever so lightly against his pulse. Eijiro's heart hammered. "And you do not want to be my competition."
Eijiro gulped, laughing hollowly, "Ah, no. I get it."
She nodded, the graze of her talons left his pulse but the warmth of her hand remained. Touch gentled as she stroked his face with the pad of her thumb. Eijiro grinned, telling himself the sting in his eyes was from the dust.
"I love you Mum," he confessed.
His Mum looked at him for a moment, eyes unfathomable and face carved from stone. Eventually she nodded but didn't say anything in return. Eijiro didn't expect her too. Love was not an emotion his Mother grasped, neither was kindness, nor maternal instincts. Yet, she had birthed him when she didn't have too-probably more out of curiosity than anything else-and made sure he had a family, his other Mums, to love him. Met him a few times throughout his life and helped him when he asked. To Eijiro those actions didn't mean nothing.
She cupped his face more firmly, some semblance of warmth coming to her face. Her lips curled, this time it wasn't just a show of teeth.
"Eijiro, my human son. Your birth should have been impossible. Stay well, and try not to die too quickly." It was the kindest thing she had ever said to him.
Eijiro burst into startled laughter, "I'll try. I know it's all the same to you, but I have gotten stronger."
"Hmm, a fly can be crushed just as easily as an ant. Don't be cocky."
"I won't, I won't. I-I'm gonna miss you. Do you really have to go?"
She sighed minutely, looking out into the distance. Staring at something he couldn't see. "Yes, I've been putting it off for too long. This place is not suited for one like me. Besides, I've grown bored of this small world. I wish to move on."
"You won't be coming back, will you?"
She shook her head, "I can't imagine so. It is a large cosmos, such a tiny speck of dirt and ice isn't worth much."
Eijiro laughed ruefully, knowing there was no point in arguing. To her earth was like a marble she found under her bed. Briefly pretty with its swirling colours, but overall useless and boring, with nothing to give it value. She would forget the place in a couple of years. Eijiro hoped she might remember him just a bit longer.
"I understand" he lied, "have a safe trip."
She nodded again, dropping her hand from his face. His Mum glanced towards the onlooking crowd, amusement flashing in her eyes. "I will scare them."
Eijiro snickered, "hell yeah, but I promised to show them your quirk, so…"
"My quirk?" She said, the unfamiliar word rolling thickly off her tongue. "Oh yes, I will be sure to show them my 'quirk'." She walked away, Eijiro remaining where he was. Listening to the confusion of the waiting crowd at her sudden movement.
"Where is she going?" They whispered, "it's just a field?"
His Mum looked back, assessing. "Here should just about do."
The air changed, for a moment the area around her grew fuzzy with static. Almost instantly there was something wholly wrong with her figure, a disconcerting otherness about her. Like she no longer filled her skin properly, a paper-mache figure pretending to be a person. A breath later that fragile paper construct crumpled, and his Mum's true form unfolded from within.
And kept on unfolding.
The wings came first, blocking the light of the setting sun and casting a shadow across the now screaming onlookers. Then a neck, thick with scales and crowned with jagged spiralling horns. Muscled forearms thudded into the ground, shaking the earth. A tail, long and whip like, littered with spines, swished forth.
The quilled tip waved near Eijiro, larger than he was. He reached up to run a hand along the edge, sparks jumping forth from the clash of black scales and his Hardened skin.
Finally, a tooth maw raised itself imposingly into the sky. The breath of the beast blew across the field, startling hot with a hint of blood and sulphur. Huge red eyes, slitted narrow black pupils as big as a human, regarded them coolly.
Everyone screamed, some running for cover. Bakugou cursed a storm and fell into battle position, exploding his way over to Eijiro to help defend him. Aizawa's hair floated, eyes blazing red as he tried to deactivate at the 'quirk.'
"I can't stop it!" He shouted, causing even greater fear to ripple through the students.
The dragon kneed their claws into the earth, digging up lazy furrows deep enough to bury a man. They flapped their wings leisurely, stirring up a gale. Eijiro laughed, bracing himself against the wind, grinning in the face of danger. In her true form his Mum was all scales and claws and teeth and danger. A predator at its peak, capable of crushing and tearing and devouring all before it. She stood bigger than the dorm building, a mountainous monstrosity.
"Ahh, that's better. So much looser," she rumbled, shaking out her scales with a clamorous ringing. Their forked tongue curled as they tasted the fear in the air. Mouth opening just enough to see the rows, upon rows of teeth. A gullet big enough to swallow a truck let out an amused purr.
Aizawa felt himself freeze as those predatory eyes landed on him. He felt a small hand grip the back of his shirt, trembling just slightly. Other students froze in their ready positions. All Might activated his transformation, blood slowly dribbling from his mouth as he held it beyond his limit.
Aizawa tried to cancel the transformation again, eyes flashing and shaking with the effort. The dragon remained, a blight upon the land. They noticed his actions and let out a scorching snort. Their voice was an earthy rumble, causing the very marrow in his bones to vibrate.
"Ahh, let me guess. You're thinking I'm a human that can turn into a dragon?" She purred, smiling with far, far too many teeth.
Cold sweat cascaded down Aizawa's back, blood freezing in his veins, as horrifying realization stole over him.
"Truly, it's exactly the opposite."