A/N: This was a fun one to write, more fluff and action, hehe. Review Time!
To Murtaito: Given Izuku's development with his power, it's possible his other abilities will come into play in the near future. And also, cool to know the chemistry between the trio is to your liking.
To Cobbb: I liked the Training Camp arc too, and I wanted to expand a little on everyone's interactions, hence the stretched timeline. Yuki and Izuku's relationship is always a fun time to write about, like right now!
Enjoy.
Chapter 41 - The Soul of the Perfect Hero
Not long after returning with Kota, Izuku decided to take an early bath in the hot springs, after the painful reminder of his limitations, Yuki's intense training, and baggage of Kota's past while attempting to help the boy left him ragged and exhausted. He entered the thick cloud of steam, quickly plunging into the hot water, sighing as each of his bruises reacted to the hot sensation, though he didn't particularly care, he was happy now.
Sinking further into the boiling water he thought aloud, eyes flattened. "Why do I have an eerie feeling Yuki's up to something?"
'Up to what?' The note in his hand inquired
He just shrugged. "Eh, you'd usually try and pull something to keep me on - Ahh, why are you in here!?" His mind screeched to a halt, finding that sitting no more than two feet from him was the mute herself, her expression portraying no sense of shame
Through the lighter mist, he saw her damp hair stick to her head more, Yuki's mask dripping wet. Even at the water-level, he could make out her peachy skin, red blemishes from the temperature. Especially a very, very significant area of her body that was just barely covered by the water. Izuku tore his wide eyes from her attractive body as his face burned hotter than the water itself.
'Relax, the guys aren't coming in here for a while so I thought... I could ask you something?' Keeping his eyes shielded from her figure in the water he did catch her uncertain eyes, how they pondered on the reflection in the water
"S-sure, but why didn't you wait until after to ask?" He didn't want to be rude but this was really, really embarrassing
'Am I... pushing you too much?' Her next question came, and he lost his nervous posture, reading over her words before another appeared. 'I-I don't know if what - how I'm - we're acting is... is too much or too little I... I don't know' Judging by her words alone, Izuku could see it, the strain and confusion that was bubbling inside her
Even though it made his face rise again in heat he recalled their less-than cautious makeout session no more than two days ago, he was sure of it, them both feeling the same thing then. It was hard for him to read what Yuki wanted and often relied on her making those steps for him, it was often annoying because again it showed his inexperience and lack of initiative.
Turning to face her completely, Izuku focused solely on her glimmering, blue eyes, offering a nervous smile. "I-If I'm honest, I don't know, it's... difficult to say if what you're doing is the normal way our relationship should be developing, and if I should be making a bigger effort to make those steps myself," Sighing through his nose, he clenched his fist under the waves. "But we both said we'd promised to do things our way, even if that's abnormal, so long as we're happy that's all that matters."
'And are you? Am I... okay for you?' Hearing this doubt again stung his chest, ever since they grew closer and closer it made it painfully obvious that while Yuki was tactile and forward she held onto many insecurities, from her lack of voice to her figure and her past, even her power she seemed so wary of.
With an honest look, he moved close enough to find her hand, squeezing it under the water as her fingers cupped his palm. "Yuki... every day, when you d-do all these t-things I... It honestly makes my day more exciting," He chuckled a bit, scratching his cheek. "Although having a near panic attack probably isn't a good thing, I almost always expect you to do something crazy or strange around me and it's alot of fun." "I realize again that doesn't really make sense... smooth as always, Izuku."
Her qualms seemed to lift, however, offering him a whimsical look while searching his eyes. Though that didn't last, Izuku, for once decided to play on a whim, a stupid, idiotic whim that might backfire, but something just kept demanding he followed through. "This time I want to surprise her, so do it already!"
Grabbing her right shoulder, his surprising tug alarmed the girl as she stared blindly ahead, Izuku having smashed his lips into hers. In any other mindset Yuki wouldn't have predicted this outcome, hell, her mind was still flooded with concerns, now, well that just didn't really matter. "He always thinks he has to surprise me, but..." Softly, her eyes fluttered closed, accepting his passionate kiss happily. "...this is all I'd ask for. SIVA, don't ruin this for me."
Incoming Personal | Unless you want them to see you like this | Augmenting...
Pulling away with a smack of their lips, Yuki held onto a startled smile, face as pink as Izuku's as the nervous boy smiled back, neither remembering how close they were and with nothing but steam to obscure their vision. 'Sorry, gotta jet, but thanks... you always cease to amaze me' That was all she wrote before the door behind them flew open
"Hey, Midoriya, is it just you?" Kirishima beamed, stepping inside as the rest were still getting ready. Upon seeing the redhead Izuku threw his arms in a panic
"Ahh, wait, K-Kirishima don't - w-what the...?" His frantic arms paused, head zipping left to right with haste, finding no trace of the girl, not even a towel or footprint. "When did she...?"
Kirishima's brow raised. "Yo, you okay man, I think the steam's getting to you?"
At Kirishima's kind concern, Izuku smiled hesitantly, sinking into the water with a stupid smile. "Yeah, probably... thanks for your concern."
The Next Day...
"Huh, I'm training with Akio and Viral?" Izuku didn't understand it at first. It was nearly three in the afternoon, the time he and Yuki would hike up to the hidden spot to train in private and to avoid injuring anyone. Now, however, Yuki was standing before the grinning boy as he was instructing Kyoka on some odd writing with colorful symbols like what you'd see in a fantasy game. "But why, I thought you wanted to develop our powers further today? What changed?"
Her deadpan face and thumb behind her showed him the intense aura that surrounded Shoto, the boy's fire and ice Quirk going off in small bursts. 'I have a score to settle with that jerk, followed by Dumb-Dumb since, and I quote, 'You lost to that damn nerd at the Festival when it should have been me to kick your ass, so come on at me!' end quote' She smiled hesitantly
"Relax, my broccoli-haired friend!" Akio ruffled Izuku's aforementioned hair. "Once we're done with our little session you'll feel as though you could fight All Might himself, excluding windows!" The trio all then saw the dark lines that trailed down his shoulders. "No more windows..."
"Just what did All Might do to them?" The three thought, slightly scared by his sudden shift in personality
"Akio's PTSD aside," Kyoka plugged his lips with her jack. "He's pretty good at coaching, even got me up to scratch before UA's entrance exam believe it or not." Then she scratched her cheek. "Though there was a little more to it... well, you'll be fine either way, Izuku."
He nodded at that, pushing her jack from cutting off his speech. "That's good to hear, Kyoka, thanks," Then he faced Akio. "So what is our training exactly?"
"Hehehe, you'll find out, the issue is Viral said I can't say for... reasons?" Akio himself looked miffed by that. "Erm, yeah, so even I'm in the dark here, bud."
Yuki then cupped his hands with a confident grin. 'Trust me, you'll be fine, meanwhile, I got a date and it ends in fire and explosions!' With a parting kiss to the cheek, she spun around, throwing off her jacket and cracked her knuckles. 'ALRIGHT SHOTO, LET'S FOCKIN' GOOOOOOO!" There was a fire covering her body and a hint of British in her written word
For Kyoka she shook her head, taking Akio's notes for herself. "Right, well I'll give these a few tests, wish me luck," With a cool wave behind her the two reciprocated the action, leaving for the seclusion of the highlands
Once arriving to their usual spot, Akio and Izuku started off with a few stretched and warm-ups, since they arrived not a word had been spoken, though Izuku could see it, Akio was clearly communing with Viral, both his Nightmare and the other half of the Vigilante, Viral. It was quite a culture shock to Izuku when Akio and Viral admitted to it, even Kyoka agreed it was... alot to handle from the start.
After a few minutes, Akio clapped his hands. "Right! So with Kyo busy working on some super-secret moves I taught her, Yuki's on a warpath, and we've got a whole, empty world to ourselves, I'll leave you in the capable hands of Viral, peace!" He gave a bow and slapped his hands as though to tag-out. With a blink, those green eyes turned a mystical shade of amethyst, even Akio's aura and posture changed, he stood with pride and an air of wisdom. "Sup, kiddo, howya been?"
"O-Oh, fine, um-" He bowed politely to the Nightmare-possessed teen. "Thank you for training me today!"
Viral chuckled low at that. "Formal as always, atleast you are respectful compared to Jiro and Akio, tch," A small, red tick appeared above his head for a moment. "Them aside, it's a good thing they aren't here, they'd stop us if they knew of my intentions."
That put Izuku a little on edge. "What... do you mean?" At his wariness Viral chuffed, poking a finger at Izuku's chest, more specifically at his center
"I'm going to release your negativity, darkness brooding in your soul, and in your Quirk," At those words, Izuku's whole world froze over, shaking in place. "Do not worry, I figured it out long ago, there are not many people in this world who have fragments of other souls tethered to their own, All Might has it but its fleeting, and yours is small but growing, so I put two-and-two together... and spied as well."
"Say what now?" Akio blurted out but Viral ignored him
Izuku felt completely defeated, how easily Viral deduced the secret of One For All, but since he was a being no one had ever heard of before how could he predict this outcome? "No use complaining about it now..." "Right, okay but... what did you mean by 'darkness', I thought One For All was only ever held by worthy successors?"
Again he was given goosebumps by that chuckle. "Kiddo, there is not a soul in the Multiverse that is free of darkness, just as darkness cannot escape light, and you... there is something else that is bonded to you, and I intend to sever that connection before it can manifest and take root in your body."
"Something that has bonded..." Even when he placed his hand to his chin to ponder, the answer came out almost immediately with fear in his eyes. "All For One... i-is he...!"
"It originated from him so I can assume he has a form of connection due to the Quirks being from his brother," Izuku just gasped at that, Viral merely waved his hand. "I told you, I spied, quite the story it was, but it also means I know how to sever that connection, but I can't do that now."
"W-Why's that?" Izuku was almost afraid to ask, but Viral smiled, patting his shoulder, feeling the tension in the fanboy's muscles
"You need not worry, I may do things with a... morbid twist, but I do mean to aid you," He frowned, looking at Izuku evenly. "I need you to let go of your anger."
"My anger? What do...?" He again froze at the chuckle, the sharp pupils narrowed toward his own
"I'm a Nightmare, we can sense emotions, and while you are a good person who would do anything for those in need..." He leaned closer. "That resentment, anger, hatred, despair, it lurks and festers, and one of these days it will consume you, that will be when All For One would strike."
In only a few words Viral had dug into the repressed thoughts Izuku had buried for so long, he didn't want to think or care for the times he felt... cold, when his mind would think of the 'what ifs', retaliating against those that bullied him, scorned and ridiculed him for his Quirkless childhood. He hated that fact Kacchan never listened to a word he said, it infuriated him so much he wanted to scream and punch his old bully in the face, but he never did, he always kept to his dream and never let go, forgetting the very dark things that were anchored to his back.
Viral stepped back, placing a small, white glyph on Izuku's chest as he stumbled back, feeling... weightless, but hollow too. "I will help you relieve that anger without All For One causing interference, to cut that thread I need to pull away your rooted hated at the source, I need you to come at me like a feral animal, to wish only to fight and to break me," That was when Izuku saw his eyes glow with a crocodile grin. "Attack me like you're trying to kill me!"
He shook his head, stepping away, "B-But if I go all out I'll just break my body again! And I-I don't want to hurt you!" He refused, an inkling of desire to just let go, the strange, arcane rune beginning to slowly rotate on his chest like a clock
Viral growled. "I said attack me, boy! Burn, maim, tear me apart like a savage animal!" His voice lost its traces of goodwill for malice and cunning. "Or are you fine knowing one day you may lose this power to him, damn the world because of your incompetence? Have cities be razed, people pulled apart in the streets, their corpses burnt to ash!?"
He felt sick at that image as it scored itself in his mind. "What, no!? I will become a hero with this power, I'll protect it with my life, I won't let the very thing that gave me, gave everyone hope be taken!" Izuku snapped, that whisper turned to many, begging him to slip while the rune's inner circle lined with strange markings turned counterclockwise
In a sudden flash of light, Viral's fist connected to Izuku's stomach, dropping the boy to his hands and knees, "You can't even stand up to me! You're pathetic!" His boot crashed against his torso, throwing Izuku across the ground, coughing and hacking. "You're worthless without that power, once it's taken there's nothing left but some little boy playing hero, you'd die like anyone else, like a runt under my boot!" He struck Izuku again, seeing his body struggle to pull itself back onto his feet
"I... will... win!" He bit back the bile seeping into his throat, piercing daggers in his eyes as One For All started to ignite within his soul, causing the small, white symbol of a flame in the rune to light a silvery hue. "I will save everyone, I'd give my life for those I love, for the ones people love, I'd break myself before I'd lose at His hands!"
With one final stand, Viral watched the boy struggle to stand, but it was there, festering in his mind, those tempting words were starting to yell, cry out for the desire to just let go, to break free on Viral's words. With a smug, almost malicious smile he added. "You can't even stand, you're not worth it..."
He then tapped a finger to his chin. "I wonder if I go back to camp how many do you think would survive?" Izuku's body twitched under his hitched breath, tears dripping down his face. "They lack the means to kill me so... I could just kill them all, slaughter them one-by-one, hunt them like wild beasts as they run, can you hear it boy? The screams, the blood spitting, the bones breaking, the flesh-tearing, I dunno about you but..." He leaned down to whisper with a manic stare. "Finding out if I can even make a mute child scream is exciting!"
A heartbeat crashed in the silence, a single breath of the world rushed by, and if you listened, a pin was dropped and a creak in Viral's posture could be heard. The energy subsided around Izuku, but Viral could see it, his pupils or lack of any features in the boy's eyes was gone, milky white and wide with the purest form of anger... frenzy.
"Don't you dare..." His voice seethed the same, venom so pure it hung in his breath. "...Touch Her!"
Viral stepped back, a wave of searing heat paroxysm from the boy's body as his skin seemed to heat up from every corner of his body. His hair looked to stand on end but the glow was suffocated under long strands of darkness, his bolts green, but tinted with stray bolts of black and white, melting the rock under his feet, the edges of his exercise boots split with waves of purplish-red energy as those lines crackled across his limbs like veins. He ground his teeth, the black energy wisped around the outside of his eyes, he looked like a Nightmare beginning to overtake its host.
Viral's smile remained but his mind raced a mile a minute, "Oh? Is this something new? It's not raw power... a Quirk?"
Izuku took a step forward, and the ground trembled. Across the highlands Viral's body overtook Akio's, black cloth and bandaged limbs, the hood covering his eye, leaving the rip in the cowl to display the amethyst eye, his jagged grin stretching like a cartoon. "Hehehehahaha!" He threw his arms wide. "This is a one-time spell, kiddo! You can go all out without breaking a single digit! So, as I said before..." Viral's mocking cackles ground in Izuku's ears like glasspaper. "Come at me... like you're trying to kill me!"
"Ya'know, this reminds me of something..." Akio gulped in the back of Viral's mind, the air growing tense with a need for violence. "'Demons run when a good man goes to war', now that saying makes sense..."
"You won't lay a hand on them!" Izuku's feet tore apart the earth behind him, bringing his right fist across as Viral leapt back, hand pressed to the forearm while bringing his body down in a horizontal snap-kick against Izuku's side, a white symbol rotating around his arm
"Soul Strike!" The fist didn't break the skin but the force behind the attack threw Izuku back, even so, he locked his fingers and fired a series of Delaware Smashes that split the rocky terrain, forcing Viral back from the blasts, craning his left arm back Viral brought a silvery-gold fist through a massive line of debris. "Counter!" The force behind the attack shattered the boulders, thereby producing a hail of razor-sharp rocks to intercept Izuku
He threw himself toward them, bringing his arms down as the powerful thresh threw him over the hailstorm, scattering the rubble while he swung with a kick, the air force flinging him toward Viral. "Detriot Smash!" He seethed, fist missing by a hair while Viral kicked his side, spinning to smack Izuku with both heels, both his vibrant, rune-webbed forearms lighting the battlefield under its heated glare
"Fire Scourge..." His words rolled off his silver tongue, giving the greenette a faceful of flames that spiraled through the earth, decimating the land behind them both. To his shock, a massive force of wind sliced through his chest and shoulders, almost severing his arms as the flames were split apart by a backflip, Izuku bent at the knees, growling while he lunged for Viral. "Smart, he diverted my flames and cut me, cute," He vanished into the boy's shadow, surprising him as a fist made contact with his chin tossing the teen skyward.
Not pressing his luck, Viral brought his right hand high, the runes tinged a silver coat once more as Izuku adjusted himself in the air, although it was clearly out of instinct. Clenching his fist, Viral spoke apathetically. "Soul Scatter." High in the sky, Izuku's cried out with fury and pain as he felt his insides beat each other senselessly nine times, the force throwing him down atop a ridge in the highlands.
The air was filled with fury, Viral's eye narrowed at its pungent taste, Izuku Midoriya had suffered years of bullying and ridicule but never once talked about it, he never confronted those feelings, bottling up and suffocating his anger deep down. This pressure was being unleashed, the primal torment given proper justice against a being that couldn't die, what a vicious match made in hell.
Izuku came charging in with a right uppercut, the force tear up the earth while missing Viral who stepped back, producing several condensed forms of smoke to batter Izuku's enhanced durability, but the lightning drew near, striking with a left hook that Viral evaded, bending to kick him in the stomach, seeing the boy spit from the force applied, followed by another discharge of smoke to the face.
Even so, Izuku forced Viral's leg down, bridging the gap with a right hook that skimmed the right bicep, then came a left, slicing the hood with the updraft, then another right cross, this one snapping his left arm as it blocked the hit, spinning Viral around for the left hook to tear through his side, black blood and flesh torn from the massive gash. Izuku wasn't letting up, grabbing Viral's broken arm he tugged the Nightmare back, delivering a solid punch to the jaw, shattering the lower mandible clean off his face, burying the Nightmare into the ground as he carelessly tossed the shredded forearm away like garbage.
"Kill him. Kill him. Kill him!" Was all that screamed through Izuku's head, nothing consistent flew into his mind, only a means to an end as Viral threw himself back onto his feet, a new arm growing from the severed stump, wiggling the digits while his grin emerged in the mist surrounding his face, causing Izuku's featureless eyes to snap into slits. "Maine Smash!"
The uppercut came through, cleaving stone and air with a massive arc of debris that Viral swept through with silver claws. Striking with Counter the blow knocked Izuku back, followed by a rapid right fist and follow-up left, then another right as both kept him back, each blow slicing his plasma-like aura, the bolts snapping back at the arms that sailed on by.
Viral pressed his right hand, twisting to draw his tail around, connecting it to Izuku's face than a heel soon after as he dived down, evading a Delaware Smash as he brought two soul-charged fists high, striking Izuku in the gut, throwing the boy closer to the edge of the highlands, both eyes widening at the orange runes that chimed.
Searing heat tore across the side of the mountain, lighting the sky ablaze while Izuke fell to the forest floor, shattering the earth while he leapt after Viral, connecting his fist as it pierced the Nightmare's chest, Full Cowling burnt and cauterizing his flesh while Viral grinned right back, smashing his forehead against the boy's several times, ripping his arm out to fly kick Izuku through the air, two black hands extending from Viral to ensnare the boy for a mere second, his kicks and thrashing creating a miniature tornado yet Viral obtained the forward momentum, his tiger-orange right heel splitting the trees with a furious, red flame that arced atop Izuku's scalp, tossing him through the trees, dispersing the flames.
While he plucked himself from the dirt, he heard that cackling above, Viral swinging his legs off a tree branch. "You're so weak, that little spell is a one-time thing for most, with every devastating strike to your body, both by me and yourself your dark emotions are physically destroyed instead," Viral prattled on, waving his hand nonchalantly. "The stronger those negative feelings are the longer the spell lasts as it devours your inner demons, and yet you're still holding back?"
He snapped his eye down at the feral boy. "I thought you said not to touch her, you mean the Cute-Mute?" He felt a sudden spike in Izuku's soul, the bolts becoming unstable, webbing to just about anything close by. "How does it feel, knowing you'll never stop me as you watch her bones break under my foot? Her skin peeled and her face smothered into the ground as she begs and wails silently for you as you watch and do nothing to stop me!?"
It as if time dialed in Izuku's eyes, whatever color that wasn't faded or distorted became a deep red, his very consciousness was sealed away, leaving nothing but a frenzied desire to tear Viral apart, he was all that remained in focus, every single speck of detail on that sickening grin, his slender, demonic body, the way that eye looked down on him like he meant nothing to him at all. All of it snapped and etched itself into his power, all he wanted was to kill him!
"There we go..." Viral sighed between his teeth, vanishing the moment half-a-dozen of the trees lost their tops in a powerful wave of serrated wind, steering through the bark and leaves with minimal effort. Izuku's body twisted in the air, the subtle motion of his hand causing a geyser of dust and rock to spew from the earth. "Haven't given this lesson in a while." Viral emerged on a falling log, eyeing Izuku who snapped his head toward the Nightmare. "Very well, kiddo."
Taunting the boy to attack, he felt the log rise as a foot split it in two, Izuku's form screaming toward him, swiping with his left as the trees behind Viral were shredded alongside his shoulder. Twisting around his tail crashed into Izuku's waiting hand, feeling the appendage break as he was swung wide, driven through the sides of the trees with enough force to shatter bones. Izuku pulled back, letting the tail free for him to bury his right hand through Viral's feet, to his widened eyes the body lost all color, fading to black as Viral seeped through Izuku's arm's shadow and out the back of his shoulder blades, bringing a smoldering ax-kick that disrupted Izuku's hovering momentum due to the air pressure rippling through the air.
Bringing both hands high, Viral's seals crackled and popped, fueled by purple and red energies that circulated in the decimated forest. There was a second of silence under the rumbling debris, then, he brought his palms to bear down on the rising fist aimed for his skull. "Nightmare Rain!"
Both combatants were consumed by the purplish-red hue, the two colors splitting at the tip of Izuku's knuckle, even though it burned Izuku felt nothing, seeing his fist coming an inch closer to his target who held both hands down with painful vigor, his skin breaking, revealing the bone underneath his hands' flesh from the pressure he applied to the magical attack. Neither side backed down, even as Izuku crawled closer with every ounce of strength that was pulled from his Quirk, compared to One For All, Viral's power couldn't compare.
"DIE DAMMIT!" Izuku's bloodcurdling scream reached death's ears, Viral's face torn apart while his hands scattered his attack, unable to see much of anything while a fist pulverized his head, tearing it from his shoulders, wind, and heat bending meters of trees under the sheer force of the attack
From the impact, Viral's body struck the earth with a huge plume of dust rising from the trees, scaring off birds and scattering a few clouds while the students of UA froze in their training momentarily at the sudden shockwave that threw itself from deep within the forest.
As trees groaned and plummeted to the forest floor, debris rummaging through leaves and branches in the aftermath of the attack, Izuku stomped toward the recovering Nightmare, body unleashing otherworldly amounts of power, his eyes and hair completely submerged in the abyss while he hardened his glare at the rising Nightmare, content to finally put the abomination down for good with his bare hands.
Viral, with his head remaining low, breathed a sigh through the smoke that continued to pour from his recovering face. "I'll be honest kid, my power as it is can't compare to One For All, I doubt it ever will for decades," He sighed, lifting his head at the aggressive footsteps. "But there's one thing I know you cannot beat," At the final stretch, Izuku's fist was folded back, ready to unleash all manners of - "...!"
The ground shook under their feet, and everything surrounding Viral became hazed, stopping Izuku's attack a measly inch from his shadowy face. "It's time you faced..." His words were cold, lifeless, and they scared Izuku's power into slipping back from the haze
. . .
. . .
. . .
. . .
Death
The haze lifted, shrouding Viral in a veil of white light encompassed in darkness, his features became jagged and uneven, his very face looked down on Izuku with a force of unearthly might, eye larger, full of a deep ocean of red, leading to a nothingness beyond, everything that was Viral became black, and the world turned white before Izuku, his power, his very strength to stand beginning to strip away under the light, his heart was beating but he couldn't hear or feel it anymore, the flame caged in his body remained as the only feeling in the world that held merit of warmth.
"W-what is this...!?" Izuku felt nothing other than terror strip down his mind and heart, neither able to subdue a sense of courage against the indomitable force that rocketed the very world encompassing him, One For All flickered out, the symbol on his chest shattered like his willingness to fight such an imposing might, he felt as though the world towered over him.
His face was a quivering, sweaty mess, pupils the size of ants while he was left completely breathless against the one, red eye that burrowed into his soul, peeling back every secret it hid. There was nothing, not a shred of power across the world that could possibly lift a finger against this... nothing that Izuku had left in him.
In defeat, he fell to his hands and knees, trembling with a cold sweat, throat drier than dust. "I-I-I... c-concede." He barely felt his own voice as it croaked, and with a gradual silence, the world returned to its tranquility, the sound of birds chirping breaking the tension as remnant debris clattered to the forest floor around them
Above Izuku, Viral, now returned to Akio's form, finally smiled in earnest. "A wise choice," He began, "I commend anyone who has the courage to stand and face their enemy, but more so those, a very slim few who are courageous enough... that know when to stand down - that's what an old mage taught me."
"You faced death itself, and all your fears were laid bare before it," Izuku shivered a little more at the memory. "But there's nothing wrong with fear, if you cannot feel it, you may never know where your weaknesses lay, and knowing them now will make you a stronger, kinder soul, one that will never falter to hatred."
Light broke through the trees, basking them in a soothing glow that eased some of Izuku's shivering, his eyes finally looking up at Viral, the Nightmare offering his hand to Izuku's frightened form. "I have shared a lesson that not many could survive," He breathed, awaiting the boy's hand. "The bond has been severed, and you can now hold the strength to protect those you care for, well done, Izuku Midoriya, you hold with you the soul of a hero - and a new power, like a sense for danger it seems, not bad."
Hearing these words felt oddly reminiscent of that day, where the Symbol of Peace held out his hand to a middle-school boy who was told he held nothing of worth and said, 'you too can become a hero'. And now, months on and he felt a wave of emotions crash like a wave over his heart, clenching his shirt as his tears fell to the ground, the lingering darkness he once caged had pulled with it an invisible weight he hadn't known was there at all.
He didn't know how long he knelt there, crying in a way he hadn't felt in so long, but during that time, Viral stood there, silent and patient, his hand waiting for Izuku's own.
Sometime later...
"Alright-Alright, rock-paper-scissors-!" Akio chanted, throwing his fist down
"Shoot!" His was rock, and Izuku was scissors. Akio yelled with triumph while Izuku held his hand by the wrist in shock at the two fingers
"I lost again!?" "Hahaha, I never lose!"
The duo, with Viral, returned from their battle after around an hour, mainly for Izuku to digest the very experience of facing down an incredible force, even though Viral was weaker, what he felt wasn't power, it was something so primal... death. Although he still jumped at his own shadow as Viral put it so rudely. "Oh right, Viral said that while rage is always a good way to broaden your reservoir of power it's why he practically drained those suppressed emotions of yours, so you wouldn't lose control like that when it mattered."
Izuku nodded, understanding the situation clearly. "It felt so incredible, tantalizing," He open and closed his right hand. "I had so much power welling up inside me, but the chaos I could inflict and the inability to stop was terrifying, I was like a train with no direction."
Akio chuckled at that, poking his temple. "That's a pretty weird way of looking at it, bud!" Izuku's posture drooped with a sweatdrop
"Y-Yeah, I get that alot..."
*BOOM!*
The duo blinked, seeing the rising blast as a chorus of yelling could be heard from afar. Not wanting to be excluded from whatever was clearly distracting the rest from training the boys took off, feeling a gust of wind pull at their hair as they appeared just before the others of the two classes, all watching in awe and jubilation.
"Die!" Bakugo brought his hand in a curve, sending a massive arc of heated air to intercept Yuki who dove back onto her hands, twisting to throw herself into a spiral while her lower arms produced two beams of concentrated plasma, forcing Bakugo to propel himself back, swinging his arm behind his waist as he came hurtling toward Yuki, the girl raising her actual hands as red motes of light hissed and vibrated at the tips of her fingers
"Here comes the money shot," Akio slowly stepped behind the starstruck Izuku who watched the sky ignite with a spectacle of orange, yellow, and red, the three tones creating a backblast that spat out Bakugo and Yuki to either side of the battlefield, neither letting up
"COME ON BAKUGO!" The boys roared for their side, Kirishima, Tetsutetsu, and Sero pumping their fist with pride while Bakugo wiped his chin of sweat, holding onto his challenging glare
"Is that the best you got, Mute Bastard?" He seethed, enjoying himself
"KICK IS BUTT, YUKI!" The girls thundered on the opposite end, Mina, Ochaco, and Hagakure waving a flag with her SIVA symbol on the front, Yuki merely cracked her static knuckles, the mask's eyes slit with concentration
'When you actually want to start trying, let me know, this is a good warm-up' Yuki winked mockingly, barely scratching thirty-five percent
While cheers and blasts on either side continued, Izuku stood motionless, watching his childhood friend and girlfriend fighting each other without restraint, and yet he smiled. Through the torment he willingly put himself through today, he knew he was getting stronger, and if it was for that silly, and sometimes overwhelming girl before him, then it was worth every drop of strength he could give.
"That's enough," The two lost their flow, everyone blinking with fright as Bakugo was snatched back by Mr. Aizawa's scarf, while Yuki was the same, only her fist was still planted against Bakugo's cheek, both glaring at their homeroom teacher. "Get back to training, all of you."
"Dammit, I was going to wi - Grah!" The wrappings grew tighter, especially around Yuki as she held up a note stating something that only the three of them could see, but whatever it was forced Mr. Aizawa to wrap up the smug look in her eyes. "...fine..."
"What an intense day..." Akio breathed, patting Izuku's shoulder, himself standing with his eyes closed, letting out an exasperated breath
"Yeah..."
To Be Continued...
Okay, so to those that have been curious if Izuku will obtain his other powers sooner, yes, such as 'Danger Sense' or whatever it's called. Also sorry if this is kinda a spoiler for any non-manga readers. Moving past that, building toward Yuki and Izuku's relationship was alot of fun but that then opens up to a list of insecurities that the girl hides really well, and be warned, things are going to get dark next. I hope you enjoyed, appreciate the support as always, seeya in the next chapter heroes!
Next Chapter: Memory of Imperfection
Yuki: Oooh, a Test of Courage, sign me up!
Izuku: I really don't know about this...
Kyoka: Tell me about it... why the dark...?
Tokoyami: Revelry in the dark.
Yuki: *Whispers* Why does he keep saying that?
?: Next time, Memory of Imperfection.
Kyoka and Yuki: Go Beyond!
Izuku and Tokoyami: Plus Ultra!