It was rare she ever got to leave her office, even at her age. Being the lynchpin that held UA together was a lofty title, but it made Chiyo worry for the future. She wasn't getting any younger after all. That's why days where kids weren't being wheeled into her office with broken bones and cuts were something she treasured. It was those days she went for a nice quiet walk, away from the bustle. It did her health good as well and it was nice getting away from the smell of antiseptic.
That's why she was irked when she heard loud bangs and grunts just further up the forest path. It was a new route to her, but if this was the norm she wouldn't be coming back.
Continuing on, she considered that she could be walking into a villain operation. She would keep quiet just in case, but if the worst came around she had dozens of pro heroes on speed dial.
But instead of finding a villain operation she found a teenage boy in a stream lifting a boulder over his head. Immediately she deduced several things: Strength quirk; hyper muscle definition in line with adults in their prime, probably related to quirk; around fifteen years old.
Without effort, the boy yelled and threw the boulder away. He then went up to another one and punched it clear out the water. His knuckles were bleeding.
"Excuse me," she said, startling him. "Do you make it a habit to cause such a ruckus?"
He started stuttering and ran a hand through his damp green hair. "W-well, I, uh, nobody ever comes here so I…"
"Come over here."
The boy did as he was told, but approached slowly, putting far more effort into walking than necessary. Blood dripped from his knuckles.
"You training to be a hero, young one?"
"Not exactly…"
"Oh? So, you were demolishing the local scenery for no reason then?"
He nervously chuckled. "Well, the stream's been blocked for a while now. I thought I could kill two birds with one stone…"
There was indeed a large dam of rocks that looked to have come off the nearby hill. There were still hundreds more, but there was a steady trickle of water coming out from beneath.
"And you never thought to protect yourself?" He looked confused until she signalled to his hands. He looked at the flayed skin in shock. "Give me your hand." When she brushed his skin, he flinched back, eyes darting left and right. Strange.
"I want to tend to those wounds. If you will let me."
He cradled the hand she touched, backing up further. "I'm fine! Thank you, but I'm fine!"
His fingers twitched. She would have to coax this one out. And there she was enjoying a day without difficult patients. "If you say so, but I could have you fixed up in a jiffy. I am Recovery Girl after all."
His eyes widened. "Recovery Girl?"
"That's right. One second and you will be all fixed up. You won't notice it."
He came closer and held his hands out. She smiled and took hold of them. They tensed, but didn't curl. Chiyo channelled her quirk and gave his left a quick peck, making the skin on both hands quickly knit together, good as new. As soon as she finished and let go, he retreated again.
"Better?"
"Yeah, thanks…"
The birds tweeted overhead as a gust rustled the leaves.
"What is your name?"
"Oh, sorry! It's Midoriya Izuku, ma'am!"
"Well it's nice to meet you, Midoriya-kun." She noticed a nearby log, shuffled over to it and took a seat. Her knees were killing her. "Mind if I ask a question, Midoriya-kun?" He shook his head. "If you aren't here to train, then what is your exact purpose?"
He seemed to debate to himself, looking down at his hands. "I want… I want to control my quirk. It's… it's dangerous and I can't turn it off."
"So you thought you could wear it down?"
"Kind of. Maybe. Nothing's worked. I only ever seem to get out of breath."
A quirk without an off switch? Not uncommon, the genetic mutations made by quirks certainly couldn't be reversed, but even mutated people required effort to use their quirks. Simply keeping it 'on' wasn't an option.
"Yours is a strength quirk, I assume?"
"It is."
"Any specifics? How do your parent's quirks work?"
"Well, my mother can pull small objects, while my dad can breath fire. He's not around though."
A unique quirk then. Again, not unheard of, but it hadn't happened in a couple of generations. Unless the father wasn't who Midoriya thought it was, but she would keep those comments to herself.
"Any sensations linked to your power?"
"Sometimes it feels like electricity running through me, but I can never pin it down."
"So you have tried suppressing it then. Ever thought about simply turning it down?"
"I…" He froze, his gaze unfocused. "Can't been done. Too strong," he muttered.
"Midoriya-kun, what are you hoping to achieve?" she asked.
"Eh?"
"Your goals, dreams. What's driving you?"
"I just… I just don't want to hurt people anymore."
It had happened in the past. Whatever he did affected him at a psychological level. Like usual, she wanted to help, her inner doctor guiding her next words. "Then I shall help you, Midoriya-kun."
"Eh?! No, I couldn't! You're busy at UA!"
"That I am," she agreed, "but like today I have time off every now and then. I am sure I can figure out your quirk and how to control it. I am a doctor after all, and that makes me a scientist too."
"I don't want to be a burden…"
She smiled. "I'll find a way to work you around my schedule."
"But…" He sighed. "Okay…"
Chiyo got off the log and reached into her bag. She pulled out a syringe, which Midoriya stared at.
"What's that for?" he asked nervously.
"I want a blood sample so I can learn about your quirk. Your previous doctor seems to have neglected this."
"I'm not very good with needles…"
"Nobody is, deary. You'd be surprised by how much Power Loader screams." She flicked the syringe. "Now, come closer…"
"I'm home!" Izuku said as he took his shoes off. There was no reply, but there was a shifting glow coming from the living room. The TV was on at least. Slowly, he put his bag on top of the shoe rack and walked in. The news was on, volume low and the lamp that they had owned since forever shone in the corner.
And there, curled up on the floor, covered by a blanket, was his mother. They slept the same, he noticed, cocooned in their sheets. He smiled fondly and turned to the kitchen, finding a plate of katsudon on the counter. His stomach rumbled and he grimaced.
Carefully, he peeled the foil off the bowl and placed it into the microwave, making sure not to clang about too much. After turning it on a gentle hum filled the room, mixed with his mother's soft breaths and the whispering of the TV.
Izuku saw that All Might was in town and had taken down a slime villain by capturing him in an empty bottle. "The power of recycling!" he said in his booming voice, following it with his trademark laugh.
Izuku couldn't help but smile.
A hurried interview followed, where All Might was quick to get away. Izuku could understand that, he wouldn't want to be hounded by reporters wherever he went either. There was one thing that Izuku noticed though: steam. It seemed to be rising from his shoulders just before he dashed away. Strange. He'd have to look up the fan boards tomorrow. Tonight, he just wanted to sleep. Today had been a roller coaster.
He still felt the sting of the needle in his upper arm and he shivered at the memory of Recovery Girl's shadowed face as she raised the needle. And that smile. He shivered again.
A ding came from the microwave. Thankfully his mother didn't wake up.
As he dug in, he remembered how lucky he was to meet Recovery Girl. She managed to bring a bit of hope to him, a warmth in his chest. A passion to be what he always wanted to be: a hero. Most importantly though, he could be normal.
Flashes of memories came and his gut twisted.
His quirk didn't have any happy memories to it.
Tears, screams, murmurs.
They all swirled around his head.
He gripped his chopsticks so tight they cracked and cut his hand. The sting drew him to the blood trickling down his palm and the pain was suddenly real, bare before the fire in his heart.
He was tired of it. Tired of being scared. Tired of caging himself. Tired of thinking in circles. Of putting himself down.
Of being alone.
But now he had a chance to become. To be something instead of a phantom.
He could be a hero. He will be a hero.
He clenched his injured hand.
He would make his mother proud.
A fire in his heart! The fledgling hero hardens his resolve!
