Chapter 1 - Berkana

"Honey, please," Izuku heard his mother's words through the door. "Please open the door." He just turned in bed and covered his head with his blanket. "We need to talk about what you did." He just kept hiding. His hands hurt a lot but he didn't want to see his mother. She'd only make him feel worse.

There was a pause. "Fine," she said at the door. "You are grounded for the week." He just curled up more in the bed. Not like it mattered. Nothing did anymore. "And you're going to have to apologize to that boy." He wasn't. It was his fault. He just kept pressing and pressing. "If you don't. I will take you out of your classes."

Izuku heard his mom walk away and he just stayed in bed, where he had been since leaving school. Izuku tried not to cry. He wasn't going to apologize. It was his fault for making fun of him about his dad. It was all his fault. And kickboxing was the only place he liked going anymore. So he was going to lose his classes. His only place to go that no one made fun of him or made him miserable.

He didn't go assure his mom falsely he would apologize. Izuku didn't like lying to his mom. So he was just... going to lose his only good outlet. Because of the boy not leaving him alone! Izuku's chest started hurting as he sniffled and hid deeper in his bed.

"Izuku!" The sharp voice called. "Why am I getting a call from your school again?!" He kept the door closed and was in his bed, holding his hands close to his chest. They hurt a lot. "It's been a week since they let you back and you just do this again?!" His mom only raised her voice when she was really mad at him. He just hid more. "That's it! I thought about not taking those classes away! But if you're just going to use it to hurt people, then I'm cancelling them!"

Izuku sniffled and covered his head with his pillow. 'It was their fault!' He thought as he cried into his pillow. 'I didn't want to fight them but they wouldn't stop making fun of me!'

"Do you think you can be a hero if you keep getting in fights?" His mother demanded through the door.

This sparked fire in him, like they all kept mocking him for. "I can't! I'm a useless quirkless bastard!" He shouted at the door. "Don't... Don't yell at me about... about how I can't be a hero... when... when you... you don't even believe I can!" He struggled and failed to keep a sob from bursting out. "Leave me alone! I know I can't be a hero!"

His mother said nothing else and Izuku heard her walk off. He just hid under his blanket. All Might staring judgingly at him from all over. He twitched and sniffled as he sat up and walked to them. He was tempted just to tear them down. But... they were All Might and they were his things. Gifts from his mom. So he just took the little stripes of hanging clips off them and rolled them into their storage tubes carefully.

It filled up a few hours until his walls were bare, small holes where he unscrewed the clip mounts to reused later. Putting them in a jar he kept for them. And the posters went into his closet before he curled into bed. There was a knock. "Izuku." His mom sounded calmer. "Can you open the door, it's eight and you haven't eaten yet." He looked at the door before just rolling over in his bed.

There was a harder sigh. "Fine. I'll put it in the fridge so you can reheat." And she left him alone.

Izuku sat on his bed, his face dripping blood onto the towel on his lap. Hands and legs hurt. Bruises up and down his arms along with the burn here and there. He didn't care. Just placed the pad to keep pressure on his busted nose. Had gone to the clinic after the fight and they made sure his nose wasn't broken. Had left after that and some bandages for his face.

Heard the door to the apartment open and keys clatter around. There was a sigh outside his door, his mom seeing he was in there since he left it open otherwise. 'I don't care.' He really really did. His mom... he cared about that a lot. There was a soft knocking.

He sniffled and blew the blood out of his nose onto the towel he held to it. And walked to it morosely. And unlocked it before walking back to his bed. The door opened as he sat back down. His mom sighed again and walked over. "You need to stop getting into fights," she said as she sat next to him. "Did you go to the clinic?" He nodded. He tried to listen to her, he really did. So he listened when he refused to go one time and was dragged there in the morning. She had taken time off and he never felt worse for it. But she had gotten him some ice cream and spent the entire morning with him.

He felt terrible for cutting into time she needed to help take care of them but it was one of the best days he could remember having in years. Just walking around with his mom, helping her with some built up errands. She was cross with him to start but she was his mom and really nice. And awesome and he really wanted to be a good son. She took the cloth from him and chest his face, cleaning bits of blood off. "It's not broken," he mumbled, letting her dab his face.

She breathed out and looked him in the eyes. He looked away. "Why do you keep getting into fights?" She asked as she pushed his cheek to get him to look at her more, so she could check over his other cuts. "I'm worried one day, I'll be getting calls from the hospital instead of the school, Izuzu," she said fretting. "I know... I know it's been a tough few years, but fighting everyone is not the way to make it better."

"I don't start it," he mumbled, forced to face her but eyes looking away.

"But you don't run either." She said. "You were taught to run first in a fight that doesn't need to happen. and they say you start a lot of them too!"

He kept looking away. "They start them all."

"Then why don't you run?" His mother asked defeated.

"Then... they're right... that I'm useless and should just..." He trailed off and Inko's hands rested where they were.

She scooted closer. "Should just... what?" She lead.

"Kill myself..." he muttered. "Try to reincarnate with a quirk... So... I hit them..." His fists clench. "And... sometimes they talk about you and dad... so I hit them too... I don't like fighting..."

"You should tell your teachers then," she said firmly and he shrugged. "No, no shrugging. Yes, you should."

"I do," he replied. Of course he did. He didn't like fighting. He didn't like hurting people. "I try every time. I... I let them make fun of me and throw stuff at me... I tell the adults... I... I record things and show them, audio... take notes in some of my journals. It's... it's why... I usually fight near the end of school... if the teachers don't do anything... When they don't... I'm quirkless... after all... I don't matter to the school..."

Got hugged by his mom. "We'll pull you out then!"

"I know I was only accepted in that one because of the law," he softly said. "Since I fight, if I leave it. No other Middle schools will take someone like me. Alderan is the only school I can go to. Like how Heather Falls is the only High School that will accept me once I graduate."

He got hugged tighter and he mumbled nothing really, was going to say it was fine, but nothing was fine anymore. So the words never formed even if noise barely slipped out. He had left them and it was Izuku's fault.

Izuku stood in the middle of the alley he had been cornered in. His hands bleeding and a gash down his cheek to his jaw, a thick one from a rough cut. In his hand, the one with the spiked tail was hanging from his grasp. A two people groaning as they leaned on the wall. High schoolers.

"What did you say?" Izuku asked rhetorically. He knew exactly what he had said to him. "I hurt your little brother?" He punched him in the ribs and he yelped. "I know. Your quirk is very similar, the spikes are a different shape. His is more a crocodile, your's has more spikes to it..." He was tired, his stamina was good, but he had not been sleeping well since forever ago. Bags under his eyes and green hair a mess. "He threatened to rape my mom."

The older boy coughed and blood splattered from his split lip and bloody nose leaking. He was getting his footing back. And Izuku was shoved back and released to not throw himself off balance. Catching himself as the quirk user twisted and Izuku dropped into a low crouch and ducked, the spike sailing over his head. A blow Izuku was mildly curious if it was meant to kill him.

Izuku darted forward, hands tight in a guard like he was taught, and did a light first jab as he stepped in, twisting his waist and core enough for proper energy transfer, dazing him as he had finished spinning. 'Spinning, a bad move as it removes eyes from the opponent. Proper use would be during a grapple or with a group fight. A support and not main weapon. Wrap the leg, shred on a pull like a chainsaw.' And his right came up in a heavy hook that crushed into his face. Popping the nose as Izuku followed through. Sending him onto the ground.

He blinked at him, wincing as his face shifted. Touching and seeing his hand coming away bloody. 'This will worry mom,' he numbly thought and looked around. The two flinching when he looked at them. "Hey..." He pointed a bloody finger at him. "Bring him to a hospital. And tell him... that if he... or his family threatens my mom again... I'll do more than fight back." The left one nodded swiftly.

And he walked past them, leg hurting from cutting it on a spike. Tail was also good for blocking. A good quirk. As far as mutations went, he could see that one being one of the best. A little work to get more dexterity in it maybe, more than just a swinging weapon, but an extension of strikes or even a fifth limb, and he'd be an amazing fighter. Hero... would need to be careful. Villain... an alright one. He did get beat up by a quirkless loser.

Izuku got looks as his face was pouring blood as he manipulated his phone. Walking to the hospital to get treated. He entered, filled out the paperwork and sat down, waiting his turn to be seen. The nurse fretted over him but it was just a cut. So he accepted the towel they gave him and kept it against his face.

It was a quick visit. Just got some sealant put on to close it up. The doctor's words were, a grizzly cut that would scar. Lucky it didn't get his eye, so on and forth. Stitched the top, did what they could for the bottom bit. Apparently was a lot thicker than he thought but had been honestly a bit too nervous to look. The sealant would keep it disinfected while allowing air flow, stitches would minimize the scar. So on.

Izuku didn't really care and he got home two hours after the fight. And had an hour until his mom got back. So he just cleaned his face and put his clothes in his sink with cold water. Then just went out on a jog in a hoodie and shorts. He tried to get at least one in a day to be healthy and keep his stamina up.

He promised his mom, if he could, he'd run. But they still would chase him. So he trained that. But it would seem... he sent the wrong person to the hospital. As when he returned to his home, entering. his mom was held by the same bully he had beat and a few of his friends. Her shaking and had a sharp tail aimed at her face.

Izuku was a bit stunned and stared a moment. barely hearing the words spoken at him. "Let her go," Izuku said after a second, weakly. "Just let her go, man."

"Oh? Are you scared we'll do something to Mommy?" He laughed at him.

"This is beyond school stuff. I only broke your nose after you tried to kill me!" Izuku argued and stepped forward, but one of the friends got in the way. "Let her go!" he shouted. His mind racing as the guy liked hearing him yell. 'Knives behind mom. I need him to get his tail away from her neck. Hurt them. Tail user, that's his brother in a face mask, the other I don't know... a second I don't know. Tail users need to be careful of. Those two as well. might be criminals.'

"You hurt my brother off a joke... so..." His eyes locked onto the brother who straightened at the gaze. "We're going to not make it a joke." And he forcefully groped his mom, her shrieking at it and struggling more.

"Let her go, or you're dead," the words came out of his lips before he could stop them. Them coming from the deepest part of his chest. Deepest part of his soul. He would make this happen. He ripped her shirt down and doing so, cut her neck with his tail. Not deep but enough to get a pain screamed and a humiliated one.

The tail recoiled with a laugh from the guy. And Izuku moved that moment, shoving one out of the way and vaulting a chair, drop kicking him in his face. His mom tumbled down and Izuku landed on the table, rebounding to his feet immediately and grabbed the lizard tail user by the head. No thoughts ran through the boy's mind about what exactly he was about to do. And even if they did. He deserved it. The teen raised the head up. And with all his might with one hand to get the most motion into it, slammed it into the edge of the countertop. Blood splattering across it and the room went still. He let the knocked out… hopefully… teen drop.

He opened and closed his hand before grabbing the chair next to him with a yell, breaking it over the brother who was stunned. Shattering it across his head. "Get the fuck out of my home!" He screamed and grabbed said brother, kneeing him in the head as hard as he could. "Get the fuck away from my mom!" The table lifted next and he threw it into one that jumped and caught himself on the roof. Sticking powers. "Get out!"

The three conscious ones stumbled and the brother swung at him to get him to back up. Leaving time for him to grab his brother. Izuku kicked him in the side of the neck hard. But let him drag his brother out, grabbing some of the broken chair. And threw it at them. "You're dead, Loo-kin! I know your family! I know your friends! I know your face!"

"I'll fucking kill you and your mom!" He threatened and Izuku charged after, him shrieking as he was grabbed by the throat and immediately pushed into the railing, and then pitched off the third floor balcony. Inko screaming as were the other two. He crashed into the car down below and was coughing and crying after a moment passed. Izuku marched back in and slammed the door behind him, locking every lock on it and pulled his phone as his mom was crying, holding her shirt up.

"Hello, this is the emergency line. What is your emergency?"

"Four people just broke into my house and held my mom hostage. I fought them off, one I definitely cracked the skull of, Loo-kin is his name. And his little brother I threw off the third floor into the roof of a car. He was crying when I locked the door so I don't think he's dead. Their two accomplices are dragging the big brother away at the moment." He provided his address, said the door was locked and doubted they'd come back.

"Okay, do you need medical attention?"

"My mom has a cut on her neck, it's not bleeding too bad but I... I want you to help her."

"Okay, okay. We'll be there soon." Izuku nodded and tried not to start crying. His emotions rearing their head now. Inko was already crying and fretting. "Mom... can you put on a shirt before the heroes come?" He asked.

"What if they come back?" She stammered.

"I don't... I don't think they're coming back today mom..." She nodded, crying already and hurried off. And seeing her crying only got him teary and the phone operator was trying to keep him calm as he tried to calm his mother down when she got back. It was a mess.

"Izuzu! What was that?! Why did... why did they do that?! What did you do?!"

"Y-you know... I got suspended last week for fighting... again?" She nodded. "That was... was the one I threw off the ledge... he threatened... to... to... um... rape you. And I know he didn't mean it but I still hit him because... it wasn't okay. I just gave him a bloody nose and... earlier today, his brother... the... the one holding you... tried to beat me up for that... and... kill me... I guess with... how he aimed at my neck..." He trailed off. "But I won and beat him up... I... I only hit him as hard as he hit me! And he split my face open and I only broke his nose and maybe... a rib... and... yeah..."

She was hyperventilating but was getting her breathing under control. "You... you... there was blood... you threw that boy off the banister..."

"They were going to do that to you!" He defended. "They... they cut you!" he said as tears leaked out of his face. "And he... he threatened to come back!" But Inko was panicking and that caused Izuku to panick. It was a death spiral until there was a knock on the door.

"Heroes, open the door!" Was called and his mom did. And there was a newer hero. Slipshot. A good capture and pursuit hero. About to build momentum bursts under their feet and negate friction. "Are you the Midoriyas?" His mom nodded and let them in. She walked in with some cops.

"Are you two safe?" And an EMT was there already having his mom sit down.

"There's n-no one else here..." She said. "Did you get those... those villains?"

"We did." Slipshot nodded. "Two will be needing the hospital as... your son told us. The other two tried to run but we handled it."

The statements they gave were relatively quick. Izuku admitted his history with them and told what happened. It was very quick and there wasn't that much to say. Slipshot looked at him with suspicion when his mother mentioned he got in a lot of fights at school, but it went to pity when she said it was from being quirkless. Izuku looked away at that. Her neck was bandaged up.

The night finished, leaving the two in the house. The crime scene people cleaned the blood up. Taking samples and the like. And it was just the two there. Izuku was on thin ice about throwing someone off the third floor but... his mom didn't really allude it was unnecessary. Izuku didn't either. They were also pressing criminal charges of Breaking and Entering, Assaults, Assault with a quirk, Attempted Murder for Izuku's fight earlier and Sexual assault.

"Izuku... no more fighting." Inko said softly as they sat in the living room.

Izuku was quiet as he was playing with the bandages on his hands. "Okay." She got up and sat next to him on the couch, and hugged him to her side.

He wished he could follow his mother's orders. But it seemed him actually taking steps to kill someone had sparked something in the local gangs. His face plastered on local papers for the attack as well had suspicious people around his place more and more.

Izuku hyper aware of this in his paranoia and how nearly every day he got jumped by the gangs around. Fighting them with all he had to keep himself alive. They kept coming at him with pipes and he hid that from his mother. His fourteenth birthday was nearly spent in a hospital if he hadn't broken a grown man's knee with a punch from his brass knuckles.

And these suspicious characters liked following him. Izuku saw them often when he had fights, observing or even taking video. He glared and when he went to confront them. They'd step away in their suits and sunglasses, and disappear before he'd get there.

Izuku was walking through the streets, skipping school since yesterday had been a bad fight. His mother knew, mostly because he texted her that things were getting bad at school so he was taking some time away. She had enrolled him into an online academy for middle schoolers. Not tutoring... a full middle school year. On top of his current classes.

She didn't hide why either. "It will keep you inside and not getting fights picked with you." But he was rewarded as well. "If you do good one these online ones, good grades. Then I'll let you go back to your boxing and kickboxing classes." So he sat down for three hours a day and did them.

They were really easy. Just read a material, watch a lecture which he skipped around on and took notes, linking the notes on the online document to the material he transcribed for his own use online, hyperlinking and so forth, until he had a good study guide. And by the time he was done with that, he would just move onto the next class.

They had this weird set up. The classes were suppose to take an hour and a half each, but he finished all seven in three hours and sometimes less. So he'd move onto the next class and just stop after three or four hours. It was really easy to do all that in his room. No bullies or worry about being jumped later on the way home.

Leading to in three months finishing the eighth year course he was signed up for. And finding out... that was the whole year done. Just... finished. He thought that test too way too long, but review tests weren't a new thing. Thought it was a prep for a mid term test, what all was known from start to finish. But he got a ninety-five on it.

His mom had looked at it and just worked on enrolling him in a High school course. Which he got in very easy with. Apparently they had a connection to the Middle School course or something. Izuku wasn't entirely sure how his mom got him into these things. "I'm proud of you, honey, but all because you did really well doesn't mean I want you wandering the streets more. If you get good grades, I'll let you take those weapon classes you wanted to." Izuku had agreed of course.

So now he was in his nineth year just starting his eighth year of middle school. Izuku didn't much like leaving his home either but he was scared if he just closed himself in, these gangsters, who sought him out, would just come to his home. So he left for runs and to go to his classes after school.

The sensei didn't like him, since all the students knew he was a very well known street fighting delinquent. But couldn't kick him out without cause. Izuku was tired though and constantly bruised and hurt. and those damned camera people kept following him around. He took pictures of them with his phone now and reported them to the cops for sending people to beat him up. The cops did nothing. They were useless, more useless than even he was.

The green haired boy had gotten dressed carefully as usual. He didn't bother with his uniform anymore. And just pulled on a long sleeve shirt that would cover the leather bracers he wore under them along his entire forearms. Backed by metal. His own creations. His mom thought he was just into arts and crafts. He made her a purse too. But he was also making defensive equipment he could hide. Had leather greaves under his slacks that he also had sewn metal plates into. Harnessed carefully up to his thigh, to have a joint at the knee keeping it straight and from being easily hyper extended. Dislocated knees hurt.

And he just through on a light leather jacket he made over top. It was also lined with kevlar strips along the inside of the sleeves, under the lining. And at the chest areas. So if he zipped it up, he was a bit safer. Had a hood in it and some hidden pockets he kept his valubles as well as for his knuckles.

Izuku just walked along the street with his head down and hands in his pockets. Ears open. It was getting late, training... the sensei was trying to break him. So he was forcing him to stay after and clean up after everyone a lot. making him clean the whole dojo after every lesson.

Izuku told him that he'd do it if he halved the fees on the classes, otherwise, no. So he did. So Izuku did it fine but he was getting more and more demanding. Making him fix things now. And footsteps ahead had him glance up. And saw it was a normal looking person in a jacket. Izuku wanted to dismiss him, but the way his jacket moved told there was weight in it. The way he walked, he was not too casual. Otherwise he looked normal, his quirk was likely an emitter type.

And as he passed, izuku heard his steps shift and he sidestepped a few times. Avoiding... A whole chef knife to the back. Izuku's heart was in his throat as he stood in the road, people gasping around and the villain seemed to jitter a moment. Before he lunged faster than naturally possible. Izuku got the knife to his plated arm, his sleeve and bracer taking it as he allowed it to follow and slash away from him, not taking the full force.

He weaved back with a curse as the villain was swinging. "What are you doing?!" Izuku screamed as he rolled out of the way. The thug said nothing as he just kept swinging and Izuku weaved around. And caught the wrist of him, halting the knife from being returned.

Struggled but this was a grown man who had a moving quirk. 'Mover... three. Bursts, like Slipshot. Either has a cool down or-' And he caught the knife in his other hand, the knife jetting forward with his arm and impaled his kevlar lining, it barely stopping the tip as he let go and shoved backwards. His flesh was pierced but not deep. He rolled along his back and to his feet. 'Flight impossible.' and his backfoot braced as he instead ran at him.

The man grinned. A normal man with blonde hair and sunglasses. Izuku had never seen him before and he dipped around the strike. Only to get it through his shoulder. "Ahhh!" He screamed as the blade punched through his shoulder blade. He held the hand with his now only good arm. And kicked. Right between the man's legs.

Air whooshed out as the steel plated greave hit between his legs. And Izuku took a step away and kicked again. And again. His balls likely had ruptured from the force of the hits so he moved onto his face. The man covering up and he sjust started stomping as hard as he could manage. Dodging his arms going for his other leg. And backed off him a moment.

The guy gasping on the ground from the beating. "You..." he coughed as he held his shoulder, tears dripping down his cheeks. "You... FUCK!" And moved to kick again, only for something to impact his face so hard, his brain shut off a second.

He opened his eyes as he hit the ground, the agony jarring him awake. Him screaming as he held the knife that shifted to cut him more in his arm. His face hurt so bad and through his tears, he saw what hit him. "Stop, Villain!" The new guy, he could really make him out, shouted at him and had his fist, it was covered in some yellow metal plate, with Izuku's blood splattering it at the ready.

Izuku couldn't see out of his right eye, his face felt shattered, and he coughed as something fell out of his mouth. 'Tooth,' his hazy mind focused on. Blood splattered the ground as he coughed and got a hand under him. Careful of his arm. 'Ground... bad...' His mind told him. 'Ground... kicks... no leverage.' And he forced himself to stand up, holding his shoulder and the knife to keep it from jarring. Staggering around.

Heard more yelling but wasn't sure what it was. Then something was coming at him and he saw it was a big fist, so he dodged it. 'Dodge, counter.' And kicked as hard as he could, the fighter's stomach. The fighter recoiled. His arm hurt. 'Press.' And he kicked again. Left arm was useless after all. And tried to block the fighter's punch, but his left arm lifted off instinct and the fist crumpled the weak arm to bad. and it hit his shoulder, jetting the knife's hilt through his shoulder and he screamed as he held it and his very very broken arm. 'Left side out. Right side blind.' His mind supplied.

'Keep fighting,' he told himself. 'You knew it would end with them killing you, kill them first.' And he lunged in and got a good jumping knee. Arm limp at his side throwing his balance off. But his knee got a good hit in and he kept pressing, mind hazy so he just had to swing and hurt, to aim for the eyes and the throat. And then his right side got punched again, blind sided literally. And Izuku felt his body hit the ground. It hurt so bad and he was crying. "Don't wanna die... don't wanna die," he wheezed as he pushed himself up. 'Have to fight back. Someone no doubt has called a hero by now. Just hold on.'

And he saw the man's legs were thinner. Arms were like tree trunks. So he aimed there and kicked hard as he was adjusting from the punch, mule kicking from the ground. The guy shouted in pain. Good. And Izuku was on his feet and doing a kick boxing routine against his defense. 'Buy time. Buy time.' And then his legs was grabbed and he was yanked around, and thrown hard.

His back hit the stone wall and he knew it was broken as he landed on, at least, his good side. Then something was covering him. "STOP!" He heard screamed. "STOP! He's a child!" Bystander was trying to protect him.

"Leave," he coughed out weakly. "A hero... will be here soon. Don't... I'm... already hurt... it's okay..." he pushed at the bystander. "It's okay," he faintly said. "A hero will... just a little more time..." His mind was so hazy and it hurt so bad. "Run... they'll... kill you." Weakly pushing the form off of him. "Run."

"Get out of the way!" The booming voice of the second attacker sounded.

"Run," Izuku repeated, pushing. "You're... in danger... please..." And he got a good shove in and was struggling to stand back up. "I'll... hold him off... Get... get a... hero..." And pushed off the wall with a scream and slammed a punch into his thick armed guard. His back hurt but he kept at it, fighting for his life. 'Buy time... they'll be here soon... buy time.'

Then he got in a bad position and a fist hit his stomach so hard, he lifted up and was ten feet in the air with no idea how to move anymore. It hurt so bad. 'Ah... I'm going to die.' And the gravity took over for him to slam into the cruel unforgiving ground. No wind would get into his lungs and he was left wheezing. 'Barely did anything to him... barely could fight back...'

There was so much shouting around too. A hero was bound to hear this. 'Mom... sorry... for worrying you so much... I wanted the fighting to stop too. Guess it does with me dead...' Breath was in his lungs but every intake hurt and he was wheezing. And kept coughing which made things worse, and blood was coming out. 'Punctured lung maybe, or ruptured organs from that hit... either way...'

Something was covering him. He distantly heard. "Hey, hey, hold on. An ambulance is on the way!" He just coughed more blood out, wheezing as he tried to get air back in. "Hold him down!" The figure holding him shouted. His eye was open and in the blur of colors, he saw the one holding him close. It was a guy with wild long black hair. "Keep him down!"

Izuku coughed again and blood splattered his cheek. He couldn't breath and was very light headed. 'Blood Loss...' And his eyes were closing.

"Hey, hey, stay awake, Kid!" The man shouted. "Don't close your eyes! Kid!" But his words, while mildly heard, were... well... something he couldn't do.

"So... this is what you have to show for your life?" Izuku opened his eyes and found himself in complete darkness. He didn't hurt and could look around fine. "And... I would say, while not the greatest or longest life. Your mother did well countering your father's blood. Berglund indeed." The voice was in his head and he couldn't see anything. There was no light or anything. "But you... were a good boy. Attempted murder is to be expected. Murder more so, so you didn't go as far as some would."

And he saw movement, and turned to see the one speaking finally. And it took his breath away.

The figure was tall. Seven feet or more but that was not what took his breath away. Upon her head was the skull of a horned animal, Izuku believed it could have been a deer but the teeth were sharp. At her shoulders was a flowing cloak down to the floor, with the muted flowers growing with frosted patterns on them. It was loose and open, showing under was nothing else. Her skin was a smooth deathly pale parlour with deep amber red hair falling in curling waves down from under the skulled mask. Muscles defined and still looked soft. She stole Izuku's breath away as she stood looking down at him.

One thing stuck out. "My... father?" Izuku softly asked. What did Hiashi had to do with this. And what was this?

The being stepped and kneeled down to his eye level. From the skull, he couldn't see her features, but her eyes. They were multicolored like that of a rainbow, if muted a little. "Mmm," she just hummed. She reached out and cupped his cheek. "He is a monster we've been watching for a while." Izuku was lost in the rainbow eyes. Everything about her screamed she was dangerous, this was someone who would hurt him. But those eyes told him differently. Peaceful and warm. Beautiful too.

The words settled and he blinked. "Monster? I mean he left us but..."

"Oh no, he didn't leave you. Six years ago, he tried to once more kill his eternal rival's host. And failed for the first time. He is still recovering to try again and abandoned you. Your killer was one of his enemies, they hired those people to kill you."

"So the one who killed me... was because of dad?"

"Oh no, that was the hero that someone called to stop the one trying to kill you." Izuku blinked. "A failure." Her hand was soft and it didn't matter anymore. He was dead after all. "And you aren't dead, at least not yet. You'll be dead in a bit. Your lung was punctured and liver very damaged. Cracked skull, lost a good chunk of your shoulder blade..." She trailed off. "You will wake up soon, it will hurt a lot and you will die."

Izuku wrung his hands between them. "Who are you?" Izuku asked, looking away.

There was silence for a moment. "It doesn't matter." She said and sat down. And the light shined to show a meadow of so many various flowers and such. Shadows still ruled but it was like the ground gained some light. "Come, sit by me." He tentatively did, carefully stepping around the flowers to the grass parts, his shoes were the same red sneakers he liked. And sat next to her, hugging his arms around himself.

He didn't really know how to feel about his upcoming death. The being scooted closer and placed an arm around him. She felt nice and felt like a bit like when his mother would hug him after a bad day. That things weren't so bad. "Why am i meeting with someone like you? Is that normal?"

"Not at all," the being, no doubt some kind of Goddess or Spirit of Death, replied. "I do this purely from who your mother's line descends from. These days, there is little blood in her that matters. Two thousand years has ended that." There was a tick. "And thusly, I come to you with an offer." Her hand settled on his green hair, patting the fluffy hair down. He hunched a bit but it didn't feel unsafe or bad. "You died fighting a just fight, you'll go to a good place. But the offer is a chance to come back."

"I can come back...?" He softly asked. "How and... why?"

The being was silent for a moment. Izuku just remained next to her, watching the flowers. They were very pretty. "I will make you in my image, remake you per say. Your vassal doesn't have the potential, no mortal really does, but you'll be beyond me in death for this task."

"And the... task?"

"You will have to kill... a man." Her voice went distant for a moment, just one but Izuku caught it. "You will have to start the End. A dead man just went back and changed things. Killing a baby who would one day have started the end. Time will correct itself... it always does... but... they are growing in mania once more and I... don't..." The woman hunched a bit. "It must be of our blood that does it. And I can't kill my son."

'Son...' Izuku blinked and looked at her again. 'End. Bring the end. Killed a baby... She is a god. Related to death. Not Abrahamic, not greek, there is no end in Greek... Not shinto, not Buddhism… He wasn't familiar enough with Hindu. Not Africani, it wouldn't apply to him. Two thousand years ago... ' He looked at her and she looked at him through the mask. He knew who she was.A sound drew him out of his focus, and in his ears, he faintly heard shouting and beeping. The meadow was starting to die and pain was erupting in his shoulder. He held it with a wince. "You are waking rather early. You did have an amazing pain tolerance. Answer fast."

Izuku watched the flowers dying towards him as pain came in waves, he was holding his body and coughed. It hurt so bad. "O-okay!" he agreed fast, anything to escape the pain and... and he'd see his mother again. To be a better son. "I'll do it!"

There was a humming sound as the pain stopped increasing, the meadow still dead and it was like a stasis fell over the area. It hurt and such. But arms wrapped around him and drew him back, making the pain even more distant and bearable. His head coming back to rest against her chest and he looked up into the skull. And saw under it, where the jaw was missing, was a shadowed face and those rainbow eyes looking at him. "Thank you," she said softly.