Martyr

by RobinRounds

"A 'Hero' shouldn't just be their power. Or How flashy they can be." Izuku stated, a glare in his eye. "Once upon a time, Heroes were a title given to someone who earned the name. That is what I want to be." The young man stared down the false idol that stood enraged before him. "The last thing I want, is to be some prick fake hero with a building busting quirk. A Hero like you."

...

[ July Fifteenth, X022. Musutafu Hospital ]

...

The birth of a child was a daily occurrence at almost any hospital. What wasn't a daily occurrence was an easy child birth. Most mothers screamed, cried, cursed out whatever man was responsible for doing this to them...especially those for whom it was their first child. None of this was the case for Midoriya Inko. The only reason she realized she was going into labor was because her water broke while visiting a friend. Not feeling any pain from contractions as the OB/GYN warned her about, Inko calmly drove herself to the hospital and checked in at the front desk.

"And how far apart are your contractions?" The nurse asked, making quick notes as she ushered Inko down a hallway to an open room.

"Maybe five minutes apart now? I can't quite tell. I'm not feeling anything more than a mild discomfort." She rubbed her stomach as the nurse offered her a hospital gown, "the only clue I have is a slight difficulty in breathing."

"I see, please undress and lay on the bed here. Legs here and here..." The nurse assisted Inko in this last task and preformed a quick examination. "Oh my...And you said this is your first pregnancy?"

"Yes," she took a deep breath as she once again felt a minor discomfort. "Is everything okay?"

"Better than okay, take a few more breaths." The nurse coached and Inko complied as the doctor arrived. "Doctor?"

The doctor gave a nod and switched places with the nurse, who now moved to supporting Inko's back and holding her hand in comfort. "Oh, this baby wants out."

"Take a deep breath and push." The nurse coached as Inko nodded and did as she was told. A process that continued over the next few minutes.

"Alright, one more good push should do it." The doctor had a smile on his face as Inko let out a final gasp of effort and brought her childinto the world. "Congratulations, it's a boy!"

Inko's smile mirrored the doctor's as the nurse gave her a pat on the back before moving to assist the doctor in cleaning up the baby and preforming a quick examination.

"Forty-eight point six centimeters long, seven pounds, five ounces. Average size. Temperature is perfect. Eyes and ears are in good health..." The doctor was mumbling as the nurse filled out the birth certificate, the baby letting out a loud cry as he took a tiny blood sample. "Lungs are very good..." He chuckled, one hand massaging his ear jokingly. "I'll have the rest of the results in a minute. Would you like to hold your child?"

"Of course," Inko's face was bright, no sign of fatigue in her eyes. She even sat up straight in bed with no assistance, much to the amazement of the two medical professionals. Holding out her arms, she accepted the little wiggling bundle that was her son. "Welcome to the world, Izuku." She cradled the baby to her chest, seeing bright green eyes that mirrored her own, and the faintest tuff of green hair upon the baby's head. "Oh, just wait until your father sees you."

"Yes. On that note ma'am, can you confirm the information for you and the father?" The nurse who had been filling out the birth certificate showed her the document, and Inko confirmed that everything was correct. "Thank you. The doctor should be back in a moment."

"I'm back now actually, and I have some questions." He gently shut the door behind him and pulled a chair over to a nearby computer. "Your baby is one of the healthiest I have ever the healthiest of newborns sometimes have low temperatures, neonatal jaundice, temporary circulation issues...But your...Izuku, was it? He's not showing any signs of any of these conditions. And the birth itself...I-I've only ever seen two other births go this smoothly, and neither one a first time. No issues with the afterbirth either." He looked at her vitals, and preformed a quick examination of her. "And your rate of recovery? Most mothers, even the healthiest among them, would be half asleep by now from exhaustion." He typed some information into the computer. "Do you have a healing quirk by chance? Because that's the only reason I can think of as to how you've recovered so fast, and have given birth to such a healthy boy."

"Nope, my quirk is a very low form of attraction." She demonstrated by moving a nearby box of tissues closer to herself. Taking one, she wiped the stray tear that had fallen from her eye as she looked down at her sleepy smiling child.

"Alright...I'll just chalk it up to a very healthy lifestyle then." He continued typing, asking a few more questions as he did. "Okay, all that's in order now. So I would like to keep you and the baby overnight, just for further observation and to make sure everything is fine. But all going well, you should be back in your home this time tomorrow."

"Wonderful." Inko gave Izuku a cuddle as two new nurses entered the room, one pushing a gurney and the other a small cradle-like incubator.

"I figured you'd appreciate that. I'm going to let these ladies here get you cleaned up and settled in your new room." The doctor gestured to the nurses, who both nodded. "Any questions?"

"Do you have a phone I could use? I need to call my husband."

Inko had to hold in a laugh as the face of the doctor and the nurses changed from professional manners to absolute surprise. Apparently wanting a phone wasn't one of the usual questions mothers had after giving birth.

"No one would believe this woman just had a child..." She heard the doctor mutter a little louder than intended. He seemed to realize what he did, because he quickly cleared his throat and addressed her again. "There will be one in your room. Though if you would like, I can have one of the other nurses call for you."

"That would be fine," Inko smiled as one of the nurses took Izuku from her and laid him in the cradle. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." The doctor gave a final nod, before leaving Inko and Izuku in the care of his nurses.

"Alright ma'am, we're going to bring your child to the nursery for now." The nurse who had taken Izuku addressed her. "We'll bring him back up to you once you are settled in your room, alright?"

"Of course," she looked down at Izuku, seeing the infant had fallen asleep. Inko gave a tiny wave as the nurse wheeled the baby out of the room. "Sleep well Izuku. Mommy will see you again shortly."

...

[ July Nineteenth, X028. Musutafu Primary Care and Pediatrics. ]

…

When most people picture working in a doctor's office, they picture what they've see in television programs. The nurses running back and forth, lab workers slaving over beakers as they analyze a sample. Doctors angrily confronting patients about their self-care or gently consoling those whom they've had to deliver bad news to. What those shows showed was how an emergency room of a hospital might be after a disaster, and even that was a stretch unless it was a major hospital. Your local primary care facility? Much more organized, quiet, and boring.

The most interesting case you might find here would be a parasitic infection, or maybe a bite from some critter or another. Otherwise, it was just people coming in for routine physicals, simple tests, and other minor things. For a new doctor, these were great to ease them into the field and some of the challenges they would face. For long-time veterans of the field, it was a way to spend the twilight years of your career in peace without too much trouble. The latter was the case for Doctor Ujiko Daruma. While he could feel age catching up with him, he was still viewed with respect by those in the community. He could have stayed on at Central or any other one of the major hospitals, but for reasons, accepted a transfer to Musutafu Primary Care and Pediatrics. He knew it would be a different atmosphere and pace, but honestly didn't expect it to be as quiet and slow as it was. Currently, the doctor was amusing himself with a game of digital solitaire while waiting for the arrival of his next patient.

"What's it going to be this time?" He thought, not having bothered to look at the finer details of the appointment chart. Trying to guess what it might be had become a hobby of his, especially near the end of his shift. "Ingrown toenail? Another case of strep throat? Maybe something fun like a case of gangrene...haven't had one of those in awhile."He chuckled, ears registering the sound of a knock on his door. He had just enough time to minimize his game and bring up a random medical report, one of three that he'd been 'reading' for the last three months, and played the part of studious doctor.

"Doctor Ujiko?" He heard the nurse speak as the door opened. "Your next patient is here."

"Oh, thank you Sakura." He brought up the appointment chart and looked at the time. "Midoriya Izuku, yes?"

"Correct. Advanced warning, the boy is very excited for his quirk consultation." Sakura smiled as she handed him the small file folder that had been started for the boy. "He could barely sit still during the x-rays. But they're all there, nice and clear. Just need you to do the rest."

The doctor held in a sigh of boredom. Quirk consultations were one of the most common reasons children were brought to him, and one of the most boring cases he'd handle on the daily. They were almost all the same: Have the nurse take the vitals, then have the techs take an x-ray. From there, find out from the parents what behaviors the kid was demonstrating, and see and hear it from the kid there it was a simple case of determine what type and level of quirk it was.

"Send him in." He opened the folder and removed the x-rays. Throwing them up on his light board, he gave them a quick once-over. Boring as these cases usually were, he noticed something in this one that almost made him want to care. "Oh, this will be interesting..."He quickly browsed the rest of the pages within, only looking up as he heard the door click to signify the arrival of his next patient. A mother and her young child entered, moving with nervousness and excitement boy commandeered one of the stools nearest him almost instantly, while the mother was more reserved in her actions.

"Doctor Ujiko, it's a pleasure to meet you." The mother took care of the pleasantries as the child nodded.

"The same Midoriya-san." he lied with an empty smile, "And this must be Izuku." Despite his annoyance at another mostly dry case, he kept some of his medical professionalism. It wasn't often that he was able to deliver bad news in person. "And I understand you've come in today for a quirk consultation."

"Yes sir!" Izuku was all smiles, eyes on the All-Might figurine he was holding. "I hope I get a strength quirk like All Might!Though an elemental quirk would also be neat. Maybe even..."

"Izuku..." Inko placed a hand on her son's shoulder, "You need to calm down and let the good doctor speak."

Years of medical professionalism are all that kept the doctor from snorting at her words. "I can understand the child's excitement. However, I hate to be the bearer of bad news but..." He looked down at the file, about to say the words he had only said three other times in his long career, "but that's not going to happen."

The old man kept his face level as Izuku seemed to go catatonic, the small toy the boy had been holding for comfort clattering to the floor as the color drained from his face.

"Excuse me?" Inko blinked, the shock on her own face clear.

"You and your husband are both fourth-generation quirk possessors, yes?" He looked up in time to see Inko nod, "may I ask what your quirks are?"

"Y-yes. I am able to attract small objects to myself," she demonstrated her power by picking up the dropped toy, "and my husband, well he can breathe fire. But what does that have to do with Izuku's qu-, his condition." Inko stopped herself from saying the word, afraid of upsetting her son further.

"Look here," he pointed to the x-ray of Izuku's foot. "Did you know in the early days when quirks were first discovered that, despite the various types that were showing up, that there were a few common denominators among those who possessed them?" The mother shook her head. "One that they almost all shared was they lacked articulation in their small toes. Mainly, they were missing one of the two joints." He reached into his desk and pulled out another patient's x-ray. Throwing it up on the board beside Izuku's, he showed her what he was talking about. "This child has only a single joint, while you can see Izuku has two." He adjusted his glasses, buying a little more time to savor what he was about to say. "Thus, while this is increasingly rare to see in our world...It means your son has no unique 'individuality' factorof any kind. Or in layman's terms – he's quirkless."

"But what about the various signs Izuku has shown?" Inko placed a hand on her son's back, but the boy didn't seem aware of her touch. "He never seems to need sleep, let alone get tired. And I've never seen a cut or bruise last longer than a day on him. E-even when all his classmates got chicken pox, he didn't even get a rash. Surely things like that have to indicate some level of quirk?"

"Normally yes, but remember I asked you about your quirks? The quirks of the parents play a part in genetics, and children tend to either inherit whichever parent's quirk is stronger, or a combination of the two if compatible. Your quirks aren't exactly the most compatible with each other, so a combination was out. My guess is that both quirks were too low a level to be passed on alone, and that because of the mutation here," Doctor Ujiko tapped the x-ray again, "that even if one of them was passed on, was unable to manifest in any noticeable way."

"But...I told you, my son-"

"Stuff like that could simply be leftovers from recessive mutation quirks in his genetics than an actual quirk." He took down the x-rays and stored them away, "it happens when different quirks start mixing from time to time. It could also be a bit of a placebo effect caused by a parent's hopeful wishing that their child is something special." Memories of an angry father that his child's 'targeting' quirk turned out to be another case of ancestry-enhanced eyesight came to his mind.

"I am sorry, truly I am." He bowed his head, false empathy on full display as Inko sighed.

"I...I see. So that's it then." Inko frowned as the void of negative energy around Izuku seemed to grow. "Well, thank you for your time, Doctor Ujiko. Izuku?" She gave her son a gentle shake, which while it snapped him out of paralysis, did little to change the vacant and lifeless expression on his face. "Come on dear, let's go home. I'll make you your favorite snacks, and you can watch some more ViewTube videos. Maybe we'll even stop at the ice cream parlor for one of those Detroit Smash cones you like."

"No trouble at all, take care." He gave the tiniest wave and bow of his head as the mother continued to offer her son gifts as a reward for going to the doctor's to begin with. Letting out a sigh now that his entertainment was gone, Daruma did the bare minimum that was required on his part with the report on Midoriya Izuku's quirk consultation before adding it to the pile in the 'out' bin that rested on his desk for some intern to file later. Looking to the appointment chart he noticed that, barring an emergency, the Midoriya family was his last group of patients for the the first genuine smile he had all day, the doctor finished up what little worked remained, before returning to the game of solitaire he had started earlier.

He would be so happy when this task was finished and he could get back to his real work.

...

[ July Twenty-Sixth, X028. Musutafu. ]

…

Following the trip to the doctor, Izuku felt drained for the rest of the week. He had heard everything the doctor said, but didn't fully believe it. While he normally never felt tired, he had been tucked into bed feeling what he had heard described as drained. Instead of sleeping though, he had tossed and turned, replaying the scene over and over. Still feeling drained the next day, he had convinced his mother to let him stay home.

"Huh, maybe the doctor was right. I've never seen him like this..." He heard his mother say to someone on the phone. "I know, but there's no shame in being quirkless, I mean-" Izuku hadn't stayed around to hear more, instead spent the day in front of the computer watching old hero rescue videos. Seeing heroes with all kinds of quirks; elemental, transformation, mutation, and so on helping in various situations. "There's Endeavor using his resistance to fire to get in close and help evacuate people. And there's All-Might throwing a large piece of debris away. And Recovery Girl! She's healing the sick..." One of the videos then showed some fire fighters rescuing people from a wrecked car, and another a police officer who apprehended a speed-quirk using villain. "Even people without quirks are preforming heroic acts."

The video marathon had served to revitalize Izuku's spirit, and he went off to school the next day as if nothing had happened in the days prior. However, Izuku's hopes for a normal day were shattered when he arrived. All eyes were upon him, and the occasional playground rumor whispers met his ears.

"There's quirkless..."

"...doesn't have a quirk..."

"...wouldn't want to be him..."

Some of the negative energy came back, but it quickly went away when he heard a familiar voice.

"Hey Izuku!" He turned to see his friend and classmate Bakugo Katsuki running towards him.

"Kacchan, hey!" Izuku always enjoyed talking with Katsuki, and probably would have said he was his best friend if the question was asked

"Want to know what I learned yesterday?" The blonde boy always spoke with his head held high, seeming full of knowledge. As always, he nodded, curious what new fact his friend would offer.

"I learned that Izuku can be read as Deku an-"

"Wait, you can read kanji Kacchan?" One of their other classmates, the winged boy Tsubasa,had overheard the conversation and joined them.

"You can't? Well anyways, Deku can mean someone who isn't very good at anything." He sent a sarcastic grin at Izuku. "Most fitting for someone like you, eh?"

"Knock it off Kacchan." Izuku sighed, even as the other students commented on his intelligence.

In reply, Katsuki reached down and picked up a stone and threw it, mastering to skip it seven times along the surface of the small koi pond the school maintained. "But it's true, look. I just skipped that stone seven times. How many times can you skip one?"

"...None. But that's because I can never find a good rock. Or get the angle right." He defended himself, "I just need practice."

"If you were awesome like me, you wouldn't need the practice." Katsuki laughed, his hands letting off tiny explosions as if as a pyrotechnic effect to enhance his decree. "But I guess that's how it goes when you're-"

"Bakugo, your quirk is impressive, but remember we talked about using it in school." The teacher's gentle voice met the ears of the boy, who, after a moment's fidgeting, mastered to douse his fires. With a nod, the teacher left the boys alone and returned to monitoring the play yard.

"See? Even adults think I'm awesome." The grin was still there, and somehow seemed brighter to Izuku. "Unlike the quirkless loser that you are."

"Wait, it's true?"

"Izuku is quirkless?"

Both boys were suddenly surrounded by several moreof their classmates, all of them looking for the answer.

"Yeah! My mom told me after Deku's mom told her." He gave everyone a thumb's up. "That's why our dear little Deku is well deserving of his name an-"

Katsuki didn't have a chance to finish his sentence, nor did any of the other kids have a chance to comment as the teacher rang a bell and summoned them inside to start their lessons. Though he always tried to be attentive, Izuku was having a hard time paying attention to his lessons for the rest of the day. Lunch had been similar to the morning, with several people stopping to stare at the 'quirkless wonder' or question if he was changing his name to Deku. He was thankful when classes were dismissed, and most of the students went their separate ways.

"Hey Deku!" Tsubasa flew over to where Izuku was currently adjusting his shoes. "Myself, Kacchan, and a few others are going for a walk in the woods. Want to come along?"

"Sure," He nodded, "we can look for the leaves we need for the science homework we got."

"That's such nerd talk, Deku." Katsuki gave him a hearty pat on the back. "We're going out for fun, not work. Now follow me!" He picked up a stick and pointed towards the woods. The five of them set out, with Katsuki leading the way and Izuku bringing up the rear.

"So where are we going?" Tsubasa asked, watching as Bakugo lead them along.

"Just up ahead, there's a clearing that's perfect for our favorite game of heroes and villains." Katsuki pointed to a large log that had fallen across a small creek.

"Are you sure that's safe?" Izuku asked, unable to tell just how deep the water below was.

"Forward on, Bakugo hero team!" Katsuki either didn't hear, or chose to ignore the question. Deciding to add a little flare to his position as leader, Katsuki showed off one more minor explosion, eyes on his hands instead of where he was going. Had he been paying attention, he would have seen the small stick jutting out of the log. Instead, his foot connected with it and he tripped, falling into the small stream below.

"Kacchan is so strong. I bet he's fine!"

"Yeah, come on! Get back up here!"

While the others called for Katsuki, Izuku was worried for his classmate. Spying some solid-looking ground on the bank, he ran down and waded into the stream as Katsuki sat up and replied.

"Yeah, I'm okay." He rubbed the side of his head. "It's no big deal."

"Kacchan? Do you need help? Can you stand?" Izuku came to his side, one hand outstretched in an offer of aid. "You didn't hit your head, did you?"

"I'm fine!" The blonde snapped and jumped to his feet, creating a small explosion that shoved Izuku over in the process. "I don't need help from anyone. Especially a quirkless loser like you Deku!" He stomped out of the river, meeting the others on the opposite bank.

"Trying to save someone who doesn't need saving." Tsubasa laughed while flying down next to Katsuki, "he really is a Deku!"

"Hey, Deku isn't all useless." One of the others commented as he jumped down to the others. "He can help fill the crowd watching whenever wedo something heroic."

"He probably couldn't even do that right." Katsuki laughed, the others quickly joining in.

"Maybe he can water the plants? He looks ready to cry."

"Only quirkless losers cry." Katsuki flashed him a dark smile, one that lacked any sort of friendly warmth. "Just face it Deku. You'll never be able to do anything everyone else does."

"I-I c-can!" Izuku clenched his fists, eyes going from one of his classmates to another. "Th-there were plenty of heroes b-before quirks!"

"Yeah, and they were called 'Public Servants' not heroes." Katsuki's grin only grew as his fanboys cheered at his comment. "Here, let me spell it out for you. I am awesome! You? You are not awesome at all! All-Might? He's awesome! Fire chief Kurasawa? Not awesome."

"Deku's not awesome! Deku's not awesome!" One of the cronies started to sing, the others soon joining in.

"You're wrong!" Izuku shook his head, the tears stinging his eyes now from anger.

"Keep telling yourself that Deku!" Katsuki laughed as he turned to face the others. "Come on guys, let's get going."

"Smell ya later, Deku!"

"Later quirkless!"

"Uh yeah...What they said, loser!"

"You guys need to work on your insult game." Katsuki chided the other three as they fell in step with him, leaving Izuku behind. Letting out a sigh, Izuku looked at his reflection in the stream.

"They're wrong." Izuku splashed some water on his face, using his shirt to wipe it off. Seeing faint burn marks, he washed his arms off in the stream. He let out a cry of frustration, one hand punching a nearby tree. He looked at his knuckles, seeing the small abrasions already starting to fade. "They're wrong! The doctor is wrong!" He turned around then, and took off running back the way he had come. Mind still thinking over everything Katsuki and the others had channeled his anger at his classmates into his running, hoping he could maybe replace the feeling of bitterness with one of tiredness. "Somebody is wrong here. But it's not me!"He ran up the stairs to his apartment, nearly forgetting to remove his shoes before opening the door.

"Izuku, you're home early. Did something...happen?" His mom came around the corner then, seeing the red face of her son and his dirty clothing.

"I sort of, fell in the creek." The incident with Katsuki and the others at the creek came pouring out. Along with everything that had happened at school.

"Oh Izuku," Inko pulled him in for a hug, not caring about the dirt on his clothes. "I'm sorry. Children can be so cruel."

"I thought they were my friends...That Katsuki was my friend..."

"Izuku, friends don't do such things like that." She noticed the red on Izuku's lower arm, recognizing it instantly as a minor burn. One no doubt given by hand landed on Izuku's shoulder, eyes locking onto his with that serious parent stare. "And a true friend would never physically harm you. They may be your classmates, and you may have to work with them...But outside of that, I think it would be best if you distance yourself from those who hurt others to make themselves feel better."

"Distance myself?" Izuku blinked, thinking over his mother's words.

"Now I don't mean shun everyone and everything." Inko seemed to understand her son's line of thought. "I just mean have a little caution when it comes to who you hang out with outside of school. Do you understand?"

"I think so..." Izuku nodded, earning a smile from his mother.

"That's my boy." Inko ruffled his hair, "do your arms hurt?"

"No, they're fine." The boy looked at knuckles, the scratches gone save for the tiniest amount of redness. "Mom?"

"Yes dear?"

"Do...Do you think the Doctor was wrong?" He asked the question he didn't dare ask in the day's prior.

"I...I don't know." The faintest flash of doubt crossed Inko's face, "I think he might have rushed things and..." Izuku felt certain he wasn't suppose to hear that last part as Inko let out a little laugh and ruffled his hair again. "Regardless, with or without a quirk, you can still be a good person."

"Thanks mom," Izuku gave her a hug, "I needed to hear that. May I go play outside?"

"Sure dear, just don't go too far. I might need to run to the store before dinner, and could use a hand in carrying the groceries."

"I was just going to run around the sand lot." Izuku tossed his head in the direction of the small playground the apartment complex had. "Nothing too crazy."

"That's fine dear," Inko gave a nod, even as Izuku moved back towards the door, "I'll come get you when I'm ready to leave, okay?"

"Okay mom!" He called over his shoulder, already halfway out the door. "Mom's right. They all don't know what they're talking about. I do have a quirk, and I'm going to prove it!"Izuku punched the air, seeing the red on his arms nearly faded. The sight of that, plus his mother's words sent a newfound resolve flowing in his veins. "Now to just figure out how best to go about that..."

…

[ December Twenty-First, X033. Musutafu. ]

…

When Midoriya Izuku studied a quirk it could be frightening. When he studied his own quirk, it was out-right terrifying.

Inko looked over the last of the mountain of papers her son had dropped on her coffee table, sorting them into various sections of the portable file box she had purchased. For the last five years or so, the boy had been meticulously documenting the various cuts, bruises, and other injuries he had received as he grew. Some had occurred at school, others were from daily life… Some she suspected were self-inflicted, just to see if he would heal. There were even binders that were loaded with photographs he had carefully taken just hours apart after any serious burns, cuts or other visible injuries. The whole collection looked more like the before and after pictures you would see in commercials. She had been surprised when Izuku had first asked for the camera, but after finding out why, had fully supported his reasoning and helped him.

"Hey mom, do you really think this will be enough to make them re-assess me?" Izuku leafed through the folder in his hands, "or should I get my notes about my eating of the recalled snack cakes?"

Ōkuninushi above, she remembered that food recall scare… and her darling child who thought that he could survive shoving all of the frosted fear mongers down his adorable gob. The fact that he did changed nothing, she spent the week hovering over her son and worrying that the food poisoning would start any second. The fact that he was healthy enough to take meticulous notes did nothing to stem her panic at the time.

"No, I think we have enough here..." Inko patted the box at her side, silently praying that they wouldn't accuse her of child abuse given all the evidence of injuries to her boy. Of course, all of them had long since healed...and they all appeared to have been the results of genuine accidents, but she couldn't help but wonder if some of them might be seen as things she could have prevented. "And this way, we'll have some more evidence in reserve if they want further proof." She took the folder from Izuku's hands and added it to the box before closing it. "Ready to go?"

Inko handed her son the box as he nodded, before moving to grab her purse and keys. The drive to the primary care center was quiet, the minds of both mother and son on the case ahead of them. Pulling into one of the many parking spaces, Inko took up the box as Izuku adjusted his hair. The smile on his face on par with the one he had been wearing on that first trip here.

"Midoriya-san." A man's voice address her as she exited the vehicle. Turning, she was greeted with the sight of a businessman just a few years older than herself moving towards them. Inko smiled, Narimiya Hiroki was an old friend of the family, and often served as an adviser to the Midoriya's in times of legal dispute.

"Thank you for helping me with this." Inko gave a bow as the man came even with her. "Izuku, you remember Nirimiya-san, yes?"

Izuku nodded, "yes. Nice to see you again, Nirimiya-san."

"The same. And I see we both brought our briefcases." He held up his own before gesturing to the box in Inko's hand. "Is that the evidence we discussed?"

"Most of it. We have more at home but I feel these are the most telling." She gave a box a gentle pat, before glancing at her watch. "And we best get a move on, it's nearly ten."

Both Izuku and Hiroki nodded and fell into step alongside Inko as they entered the building and made their way over to the reception desk.

"May I help you?" The receptionist asked, eyes looking over the three of them.

"Yes, Midoriya Inko, and we've an appointment with the administrator, Doctor Hiitori Kenji."

"Ah yes, just a moment please." The receptionist looked over her list, before reaching for her phone. Pressing one of the preset keys, she waited a moment. "Doctor Hiitori-san, the Midoriya's are here for you...Yes sir." She hung up the phone and looked back at the group. "Doctor Hiitori will see you now. Up the stairs and to the right. Third door on your left."

"Thank you ma'am." Inko gave a nod and motioned for the boys to follow her as they moved up the stairs. Stopping before the aforementioned door, Hiroki gave a knock and waited for a reply.

"Enter." The voice came from beyond the door and Hiroki opened it and bade Inko and her company to enter. The trio entered the room to see an older gentleman seated behind a desk. Though he was dressed in more of a business casual style, there was still a hospital lab coat hanging from the back of his chair. "Please, have a seat." He gestured to the two chairs before the desk, which Hiroki motioned for Inko and Izuku to take. "Now, what can I do you for you fine folks?"

"First, thank you for agreeing to meet with us Doctor Hiitori-san. I'm Midoriya Inko, and this is my son Izuku " Inko and Izuku both gave a small bow, which the doctor returned. The expression on his face seeming content with the introduction of mother and son. "And the man behind us is Nirimiya Hiroki, our family's lawyer." Narimiya held out a hand, which the doctor shook.

"Always a pleasure," Doctor Hiitori sat back, the faintest bead of sweat visible on the side of his face. "So, what can I do for you folks?" The doctor was trying to maintain a calm front, but she could see his growing discomfort at having a lawyer present.

"Roughly five years ago, my son came in for a quirk assessment." Inko opened the file box, and began to remove some of the folders within and set them on the desk. "And after all tests were run, all notes taken by your wonderful nursing staff, they were handed over to Doctor Ujiko Daruma for final assessment."

Doctor Hiitori noticeably grimaced at the name, but remained silent. Narimiya's ever polite smile just as noticeably grew. The lawyer smelt blood.

"After barely glancing over the notes from the nurse, and looking at one x-ray, Doctor Ujiko declared my son to be quirkless, and registered him as such." She tapped the first folder. "As a result, my son has been practically ostracized by his schoolmates, school groups, camps and so on. But I am not here to speak to you about quirkless mistaken diagnosis has also had the side effect of our insurance company raising our premiums and charging additional fees to cover someone they deem 'high risk' due to a lack of a quirk. However, since then my son has shown signs of possessing a quirk. Far too many to ignore." She gestured to the other folders. "The other folders contain observations from myself, and my son, along with a few others to back this up. We're looking for you to re-assess Izuku's quirk status, though you may also want to inform your lawyers of an impending lawsuit."

Doctor Hiitori picked up the folder in question and opened it. He read the nurse's notes, looked at Doctor Ujiko's notes, and instantly saw a discrepancy between them. "Man's been gone three years and he's still causing me ulcers..." Hiitori-san muttered, a little too loud as he looked at the same foot x-ray Doctor Ujiko had. He could clearly see the additional joint, but looking to all the other x-rays noticed signs of Izuku potentially being double jointed in multiple areas. To the untrained eye, or even experienced but tired eyes, this was something that could easily be mistaken for an extra joint...and be grounds for a misdiagnosis.

He picked up one of the other folders and opened it, seeing notes written in both childish scrawl, as well as in a parent's careful hand. Looking at some of the pictures, he returned back to the notes that had been made in the original file. He felt the faintest shiver go down his spine as he closed the two folders and looked back at the people before him.

"Midoriya-san, Narimiya-san..." Hiitori looked at the two adults, "would you excuse me a moment? I would like to get a few additional opinions from some of my other colleagues. May I take these a moment?"

Inko looked to Narimiya, wordlessly asking for legal advice. The younger man nodded, and Inko offered up the box. "There's more in here if you need it."

Doctor Hiitori nodded as he picked up the phone and called several others, asking for them to meet him in the conference room next door. "Excuse me a moment." He gathered up the folders on his desk and took the file box from Inko before departing.

"So what happens now?" The now worried mother wondered.

"I suspect Doctor Hiitori agrees with you that Doctor Ujiko made a mistake." Hiroki smiled reassuringly, "because one of the names he called, Saitoh Takumi, is a colleague of mine from law school."

"So what does that mean?" Inko blinked as a muffled curse roared through the wall.

"I suspect it means that you might get your wish of a re-evaluation and-" Hiroki paused, hearing the door open behind them. Turning around, the three saw a man just a few years older than Hiroki. "Saitoh-san. Been awhile, hasn't it?"

"Ah yes, Narimiya-san. I wish we were meeting under more pleasant circumstances, but may I have a moment of your time?"

"Of course," he looked to Inko and Izuku. "This won't take long."

Inko nodded as her lawyer departed. Looking to her son, she noticed he was still smiling, even as the occasional muffled word came through the wall.

"So, think they've found evidence of my quirk?" Izuku asked as a loud groan filled with fiscal depriving misery could be heard.

"More than likely. Doctor Hiitori didn't look too happy when he reviewed your file." Inko gave her son a pat on the back as the door opened. Expecting to see Narimiya, she was instead greeted with the sight of a nervous-looking Saitoh. "Oh, Saitoh-san was it? Something you need?"

"Midoriya-san, I'm going to be honest with you. The hospital can not afford another lawsuit courtesy of Doctor Ujiko...Now, I'm not telling you what to do, but I would advise you to be gracious with your demands." Saitoh sighed, even Izuku could tell that the word 'advise' could have been pronounced 'beg' and the meaning would be the same. "we'll all be back in a few minutes, but this should give you time to think things over."

The other lawyer backed out of the room then, and Inko's smile was now mirroring Izuku's own. "Anything you would like Izuku?"

"I just want my quirk reassessed and re-registered properly." Izuku answered honestly, unable to think of anything else. Inko had to resist the urge to coo over her sweet summer child.

"Of course, that's demand number one." Inko gave him a pat on the back, her own mind thinking of what else she might ask for in compensation for the headaches the hospital's incompetence had caused. Earlier in the weeks, she had discussed options with Nirimiya, and she knew he had all the documents needed to back up her demands. She had just decided which ones she was going to ask for whenthe door opened to reveal a fiendishly grinning Nirimiya, a nervous looking Doctor Hiitori, an annoyed looking older gentleman, and a defeated looking Saitoh. "Well, what's the verdict?"

"Midoriya-San," The other gentleman spoke, "I am Roksaburo Shinichiro, head of the hospital's legal department. I will be honest with you and tell you that this is the fifth case we've had brought against us because of Doctor Ujiko Daruma. Unfortunately, we can not punish the man directly because he no longer works for us, but it may comfort you to know that, as far as we are aware, he is no longer practicing medicine." He gave the tiniest bow of apology. "As a further show of honesty, I will also tell you that we can not afford another black eye because of that man. As such, to keep this matter out of the courts, and the public eye...We're willing to listen to your demands."

"First, I want my son's quirk status to be reassessed and re-registered properly, all free of charge to myself and the insurance company."

"Of course, I will preform the examination myself." Doctor Hiitori bowed deeply, "with your permission, I could even start the examination right now."

Inko suppressed a smile, sensing the man's quick agreement was just him looking for a way out from the heavy atmosphere of the room. No doubt the doctor would handle her son with a feather touch, unwilling to risk further legal dispute.

"Is that okay, mom?" The excitement in Izuku's voice matched that of his younger self all those years ago.

"Of course, Izuku, be good for the doctor, won't you?" There was no missing the triumphant tone in Inko's voice as she addressed her son.

"I will," Izuku nodded, seeming much younger than his eleven years. "Doctor Hiitori, was it? Please take care of me."

"Of course, please, follow me." The doctor gave a bow to Izuku and lead him from the room, leaving Inko behind with the other three.

"Alright, now that Izuku has gotten what he wants, time for my demands." Inko adjusted her posture, "I want compensation for the insurance premiums that I've had to pay because of Doctor Ujiko's incompetence." She opened the file box and removed the security envelope within. Breaking the seal, she removed the papers inside it and handed them to Roksaburo. "I had my insurance agent run the numbers to see how much that is."

There was the briefest widening of his eyes, but he quickly nodded and handed the page off to Saitoh. Inko had no idea if the five digit number was more or less than some of the other settlements, but she didn't care.

"A most reasonable request. Once we get the results of Izuku's reassessment back, I'll even have my personal secretary assist you in refiling for your insurance if you wish."

"Thank you, but my agent will help me with that." Inko's thanks was genuine, "Though that brings me to my third demand, compensation for the physical and mental suffering this misdiagnosis has brought to my family."

"Uh-understandable." Roksaburo let out a sigh, he knew this moment was coming. It wasn't the first time, but he always prayed it would be the last. "And how much are you seeking in reparation for that?"

"In comparing my client's case to settlements from similar cases, we agreed that this is a reasonable amount." Nirimiya opened up the small briefcase he had been carrying and handed over a single page. The old man's eyes went wide, and stayed as such even as Saitoh came over and read the page. The younger man's face lost all color, but he still mastered to find his voice.

"You did your research on that one Nirimiya." He sighed, "You always do..."

"Of course, that is, most reasonable." Roksaburo seemed to regain his senses, despite sounding like a parrot. "Anything else?"

Inko briefly debating trying for more, but a quick glance at the two lawyers made her shake her head. "Nope. My son's quirk reassessed and re-registered, compensation for my insurance, and compensation for medical malpractice are all I'm seeking."

"Very well, Midoriya Inko-san." Roksaburo almost seemed relieved, no doubt that this was one of the easier cases. "I will have Saitoh-san draw up the proper papers, and you can sign them when ready. How long would you say that's going to take?"

"Forty-Five minutes, maybe an hour. Depends on how quickly the computer and printer want to work." Saitoh sighed, the various settlements for other cases hadn't done any good for the non-essential equipment the hospital needed to run. "If you have other things you need to do, feel free to go and do them. I can call you once we're ready."

"I've nothing else going on, and I want to be here for when Doctor Hiitori finishes up the examination." Inko yawned, "excuse me. Is there somewhere I can get a cup of tea around here?"

"The cafeteria. I was about to go there myself." Roksaburo rose to his feet, "if you'll follow me."

"Nirimiya? You want anything?" Inko asked, noticing her lawyer hadn't moved. "And how about you, Saitoh-san?"

"Could you bring me back a black tea with lemon?" Nirimiya smiled as Inko nodded.

"Well, if you don't mind..." There was an odd hesitation from the other lawyer. "Small hot coffee, two cream, no sugar?"

"Sure," she looked back at Roksaburo. "Do they serve any baked goods? Maybe I'll get a box of assorted pastries for us all to share."

"They do," the old man smiled, going off on a tangent about the donuts. While Inko could tell he was doing it more as a way to distract himself from his latest legal issue than making conversation, she didn't mind. The ding of the arriving elevator broke the man out of his donut ramble, and he ushered Inko in.

"Looks like things are finally looking up for us."She kept the thought to herself as the elevator dinged again and moved up to the next floor.

...

[ September Sixteenth, X034. Musutafu School District]

…

Things had moved quickly in the months following Izuku's reassessment. With the money from the settlement, Izuku and his mother had been able to move out of the apartment and into a small house. While some might have called the three bedroom, one bathroom set up a starter home – it might as well have been a mansion to Inko and Izuku. While there wasn't a garage, the fact that there was a small driveway meant that Inko didn't have to worry about her car like she did in the communal lot. And though the small yard to surround the property wasn't much, it provided enough room for them to start a small garden, as well as gave Izuku a sort of 'training ground'.

When it was time to name his quirk Izuku had been slightly sassy and had officially named his quirk 'Impunity', referring to his ability to undo damage. His years late examination declared it to fall under the Regeneration category of the Emitter Type of quirks. And while one would think that there's no need to train with a healing quirk, Izuku did it more as a way to ensure that he stayed healthy, even without the quirk's help.

"Mom, have you seen my math notebook?" He called, packing up his school items.

"It's on the table," she called from the kitchen, "where you left it last night."

"Thank you." He stepped out of his room and moved to the dining room, seeing the notebook. Packing it in the bag with the others, he zipped up his book bag before giving his mom a quick hug. "See you this afternoon mom."

"Don't be late," Inko gestured to a small advertisement she had hung on the refrigerator. "I plan on getting some rose bushes from the sale at the nursery and want your assistance in planting them. Figure we'll plant them just in front of the house, on the left and right side of the porch."

"Security and decoration, I like it." Izuku smiled and gave a nod as he moved out the door. His steps were quick as he made his way up the street to the bus stop, the usual air of polite shyness around him as he joined the few other people currently waiting at the his commute to school still took about the same amount of time, he found his new bus ride to be more relaxing. Back in the apartment, his route had him waiting at the stop with other kids in the apartment. They would taunt him while waiting, only stopping if a parent was noticed to be within hearing range. This behavior was often continued once on the bus, leading to a very noisy ride at times.

Here, Izuku didn't have that problem. His company at the bus stop was mostly older men and women, all on their way to their jobs. At most, they would give a polite nod of greeting, but kept to themselves once on board. As for the few kids to travel on the same route, though they all sported uniforms from one of the private schools, they were a little more cordial. Occasionally, one or more would actually greet him and make polite small talk, but as with the adults, also seemed content to leave Izuku to himself.

Best of all, unlike on the old route, no one ever asked about his quirk.

"If they couldn't accept you when you were quirkless, then they definitely can't accept you with a quirk." Again, Izuku mentally heard the advice his mother had given him over dinner once they finished updating his quirk status. He had debated telling his classmates the next day, but ultimately decided against it. Eventually though, someone heard from a friend, who heard from a friend, who heard from their mom that Izuku had been reassessed at some point, and was now registered with a quirk. Even nearly a year later, Izuku refused to elaborate on his quirk, or correct his classmates assumptions. None of them bothered to openly ask him, and the few who did question him weren't about to receive straight answers.

"Did you see Midoriya got the top score again in History?" A female student commented to her friend as they entered the classroom.

"I'll bet that mystery quirk of his is telekinesis," she replied, "and he read the teacher's mind for the answers during the pop quiz."

"He's probably reading our minds right now. Aren't you Izuku?" The first student looked at Izuku, eyes narrowing.

"You're all thinking loud enough that psychic quirk users don't have to, now shush." He placed a finger to his lips, "I'm trying to study here."

He wasn't about to tell them that his quirk allowed him to study for hours on end without needing to stop and sleep. Even eating seemed an optional distraction from academic pursuits. At least once a day, someone was questioning what his quirk was able to do. The actual subject of the class didn't matter; Math, science, even in physical education the questions would come up.

"Man, Izuku must have some kind of endurance quirk." One of the athletic kids commented as he looked at the records board. "He crushed the old pre-teen record by nearly a third."

"How many did he do?" Another athlete asked, cracking open an energy drink as he joined his friend.

"Sixty-nine." The average age of the class was twelve. Pubescent humor was universal. Even Izuku wasn't immune, but that didn't mean he would tell anyone he stopped there on purpose.

"Nice." The second one noticed him emerging from the locker room. "Hey Izuku, you never seem worn out, what's your secret?"

"Yeah, and do you think you can beat your own record?"

"Well, it's not energy drinks." The questioned boy smiled, "and I have broken my own record at home, and could do it here...But I think I want to let this one stand. And besides, I doubt anyone wants to break it anyhow."

The other boys couldn't argue that, and took to doing their warm-ups. Aside from granting him the power to say he was right, the confirmation of his quirk had turned the once-shy Deku into a sassy Izuku. Some might have argued the personality switch was a defensive mechanism, Izuku argued that it was how he always was, but no one ever paid attention to him.

By the time lunch rolled around the usual opinions felt they had to make themselves known.

"I bet they're lying about Deku having a quirk." He heard one of the resident bullies proclaim as he paid for the items he had selected for his lunch. "They probably just said he does to make him feel better."

"Yeah. Whoever heard of someone manifesting a quirk this late in life?"

"Ah yes, because life is over at thirteen." It took all of Izuku's power to not laugh and spill his tray as he moved to one of the empty tables. He could have sat with some of the neutral classmates of his, but outside of necessity, he didn't bother to interact with any of his fellows. It was not that he had become anti-social, but rather because he could tell none of them had 'grown up' enough to admit they might have been wrong. He could tell that none of them were willing to apologize to him for their behavior in the years prior. And as far as he was concerned, that was just fine with him. Reaching into his bag, he removed one of his many notebooks about heroes and quirks and began to read, ignoring the sounds of the cafeteria around him. At least, until someone decided to interrupt him.

"Hey Deku!" Katsuki's voice broke through the bubble Izuku had put himself in. "What's this chatter I'm hearing from the others about you being the one most likely to set the new track record in the upcoming fitness test?"

"Excuse me?" He closed his notebook and stored it away as Katsuki decided to use the table as a foot rest. At the same time, Izuku noticed Tsubasa had also come over, two cans of soda in his hands.

"Well, despite it being nearly week old news now, everyone is still talking about how you crushed the pull up record." Katsuki accepted a drink from the winged boy. "A lot of them have picked you to be one of the top finishers in the upcoming fitness test." He cracked the can open and took a drink, failing to hide how much having some of the spotlight taken off him was bothering him. "And as one of your oldest friends, I want to know the how and why?"

"So were friends only when it suits your needs?"Izuku kept a neutral expression as he answered, not willing to give him any satisfaction in the matter. "How? Dedicated myself to both my academic and athletic pursuits. Why? Because I can."

"Bullshit." Katsuki snorted, seeming to realize Izuku dodged the real question. "There's no way a quirkless weakling like yourself could train enough to accomplish anything noticeablein this short amount of time. The way I see it, you cheated." He leaned in, "so what was it? Bribed someone with a gravity-altering quirk to make you lighter? So you'renot violating the rule about using your quirk during tests."

Izuku knew Katsuki was trying to prod at the supposed status, but decided to be dense on purpose. "So I have a quirk now?" Izuku raised an eyebrow, "but Katsuki...Didn't you say I'm quirkless?"

"Well yeah, but-" Too late, Katsuki realized the trap he had fallen into.

"So that either means you admit that you're wrong and I dohave a quirk." The younger boy tilted his head to one side, "or you accept that rumors of my having a quirk have been greatly exaggerated." He let the faintest smile come to his face, as Katsuki's own started to frown. "And that I have instead turned my spare time to improving myself in other ways."

Katsuki's face couldn't seem to decide what expression it wanted. It went from his usual resting bitch face into disappointment, then to 'I ate something that's not agreeing with me' before finally deciding his usual 'angry at the world' expression was suffice. "There's no way you actually gained a quirk, it's probably just puberty hitting you." As if to emphasize his reasoning behind Izuku's sudden improvements, his own voice cracked. He drained the contents of the can in his hand and crushed it, trying to cover up his slip with a display of juvenile toughness. "Either that, or everyone else in this school sucks just as much as you do."

"Heh, you tell him Kaachan." Tsubasa laughed, seeming oblivious to the fact that he had just been passingly insulted by Katsuki. Izuku meanwhile shrugged, no longer caring about Katsuki's opinion on anything.

"I just did dumb-ass," The volatile boy whipped the empty can so it just passed in frontof Tsubasa's face, the hunk of metal striking the inside wall of the recycle bin with a heavy thunk. "Come on, lunch is nearly over, and I want another soda." He sent another death glare at Izuku, "later quirkless."

Izuku gave a barely respectful nod as Katsuki and Tsubasa took their leave, the smile he had been hiding only showing as Katsuki let fly a curse at his expense as soon as he thought he was out of earshot. Glancing at his watch, Izuku had to admit that, for once, Katsuki had been right about something.

The lunch bell rang, signaling students it was time to clean up and move on to their next class. Seamlessly sliding into the crowd, Izuku threw his trash away and returned his tray, before slipping off to his next class.

...

[ September twenty-Eighth, X034. Musutafu Residential District]

…

Yesterday had started out as a normal day for Bakugo Mitsuki. She had gotten up and prepared everything for her son and husband's school and work days respectivly before stepping out to run a few errands of her own. She had sent off a package to one of her cousins at the post office, visited the coffee shop for a muffin and an espresso, before heading to the grocery store. She had just turned into the frozen foods aisle when she spied a familiar face.

"Inko! Inko honey, how are you doing?" She gave the other woman just enough time to notice her before catching her in a hug. "I havn't seen you in forever."

"Mitsuki," Inko had laughed and gently returned the gesture. "And you saw me last week at the bake sale."

"I meant outside of school." Mitsuki laughed, "I feel like that's the only time I ever see you is when you're helping Izuku with something. Speaking of, how is he doing? I haven't heard all that much in recent time an-"

"Take the next left." A digital voice pulled her from her thoughts as she looked at the passing houses. If it wasn't for the GPS' statement, Mitsuki felt certain she would have missed the turn. She still couldn't quite fathom where she was going, her mind replaying the conversation in the store that lead to her current road trip.

"I didn't know you moved," Mitsuki blinked, "when did this happen?"

"Only in the last six months. It took a little time to finalize the details." Inko looked relieved. "I forgot how much work moving was."

Mitsuki nodded in agreement, remembering her own adventures in changing houses. "So, when do I get to see the new place?"

"You can come by tomorrow, if you're able. I would have invited you over sooner, but we only recently got everything organized. Here, let me write down the address. Oh, and the number for the land line." Inko ripped the bottom of her shopping list off and handed it to Mitsuki.

At the time, all she could do was stare at the address, recognizing it as being in one of the richer parts of the residential district. She had bid Inko farewell then, before wondering if there was a new development built somewhere in that part of town. She had taken today's ride a bit slower, eyes looking at the various buildings in an attempt to find one that may have housed an apartment complex. While she knew Hisashi made enough money to allow Inko to be a stay-at-home mom while fully affording rent and other couldn't grasp the thought of her friend going from that tiny danchi-style apartment to a full-

"House!?" Mitsuki slammed on the breaks as the GPS warned her that he destination was on the right. Turning her head, she saw the name 'Midoriya' written on the mailbox to rest outside of the ranch-style house. Pulling her car into the driveway as far as she could, sheparked the vehicle and gathered her thoughts. "Alright Mitsuki, keep it together. Her husband probably got a bonus, and they saved for this..."Taking a moment to adjust her hair, she stepped out of the vehicle and made the short walk along the path to the front door.

"Knock knock!" She called the words, even as she struck the door.

"Mitsuki, hello." Inko opened the door, a smile on her face as she gave her friend a gentle hug. "Did you have any trouble finding the place?"

"No, but I'll be honest and admit I wasn't expecting you to have moved to someplace so...palatial." Mitsuki looked around, seeing the plush carpets covering up the hardwood floors at points. In the living room, the couches and chairs werearranged just so around the coffee table, with the flat screen TV set against the wall in such a way to provide a good view no matter where you sat in relation to it. The adjacent dining room had more than enough room to comfortablyseat a table for six, with enough room left to set up a kid's table against the wallthat could seat three.

"Oh please, most of our neighbors consider this place a starter home." Inko waved away the praise as she offered Mitsuki the grand tour.

"Your kitchen is the same size as my dining room and kitchen combined." She commented as Inko showed off the marble counter tops and electric range.

"Well, if it makes you feel better..." Inko lead her down the hall, "we only have one bathroom versus your two."

"Two and a half." Her correction was a playful boast, though the wind left her sails as Inko opened the door to reveal marble tiles on the floor, and halfway up the walls. A vanity-style sink and toilet were flush against one wall, while the other wall had a tub and shower combo.

"You have a tub?" Mitsuki had one in the master bathroom, but it was barely long enough for her to stretch her legs out in, even in a sitting position.

"Well, we mostly use it for the shower but-"

"You have a western tub. A tub big enough for three people anda shower? Girl..." Mitsuki blinked, eyes looking to the toilet. "And that looks like one of the imported model toilets."

"Yeah, apparently it's one of the western ones. Has a higher flush capacity than the other models." Inko laughed as Mitsuki pressed down on the handle and heard the toilet flush with thesatisfying sound of rushing wind and water.

"I bet you could flush a towel down this thing..." Memories of 'Chili night' unintentionally made her shudder as she picked up a nearby face cloth.

"Izuku proved we could, and please don't." Her friend seemed to read her thoughts and Mitsuki set down the cloth as she followed Inko out of the bathroom and back to the living room.

"I don't care how modest you want to be about it, but your home is beautiful." She took a seat on the couch as Inko moved to the kitchen to start the tea. "Though please, don't take this the wrong way...But you just don't seem the type to be able to rent something like this." Mitsuki knew Inko would be the first to admit she was a bit of a bargain hunter but...

"Oh, I'm not renting. I own it in full, don't even have a mortgage payment."

Mitsuki was thankful that Inko couldn't see her pick her jaw up off the floor. "Okay, I need to know how this is possible." Thoughts of the twenty years left on her mortgage had her on the edge of her seat. "I mean, sure my house is nice, but to flat out afford all this?" She made a sweeping gesture to encompass everything, "what's your secret? Did you win the lottery? Or does Hisashi now own the company or something?"

"Nope, no lottery winnershere. And Hisashi still had his regular position as far as I know, though his monthly payments of the rent are now going to the utility bills." Inko came out of the kitchen then, a full tea set and a plate of cookies and other pastries on the serving tray before her. "And while it may sound bad, it's actually all thanks to Izuku." The faintest flush appeared on Inko's face, "See, following the misdiagnosis of his quirk, Izu-"

"What do you mean misdiagnosis? I could understand a classification error of a quirk..." Mitsuki blinked, remember a brief debate on if Katsuki's quirk classified as Emission or Elemental, before remembering something else. "And didn't you tell me yourself that Izuku was quirkless?"

"Help yourself." Inko gestured to the cookies as shepoured a cup of tea and offered it to Mitsuki. "And I did tell you that, but that's because the doctor doing the assessment all those years agorushed the process and failed to notice a few things. For example, did you know Izuku is double-jointed in parts of his body?"

"I did not." Mitsuki dropped a couple sugar cubes into her tea, curious now.

"Well, he is. And apparently this can cause quirk possessors to have joints that often mark them as quirkless orgive them the illusion of having them." Inko sighed, "because of that, and remember I mentioned years back that Izuku seemed to have regenerativeproperties? Because there was nothing to back up my observations, the doctor ruled Izuku as quirkless."

"Guessing something happened to change that?" She picked up a lemon wedge and squeezed it, before dropping it into the mug.

"Following an incident at school," Inko took a sip of her tea, and Mitsuki could tell she was debating something, "Izuku felt determined to prove he had a quirk. He spent the next few years documenting every cut, burn, bruise, or other ailment...And none of them caused any permanent harm." The other mother let out a sigh, "long story short, I showed the evidence to the family lawyer, Nirimiya-san, and he felt we had a case. We brought it to the hospital, and they pretty much folded the moment they learned who had done the diagnosis."

"Must have been a nice settlement." Mitsuki took a drink, impressed with Izuku's ingenuity and Inko's resolve.

"More than sevenfigures," Inko smiled, respecting the unspoken rule of not talking about finances in detail. "Along with the proper testing and registration of Izuku's quirk."

"Speaking of that, what is his quirk?" She noticed Inko seemed caught off-guard by the question. "Katsuki didn't mention anything about it."

"Ah, that might actually be my fault." Inko dodged the true question. "After Izuku told me about what happened that day at school, I told hi-"

"What did happen?" Mitsuki's eyes narrowed, suddenly seeming to piece something together.

"Apparently the other kids got word of Izuku's quirkless status and started mocking him about it. After school, Izuku and some of the other boys went out to play in the woods. Apparently after falling in the creek, Katsuki said something to Izuku that made the others turn on him." Though she tried to keep a poker face, Mitsuki could tell Inko had noticed her flinch at the mention of her son. "That afternoon, he came home close to heartbroken...and I gave him the advice to distance himself from those who mock him, especially the ones who seem to do it for their own ego."

"I see..." Mitsuki took a long sip of her tea, gesturing for Inko to continue.

"However, I think he took my advice a little too seriously, and seems to have applied it to most of his classmates." Inko seemed to sense the awkwardness building in the room. "Izuku has told me before that he still sees many of them, Katsuki included, as acquaintances...But doesn't feel he can really apply the title of friend to any of them. As a result, and not wanting friends just because of a quirk, I don't believe he's told any of his classmates about his quirk."

"That's...Understandable." Mitsuki understood the unspoken request for privacy around Izuku's quirk. Instead of asking more, she took another long sip of her tea,trying to recall past conversations with her son about Izuku. "I was wondering why the firecrackerhadn't spoken much of Izuku in recent times. I did ask him about it, but he refused to answer me." A sigh escaped her, "I thought he was just being stubborn but..."

"He's at that age." Inko answered, and starting to feel the same awkwardness building, tried moving the conversation to a more positive subject. "Think about it. If he can grow out of trying to see how much power is needed to make something explode, I'm sure he can mature enough to talk to you about any problems he may have."

Mitsuki let out a laugh, even as Inko's words started to set in. While it might have been due to the fact it was only the two of them, Mitsuki had to admit that Inko and Izuku had a great relationship. Meanwhile, her own with Katsuki was touch and go at best.

"Say, remember that timeIzuku kept bringing items to Katsuki to explode? I didn't think Masaru was ever going to forgive them for ruining his shoes. Ah, good times..." She sipped her tea as Inko brought up another memory of their children together. "Yeah, I'm definitely confronting him about this later..." She kept the thought to herself as the conversation switched from their children to their own lives, to the latest fashion and celebrity gossip. By the time Mitsuki left, she was feeling a lot happier than she had in recent weeks.

However, once she saw her son come home from school, the cloud she had chased away had come back. Katsuki had practically ignored her request for him to hang up his jacket and bag. It took her little effort to compare that display to how Izuku had come home, arriving just as she was getting ready to leave. How politely the younger boy had greeted her, before reflexively putting his bag and coat where they went. She wondered if the difference had to do with how the two were raised, or if it was something with her son's personality itself. Her musings came to a head near the end of dinner, and the cloud that had followed her was now ready to become a storm.

"And then the teacher read off the top scores for the math exam. Stupid Deku knocked me down into third, though I'll give Asako some credit for being able to beat my score."

"That's nice, though speaking of Izuku..." She deliberately referred to him by name, "how is your old friend doing?"

"He's surviving." Katsuki shrugged, seeming content to leave it at that. Mitsuki wasn't satisfied, and pushed for more.

"We're all surviving, but I meant what has he been up to?" She had let it slip the day prior that she had run into Inko at the store, but hadn't gone into details or mentioned meeting with her for tea. "I only got to talk with Inko briefly at the store before I had to pick you up from the soccer game."

"Studying like the nerd he is, while alsotraining like the hero he's not." Another vague answer made Mitsuki narrow her eyes. "What? I'm not Deku's babysitter."

"I'm not saying you are," Mitsuki knew she had to pick her next words carefully. "But I am wondering what happened to cause this apparent rift between the two of you. You used to be so close."

"Ugh mom," Katsuki rolled his eyes in typical exasperated preteen fashion. "It's simple, I've gained better control over my quirk and have maintained impressive grades. Deku meanwhile? He only just started to hit the books to match my intelligence, but that doesn't matter given that he doesn't have a quirk!" The smug smile on his face matched the boastful attitude he was sporting. "I think everyone feels bad for him, because someone started a rumor that he actually does have a quirk."

"Because he does...He just doesn't trust anyone enough to admit it." Mitsuki kept the knowledge to herself, deciding to ask a different question. "Okay. But now what of your other schoolmates who have weaker quirks? Or the quirkless ones?"

"You mean all the other students?" The proud smile grew, "they have a quirk, so that's something in their favor."

"And the quirkless?" Mitsuki prompted again, eyes narrowing as she looked at her firebrand of a child.

"Useless." He shrugged, failing to notice the slightly shocked look to cross his mom's face.

Mitsuki was stunned into silence, unable to believe her son's words. She knew there were many who looked down on the quirkless, and even on those with weaker quirks like Inko's attraction. But the thought that her own son was one of those?

"Well, what of the Hero Public Safety Commision? Or the police?" She brought up some of the most prominent groups she could think of, ones who didn't require quirks, testing the waters.

"Well, they're not completely useless. Some mightstill have weak quirks, but they're all probablygood at something unlike De-"

"Go to your room." The fact that he seemed willing to argue that the quirkless were only useful if they had other skills enough proof of her theory.

"What? Why?" Katsuki's pride changed into anger.

"Because there's all kinds of people in the world, and everyone has their own skills." She met her son's eyes, "quirk status should play no part in how a person is viewed."

"But mom," he slammed a hand on the table. "It's not like Deku even cares anymore. He doesn't even bother to defend himself anymore an-"

"This isn't just about Izuku," she refused to refer to him with Katsuki's derogatory term for the boy and met her son's anger head on. "It's about your dismissalof everyone weaker than you in general. What if All Might dismissed the help of other pro heroes who are weaker than him? Or if Endeavor turned away the fire department? They understand and respect those weaker than themselves." By the grimace to cross Katsuki's face, Mitsuki knew she hit a sweet spot by mentioning some of her son's favorite pros and their behavior. "They help everyone, and accept help from everyone instead of acting like elitist bigots." She prayed Katsuki hadn't seen the latest tabloid that argued otherwise about Endeavor, but had to make a point.

Katsuki tried, and failed to form any sort of coherent sentence to fight against his mother's logic and passive insult of his character. Instead, he expressed his annoyance at the whole thing with a small show ofexplosive power, breaking one of the plates on the table.

"And no explosions in the house!" She raised her voice, unable to deny that Katsuki's bullheaded attitude came from her. "Just for that, I'm extending your punishment to the end of the week. No TV, no video games, and no computer except for school work. You're grounded young man."

"Because I broke a plate?"

"No, it's because you can't accept that sometimes you need to accept others for who they are." Mitsuki picked up a small dust pan and began to gather the broken shards. "I'm hoping this will give you time to think on your stance, young man."

Again, she watched her son's mouth move as he failed to articulate any sort of meaningful argument. She watched her son's hands glow, his eyes alternating between a bloodshot red and angry black. Slamming the table one more time, Bakugo let out an angry grunt and stormed down the hall, the door to his room slamming violently behind him. Mitsuki sighed, one hand coming up to massage away the headache she could feel forming. "While I hope this might open his eyes, I suspect he might just double down...Maybe its for the best if no one tells him about Izuku's quirk."

Letting out another sigh, Mitsuki shook away her thoughts and decided to channel her remaining anger into her cleaning, determined to make her house look just as nice as Inko's.

...

[ November Tenth, X036. Musutafu Commercial District]

…

The Musutafu patrol was known as a 'rookie route' among the underground heroes. Low crime rate, low population density, and within range of Ultra Academy's response team. No matter how puffed up the villain, no criminal with a brain cell wanted to risk fighting off wave after wave of UA interns backed by Pro Heroes. Against such odds, it was no surprise that villains gave the area a wide birth.

However, it seemed that there was a new vigilante in the area. One who didn't understand how the world worked.

The day had started with promises of being a lazy day. No classes thanks to someone in the R&D classes blowing up a wall, and no assignments. Just one man, his empty apartment, and a sleeping bag calling to him with a siren's song of slumber. Too bad Nezu seemed to hate the idea of Aizawa Shota getting excessive sleep.

The man in question had turned off his cell phone, unplugged his home phone, turned off his computer and even turned the volume all the way down on the emergency radio in his home. His hope had been that he could ignore the world and let the hours bleed away in the gentle embrace of Morpheus. The overworked and underpaid teacher/underground hero had underestimated his adversary. A deadly mistake. For as the clock struck the tenth hour in the day, a knock came at his door.

Followed by the loud and rambunctious greetings of his friend and co-worker Yamada Hizashi "Shottttaaaaaaaaa! Are you alive in there? Nezuuu wants a meet-up!"

The apartment of Aizawa Shota was filled with curses, swears, and eldritch gargling at the expense of one sentient rat.

What followed was an hour of forced consumption of lethal levels of coffee, friendly yet lackluster chit-chat, and unveiled loathing of their administrative rodent overlord.

The Principal of Ultra Academy greeted them in the same way he did when he had something underhanded planned, "Good. You're both here." He pushed a pair of folders towards them the moment the pair entered his office. "It looks like there is a new vigilante in Japan. One whom it seems has chosen to ignore the usual unspoken territorial rules and 'operate on our turf' as some would say."

Nezu's eager instructions put the fatigued teacher on guard. He looked across the dossier with a keen eye for details. "Covered from head to toe in black clothes with no identifiers visible. No excessive use of force? Spotted doing community service instead of just crime fighting." Aizawa glanced up at the grinning beast behind the desk. "What's the catch?"

"Yeah!" Hizashi chimed in, "This doesn't seem like something to call us in for?"

"I'm surprised neither of you noticed..." The rat man caged his finger-like claws together, eyes twitching down to the papers in their hands.

Aizawa rolled his eyes, the rat wanted to be dramatic and they had no choice but to play along. "Notice what?"

"No quirk use is mentioned." The fiend stated in a friendly but teasing manner.

"What?" The word came from both men in different levels of enough, a second glance confirmed the idea. No use of a quirk by their vigilante was mentioned in any paper or report.

"So is he using the loop hole to stay out of trouble?" Yamada questioned, "Or do you think we have another Knuckleduster situation?"

"He's not quirkless, or at least Nezu doesn't think so." Shota pointed out, "You have reason to believe that the vigilante has a quirk, but is choosing not to use it, right?"

"That would be correct." Nezu smiled, pleased with the answer. "The Musutafu police department has asked that we… provoke the vigilante, and thus can take him in."

Shota's eyes narrowed, the case too cut and dry for Nezu to be so excited, "Is that so?"

Nezu only grinned at them with that infuriating fang filled look. How a tea obsessed rodent-bear-thing could be so terrifying was a mystery beyond their pay grades.

Thus, that's how Aizawa Shota, pro-hero alias: Eraser Head, found himself hopping from rooftop to rooftop, burning the midnight oil in the off chance of spotting a quirkless pretender vigilante.

Ashe had done a few dozen times since sunset, he double tapped his radio, "Mic, see anything?"

The earpiece in his left ear made a chirp before he heard the over dramatic tones of Yamada's Present Mic persona. "No signs of the newest listener, but I'll keep an ear out!"

It was not the first time Shota wished that Hizashi had picked something a little more quiet. "Rodger that. Moving to the east side. Our boy was first spotted in that area, and I'm hoping he might work in a repeating pattern."

"Ten-four good buddy! I'm moving out west!" Though he couldn't see his partner, there was no doubt in Shota's mind that the man had probably saluted or struck some other pose with those words.

"For fucks sake Hizashi, you are barred from picking American movies for the next three months or so help me god..." Professionalism ruined, the pair split off to their chosen locations.

It took about ten minutes of roof hopping and searching before their black clad helper made his appearance...Cleaning up the contents of a tipped over public trash can. The figure was even taking the time to sort the recyclables that were mixed in. The whole of the situation made Eraser Head pause. There were no cameras pointed at the spot, and being so late there was virtually no chance of witnesses to the charitable act. It was these details that helped the experienced underground hero choose his approach.

Landing softly behind his target, he pressed and locked the transmitter on the radio, ensuring Mic could hear everything. Eraser Head approached with his right hand grasping his capture scarf and his free hand resting at his waste, just over where he kept a knife sheathed.

"Charity work at this time of night?" The hero asked loudly.

To his credit, the mystery vigilante didn't flinch or show the typical signs of startling. "I couldn't sleep. Figured it would be a more productive use of time to help out the community."

Aizawa cursed in his head. The voice clearly belonged to a kid. "Responsible for your age aren't you?" He fished, stalling for a little time as hiseyes appraised the kid. The clothes he wore were new, but the brand names and tags were removed. His movements weren't awkward or slow, so he was honestly wide awake at this hour. The mystery kid's physique was just slightly taller and better filled than the usual gangly build of a young adult. Depending on the face that the cloth was hiding, Shota felt they might have been able to pass for a short adult.

After grabbing the last piece of trash, a crumpled napkin, the disguised figure stood pulling the toppled can with him. "I'd like to think I can be more mature than others my age."He set it within the painted area of the curb that marked the pick-up zone, returning a moment later for the small sorted box of recyclables.

Eraser Head did his best to remain casual, open. Not hostile. However, his muscles were still ready to snap if the kid showed the slightest amount of hostility. "Wouldn't you be better off training for UA if you didn't want to waste your time?"

"Nah, that's still years away-" The kid clasped both hands over his mouth. Shota had gambled, and came out slightly ahead. "Ohhh… That was smart. A casual statement any Musutafu native would have put thought into. Nice. Didn't think you'd go for that angle."

"Glad to entertain." The hero quipped, "Mind explaining why someone 'years away' from hero work is acting the part?"

"Well..." The vigilante childishly tapped the ground with his toes, "I needed to test something about myself. I just wasn't sure how best to go about it. This," he gestured to current situation, "seemed like a good idea at the time?"

"Constructive vandalism is still a form of vigilantism." He decided to play off his winnings. "And you are aware that a vigilantism charge would get you barred from any hero schools, right?"

"I never assaulted anyone, and ensured that the self-defense or bystander-defense laws were in place before acting." The kid answered, voice level. "No quirk use either."

Shota could see why Nezu was interested, he knew actual villainswho weren't this thorough. "And what about interference laws then?"

"Huh?"

"Interfering with police investigations?" Shota held up a finger, then another. "Tampering with crime scenes? Removing evidence?You could get into trouble that way too."

"I don't touch what the police are involved in." The veiled vigilante raised a hand, swearing the truth. "The worst I even interfered with was an active mugging. And wanting to test my limits doesn't mean I don't know where they're at."

"So why play vigilante then?"

"Mostly to meet you?" He said it as innocently as possible.

That didn't stop the fearful chill from coating Shota's back like the reaper's touch. "Meet me? Okay, just two question then. First, of all the heroes, why would you want to meet me? And second, how did you find out that I would be here?"

Proof of age came out then, the kid genuinely excited to explain. It was a sharp contrast to the criminals who usually lost a few teeth before answering anything. "Well, the how was easy. You have a huge following out of the recognizable underground heroes. And you haven't changed your costume in almost a decade, so it makes recognizing you in reports kinda easy." Shota might have been insulted if he actually cared about his appearance. "From that, it was just a matter of weeding out the cases you were involved in. Then looking around the center of the cluster for an active hero patrol route where you've been spotted. From there, it was just a matter of keeping an eye out at night to confirm, or pick another spot based on the same data." Though he couldn't see the kid's mouth, Shota could tell he was smiling. "I mean most heroes stick to comfortable areas that they are familiar with and live close by, plus the HPSC doesn't often assign heroes to tasks away from their chosen spots unless there is a significant need. Please don't take this the wrong way, but as such a niche hero, it's a rarity to hear about you being called on for anything if there are other quirk suppression available. Thus, it was quite easy to eliminate the outliers and narrow the cases a lot."

It didn't matter how innocently or childishly it was explained to Shota, he still shivered slightly as he felt that fearful chill along his spine become a wall of ice. "You still didn't answer why you wanted to meet me."

"That's even easier,"he heard the smile grow, "I want to see if you can affect my quirk!"

It was said so cheerfully, so innocently, naively, as if it wasn't another mystery in dire need of solving. "All this just to have me shut off your quirk for you?"

"Yup!" The kid nodded.

"Really?" Shota hoped Mic heard him set the record for most deadpan response.

"Completely seriously." Again, the kid raised a hand in pledge of truth. "Just zap me or whatever, and I can find out what I wanted to know."

"Fine then." Aizawa wasted no time, and as his ever present glare intensified his quirk activated. His hair flowed back and his eyes glowed a sinister red. "Your quirk should be nullified."

In reply, with no pause, hesitation, and seemingly without regret the kid grabbed the ring finger of his left hand and wrenched it till it snapped. The still unnamed vigilante gasped, no doubt from the pain, but released the digit and watched it carefully. Before their eyes, the digit corrected itself. The covered flesh of the finger writhing under the cloth until it was back to the correct position. The entire time, Eraser's glare never lessened, the quirk-canceling eyes remained glued to the charitable renegade.

"It didn't work." the vigilante exhaled, though whether in relief or regret was hard to say. "My quirk is still working."

Just as quickly as the kid had broken his fingers, revelation snapped into Shota's head. Nezu knew. Somehow, the rat had known. About the kid. His goal...and decided to send him anyways. The single step he took back in caution was all it took for the vigilante to turn back to him.

"This has probably been an inconvenience for you hasn't it." The kid bowed, "I suppose I should say sorry too."

It was awkward, but Aizawa was still reeling from the revelation that Nezu has sent him on purpose. "You just wanted to test your quirk. Like you said, no harm."

"I wasn't apologizing for that. More for this other thing." A staccato of metal tapping on stone was the only warning Shota got before he looked down. A trio of what looked like improvised grenades were rolling and bouncing towards his feet.

He had a moment to flinch in vain before the deafening blast of three homemade stun grenades echoed in the air, the blinding flash taking out his vision. Momentarily helpless, all the underground hero could do was lay at the side of the street cradling his head till his panicking partner arrived.

Hours later, after a trip to the closest hospital for a clean bill of health, a fuming Shota was storming into the principal's office with fury flowing from his recovered eyes.

"Do you want to explain what that was all about?" His normally calm demeanor was still somewhere on the sidewalk back in the alley. "Or should I hand in my resignation now before I lock you in a kennel?"

"Now now, no need to stay angry." Nezu gestured for him to calm down.

"Give me one good reason not to be angry!"

"Because you were in no real danger." Nezu began listing, "Because you now get a hazard pay bonus this month, and you have no injuries to nurse at home. And because you have discovered a new weakness in your quirk without being put at risk by the discovery." The rodent paused, "oh, and because it could be said that I now owe you a favor, and I know you love those."

"Weakness?" The studious calm he was known for seemed to come back just slightly. "What are you talking about?"

"You've always assumed that your eyes could stop any quirk but mutations. But what if I were to tell you that our friend was an Emitter-type?"

"Bullshit."

"I see you've been watching the American films with Hizashi again." Nezu's face showed the briefest smile.

"Don't dodge the question."

The rat shrugged. "Our vigilante friend may be successful at dodging the usual methods of legal trouble. However, this does not mean he can avoid me. Honestly, it was child's play to track him down and learn about his quirk."

"Then what was the point of this?" He gestured to the report still on the desk. "Why send me and Mic if you already know about him?"

"Patience is a virtue Aizawa. Anyways, as it turns out, he is a fan of yours. And after a discussion about your quirk in the forums of your fandom, he was wondering how he could test his theory that your quirk wouldn't suppress his." The rodent showed his true shape. "Hypothetically a fellow forum lurker may have given suggestions leading to his current course of action."

"And the point of this was?" The industrial grade migraine pills the hospital had given him seemed to be wearing off.

"Our mutual friend knows his quirk was misdiagnosed once, I suspect that it was misdiagnosed twice."

...

[ October Nineteenth, X038. Musutafu City Limits]

…

Two years was a long time to obsess over an idea. Game enthusiasts lose interest when the next in a series come out, sports fans get tired of supporting a team after a few losses, and only creepy stalkers fail to get the message that un-returned romantic interests should move on after a week. Izuku never lost interest in his quirk. For him it wasn't a 'I have to live with this, so learn about it' sort of interest. Izuku was determined to find a limit to his outrageous healing quirk and the impossible bullshit it had become since puberty kicked in.

Like every other child living in Musutafu under Ultra Academy's shadow, Izuku grew up with the idea of being a hero for his future career. In his case however, the desire was less out of popularity or profits. Izuku wanted to be a hero because he wanted nothing more than to help people. A problem with this in his eyes was the fact that he, and anyone who knew about it, couldn't seem to get a handle on his quirk or the limits it should have.

People with Mutation Quirks had weird organs, or didn't look fully human. Transformer class would grow new body parts, move parts around, or alter what they had. The third class was the Emitters. People who's quirk effected something specific. Healers and regeneration sub-types fit under this category because of how they were supposed to work. A common requirement is a need for extra vitamins in one's diet or perhaps to need to consume special foods. More than a number of spider-like transformation quirks required their bearer to eat human flesh, a side effect of the spider anatomy's cannibalistic diet.

This knowledge did nothing to help Izuku who had come to realize he had a self-sustaining regeneration quirk. Which was impossible under current quirk theory. After all, he didn't think it was self-sustaining as in some weird byproduct feedback loop. He meant self-sustaining as in his quirk was the fuel to his quirk. He'd tried a few ways of testing this.

It got very morbid, but he learned quick that the usual methods of suicide wouldn't make him do more than plan to clean a non-existent mess. Sleep deprivation was a long shot that nothing could make. He simply never felt tired. Period. Even after spending an entire day at the gym, doing nothing but running on one of the treadmills, could hold his breath for seemingly-ever, all that happened was a tingly light headed feeling and a sudden but short headache for a few moments after he started breathing again. Swallowing three full bottles of extra strength migraine pills didn't do more than make him feel bloated. Most teens would thank whatever god they prayed to that they lived. Izuku spat vitriolic curses filled with his blossoming frustration.

Then came his dumber ideas, each driven to finding a limit he just could not reach. Jumping off a two story building hurt like a bitch for a few seconds before his body knitted back together. Playing vigilante two years prior just so that he could see if a quirk-negating quirk could effect him. Getting bitten repeatedly by a stray dog proved that even with a literally violent bitch trying to tear him apart, he could and would keep going.

Whenever Izuku thought back to the dog, he wondered if he could make it into a metaphor for the disaster that was the connection between him and Katsuki. That was always a philosophical debate that Izuku would shove to the side in favor of figuring out just what it took to kill him. Plus maybe a therapist to make sure he wasn't classified as a Q.I.P.D. case with suicidal tendencies.

All this insanity of obsession, puberty, human stupidity, curiosity, and determination led to Izuku's newest idea on how to test and prove his quirk was an incarnation of bullshit: Exsanguination. Death by a severe loss of blood.

The first idea he had was like many ideas teens have, stupid. Very into the bathtub with a knife and cut to keep the blood flowing, and wait to see how long it would take to feel woozy. Thankfully he never performed such idiocy. Sadly, it wasn't because he thought the idea was stupid, but more because he didn't want to inconvenience his mother and the sight of him bleeding so much might make her worried… So points given for being a good child, and more taken away for being an idiot in the first place.

Thankfully his refined idea was far, far less stupid. Blood donations. As an O-Negative, Izuku was a universal donor. A very desired blood type. So, if he went from donation site to donation site he could help people and if he got a document proving his donation he could have proof to back his claims. Plus if anything went wrong, he would have on the spot medical care available. In his mind, it was the perfect plan.

As Izuku made his way via train to the nearest blood donation center, grasping a medical magazine, he went over the numbers in his head again. "The average adult human has around four-point-five liters of blood. The limit per donation is four-hundred milliliters per eight weeks. So that means I have to make at least twelve donations in the shortest time possible for the most showy results."

The defiant cinnamon roll determinedly gazed at the guide in his hands, complete with marked pages that showed how to get to dozens of donation centers.

"I just have to hope the records don't update instantly, as that could lead to them barring me from donating again so soon..." He looked to the crook of his arm, thankful that his regeneration would block out any signs of bruising or puncture marks. "Though I suppose I cou-"

The tell-tale ding of the doors of the train opening alerted Izuku that his train had arrived. Folding the medical magazine, he tucked it under his arm and made his way down the street to the first stop of many. He passed through the sliding door, and after a moment's scan, found the registration desk. Smiling, he approached the desk, much to the delight of the older woman behind it.

"Hello young man, are you here for the blood drive?" Her eyes flicked to the medical magazine in his hands.

"I am," he smiled. "Though I'm a little nervous, I've never done this before."

"Oh it's a simple proceedure dear." She handed him a pen and clipboard with a piece of paper on it. "Have a seat over there and fill out this form to the best of your ability. Feel free to ask questions if you don't understand something. When you're finished, turn the clipboard upside-down, and one of the nurses will come and get you.

"Thank you m'am." Izuku took the clipboard and moved over to one of the indicated chairs. The form was simple enough: name, age, sex, quirk type. There was also a small questionaire asking about illness, medications, and a few other questions that made Izuku blush slightly. He was in the process of turning the board over when one of the attending nurses had appeared.

"All set sir?" She asked, one hand extended to take the clipboard.

"Yes." He handed over the board and watched her review the information. "I hope I filled that out right."

"You've done better than most adults," she laughed and motioned for him to follow her. "A lot of them don't like to answer the questionaire, or don't know their own blood type. Though we will do a small sample before the full donation to confirm. Is that alright?"

"Of course." Izuku gave a nod and followed the nurse over to a small table that had been set up next to a cushioned lounge chair. On the table, he could see an empty IV bag and line with what he learned was called a cannula. There was also a small analytic machine, what looked like a test strip of sorts and a disposable lancet.

"Have a seat." The nurse gestured to the lounge, and Izuku nodded as he settled into it. "Have you given blood before? Or is this your first time?"

"First time," he answered as the nurse put on a pair of gloves and picked up the lancet and a test strip. "Does that matter?"

"Not at all, though I must say you're awfully calm for a first timer." She laughed, "hold out a hand please? A lot of them will babble like crazy in an attempt to hide their fear. Also, apologizes, but you're going to feel a minor pinch in a moment."

"That's okay," Izuku offered his right hand, and watched as she lined the lancet up with the side of his index finger. "I don't, mind." He heard a faint pop and felt the briefest sting as the lancet broke the skin, followed by the quick touch of the test strip. Intrigued, he watched the nurse slide the strip into the machine as she disposed of the lancet. "What's that for?"

"Analyzer. It will confirm your blood type, as well as tell us some other information..." The machine dinged, and the nurse read the results that appeared on the small screen. "All levels within a healthy range, and type O-negative? Oh wow, you're a universal donor. We could use more people like you." She picked up a pen and labled the empty IV bag before hanging it on a small hook just to the side of the arm rest of the lounger. "And now the fun part, roll up your right sleeve and place your arm on the rest here, palm up." She smiled as Izuku complied, before affixing a velcro strap around his wrist. "That's just to make sure you don't move during the process. Here, squeeze this a moment. And apologies but you may feel a slight pinch again."

The nurse handed Izuku a small stress ball with a bunny-like character on it. He did as instructed, watching as the nurse felt his arm in search of a vein. Finding one, she picked up the cannula along with a small alcohol pad. With a practiced ease, she swabbed the area with the pad before inserting the cannula. Taking up a roll of medical tape, she secured the cannula in place.

"That's all there is to this process?" Izuku asked, eyes watching as his blood flowed from his veins to the waiting bag. "Oh, do I still need to squeze this?" He gestured to the ball in his hands.

"Well, you have to wait fifteen minutes or so after the process is finished to make sure you don't pass out, but yeah, that's all there is to it." She let out a small laugh. "And no, but some people find it keeps their mind off the process. That ball is yours to keep, by the way. It's our mascot Kenketsu-chan on there and our way of saying thank will also be provided with a drink and a snack once were finished here as well. A little something to help you recover from the procedure."

"Thank you," Izuku gave a bow of his head as he looked at the ball. Deciding to play the angle of curious teenage, he asked another question that was on his mind. "Just curious. You said I was a universal donor, yes? Does that mean my blood is more valuable than other types? And if so, can I donate more than the four-hundred mililiters?"

"Yes. In a way, yes. And as much as we could use more O-negative donors, unfortunately not. We don't want to drain one person dry just to help another." She looked to the bag, seeing it was about halfway full. "Not long now."

"Understandable." He noticed then the clipboard with his information on it. "And what happens to my personal information there?"

"Ah, all of that will be entered into the local donor database later today. We're a little understaffed, so that won't happen until after we close for clean up. Don't worry, your personal information will be protected, and the papers destroyed once in the system."

"That's good to know," Outside Izuku remained calm, but in his mind he was having a small celebratory toast. "And do I get any proof of my donation?"

"Normally no, but if you need proof, such as for community service hours for school or something. I can give you a card." She looked to the bag, "and done." The nurse's skills went on full display as she removed the cannula from Izuku's arm and gave him a gauze pad to hold to the spot. He watched the nurse drain the rest of the blood into the bag before closing it off. The used IV line and cannula joined the lancet in the covered biohazard bin as the nurse took the gauze pad from his arm. "And you're all set. If you visit that table over there, one of the volunteers will get you settled in during your recovery time."

"Thank you again." Izuku gave a nod as the nurse took to tidying up and readying her station for the next patient. Moving to the table, Izuku was greeted with a volunteer who looked to be just a little older than himself.

"Hello sir, today's recovery snack is your choice of a honey bunor apple turnover, and a can of either strawberry milk, coffee milk,or green tea. There's also water if you would prefer." He gestured to the snacks before him. "Once you make your choice, take a seat over there." He gestured to a small waiting area with magazines and a TV that was currently set on the news.

"I'll take a cinnamon roll, and a bottle of water please. Oh, and do you have a small bag I can have?" He replied as the man nodded and pulled out a small plastic shopping bag and placed a wrapped honey bun and bottle of water inside before handing it to Izuku. "Thank you." Izuku placed theball in the bag, before opening the magazine to the small map of blood donation centers he had marked off.

"Alright, from here the next closest is Shinjuku-West, then Shinjuku-East." He glanced at his watch, "this took roughly fourty-five minutes...got to be a way to speed this process up."He looked around then, noticing that none of the volunteers or nurses were looking at the seating area. By his count, it had only been five minutes, but since he didn't feel light-headed or anything he decided to throw caution to the wind and slipped out of the room. "If anyone says anything, I'll just say I was looking for the bathroom."Fortunately no one stopped him and he was able to make it to the train station with ease and head off to his next destination.

Going from center to center was how Izuku spent his spare time over the next few days, and the experience was the same at most of them. The only thing that differed was what snacks, drinks, and occasional free gift were offered in exchange for a donation. He had successfully donated three times on the first day, and mastered to hit five places on his second day. To reap the full effect of his efforts, he only drank enough to keep his mouth from feeling dry, and only ate enough so as to not worry his mother.

"I know you think your quirk makes you invulnerable, but you should still eat. Just to be safe." He heard her voice as he eyed the uneaten cup of creamy pudding he had gotten at the last donation center, along with the card proving his donation. By his count, he was down just over two liters of blood.. A normal person would have been feeling light-headed or possibly having dizzy spells by the time the first liter was gone, and would most likely be showing signs of going into shock with the loss of the second. Izuku meanwhile was just dealing with a minor headache, but wether it was from blood loss, or the crying child seated infront of him was hard to say.

"Okay, I should be able to hit one more place before going home. And if I can hit at least another three tomorrow – that should drop me to critical levels." He looked back to his map, seeing the places he had crossed out and those he could still visit. Aside from time, the biggest thing that threatened to stop his exsanguination spree was someone realizing that he was donating blood again too soon. "I suppose I could argue I didn't know about the restriction, they might let it slide if it happens at one of the centers further away from home...Just so my trip wasn't for nothing."He blinked, another thought coming to his mind. "And if they don't...Well, at least I helped save a few lives, right?"

He smiled at the thought, knowing that his donations would help someone, even if it didn't help him out. Midoriya Izuku was one-hundred percent certain that nothing troubling could possibly come from donating blood.

Oh, how little he knew.