5 Months Ago…

The bloody, battered boy sits in the corner of the police station, a shock blanket wrapped around him as he nurses a warm cup of cocoa in his hands.

A plain looking man in a trenchant walks away from him, heading to Shouta with a look of confusion and worry mixed on his face. "Well, I was able to get a name at least, Izuku Midoriya. Kid went missing about four years ago, nearing five. Outside of that, I'm not gonna get anything out of him. Whatever he went through, it'll have to be spoken slowly over time to anyone he trusts to know."

"I understand. What about his parents? Have we been able to contact them yet?" Shouta asks, getting a shake of the head in response from the man.

"He lived with his mother over in the Skywalka Apartments. Attempts to contact her have been met with dead phone lines, and the apartment manager said she moved out two years ago. We presume she moved in with her husband, Hisashi Midoriya, who lives out of the country. We asked Midoriya about his contact info, and the kid started shaking. I don't need a lie detecting quirk to figure out that the kid isn't exactly okay around the man, so until we can find a way to contact his mother, it looks like he'll need to be looked after." The man explains, placing his hands in the pockets of his coat.

Shouta looks over at the boy, slowly sipping away at his drink. His eyes look almost devoid of life, only the faintest hint of a spark left behind them, and his face holds no reaction to the drink, untelling if it's good or bad. He's gone through a lot, and while Shouta can barely begin to understand what that was, he does know where the boy is right now.

It's the same spot he was in when his friend passed away.

"I'll take him in." He says, surprising the other man. "It's clear he's going through a stress induced response to the world around him, and has likely been affected by whatever happened to him in those four years. I've been in a similar state of repression before, and know how to manage it, as well as have enough income to support him and send him to a proper therapist." He explains, his face dropping into his capture weapon a bit. "It's only logical."

The other man lets his face remain static for a moment, before he clears it away and nods. "Of course. Being close to someone who has gone through this before could help, and you are trusted around teens. I'll start on the paperwork to make you his guardian. Text me if you need anything else, okay?"

"Understood. Thank you, Naomasa."

The man nods, before walking off, leaving Shouta and Izuku alone.

The two meet eyes, and the man can only wonder if he's made the right choice.

Present

Shouta opened the door to Izuku's room, a box of donuts in arm.

It was always odd, coming in here. For years, it was just an empty room, no need to put anything in here, since Shouta lived alone. But when Izuku became part of his life, he had to very quickly adjust it to be the boy's room.

The walls were painted in a forest green color, chosen by Izuku because he said it helped him sleep. A small desk was off to the side, a laptop on top of it, alongside a few hero figures. The dresser was off in another corner, close to the closet, where clothes rest in each.

Finally, the bed sat against the back wall, Izuku still resting on top of it.

Shouta let out a small breath, walking over to the desk, and placing the box on it. He walks out of the room afterwards, heading out soon after.

"So, how's the listener at home doing?" A blonde man in a very leather heavy outfit asks, leaning against a desk. A woman with blue hair leans over as well, looking at Shouta with interest.

"He's… He's going through a rough patch right now." Shouta says, knowing full well that if he tries to dodge the question, the two would just follow him home to find out for themselves. He doesn't want to deal with their pestering, and he doesn't want Izuku to be around their hyper action right now, much as he admits these two are his closest friends in the world. "When we went to get my license renewed a couple weeks ago, he had a run in with someone from his past. He wasn't seen, but it still shook him up pretty badly. He's regressed a little, but I'm trying to get him back up and going again. He talked about going on a walk later today, and I think it might do him some good."

"Aw, I'm sorry to hear that." The woman says, sitting up right. "It's always hard having to deal with the past, especially considering he's been through what I can only assume is a lot."

Shouta nods, looking at a picture frame on his desk. It's of him and Izuku at an amusement park, about a month after they met. The kid hadn't been to one since he was four, and Shouta wanted to make sure he got to go and have some fun. He's pretty sure that was the first time he saw Izuku crack a real, full teeth smile, and not the small little grins he'd see now and then.

"Still, if the listener is feeling under the weather, why don't we get him something nice? I'm sure he wouldn't mind a little pick me up." The blonde man says, getting a glare from Shouta and the woman. "Or maybe not."

"Hizashi, much as I'd adore seeing the kid, an event that barely happens as is, we can't just smother him in affection and hope that fixes everything. He has to go at his own pace, just like the rest of us. He's just… In need of more than most people we know." The woman says, shutting down the attempt.

The man, Hizashi, nods, going back to his own seat.

"Thank you, Nemuri." Shouta says, getting a nod back from the woman. His eyes drift back to the photo, and his mind wanders to the status of the boy.

Izuku steps out of the apartment, wrapped in a black leather jacket and a red scarf, as he lets out a shaky breath. It's been a couple of weeks since… And he hasn't exactly been in a good mood.

He looks at his hand, and clenches it into a fist. The circuitry beneath his skin pulsates with light for a moment, quickly dying out. He glares at his fist, and remembers the events from before.

The ripples that resisted the attacks. The weakening resistance as he dug his hand through the sludge with increased force. How easy it was to tear it apart when he put in just that tiny bit more effort.

The exhilarating rush he felt when he kicked the villain apart.

Izuku places his hands into his pocket and begins to walk, wanting to clear his mind.

The scenery becomes a blur, not because he moved quickly, but because Izuku just didn't care enough to pay attention. Building after building passed by, and the occasional person did as well. The area he and Aizawa lived in was pretty quiet, so luckily, there weren't a lot of people to run into.

Except- "Ah, we meet again young man!" A cheery voice exclaims, Izuku turning to see…

"The guy from the tunnel." Izuku says, watching as the blonde man walks up to him.

"I was wondering if I would ever see you again." The man says, a smile on his face. "I wanted to treat you for helping me back then."

"Ah, that's not necessary." Izuku shook his head. "I was just doing what anyone else would do, that's all. Besides, it's not right if you do something only for the sake of being rewarded."

"And that's precisely why I would like to treat you. You helped me then, and I really just want to return the favor. Every young man deserves a good meal after all." The man says, his smile persistent as he looks at the boy. However his expression changes to that of intrigue, as he sees the rather dull and lifeless expression on the boy's face. "Hm. Perhaps, this could instead be a return of the favor. You look rather troubled, young man, perhaps some conversation and a meal could help."

"Ah, no, it's nothing to be worried about. I just- Woah!" And before Izuku could properly reject the offer, he found himself being dragged away by the man, who apparently had some very incredible strength.

"Now then, I believe if we are to talk best, introductions are in order. My name is Toshinori Yagi." The blonde man speaks, sitting across from Izuku at a nearby restaurant.

"I'm Izuku Midoriya." Izuku responds, bowing a little as he speaks.

Yagi's smile returns. "Now then, tell me what ails you, Young Midoriya."

"It's nothing, it's just…" Izuku looks at Yagi, who gives him a concerned look. The green haired boy lets out a sigh, as he pulls up his hand to look at it. "I did something recently, something that I thought would make me happy. It did, for a brief moment, but now… Now I just feel like all I did was in vain. I want to help people, but is it really helping if I still feel like a monster afterwards?"

Yagi hums and nods, crossing his arms. "I see… Tell me, Young Midoriya, have you ever heard of the Kamen Riders?"

Izuku tilts his head, answering the man's question.

"They're considered more of a legend these days, folk heroes from before the time of Quirks. There's evidence to both prove and disprove their existence, but in the end it comes down to belief, and I personally believe in them." Yagi explains, placing his elbows on the table between them, as he clasps his hands together. "A close friend of mine is the one who told me about them. In essence, they were heroes who fought to protect the life of the planet, whether it be in the shadows or in the light. There were many of them, each with their own title, but there was a bond between them that stretched through the ages… A bond of tragedy."

Izuku watches as Yagi looks down, almost like he was mourning. "Of course, we all go through our own tragedies, but it is these ordeals that shape us, just as it did them. Many of these riders were no longer human, according to hearsay. Of course, that's all conjecture. Technology is fickle after all. But even so, if we are to interpret these stories as just that, stories, then there is a moral there." Yagi looks up, smiling at Izuku. "That even through our hardships, life is worth living, it is worth fighting for, that we can be stronger than who we were. Regardless of whether we are human, or not. You choose your route, and if it is the route for the sake of others, I think things will turn out alright."

"I think any action can change who we are as people. Whether it be a stranger running in to save someone's life." Yagi pulls a napkin from nearby, and hands it to Izuku. "Or a boy handing someone a tissue, because he's worried about them."

Izuku looks at the napkin, and smiles, watching as the man pulls it away, and the waiter puts a bowl of katsudon down in front of him.

And it looks great.

"I'm home." Shouta speaks, as he enters the apartment. A smell enters his nose, a good smell. He follows it to the kitchen, and his eyes widen a little in surprise as looks inside.

Izuku is cooking something on the stove, a small pot before him, as he adds a few spices to it. A small blue and white striped apron is wrapped around his clothes, as something is splattered on his cheek. He turns his head, looking at Shouta with a smile. "Welcome home." He greets the man, as he stirs the pot a little.

"You're making dinner… I didn't know you could cook." The man speaks, as he watches Izuku waft up some of the smell in his nose.

"The professor put a lot of knowledge in my head, not just combat stuff. I could always cook, I just… Didn't have access to it. When I got home today, I just suddenly remembered a bunch of recipes. I looked through the pantry and the fridge, and we had just enough for me to make a simple chicken ramen." Izuku replies, reaching up into a cabinet and pulling out a pair of bowls. "I'm not exactly sure why I remembered it. I just did. But I'm glad I did, because I can do a little more around home now."

Shouta lets out a sigh. "Kid, you know you don't have to do anything. I'm the one who should be taking care of you."

"I know, I know. It's just… I met someone today that I had met on that same day." Izuku says, as he puts some of the ramen into a bowl. "He remembered me, like I remembered him. And, when we talked… I remembered a part of my childhood."

Shouta looks at Izuku in a bit of surprise. The kid never spoke about his time before the incident. The offhand comment about his mother, sure, but his actual experiences? He was secretive, as if he was ashamed of or hated his past.

"I remembered sitting down in front of a laptop, watching the same clip of All Might, over and over again, the debut of his golden age costume." Izuku reminisces, as he prepares the other bowl. "The fire that swept through Shibuya during the meteor shower all those years ago. How he went inside, and despite his own injuries, saved all of those people. That had nothing to do with his quirk, the only part that was was when he helped to put out fires with bursts of wind. He… He still put himself in harm's way to help other people. I remember watching that clip, announcing he was there, and thinking… 'That is what I wanna do. I wanna help people, no matter what. I wanna be like him, a hero, who can smile simply because he helped someone.'" Izuku tears up a little, as he places the bowl down. He curls his hands into fists, before placing his curled up fingers against the counter before him.

He looks at Shouta, a shaky smile on his face, and with bloodshot eyes, the veins far too straight and narrow to be biological. "Even knowing I was quirkless, all I ever wanted to be was a hero. Shouta… Can I be a hero?"

Shouta looks at the boy, before slowly moving over to him, and wrapping him in a hug. "Of course you can. You can be a hero."

Izuku smiles, before hugging back, crying into the man's shirt.

5 months ago…

Sitting in the burning remains of a warehouse, Izuku held a charred and bloodied lab coat in his arms, the right eye of his helmet cracked. His sobs echoed into the night, as his anguished screams went unheard.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" He shouts and screams, as he looks out amongst the wreckage and rubble. Shattered pipes and broken tubes littered around, various man-like beings with beaks turned to goop as not a trace of life was left behind.

Izuku lowers his head, his cries continuing, as he tries to get closer to the lab coat. "I'm sorry…"

"I'm sorry I couldn't save you."

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