The Hero fell into a nearby alleyway.
He'd spent the last thirty minutes chasing this slippery Villain and was running out of steam. Literally.
The large shape coughed into his arm and sped further into the alley out of the eyes of the public. He couldn't let anyone see. They'd believe he was trying to head off the Sludge Villain. It was for the best that no one saw him look like this...
The Pro Hero stumbled. His shape was morphing, shrinking and then it was like a smoke bomb went off in the alley.
A small, frail, blonde haired man tripped out of the smoky cover and landed hard on his hands. Toshinori Yagi cursed as another wave of nausea and pain intermingled. He puked blood all over his hands.
"Damn it all." Toshinori Yagi wiped at his baggy pants. His clothing was far too large for him to wear in this state and it wasn't like he could transform anymore today. But he had too. One more time at least. He had to stop that Sludge Villain. A guy like that with a Quirk like that spelled disaster for all he came across.
But Toshinori was getting old. It wasn't something the Pro Hero liked to think about. But his body certainly loved to remind him especially in times of crisis much like this one. Nedzu had called him in the middle of lunch last week to talk about the matters of succession. Toshinori was getting old and his body was getting weaker. He knew it, his friends knew it, but most of all... One For All knew it too.
His Quirk. One For All, passed down by his Master and her's before her. An invaluable gift meant for greatness. And Toshinori felt like he was spoiling the very essence of the Quirk with every labored breath he took.
He was nothing at all like he used to be. Not like when he was in his prime back in the days when he'd run with his good old pal Dave. The days before he'd put down All For One for good. The day he'd taken this injury...
Toshinori grunted and heaved as he lifted up a manhole cover.
His chest was flaring up again at the sudden physical labor but he had to keep pressing on. He had too. Because he was...
Because I Am Here!
It was a long time ago...
The winter season had struck Japan and most people with common sense stayed indoors where it was warm. Others braved the streets in heavy wear to transit to their choice of workplace.
A blonde teenager ran through the snow along the streets. He ran through the downtown and he ran through the suburbs. People watched as he'd run to the frozen beaches and back to the train stations. He ran passed a group of children dancing on a still pond and he dashed across the cold black top.
He ran until he was hard of breathing and his legs burned like never before. He wanted to puke so bad but he clenched his stomach and held it down. Just a bit further...
The fourteen year old ran and ran until he was falling and falling...
Someone caught the boy before he could hit the ground. Warm gloves held his sides and strong arms lifted him upright and held him firm so he wouldn't fall over. The teenager felt dizzy, his eyes were all over the place, focusing in and out of view.
"Woah, there! That was quite the workout young man!"
A voice...
"But you should be more careful."
It was a woman's voice. Soft and gentle but still carrying a bit of a scolding air to her words. Long dark hair tied back into a ponytail. And a smile so wide and bright it warmed Toshinori's cold skin.
Toshinori dropped down into the sewers. The first thing to hit him was the foul stench, the second was the impact from landing. It wasn't the first time Toshinori had resorted to using the sewers for transit. It was something he had become accustomed to ever since his time limit became an issue. No one could know his secret. No one could know his burdens. He had to carry the world on his shoulders. Because…
Who else would do it?
Toshinori ran through the sewers. He felt out of breath and his lungs were already burning. His eyes were stinging but he had to keep going. Why?
Because, I Am Here!
Toshinori almost snorted.
Once he found the trail of sewage, Toshinori slipped once. Then again when he found an opened manhole above him.
"Put on that smile, Toshinori," he spoke to himself.
Without a second thought he leapt upwards as high as he could. In the air he called upon that power burning dimly from within and transformed into a Hero.
All Might landed outside the sewers and didn't hesitate when he saw the young school boy in the Villain's hold. All Might smashed the Sludge Villain into pieces with one, "Texas Smash!"
The boy was falling. Gravity was bound to give the boy at least one minor injury. All Might was faster and caught the boy rather gently despite his oversized form. He laid the boy down and noticed some items spilled from his backpack. Now what kind of hero would just leave this here for the kid to pick up? The kid had just been attacked for goodness sake!
While picking up the boy's items with super speed he caught sight of a Hero Notebook. Notes On How To Be A Hero. All Might made sure to sign one of the pages for the little fanboy. It was the least he could do when he owed the boy so much. It was All Might's fault the boy was even caught up in all of this… if only he had been faster… if only he wasn't so…
All Might began scooping up the unconcious Villain into the only container he had available and suitable for capture. A soda bottle. He was kind of surprised the large Villain could fit into the little bottle. Quirks were a really incredible thing.
On the off hand All Might wondered just how much good one could accomplish with a Quirk like this one. What a waste of a Quirk.
All Might turned to leave. He had to leave. He was running out of time. But…
The boy still hadn't woken up yet…
All Might kneeled over the green haired boy and did the only sensible thing he could think of. He slapped the kid. Not hard mind you, just a storm of silly light little slaps. Enough to cause a very minor discomfort. He was aware with his insane power that a normal slap from him could shatter buildings.
After a moment the boy began to wake.
And All Might felt uneasy around the kid.
Most kids when meeting with All Might were excited, falling over half dead and giving All Might the scare of his life thinking he'd just killed someone.
But no, not this kid…
The green haired boy looked up at All Might with something akin to- anger.
Maybe the kid had an overabundance of pride. Most youngins who aspired to be Heroes were a little too arrogant in their abilities. It was something he had known growing up Quirkless.
"All Might," the boy began. "I have a question for you." The voice was bland and almost monotone in quality.
All Might wanted to cringe away. But he owed it to the kid to not appear uncomfortable. But he still had to leave. His time was running out. He could feel One For All fading already…
"I'm sorry, but I've got to go! You know the drill! The Number One Hero is always on the move! Ever vigilant!"
All Might leapt up into the sky but not before the kid grabbed onto his legs. He actually tried shoving the kid off of his legs until he realized that the kid would die from the fall. All Might was powerful and when he leapt from the ground he was like an airplane taking off. Right now the two were soaring well over the highest buildings around.
Damn it…
All Might felt the blood well up from his injury. It hurt. It hurt way too much. He'd pushed his body and Quirk too far. He was going to transform. He couldn't, but with the kid so close. He couldn't…
The two landed on a rooftop.
All Might told the kid that he needed to get the Villain to the Police Station. But the boy was adamant. All Might waved to the boy but stopped when he heard the boy's next words.
"I know. I know your secret, All Might."
All Might froze. But the kid couldn't know about his secret. Was he bluffing or… "I'm afraid you must be confused-"
"I know about your injury," the boy went on. "How you took a fatal injury during a big battle. I know you only have a little time every day to do Hero work."
All Might's mind was racing. Who was this kid? How did he know? Did he have connections with All For One? One of his other enemies? Just who was this young man? And what did he want with this blackmail? Money? Status? Power?
"I want something from you."
All Might coughed up blood and his form gave out. A blast of smoke expelled from his skin as he shrank into his sickly form.
Toshinori wiped at his bloody lips and gave the kid a look. "If you think that you can-"
"I want you to answer a question."
A question? What kind of question? If the boy already knew about his secret? What else did he know about? And what didn't he know about that he wanted to know?
How did he know?
"Listen kid," Toshinori sighed. "I don't know what kind of trouble you've gotten yourself into."
Who told the kid?
"But," Toshinori went on. "Perhaps you should keep quiet about this… secret."
Was it an Ally or an Enemy?
The boy looked up at Toshinori and his eyes were blazing. The boy was angry. Has Toshinori done something wrong to him? Or did the boy just have something against Heroes? But then why did he have a Notebook on How To Be A Hero?
Was it him? Was it All For One? No, I killed him. I killed him! But…
Toshinori was about to call somebody. Maybe Nedzu to dig up everything he could find on this kid.
"Do you actually believe that you're a Hero?"
Toshinori blinked.
The boy stared up at him from across the rooftop.
And the words hit Toshinori. And it hurts. Because they were the same words, Toshinori questioned himself some nights. All thoughts of All For One fled when he noticed that the boy was hurting too. That same look that Toshinori held. Contempt, stressed, and overwhelmed.
How could some kid understand Toshinori's feelings of worthlessness?
But he did.
And Toshinori saw that.
"I, Kid…"
The boy watched Toshinori, waiting.
Toshinori breathed. "When I was your age… their was no Symbol Of Peace. Fear ran more rampant. Few people were happy. We all looked to those who could smile."
Toshinori remembered his Master.
He could almost smile.
"I wanted to become that person for everyone to see. For everyone to feel safe knowing that if the strongest, most active Hero can still smile after everything… then everything must be fine."
The kid started at Toshinori and spoke his mind. "But everything isn't fine." He pointed to the blood on Toshinori's sleeves. "You're hurt. And you hide your hurt behind a smile. You pretend to smile, that isn't the same as smiling."
Toshinori nodded at the boy's words.
"Who could ever believe in a fake smile like that? I can't believe I fell for it like everyone else. Nothing is fine! You can't be a Hero for more than an hour a day! You can't keep everyone safe! People still die!"
Toshinori wanted to correct the boy and say, 'less than an hour actually.' But he knew it wouldn't be appreciated. He sighed and looked longingly at the sky.
"You're right, Kid. People still die. People die every day. And there's little I can do about it."
Toshinori couldn't see it. But the boy's expression slackened at the truthfulness of Toshinori's words.
"I can't be everywhere at all times. I can't be there to save the day. And I can't be there to say, 'I Am Here!' But that's what a symbol is for. People look at me and think no, believe that they are safe. And that's all that matters."
"But that's wrong. What about the people who you can't save. It's not fair to them."
"Kid," Toshinori looked away from the bright blue sky. "The world is never fair. If it was…"
He didn't need to explain it to the kid. He understood it just as much as Toshinori. And Toshinori realized just why the kid was so angry with him.
It was because All Might hadn't been there at one point to save the boy or someone the boy knew. He hadn't been there…
And that hurt too.
It hurt so much he wanted to break down and cry at the sight of the kid before him. He could, couldn't he? The boy knew so much already, what was a couple tears?
But no. Even now. Toshinori would stand tall, even if a little slouched. Nobody could hold up a supermodel form forever after all.
The kid was still watching Toshinori. Finally he nodded. But he had one last thing to ask.
"How do you keep doing what you do? How can you keep saving people? Knowing that you can't save everyone. That somewhere out there, is a person like me out there?"
Because I'd be damned.
Toshinori threw on his cape and rushed out into the city he had to do something.
He helped evacuate as many civilians as he could.
When he felt and heard the explosion.
"Just stay out of the way, please, Toshinori."
He felt so useless, powerless. But he had to keep going. His Master believed in him. And these people…
Toshinori glanced away from the child in his arms and towards the collapsed building where those people had been…
He had to keep moving. He had to.
When he evacuated all of the survivors, Toshinori leapt into battle.
The cry of surprise from his Master and the curse from Gran Torino was enough to know that he'd get the scolding of a lifetime from both of them when this was all over.
Nana Shimura said something to Gran Torino and he was off. And tackling Toshinori out of the area!
No!
He struggled. He had to get loose. He had to fight. He had to help her. Gran Torino had to help her. They had to save her!
And when Nana Shimura looked back at them. She didn't weep. She didn't look angry. She just smiled.
Toshinori tried to struggle against his homeroom teacher. He shouted towards his Master. And realized it was the last time Toshinori would see his Master.
That smile.
It would haunt him till he avenged her.
Toshinori felt old. "Because if I stop. Then who's going to pick up where I left off? I have to keep doing all I can until I can't anymore. That's what it means to be the Symbol of Peace. Even when people fall through the cracks, I have to keep moving. I may not be able to save everyone, but if I can at least save one more person before I'm done. Then it'll be worth it."
And with a heavy heart Toshinori left the boy on the rooftop. It wasn't what the kid had wanted to hear. But Toshinori couldn't tell him what he wanted to hear. The boy's faith in him was shaken. It was best to reaffirm that faith with some truth. Even if it hurts.
Toshinori had forgotten all about the Sludge Villain until later that evening. So caught up in his own emotional turmoil… but by then it was too late…
Izuku's eyes hadn't left his shoes after All Might's last words. He felt the tears pricking the corners of his eyes and he blinked. That wasn't at all what he had wanted All Might to tell him. But it was the truth.
Izuku wanted to chase after the Hero and tell him all of his problems.
But his Quirk wouldn't let him.
And Izuku hated it.
Izuku Midoriya had thought he had understood hate. He had grown up his whole life without knowing his own Quirk. He hated the way people looked down on him. But he never held it against them. It wouldn't be right to.
But his Quirk? He hated it. And Izuku held it against his Quirk.
"This was pointless."
Izuku was crying now.
"A waste of time."
Izuku crept towards the rooftop's edge.
"Why couldn't he have told me something encouraging. Something to help me. Something to…"
He was so useless. All Might was so useless. Kaachan was so useless. Everyone was so useless. Izuku couldn't die, at least not permanently but it didn't make him strong. All Might was a titan, but he still couldn't save Kaachan. And Kaachan was amazing but not amazing enough to save himself.
They were only human. Each and every one of them. That was what people forgot with the coming of Quirks. People stopped seeing each other as people. People began judging others by their Quirks, holding them up to high expectations.
And it was expectations that had broken All Might. Izuku saw that. And Expectations were breaking Kaachan.
Izuku was so angry with himself. He was the only one who could save either of them. No one else had his Quirk. It was Izuku's responsibility.
But why try? Why try when he was just going to fail?
It was as All Might had said.
He might not be able to save everyone. But even if he could save just one person, it would be worth it.
So why not give up on Kaachan?
Why not just let him die?
Because Izuku couldn't. It wasn't in his character to let anyone die.
Izuku chose not to jump off the rooftop. The day was still young. He could still save Kaachan.
Izuku found the alley where he had first died. The one where Kaachan had been attacked by the Sludge Villain. Where all of the Heroes had been. But oddly enough no one was here.
The only thing Izuku found was a soda bottle filled with green slime. And two eyeballs.
Izuku dropped the bottle. Almost let it hit the ground before catching it.
This couldn't be…
But it was. The Sludge Villain glared up at Izuku from within the bottle. And Izuku glared down at the Villain. This was the thing that had been killing him and Kaachan? This tiny little?
Izuku was angry. He almost considered taking the Villain home and boiling it on the stove. But…
As angry as he was…
That wouldn't be Heroic. He would take the Villain to the Police Station and be done with this nightmare.
But he was trapped in a bottle. How did it escape? How did it get to Kaachan?
"What the fuck is this?"
Izuku heard the familiar voice and stood still. "Kaachan?"
Walking through the shadows of the alley, approaching Izuku was Kaachan and his two friends. His friends looked nervous while Kaachan looked really pissed.
"K-kaachan?"
"Damned nerd! What are you doing? Are you stalking me now?"
"What?" Izuku was indignant. "No I was just-"
An explosion rocked Izuku and he stumbled. The bottle slipped from his hands and dropped towards the ground.
Izuku fell on his rear and stared in horror as the pressure from the landing caused the bottle's lid to pop off.
"And what was that earlier today at the school? Huh? Think you're tough shit? Fucking Deku! I don't know what got into you but you gotta-"
Kaachan stopped his ranting when something green slipped from the bottle. And the thing grew and grew…
Izuku was the first to move. He threw a fist as the Sludge Villain and watched in dread as his fist sank into it's slimy body.
The Sludge Villain glanced at Izuku. "You idiot. But I don't need you. Not when I have the perfect skin suit right in front of me!"
The Sludge Villain turned towards Kaachan and Kaachan snarled. "Skin Suit? What the hell are you? You fucking freak!"
Kaachan's two friends went running.
Izuku wasn't sure but it was almost as if Kaachan was hesitating. But that couldn't be it.
Kaachan sent a right hook forwards and set off a huge explosion from his palm. The explosion did manage to blow some of the Sludge Villain apart but it also sent Izuku flying into a window. Izuku cried out as his hand was stuck with a shard of glass.
Kaachan wavered at Izuku's cry and muttered something when the Sludge Villain acted on Kaachan's hesitation.
Izuku screamed internally as Kaachan got himself captured. You Damned Idiot! I had this under control! This was the one! I could have saved everyone! He was sealed away! This is all your fault! You idiot!
Izuku gripped the sharp broken piece of glass in his hand.
The Sludge Villain had wrapped itself around Kaachan. Heroes were arriving as a reaction to Kaachan's explosions. Several fires had started and Izuku grimaced.
It's not my fault. Not this time. I could have saved everyone. Turned this guy into the Police…
It's not my fault. It's Kaachans.
Izuku heard the cries and shouts of heroes, yelling at him to get out of there. Izuku ignored them and jabbed the piece of glass into his neck.
Kaachan ceased his explosions for a second to stare at Izuku. Even the Sludge Villain looked surprised. One of the Heroes was charging in now, catching Izuku as he fell. The blood. There was so much. It hurt.
Izuku coughed up blood and glared at Kaachan.
This is your fault!
Izuku Midoriya died.