"Well, Izumi, how do you feel? Do you feel stronger now that you have a Quirk?'
Bright green eyes shined with happiness. "Yes, yes! I feel like I can protect people now, Papa!"
"Protect people?" Hisashi Midoriya knelt down, an eyebrow raised. "Why would you want to protect them?"
The five-year old in front of him tilted her head in bewilderment. "What else would I do?"
The white-haired man sighed. "I see... you still don't understand just how advantageous you are, Izu-chan. Just how... wonderful you are. That Quirk inside of you is thrice as strong as it was supposed to be, and I have an idea as to why. It would, of course, be easier to just take out of you, but my damn Quirk with its limitation..." The man sighed. "I don't want to do what I'm going to do to you, Izu-chan. But you want to help Daddy, don't you?"
Izumi was confused, but she recognized the last sentence as a question. Her smile was bright. "Of course, Papa!" She leapt forward and hugged the man, his scarlet eyes seeming truly apologetic as he closed them and embraced his daughter. "I love you, Papa."
"And I love you, Izumi." A certain switch seemed to be flipped as a dark smile spread across the man's face. "You're incredibly valuable to me."
"It's nice to meet you, Young Midoriya," Toshinori Yagi greeted as the two were left alone in the classroom together. "Watching you in the entrance exam was incredibly impressive."
Izumi crossed her arms, confused. "I beg your pardon?"
All Might smiled. "Well, you were the top scorer, of course. But more importantly, you received the most rescue points out of anyone in the exam, despite the fact that your Quirk wasn't very suitable for rescue. You used it incredibly intuitively, even to your own detriment, just to get other people out of harm's way."
A myriad of emotions passed through Izumi's face - hope, disgust, pride, annoyance, and more before finally settling on inquisitive. "That means a lot to me, coming from the Savior of Japan." It was one of All Might's older epithets, bestowed due to the massive decrease of crime after his original appearance.
"You know, Izumi, he's called the Savior of Japan."
All Might quirked an eyebrow up at the line. "Oh, a fan?" He teased, causing the girl to flush as she took a moment to answer.
"Something like that," She intoned. 'Oh, yes, I know your history very well, All Might.'
All Might smiled. "I'm glad to hear that. It's always nice to meet a fan." He, of course, noticed how her answer was not a 'yes', but he already knew she didn't like him. That was no surprise. "I was hoping you could explain your Quirk a little bit more to me. It was very interesting that you chose to pull the lights out of the ceiling rather than simply turning them off while fighting with Young Tokoyami," he led.
Izumi bit her lip. "Geez, you noticed that quickly, huh?" She flushed. "I can only pull things towards me or away from me. And it's only a small area, really. I can only really focus on an area that's about four inches in diameter," she started.
"Per finger?"
"Hm?" Izumi tilted her head before realizing what the man was asking. "Y-yeah," she laughed nervously. 'He's observant...' The thought came with a certain amount of derogatory connotations. "It really depends on distance, and I have a pretty low weight capacity," she explained. "The closer something is, the harder it can be repelled, and the farther away something is, the easier it is to pull, although the weight gets exponentially higher."
All Might nodded. "So that meant you had to use multiple fingers to help protect people, I see, I see... You're very skilled with your Quirk," he offered. "A type of skill that usually only comes with real-life experience." Izumi narrowed her eyes, ready to dissuade the man if necessary. But he suddenly sat back in a casual manner. "I bet your father trained you very well."
Stiffness rolled through Izumi's body. 'So, he does-' Fight or flight kicked in, but any adrenaline was cut off as All Might continued.
"Aizawa-san is a very demanding teacher even to his students, I can hardly imagine what his training regimen for you is," All Might offered a smile. Izumi blinked. '... Oh. Alright then.' There was still an edge to her features, but she forced herself to subtly calm down. 'That father.'
"Yes. Dad and I trained most days while school wasn't in session." She technically wasn't lying. 'It wasn't the only training I did, but that's all you asked about.' After a nasty run-in with a cop with a lie-detection Quirk a few years previous, Izumi had learned how to weave half-truths and white-lies into her answers. She didn't particularly enjoy lying... but that didn't mean she wasn't good at it.
All Might smiled. For some reason, it made Izumi want to trust the man, and it was setting her off-balance with her learned hatred. She wanted to hate him, and also wanted to like him. Why couldn't things just be straightforward? "The fruits are very evident. The difference in skill between you and many of your classmates has already been seen. Young Tokoyami was another one of the high scorers on the exam, and also has a Quirk that possesses a unique advantage over yours."
Izumi attempted a natural smile. "Thank you, All Might-sensei. Coming from the Number One Hero-"
All Might held up a finger. "Not the Number One Hero. Right now, in this building, my most important title is teacher."
"If he's the Savior of Japan, isn't he supposed to save you? Isn't he supposed to protect you? Protect your mother?"
Izumi suppressed a snort. 'That was so cheesy.' She thought. "Alright. Coming from my teacher," she tried again, "that means a lot. Especially with how much experience you have with hero students and other heroes."
The hero beamed. "Of course, Young Midoriya! I must say, though..." His smile dropped towards a look of concern. "Your fighting style seems heavily sorted towards quick incapacitations. Against some people with Quirks that boost durability or protect vitals, you would most definitely be at a disadvantage."
Izumi bit her lip contemplatively. "That's true..." She perked up. "Oh, but I do have a weapon!" All Might leaned in inquisitively. "Mhm. I use a staff for w-when-" she stuttered, revising her statement on the fly, "-for when Dad and I train," she laughed awkwardly, scratching her scalp. She would prefer that the school didn't know about her vigilantism for as long as possible.
"Oh, I see," All Might nodded. "You are aware you can bring it to school, hm?"
Izumi blinked. She hadn't known that. "Eh? Ah..." She flushed, trying to think of what she wanted to say. It probably wouldn't be good if she had both her Telekinesis Quirk and her weapon at school, it would be way too easy to connect her to her vigilantism. "A-ah, I wouldn't want the rest of the class to think I have an unfair advantage." She tossed out. "Like you said, I'm already at a higher fighting caliber than most of them, some would probably be upset if I was given more advantages..."
All Might scratched his chin. "Ah, I see, I see... Yes, that would probably lead to some upsetting scenarios, seeing as how competitive class placements are." He became serious. "Young Midoriya, there is a reason I asked you to stay behind with me."
"Eh?" Izumi blinked and tilted her head to the side, blowing her green curls out of her eyes.
All Might nodded, his smile coming back. "Yes! You see, many of the lessons taught this year during heroics seem to be concepts that you have already mastered through your training with your father. So, rather than stalling your improvement, I would like to offer you advanced classes outside of school."
Izumi's eyes widened. Whatever she had been expecting, it most definitely had not been that. But at the same time, it sounded almost perfect... except the fact that it could lead to some awkwardness if the rest of the class found out. "That sounds wonderful, All Might-sensei. Who would I be training with? My father?"
"Nay! You already have plenty of experience with your father's combat style and teaching methods. Rather, you'd be learning with me."
Izumi walked out of the room two minutes later, slightly dazed. Only as she got into English with Hizashi and handed him her late excuse note did she fully grasp what had just happened. Not only had she just had a normal, relaxed conversation with the man who was the reason her mother was dead, who she had vowed to hate until he died, she had just accepted spending eight hours a week training with him. She softly banged her head on her desk, making a few people look at her. "Fuck."
TW for rest of chapter - Mild torture, moderate-to-severe PTSD. There will be a large gap of space when it's done.
"Tell me, Izumi, where is your Savior? Because... I don't see him here." Hisashi Midoriya questioned.
Izumi sobbed loudly in response. "I'm sorry, Papa... I'm sorry..."
"Oh, Izu-chan..." The words sounded sickly sweet coming from the mouth of the demon that inhabited her father's body. "It's not your fault. You didn't do anything wrong... It's all my own Quirk's fault, you know. I can't take Quirks from my own family members. I couldn't do it for my brother, for that damn Power Stack, and since it's transferred by DNA, I can't do it for any of his successors, either. That means I can't take it from you, either. But it's not your fault."
The words did nothing to assuage the girl's tears. "P-please... stop..." She begged. Blood was beginning to drip off of the operating table as it pooled from her leg. "I-I'll do anything, p-please..."
Hisashi's loving, if demented, smile slowly faded to a scowl. "Do. Not. Beg!" He commanded, Rivet Stab activating and piercing her arm. "You are going to be a princess! An empress! A goddess! And goddesses do not beg to mortals. I can't stop, Izumi. Not now. I won't stop until I have your Quirk. Awakening all of the Quirks in my collection... I would truly become unstoppable. We could become truly unstoppable."
"N-no!" Izumi defied, sobbing intensifying as the pain . "I-it would k-kill you, Papa!"
All For One growled. "I am immortal!" He howled. "I have given you your mother's Quirk! I have given you All For One! You have access to all of the power in the world, and all I am asking for in return is a tiny, little Quirk! Don't you want to help your Daddy?"
Izumi stared at him for a moment, comprehension breaking through the pain in her eight-year-old eyes. She was quiet for a moment, her chest heaving from the sobs she was keeping in. Finally, she spoke as evenly as she could. "Y... You... You're not my... You're not my Papa. You're the d-dev... devil..."
The Lord of the Underworld was quiet for a moment. "Don't say that, Izu-chan. You are my daughter."
"You killed-"
"ALL MIGHT KILLED YOUR MOTHER. WHERE. IS. YOUR. SAVIOR?" A suffocating presence filled the room, choking Izumi and silencing the mumbling Kyudai Garaki who was analyzing the girl's blood in the corner of the room. "IF ALL MIGHT IS SUPPOSED TO PROTECT YOU, WHERE IS YOUR HERO? IF HE WAS SUPPOSED TO PROTECT YOUR MOTHER, WHY IS SHE DEAD? ALL MIGHT IS THE REASON YOUR MOTHER IS DEAD."
ALL MIGHT IS THE REASON YOUR MOTHER IS DEAD.
ALL MIGHT IS THE REASON YOUR MOTHER IS DEAD.
ALL MIGHT IS THE REASON YOUR MOTHER IS DEAD.
ALL MIGHT IS THE REASON YOUR MOTHER IS DEAD.
ALL MIGHT IS THE REASON YOUR MOTHER IS DEAD.
Izumi shot awake. She had been having more of these nightmares - these memories - in the past few weeks. From before she had escaped. She sat up and rubbed at her eyes. Blinking them open sleepily, she stared at her scarred arms. Her hands. That damned Quirk of hers. No, she hadn't been born Quirkless. But, somehow, she felt like it almost would've been better if she had. Maybe then, her father would've stayed as Hisashi Midoriya. Maybe then, her mother wouldn't have been killed by [ALL MIGHT].
Izumi groaned and clutched at her head as the thought flashed into it. 'No! That's not what happened! She was killed by [ALL MIGHT]!' Her traitorous mind refused to cooperate. Her own thoughts didn't feel like her own, and she knew why. She just wished she could do something about it. Every time she tried to accuse her [ALL MIGHT] of killing her mom, 'All Might' popped into her head instead. And it hurt like a bitch.
The green-haired girl stumbled into the bathroom, keeping the lights off. Ambient light filtered through from her bedroom anyway. Deep bags were set under her eyes, and said orbs were bloodshot and puffy. Had she been crying? She scrounged around for some anti-migraine medication. Finally, her fingers locked around a bottle and she quickly swallowed two pills. She squeezed her arm hard enough to feel pain, allowing it to distract her from the rhythmic pain thumping in her head.
'Breath in. Hold. 1, 2, 3. Breath out. 1, 2, 3. Breath in. 1, 2, 3. Breath out.' She thought, keeping her eyes closed. After what was either a few minutes or a few hours, she opened her eyes and stopped squeezing her arms, the pulsating sensation finally going into remission. She shakily stood up to turn the bathroom lights on, but after managing to do so, her legs were still shaking so hard that she took a tactical retreat back to the floor, shuddering.
She wanted to curl up and cry. She stared at her arms again, cursing her Quirk. Not either of the ones that had been implanted into her. Her Quirk, which, by itself, would be absolutely useless. But, combined with All For One, with the ability to take Quirks... the Quirk that passively Awakened all of her other Quirks was simply... godlike. She hated it for all the power it gave her. She didn't want to be the strongest, goddamnit. She hated it for everything it took away from her. She just wanted her family back.
She wanted to cut it out of her body. But, she remembered, it would all be for naught. She traced some of the fainter, finer scars on her skin. No... that had already been tried. Her right arm crept down to her the base of her spine, near her waist. She twinged as it connected with the deep scar tissue there. It wasn't even scar tissue, really. It was a tattoo. A branding. A reminder of who she was. Who she belonged to. What her purpose in life was. How important those markings were. Those two numbers... "Zero-zero." She whispered to herself. A name. A title. A... Goddess.
Izumi Midoriya slowly pulled herself to her feet. Today was Class 1-A's first field trip. Hopefully, everything would go normally. For some reason, though, she wasn't holding out too much hope.
"After initial Quirk manifestation, it is possible for the user to undergo an "Awakening" later in life. The right emotional catalyst can cause Quirks to evolve on the spot. This results in one's Quirk gaining a new level of strength and/or new aspects to its nature that were previously not possible." - My Hero Academia Wiki, "Quirks".