EMBERS
CHAPTER #1:
UNKINDLED FLAME
Fire Force, My Hero Academia and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice belong to their respective authors, creators and publishers.
Early Afternoon
-Kinuta Park, Tokyo-
It was a perfect afternoon in the busy city of Tokyo.
Sunny weather, but not too hot.
Despite being the weekend, the park was practically deserted, except for those who were there for a run or working out, for the elderly who are used to feed the birds in the park or the couples who wanted to spend some time together in the open air.
Attacks, or more generally crimes, committed by Villains were also practically non-existent that day.
An almost perfect afternoon indeed.
Almost...
In the children's play area within the park, there was a young woman. She was in her thirties, with black hair reaching her shoulders. Her eyes were bright yellow, almost gold. She was wearing a white pleated blouse, khaki pants, and flat brown shoes with short heels.
The woman, sitting on one of the many benches, sighed.
She was looking at the sandbox, in particular to the small girl who was by herself. She was the splitting image of the older woman, except that her hair was tied into short twintails. She was alone. No one was approaching her.
The other kids avoided her.
Maybe bringing her to the park had been a mistake.
However, she had promised her best friend that she would take her daughter to the park so she could finally meet her son.
She had only seen the baby through photos, and he was absolutely adorable! She had begged her friend to organize a play date to introduce their respective children, especially after her little girl became the pariah of her school.
"Mph... idiots..."
She thought bitterly.
Unfortunately, her friend was never able to find some time to see her in person, much less take her son with her.
.
.
.
.
.
And it was certainly his fault.
Before another bitter thought could form in her head, the woman felt someone approaching, and turning around she noticed two figures walking towards her.
One was a man.
He was very tall with dark green hair tied in a ponytail. He had bushy black eyebrows and a black goatee. A scar ran down the left side of his face, from his forehead, through his eye to his cheek. His clothes, an elegant black suit, did little to hide his powerful and imposing physique.
Certainly his most distinctive feature were the rimless red sunglasses that hid his eyes.
The other figure was a woman.
She was a beautiful young woman with a slender yet well-endowed figure. She was fair-skinned with sharp, intelligent green eyes with long eyelashes. Her hair was also green and straight, kept shoulder-length with the exception of a clump of short bangs hanging above her forehead, and was styled in a half-up-half-down bun.
She wore a traditional white women's kimono, decorated with a green floral pattern.
At the sight of the two, the woman on the bench jumped to her feet and threw herself into the other woman's arms.
"INKO-CHAN!"
She exclaimed while holding the woman, Inko, who laughed heartily in response, returning her friend's embrace fondly.
"Hana-chan! It's been ages! How are you?"
The woman from before, Hana, released Inko, taking her hands in hers.
"I should be asking you that! When was the last time we met?! Four months ago?"
Hana shook Inko's hands lightly as she replied.
"I'm fine, thanks! I'm really happy to finally meet you again! A shame Mitsuki couldn't join us!"
Hana's beaming expression faded as suddenly as it had sprung.
"If anything, how are you?"
Inko couldn't help but notice what Hana was really alluding to.
"I..."
Inko hesitated. Hana felt guilty for diverting the conversation to such unpleasant topics, but she had to know!
.
.
.
.
.
Four months.
Four months alone with him.
Four months alone with that monster.
The man accompanying Inko, noticing the grim change of subject, stepped forward.
"Hey, I'm doing great, thanks for asking, Hana..."
The two women turned to him, staring at him for a few seconds.
Then they burst out laughing. The man just rolled his eyes, but even he couldn't help but a small smile from forming on his lips.
Hana was the first to calm down, approaching the man to hug him.
"Sorry, Jin! But I had to give priority to your little sister!"
"Gee thanks... It sure is nice to be used as a carrier pigeon among housewives."
Inko chuckled again, slapping him playfully on the shoulder.
"See, nii-san, it's because of that attitude of yours if you're still single!"
Jin shrugged.
"I'll have you know that I'm a bachelor by choice."
The three laughed again.
This was nice.
Then Hana's face lit up even further, reminding herself of something vital and extremely important at the moment.
She turned to Inko with an almost crazed expression on her face.
"Where's the little splash of rainbow that you call son and that I'll call my future son-in-law?!"
Inko choked on her own spit, agitated.
"Hana!"
The woman in question laughed heartily.
"Sorry, I couldn't resist. It's just that I've been waiting for so long to meet little Izuku!"
Hana inched closer to Inko, whispering in her ear.
"However, I wouldn't mind if he and my little girl were to... y'know...~"
Before Inko could argue, Jin spoke.
"Well, he sure doesn't waste time."
When the two women turned to him, Jin gestured towards the children's playground.
While the three adults talked, the little girl from earlier sat on the edge of the sandbox. She was wearing a white sundress and yellow sandals on her dainty feet. Next to her there were small toy tools, made especially to play with the sand, but she didn't seem to care.
The wind picked up as she kept her eyes to the ground. Children ran around playing games yet none paid her any attention.
She didn't mind.
She didn't want anyone to approach her right now.
She felt a ball roll over to her feet causing her to move her attention towards it. Getting up, she picked it up. It was a blue rubber ball with fractal like designs in various shades of violet, blue and red. She stood up with the ball in hand and tried to approach the other children who had been playing before.
At least, she tried to do so...
When the other children saw her approach, they too took a step back. Their expressions were a mix of terrified and angry. Seeing their expressions and actions, she stopped and hung her head low.
She tried to hide how she felt but she could feel her face twist into a sad expression and tears stung and threatened to fall from her eyes.
It had always been like this.
Children her age had always been scared of her. It stung to know that they will never approach her. They were terrified of her...
Of her Quirk.
Or at least, what in theory should have been a Quirk.
But it wasn't.
It was a curse.
It all started with petty jealousy and snide remarks.
Then came the bullying.
Her indoor shoes being hidden from her.
Her books and notebooks were thrown into the trash.
Her desk had been vandalized.
Trash had been thrown at her.
They called her names.
They spread rumors.
At first she told the teachers about it and they did try to help her, but all it did was make the other kids more discreet. That was also when they started to push her around. At first it was a simple bump in the hallways.
No problem, she could handle that.
But they began to escalate; trying to trip her in the classroom, food discretely flung to her at lunch in the cafeteria, then, they tried to intimidate her.
That was when she learned that kids can really be cruel.
It was after school one day when some kids grabbed her and brought her to the back of their gym. They tried to threaten and intimidate her; to hurt her.
That's when she had decided that enough was enough. She didn't want to take it all anymore; all the bullying, all the stealing, all the name calling, it was all enough.
So she fought back.
Punching, kicking, she beat them back and stood her ground. Against boys that were larger than her she was doing remarkably well. It was also then that her "Quirk" ran rampant.
It was a feeling like something was building up within her. A slap to the chest of one of the bullies who had raised a fist to punch released a small burst of flames.
It was a small, but it was hot enough to burn through his shirt and skin. The older boy released a cry of pain as he fell on his knees and clutched his burnt chest. A first degree burn at the most, in the shape of a starburst, visible on exposed skin.
The other bullies, shocked and scared, took a step back. They had not received their Quirks yet, and looking at the flames dancing in her hands, they doubt that it would even help.
That was the first time she had been called to the Principal's office. After the event came to light, her bullies had been severely punished and she was given a slap on the wrist seeing as what had happened was a consequence of her "Quirk" reacting to a stressful situation.
This did not help her standing with her peers.
Since the teachers are keeping a closer eye on them after they had learned the extent of their bullying, punishing those who were caught harshly, they instead took to ignoring her altogether.
This is how it was today. No one wanted to talk to her. No one wanted to go near her. No one wanted to play with her. She was...
Lonely.
It wasn't her fault.
They didn't need to hurt her.
Sitting back down on the swing with the ball still in her hands, her head dipped and hair covered her eyes even as frustrated tears ran down her cheeks.
It wasn't fair, she thought. It had been a long time since anyone from her peers spoke to her. This empty feeling in her chest, she wanted it to go away.
Her eyes were scrunched closed as she tried to stop the flow of tears. She didn't want to give her peers the satisfaction of seeing her cry, thus she did not notice the shadow that stopped by her feet.
She flinched and opened her eyes when she felt cloth touch the corner of her eyes. What she saw was the brightest green she had ever seen. They shone with the light of concern even as he dabbed an All Might themed handkerchief on her cheeks.
"A-Are y-you alright?"
His voice was soft and gentle, despite the stutter; like the playful winds of spring. He was young, the same age as her, most probably.
Surely, she was surprised. This was the first time someone her age tried to talk to her. She tried to reply but months of social isolation led her to become unsure of what to say. She could only open and close her mouth awkwardly.
The boy took no note of her strange behavior and continued to wipe her cheeks free of tears. In truth, he had seen what happened to the girl in front of him. He had seen how she was isolated, how no one came near her.
Her lonely expression, the hunch on her back, somehow he knew that this was not how she was supposed to be. Finished with cleaning her face from tears, he looked into her glimmering golden eyes. If no one wanted to help her, then he will.
His hand reached out before her face. He smiled as he took in her puzzled expression.
"H-Hi...! D-Do you w-want t-to be my friend?"
His question surprised her.
Her eyes widened in disbelief.
For so long, she had been without a friend as they had abandoned her once they saw her "Quirk"; when their envy and fear overrode their promises of friendship. She saw his bright eyes that held no deceit, his wobbly, yet genuine smile that told her that he was sincere with his offer.
She held out her hand to his even as she felt her eyes wet with tears once more and her chest aching as if something empty had finally begun to be filled.
"C-Can I? R-Really?"
She sniffled as the feeling of loss and loneliness began to lift and a fluttery feeling replaced it. It was warm and fuzzy, like a blanket covering and hiding her from the cold.
It felt like hope.
"Sure!"
He grabbed her unsure and hovering hand with his. She could feel the warmth of that hand reach out to her core filling her body with something she could not yet describe.
"My name is I-Izuku Kamiya! What's yours?"
Forlorn clouds lifted...
"T-Tamaki Kotatsu. Nice to meet you, Izuku!"
… and a smile brighter than the sun lit up on her face.
The two children played together, talking, laughing and joking. The arguments were of the most disparate.
Favorite color. Favorite food. Favorite Hero.
They enjoyed themselves without a care in the world, completely losing track of time.
The three adults watched the scene unfold with big smiles on their faces. Hana had to wipe unshed tears of happiness a couple of times after finally seeing her daughter happy after so long.
.
.
.
.
.
But sadly, all good things must come to an end.
"Midoriya-sama."
A monotonous, cold and sharp voice came from behind the bench on which the three adults sat.
The reactions were different for everyone.
Hana gasped in fright, before turning to the unknown voice.
Jin seemed to remain impassive. But one could clearly see that he was clenching his teeth within his shut mouth. His fists were closed so tightly that the crunch of his bones would be heard at any moment.
Inko instead...
*siiigh*
… breathed a long sigh. Her face, formerly relaxed and radiant, immediately darkened with frustration.
She stood up, adjusting the folds on her kimono.
Then she turned to the voice.
Behind the bench stood a group of people. About a dozen, men and women.
They all wore the same crimson red suit.
They were all lined up side by side, like army soldiers standing at attention.
.
.
.
.
.
And they all had the same mask covering their faces.
Inko narrowed her eyes at the individuals.
"Yes?"
One of them, a woman, stepped forward, and bowed.
"Midoriya-sama. I'm sorry to have to interrupt your activities, but it's time. You have to come back."
Jin jumped to his feet, placing himself between the woman and his sister protectively.
The woman in the mask raised her head.
"Ah, Jinemon-dono. What a pleasant surpri-"
"Too bad it's not mutual."
He spat venomously. The woman remained impassive, but he continued.
"What is the meaning of this?! We had an agreement!"
The woman in the mask rose from her bow. She tilted her head, confused.
Jin pressed further.
"He gave his wor-"
"He didn't make any such promise, Jinemon-dono."
Jinemon saw red.
"Bullshit! Tell him that he ca-"
"Enough, Jin."
The man turned behind him. Inko was there, with an expression of utter defeat on her face. She walked past his brother, approaching the woman.
"Tell my husband I'll be with him right away. Let me say goodbye to my friend first, please."
The masked individuals looked at each other, pondering what to do. Until then they started staring at the three again.
The woman from before bowed again.
"Very well, Midoriya-sama. We will be waiting for you at the car just outside the park."
She got up and walked away with the other masked individuals.
A gust of wind passed between the three remaining adults, accentuating the heavy silence that feel between them.
Jinemon seemed to be shaking with anger, but calmed down before turning to the ladies.
"Inko, I'll join the others at the car. Don't take too long..."
Then he turned to Hana.
"Hana... I..."
"It's okay, Jin."
Hana walked over to him, hugging him again. This time more tightly. He reciprocated, and he heard her whisper in his ear.
"Please... protect them both..."
The two separated, and the man walked away.
Only Inko and Hana remained now, but before the two friends could say goodbye, they were interrupted by a jovial little voice.
"Mom! Mom!"
They turned, noticing Tamaki running towards them as she held Izuku by the hand, literally dragging him in front of the two women, as if the little girl was making an offer to her mother, or asking if she could keep a newly found puppy.
"Mom! Auntie Inko! I wanna marry Izuku! Can I marry him?!"
At this question, the two women looked at each other before bursting out laughing.
Inko was the first to recover and replied to her friend's daughter.
"Of course, Tamaki-chan! Why don't you ask him?"
The little girl smiled like a beaming sun, turning to Izuku and hugging him warmly.
From that moment, their paths got linked with each other. And they wouldn't get separated no matter what...
!MORNING IS HERE!
!MORNING IS HERE!
!MORNING IS HERE!
!MORNING IS HE-*click*
"Ugh..."
A young voice grunted.
From a large bundle of blankets, one arm had extended to silence the deafening alarm of an All Might themed alarm clock, before retreating into the comforting warmth of the sheets.
He glanced at the display to read the time.
06:00 A.M.
"Oh my God... I'm hating my 3 A.M. self right now..."
The figure under the covers remained motionless for about ten seconds, trying to absorb as much heat as possible from the futon, before throwing off the blankets.
He sat up.
The room was completely dark save for a few rays of sunlight that filtered through the blinds.
The figure stretched, yawning, cracking several joints and letting out a satisfied moan.
However, before he could get up to begin his morning routine, an elderly voice came from outside the door to the dark room.
"Young master, are you awake?"
The figure from before stood up.
"Yes, Yuri. *yaaawwwn* I just got up."
He heard a murmur of approval from beyond the door.
"Very well. You better get ready, your friend will be here shortly."
The figure nodded, gathering his things to start the day.
"I'm on it, thank you. You can join my uncle downstairs, I'll be with you shortly."
"As you wish, young master."
The other voice answered in gratitude, then walked away. After a few more minutes of preparation, the figure left the room to head to the bathroom.
*gshhht*
The shutters were raised fully, flooding the room a little with the morning light.
It was a rather large room. The floor was covered with traditional tatami mats, and in the center of it was the unmade futon on which the previous figure was sleeping. Near the window was a desk with a laptop on it and various school materials: books, notebooks, notes; everything was perfectly organized and in order.
In front of the window was the figure from before, who had just pulled up the blinds and now had opened the window to ventilate the room.
He took a deep breath of the morning air, sighing serenely.
"Today is a good day."
He was a teenager of average height, his face framed by a long mess of fluffy dark-green hair which stood up at odd angles around his head, casting noticeably dark shadows onto itself. His hair, tied securely into a manbun, were still a bit damp from the shower he just took. His sharp and confident eyes were the same green color as his hair. He had a set of four symmetrical freckles in diamond formations. He also had a small cross-shaped on the right cheek and a small one on his chin.
But the most distinctive scar was the one on his left temple, which reached his forehead.
Then there was his body.
Despite his young age, his physique seemed that of a warrior tempered by the fire of a thousand battles. He was remarkably muscular and well defined, with several scars here and there.
This was Izuku Midoriya, fourteen-years-old.
He turned to the futon.
"Well, let's get started."
After putting the futon back in its place and dressing in a regular black gakuran, Izuku went downstairs, passing through the large interior of the traditional Japanese house he was in.
Upon reaching the sliding door to the living room, where his uncle was probably waiting for him for breakfast, Izuku opened the door...
"Good morning, unc-"
*whack!*
... but was hit in the face by a flying slipper.
"Ow."
"You're late!"
The slipper slipped (no pun intended) from Izuku's face, leaving a clear red imprint on it.
Izuku sighed with exasperated fondness, addressing the attacker.
"Good morning to you too, Tamaki. And no, I'm not late. You are early. Again..."
In front of the boy stood Tamaki Kotatsu. Izuku's best friend, confidant and sometimes unwanted companion of misadventures.
In the years since their first meeting in that park in Tokyo, Tamaki had grown into a beautiful young woman. Despite the growth spur she underwent, she was still quite short, being 5'2'' tall compared to Izuku's 5'8½" (which led to incessant teasing between the two). Her long hair, now reaching her mid-back, was tied into her now trademark twintails.
At the moment, she was wearing a common sailor fuku, and was pouting indignantly at Izuku.
"Semantics! And since you look like a zombie who just crawled out of his grave, I bet you spent the whole night training! Again!"
Izuku sheepishly scratched the back of his neck, averting his gaze.
"Guilty as charged. I was having a hard time falling asleep, so I decided to practice my kata a little bit rather than waste time staring at the ceiling."
He instinctively placed his hand on Tamaki's head, starting to caress her affectionately.
Tamaki blushed.
"Izu... n-not in front of your uncle..."
"Mhm?"
"Ah, how nice to be young..."
"...!"
At the sound of the new voice, Izuku withdrew his hand and stiffened.
Looking past his friend, Izuku noticed a man sitting at the low table in the middle of the living room.
Jinemon Midoriya, current patriarch of the Midoriya family.
Physically, he had remained the same as several years ago, except for a few small traces of white hair on his thick dark green locks.
He was wearing a green jinbei, and as usual, his eyes were hidden by his red sunglasses.
The adult, who was drinking green tea from a bowl, turned to the two.
"Come on, lovebirds. Yuriko will be here shortly with breakfast. Hurry up."
Trying to avoid further embarrassment, Izuku and Tamaki sat down at the table, side by side. Soon after, the door slid open, bringing in an older woman who brought food to the table.
When the old lady noticed Tamaki at the table, her face lit up.
"Ah, Tamaki-chan! Good morning!"
Tamaki's response was to jump up and wrap the woman in a big hug.
"Yuri-chan!"
This woman is Yuriko Hirata. She was a woman who was nearing her eighties, with long gray hair held together in a bun and kind brown eyes. Her face, as well as her hands, were covered with numerous and deep wrinkles. Although she was told several times and insistently to retire and spend her last days in peace and quiet, she always refused gracefully. Her family has always served and helped the Midoriya family since time immemorial. Yuriko in particular was first Jinemon and Inko's caretaker, and now Izuku's.
Yuriko smiled tenderly at the affectionate nickname Tamaki has been calling her for years, stroking the girl's hair.
"Come on, sweetie. Let's join the others."
"Mhm!"
Thus, the makeshift family sat down at the table. Breakfast passed peacefully, the four talked about the most disparate topics, laughing and joking in between.
Until Izuku's night training came out...
"Young master! Staying awake so late is not good for your health!"
"Right?! Tell him too, Jin!"
"As much as I hate joining the ladies' side against you, I find myself compelled to agree with them, Izuku."
Izuku rolled his eyes.
"Would it appease you to know that I dreamed of my first meeting with Tamaki?"
Silence fell in the room.
"Even tough it's strange... I can only remember the moment we talked to each other and then played... Yet it seemed to me that there was more to it... weird..."
Izuku frowned, trying to remember, but to no avail.
Meanwhile, Yuriko, Jinemon and Tamaki cast worried glances at each other.
Until Jinemon decided to change the subject, using the legendary tact he was known for.
.
.
.
.
.
"Was it a wet dream?"
*AGH!*
*PPPFFFFFFT!*
When asked the slightly inappropriate question, Izuku choked on the rice he was swallowing, while Tamaki spat out the water she was drinking.
Yuriko, even though she struggled to hold back a chuckle at the reaction of the two teenagers, scolded Jinemon.
"Jinemon Midoriya! Would you say something like that in the middle of breakfast?! In front of two ladies, no less!"
"Well, I see a lady..."
"Excuse me?!"
Izuku and Tamaki, after recovering and calming down, decided to finish breakfast right there and leave the house to head to their respective schools, letting Jinemon and Yuriko roast each other in peace.
After promising Tamaki that he would join her outside the house, Izuku retreated to a last room, the innermost of the Midoriya Abode.
Once in front of the sliding door of the aforementioned space, Izuku took a deep breath, as if to calm his nerves.
Then he entered.
It was a large room. Completely bare, except for the tatami on the floor and the only piece of furniture occupying the room.
.
.
.
.
.
A butsudan Buddhist altar.
Izuku approached the altar, kneeling in front of it.
Then he looked at the photo placed inside it.
He smiled tenderly, bowing his head.
.
.
.
.
.
"Hey, mom."
Having paid his respects to the shrine dedicated to Inko, Izuku and Tamaki were now on their way to school.
Despite Tamaki's insistence on her mother, she was unable to convince her to enroll her in the same middle school as Izuku, having instead to go to an all-girl school, Naboo Junior High.
At the moment, the two were on the road when Tamaki noticed the large cylindrical bundle hanging from Izuku's shoulder. The cloth that covered it was nothing more than glorified bandages.
She sighed.
"Seriously...? You spent all night with that thing and now you're taking it to school too?"
Izuku raised an eyebrow at her friend, puzzled.
"You know I never go out without it."
Tamaki jokingly nudged him, earning a fake "ow" from the boy.
"Boys..."
Izuku chuckled, but before he could retort he was suddenly startled by a loud crash. Turning their heads, both teenagers were surprised to see a giant Villain standing on top of a railway while a bunch of Heroes kept the people away.
"Wow, that's one big Villain!"
Izuku couldn't help but grin as he rushed to the front of the crowed to watch the fight.
"H-Hey! Izu! Wait!"
Tamaki ran after him, catching up with her friend shortly after. Izuku was already struggling to document what was in front of his eyes in one of his famous notebooks.
"Size Enhancement. Transformation-type Quirk. Increases the user's size immensely to the point of being nearly 50 feet tall. Best counter: strike the knees and legs, toppling the giant over."
Izuku though as he tried to get closer, but Tamaki held him in place.
"Sometimes I wonder where he get those notebooks from..."
She thought.
As she tried to stop Izuku on his tracks, she started to hear people talking. Apparently the so called 'Villain' was nothing more then a handbag thief who was cornered by the Heroes.
Once Izuku was done with his notes, he looked up and his eyes widened as he saw who was fighting the Villain.
"Oh, it's Kamui Woods, one of the rising stars among Heroes!"
Izuku exclaimed in excitement while Tamaki rolled her eyes fondly at her best friend's nerd side coming out.
The two then noticed Kamui Wood was about to use his Quirk, making Izuku take out his notebook again.
"Arbor. Emission-type Quirk. Able to produce vast amounts of strong and durable wood from the body, mostly the arms, best used for long range fighting but can be used to trap opponents. Counter: fire would be best used against a wood base quirk, it may also be possible to cut through the wood. "
Izuku wrote down in his notebook, unknown to himself he was muttering out loud before he turned back to the fight.
Kamui Wood pulled his arm back as wood started to grow, the hero was preparing for a big move.
"Lacquered Chain Prison!"
The Hero yelled as wood started to surround the Villain.
But just before the wood could trap his opponent a giant woman came flying in and kicked the Villain in the face, sending him flying.
"Cannon Canyon!"
Tamaki felt her jaw drop at the scene while Izuku raised both of his eyebrows. Then they both started hearing a lot of clicking and shouting. Looking to their left they saw over a dozen photographers taking pictures at the newly arrived Hero. Looking back Izuku could see why.
"I just started today!"
The woman said while bending over in a seductive manner and showing off her... "assets"...
"The name's Mount Lady! A pleasure to make your ass-quaintance!"
"Well... they do say that first impressions matters..."
Izuku thought before bringing out his notebook for the third time.
"Gigantification. Transformation-type Quirk. Able to grow in size to about 70 feet in height in an instance, great for close range combat, also surprisingly agile given her size. Damage done to giant form may shrink as well when changing back to normal height. Yet this Quirk seems to cause a lot of collateral damage, casing more damage than Villains, also it can't be used inside buildings or in tight places. Counter: strike the knees and legs and/or aim for the eyes, toppling her over. Can also aim for the back of the neck for a clean knock-out."
Izuku muttered while writing everything down in his notebook.
"Izu... your pen is begging for mercy..."
*scribble* *scribble* *scribble* *scribble*
"Damn it..."
Tamaki was forced to drag Izuku behind her, holding him by the collar of his uniform, while he was still intent on obliterating his pen to write down as much as possible in his notebook.
After about ten minutes, the two finally found themselves in front of the gate of Izuku Middle School, Aldera Junior High.
Izuku, who was intent on fixing his crumpled collar, turned to Tamaki.
"I don't understand why you insist on accompanying me to my school if you have to backtrack to get to your own..."
Tamaki put her hands behind her, starting to sway back and forth in place.
"Assurance. I don't want Bakugou and his lackeys to bother you or start something. As long as I'm here they wo-"
"KOTATSU-CHAN!"
"TAMAKI-CHAN!"
"LIGHT OF MY EYES!"
"Oh hey, look. Speak of the devil..."
"Ugh... For the love of..."
Tamaki rolled her eyes so much that she could almost see the inside of her own skull.
Growling slightly, she turned, noticing a bunch of boys from Aldera. They were all staring at Tamaki with the classic expressions of crazy people in love, with lots of hearts flying around and all that crap.
Some of them were even drooling.
"It's too early to deal with these idiots..."
Tamaki thought, clearly irritated.
One of the "suitors" stepped forward.
"Good morning, Kotatsu-san!"
She sighed.
"Morning."
Tamaki replied flatly.
"It's such a beautiful day, is it not? Of course, nothing could ever top your beauty!"
The boy flashed a smile that looked like it came straight from a cheap anime protagonist.
Tamaki seemed on the verge of regurgitating the breakfast she ate a while ago, while Izuku restrained himself from laughing. Deciding to save the poor girl, he gave his input.
"I just think it's a bit too humid this morning."
And just like that, all of the boys hissed at Izuku, glaring at him.
"Nobody asked you anything, you Quirkless shit!"
The boy from before spat at Izuku.
"What would you know!?"
Izuku, unperturbed by the insult or glare, raised a dismissive eyebrow.
"I agree with him."
Tamaki butted in, her tone now sharper. Izuku could see her tightening her grip on her school bag.
"H-Huh!?"
The boy was stunned, as well as the others.
"W-Well, it is a little humid, I guess..."
He once again tried to gain her favor.
"Would you like me to walk you to school? I'm sure we'll have much to disc-"
"As you can see, I'm with Izu right now."
Tamaki interjected, while the boy and the others lost their cool for a slight moment before quickly regaining it.
"C-Come on, just ditch this Quirkless freak! People like you should be with the cool guys! Like me! I'm sure we ca-!"
"Instead of associating with people like you, I'd rather cover myself in gasoline and hug Endeavor. So, would you kindly go fuck yourselves and let me say hello to my best friend. Oh, and try to stay downwind, thank you."
Tamaki spat venomously. The boys in front of her completely lost the color from their faces, as if their souls had left their bodies, while Izuku began to tremble, trying not to burst out laughing.
The girl turned to Izuku, but noticed something else. A few girls, also from Aldera, glared at her and mouthed insults in her direction.
Her response was a smug smirk as she hugged Izuku in front of everyone. Izuku, surprised and confused by her friend's gesture, reciprocated the hug.
"Have a good day, Izu. I'll wait for you at the usual place."
She made sure to say the last part loud enough for everyone present to hear. Izuku smiled mischievously.
"Well, depends. Is your mother cooking or are you gonna try to poison me again?"
"Wha-! My cooking isn't that bad!"
Tamaki tried to argue, and the raised eyebrow she got back in return made her sigh in defeat. She pouted.
"She's cooking..."
Izuku chuckled, patting her head.
"Have a good day too, Tamaki. I'll see you later, 'kay?"
The girl nodded, satisfied, and the two separated.
As Izuku entered the building and Tamaki walked away to reach her school, the two ignored the pure hateful glares they received from the boys and girls respectively.
Tamaki couldn't hold back the self-satisfied smirk that formed on her face.
Later
-Aldera Junior High-
Izuku was in class, bored as per usual, with his arm supporting his head. The teacher had been droning on about mathematics for longer than he had bothered to count. So far, it had been nothing significant enough to warrant his attention.
It wasn't that Izuku was an idiot and simply didn't care for his education. Far from it.
To quote his uncle when he pushed him to give his best in his studies, "an idiot warrior is as bad as a weak one".
Izuku was now sitting in near the back of his class, waiting for the last period to end. In his mind, this was merely a stepping stone for him. Years ago, he and Tamaki had set their sights on higher peaks.
However, he was so caught up watching the clouds in the sky outside the window, that he heard the teacher's voice a little too late.
"All right, you are all in third grade now."
The homeroom teacher said in a strict voice as he looked to everyone.
"In other words, now more than ever you need to start thinking seriously about your future."
Izuku barley paid attention to the teacher's words, deciding instead to review that morning's notes in his notebook. He mostly recognized everyone in his classroom from last year, but they always stayed away from since he didn't have a Quirk.
"I will now distribute the Career Aspiration Document, but..."
The teacher said before making a big show by throwing the papers in the air.
"... who am I kidding?! You all want to be Heroes, right?!"
He said in a carefree voice and in a instant everyone started to unleash their Quirks.
Izuku glanced around and mentally documented any new Quirks he didn't know or notice before. Normally it was against the rules for someone to use their Quirk off school grounds, as long as it wasn't used for self-defense. Nearly everyone in the world wanted to be a Pro Hero, since it allowed everyone to use their abilities and earn money while fighting Villains. Most people just try to be a Hero before giving up and going on with their lives, even if they have powerful Quirks.
However, To Izuku and Tamaki, being a Hero is putting your life on the line to save others and protect people, not just fight bad guys and making money.
"Yes, yes... You all have wonderful Quirks."
The teacher asked while looking the class over.
"But be aware that using them in public is against the rules!"
Suddenly a cocky voice was heard through the class.
"Teach, don't put me in the same bag as these extras!"
Izuku glanced at the source of the voice.
A student, Katsuki Bakugo. He was young man of average height and a fair skin tone. He had short, spiky, ash-blond hair with choppy bangs that hang over his eyebrows. His eyes were sharp and bright red in color.
Izuku rolled his eyes in exasperation.
The arrogant blond kicked his feet on his desk with a cocky grin on his face.
"I really don't want to make buddy-buddy with those who have weak Quirks. Y'know?"
That seemed to piss off the entire class.
"What do you mean by that, Katsuki!?"
One of the boys shouted.
"Shut up, you secondary characters! Behave as such!"
Bakugo yelled with a shit-eating grin on his face.
"Ah, indeed, Bakugo. You want to go to... 'U.A. High', don't you?"
The teacher said in a calm voice, the class however, exploded.
The other students' reaction wasn't that surprising. U.A. High was literally the best Hero high school in all of Japan. It was known as the
National High School and some of the biggest Hero names come from there. You needed a score of 79 just to pass the written exam, and the entrance exam was also cut throat in it's own right.
"I'm not surprised that secondary characters like you are quacking!"
Bakugo said as he jumped onto his desk, the teacher not saying anything. Again.
"I aced the mock exam! I am the only one here worthy of going to U.A.!"
He shouted before throwing his head up.
"I will even surpass All Might! And then, I'll take the spot as the next Number One Hero! I'll leave my name forever in the annual ranking of the richest people in the world!"
Izuku had to refrain from groaning.
"Wow... I can't believe I was once friends with this jerk..."
Charming personality aside, this was another thing that Izuku absolutely hated about Bakugo. The blonde's only concern was becoming rich, famous, and being the strongest in the world. Helping civilians and working with other Heroes was the last thing on his mind.
After all the years they've known each other, Izuku still believed Katsuki could be a great Hero, but that didn't mean he was going to help him or put of with his shit. All Bakugou needed to do was get rid of that trash attitude and personality.
Suddenly the teacher had a thoughtful look on his face as he looked through his papers.
"Now that I think about it, Midoriya also wishes to enter U.A..."
He said casually.
"Damn it, sensei..."
Izuku sighed, feeling the whole class was staring at him.
The reactions of his classmates were three.
Bakugo remained completely still, as if frozen in time.
The girls started squealing, whispering how cool he was.
Finally, every single guy, sans Bakugou, erupted.
"Seriously!? Midoriya!?"
"It's impossible for someone like you!"
"Studying alone can't get you in the Hero Course!"
"How can a Quikless guy like you hope to get into U.A.?!"
"Don't think that your test scores will let you become a Hero, you freak!"
"Cocky bastard! I can't wait for you to fail like the dumbass you are while trying to get in!"
Izuku gave no weight to the words of his classmates, completely ignoring them and simply continuing to write in his notebook. By now he was well aware of how disliked he was by the general male population in his school due to the attention the girls gave him. The fact that they all believed he was Quirkless only amplified the amount of jealousy and animosity they held for him.
Out of the corner of his eye, Izuku saw Bakugo jump from his desk with his arm cocked back, flying right towards him. Acting fast the green hair teen pushed the floor with a strong kick, pushing his chair back as Bakugo blasted his desk.
"Deku!"
The blond shouted with a pissed off look on his face.
Izuku glared at Bakugo as he stood up from his chair.
"Midoriya."
He corrected the blonde.
"What?"
Bakugo had an angry grin on his face as he glared at Izuku.
"You don't a Quirk! Not even a weak or useless one! You have nothing!"
He said as his hands sparked.
"So why are you trying to enter the same arena as me, huh?!"
Izuku's expression didn't change as he grabbed his chair.
"Because I want to be a Hero. I want to help people."
He said simply as he returned to his seat.
Bakugou huffed.
"Oh, really now?! A Quirkless shit like you can't become a Hero!"
Izuku just looked at Bakugou with a raised eyebrow.
"For the umpteenth time, Bakugo. I'm not Quirkless. I've got a Quirk."
Bakugou sneered, as did the other guys.
"Yeah, right. If you really have one, then use it here! Right now! In front of everyone!"
The blond challenged Izuku, who just stared at him defiantly.
"I have nothing to prove, Bakugou. Not to you. Not to your lapdogs..."
Izuku glared at the other boys in the class, who recoiled from the intensity of his eyes.
"... or anyone else, you understand? That's the truth. Plain and simple. You can believe it or not, honestly I don't care. Just because I don't go around showing off and fishing compliments like a two-bit attention whore like you, doesn't mean I don't have a Quirk."
Bakugou's face contorted into one of pure rage as his palms crackled with more intensity.
"You know, you can't apply for U.A. if you're dead, you motherfu-!"
*fwooosh*
*THUD*
The blond threw his fist aiming for Izuku's head, but just as it was about to connect Izuku caught Bakugo's punch, stopping the punch in an instant. There was a stunned silence as Bakugo just gaped at Izuku.
The green hair teen glanced around the blond and glared at his teacher, who looked just as stunned.
"Did you enjoy the show, sensei?"
Izuku spat, snapping the teacher out of his stare.
"Because I'd really like to know why a fight that was completely avoidable if you did your damn job was about to happen."
The teacher cleared his throat and slammed his hand on his desk.
"Everyone back to their seats! Including you Bakugo!"
The blond growled like a feral dog before snatching his wrist back and patting his desk.
"Huh. Good thing they're Quirk-resistant."
Izuku muttered as class started and Bakugo kept glaring at the green-haired teen.
The rest of the period was normal, and luckily there were no tests. At the end of the day everyone started to gather their things and leave, including Izuku.
As the green haired teen packed his bag he was about to grab his notebook before it was snatched from his desk. Izuku glared when he saw Bakugo look at his notebook.
"I still have things to settle with you, Deku."
Bakugo said while sticking out his lower lip like a thug.
"What is that, Katsuki?"
One of Bakugo's pions asked.
"'Hero Analysis for the Future Vol. 13.'"
Bakugo read with a bored look on his face.
Izuku saw the blond was about to put his book between his hands and he instantly knew what was going to happen. Faster than Bakugo could react Izuku snatched the book from his hands and hit him with an open palm strike on his chest, making him to back off.
The blond growled at Izuku as he put his book into his bag.
"Don't try it, Bakugou."
Izuku glared back at his former friend as the latter walked up to the green-haired teen.
"Some say that it is possible at the start of the year to determine the person who will be the next Number One Hero."
Bakugo then stabbed his finger into Izuku's chest, though the teen didn't budge in the slightest.
"I'll be the that person! But I will also be the only one in this shitty school to enter U.A.! Moreover, since I am a perfectionist, I want those who claim the title of U.A. students have a certain dignity."
Izuku stared boredly at Bakugou.
"Impressive. How many times have you rehearsed this speech in front of the mirror before you got it right?"
This comment caused some of the other students to giggle quietly, much to Bakugou's growing fury.
The blond slapped his hand on Izuku's shoulder, activating his Quirk lightly.
"For a moment, forget the idea of passing the entrance exam, you fuckin' nerd."
Bakugo said with a smile that seemed way too genuine.
Izuku didn't flinch from the pain and instead just raised an eyebrow at the blond.
"Would you mind getting to the damn point?"
Izuku spat.
The blond growled before he turned around and started to walk away.
"Tch! Whatever!"
Just as Bakugo was about to walk out of the door with his crew he stopped as he glanced back.
"Oh, I forgot... there is a way that can be really effective if you want to be a Hero so much."
He said with a small smile.
"Take a leap of faith from the roof! Believe with all your might that you will have a Quirk in the next life!"
A look of pure horror crossed Izuku's face as he stared at Bakugo.
"..."
.
.
.
.
.
"What did you just say?"
Izuku almost growled. The violent and unexpected reaction caused all the occupants of the class to stop in fright, including Bakugou.
But he refused to back away.
"You got something to say?"
Bakugo sneered with a dark look on his face as his Quirk flared.
"No, huh? I thought so. Once a loser. Always a los-"
*RUUUMBLE*
Nobody understood exactly what had happened.
Izuku and Bakugou were about to jump on each other and start a fight, but before Bakugou could finish his umpteenth provocative slur...
*CRASH!*
... everyone in the class suddenly found themselves on the floor, panting.
It was as if something huge and heavy was crushing them. As if an unimaginable pressure prevented them from breathing.
But most of all.
Fear.
That was the emotion that pervaded the class.
A primal fear.
"Gah...!"
Bakugou grunted, trying to control his erratic breathing.
"What the fuck is going on?! Is it a Villain attack?! Or mayb-"
*tap* *tap* *tap* *tap*
"...?!"
Bakugou heard someone approach.
Just hearing someone getting close to him while he was so vulnerable was enough to make all the hair on his body stand on end and make him sweat profusely.
As he struggled to lift his head to try to look at his possible attacker, Bakugou gasped.
In front of him there was neither a Villain or an attacker.
.
.
.
.
.
But Izuku Midoriya.
He stood tall and steadfast, as if the evil that plagued the class did not even touch him.
And then, the detail on his face, apart from the death glare he was giving the blonde, which almost made Bakugou empty his bladder.
.
.
.
.
.
Red eyes.
Izuku's eyes, those emerald orbs that were always so gentle and placid, now burned a fierce red. In particular, the iris, while the pupils and sclera were completely black. Bright, pulsating red veins drifted away from the boy's fiery eyes, intensifying his already frightening and terrifying presence.
Izuku stared at Bakugou like a predator about to deliver the final blow to its prey just before tearing it to pieces.
The green haired teen lowered himself to Bakugou's level, standing on one knee. He never let the blonde out of his sight.
He placed a hand on Bakugou's left shoulder.
"Yes. I have something to tell you, you psychopath."
Izuku's voice was calm and controlled, but at the same time as deadly as the sharpest of blades.
"What kind of aspiring Hero tells someone to kill themselves?"
He tightened his grip on Bakugou's shoulder lightly.
"You know what? I don't care. If you won't understand with words..."
He tightened his grip again.
"... perhaps with pain..."
And again.
"... you will."
*wham!*
"AAARGH!"
Bakugou screamed.
A stabbing pain shot through his body, starting from his shoulder.
*whooosh*
And so, as suddenly as it had appeared, the pressure that was literally crushing the students in the classroom and the nearby corridor disappeared.
The room filled with sounds of people panting deeply, as if they had been in apnea for too long. Some tried to get up on their shaky legs, others simply decided to stay on the floor to regain strength.
*siiigh*
Izuku sighed, trying to calm down as much as possible. His eyes were back to normal.
He looked down, casting a final glare at Bakugou, who meanwhile rose to his knees.
"Are you satisfied now, Kacchan?"
Izuku slurred the nickname he gave him as a child, when they were still friends.
"Now think twice before calling me Quirkless again."
Izuku adjusted his shoulder bag and the cylindrical bundle.
"And just to be clear. If I find out that you've seriously pushed people to kill themselves because of your fucking ego, I'll end you. And then we'll see who's really useless."
He spat before leaving the classroom once and for all, walking among the students in disbelief at what had just happened.
Bakugou was still there. Red eyes wide open and flickering.
Sudden pain in his left shoulder roused him from his astonishment.
Looking at it, his eyes, impossible as it was, widened even more.
There was a wound on the shoulder, not too large, about the size of a handprint. The uniform, undershirt and top layer of skin had been completely burned, leaving a bright, steaming red wound.
That day, the whole of Aldera Junior High heard Katsuki Bakugou scream Izuku Midoriya's name.
Later
-Streets of Musutafu-
Izuku was pissed.
Very pissed.
He did not usually get overwhelmed by his emotions, barring extreme situations, but this time Bakugou had really crossed the line.
"That stupid, arrogant, self-centered, narcissistic, piece of... *GAAARGH!*"
*CLANG!*
In anger, Izuku violently kicked a garbage can, sending it flying away.
His eyes were slowly turning red again, but Izuku shut them tightly.
Then he began to take a series of controlled breaths.
"In... out... in... out..."
Opening them again, they were now emerald. Izuku sighed for a long time.
"I have to calm down... I have yet to meet Tamaki... I hope she has not sensed me. Uncle certainly has, and by now he has already told everything to Yuri and the girls..."
Izuku groaned, fearing the lecture that awaited him at home.
"Oh well... better not think about it ... I don't want to keep Tamaki waiti-"
*GLOOOP*
The hair's on Izuku's neck stood on end as he felt a sudden change in the air.
Something was coming for him.
Izuku jumped forward and rolled across the ground before whatever was behind him would grab him. The teen was shocked to see a large figure made out of slime with two large eyes floating in it flowed out of the manhole.
"Invisibility cloak... medium size..."
The sludge being said as he gazed at Izuku, who gazed back.
Izuku's mind started to race as he reached for the cylinder on his back.
"Sludge. Mutation-type Quirk. The user's body is almost completely fluid with the exception of the brain, eyes, and teeth, but they appear to be extremely flexible. Normal physical attacks will prove to be ineffective unless for a large explosion of force."
He tought.
"Don't worry kid, I'm just going to take control of your body for a little time."
The Sludge Villain said as he reformed his body.
"It'll hurt you for about 45 second, then the pain will disappear."
He said in a creepy tone.
Izuku narrowed his eyes as he grabbed the cylinder.
"Don't move. This is my first and last warning."
The villain let out a chuckle as he stared at his victim.
"Do you really think a brat like yo-"
*SLAM!*
Before Izuku could move the manhole was suddenly sent flying up into the air.
"Have no fear, citizen!"
A strong voice said making both Izuku and the Sludge Villain freeze, but for different reasons.
"For I am here!"
From of the manhole, a massive figure climbed out.
The Number One Hero.
The Symbol of Peace.
The living legend.
.
.
.
.
.
All Might.
"Texas Smash!"
All Might yelled as he punched the Villain in the back.
Izuku's jaw dropped as the Villain was torn to pieces.
"I was right! Only an extremely strong physical attack can effect that Villain. All Might's punch was strong enough to create a wind pressure that tore the sludge apart. Though he's still not harmed."
Izuku thought.
"Are you okay, young man?"
All Might asked in a concerned tone and Izuku could only nod silently.
"Thank God! I'm really sorry! You got involved in my pursuit of the Villain! I don't usually make beginner mistakes like this."
All Might took out an empty bottle of soda and quickly put the Sludge Villain in it, trapping him.
"Anyway, it's thanks to you that I have succeeded! You have my gratitude!"
The Hero said as he made his way out of the tunnel, but Izuku's mind was currently elsewhere.
"ALL MIGHT! The r-real one! In the flesh and bone! I can't believe it!"
His mind struggled to reboot. Then it hit him.
Izuku frantically started searching in his bag and took out his notebook.
"PLEASE SIGN MY BOOK!"
He shouted while opening to a blank page.
Before Izuku could even blink All Might pulled out a pen and wrote his name in an instant.
"Well I have to take him to the police!"
All Might said as he started to walk away out of the tunnel.
"Thanks again, young man! Stay safe!"
As Izuku walked away a thought struck his, making him hold out his hand.
"W-Wait, I-I was hoping I could..."
Izuku struggled with his words, as he stuck his hand out.
"You know, Pro Heroes must constantly fight against time and evil-doers."
All Might said as he crouched down low, ready for a long jump.
Izuku's mind started to race.
"I... I have to ask him one question, just one question!"
Izuku thought as he glanced at the Hero's belt, and a crazy thought entered his head.
"Tamaki's going to kill me if she finds out about this."
Izuku ran forward.
Just before All Might jumped Izuku grabbed the Hero's belt. In an instant the teen was a hundred feet in the air.
"Huh?"
All Might said as he noticed an extra passenger.
"What!"
He shouted in shock and worry.
"Let me go! Are you out of your mind, young man?!"
"You want me to let go right now!?"
Izuku shouted back making the Hero pause.
"Ok, ok! I understand!"
All Might sweatdropped at Izuku's determination.
"Hold on tight now!"
Suddenly All Might coughed into his hand, making his eyes widen.
"Shit...!"
After that, the two landed on top of an apartment building.
Izuku hit the ground and felt his legs shake as he struggled to stand.
"Short, but intense..."
He said in a slightly shaky voice.
All Might was muttering to himself as he rubbed his face.
"Seriously! I really can't spare anymore time, so I'll leave you here!"
All Might said as stepped forward.
That snapped Izuku out of his daze.
"Wait I-"
"No! I can't wait!"
All Might said in a urgent tone.
But Izuku wasn't going to give up that easily.
"I need to ask you a question!"
"Young man, I serious-"
"PLEASE!"
All Might recoiled at the teen's desperate plea.
"Please, All Might... It's... It's important... I... I HAVE TO KNOW!"
Izuku exclaimed with his eyes shut. He was so lost in his thoughts he didn't see the smoke cloud form around All Might. He then slowly started to look up.
"I wanted to ask you if some-WHAAA-"
Izuku suddenly shouted at the shocking sight in front of him.
In front of Izuku was a somewhat tall, lanky stick of a man with long blond hair, sunken eyes and cheeks, and loose clothes on.
Izuku's mind went into overdrive as he tried to process what he was looking at.
"All Might...?"
The man sighed. Then nodded.
"Yes... I am All Might."
The man said, blood leaking from his mouth.
Izuku stood there, mouth agape like a fish.
"What... why... how...?"
All Might looked away sheepishly.
"Well... to use an apt simile... you know those people at the beach who keep their breaths in and flex their muscles to make themselves look better?"
Izuku nodded. All Might continued.
"That's me."
"So you have a transformation Quirk...?"
The teen asked with a weak smile.
All Might gave a soft laugh as he pointed to Izuku.
"You're taking this better then most people, kid."
The Hero said as he sat on the ground.
"The Symbol of Peace comes with many sacrifices."
All Might said as he lifted his shirt.
"This is one of them."
Izuku winced at the sight. Half of All Might's torso was covered in a large disfiguring scar.
"I got this wound about five years ago, from a battle against a Villain."
All Might said.
"The result? I lost half of my respiratory system, while my stomach was completely destroyed. My face became emaciated and haggard, and these eyes are side effects of repeated surgeries. As of now, I can't work actively as a Hero more then about three hours per day. This is my current limit."
Izuku was shocked. To think the Number One Hero was in such a state, and still fighting.
"Five years ago... When you fought Toxic Chainsaw?"
All Might smiled at that.
"You know your stuff kid, but no... it was someone else... someone much stronger and dangerous."
All Might said as a serious look crossed his face.
"What I told you must never be publically disclosed. I ask you to keep this secret, young man."
Izuku instantly raised his hands.
"Don't worry, All Might. Besides, who would believe me if I said the Symbol of Peace is a zombie in disguise... no offense."
Izuku said with a nervous smile. All Might laughed weakly.
"You'd be surprised kid."
He replied.
"Pro Heroes must always put their lives at stake, no matter the cost."
He said before giving a long sigh.
Izuku respect for All Might went to a whole 'nother level.
"Now, what's your question, young man?"
All Might asked Izuku, who looked at him confused.
"Your question. You said you had something important to ask me, that's why you jumped on me."
He said as Izuku's eyes widened in realization.
He hesitated for a moment, but then he braced himself. He looked All Might, then spoke.
"O-Ok, my question is..."
Izuku took a deep breath. All might looked back at the boy, listening attently.
"C-Can I still b-become a Hero, even ..."
He hesitated.
"... even if..."
He struggled to continue.
All Might looked at the boy worriedly.
"Young man?"
Izuku closed his eyes. Then he opened them again.
"... even if I've done terrible things...?"
He asked with a straight face causing All Might's eyes to widen at the question.
"Terrible things...? What could have this kid done?"
All Might thought while taking in the teen's appearance.
"Young man, before I answer your question, what is your name?"
The Number One Hero asked.
Izuku nodded.
"Izuku Midoriya, sir."
All Might smiled.
"Well, young Midoriya. I may not know what these 'terrible things' you speak of are, but I assur-"
*BOOOM!*
Both Izuku and All Might were interrupted by the sound of an explosion in the distance.
Meanwhile
-Jakku Park-
In the shade of a tree, Tamaki was relaxing, sheltered from the sunbeams.
She was sitting with her knees gathered close to her chest and her back against the tree's trunk. To her right was her school bag, while on the other side stood a small bottle of water, now almost empty.
The girl was waiting for her best friend to show up so they could head to her house. Hana had been pestering her for days to invite Izuku over for dinner, and finally he had accepted, to the infinite delight of his surrogate aunt.
However, Izuku was late. Not by much, mind you, but given the boy's typical punctuality, Tamaki began to worry slightly.
Especially if the reason for his delay was computable to those parasites he called classmates.
"Grrr..."
Tamaki narrowed her eyes and let out a small growl.
"I swear if they tried something against Izu, I'll fre-"
{Calm down, girl. Stress is the enemy of beauty, you know?~}
"Kyaaa!"
Tamaki, scared almost to death, jumped to her feet in fright. Turning to the tree to identify the voice that had spoken behind her, she saw no one, nor did she notice anything strange.
Until then her face turned sour as he recognized the voice.
Turning once more, Tamaki glared at the culprit.
"Damn it, how many times do I have to tell you not to take me by surprise, Nekomata?!"
The target of Tamaki's anger was an ordinary white cat. It had black spots scattered around its body and not one, but two tails.
Except for this last anatomical detail, everything was normal.
Well...
It would have been if all cats could float in the air, wearing a red scarf and a crimson kimono.
And if they could talk.
Aaand if they were completely made of flames.
{Girl, you were thinking about new ways to maim Izuku-bo's classmates so hard, that anything would've scared ya...~}
Tamaki pouted.
"I'm just worried! You know that Bakugou is always looking for new ways to provoke Izu into a fight! And let's not talk about the other boys in the school..."
A disgusted grimace etched onto Tamaki's face, but Nekomata merely shook one of her paws dismissively.
{Well, in that case, you shouldn't have put up that little theater in front of the school this morning. You looked like a kitten marking her territory!~}
Tamaki blushed fiercely, refusing to make eye contact with her interlocutor.
"Seriously, why did I end up with the perverted cat lady?!"
The girl thought, irritated.
{You know I can hear your thoughts, right...?~}
Tamaki threw her hands in the air, exasperated.
"Okay, that's enough! Get back inside before a kid or dog sees you and start chasing you, like last time!"
{Yes, ma'am!~}
And so, Nekomata dissipated in a small stream of flames, which approached Tamaki and seemed to enter her body, but without hurting her or damaging her clothes.
{Check your cell phone. Maybe Izuku-bo texted you and you didn't notice~}
Tamaki heard Nekomata's voice in her head, and her eyes widened slightly in realization.
"Oh, maybe you're right!"
{I'm always right!~}
Rolling her golden eyes, Tamaki pulled her smartphone out of the bag and unlocked it.
Lo and behold, on the homescreen there was a message sent by none other than Izuku himself.
Opening it, Tamaki began to read it.
.
.
.
.
.
Her eyes widened.
She almost dropped her phone.
"Oh, hell no."
Earlier
-Musutafu City Alleys-
"Fuckin' goddammit!"
Katsuki Bakugou exclaimed as he rubbed his still sore left shoulder.
Currently, he and two of his goons were leaving the school, passing through alleys, avoiding the main streets.
What if someone from their school recognized them and thought back to the pitiful scene that had happened a little while ago in their classroom?
"Katsuki, are you sure you don't want to treat your shoulder? Maybe the school nurse, or a doctor might be abl-"
"Fuck no!"
One of the boys tried to speak, but Bakugou did not want to hear any reasons. He approached the boy threateningly.
"You want to get the word out about what happened in class, huh?! You want us to be the laughingstock of the whole school? You want everyone to know that a fucking Quirkless shit bea-"
"Quirkless?!"
"Dude, are you fucking stupid or what?!"
Bakugou recoiled to the responses of the two. No one of his lackeys has ever talked back to him, but this time, they did. Looking at them closely, the explosive blond saw fear and frustration on their faces.
"Did you see what the fuck he did to the whole class? Actually, to the whole school?! Even some people in the nearby street were affected by whatever that crap was! Did it seem like something that a Quirkless person could do?!"
One screeched, while the other approached Bakugou and pointed at his wounded shoulder.
"You always told us he was Quirkless since turned four, yet look what he did to you!"
Bakugou grit his teeth in anger and looked down.
They were right.
They were right!
Yet, as stupid and immature as it was, Bakugou tried to ignore the little voice in his head that kept repeating that Izuku had actually reiterated several times that he had a Quirk, but Bakugou never believed him, since he had never seen it in action.
Until recently.
Bakugou would lie if he said he didn't feel scared of the fucking nerd back then. Indeed, he feared that he would've killed him right there. Instead he just burned his shoulder.
How he had done it, he still didn't get it.
But he intended to find out.
Were it the last thing he would do.
Bakugou raised his head to reply to his two "friends", but just like before, everything...
*GLOOOP*
... went wrong.
*BOOOM*
Another huge explosion shook the streets.
Izuku was running towards the source of the chaos, untile he came across a huge crowd of people. He quickly approached the throng of people, trying to figure out what was going on. He spotted several Heroes keeping the crowd in control. The entire street was covered in fire and smoke, and in the middle of it stood a disgusting writhing mass of green sludge.
.
.
.
.
.
What.
Izuku stared in horrified disbelief. It was the Sludge Villain that had tried to take over his body earlier. The one All Might had captur-
Realization struck him like a truck.
"He must have escaped somehow when I grabbed onto All Might!"
Guilt swelled up in him until he almost felt sick.
"Dammit! This is all my fault!"
"Everyone, get back!"
Kamui Woods, one of the Heroes present on the scene, shouted at the crowd.
"The Villain has taken a hostage! Please back away and remain calm!"
"That's why the Heroes aren't fighting..."
Izuku realized as he pushed his way to the front of the crowd to see better. From what he could see, none of the Heroes had a Quirk that would work well against this particular Villain. Some were doing their best to put out the flames raging in the street, but they couldn't get close the Villain himself without putting the hostage's life at risk. He found himself silently praying that All Might, who was still at the back of the crowd, would do something about this disas-
The Villain suddenly turned so that Izuku had clear line of sight to the hostage's face.
.
.
.
.
.
He ended up staring right into Katsuki Bakugou's terror-stricken eyes.
"..."
.
.
.
.
.
Silently, Izuku began to walk slowly towards the Villain.
The crowd and the Heroes noticed too late the boy who was approaching the Villain.
"Wha-HEY!"
Kamui Woods yelled after him.
"Come back! You wanna die?!"
Izuku ignored the screams of the Heroes behind him.
He put his backpack on the ground.
Then with his left arm he gripped his bandaged bundle firmly.
*rustle*
He began to unroll the bandages around the mysterious cylinder.
*rustle*
He had the Sludge Villain's attention now, and he certainly recognized Izuku from before, if the flash of anger in his beady eyes said anything.
"You again?! You must have a deathwish for coming right at me, brat!"
*rustle*
"Don't think you can get away with it as easily as before! Now I have a meat shield with a powerful Quirk! You'll regret the da-"
*thud*
"Huh?"
The mass of bandages, now fully unwound, fell to the ground.
The Sludge Villain, as well as the Heroes and civilians, looked at the object in the boy's hands with various expressions.
.
.
.
.
.
A katana.
The handle, as well as the scabbard, were black. The tsuba had a mokko gata shape, with small floral motifs engraved on it.
*schiiik*
Izuku unsheathed the katana.
Despite the smoke obscuring the area, the steel blade glowed as if it was forged from the purest silver.
A single word was engraved along the katana blade, in kanji characters.
.
.
.
.
.
Kusabimaru.
.
.
.
.
.
"Let him go."
Izuku's voice had an ominous edge to it. It made everyone, All Might included, shiver for a second.
"As before, this is my first and last warning."
With his right arm, Izuku raised the katana high, the tip of the blade pointed skyward.
The Sludge Villain, despite the initial scare, narrowed his eyes at the green haired teen.
"Do you think that toothpick is enough to scare me, brat? Unless you're as strong as that blonde beast, you're completely useless against me!"
Izuku glanced at Bakugou, now exhausted and on the verge of losing consciousness.
Then he glared at the Villain.
.
.
.
.
.
"Forgive me."
*FWOOOOOOSH!*
A flash of emerald light blinded everyone.
When they opened their eyes, everyone present was shocked to see what was happening.
All the flames that were consuming the streets of the district were suddenly sucked in by some mysterious force. And the place where they seemed to gather was none other than the boy's katana.
The flames changed color once in the vicinity of Izuku, becoming a bright green.
The boy, now wrapped in a protective shield of emerald flames, stared down at his enemy. The flames surrounding him intensified and flared, causing the Sludge Villain to flinch away from him.
Izuku lowered the katana, and pointed it at the Villain, assuming a flawless Te Ura Gasumi No Kamae stance.
In a last, desparate attempt to keep his bravado, the Sludge Villain attacked.
"YOU LITTLE BRAT!"
The villain screeched, launching severl spiky tentacles at the boy.
"DIE ALREADY!"
In the crowd behind them, All Might lunged forward in his muscle form. He couldn't ignore what Izuku had just done. He was already kicking himself for letting the Villain escape and now this boy had taken it upon himself to act when no one else, including himself, had done a thing. He felt so ashamed of himself that his deteriorating condition flew to the back of his mind so that he could save the two boys before him.
But he wasn't going to make it.
All Might reached out desperately as the Villain's tentacles came down on Izuku.
Izuku stared at the incoming attacks with narrowed, yet calm eyes.
He closed them.
He took a deep breath.
The grip on his katana tightened.
He inhaled.
.
.
.
.
.
Then his eyes snapped open.
"Floating Passage!"
And just like that, Izuku unleashed a flurry of swift, yet elegant, attacks. He started cutting, slicing and mincing his way through the tentacles until he was face to face with the Sludge Villain himself.
The latter, if he had had a normal body, would have soiled himself in fear of what he was staring at.
And he wasn't referring to the onslaught he'd just seen, no...
.
.
.
.
.
Red eyes.
Burning red eyes stared at him as if he were facing Death himself.
That, along with the flames dancing around Izuku's body, and the katana he was holding, caused something to spring inside the Villain's mind...
"No...!"
He screeched.
"Y-You... that... It can't be!"
He tried to get away, but he was paralizied in fear.
"YOU FIEND!"
Izuku glared at him.
Fierce anger in his red eyes.
He raised his sword once again and, with a roar, slashed the sludge around Bakugou three times, freeing him.
The Villain screamed in agony as Katsuki collapsed, now free of his captor, but it was at that moment that All Might acted. In the blink of an eye, he created a blast of air with a single, overwhelming blow towards the ground.
"Detroit Smash!"
The explosion of air pressure blew all the flames away and though it knocked Izuku off his feet, it managed to save the Sludge Villain from being burned to death. All Might blinked as the emerald fire around the boy vanished instantly and what few flames remained around them fizzled out.
His experienced eyes surveyed the aftermath of the boy's unexpected attack. Thankfully, the majority of the blaze had been concentrated on the Villain and had left everything else relatively unscathed, allowing All Might to wonder about Izuku for a moment.
"Can I still become a Hero, even if I've done terrible things?"
All Might's eyes narrowed, perplexed.
That's what he said.
He dismissed that thought almost as soon as it came to mind. But now he was sure of it.
The boy wasn't lying.
There's no faking that kind of honest desperation.
All Might found himself legitimately interested in what was going on with this boy.
Later
-Takoba Municipal Beach-
Izuku was sitting on the warm, comfortable sand of the beach.
The waves that calmly thundered on the shore, together with the slight howl of the wind calmed him a little from the events of a little while ago.
Kusabimaru, now in its scabbard and wrapped in fresh bandages, lay by his side alongside his school bag.
After the capture of the Sludge Villain, Izuku quickly left the scene. He didn't want to see nor talk to anyone at the moment.
He wanted to be alone.
He tilted his head back so he was looking at the sky with a despondent expression.
.
.
.
.
.
"I'm sorry, mom... I did it aga-"
"I AM HERE!"
Izuku nearly jumped out of his skin as All Might seemingly appeared out of nowhere and ended up standing behind the boy.
The latter scurried to stand on his feet, instinctively grabbing Kusabimaru in the process, and faced the blonde Hero.
"A-All Might?! What are you doing here?!"
"Just wanted to ta-*AGH*!"
All Might spat up some blood, before wiping it from his chin. He looked at Izuku with concern.
"What's up with the long face?"
"It's nothing, don't worry about it..."
Izuku said, weakly waving his hand.
"I see..."
The man grunted. He studied Izuku for a moment.
.
.
.
.
.
"That was some Quirk back there."
The grip Izuku had on Kusabimaru's strap tightened.
He looked down. All Might sighed.
"You know... I've thought a lot about what you asked me on that roof, young Midoriya."
Izuku's eyes filled with many emotion.
Sadness.
Anger.
Frustration.
But more than anything else...
.
.
.
.
.
Shame.
All Might had a hunch about what was going on here. The more he looked at this kid, the more he felt like he was looking at someone else.
That power.
Those flames.
That swordmanship.
Those eyes.
Izuku, meanwhile, had enough.
"All Might, I know why you're here."
The boy rolled his eyes, and All Might recoiled.
The same red eyes as before were staring at him. But instead of exuding pure hatred, they were now filled with sadness. Tears streaming down them and along the boy's cheeks.
"So please, just... please... Say what you have to say and let's get this over with..."
A melanchonic expression formed on the Hero's face.
.
.
.
.
.
"You are Manslayer's son."
All Might said at last.
Izuku's grit his teeth and his fists clenched. Hard.
That was answer enough for the Hero.
Before All Might could approach the boy to calm him down, Izuku spoke.
"Earlier I asked you if I could become a Hero, despite having done terrible things."
All Might stopped, looking at the boy.
Despite the calm tone, he was shaking with upset.
"Well, let me rephrase that..."
Izuku approached the Hero.
Red eyes, filled with sadness and tears, looked at blue eyes, filled with kindness.
.
.
.
.
.
"Can I become a Hero, even if I'm the son of a monster?"
At that point, he could no longer contain himself, and he burst into tears.
"Can I become a Hero, even if I am a monster...?"
All Might stepped forward and interrupted him by enveloping the boy in a gentle hug. Izuku almost flinched away, but All Might's grasp was firm. The Hero's voice lowered to a gentle tone.
"You are not a monster, Izuku Midoriya."
The boy's breath hitched.
"B-But I..."
"If you were truly what you claim to be, you wouldn't feel so bad about it. Unlike your father, you regret the evil you've done."
Releasing Izuku from the embrace, All Might placed his hands on the boy's shoulders.
All Might was silent for a long while as he studied the boy's face. Izuku looked tired and scared, but there was a fiery determination in his eyes that reminded him of himself in his younger years.
A boy with no Quirk (kinda) that had the drive to become a Hero through his own effort so he could help and save people. The way he'd moved to save that kid from the Sludge Villain had amazed All Might. He hadn't moved from willpower or any mental drive. He'd just moved instinctively. Without thinking. Without hesitating. When even All Might had stopped and hoped that another Hero might come by.
"..."
.
.
.
.
.
He made up his mind.
"Young Midoriya."
All Might said suddenly.
"You can become a Hero."
Izuku froze and stared at him, wide-eyed.
"H-Huh...?"
"I mean it."
The adult continued.
"Back there, you jumped in to save that boy when no one else would. Myself included. You were more heroic than anyone else in that moment. I'll say it again. You can become a Hero."
The boy looked torn between shock and joy, but they were quickly overwhelmed by uncertainty.
"But... that power..."
"I have a solution to that."
All Might told him.
"I want you to learn how to use your Quirk."
Izuku sucked in a sharp breath.
"But I-"
Once again, All Might interrupted the boy, this time with a pat on his shoulders.
"I want you to learn how to use it for your own good. You lost it today because you don't have any control over it. That's not something you want happening in a dire situation. As a Hero, you absolutely cannot risk losing control of a Quirk as powerful as that. Do you understand?"
Izuku was quiet, but All Might went on.
"I'm not saying this to give you a hard time. I'm saying this because it's necessary. That power might remind people of Manslayer, but it's your power. You don't have to use it in public if you really don't want to, but I want you to learn how, anyways. My point is, young Midoriya, I want to see you make that power into something that people find comforting."
The boy looked at the man with wide eyes.
"But what if it scares people?"
"It will scare some, yes."
The Hero said.
"But no power is good or evil per se. It is who uses it who make it so."
All Might looked into Izuku's eyes with a firm expression.
"It's up to you to make your power into something good. But to do that, you have to stop being afraid of it."
All Might took a few steps back.
"Which brings me back to my main point."
Izuku cleaned his face from the tears and snot, and stared right back at the Hero.
"Izuku Midoriya, will you let me help you become a Hero?"
.
.
.
.
*SLAP!*
Izuku slapped himself in an effort to focus, much to All Might's amusement.
There was no choice here.
He regained his bearings and gave All Might the strongest and most determined look he could.
"Yes, I will."
They both smiled at one another.
"Ah! An answer without hesitation! All right, then! I hope you're ready for the road ahead, kid! Because I won't go easy on yo-"
"You have five seconds to get away from the boy, or I'll start tearing your limbs off one by one."
"Grrrrrr...!"
"Huh...?"
"Oh, crap..."
All Might froze, while Izuku facepalmed.
Turning around, the Number One Hero found himself face to face with Jinemon Midoriya and Tamaki Kotatsu.
And they were pissed.
Izuku stepped between his family and All Might, sighing.
"This is going to be a long evening..."
Next Chapter:
First Spark
MARTIAL ARTS TERMINOLOGY
Kata:
A set combination of positions and movements performed as an exercise, commonly known as "forms" in martial arts.
Te Ura Gasumi no Kamae:
A katana stance where the sword is held over one's left shoulder with the blade curving downward. Primarily used in Ninjitsu and Tenshin Shōden Katori Shintō-ryū.
A/N:
And here is the first chapter of Embers!
I was itching to write this for a looong time, and I'm very pleased with how it turned out!
Let me know what you think!
Constructive criticism is always welcome and appreciated!