"I'm sorry, but your son will never have a quirk."
A single sentence.
A single sentence was all it took to send the four-year-old, Izuku Midoriya into a spiral, not hearing any other words that came out of the doctor's mouth. Or the slight quirk his mother's lip made when she heard the news.
He barely remembered returning home to the compound outside the city, or entering his room and sitting down on his bed.
It was only when his mother spoke sweet nothings to him that he spoke again.
"Mom, can I… still be a hero without a quirk? Like All Might?"
His mother looked at her son with a rather intense look before smiling a small smile.
"Izuku, you're my son and a proud descendant of our clan. You'll be a better hero than All Might, even without a quirk."
"And that's a promise."
What no one saw was the brief flash of red in his eyes, gone as quickly as they came. The red itself meant nothing to the young child, but to his clan, his legacy, and his 'shadow'.
It would mean nothing for years to come, but maybe still too soon for the young boy.
Chapter One - Heavens Eye
Izuku was tired.
It had been three long, grueling years since he had been told he would never be a hero, would never have a quirk. His dream had been all but stolen from him before he could even step down the path. His opinions had changed about the hero world around him, he had grown to dislike All Might somewhat. He still held respect for the man due to the people he saved, but the quirkist behavior the man displayed during interviews and talk shows was too much for him to keep liking him as a person.
Things had gotten even worse since his sister had gotten sick, Suna, she had been bedridden for two years now. even though he was young he knew that she didn't- He didn't- couldn't give up, he was going to help her even if it took him years he would find a way to help her. She had lost the ability to walk at five years old, the doctors assumed it was a bi-product of her quirk, Chakra, but none were sure why this would have affected her legs like this.
If not for his mother, and her own reassurances that he didn't need a quirk to save people, he didn't know how his life would have changed.
So it never made sense to him, when no matter how hard he tried, he still couldn't protect himself from Kacchan.
Day in and day out, he verbally assaulted him. Cutting words that pierced the core of his heart, the physical assault was not uncommon from the ashe blonde either. The scorch marks he had to hide from his mother were proof enough of that.
Today had been worse though, Kacchan had pushed harder, burned deeper than he had before. It hurt, a lot.
He stopped at a local convenience store on the way home to get some bandages to re-stock his medkit at home, so he could continue to hide the burns, it wouldn't be too hard since he always got a little pocket money from his mom. He'd rather she didn't find out about his bullying, especially since it was from Kacchan, god knows she would rain fire down on that school.
Literally.
After he grabbed and paid for the bandages, with pitying looks from the lady at the register, he ran back to his family's compound near the edge of the city. It was a sprawling expanse of houses and general buildings with a high wall around it, their clan symbol sat on the heavy wooden doors leading inside. The compound was almost completely empty besides his own family, and the few times they housed the homeless during storms.
If they had all the room they might as well use it.
His own house was stationed closer to the middle of the compound's grounds, he kicked off his shoes and stepped inside, eager to see his sister. Her room was at the back end of the house, closer to the kitchen, he would usually carry her to and from when he was home. If he wasn't then his mother would, she didn't work, except for small commissions of something he didn't know about. She claimed their clan had funds left from the feudal period of Japan, how their funds could possibly be that big was beyond him.
He learned not to question his mother after a while.
Kagami Uchiha*, was a kind woman to all who knew her but would turn on you in a second if she thought you would threaten her family.
She had apparently been a hero before she had him and Suna, an underground one too. Those were the ones he admired the most, they did all the work the day-light heroes wouldn't and they didn't fight for the attention, but for the smaller guys in the worse neighborhoods. Nothing earned his respect more than that, the simple little actions.
He had even seen Eraserhead, the Eraserhead, patrolling near the compound one night. He hadn't seen Izuku, but it was still amazing to see the man in motion, how he moved and how he did his work.
That's why he would be just like him, someone who helped out the little guy.
He was getting ahead of himself though, that was years from now and he was just a kid. His mom said she would make sure he would become a hero, one better than All Might, but up until not they're hadn't been much to talk about on that front. He assumed she was waiting for something, he just didn't know what.
Without knowing it he had made it to his sister's door and proceeded to knock, a light "Come in!" was heard from the other side, so he wasted no time and made his way inside. Suna was sitting on her bed, reading a book on quirk theory again.
'I should really get her some new books.'
"Izuku, you're back!" She exclaimed in excitement, never let it be said that Suna, and the Uchiha by extension, didn't care deeply for their own.
Izuku just smiled and made his way to sit on the edge of her bed, "As always, Suna, how's your day been? Do anything interesting?"
The next hour or so was just small topics about the world, quirk theory, as they often talked about. Some were a bit more personal, but it wasn't anything that they didn't normally talk about, after enough time had passed, however, and their conversation had settled into a silent lull, Suna asked for something a bit more unusual.
"Izuku, can you carry me out to the back porch?" She looked at him with something akin to a small sadness, he didn't like seeing his sister sad, and he would do pretty much anything to make sure she was always smiling. That was his job, as an older brother, and one of her only confidants.
He didn't even bother asking as he picked her up bridal style, "Yeah, not a problem Suna." Izuku had always been stronger than his age betrayed, and Suna was extremely light as well, his mother told him his unnatural strength was a part of him, whatever that meant.
They were outside in a few moments, still, no sign of their mother as they made their way through the house, she was most likely doing a commission or getting groceries, that was fine by Izuku, he still needed to bandage his burns and get some burn creme on them before she got back. It was a nice day outside, the wind blowing gently through the backyard that doubled as a garden for Izuku, a strange passion for him, his mother had said, but he enjoyed it nonetheless.
Izuku sat Suna down on one of the chairs overlooking the yard, and he took up a seat next to hers, they sat in a small appreciative silence for a bit longer before she spoke again, "Don't you think you should tell mom about those burns?" She asked it so nonchalantly that he almost didn't register it.
When he did, he flinched and looked at her with unbelieving eyes, her eyes still turned towards the sky away from him.
"I- I have no idea what you're talking about." He said it with a slight stutter, internally cursing himself for it. But it wasn't like she could see the burns, he was wearing long sleeves-
"I think you forget I can tell when you're injured, Izuku. There isn't much you can hide from me."
Ah, he had forgotten their small mental link.
When Suna had awakened her 'quirk' there had been a small link formed between the two, a link that worked both ways. if just a bit weaker from her towards him, they could sense lies and when the other was injured to a certain extent. Nothing like small injuries, they had to hurt. A lot.
Izuku couldn't exactly hide it anymore, so he didn't.
"It's not a big deal, she doesn't need to be involved in something this petty. I can handle it." He spoke with truth, the words making him ache slightly as they left his mouth.
"Just like you handled me lose my ability to walk? Izuku-"
It was like Izuku saw red, 'How dare she?!' He wanted to lash out, the words making him remember things he couldn't stand, he wanted to get up and leave, leave her there for saying such things.
He didn't however, he bottled up the rage inside like he always did, something that brought that red from all those years ago back to the front of his eyes again, but once again, no one noticed. Except for the small spike of chakra, Suna felt from her brother.
She wanted to apologize, she knew more than anyone, even their own mother, Izuku felt deeper. Even by their standards, and the events of that day, destroyed him, and yet they changed him fundamentally as a person. Her mother believed his attitude towards the world was much healthier than before, and while she would usually agree... Suna didn't want him to work his entire life just for her.
She spoke again, "Izuku, I'm-"
It was then that they both felt a bone-chilling aura behind them, both of them hastily turned to face it, Suna with a bit more difficulty than her brother.
It was their mother, and even though she smiled, they could tell she possessed everything but pleasure at that moment.
"So Izuku, when were you going to tell me about all of this?" She smiled sweetly, the anger not aimed at him, but the world for doing this to her child.
They had been ushered inside by their mother, Suna carried by Izuku, and brought to the living room where Izuku reluctantly confessed that last year's event. The bullying and the burning by Kac- Bakugou, as he was told by his mother to call him now.
It turns out she hadn't heard them talking about the bully, but she had seen on occasion the effects of the bullying on his home life and had even found the stocked medkit under his bed. She was going to wait until he brought it up on his own, but that clearly wasn't going to work, so after she had seen him buying more bandages she decided that she had waited much too long.
It was after she had told them all this that she had asked a question he didn't know how to answer.
"Izuku, what do you think of Bakugou? I know he was your friend, but this is something no one should have to go through," She reached across the table and clasped his small hand in hers, a small tear dripping from her eyes. "This is criminal Izuku, do you understand that? He's using his quirk on you, to 'put you in your place'. That isn't right."
Izuku knew it was wrong, he always had, but he didn't want to ruin the life of his best friend- former friend. He had so much potential, he could save so many people.
He sat there, a foreign whisper in his head, his mother flinching at the same time as he heard it.
'But has he ever displayed that aspect? When has he ever, even once, shown the disposition to save others? He's closer to killing them himself than doing any good.'
"I-" Izuku tried to speak, his throat clogged with raw, raging emotion, his blood feeling like it would boil over. He felt like a cup trying to hold an ocean, everything catching up with him at once.
'Can you honestly say he would save you, or anyone if their life depended on it? What has he done to deserve this respect from you?'
"I-"
'You should hate him! He's just like All Might! They would never save you if someone nearby was more 'valuable'!'
He was full-on crying now, his mother quickly making his way over to him and wrapping him in a tight hug, whispering sweet nothings into his ear.
'Admit it Izuku! You hate him! For everything, he's done to you! For being just. like. everyone. else.
Finally, he couldn't hold it anymore, the glass shattered, and the ocean rolled forth for all the worlds to hear.
"I hate him! I hate him so much! It's not my fault! Why is everyone like this to me?!" He screamed and thrashed, a loud high-pitched shing! sound rang through his ears, everything around him seeming to slow to a crawl as the tears continued to fall, his mother trying to console him, his sister attempting and succeeding to bring herself forward to hug him as well.
The last words he heard before he tired himself out, were once again from the foreign voice.
'That's good Izuku, you've completed the first step, you know pain. Now you can become what you wish to be, someone who helps others, and I will help you.'
His vision began to fade away, and he could feel himself being lifted up.
'Remember Izuku, those who break the rules are scum-'
His eyes closed-
'But those who abandon their friends are worse than scum.'
Author's Notes:
Well! This has been fun to write, I hate putting our pour boy Izuku through more pain than he already has, but it is necessary. :(
Small little changes and references in this chapter, Izuku being an Uchiha, his mother being Uchiha, and his sister Suna. I honestly am really happy to write these characters. I can't force myself to write Inko. I do not like her, at all. For various reasons that I can go into if you guys ask.
I'm sure die-hard Naruto fans know what happened there at the end, as for that voice, who could it possibly be...? :)
It shouldn't be too hard to guess.
Izuku in this AU will not be cocky, like the Uchiha, he will not be OP (at least at first, he will be the strong, much MUCH later)
He will be sassy, yes, he will be able to stand up for himself. He won't have the spine density of a wet towel.
As for Mangekyo, Chakra Nature, and Jutsu... He will get the mangekyo, how he'll get it is up to you to guess, I already have it planned. :) Jutsu is a bit harder, I'm most likely only going to give Izuku access to lightning release, for lore reasons, and basic chakra activities like Water and Wall walking. I would also like to give him a wolf summon but that's a maybe for now.
Other abilities like Sage mode, Kirin, and Yin-Yang release... wellllllllllll, I'll just say you'll have to wait and see. :)
For now, I'll be heading off, feel free to leave comments!
-Dredgen