Geo995 - True.
Jpx0999 - Well, you'll see those two trying to figure things out for a LOT of chapters from now onward.
Shahryar - Hah, I personally like the dynamic of this party too :v
James Birdsong - Hopefully, the rest will be just as good :D
Detrametal - Todoroki is being VERY much himself. I originally planned this fic to be grim, but then Todoroki - the sole comic relief - just hijacked the whole thing and made it into more of a black comedy in a grim world, sigh.
(***)
Once they've managed to confirm that Bakugou Katsuki has been permanently initiated, Midoriya decided to promptly kidnap him in order to have a long and serious and - chief among all - private talk with him.
Not before discovering that Todoroki's name was Shoto and getting his contact details. So that he could, theoretically, phone him. Or chat with him.
"Tell me if you're planning something like that again," Todoroki announces while throwing the empty popcorn bag into the empty coca-cola cup. "Your adventurers are extremely entertaining to watch."
It's at this moment that Midoriya makes a solemn vow to NOT call Todoroki for more moments like that. He isn't letting his moments of existential dread be changed into someone else's entertainment.
Todoroki is enjoying the chaos way too much. And probably telling others about what he gets to see.
Of course, the situation will be entirely different if, say, Midoriya will be interested in making the others find out about something. From that point of view, Shoto Todoroki is an asset. How big remains to be seen.
There is a small lake on the UA grounds, surrounded by something akin to a park. Honestly, somewhere between a very small lake and a very large pond. Fairly natural. The two of them sit on the bench right next to it. With no one in the area, Midoriya starts speaking about all the crazy things that happened to him during the last few days.
Kacchan is listening in complete silence.
Eventually, Midoriya runs out of things to tell him.
"So let me summarize it." Bakugou then replies. "There is magic. The world without it that we lived in was a giant lie. You were initiated and became a fucking mage, but you have no idea by whom. Messy Hair has almost eaten you, but then decided that she prefers satisfying her thirst to satisfying her hunger when you're involved, so she's now following you around and teasing you to the point where it's better described as you being molested but you're so horny that you enjoy her doing that despite her being a goddamn cannibal. Your fucking asshole deadbeat dad put a completely new level to the concept of being a fucking asshole deadbeat dad by disappearing on you into another dimension. Your mother might have never fucking existed. And UA as a magic school is such a fucking shithole that this Aizawa-sensei's response to your girlfriend eating the liver of another student basically amounts to giving her extra credit for weeding out the weak. Did I forget about something?"
"Uhm, on the first night something tried to break into my house, and it was like something from a horror movie." Izuku helpfully replies. "Whatever it was, it targeted me specifically. And we still don't know what that was."
Silence in the park. Bakugou is staring at him in silence. One so long that it turns openly unnatural. But eventually, the words come.
"Deku, I have the feeling that I'm going to use these words a lot, but…" He takes a deep breath. "What the actual fuck."
"I… have no idea, Kacchan," Izuku replies. "And that scares me."
Bakugou glances at him, before sighing painfully.
"No moping down on me, Deku." He announces. "We're both in it, and we're going to figure it all together. Just try to be slightly less stupid next time, alright? We've already established that you're too dumb to act on your own."
"Thank you, Kacchan," Midoriya replies while rolling his eyes around. "That was extremely helpful, reassuring, and motivational. How great that you're the smarter one, blessed with a towering intellect and instinctual insight on all dangers and risks involved."
"Please, remind me, whose girlfriend considers human bone marrow to be a delicacy?" Kacchan asks while glaring Midoriya down.
… well, shit. How is he supposed to answer that?
"I… she's not my girlfriend!" He decides to settle up on that. Judging from the look he gets from Kacchan, his best friend isn't amused. Or convinced.
"So, any clue on what's next?" Kacchan decides to ignore that part entirely. "You mentioned something about the second part of the orientation once I'm initiated?"
"Y-yeah," Izuku replies. "I've already contacted Yagi-sensei about it, it'll happen tomorrow after school. I… you'll be visited by the teachers this evening, they'll give you the uniform and the phone and the… well, I mostly told you the basics about things like cabals, so I guess your initial orientation will be shorter. Just…" He gives his friend a worried look. "... don't scream at them, alright?"
"What the fuck are you talking about, Deku?!" Bakugou shouts at him. "I don't scream at people!"
… so it's going to be one of those moments. Cool. Midoriya needs some entertainment to NOT think about the mess that his life has become nowadays.
"Like hell you don't!" Izuku shouts back. He isn't taking it face down "You're screaming at me right now, Kacchan!"
"No, I don't!" He shouts back. "What the hell's your problem, I'm speaking with a perfectly normal tone of voice, dammit!"
"Well, one thing's for certain," Midoriya replies while giving his friend a shit-eating grin. "We're NOT taking you for any stealth missions."
"I can be perfectly fucking stealthy, shitty Deku!" Bakugou refuses to back down. He never agrees to it, either way. "You almost fucking fell off your chair when I snuck up on you yesterday. You remember that?"
… shit, he's right.
"I was on my guard, BUT you just didn't register as a threat." Midoriya tries a last saving throw.
"Then your threat detector is fucked-up, you little shit," Bakugou replies. Maybe a tiny bit smugly. "I can twist you around like a fucking pretzel and you know it."
"Oh reaaally?" Midoriya replies with a similar degree of pure, unadulterated smugness. "Well, I know magic now and I can blast you away."
"Wow!" Kacchan looks at him with amazement written on his face. "You had to learn fucking magic to measure up to my regular gym visits, wow, what a fucking victory for you, Deku."
…
"Okay, that actually hurt," Midoriya admits. "Almost as much as your permanent high blood pressure will hurt your medical budget once you get older."
"Git gud, shrub." Bakugou cuts back. "I'll at least get older. You're always going to stay the same baby faced nerd. Nothing can change t…"
"Ribbit." They both hear. Midoriya decides that it has to be some very big frog to make such a noise and…
"... Deku, what the fuck?" Kacchan asks while staring at something. Midoriya's eyes follow his and…
There is a girl staring at them. From the lake. They can see her head (and only that) right under a large lilypad - she had to emerge from the water right under it, so it just… stayed on her head. Like a green hat.
Her eyes are too large. Her facial proportions are severely out of whack. It's unnerving. Uncanny valley at its finest.
Then she ribbits again, while still staring at them.
They are alone, in the world of eldritch abominations, man-eating ghouls, and who knows what other horrors. In front of them, some decidedly inhuman 'thing' decided to make itself known, while staring at them in silence.
Midoriya does the first thing that comes to his mind. He speaks.
"Frog of the lake, what is thy wisdom?" He asks. Then he almost falls off the bench when he hears a loud bang right next to him. When he looks at its direction, he discovers that it wasn't a gunshot. Kacchan just facepalmed very vigorously.
"Deku, why?!" Kacchan asks. Midoriya has no idea what to say, he just freaked out and said the first thing that came to his mind. Thankfully speaking to it didn't prompt it to attack them, so they can… like… try to evacuate the premises.
"Black men throw things, ribbit." But then, the girl (probably) replies. "I trade for food."
…wait, what?
Midoriya spends maybe five seconds figuring it out. Then he understands the message.
He grabs the collar of his Black Course uniform and points to it. Then he makes the gesture of throwing something into the lake. She (probably, he isn't sure about the gender but it feels more feminine than masculine and by a lot) ribbits. He feels like it was an agreement.
"I bring food." He then says because he isn't sure how to pantomime that part. "You…" He makes a gesture of pulling something from the lake.
"Yes, ribbit." The girl (he is like 99% certain of it now) replies.
"That's good wisdom," Midoriya replies. "I'll consider that, thank you…" The girl ribbits again and vanishes back into the water. "... you. I should have asked her for a nameeee…"
His words are cut short when he looks to the side and sees the look on Bakugou's face.
"... I expected better from a fucking horror nerd, Deku." He then says. And, honestly, Midoriya realizes that it could have ended MUCH worse if the frog girl wasn't … hungry. Or was hungry in a different way.
"Yeah, I'm… I mean, that was a bit…" Izuku takes a deep breath. "I'm super happy to have you next to me, Kacchan."
(***)
Midoriya ends up going home through a bit of a roundabout route. Because he comes with Bakugou to his home.
Not because he's looking forward to leeching off his mother's cooking. And certainly not because he's curious if his parents aren't Shades (they aren't, he knew that Kacchan would ask immediately about it so he checked that out beforehand).
It's because for all his talents in sport and very decent academic results, Kacchan is absolutely shitty in drawing.
"Kacchan, be honest with me." Midoriya asks, while raising two paper cards. On one, is a warding glyph that Izuku drew as a reference. On another, Bakugou's attempt to replicate it. "How?"
To say that Bakugou's attempt was misguided would be an understatement. Izuku just fails to spot a single part of the drawing where Kacchan managed to draw it properly. It's, honestly, a form of an achievement.
"Fuck you, Deku!" Kacchan shouts at him from his position next to the desk. When they both hear his mother telling him something distinctly unnice about shouting from the other side of the door, Katsuki decides to not take it face down. "AND FUCK YOU TOO, OLD HAG!"
Izuku groans.
"Give me a moment, it's time for plan B." He says, while pulling out the school-provided phone.
FireBroccoli: Himichan, I have a question.
IzuSimp: Red ;)
FireBroccoli: …
FireBroccoli: That's good to know (i think)
FireBroccoli: but not what I wanted to ask about
FireBroccoli: I wanted to ask about the glyphs.
IzuSimp: Awww
IzuSimp: (づ◔ ͜ʖ◔)づ ready to help!
IzuSimp: What do you need to know?
FireBroccoli: Kacchan is absolutely shitty at drawing
FireBroccoli: his glyphs are… I'll just send you an image
FireBroccoli: [IMG]
IzuSimp: PFFFFFFFFFT
IzuSimp: omfg
IzuSimp: I don't even know what glyph was it supposed to be
FireBroccoli: A warding one. I think.
FireBroccoli: Is there a limit to how many glyphs one person can draw? I think about drawing the glyphs in his home myself, because Kacchan is useless tbh
IzuSimp: nope
IzuSimp: it's all about the materials used
IzuSimp: stronger glyphs require costlier materials, not just a simple chalk
IzuSimp: you can cover for him izucchan! :D
FireBroccoli: Thank you
FireBroccoli: gotta go, bye
He managed to escape before Toga decided to reignite the teasing. He's looking forward to Bakugou having access to the chat, because maybe, just MAYBE she won't be so… exhibitionist.
Maybe.
"Good news, Kacchan," Midoriya replies. "I can draw glyphs for you. I just hope that the Censor covers me because your mom is scary and she's going to yeet me through the roof if she sees me drawing symbols on her windows."
"Send Messy Hair after her," Kacchan grumbles. "That will be one hell of a fight."
…
Okay, Izuku would actually pay to see that.
(***)
FAAK: nerd
FAAK: got the orientation
FAAK: Aizawa is a fucking ass
FireBroccoli: tell me about it
FireBroccoli: urgh
FireBroccoli: also
FireBroccoli: this nickname again?
FAAK: faak you nerd you named yourself after your messy hair and the colour of your supposed magic flames that I'm yet to see
FAAK: you're not allowed to criticize me
IzuSimp: ?
FAAK: …
FireBroccoli: Do I need to tell you who that is or…
FAAK: Don't bother
IzuSimp: FAAK?
FireBroccoli: inside joke
IzuSimp: I like inside :3
FAAK: …
FireBroccoli: it's an abbreviation
FireBroccoli: for Fully Automated Assault Kacchan
FireBroccoli: old joke
IzuSimp: ha
IzuSimp: sounds weird
IzuSimp: but funny
FAAK: speaking of
FAAK: Yagi-sensei confirmed that we have the second orientation tomorrow after the school
FAAK: we're supposed to wait in our class after the lesson, he'll drop by
FireBroccoli: oh cool
IzuSimp: Can I show up as well?
FAAK: why the fuck
FAAK: you had it already
FireBroccoli: I mean, Kacchan has a point
IzuSimp: I never showed up to mine
IzuSimp: It sounded boring af
IzuSimp: (⌐■_■)
IzuSimp: besides I probably know most of that
FAAK: what the actual fuck
FAAK: you just fucking skipped it?
IzuSimp: yes
FAAK: Messy Hair
FAAK: Aizawa told me into my fucking face
FAAK: that if you don't show to it, you can't graduate into Black Course and you'll just stay a Candidate forever
FAAK: AND YOU FUCKING SKIPPED IT BECAUSE IT WAS BORING?!
IzuSimp: yes
FAAK: WHAT THE ACTUAL FAAK
IzuSimp: Izucchan why is he so serious about it?
FireBroccoli: …
FireBroccoli: he treats studying seriously
FireBroccoli: very goal oriented
FireBroccoli: gets a kick from reaching those
FireBroccoli: you just admitted to being a heretic in front of an inquisitor
IzuSimp: oh
IzuSimp: well, crap
IzuSimp: I mean I was just happy getting a proper supply of food and so on and I never really cared so much about graduating
IzuSimp: but I don't want to stay behind if Izucchan graduates, that would suck like a lot :(
IzuSimp: guess I'll put in some effort
FAAK: nerd did you hear it
FAAK: the disembodies voices in the air
FireBroccoli: ?
FAAK: those were the voices of the future UA Candidates thanking you for getting the ghoul off their necks
FireBroccoli: …
IzuSimp: rude
FAAK: but not wrong
IzuSimp: I mean yeah but still rude
(***)
"Those uniforms…" Kacchan announces to Deku when he arrives at school the next morning, wearing black uniform of the Candidate. "... are just so fucking edgy and emo. Were there no better fucking colors?!"
"Like what, pink?" Izuku replies, looking at him questioningly. Bakugou stops his journey towards the school, and looks at his best friend.
"You know what, I won't make fun of your fashion sense, but you won't make fun of my drawings." He then says.
"Deal." Midoriya replies. He considers this agreement to be an absolute win.
(***)
"Young Midoriya, Bakugou and… Toga?" Yagi-sensei appears in the classroom soon after the last of the 'normal' students of the class vanished. He actually looks surprised by her presence there. "I didn't expect you here."
"It sounds boring, but Izucchan is here so I figured out that I could as well show up." Toga replies with a wide smile. Wide, but…
She actually moved from her seat to the one that one slightly behind Izuku. Was she… afraid of Yagi? Or, more like… slightly reserved about his presence here? He wasn't sure, and Toga would probably dodge the subject if asked.
"This might feel a bit rude, but… before the orientation starts for real, I'd like a word with Young Midoriya," Yagi says. "In private. Bakugou, Toga, please wait in the corridor. And don't try to listen in." He gives them a rather… serious look. "I will know if you try that."
They decide to listen to him, although Bakugou grumbles a lot. Toga, in the meantime, confirms Midoriya's suspicions by clearly trying to put Bakugou between her and Yagi-sensei while leaving the classroom.
Once the doors are closed, Yagi Toshinori turns his head towards Midoriya.
"Having some contacts and assets to spare can let you investigate things surprisingly fast," Yagi says. "Especially when you're very interested in a certain mystery. Thanks to the things I learned from you, I've already managed to achieve a breakthrough in the investigation. But… Well, I'm still missing the bigger picture AND I found some worrying things."
"W-what happened?" Midoriya stares at him with a mixture of hope and fear. "Did you find my father? Did he…" Yagi shakes his head.
"It's not about him, but about your… supposed mother." He pulls out his phone (it's the one that the school provided the Candidates with, the same model at least outwardly) and shows Izuku a picture.
It's Midoriya Inko. Slightly younger than in the family pictures, and with black hair instead of dark green. The picture was clearly taken without her knowing - she was talking with someone on the street, wearing a dark hoodie (but with the hood down).
"This is Misaki Kawamura." Yagi replies. "An unremarkable Initiate from Aichi. Fell into what's considered a bad crowd among the Initiates. The SPSC suspected her of being an active cultist of an unidentified Power. She was on their kill-list until an… incident."
"Incident?" Midoriya asks, leaving the questions about 'cultists' and 'Powers' for later.
"The SPSC's investigators concluded that it was a failed ritual," Yagi replies. "There were nine participants of said ritual, including Misaki Kawamura. We do not know what exactly happened, however only five bodies were conclusively identified. The rest… the investigators weren't even sure how many of them were there. They also failed to identify the ritual in question. The area was badly damaged, probably by the ritual going sideways but according to the report the investigators suspected some intentional… scrubbing."
"So you think that Misaki Kawamura survived, erased the evidence, and… like… vanished?" Midoriya asks. "And then changed into Midoriya Inko?"
"That's one explanation," Yagi replies. "The other is slightly… Honestly, the other potential explanation I have for this mystery is much, much worse. Young Midoriya, there is a possibility that Misaki Kawamura wasn't actually your mother."
"No, I… kind of suspected this for a moment?" Midoriya replies. Yagi's words were surprising, just not in the way he probably intended them to be.
"You misunderstood me," Yagi replies. There it is again. That look of faint pity on his face. "There is a possibility that Misaki Kawamura perished during that ritual. If it was a failed summoning, whatever came through might have… borrowed the form of the closest living organism just to more or less adapt to our Reality. And all of that…" He takes a deep breath. "Happened around a year before your official date of birth."
Silence. Midoriya is trying to figure out what Yagi meant by… wait, he couldn't possibly.
"You mean…" He tries to say, but he isn't allowed to finish.
"I'm afraid, Young Midoriya." Yagi says. "That there is a chance that you aren't fully human. Which would explain Toga perceiving you differently than normal humans, the color of your flames so similar to Midoriya Inko's hair color and even your Initiation. If this theory is true, you weren't Initiated by anyone. The Censor simply stopped reading you as fully human, and lifted the Veil accordingly."
Once again, silence. Midoriya is staring at Yagi in shock. Yagi ends up conjuring a reassuring smile, and starts speaking again.
"It's not THAT bad, Young Midoriya." Midoriya blinks at him, trying to find some… words, but none come to him. "It's rather clear that whatever your mother was, it wasn't a particularly powerful entity. I'm ready to risk a thesis that practically ARE a human, just with some small… let's say, adaptations. Your 'kind', so to speak, is very rare, but when outcomes of such unions are involved, you've practically rolled a nat 20."
"I… Nat20?" Midoriya's mind latches onto that.
"Your mind is clearly human." Yagi replies. "You can make glyphs, which is something that only humans and demihumans can do. Your body is practically indistinguishable from a human one. In fact, there's a notable chance that your nature is actually actively beneficial to you. Especially seeing that Toga flipped from 'eat' to 'protect' the second she smelled you. Of course, the reaction will probably vary between supernatural entities, so you still have to be wary." He sighs. "Especially when the other side doesn't count as sapient. We can't be sure how those will react to you."
Ah, Midoriya realizes what he meant. Toga might have as well actually flipped from 'eat' to 'protect' rather than 'have messy sex with asap', the details of her behaviour just being the result of her growing fascination with whatever the hell Izuku was. Another supernatural entity could have reacted entirely differently.
"But you have to keep it hidden." Yagi then adds. "From everyone. Unless you're absolutely sure that they won't betray you." When Midoriya looks at him questioningly, he adds. "Initiates grow stronger, something that we'll talk about today, primarily by eliminating supernatural entities or investigating various mysteries. You, Young Midoriya…" He adds after a second of pause. "... are technically both."
Well, shit.
(***)
Midoriya lacking a self-preservation instinct episode 325432. New headcanon - Kacchan enjoys challenges and keeping his nerd alive is a big challenge so he stays around to save him from... well, himself.
They are like Baljeet and Buford from Phines and Ferb, sob. How wholesome.
Also the mystery thickens.