Izuku and Haruko were now 11 years old. They had started their training under Rayleigh at 9 years old and had been making steady improvements since then.
Katsuki and his goons still harassed Haruko for being Quirkless. Even though Haruko clearly showed she didn't need a Quirk to defend herself, the explosive blonde still targeted her. Needless to say, despite trying to play peacekeeper, Izuku eventually gave up and began cutting his ties with his former friend.
Currently, the two best friends had collected the new action figures of All-Might and the rising star in the Hero Business, the Winged Hero: Hawks.
"This is so awesome! His wings are even articulated!" Haruko gushed as she played with the wings for emphasis.
"Yeah, and All-Might's got new sound effects!" Izuku cheered, making his action figure punch a few times.
As the two kids decided to go get some ice cream before heading home for the day, a cry for help was heard as they turned in the direction of an alleyway and went to investigate.
"Come on, girly! Just give it up!" Sneered an 8ft tall bald man with dark blue skin, solid amber eyes, and 12 arms, 3 on his left, 3 on his right, and 6 coming out of his back.
"No! It's mine!" Cried a girl who appeared to be Izuku and Haruko's age. She had long white hair with red tips, crimson eyes, and a pair of demon horns coming out of her forehead.
"Just give me the thing and I'll leave you alone! Sound fair?!" The brute growled as he tried to take something from the girl, only for her to growl and knee him right in the groin, making him wheeze as he fell to his knees.
"Serves you right, jackass!" The girl laughed before cartwheeling away from the man, stopping beside Izuku and Haruko. "Oh, hey, nice to meet ya! Sorry, I'm kinda in the middle of something!"
"THAT'S IT, YER DEAD!" The brute growled as he charged toward the three kids, delivering a barrage of punches with all his arms, causing a dust cloud to kick up as he impacted against the trio.
After what seemed like hours but was only five minutes the barrage ended and an agonizing scream echoed across the streets, alerting all the nearby civilians and patrolling Pro Heroes.
However, it was none of the kids who screamed, but the brute himself. He backed away with horror, bloody stumps were all that was left of his multiple hands, leaving him defenseless as he fell on his ass and began scooting away.
Izuku had gotten in front of Haruko and the other girl before using the [Twinkle-Twinkle Fruit] to cover his entire body in diamonds. Needless to say, he was quite disgusted to find himself covered in the thugs' blood.
"Okay, Ew! Ew! Ew! I need to seriously take a shower after this!"
The brute slowly got up and turned to hobble away, only for a hexagonal shield-like object to strike the back of his head, sending him sprawling to the ground as Izuku, Haruko, and the girl turned to see none other than the Shield Hero: Crust, the #6 Pro Hero...and Izuku's maternal uncle.
"Uncle Crust!" Izuku smiled.
"Heavens, are you alright?!" Crust asked as he got down on one knee to look his nephew over. "That's not your blood is it, Izuku?!"
"No, it's okay, Uncle Crust. I defended myself and my friends." Izuku smiled reassuringly. "Though I might need a shower after this..."
After arresting the Villain, Crust brought Izuku, Haruko, and their new friend back to the Midoriya Household. Inko had been fraught with worry when she saw her son covered in blood but felt a modicum of relief when Izuku explained it was the Villain's blood and it got on him while he was defending himself.
Izuku and Haruko then introduced their new friend, who hadn't properly given her name yet. Her name was Chie Kariru and she was a girl who had lost her home in a major Villain Attack two years ago.
She was rather secretive about her Quirk when Izuku, being the Quirk Nerd he was, asked about it. She simply said she could edit and enhance Quirks but didn't go into any more detail than that. When asked why she didn't want to tell, she just said this:
"That's a secret that I'll share only if you become my boyfriend~!"
Needless to say, Izuku got embarrassed and Haruko felt a sharp pang of jealousy go through her.
"I-I need an adult...!" Izuku stuttered, which only made Chie laugh.
"Class, we're getting a new student here today. Please welcome her with utmost care." The Homeroom teacher for Aldera Junior High said as Izuku, Haruko, and Chie perked up.
"A new student already? Seems like only yesterday when I was the new student." Chie noted.
"That was a year ago, Chi-Chan." Izuku pointed out.
The person who walked in was a cute girl with long blackish-brown hair in a Hime cut and brown eyes. She seemed a little shy at first but soon gathered her wits and bowed her head.
"M-My name is Akito Saraka. P-Please, take care of me going forward!"
Most of the class couldn't help but find her cute as she shuffled over to the open desk available to her...which just so happened to be right next to Izuku.
Classes resumed normally for the most part until Akito noticed Izuku writing something in his notebook and looked genuinely interested, leaning over to see it closer. Izuku noticed he had a snooper and turned to her curiously, making her reel back in embarrassment.
"H-Hey, it's okay. Did you want to see what I was drawing?"
Akito looked surprised for a moment before shyly nodding her head. Izuku smiled and presented the sketch and notes he had been taking for Kesagiri Man.
"He's a pretty cool Pro Hero. He moves so fast, like a ninja. I hear he also once was a Sidekick of Edgeshot before going Pro himself."
Akito smiled. "Yeah, I know!"
Chie and Haruko watched the two exchanging their thoughts on certain Pro Heroes. Chie put a hand to her mouth and giggled while Haruko rolled her eyes but smiled all the same.
"Guess Izuku found us a new member of the squad."
Akito revealed that her family owned the local shrine in Musutafu with her father being the head priest. While she and her family were in touch with the spirits, she also had a dream of becoming a Pro Hero who could also provide for more than just those that came to her family's shrine.
"My parents and grandparents say that I should choose my own path...and my path is to become a Hero who can bring good fortune and happiness to everyone!"
Izuku smiled. "That's an amazing goal to have, Aki-Chan. I want to be a Hero who can save people with a smile just like my Dad and All-Might!"
"I want to become a Hero who helps others even if I don't have a flashy power," Haruko said. "But hey, if I end up suddenly manifesting a flashy power, I'll still stick to my goals of being there for those who need a hand."
"As for me...I want to be a Hero because I made a promise to somebody." Chie said with a nostalgic smile on her face that held some sadness to it. "I just hope that I can reach my goal..."
Suddenly, Izuku felt a twinge go off in his head. Thanks to training with Rayleigh, Izuku had managed to awaken the power of Haki, a spiritual energy that all living things could manifest with the right training or motivation. Rayleigh made up for his non-combative Quirk by being one of the biggest masters of Haki in the entire world.
Izuku could sense someone had been following him and his friends for the past few minutes. He managed to zero in on the stalker's location and saw it was a girl the same age as him and his friends. She had dirty blonde hair and cat-like eyes with fanged teeth.
"Hold on, guys. Someone's been following us." Izuku warned as the girls stopped and turned as the sole boy of their squad made his way over to where the girl was hiding. When he got close enough, she peeked out from behind a garbage can, looking quite nervous.
The first thing Izuku noticed was that there was old blood on her school uniform, which was from a different school than Aldera. The girl froze, eyes darting around as if looking for an escape.
"Hey, are you ok? If you need something I can help you." Izuku said kindly, offering his hand to the girl.
"Blood...I need...blood..."
The girl spoke up in a weak voice but Izuku could hear her loud and clear. Haruko, Chie, and Akito had made their way over to see what was going on.
"What's going on?"
"This girl says she needs blood."
"I can help with that."
Everyone looked at Chie in surprise as she walked up to the girl and held out her arm. The girl just stared, unsure of how to react and trying to find a way to respond before giving up and latching onto Chie's arm, sucking blood like a vampire.
"Hehehehe, that tickles, actually~!"
The girl had a look of pure euphoria on her face before letting go, tears building up in her eyes as she then hugged Chie tightly and nuzzled her face into her bosom.
"I love you~! Thank you so much~!"
Chie could only smile and pet the girl affectionately on the head as Izuku, Haruko, and Akito continued to watch in confusion before looking at each other.
"I think we need to talk with our parents about this..."
The girl, who introduced herself as Himiko Toga, was brought to the Midoriya Household. Thankfully, Tatsumaki, who was now the rising rookie sensation Pro Hero known as the ESP Hero: Terrible Tornado, had gotten off duty today along with their parents, and both Fubuki and Eve had just come back from UA High, where they were currently training to be Heroes themselves.
"So why were you all dirty? Did you run away from home or something?" Chie asked.
Himiko flinched at the question, which was definitely a clue that the others needed. After a little more prodding and gentle persuasion, she finally spilled her story to the Midoriya Clan.
"MyparentswouldntletmehaveanybloodandtheycalledmeamonsterandgthequirkcounselortoldmetoneverusemyquirkcusitneedsbloodandthenIsawSaitocaveredinbloodandIattckedhimadranksomethenIranawayandnowImontherun!"
If it wasn't for them having lived with Izuku and his muttering habits for all these years, the Midoriya Clan would have completely missed that. Even then, Hisashi's hypersensitive hearing allowed him to pick up each and every word meticulously by himself.
"You have a Quirk that requires blood and your parents wouldn't let you have any and called you a monster?" Chie asked sympathetically.
"And because you were suffering from withdrawal, you attacked someone and drank their blood?" Inko added, getting a weak nod from Himiko in the process.
Hisashi's eyes seemed to darken for a brief moment before smiling and putting a fatherly hand on Himiko's shoulder.
"Little Miss, I want you to listen to me when I say how your parents treated you was very much NOT OK. As for you attacking this Saito kid, well, that is partially the result of your counselor telling you to suppress your Quirk, and is therefore his legal responsibility."
Himiko stared at the man who was pretty much tied with All-Might as the #1 Hero in Japan. She saw that it was true what the people had to say about him; his kindness and empathy were on full display.
"So, um what happens now?" Himiko asked meekly because she knows that these people probably won't let her go back onto the streets, and, despite what Hisashi said, she was still guilty of assault.
"Well, first we remove you from your parent's custody in a legal sense, as they are clearly unfit for parenting. Then we deal with all the legal jazz from that and your attacking of this Saito individual. Then, you're coming with us." Inko said firmly and kindly.
"But how?" Haruko asked, scratching her head.
"Don't worry...an old friend can cover that very easily," Hisashi smirked as he took out a phone and speed-dialed a number before talking to whoever was on the other end.
The rest of the clan didn't know what the Midoriya Patriarch was talking about with his 'old friend', but they could distinctly hear maniacal cackling from the other end.
"Kids, don't worry. The Togas won't be a problem much longer..."
It had been a few weeks since Himiko had been adopted by the Midoriya Clan. Her biological parents and Quirk Counselor had been arrested on charges of child neglect, abuse, and disorderly conduct. Hisashi and Inko had significant influence and thanks to their 'old friend', the trial was a landslide in their favor.
Himiko was currently drinking from a blood-filled juice pouch. As it turns out, Quirks that require the user to consume a certain substance to stay healthy and sane aren't exactly uncommon. In fact, there is a whole organization that makes deals with places to help provide for these people.
The best part? Blood banks have an excessive amount of blood, partially because whenever a disaster happens people donate more blood than is needed, and partially because of some very generous people with Healing-based Quirks, or Quirks that cause them to produce excess blood, so the blood is actually extremely cheap.
"Hey, kids! We've been invited to a Tech Expo hosted by some of the most brilliant minds in Japan!" Hisashi smiled. "Some old friends of mine and your mom are gonna be there, we're hoping you can come!
"Alright!" Izuku cheered. "Can I bring Haruko, Chie, and Akito, Dad?"
"Bring whoever you want, Kiddo! I'll cover for 'em!"
Himiko was a little nervous about being in public but a reassuring smile from her new mother helped ease those worries she had.
The Support Expo might not have been on the same level as the expos at I-Island, but it was still a widely seen spectacle. Support Inventors of all kinds were there to show demos of their latest creations. However, one of the most prominent figures there was Dr. Vegapunk, who had been responsible for the discovery of many things that benefitted Hero Society.
"This is gonna be so cool!" Izuku said, bouncing in his seat.
"Wonder what the ol' Doc's latest gizmo is," Hisashi said, having personally known Vegapunk himself.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the future of life!" The big foreheaded doctor announced. "The bridge between humanity and machine!"
Vegapunk pressed a button and a small hole in the ground opened up before a platform rose out, revealing a crouching slender figure that soon rose to its full height, revealing it to be an android girl.
Izuku's trained eyes stared at the girl in wonder. She had a primarily black body and a pale white face with black eyes and golden irises. She had short black hair and black tear-like markings under her eyes. Her hands ended in long slender clawed fingers and her neck had two small prong-like protrusions coming out of it.
"This here is Kurai Irogane. She is my pride and joy and, dare I say it, like a daughter to me. She is my successful attempt at creating a living being from machinery that can think and feel like a human being!"
"Whoa! Robots are taking over soon!" Chie giggled, only to be elbowed by Haruko.
Vegapunk had Kurai show what she could do. The Android Girl had various weapons, gadgets, and functions built into her, she was basically a living swiss army knife. Soon, the presentation was over and Hisashi decided to say hello to his old friend.
"What's up, Doc?"
Vegapunk smiled. "Ah, Hisashi! My, you've grown since I last saw you! And is this your family?"
"Yup! We wanted to see what latest ingenious creation you've brought to the table this year. That Kurai of yours is quite the sweetheart, ain't she?"
Vegapunk nodded. "Yes, I meant every word of what I said. She is my pride and joy, my greatest creation I dare say."
"Well, she seems like a really sweet girl. What are you planning on doing with her?" Inko asked.
"I had to call in a few favors to get the Heroic Public Safety Committee off my back. They wanted to make her into a weapon, but I refuse to have another incident like with Lady Nagant."
Hisashi nodded in understanding. "Yeah...poor girl..."
Kurai had simply been standing at the side, seemingly still like a statue. It was only when she noticed Izuku make his way over to say hi that she turned her head to him.
"Scanning individual...Izuku Midoriya. Current Age: 12, Quirk registered as [Devil's Champion]. Youngest Child of Omni-Man and Polaris."
"Um, yeah. Nice to meet you, Kurai-Chan." Izuku smiled as he offered his hand, which the android girl looked at curiously. "It's a handshake."
"Let me help with that," Chie smirked, sliding in and moving Kurai's hand to gently clasp with Izuku's own before gently shaking it up and down. "Up and down. There, see? You're a natural already."
Vegapunk watched this going on with a look of approval on his face before turning to Hisashi and Inko.
"Kurai is still finding her emotions. She'll learn and grow steadily but for right now, she's a bit...emotionless. Only seeing things in logistics and all that."
"It's okay. If anyone can teach her the joys of living, it's our boy." Hisashi said.
Vegapunk smiled. "From what I've seen of the lad, I have no doubt about that."
Izuku, his friends, and Himiko had decided to walk around with Kurai, hoping to get to know her better and open her up a little bit more.
"So, what do you like to do for fun, Kurai-Chan?" Himiko asked with her hands behind her back.
"Fun? As in entertainment?" Kurai questioned before putting a finger to her chin. "Well, I do get a satisfactory feeling in my processors when I memorize Pi to the 777th digit."
"Boooo~! That's boring! We mean like playing video games, watching movies, getting into trouble, that sort of thing!" Chie said.
"Fun is...still a new concept to me," Kurai said, looking at her hands. "I've only been awake for a year, 5 months, and 28 days. And Father has never let me go out because he keeps telling me it's not time."
"Well, it's time now. Trust us, Kurai-Chan, there's a whole world to explore!" Haruko smiled.
Suddenly, a massive explosion nearly knocked everybody off their feet. Heading toward the source, they saw people watching in awe and clapping at something.
When the dust settled, it was shown to be a girl with pink dreadlocks, grease stains on her clothes, and amber eyes with target reticles in them.
"And that's how you make an explosion with a fire extinguisher, a lump of carbon, and a box of matches!" The girl said proudly. "But explosions aren't all I'm good for as I've already demonstrated with my prototype hover pack! And there'll be a lot more where that came from when I get into UA High, so says Mei Hatsume of the future Hatsume Incorporated!"
"Who's that?" Izuku asked.
"That is Mei Hatsume. Her Quirk is [Zoom] and it allows her to see up to 5km away. She is the daughter of one of Father's assistants and aspires to be her own inventor." Kurai explained.
"I think that was supposed to be rhetorical..." Haruko pointed out.
"Now! If any of you have any ideas, I'll gladly take them and show them off at next year's expo!" Mei said proudly. "Suggestions are appreciated but not all of them will make the final cut, just so we're clear!"
"Oh!" Himiko suddenly shouted, raising her hand. "How about making a knife that collapses on itself when it stabs something while releasing a red fluid to replicate blood."
Everyone looked at her weirdly when she said that but Mei actually seemed to have a contemplating expression before grinning wildly and giving a thumbs-up.
"Sweetie, I love your style! What's your name?!"
"Himiko Midoriya!"
"Well, Himiko, I'm glad to hear from you! Hope to see you at UA!" Mei then noticed Kurai. "Oh, hey, Kurai-Chan! How was the big reveal!?"
"It had a success rate of 99.333333%."
"Glad to hear it! That means the people love you already!"
Izuku had a pretty good feeling his friendship circle had just grown quite a bit, not that he was complaining for that matter if he was being honest.
Next Time: The canon story begins but things are already quite different from the original tale. Also, it's not Izuku being offered One For All this time, either.
