Shaman Kid
"Wow!" Izuku Midoriya glances out the window down at the seas below from the plane they fly in with tremendous awe. The five-year-old keeps his face squeezed against the glass. It is a welcomed distraction from his other problem.
Next to him is his equally green mother Inko Midoriya. She smiles while staring at her only child taking in the sight of the islands. And yet, a heavy sigh billows up in her heart and leaves through her lips, remembering why they came.
"Passengers, please remain seated as we make our descent."
Soon, the mother and son pairing exit the plane and exit out into the beautiful sunny atmosphere.
Izuku stares at his surroundings as they enter transportation. "So, you really used to live here?"
"Uh-huh," she replies, "I have family here, though I don't think they'll be so happy if they find me just returning after leaving. They've only met you once after all."
"Only once?"
"My family wasn't too thrilled to find out I had a Quirk," she explains, bringing the little boy to snap his head up at her in shock, "so I left for the city to find a new purpose. That's where I met your father Hisashi and took his name. My name was Inko Asakura."
"Asakura…" The vehicle passes by a hot spring.
After a long journey through the island greens, eventually, they make it to their destination; before them stands a massive mansion with a design dated back to the Edo period. The two enter the Japanese building into the simple yet regal entrance; standing before them is an elder dressed just as splendidly. His samurai hair glittered silver and green and dark brown eyes show years of experience and wisdom.
Looking up, Izuku wonders just who this person could be, until his mom makes the first move. "It's been a while, father."
'Father,' he thinks, realizing that this man is his grandfather.
"Indeed it has," speaks the eldest Asakura as he approaches Izuku much to his shock. "My grandson; it's been a first, hasn't it?"
"Uh," he sputters, "hi, grandfather."
"I fear this is the first time you've come to know of your heritage." The man takes a kneel.
"Izuku-chan, how about you go look around the house? Mommy would like a conversation with your grandfather." Inko pats his son to break him out of his stupor.
"Yes mom," says the boy as he left to explore the mansion.
Once gone, the two speak. "He has your eyes and hair."
"Thanks."
"But, I doubt you're interested in a plain old visit. Is he who I think he is?"
She looks down with a sullen expression. "Yes, he was diagnosed to be Quirkless. All he wants is to be a hero, and I just couldn't bear to tell him no." She rubs her shoulder. "I thought maybe bringing him here might cheer him up."
The head of the family sighs at the words she delivers. As much as he would like to speak out, he would feel hypocritical. A strong bloodline is needed for both Quirks and a shaman family. And yet: "It might be good fortune that you would bring him here."
"Eh?"
"Inko, I think he may have another reason for being Quirkless."
While parent and daughter were discussing Izuku wander in the mansion alone. While walking, he happens upon a maid doing the dusting. She turns to face him, surprised by the appearance of this small child. "Oh? Are you lost, little one?"
"Oh, uh, sorry," he replies, his face red with embarrassment. "My mom told me to tour the place while she spoke with my grandfather."
"Grandpa-" She gasps before coming forth into a bow. "I'm so sorry! You must be the master's grandson! He spoke of you and Miss Inko visiting."
"He did?"
"You wanted a tour of the place?" She offers a hand to him, one he accepts.
The boy is then led on through the house. As he walks he marvels at the antiquities around him including the very structure he stands in. "Whoa…"
"The Asakura Family is a thousand-year-old family beginning with Douji Asaha, a famous Onmyōji and a brilliant Shaman mastering many different Shamanic arts who would rename himself Hao Asakura. They are one of the two great Shaman families. After a certain event held every 500 years, the Asakura became more famous and well known throughout the supernatural world, as they became more powerful, wealthy, and influential. Not only that, but we also have the Funbari Onsen able to heal fatigue and other things."
There it is again, Izuku realizes. Every time they talk about their family, there is the mention of Shaman. They make it sound like it's different from Quirks.
Eventually, Izuku ends up before a shrine. There rests a katana sheathed and sitting in place. 'A sword… it must be very important.' He prepares to walk away with the maid but is unable to. Something about this weapon calls out to his soul. Before he could even register his actions, he ends up touching it.
"Wait, don't touch-"
A burst of energy releases as a result, so much that the boy falls on his behind. Within the swell of energy, Izuku finds himself staring face to face with a floating person. This man with silver spiky hair and a cool expression in his eyes dressed in white samurai clothing and red plated armor keeps his vision on the child flat on his behind crying out in fear. "Hmm? You are…"
In the midst of this, others including family members and attendants gather to the scene. Even the eldest Asakura looks in shock at the appearance of the samurai, like an old friend after so long.
"I'm sorry! I'll put it back!" cries the boy with the impression he did something wrong.
Still surprised, the elder takes a knee before Izuku. A hand is placed on his right shoulder before the man says, "Izuku, I hope you believe in destiny."
Ten Years later…
Izuku Midoriya can be found sitting in the classroom as usual. 15 and free, the boy sighs as he stares out the window. He writes in his notebook as the teacher enters and asks about their career, ignorant to the screaming of one other member.
"Don't bother caring about those worthless extras! They'd be lucky to be drawn during a combat scene while I take on an A-Class Villain! The only real potential is me and my Quirk!"
This is Katsuki Bakugo. This ash-blond violent teenager is the star jock of his school. He is or was Izuku's best friend, now a rival. He is also the reason for his early years of depression and is half the reason he wishes to be a hero.
Still writing, Izuku switches on to his schedule for the day after leaving school. 'So, after class, I'll hit up the table tennis club. I promised that little girl.'
So into his writing is Izuku that he doesn't even notice his name being called out for applying to UA alongside Bakugo. Of course, the teacher shrugs it off and goes back to the course of the day. The aforementioned Bakugo glares at Izuku as the day goes on.
With classes finally over, Bakugo shouts, "Deku! Get your ass over here no-" Gone.
"Wow, escaped again," says another student seeing that Izuku has left ahead of everyone else. Bakugo is not impressed.
With Izuku, the young shaman runs through the halls as he makes his way up the stairs. There he enters the room where tennis players reside. There he sees her, the floating apparition of a one-armed girl no older than himself. She smiles at him.
"Thanks for coming."
"Hey, I promised didn't I?" he replies. Soon the other members enter.
After three matches, Izuku drops the paddle on the table with a sigh of relief. He wipes his face of the sweat gathered.
"Yeesh, you're no joke, Midoriya!"
"I can't believe he beat all of us so many times."
As the other members sit down in exhaustion, Izuku turns back to the girl. '50 wins in a row.' She waves to him as her body disperses.
"Thank you," are her last words before the crossover.
With that, he quickly leaves the room to return home. "Man, that was exhausting."
"That wouldn't be the first time."
While alone, Izuku looks back and spots Amidamaru appearing into reality for his eyes only. "Izuku-dono, while admirable that you continue to learn new skills, there is such a thing as taking a break."
"How else can I help the deceased move on?" he replies, taking out a napkin to wipe his still wet forehead.
"This time it was ping-pong. Before it was sewing. Before that, cooking a five-star meal. Though I'm interested to see what the next one will need to pass over."
"Yeah…" Izuku turns sullen as a thought crosses his mind. 'Some are easier than others, yes. Not everyone can be helped by telling the police who killed them.'
Due to the nature of his powers, Izuku's Quirk has been listed as Shaman. It allows him the ability to speak to spirits and see them. While many find this frightening, because the existence of ghosts themselves aren't something many people want to accept, it's also rather curious for others as such a unique Quirk isn't found anywhere else in the world. As such, knowledge of this power is kept out of the public's eye.
Also, due to being able to converse with spirits, Izuku could reveal information the dearly departed divulge. This has led to certain mystery cases being solved and many villains – and to his early surprise, heroes – being arrested and put away. In some cases for good. Thankfully, his only compensation was monetary and not fame-wise for protection.
Being the Asakura Guardian spirit, Amidamaru would follow the young Midoriya-Asakura as his spirit partner. Having done so since their meeting at his fifth age, the samurai spirit would watch over him. He would watch over all the boy associate himself with, including the likes of Izuku's rival Bakugo, who reminds him of one other filled with anger and pride upon first meeting. Maybe there's a relation.
Outside down by an underpass, Izuku pauses when he feels something. He turns around looking for the source and spots her standing from behind a tree. She is a little girl, no older than ten or so, pointing. He hears her saying something, but can't quite catch it.
Checking her mouth he tries to word it. "Look out?" He then quickly jumps away. All of a sudden, a splash of the slime of some sort of attacks where he once was. Picking himself up, Izuku gets a good look at the sludge in front of him, his skin crawling at the face forming.
"You will do nicely," says the villain looking at the defenseless boy, who lifts a piece of paper and tosses it out to the wind.
"Izuku-dono, my apologies," says Amidamaru as he materializes. "I didn't think we would be attacked."
"It's okay, Amidamaru." His right hand extends and clenches as if holding a ball. "Amidamaru, Spirit Soul Mode!"
The samurai condenses himself, transforming into a ball with his face in a cartoonish fashion. "Izuku-dono, just a reminder we don't have Harusame with us."
"That's fine. Fusion it is then." He then shoves Amidamaru into his chest. His body flourishes with high spiritual energy, eyes gaining a sharper sight.
The villain of slime forms hands from its green and brown sludge body and flies forward.
Izuku leaps overhead and lands by a pile of trash. He kicks up a pole and twirls the weapon, brandishing it as a sword. "It's time we put Anna the Tenth's training to the test!"
"Yes, Izuku-dono!" The teenager raises his weapon ready to swing, only for the manhole cover next to them to burst open. From it rises the paragon of muscles and shine, the blond superman of justice, the Symbol of Peace.
"ALL MIGHT?!" Izuku shouts releases his weapon in shock and awe.
"Oh, shit!" shouts the villain before he runs off in a hurry the other direction.
"Not so fast, villain! Because I am here!" All Might clenches his right fist, rearing it back before taking a step forward. That single step however crosses over eight feet, putting him between Izuku and the villain in an instant. "TEXAS SMASH!"
On the other side of the city, Bakugo can be found in an alley holding an empty can. After blowing it up he tosses the junk into the nearest recycling bin. Behind him are a group of his peers, or in his words bootlickers.
"What's up with you, Bakugo?" asks one such brown-nosing toady. In the distance just above them, what looks like a shooting star passes by.
"He's still mad that Midoriya ignored him again," says another person.
"Of fucking course I am!" he shouts, eyes narrowing in rage. "I'm sick and tired of that damn nerd acting like I ain't worth the time! All of a sudden he gets a Quirk and acts like I was wrong about him!"
"Well you kinda were," says the third, causing Bakugo to glare at him. He shrinks away, saying, "I-I-I mean, he has a Quirk so doesn't that mean he CAN be a hero now?"
"As if." The first guy stretches his arms upward with a yawn, ignorant to the item that just fell not far behind them. "His Quirk has nothing to do with combat. Plus, it sounds ludicrous. As if ghosts actually exist."
"If that's true, then why do the police and other heroes keep visiting his house?" asks the second guy.
"Yeah…" Bakugo feels that way as well, and honestly, he'd be willing to just leave Izuku as just another extra. But what pisses him off is that last thing. It's his goal to become an immensely famous and powerful hero, but Deku is closer than he is to be helpful and well known and they haven't even graduated from hero school yet.
"I'll prove that Quirk of his is just bullshit!"
"Ooh, a lively one…" Turning around, the three cronies look at the horrific sight behind them.
A couple of minutes ago, after All Might's arrival, he handles the villain with ease. He then takes off, bringing Izuku along with him and dropping him on the roof. After a few seconds later, steam emits off of the No. 1 hero. Leaving Izuku with the image of the hero as a skeleton.
"ALL MIGHT?!" screams Izuku, the mental process causing him to cancel the Fusion. Of course, even Amidamaru is surprised, the aged specter that he is. "WHO ARE YOU?! WHERE'S THE REAL ALL MIGHT?!"
After silence, he replies, "I am All Might."
"NO, YOU'RE NOT!"
"I am."
"YOU'RE DROOLING BLOOD!"
Following a few seconds of calm, Izuku still stares at All Might as he explains himself. "So, you know how some people suck in their gut while at a swimming pool to hide their shame? It's kind of like that."
He's still too stunned to reply. "Can you do me a favor and not post about this online? I have a reputation to uphold."
Izuku nods, still unable to speak. "Anyway, you mentioned that you wanted to know if a Quirkless person could be a hero, correct? But aren't you the psychic boy that the police often approach for unsolvable cases?"
Now he can bring himself to answer. "Yes… but there was a time that I didn't have one and thought I would never have a Quirk." Amidamaru knows that he's keeping things quiet about the true nature of his power.
All Might lifts his white shirt, showing the dark wound on his body. After a quick explanation, he says, "If someone as powerful as me can receive a wound this horrid, someone without a Quirk could be killed before accomplishing anything. People rely on heroes to protect them from things they can't. Without the power to do so, a hero couldn't protect anyone. Even themselves."
He pulls his shirt down. "So no, I don't believe that a Quirkless person should be a hero. There are some things that sheer determination and study cannot grasp. So find yourself lucky that you have a Quirk."
He then leaves.
"Are you all right, Izuku-Dono?" asks Amidamaru as he and Izuku walk down a sidewalk.
Sighing, Izuku says, "I'm just a little upset. I mean, nothing he said wasn't untrue. The only reason I got this far was because of some form of power. Regardless of whether or not I have a Quirk, I can't do a thing without power."
He then droops with depression. "I just wanted him to say anything's possible, that I should at least try, that even if I didn't become a shaman there was hope for me and others like myself."
"Well, words from someone of a high position can cause major consequences." Amidamaru's eyes then narrow. "What matters is not power, but what becomes of a man who gains power. Like the Daimyo I once served, a man can become corrupt and use that power for selfish reasons."
Noticing his still sorrowful expression, the ghost pats his shoulder. "Izuku-dono, remember that heroes are still human, and humans make mistakes. I've learned not to put the people you respect to such a high standard, less you suffer disappointment when they do something contrary."
Smiling, Izuku says, "Thank you," to the aged spirit, thankful for his years of advice and confidentiality. He couldn't ask for a better spirit partner.
As he walks around he then hears a familiar loud explosion. He rushes forward to the source of the noise, where he finds several people gathered in a crowd watching a horrid scene; his friend Bakugo is there thrashing about creating explosions and causing flames. Also, his body is surrounded by a familiar green sludge.
'Wait, isn't that…' The realization hits him. That's the same villain. 'But how?! Did I…' "Oh no… I must have knocked it out of his pants when I grabbed him!"
Izuku scopes the situation with worry. There are heroes nearby but none of them could help Bakugo, due to his explosion Quirk causing wildfires.
"This is my fault…" Izuku mutters. "I knocked it away, it captured Kacchan, and now no one can stop them because they're incompatible with handling his Quirk without hurting him… and All Might's time limit is up because of me."
"Izuku-dono! Now's not the time laminating! We can still save Bakugo." Amidamaru appears next to him. "But if you do so, understand the consequences."
Without care, Izuku looks at his surroundings. Nearby, he sees someone out from the audience. 'Is that…'
The figure tosses an item in the air. Moving quickly, Izuku reaches out and grabs the item, looking down at it in surprise. "This is…"
Looking up, he sees the figure disappear. 'I guess the Shikigami I sent earlier made it in time.'
He unfurls the item, revealed to be a katana. He then extends his hand, causing the samurai to become a ball again. "Amidamaru, Over Soul!"
As people look back to see who's shouting, Izuku moves in past the crowd, the police, and the heroes, making a beeline for Bakugo. Many of them tell him to stop.
Bakugo's body is forcibly turned around to face Izuku approaching him. "You again!"
'Deku?'
Izuku dashes forth. In his right hand is the sword Harusame, a beautiful Japanese sword. Around the weapon is the spirit of Amidamaru, manifesting pieces of himself including his face around the sword's hilt. Red shoulder guards float around the weapon as well.
"What the hell is that monstrosity?!" The villain uses an explosion to attack him as he gets closer.
Jaws drop on the villain's side and the audience when they see he has braved through the explosion using the spiritual shields. "WHAT?!" The shields part way, allowing Izuku full view as he stops short in front of him.
Harusame positioned to his left, Izuku glares at the villain. "Amidaryu," the hilt is held with both hands, "Shinku Buddha Giri!"
In a single motion, he slashes diagonally in the air. His celestial slash releases a shockwave of wind. The intense pressure loosens the slime's hold on the boy. Seeing an opening, Izuku reaches in with his free hand and grabs Bakugo's arm, ripping him out of the villain's fleeting hold. All that sudden force knocks him off his feet.
Coughing, Bakugo regains his breath as he stares back at Izuku. "Deku!" he shouts between breaths, "Why?! After all the shit I give you…"
"I'm sorry, but I couldn't stop myself from doing anything." He looks back down after resuming his stand. "Besides, you looked like you could use some saving."
With that, as the villain is laid across the street in a splattered mess barely able to make a form, the heroes move in to do their jobs. A job well done, Izuku cancels the Oversoul as the heroes clean up. In the audience, a familiar figure watches with some form of regret.
Afterward, Izuku receives a light 'scolding' for his actions; particularly, acting without a license and carrying a weapon. Luckily, the former was only in front of the cameras as they actively thanked him for his assistance, while the latter he scuttled off by showing a weapon license with the excuse that it's used in conjunction with his Quirk.
He doesn't run into anyone else as he makes his way home, knowing Bakugo would give him a yell fest. After using Fusion and Oversoul, he's more than a little exhausted. But as he passes a corner, he sees to his shock something he wasn't expecting.
"I AM HERE!" Right at the other end, All Might can be seen waiting for him.
"All Might?!"
"Where?!" he shouts, quickly turning back into his true form. Blood spills from his mouth. "Try not to say that all the time."
"S-Sorry."
The blond hero walks forward, approaching Izuku. "Midoriya, correct? I wanted to apologize to you for what I said, and thank you for what you did today."
"No, it was my fault…" he replies, holding a hand up. "I knocked the bottle you put him in out of your pants and drained you of your time limit. None of this would have happened if I hadn't been an idiot-"
"Would an idiot have saved someone's life and avoided collateral damage?" His insightful words cause the boy to end his sorrow. "Would an idiot have done the right thing when no one else could? Would an idiot be the most heroic person there than anyone else, including myself?"
"… yes?"
"Yes, probably," he laughs at that, "but, you inspired me, boy. I said those things to you, words the Quirkless you didn't want to hear, and yet you still went out and saved the day. If I hadn't seen that, I'd be nothing but fake muscles."
All Might approaches Izuku, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Allow me to properly introduce myself; I am Toshinori Yagi, and I would like for you to be my successor…"
This is a rewrite to the series and Thank Bastion Lightz for beta reading. And some of the learned skills are ideas from Yuragi-sō no Yūna-san and I didn't like the ending much.
