Corruption of the Light.
Ch. 5
o-o-O-o-o
Chiyo Shuzenji enjoyed a few pleasures in life. She enjoyed tea under the moonlight, the chocolate covered cherries from that little candy shop downtown, even the occasional cigarette, one of the few vices she still actively partook, but her greatest pleasure was a simple day of having no patients coming to her office. No members from one of the hero course trying to maim themselves or support student taking the brunt of an explosion, not even a general student complaining of a stomach ache. Sure summer break had begun and the campus was basically empty of students, there was still faculty, and if she had to treat Present Mic because he ticked off Eraserhead again…
"Breathe in..." Chiyo said taking a deep breath before exhaling. "Breathe out..."
It was a new habit that she was trying to adopt. The rat had suggested it after he was receiving complaints of whacking patients with easily preventable injuries, said it will help her with her anger issues. It did seem to work though so wasn't going to complain. It let her finish her lunch in peace at least as she returned to her meal, till a sound echoed in through the opened window.
At first it was a low thrum, but as the source seemed to get closer, she recognized it for what it was. It was the sound of an engine screaming, followed by the sounds of screeching tires. Sounds that brought back memories of a misspent youth and wild nights… She sighed, she missed those days with her friends. But those memories would have to wait as she moved to the window too see what was causing all the commotion, her grip on her cane tightening as a very familiar truck slid into view and she she knew in her bones that he was coming for her and any hope of a peaceful day had dissipated like a fart in the wind.
But even someone as stern as her could only look on in surprise as Yagi performed a textbook perfect drift into the faculty parking lot, narrowly missing Hound Dog's convertible by a hair. Eraserhead's scooter was not as lucky. Getting struck and launched over the lot wall. A shame too, it was a rather nice scooter and one of the man's few possessions he actually cared about. She did not look forward to that confrontation, but she had other things to worry about. Like the fact that Yagi had just kicked the door of his truck off instead, or that he was currently in his hero form as he ran to the passenger side of his truck and was currently pulling someone out of it before looking directly at her as he crouched…
Chiyo winced as the sounds of breaking glass rang throughout her office, the blonde buffoon not even giving her a chance to open the window completely and it was safe to say her lunch was ruined, but before she had a chance to brain the blonde idiot she caught the look on his face. The man was scared, terrified even and he was holding someone…
"Chiyo!..."
Chiyo didn't even give him time to finish as her role as a medic took over as she ordered the man to place the person he brought in to be placed in one of the spare beds in the infirmary before giving the unnamed youth a quick glance noting the black substance the teen was covered in before she turned to the scared man.
"You need to tell me what the hell is going on Yagi." She barked, drawing the blonde man's attention to her. "Who is this and why would you risk their health and well being bringing him here instead of the nearest hospital?"
Yagi deflated, steam billowing off of him as he returned to his normal form, as he stared at the the unmoving form of his student.
"That boy is Izuku Midoriya." He said, looking at the teen before turning to Chiyo. "The one I chose as to be my successor."
Chiyo understood immediately. This boy was the one that Yagi had approached her about months ago, asked her to look into his health records as Yagi outlined the training regimen he planned. With her being the head nurse of U.A. she had access to records that only several other government organizations were privy to and even some they didn't and if Yagi had brought the boy to her… this was something related to One for All.
So she began her examination of the teen, mentally taking notes of what she observed as she checked the teen's heart rate and breathing, which were slightly elevated but not enough to worry.
The most obvious one was the growth spurt. He had grown at least fifteen centimeters since his last health exam which was at the beginning of the school year several month's prior. A sudden rate of growth like that was unusual but not completely unheard of, though if he kept up this rate of growth she would have to test his hormone levels to make sure there were no grave issues there. Then there was the muscle growth or the strange lack of growth she would have expected.
Yagi had kept her updated and even asked for suggestions from her to prepare the boy, with the man giving her frequent update on the teen's progress and the body that laid in front her was not one she had expected to be capable of lifting the things Yagi had said. It was lean instead of the bulk that was expected of someone capable of lifting a hundred and fifty kilos with one hand. Now if she hadn't had access to the teen's records, she would've assumed a quirk was involved, and that still didn't explain the sludge the teen was covered in.
Turning from the teen, she turned to the distressed hero. "I need you to explain to me with as much detail possible, what led up to this."
And she listened in silence as Yagi recounted the events. From the gift giving to the boy ingesting his hair before she interrupted the man.
"And he was fine right after the transfer?" At Yagi's nod she continued. "Did you experience something similar when Nana passed One for All to you?"
"There was some discomfort, like sudden growing pains, but nothing too extreme from what I can remember."
Chiyo nodded. "I remember you describing to me One for All. That besides the ability of being able to be transferred from one user to another, that it stockpiles power. What did you mean by that exactly?"
"Exactly as I said, every user inherits some of the strengths from the prior ones. It's why I was stronger than my master, it's why he..." The man gestured to the teen. "...will be stronger than I ever could."
Chiyo glanced at the teen before doing a double take. Had her vision gotten worse, or was the boy appearing cleaner now than when he was brought in? Ignoring Yagi's yammering she stepped forward till she was standing next to the unconscious teen and her eyes weren't playing tricks on her. The boy was cleaner looking than when Yagi had first brought him in. He had been covered in that black goo but now the only evidence of was trace amounts around his eyes and the corners of his mouth, but that made no sense unless…
"Yagi, what was One for All effect on the holders that had previous quirks?"
Yagi just gave a look. "I'm not following you."
It took all of her willpower not to brain the blonde. If One for All had the power to power up the users, it having the ability to affect the users quirks. Maybe the teen's quirk was having a reaction to piling on One for All…
"Yagi, I have an idea what happened."
"What do you think it is, Chiyo."
"Are you sure the boy is quirk-less?"
Yagi didn't understand what Chiyo was implying, what did Izuku being quirk-less have to do with his sudden illness.
"You saw the official reports, even Naomasa's report. He's registered as not having a quirk and we have yet met someone who is capable of lying to Naomasa..."
But Chiyo pressed on. "But how do they know he didn't have a quirk? What tests did they perform? Did they even perform more than one test? You and I both know not every tests is foolproof, there are still individuals that get mislabeled, and I think this boy may be one of them. You mentioned that you met this kid while in pursuit of a criminal, yes?"
"Well, they turned out to be someone that needed aid, but at the time I thought they were a villain."
"And the only reason you managed to reach them was due to the girl attempting to hide, using his boys body."
Yagi still didn't see the point that Chiyo was trying to make. "...Yes, but when I found her, she was unconscious and splattered around Young Midoriya."
Chiyo lightly tapped the tip of her cane against Yagi's Brow. "And you didn't think that was odd. That a boy, supposedly without a quirk, managed to stop someone with a slime quirk? You and I both know how difficult it is to incapacitate someone with that type of quirk. They're just plain more resistant to many forms of attacks. It either takes an overwhelming blow like you did with that villain a few years ago, or something that destabilizes their body, making them lose their form."
"You mean Young Midoriya did that to her? But how, I saw the records, you saw the records. Naomasa admitted that the boy wasn't lying to him when he asked about having a quirk..."
"Not every quirk is flashy or obvious like yours or Endeavor's, and not everyone has their quirk manifest before they're four. There are at least a hundred cases of quirks not manifesting till their holder begin puberty. Some even later as their bodies needed to adapt to the strain of their quirks."
Chiyo turned to look at the teen sleeping peacefully. "I can't imagine what it must have been like growing up the way he did. I know people, I know how they look down on others for being different or having a disability."
"Midoriya never mentioned anything strange." Yagi said before shutting up at the look Chiyo shot him.
"Then he was lying. You know children, they can cruel beyond words without meaning to be. It's just the nature of things."
She checked the teens pulse and breathing once more, relieved to see they had lowered some, though a palm against the boy's forehead showed that he still had a slight fever.
"You did contact the boy's family right?" She asked before she glared at the man as he began to rub the back of his neck sheepishly before a groan alerted her that the third party present was waking up.
"Why do I feel like I was hit by a truck?" Izuku groaned out as he tried to sit up, finding that he couldn't as a hand gently but firmly held him down.
Blinking away the blurriness in his vision, Izuku found himself laying in a hospital bed in a place he didn't recognize. At least Yagi was there, standing at the foot of the bed, but if he was standing there who was keeping him from sitting up. Turning his head to the side, he found himself face to face with a rather pleasant looking old lady who had her hair styled in a bun with a syringe holding it in place.
"Um hi?"
The woman just smiled at him. "Hello dearie."
Okay, that didn't help him the least bit in explaining where he currently was, and the fact that Yagi was oddly silent about the situation wasn't helping either. Thankfully it was the old woman who answered his silent question.
"You are currently in the infirmary of the U.A. campus. This blond oaf..." She gestured at Yagi with her strange shaped cane. "...Brought you in when you collapsed at the beach. Now let me introduce myself. My name is Chiyo Shuzenji, but you may know better as Recovery..."
o-o-O-o-o
Shota Aizawa was man that had many descriptions. He was stern educator, a person capable of getting students to reach their full potential, constantly praised by his peers at the campus.
To his students, he was a mixed bag. He did try to help them when he could, but he was just as ruthless when it came to pointing out their flaws. Holding nothing back and even going so far to expel those that did not make standard from the hero course. That of course made some of them think he was a bit of a prick.
To his friends he was known for being an unbelievable hero, with an immense sense of loyalty. He was also a bit of a weirdo in their eyes.
He always appeared to be on the cusp of passing out, no matter how much sleep he got, even in the classroom as he napped in his token yellow sleeping bag. Then there was his love of all things feline in nature, like his coffee mug or the fact he spent his time in the teacher's office browsing cat vids on the internet, instead of doing actual work. But there was one thing that no one knew about him.
That he was at heart a Scooterboy. He loved scooters in all their form be it electric or the classical internal combustion type. It was a love that stemmed from childhood when he and some friends found a late twenty first century model at a scrap yard. Together they spent a summer getting it back into running condition but he was the only one willing to ride the cobbled together machine in the end, and that sense of newfound freedom sunk its talon's into his being.
The rest was just a simple matter of economics and comfort. He didn't have a lot of money as a teen but with a bit of pocket change, he could ride around the city all day, forgoing the need to be jammed together with others in public transport. Now a licensed hero, he received a stipend from the government he upgraded to a more reliable scooter, though he still had the old one sitting in his apartment's storage unit. But it wasn't until he became a teacher that he managed to get the one that he had dreamt of, well a recreation of it at least.
It was a jet black VM scooter, with chrome accents. Top of the line from Yaoyaorozu personal vehicles division, based off the Italian Vespas of old. A thousand kilometers on a single charge with the style and grace that only a classic design could bring. It was his baby, well second baby after his cat Kuro, but if that cat kept peeing in his shoes he was going to adjust his personal rankings.
Even Nezu understood the beauty of it, one of the reasons he only got a slap on the wrist for the smack down he laid on Mic when the fool attempted to add tassels his handlebars.
So it was to his great surprise that his scooter was not where he thought he parked it as he exited the faculty building; finding Yagi's clapped out truck in the spot he thought he left his wheels. Shuddering at the sight of rolling tetanus wagon he kept walking, honestly Yagi was the current number one hero, he should be driving something in better shape at least. Christ the damn thing's door fell of since the last time he saw it. Now where was his special girl...
Shota glanced around the lot looking for the telltale sparkle of his scooter, his stomach dropping farther and farther with every passing second. He knew he brought it today, he had plans for the day after all. He had a few errands that needed tending, then he'd hit up a cat cafe for a few hours before returning home to prepare for his patrol tonight. So why the hell wasn't it where he could see it? If Mic had messed with it again…
He let the thoughts of his coworker's soon to be demise drift in his head as he walked, eyes scanning the lot before he remembered his scooter came with a fob. Hands scrabbled to his pockets before one found his keys, fingers mashing the horn button, ears perked to hear that melodious sound. Only to hear something that sounded like a cross between a sad goose and bagpipes from the other side of the wall that separated the lot from the public roadway. Another press of the button made his stomach drop as the sound emitted yet again as he started to panic and hurried to the entrance of the lot.
Scrambling past the entrance, he hit the horn button one more time, head turning to locate the source. There down the street a little ways was an a pile of something that was a very familiar shade of black. Running like a man possessed he made his way to the wreck as bile rose in his throat. There lying before him was his girl, frame bent awkwardly as the battery sparked randomly. Unconsciously he pressed the horn button one last time, eyes tearing up as his beloved machine gave one last warbling honk before the thing burst into flames.
Shota blinked back tears as he stared at the red flames. His mind a whirl of emotions before his experience as a hero took the reigns as he analyzed the scene. His scooter had been damaged like it was struck by something or fell from a decent height, maybe both if the marks in the asphalt was any indication… But who would've done this. Mic was still nursing his wounds from the last time, Vlad had his hands tied up with his class, and Midnight went for embarrassing acts of vengeance not outright acts of violence and property destruction. Even the students he expelled at the beginning of the semester settled right in in the general studies program… So who could have done this?
His brain went through a list of people he may have wronged before his mind drifted to a certain boisterous hero. A Hero whose truck was currently sitting in his parking space… Oh he was going to kill a motherfucker…
o-o-O-o-o
Izuku sat in silence, completely unaware of the situation happening outside in the street, as Recovery Girl checked his pulse. Fingers held against his inner wrist as she focused on her watch before she pulled away with a smile and sat down on a stool.
"Well it looks like your fine after your scare kiddo. Not sure what caused your little incident but I have an inkling to what it might've been. You mind answering some questions for me and before you ask, I know about Yagi and yours 'situation'. "Recovery girl said with a conspiratorial tap on the side nose.
A quick glance and a nod from Yagi confirmed her statement.
"You don't have to answer this if you don't want to. It's probably a bad memory for you after all, but could you tell me why you thought you were quirk-less?"
Izuku grimaced as the face of a mustached doctor with glasses. A man completely blase to the fact he shattered a child's dream. The old prick was the starting catalyst to the hell that was Izuku's life…
"My mom took me to a doctor when I was four to be tested."
"And what tests did this doctor perform? How did he confirm that you didn't have a quirk?"
Izuku thought for a moment, trying to remember exactly what the doctor had him do. He tested his reflexes, listened to his lungs, even checked his throat. The same thing other doctors had done to him over the years. The only thing really different from the other times he's been to a doctor was him having an x-ray taken of his foot.
"He said I was quirk-less because I had an extra toe joint." Izuku said, internally wincing as he saw the sour look on Recovery Girl's face.
"Did he do any other tests or draw blood? He surely didn't base your result on one test." Chiyo asked, already dreading the answer before emitting a string of curses that had both men wincing when Izuku shook his head. "Of all the goddamn things..."
Izuku pressed himself further back as Recovery Girl continued her rant, before finding the room idly silent as he found her faces centimeters from his own.
"I probably already know the answer, but did your mother take you to another quirk specialist for a second opinion, or have you checked out again when you got older?"
'What was Recovery Girl getting at?' Izuku thought as he shook his head again.
"Never mind." Recovery girl said as she stepped back from the teen. "Have you noticed anything odd as you were growing up? Things you couldn't explain?"
Izuku stayed silent as he went through his memories, but there was nothing that seemed too odd...
Seeing the teen come up with nothing, Chiyo gave him a little nudge. "How about when you were attacked month ago?" She asked, ignoring the look that Izuku gave her as she continued. "You stopped someone with a slime quirk. Something that can be very difficult for some pro heroes, but you managed to do it. Do you remember anything odd then?"
Izuku thought about his first meeting with Eru. Waking up covered in her, the pinpricks of pain as he pulled her off his arms, then he remembered how the hairs on his arm seemed a bit strange, longer and darker then he remembered them being, but those couldn't have been anything that Recovery Girl wanted to know about, right?.
"It's going to sound weird and stupid, but there was something odd that I remember from that day."
"Don't worry dearie. I've known Yagi since he was your age. I'm used to weird and stupid." Chiyo said as she gave Yagi a knowing look. "Just tell me what you can remember from then."
"When I woke up after Eru attacked me, I was covered in her, though at the time I didn't realize it was her actual body. But when I tried to wipe myself off, I remember the goo pulling out the hair on my arms, but it didn't look right."
"What do you mean?"
"The hairs were longer, darker, and now that I think about it was like they were stuck in her."
Okay, they were finally getting somewhere Chiyo thought to herself, as she looked down at the teen's arms. They appeared to be rather normal at first appearance. Taking one, she ran a finger along the skin, noting nothing out of the ordinary, she even pinched a few hairs and gave them a tug to see if there would be an unconscious reaction much to Izuku's bewilderment.
"What are you doing?" Izuku asked, wincing as Recovery Girl tugged at another bit of hair on his arms.
"Was seeing if there was something that connected that incident to why Yagi brought you to me today?"
"I passed out right? I remember cramping up really bad..." Izuku said before being interrupted by a cough from Yagi.
"You puked up a lot of black sludge when you passed out. I thought it was prudent to get you medical as soon as possible, but I had very limited options considering our 'situation' so I brought you here to Chiyo."
"That makes sense..." Izuku said before examining himself. "Thanks for cleaning me up at least."
"That's the thing kiddo. We didn't. When Yagi brought you in, you were covered in the stuff."
Izuku looked down at his remarkably clean clothes, before looking back to the others.
"We can't explain it either, you came in covered with the stuff, but when we looked away, it was gone. The only evidence of it being there was..." Chiyo gestured to the corner of her mouth, an action that Izuku mimicked before pulling back and seeing trace amounts of black on his fingertip.
"The hell is this?"
"We're not sure, but I have an idea, though I'm not sure how well you will take it. But first, did Yagi ever explain how One for All works?"
"It stockpiles power from the previous holders as well as being possible to be passed on with the ingestion of DNA., with each holder ending up stronger than the previous."
Chiyo just nodded. "That's what Yagi told me as well, but I think there is another possible boon to it. But due to Yagi's condition I can't confirm it."
"Mr. Yagi's condition?"
"It's not my place to say."
That sounded ominous Izuku thought as he turned to the man, looking for answers.
"Young Midoriya. What I'm about to tell you is a secret that only a handful of people know about it, but the truth is… I was once like you. I was born quirk-less…" Yagi never got to finish what he was about to say before he found himself being lifted into the air as he heard Chiyo gasp.
Looking down he found a pair of hands, covered in a black bio-mechanical material, holding him by his shirt. Hands that were connected to arms that had tendril like marks running down to them, the same shade of black as the hands that held him up.
Looking away from those arms, Yagi found himself staring into a pair of eyes, almost glowing, set in a face twisted by barely restrained rage.
"You told me once that I should give up on my dreams. That I would be a hindrance because of my disability. All the while you yourself knew what it was like to be quirk-less." Izuku growled out.
"I was a fool, and that was before I saw your resolve." Yagi wheezed out as he struggled in the teen's grip.
That comment tempered his anger somewhat, but it was the feeling of a cane lightly rapping against his side that completely drew his attention away from the man.
"I know your angry kiddo. But I think you should put Yagi down, I'll make sure he gets quite an earful about tact..." Chiyo made sure to give Yagi a look that made the man shudder even while being hoisted by Izuku. "...but I think you proved my hypothesis."
"What do you mean?"
"Take a look at your arms, your hands."
Izuku did as he was told, releasing his grip on Yagi when he saw the state his hands and forearms.
"Why the hell do I look like an extra from the Alien series?"
"I think your quirk evolved due to One for All. It started out as something small, almost at the point of being nonexistent..."
Izuku flexed his hands, mixed feelings about his new development. "How does long arm hairs turn into these."
"Not the faintest idea. Among those of us in the medical field we can only come up with one single thing concerning quirks even after all these years..."
Izuku stood with bated breath as he waited for Recovery Girl's obvious piece of wisdom.
"...That in the end all quirks are bullshit. There is no rhyme nor reason to most of them. My quirk speeds up a person's ability to heal at a minor expense to them. We have a teacher here whose quirk allows them to release a gas that makes people fall asleep."
"Midnight is a teacher here?" Izuku asked, before getting a rap against a shin from the nurse.
"Yes, she is, and don't interrupt me. Now where was I, oh yes. As I was saying quirks are pretty much bullshit. They make no sense from an evolutionary standpoint, and even after several hundred years not one person can agree to why they came to be. Now as to why your quirk or what we can assume was your quirk, evolved so radically I cannot even begin to hope to explain. Though I would like to do some tests if that's okay with you." Chiyo asked.
But before he could answer the door to the infirmary slammed open and every ounce of warmth was seeming sucked from the room as a figure filled the doorway.
"Where is he?" The figure growled out as bloodshot eyes passed over Izuku and Chiyo before they zeroed on Yagi's form.
Izuku didn't even get a chance to ask the person who he was looking for before a strip of cloth shot into the room and around Yagi before he was quickly dragged out into the hallway. All the while as Chiyo watched in silence much to Izuku's surprise.
"Shouldn't we help him?" Izuku asked.
"You weren't conscious when Yagi brought you here so you missed some things, but let me say this. Yagi deserves what is about to happen to him."
"The guy looked mad, really mad. And his hair it was waving in the wind..."
Chiyo just hummed.
"We're inside, there was no wind."
"It's part of his quirk and due to his appearance we figured one thing about your quirk."
"What?"
"It has to be a mutation type or it would have been affected by his quirk."
"Affected by his quirk? Wait are you telling me that was Eraserhead? He teaches here? Wait he looked pissed at Yagi. What did Yagi do something to piss him off."
Chiyo whistled pleasantly as she continued to ignore the teen as she kept examining the teen. Prodding at the material that covered the teen's upper arms and hands.
"Do you feel anything when I touch you."
"Yeah, it feels like you're touching my hand."
"Interesting..." The woman hummed, as she continued her prodding before finally pinching his wrist. "That hurt?"
Izuku shook his head.
"So you can feel touch, but not pain. Not a bad thing for someone who wants to be a hero, but unless it acts as a way of reinforcing your fists, not feeling pain is not a good a thing. Speaking of which make sure that blonde idiot teaches you how to properly form a fist and punch. Have way too many students coming in with hand fractures cause no one taught them any better..."
Izuku made a mental note before he flexed his hands, gasping as the stuff covering his hands shifted again, thickening along his fingers and keratinous like plates forming along the knuckles, not noticing that Chiyo was watching him like a hawk.
"What did you do boy?"
"I just thought about protecting my hands." Izuku said as he flexed his hands again."
"Your quirk just gave you what are basically reinforced gloves just from thinking about it."
"Your guess is good as mine at this point. I woke up this morning believing I didn't have a quirk..."
"And now you find out you have one, one that appears to be a great boon for your future career."
"God I wish I had my notebook..." Izuku muttered to himself.
"Not sure what that means, boyo, but while this is immensely interesting." Chiyo said as she glanced at the clock on the wall. "But I'm afraid that I must ask you to head back."
Izuku just stared at the woman. Trying to comprehend why, when he was brought here due to an emergency, that she was already throwing him out. Especially with the sudden bombshell that was dropped on him. How the hell was supposed to deal with his quirk, when he had gone his whole life thinking he was quirk-less? Now add getting One for All on top of it. The hell was he supposed to do?
"Oh don't look like that." Chiyo said, interrupting the teen's inner rambling. "I would love to help you more, but as it stands. This place is a university, and you are currently not a student. I'm already dealing with a bit of risk having you here now and while I'm sure the rat could do something if something came up. I do not want to be owing him any more favors. Then there is the fact that you were brought in during the middle of my lunch break, and it's almost over. Now you seem to be a smart boy, well a fair bit smarter than Yagi, so take this time to figure out a bit more about your quirk, but I warn you young man. Do not even think of playing around with One for All till the blonde idiot is around."
'Makes sense.' Izuku thought to himself before he realized something. Yagi had brought him to U.A., U.A. was on the completely other side of city from Dagobah and he left his wallet as well as his phone in his bag at the beach, and as far as he knew, Yagi was currently indisposed for the time being. So how the hell was he going to get back?
Chiyo seemingly sensing the boy's woe, had quickly gotten her purse and pulled a couple notes from her wallet before making her way to Izuku, pushing the money into the teen's palm, surprising him.
"Come on dearie." She said, ignoring the boys objections. "Don't worry about the money. I'll get it back from Yagi when Shouta finishes with him later. Now come along, I'll walk ya out."
Izuku gave up on any more attempts to object as let himself be led from the infirmary and through the halls. Both ignoring the sounds that echoed through the empty halls, though Izuku had to bite back a shiver as felt the sensation of being watched. Eventually Recovery Girl led him to the staff parking lot, both of them pausing to look at door to Yagi's truck that was currently embedded in one of the parking lot's wall, before she continued to lead him to the street and waved down a passing taxi before turning back to the teen.
"Now I know I said this earlier, but it bears repeating. You are to take it easy when you get it back. I understand that you went through something no one could have expected today, but it's going to take a little while to get used to the sudden changes, so take your time. As for the other thing..." She said, shooting the driver a quick glance. "...I'll have the blonde idiot contact you. Probably won't be today, considering what the idiot did to Shouta, but very soon."
Izuku nodded as he listened to her instructions as he stepped into the vehicle. Turning when he heard a tapping sound against the car's window.
Rolling it down, he found himself staring at Recovery Girl's cane before it quickly jabbed forward making him wince at the sharp pain before his vision was filled with Recovery Girl's face.
"One last thing boyo. I understand that you are planning to apply here soon and that you need to be in top form for the exam. I do not want to see here again till I see your name on the enrollment paperwork..." She let the unspoken threat hang for a few seconds before rapping her cane on roof of the car, signaling the driver that he could pull away.
o-o-O-o-o
The ride back to Dagobah was uneventful for Izuku. The driver didn't attempt to make any small talk, though he did ask if Izuku would mind if they listened to the radio, which he didn't. So with the sounds of Present Mics radio show, Izuku thought about his newfound quirk.
The first thing he noted was he couldn't figure out where exactly it came from, not metaphorically but literally. At some point when Recovery Girl walked him out, his quirk disappeared, retracted? He wasn't sure how he wanted to describe it, but it disappeared, though it came back with a conscious thought. A process that fascinated him to no end.
It started slow, black threads extending from what he first thought were his hair follicles, but it appeared to be coming from his pores. Before the threads coalesced together before spreading to cover his forearm. Another thought and the it retracted, a process he repeated several times before he noticed the driver was glancing at him through the rear view mirror. Causing him to flush in embarrassment. Thankfully the rest of ride went without incident as Dagobah came into view.
Giving the driver the money Recovery Girl had given him, Izuku watched as the taxi drove away before turning towards the beach. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary aside from the telltale marks of Yagi's departure earlier. Hopefully none of the the locals had wandered by and snatched his bag, he really didn't want to explain to his mom why he needed a new phone, never mind the fact that there was that figure All Might had given him…
Izuku suddenly sprinted for the stairs that led down to the beach. Taking the steps two and three at a time, he landed down in the sand before sprinting to the spot that Yagi always dropped the cooler, his bag laying next to it. Except there was the cooler, minus one bag. Where was his bag? He knew he left it there, he could still see the imprint in the sand where he deposited it earlier. So where the hell did it go?
Did one the local housewives swipe it? But why? All that was in it was his wallet with barely any money in it. A phone that was several generations out of date, and well a priceless figurine, but not many would know that, so why was his bag missing?
Izuku was in the throes of mild mental episode could not be faulted for being unaware of his surroundings, as a pair of blue eyes watched him as they looked up from a cell phone, a cell phone that had a chibi All Might flashing a peace sign sticker on it. Pausing the game of snake she was playing, the figure watched the teen go through all the motions of someone panicking as her smile grew. She would get his attention in a minute, but he was just too adorable freaking out like he was.
Izuku was beginning to freak out, when the sound of a whistle caught his attention. Scanning the beach he didn't see anyone, before he saw a familiar figure waving at him from the shadows.
"Toh?"
The girl just waved at him, before reaching down and lifting something up. "You looking for something String bean?"
The bag she was lifting up was instantly recognizable, but what was she holding in her other hand?
"Is that my phone?" Izuku asked himself as he approached the girl.
"Yeah, had to have something to do while you were gone." Toh said as she walked forward. "Should have brought a magazine if I knew you were going to be gone for so long."
"You waited for me?" Izuku asked. "Wait how did you know I was gone?"
"I've told you once before, but people have been keeping an eye on you. So it shouldn't come to your surprise they noticed the Crooked man hauling ass out of here."
"Okay, I can understand that. But why wait?"
Toh just strode forward, circling the teen, idly examining him, before popping forward, forcing him to take a step back as she invaded his personal space, before she stepped back in that way only a girl could, making him feel a strange little sensation in his stomach.
"Think I'll be a bit blunt with ya. I find ya interesting String Bean and when I heard that tall and skinny left here in a hurry I got worried, especially when you weren't here, yet you guys left your stuff behind." Toh said as she walked away and towards Izuku's bag, stopping to pull something out as she continued. "As for waiting..." She paused before tossing something to Izuku, making him fumble to catch it before he got a good look at it, it was the figurine that Yagi had gotten him.
"Funny thing about something like that figure. To most people it's just another figurine of a hero, but to others it's priceless. Now I didn't take you for being a hero nerd, but here you are, holding a very rare figurine, and see just how carefully you are holding it, you understand its worth."
Izuku wasn't sure what she was getting at. "Is there a point you're trying to make?"
"Just making an observation. Though I was right in my thoughts."
"Which was?" Izuku asked, before finding himself staring into some of the most intense looking blue eyes he's ever seen., before feeling a hand brush against his face.
"I was worried you idiot. One of the shop keepers told me that you got hurt. They wouldn't tell me what happened. Just that Yagi had taken you away in a hurry. What did you do?" Toh asked.
Izuku just ran a hand through his hair as he chuckled awkwardly. "Funny story about that..."
Toh just stared at him before she finally spoke. "I'm all ears, String Bean."
"My quirk came in."
"What?"
o-o-O-o-o
A/N: Long time with no update, and for that I don't have any real excuses other than a mix of real life and writers block kicking my ass. Update should happen more frequently as things in my life are straightening themselves out and various burdens are being lifted from my shoulders.