Chapter Seven: Izuku Accidentally Adopts a Child.
Izuku raised his fist, smiling widely. He looked to the sun again, feeling its warmth fill him with strength and confidence. Unbeknownst to him, a sing drop of blood ran down his chin onto his pendant. The rest of the students began appearing around Izuku. They were staring at him, he realized with a start. He smiled weakly at them.
"Heck of a field trip, huh?"
A Bar Somewhere
Tomura Shigaraki crashed to the floor, blood pouring from underneath his mask. Kurogiri ducked behind the counter of the bar, pulling out a first-aid kit. He hurried to his master's pupil, whose eyes were wide with rage. Across the room, a computer screen flared to life, showing a black screen.
"What happened? Has All Might been defeated?" a disembodied voice filled with malice emitted from the screen. Shigaraki forced himself up, ignoring Kurogiri's protests.
"Sensei, he wasn't even there!" Shigaraki said angrily, grabbing a barstool and turning it to dust.
"Calm yourself Tomura." The voice said sternly. Shigaraki stood still, working his jaw up and down. He took a deep breath, then nodded.
"Yes, Sensei." He said, anger barely contained.
"What. Happened." Sensei stated with a voice that offered no compromise. Shigaraki lifted his head.
"All Might wasn't there." He said, voice hoarse.
"Oh? Then who defeated the Nomu?" Sensei asked. Shigaraki slammed his hand into another barstool, disintegrating it.
"It was one of the students! He overwhelmed Nomu's shock absorption quirk nearly instantly, and he didn't even look phased!" Shigaraki said, scratching his neck so hard it started bleeding.
"A student? Hm, did you get his name?" Sensei asked, curious. "Your successor, Toshinori?" he thought. Shigaraki shook his head.
"No." He snarled. "All I know is he has green hair and he's tall." He sat on a barstool, pulling the hand off his face and letting Kurogiri tend to his wounds. He turned to the dark screen. "What do I do Sensei?" he asked.
"We will watch for this student during the Sports Festival. They'll go ahead with it to put on a brave face." Sensei said, his voice resonating around the bar. "In the meantime, you must fill your ranks again, with more powerful allies than the small-time thugs we hired." Shigaraki nodded, scratching the back of his neck rapidly. It was a good enough plan for now. "Patience Tomura, you'll have your revenge on All Might," Sensei said. A vicious chuckle resonated throughout the bar, making its inhabitants flinch.
"We'll take everything from him."
Two days later.
Izuku yawned, scratching the back of his head absentmindedly. He and the rest of 1-A had been given two days of rest time, and Izuku was bored out of his mind. All Might had given him a pat on the back, told him he was proud of him, then forbade him from training. "Get some rest Young Midoriya, you deserve it." His mentor said. If only he could believe that. He hadn't stopped the Nomu from hurting Aizawa, and his other classmates had gotten hurt.
Izuku sighed in frustration. "If only I had been faster." He could level buildings with a single punch. He could catch a bullet out of midair. (And what an effort it had been to get All Might to shoot at him. He had to swear at least a dozen times to never mention it to his mother). He could shoot laser beams from his eyes that cut a giant robot's arm off and see through just about any material in the world. And apparently, now he could breathe ice out of his lungs. Izuku frowned. "Where do I come from?" he thought. "Did I have parents? Did…did they love me?" It was always in the back of his mind. To know that he wasn't his Mom's biological son. That for whatever reason, his birth parents sent him away. It wasn't an easy thing to swallow, but Izuku was nothing if not resilient. "Mom loves me, and that's all that matters." Izuku decided, walking forwards determinedly. Right as a little girl ran out of an alley and into his leg.
Izuku froze, looking down. A young child, maybe six or seven, was lying on the pavement rubbing her horned head where she ran into his thigh. "Oh!" Izuku exclaimed. "I'm sorry, are you…" Izuku trailed off, narrowing his eyes. The girl was in a pale hospital gown. Her arms and legs were wrapped in bandages. She was thin, far too thin for a girl her age. He squinted harder, activating his x-ray vision. Her arms and legs were covered in cuts. Her bones had been broken dozens of times. It was like she had been blown up and put back together again and again.
"Hurt?" Izuku asked softly. The girl looked up at him through a curtain of pure white hair with crimson eyes. Eyes that were far too old for one so young. Izuku knelt, coming face to face with the girl. She shied away from him. "Hey," Izuku said, holding both of his hands up. "I don't bite." The girl looked at him blankly. Izuku scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. "My name's Izuku, what's yours?" he asked, smiling gently. The girl looked at him, gazing into his eyes.
"…Eri." She said, her voice hoarse. Like she'd been screaming for hours. Izuku's heart clenched at the thought. The green-haired teen nodded.
"Okay Eri, do you know where your mother is?" Eri looked at him quizzically.
"What's a mother?" she asked. If possible, Izuku's heart clenched even harder. He gently asked more questions, each answer filling him with dread. No, she didn't know what a father was either. No, she didn't know what a home was. No, she didn't know where she was. Izuku slowly put a hand on Eri's shoulder. The girl stiffened like a board before she relaxed when she realized he wasn't going to hurt her. Izuku filed that information as red flag #458.
"The place you're living, do you like it there?" A single headshake.
"Do you want to go back?" Another headshake, more forceful than the last. Izuku swallowed thickly, afraid of the next question's answer.
"Do they hurt you there?" Eri's eyes widened, her head snapping up to look at Izuku. Her gaze pierced through him. A single, almost imperceptible nod. Blood rushed into Izuku's ears. The thought that anyone would even think to harm such a precious little child makes him want to tear the ones responsible limb from limb. Instead, he gently pulled the trembling girl into a hug.
Time stopped for Eri. For years her only experience with human contact was through the point of a needle or the clamping of a cold hand on her skin, just before she exploded into millions of pieces. She had never experienced this before. It felt like an all-encompassing warmth, like the sun as it set across the horizon. For the first time in her life, Eri felt safe.
"There she is!"
"Kill the kid and get her!"
Izuku looked up. A black van screeched to a halt a dozen feet in front of him. Half a dozen men in suits poured out of its sides. There were guns in their hands. Izuku looked down. Eri's eyes were wide, her breath coming in gasps. She was terrified. Of them. Izuku looked back up. Bullets were flying through the air toward him. A stray bullet was only inches away from Eri's eye. The teen's arm moved of its own accord, grabbing the bullet out of midair. Time sped up and Izuku spun around as dozens of bullets slammed through his jacket. They kind of tickled. Izuku crouched down, shielding Eri even as he looked deep into her eyes.
"Do you trust me?" A pause. A small, firm nod.
"Hold on."
Izuku was getting stronger every day. Every single hour, every single minute, every single second, his body was absorbing more and more, making him faster, stronger, tougher. The bloody nose he received two days before would never happen again. That meant that when Izuku jumped into the air to escape from the thugs intent on killing him and kidnapping Eri, he obliterated the concrete he was standing on and created a mild earthquake that shook the entire city. It meant that there was a shockwave that shattered glass and threw the would-be kidnappers hundreds of feet away. It meant that he was sent twenty miles into the air with a single leap. For a moment, Izuku felt like he could fly. Another thing to note.
"Crap!"
He had never done this before.
"OH MY GOD!"
And he forgot what goes up, must come down.
Izuku flailed about with his legs, his arms still tight around Eri, who looked at him with wide eyes. Izuku flashed a wide smile at her.
"Don't worry! I have this under control!"
She didn't believe him. if her expression was any indication. Izuku chuckled nervously. "What I wouldn't give to be able to fly right now!" he thought. Izuku paused. Wait. He had such a weird assortment of quirks and had a new one practically every other week. Could he fly? He'd never tried before. He looked down. He was roughly five miles above the ground now. He had traveled farther than intended if the forest he was rapidly approaching was any indicator. Izuku shrugged. It was worth a shot. He closed his eyes and focused on the feelings each of his powers gave him.
Five.
When he first discovered his strength with All Might.
Four.
When his eyesight flickered and he could see through anything… and anyone.
Three.
When he breathed out and ice covered the deck of the boat.
Two.
When pain built behind his eyes and cut the arm of a giant robot to save his friend.
One.
Izuku opened his eyes. The ground was almost upon them and he felt no different. He quickly turned around so he'd land on his back. He closed his eyes and clutched Eri tighter against him.
"This is going to hurt."
"'Zuku? Are you alive?"
A finger poked Izuku's face. The verdette groaned.
"Five more minutes." He muttered. Another poke, this time more forcefully.
"Can you please wake up? There's a tall skeleton that wants to talk to you."
"Yes, You have some explaining to do Young Midoriya."
Izuku's eyes shot open. With a groan he pulled himself to a sitting position, inadvertently knocking Eri off of him. The teenager blanched. In front of him was an Izuku-sized trench a hundred feet long and at least a dozen feet deep. But that wasn't what made Izuku nervous. That honor belonged to the tall man with piercing blue eyes in a fuzzy red, white, and blue bathrobe staring right at him. Izuku scrambled to his feet.
"All Might!" he exclaimed. "Uh, what are you doing here?" the Number One Hero stuck his thumb behind his shoulder.
"I live here." He dead-panned. Izuku looked past his mentor's shoulder, where a ranch-style house, complete with a wrap-around porch, was situated on a hill. Izuku blinked.
"I thought you lived at UA."
All Might snorted. "I didn't always work at UA you know." He pointed a bony finger at Izuku. "And don't change the subject! How did you end up here with-" he looked down at Eri, who had been looking from one person to the next. "Uh, what's your name?" He asked. The white-haired child started and hid behind Izuku's leg, peering up at the strange blonde man.
"Her name's Eri," Izuku said.
"And why is she with you?" All Might asked. Izuku squared his shoulders, his gaze hardening.
"Because some bad men were going to take her away." The teen said, tossing the bullet he caught to All Might. The teen locked eyes with his mentor. "And they were willing to kill me to get her." The blonde hero coughed, blood running down his chin.
"Maybe you should come inside and start from the beginning."
"So, let me get this straight,"
All Might groaned as he leaned down into the fridge, grabbing a soda for Izuku and a beer for himself. (Non-alcoholic of course; losing half of his stomach had swiftly ended his drinking career.) He handed the soda to Izuku before beckoning him to follow and flopping down in his recliner in the living room, where Eri was happily munching away on a bright red apple on the couch. She made sure to scoot closer to Izuku when he sat down next to her, to which he responded by wrapping her in an Extra Large All Might Blanket (Limited Edition). The one with the hoodie, which was now presently draped over Eri's small head. All Might snapped his fingers at Izuku to get his attention.
"You two met on the side of the road, then you were suddenly attacked and you, Izuku, decided that the best course of action would be to leap out of the city into the countryside?" The teen in question blushed.
"I uh, didn't know I would go that far." He muttered. All Might sighed and dragged his hand down his face.
"I should scold you for such reckless use of your quirks and write you up." He said Izuku looked up, indignation burning in his eyes.
"What should I have done?" he exclaimed hotly. "Leave her to be killed, or worse-" The green-haired teen stopped himself, looking down at Eri, who was staring back at him. He pulled her into a hug, covering her ears at the same time. "I used my x-ray vision." He said thickly. "She's covered in scars." He looked back up to All Might, tears brimming in his eyes. "I just couldn't sit by and let it happen." He said, bowing his head.
"I'm damn proud of you Izuku."
The teenager looked up in surprise. All Might shrugged. "Despite the way you handled it, you accomplished the most important thing a hero can do; you saved someone." The Number One Hero stood up and clenched his fist, a massive smile adorning his skeletal features. "And I'll be damned if I scolded you for doing exactly what I would've done." Izuku let out a choked sob and rushed forward, enveloping his mentor and idol in a bone-crushing hug.
"Ack!" All Might coughed, spitting out blood. Izuku stepped away quickly.
"Sorry!" he exclaimed. "I just, needed to hear that." He finished, rubbing his neck. All Might pulled out a red, white, and blue handkerchief, wiping the blood off his chin.
"It's quite alright Young Midoriya." He gasped. "I never seem to run out of blood, no matter how many times I cough!" He laughed. "It's really quite concerning." Izuku shot him a dead-pan look.
"Right…"
"Now!" All Might said, looking at Eri, who had hidden behind Izuku's leg again. "I already called someone I know on the force, so we should get going to the station now!" He stood up and made to walk out.
"All Might! You're not wearing pants!"
"Right after I get dressed!"
All Might's yellow Camaro Bee roared down the highway, weaving in and out of traffic. Izuku sat in the passenger seat with Eri, who had fallen asleep in his arms on the way there. Izuku looked down at her. Asleep she seemed like a normal little girl, if not for the horrors hidden beneath the blanket and bandages. "I promise." Izuku thought, pulling her closer to him. "I'll keep you safe Eri." The Camaro came to a stop in front of the police precinct. All Might tapped Izuku's shoulder.
"We're here." Izuku nodded, jostling Eri's shoulder.
"Hey Eri, it's time to wake up." He whispered. Eri opened her eyes slowly, stretching outwards. She looked around with half-lidded eyes.
"It wasn't a dream?" she murmured. Izuku's heart broke all over again, but he pushed past it, nudging Eri again. He gave her a wide smile.
"No, it wasn't a dream." He said. "You're never going back with them ever again. I promise." Eri sat there dumbfoundedly, before throwing her arms around Izuku, sobbing quietly. It was like this that Izuku got out of the car and walked into the precinct. Izuku knew it probably looked weird, but he couldn't bring himself to care. He followed All Might deep into the precinct, where they were met by a man with black hair in a tan trench coat.
"Detective Tsukauchi." The man said. "I felt the ground shake about four hours ago." He raised an eyebrow. "And glass shattered." Izuku wilted under the man's gaze. "Sound familiar?"
"I didn't mean to do it," Izuku muttered. "Eri was in danger." The detective nodded once, then looked at All Might.
"All I need to hear. There won't be any charges, since all the men found at the scene technically don't exist." All Might blinked at that.
"You mean-"
"No prints, no ID, nothing," Tsukauchi confirmed. "Now, let's see if Eri's in the same situation." As he talked, a nurse came in through the door holding a tray. She walked over to Eri and Izuku with a smile on her face.
"Just one prick honey, and you're good to go." She said. Eri shied away from her, clinging desperately to Izuku's neck. The horn on her head began to grow.
"No!" she whispered fiercely, panic dancing behind her eyes. Izuku shushed her, rubbing circles down her back.
"You don't have good experiences with needles do you?" he asked gently. The white-haired girl shook her head, beams of energy bouncing off her horn.
"They'd poke me, again and again, and again." She whispered. "Then they'd take me apart and put me back together." She whimpered, burying her face in his shoulder. Izuku ran his hand through her hair.
"I know you're scared." He said. Eri looked back at him. "I get scared too." He confessed. Eri's eyes widened. She pulled back, looking at him closely.
"You do?" she asked. Izuku nodded solemnly, motioning to the nurse, who nodded.
"Yeah, I'm scared all the time." He said. "One time, I was out with Kacchan, and he and I fell into the stream. I was so scared that I was going to get washed away, but-"
"But what?!" Eri exclaimed. Izuku shook his head. Behind them, the nurse pushed Eri's sleeve up to her shoulder. The girl didn't notice, her focus solely on Izuku
"Hold your horses I was getting there!" Izuku chuckled. "Anyway, we fell in the river but guess what?"
"What?" Eri whispered.
"The stream only came up to our ankles." Izuku laughed. "Kacchan smacked the water and stormed off, and I picked myself up and followed him. He was my hero back then." Izuku looked her in the eye. "Sometimes things can be scary, but we can be strong. See?" he said, pointing at her shoulder, where the nurse had just finished collecting a vial of blood. Er's eyes widened. She spun back to Izuku
"I didn't even feel it!" She exclaimed. Izuku smiled.
"And you were so strong Eri. Today you were my Hero." He said softly. Eri sat there for a few moments. Then she threw her arms around Izuku, holding him tight.
"You're my Hero 'Zuku."
On the other side of the planet in a massive ancient-looking palace, a pair of women looked on in silence as a hologram of Izuku's fight against the Nomu played between the marble pillars. The taller of the two crossed her toned forearms as she appraised the hero in training. She was dressed in form-fitting hoplite armor stained crimson and a dark blue battle skirt. Her toned arms were bare save for twin silver bracers strapped to her wrists, a matching silver tiara emblazoned with a star parting her jet black hair over piercing blue eyes. At her side hung a fine sword and a glowing golden lasso. She had all the makings of a powerful warrior, her lithe form dotted with small scars. Her companion was visibly older and shorter, though not by much. In contrast to her counterpart, she wore a fine purple toga lined with gold. On her head rested a crown of golden laurels. Her hair was a dark brown and her eyes the same piercing blue as her companion. She carried herself with grace and elegance, born from centuries of ruling.
Neither woman spoke as they watched Izuku land blow after blow on the beast. With a final yell, Izuku hit it with his hardest punch yet, sending the bird-man hybrid careening through the dome of the USJ. The hologram shifted to a feed on the roof, where the Nomu could be seen flying into the distance. The hologram shifted back to Izuku, who had now fallen to his knees. The shorter woman raised her hand, pausing the hologram.
"He's strong." She said. Her companion snorted.
"He's untrained." She scoffed. "What he did in three hundred blows I could have done in ten."
"All the more reason to keep an eye on him." Her elder countered, eye twinkling knowingly. "But not by you." She put her hand up, silencing the warrior with a gesture. "Tartarus is stirring, I need you here." The dark-haired woman opened her mouth, then closed it. The warrior reluctantly nodded, looking back at the hero in training.
"Then who will you send?" she asked. The other woman looked back at Izuku and smirked.
"I have someone in mind."
A/N
Hello! I am alive! And so is this story, somehow. I want to apologize for the wait; mental illness and school are sons of bitches. I've had writer's block on this story for over a year now, and it's honestly a Christmas Miracle I was able to write this much today. I'm going to be honest, I've fallen out of love with MHA, and throwing Superman into the mix is just made it more difficult. That and I first wrote this when I was new to the series and didn't know much other than I wanted Izuku to be taller.
I'm a simple man.
All this to say I really don't know where to take this story. I have a vague idea, but nothing substantial. So I don't know when the next update will be, but I'll try to put something together for next month. At this point, I want to finish the story, but unfortunately, it's nowhere near complete, unless I rushed it to an unsatisfying ending for everyone. But Mama ain't raise no bitch, so I'll get this thing done one way or another.
See you next time,
DamianSays