A/N thanks for your reviews and support.
A Queen Among Women: thanks for your review, my friend. Yep, he is! I'm so glad you enjoy it!
Hakamata's POV
There was no escaping the reality of the situation. The vigilante every hero had at least heard of was in fact a child. By the looks of it, he couldn't have been older than 13 or 14. Not even old enough to go to high school yet. What could cause a child to turn to vigilantism?
Tsunagu couldn't understand what would cause a child to do this. Or how someone so young had the skills Delta did. He met pro heroes who had less in the way of skills. Delta fought as his life depended on it every time he went out. It wasnt normal.
As much as he didnt want to admit it there was a good chance that his home life wasnt a good one. If he was to find out he would need a name. Glancing towards his desk he knew he could gather the child's fingerprints.
If he did that would the boy run as soon as he woke up. His hunch could be right or wrong. If it was right then it would be a lot more difficult to pin him down again. There was no telling where he would run to.
If the child had a good home then it would be a lot easier to find him. But what kind of parent didnt notice their child coming and going at all hours of the night? What parent couldnt see the wounds that this one so obviously carried?
Tsunagu sighed. He couldn't just do nothing. With the information, he currently had there was no way to make an informed decision. Whether it came back to bite him later or not he needed to know who the kid was. As well as what kind of quirk he was dealing with.
Taking fingerprints only took a moment and he scanned them. As if an afterthought he pulled a pair of quirk suppressing cuff out. He kept one nearby at all times. One could never be too careful in this profession after all.
With them on the boy was secured if he woke up. Now all he could do was wait for the boy to wake up or his fingerprints to come back. Whichever came first but he was hoping for the fingerprints.
To Tsunagu's relief, they came back quickly. There wasnt much to go on. No active files against the kid or even a missing person's case. Still, he opened it to read what they had.
Name: Izuku Midoriya
Age: 14
Parents: Inko and Hisashi Midoriya. Lives with mother. Father in America for work (confirmed).
Quirk: Not available. Quirkless
School: Alderra Middle School 2nd year.
Izuku Midoriya huh? The picture of a smiling middle schooler fit and at the same time didnt fit the child on his couch. There were more scars and wounds that he had seen. Faint outlines that weren't in the picture. Even hero strength concealer wouldn't cover up some of them.
That's when Tsunagu noticed a few other differences. The boy was physically younger in the photo. An older photo is used instead of a current. Hmmm, there was more to this than what he was processing.
What was he... oh. He saw the quirk label again. The first time his mind had gone right over it not really processing what it meant in favor of making sure the person matched the file.
Quirkless. There were many in Japan anymore. About 5% of Japan were quirkless due to how the country embraced quirks. The average of the world was currently 20% but the statistic was old. No one bothered to update it because no one really cared. Maybe they should have.
The suicide rate were high for the quirkless. Most would not reach the age of 18 and fewer still reached 30. Maybe that was why Delta came to be a vigilante. To prove that the quirkless were not useless.
A cold shiver went down his spine. Wait... could Delta even be considered a vigilante? Vigilantism was defined by using quirks to commit heroic deeds without a license. If there was nothing else in the law technically Midoriya wasnt committing any crime.
What a mess this had become. A simple vigilante case evolved into a child without a quirk. If he had turned Midoriya over to the Commission most likely they would have swept the fact under the rug. No one would have questioned it either. If Tsunagu hadn't seen the file himself he wouldn't believe the vigilante was quirkless.
A pained groan followed by a harsh cough filled the once silent air and Tsunagu turned his attention to the waking vigilante.
Izuku's POV
Coming to was never a fun experience whether he expected it or not. This time was no exception to that rule. His lungs felt like they were on fire and he needed to cough badly.
Coughing he took stock of his body and its pains. To his surprise beyond a small twinge in them his ribs were fine. They should have been crushed in the collapsing building. So someone had pulled him from the building and healed him. Not Orion then he didnt have a healing quirk.
Izuku knew he was most likely in a hospital meant to treat criminals. Which meant they knew who he was. The problem with that theory was that the air around him didnt smell of a hospital. There was the lingering acidic scent of smoke from his gear but other than that it was a normal scent.
Almost as if he was in an office. That wouldn't make sense though. No hero liked him enough to protect him in such a way. They would be happy to have him off the streets. It would be one less blemish on their society.
Opening his eyes he found that he was in fact in an office. A tall building that overlooked his city by the window across from him. He was laying on a surprisingly comfortable couch. What was not comfortable was the cuffs on his wrist. Quirk suppressing cuffs if he had to guess. Too bad for them he was quirkless so these were little more than a nuisance.
"Glad to see you're awake," came a familiar voice that threatened to send Izuku into his worst memories, "Are you in pain anywhere? I had one of my sidekicks treat your injuries after I pulled you from the rubble."
Bile threatened to rise up his throat as he saw flashes of a Nomu biting the man in half. His breaths were coming in ragged gasps.
Where were the Nomus? Had he been found again? Was Shigarki closing in on them?
He couldn't see Echo or Charlie anywhere. Surely if they were under attack one of the two would be around. One to make a stand while the other ran to alert their remaining fighters. Where was Echo?!
"Delta... Delta... Midoriya... Midoriya... Izuku!"
The use of his first name snapped him back to reality. Best Jeanist was kneeling down beside the couch. Worried light green eyes met his dark green.
Izuku blinked away the memories forcing himself to focus on his breathing. He couldn't get out of this if he was in the middle of a panic attack. Once his breathing was under control he finished his assessment of himself.
He was in his undershirt but his jacket, vest, and cowl had been removed. His combat pants had been exchanged for a pair of denim jeans that were a size or so too big. Fiber Master's control worked best on denim it was why the hero had all his sidekicks and himself in jeans. If he needed to he could protect them by using the fibers in their clothes. Or in the case of Izuku restrain him.
All in all, it was a well-played trap if he tried to leave. Izuku didnt have any of his weapons in his current state. Essentially he was as he appeared to be. A quirkless nobody playing hero.
With the man's focus away from his hands it didnt take him long to get through the cuffs. They weren't the usual cuffs used by police. Likely they were just a temporary measure meant to ensure that the person wouldn't attack Tsunagu. The poor man grossly underestimated his capabilities.
Taking a deep breath Izuku stated bluntly, "You know my real name then, Tsunagu Hakamata. This means you likely have my file and know what the systems knows about me."
If the hero was surprised at the use of his own name he didnt show it. Instead, he seemed to assess Izuku silently. Tension filled the air and he was uncertain of how this was going to go. It was odd that the hero brought him back to his agency. Then again in the future, there were rumors of the Hero Commission taking children at young ages. Nothing was ever confirmed but it did make one wonder.
Jeanist sighed as he stood back to his full height, "I do know your real name but what we have on you isn't much. Nothing I learned in your file told me about why. Why did you become a vigilante? Who trained you? What is so special about this knife that it stops the quirk factor in a person?"
Hmmm, how much could he tell the hero? It was unlikely that even if he told Jeanist everything that he would believe it. If it was Izuku and he had not lived the story he wouldn't believe it either. A person who could give and take quirks. A monster that could kill All Might himself. It was as if the Fall had simply been a nightmare created by a child with too big of an imagination.
The proof was in the knives and ore he carried on him. Things he knew that shouldn't have been possible given his age. Even high caliber hackers wouldn't know what he did.
Then again for him, life couldn't be normal. No matter if he was called a liar or crazy he would continue to push on. He owed those who died at the Fall that much.
Izuku said meeting the hero's eyes, "You wouldn't believe me if I told you. No one would. Even if you stop me two more will take my place. They will continue where I left off. Our goal is on a much grander scale than what you can see."
"Then make me understand," argued the man, "Make me believe whatever is so unbelievable. Why are there three of you? What could be so big that heroes like myself can't help but you, a child can?"
Izuku snapped, "It's not about being a child. Age is not a factor here!"
"Then what is?"
"QUIRKS!" roared Izuku the stress finally making him lose what little control he had on his emotions.
Everything came down to that simple factor. Quirks for good or for ill were the reason he couldn't go to heroes. Orichalcum in its natural state turned off the quirk factor. It had to be mined and forged by hand because of this. So few were able to do that and by the Fall the quirkless were numbering a few hundred thousand worldwide. They had been picked off one by one both by society and themselves.
Reigning in his temper Izuku started again slower, "Quite frankly the fact that no one has figured it out yet astounds me. I know Orichalcum isn't much to look at but it is what separates us. I can handle it in its pure form while 80% of the world's population cannot. If I had the training I could forge it into weapons like the knife you have. 80% of the world's population cannot. So far there is nothing in this world that can destroy Orichalcum. Forging it takes high levels of heat that most people cannot handle. To even damage a blade made from it you need another."
"A metal that can stop the quirk factor," murmured the hero quietly.
Interestingly enough Izuku still held his attention. Most people would have gone to check the knife. Everything he had said about it was true. They tested everything to ensure it would not fail on them.
Izuku planned on contacting an old informant on the streets who used to work for Alex. A man by the name of Giran had done work for his friend in the past. If one could pay or had information equal to what he was giving then you were in business. With any luck, he would be trading information for what he needed soon.
Jeanist questioned carefully returning his attention to the boy, "How did you come across the metal? Why not share the finding?"
Izuku pinched the bridge of his nose as he sighed, "You really aren't thinking things through, are you? People like you think you know everything. In reality, you're just as blind to what's happening as the masses. What would you say if I told you there was a boogeyman out there? A man who has lived for more than two centuries. A man who can take and give quirks."
Eyes widened in response. It seemed as if he had broken the hero with his questions. Even if he couldn't physically see it he knew the other's mouth was hanging open in shock.
Jeanist recovered quickly from his shock, "That's not possible."
Izuku continued he discreetly removed the cuffs, "Unfortunately for the world it is true. To make matters worse he has a successor. My goal is to kill both of them before they can enact their plans. Otherwise, there won't be a future for the world. If you think I'm lying about the man or his powers go to Tsukauchi Naomasa. Tell him you want to speak of All For One and One For All."
"What makes you think I'll just let you go?"
Izuku laughed a harsh cold laugh, "You could keep me here but know if you do my partners will do whatever is necessary to get me back. Unlike the false brotherhood of heroes, we have bonds stronger than that of blood or words. We have seen things that would make your worst nightmares seem like child's play. I'll give you a choice. Let me go and I'll in touch or keep me here and risk a drawn-out fight with those who stand with me. So what do you choose?"
Jeanist raised a hand to rub at his eyes tiredly. It seemed as if he was seriously considering Izuku's words.
Then he asked meeting Izuku's eyes again, "How do I know you will keep your word?"
Izuku held out the cuffs as he replied, "You dont but neither do I know that you won't tell the other heroes."
There was another long moment of silence between them. Then Jeanist sighed, "Your gear is behind my desk. If you're lying I will catch you again."
Izuku grinned as he nodded. As he went to grab his gear he lifted one of Jeanist's business cards. While it didnt have his personal number it would be a start. For now he had to return to Castle. Orion was no doubt out of his mind with worry.
