Author's Note:

A little one shot to get myself back in the groove.


Who was a Hero?

If you had asked that question to Izuku three years earlier, he could give you a list. A very long list.

But now? To him, being a hero was a job, nothing more nothing less. Glorified police officers who were allowed to use and show off their quirk without any restrictions or consequences.

"Heroes are the pillars of society, the light in the darkness". Some politicians had once proclaimed. Izuku would gladly spit in the face of those who spoke the lines.

Heroes didn't exist outside of myths and legends.

What existed in today's world was a Job for which you got paid.

If you have the heart of a Hero, today's society will do everything in its power to crush you down and destroy you. Izuku learned that the hard way.

He despised the Pro-Heroes. No, perhaps, despise was too strong of a word. But he held no love for them as he used to do in the past.

No longer did he think of them as the symbol of all good in the world, nor did he perceive the world as black and white, like he once used to. His notebooks filled with details on Heroes were now a part of his past, kept somewhere in the depths of the storage room of his home.

It had taken him three painful years to let go of his dream of being a hero, of saving people with a smile.

Three years full of pain and misery.

Yet, those three years were the happiest years of his life.

In those three years, he became closer to his parents than ever before.

His father had come as soon as he had seen his son being attacked by a villain. Izuku didn't know what changed, but his father had begged for Izuku and Inko's forgiveness. And they both forgave him, his father never really abandoned them, he was just too devoted to his work.

His father returning was a blessing to which he would be forever thankful.

After his soul was crushed by Bakugo's and All Might's words, he was lost but his parents had held him, supported him, guided him through his tough times.

He had become a changed man after that, no longer clinging to the dream of becoming a hero, no longer wanting to be a person who protected people with a smile.

That's why he couldn't understand.

Why?

Why did his body move and take a bullet to the heart for a girl he didn't know?

Why could he still put his life on the line for others?

Looking at the girl whom he shielded, he noticed the girl was barely eight years old with silvery hair and red eyes, a small unicorn-like horn was poking out from her forehead.

Tears were flowing out of her eyes and Izuku's heart painfully clenched at the sight.

He would do it again in a heartbeat if it meant he could save her. A child whose eyes were full of pain and loneliness.

"It's okay. Everything's fine." He tried to reassure the girl but the girl only cried harder while clinging to him.

With much difficulty, he reached out and patted the girl on her head.

"Hey, hey, look at me. What is your name?" Izuku asked softly.

It hurt, it hurt so much just to speak. He wanted to just crawl into his mother's embrace. Let her love soothe him.

"Eri." The girl mumbled into his shirt. Thankfully, Izuku was able to hear it despite the sound of people screaming around him and the siren of Police blaring in the distance.

Couldn't they shut up? Let a man die in peace?

"You are safe, Eri. You are safe." He had made sure of it and succeeded in nearly killing the guy in the bird mask.

Bile rose in his throat just by thinking about it but he ruthlessly pushed it down.

Sadly, the man had already shot a bullet at Eri and Izuku was already moving before his brain comprehended what was happening.

"W-Why did you save me?" Eri asked, finally looking at him.

Izuku wanted to hold her, hug her, make her feel safe, shower her with love, assure her that she was safe.

Izuku gave her a small smile. He couldn't do anything else, his whole body hurt. The pain was slowly spreading and increasing with time. And Izuku knew didn't have much time left.

He didn't know how he was still speaking, how he was still breathing.

Looking into her eyes, Izuku understood she was blaming herself for his death.

Don't blame yourself, oh sweet child.

Mustering whatever strength was left in his body, Izuku reached out and patted her on the head.

"Because y-you were worth saving. D-don't blame yours-" With a gasp, Izuku coughed up blood which had been pooling inside his throat, a result of him lying on his back.

Eri hastily moved to his face and started cleaning the blood with her sleeves. Izuku grabbed her hand and spoke. He needed this to get it out of his heart. "P-please tell my parents that I love them. And never blame yourself for this. This is not your fault."

Eri's face grew even paler at his comment and Izuku felt a pang of guilt in his heart for hurting her but he needed his parents to know that he loved them with all his heart. He wanted them to know that even in his last moments he was thinking of them. He wanted Eri to know that she wasn't responsible for his death.

With that, all the strength left his body and Izuku started having difficulty even drawing a single breath. The world around him became deathly silent and hazy.

In the distance, Izuku could make a blurry figure in a white dress looking at him in fondness but he paid no attention to it.

Near his death, he only wanted to think about his mother, father and Eri. His loving parents and the person he saved.

He wished his parents and Eri lived a happy life.

A smile stretched on his face as he waited for his final breath.

He had achieved his dream of becoming a Hero. Even if it was only a single person, he had finally saved someone with a smile on his face.

Unbidden a memory came. "Pray for a quirk in your next life."

Izuku didn't.

He may not have saved a city or a thousand people. The world would probably never know about him.

Yet, he was happy.


Author's Notes:

The ending is ambiguous.

Maybe Izuku lived. Maybe he died. Maybe the whole world knew what happened. Maybe no one knew. Who was the person in white? An angel? AN illusion of Izuku's mind?

You can imagine whatever you wish. I kept it open for your interpretation.

I may someday return to write more of this. In the meantime, if anyone wishes to expand this, then go ahead.

I'm still alive and kicking. Now back to writing my WIPs.

Thank you for reading.