This was going to be harder than he thought.
At this point, Izuku should expect his life to be nothing but a series of hurdles followed by more hurdles.
Finding a home for Eri would be rather difficult.
He couldn't just go around asking people if they wanted to take her in for a few reasons. One, her quirk was extremely dangerous. Two, Izuku was one of the most wanted people in Japan right now so if he started gathering people's attention, then it would be a problem. And three, the Yakuza were still out there. Even if Izuku destroyed the main base and killed their boss, the Yakuza was a far-reaching criminal empire that stretched across Japan. It was much, much smaller than it used to be, but it was still a large villain organization.
And even if it wasn't the Yakuza, if people found out about Eri's quirk and what it could do, then there are many villains and even non-villains that would try to get Eri. Use her. Hurt her.
He would never allow that.
He needed to find someone that was pure, that was strong, that would protect her.
He needed a hero. She needed a hero.
But for right now, he would have to do.
Izuku opened his eyes, waking from his slumber and immediately feeling the sensation of a small figure breathing on top of him.
Said small figure was Eri, who had fallen asleep on top of his chest and in his arms.
He didn't need to sleep, in fact, he didn't even want to sleep, he would have rather stayed awake and kept watch. But he quickly found that Eri would have nightmares if he didn't have her sleep close to him. And despite that fact he didn't have the ability to feel physically tired, the warmth of Eri's little body on his chest, the slight sound of her breathing, and the feeling of just not being alone anymore lulled him right to sleep.
Izuku had found an abandoned church that he was now using as shelter. He was aware of the irony.
Izuku tried to get up as slowly and carefully as he could, but despite that, the minute Izuku moved Eri's grip on Izuku's hoodie tightened.
Even since Izuku saved her and promised to protect her, Eri clung to him every second of the day. And while he did find this adorable and heartwarming, he also knew that it would be horribly painful when he inevitably would have to leave her.
Izuku put an arm around her, and got up, trying to make sure she wouldn't fall when he got up.
He was somewhat used to being clung to. Izuka would have super glued herself to him if she could(And with her quirk she basically did sometimes), but the difference here was that this was less...forceful and...angry. Eri was clinging to him because she was scared and he was the only thing she knew that was safe. Izuka clung to him because she thought he would die if she looked away from him for more than a second.
Well, in the end, I guess she wasn't wrong. Izuku thought. Now he wished Izuka hadn't left his side so soon. Maybe things would have been different if he just had some more time to think.
Izuku shook his head. Now was not the time to think about what-ifs. He had work to do.
He walked over to the table where he had put some of the food that he bought. It was all non-perishable of course. Because while he could just buy a fridge, this church had no power to make it work. And even then this place was likely just a temporary hideout anyway.
He took an apple and started eating it as quietly as he could.
As he ate, he looked right down at Eri. His eyes glowed green as he stared at her soul.
Looking into people's souls was...strange. A soul was a person's entire being. All their hopes, dreams, their past, their thoughts, their feelings. Everything. And he could see it all.
Eri's feeling's always revolved around one thing. Fear. She was always so frightened that she would wake up and she would be back at the Yakuza base. Or that she would turn around and Izuku would be gone. Or that she would do something wrong and she would get punished.
Izuku started petting her head while he ate.
He wanted to make that fear go away, but he had no idea how.
But on the bright side, there was something new growing within her soul. Hope. For the first time in a long time, she was experiencing things like love and happiness. Even if she was hesitant to feel them. She had hope that maybe things would be better.
Izuku needed to find someone to nurture that hope.
He had a list. A list of heroes he thought might be able to take care of Eri. His plan was to go around and look into the souls of the people on the list, to see if they were truly going to take care of Eri well. She deserved the best after what she's been through and Izuku would make damn sure she would get it.
"While the girl is asleep. I have something interesting you might want to...investigate."
That was something else Izuku had been worried about. Zarathos had been strangely...well behaved. I was a few days since he saved Eri, and Zarathos hadn't tried to force him to kill anyone since. He'd tried to convince him to kill the remaining Yakuza members, but he never tried to force him like usual.
It was nice that he could focus on Eri rather than trying to find her a home and trying not to go on a murderous rampage. But on the other hand, this was very out of character for the demon, and it left Izuku at the conclusion he was planning something.
What do you want Zarathos? Izuku thought.
"I found the girl's mother."
Izuku froze for a second, before asking. How?
"I track sinners through the spilled blood of the innocent. And every drop of blood spilled from that girl is that fault of that woman."
"But that would mean you tracked her a few days ago. And you're not normally capable of tracking someone for that long." Izuku said out loud accidentally.
"That is because you're normally resisting me, and tampering with my power."
"Ok, I guess that makes sense," Izuku mumbled, still not realizing he had gone from thinking to talking out loud. "But why wait? Why tell me now?"
"I waited until you had settled down first."
Izuku didn't trust that at all but decided not to press it for now. He was enjoying the period of no killing and he didn't want to press his luck. "Well, I'm not interested."
"We both know that's not true. I'm sure you would feel better if you gave that woman a little...talk. Eye to eye."
Izuku knew what he was implying. "If what you said is true about her being responsible for Eri's pain, then that would kill her dozens of times over. Painfully."
The stare. It was an ability that Izuku found very...scary. Its potency was based on the person's sins. The more you've sinned and the more egregious the sin, the more lethal and painful the stare was. No matter how minor the sin you would be forced to relive it and experience the pain you've caused.
"Is that any less than she deserves? She threw her own child into hell. All because she was a coward."
"She didn't know what Overhaul was going to do." Izuku defended.
It felt wrong. Defending that woman. In truth, Izuku did despise her. She gave her child away to a mob boss. Even if Eri killed her own father, calling her a monster, a cursed child, and throwing her away was something no parent should do. Ever.
"I will keep her location in mind. In case you have a change of heart."
"What are you planning?"
...No answer.
Before Izuku could elaborate further, he heard a tiny yawn.
Looking down, he could see Eri's eyes had opened up.
"Izuku?" Eri yawned. "Who were you talking to?"
Was I talking out loud!? Izuku thought nervously.
"No one Eri. I was just talking to myself." Izuku lied. "Hey, why don't you have an apple."
Eri's eyes widened in excitement and she nodded her head.
Izuku smiled as Eri took small, excited nibbles out of the fruit.
He had learned that Eri loved apples, he could see some joy lighting up within her as she ate it.
But despite that, she still didn't smile. She never smiled.
After they finished eating, Izuku placed Eri down. "Ok, you know what to do."
Eri looked at him nervously, still unsure if she should really be doing this.
Izuku gave her a reassuring smile, that filled Eri with enough courage to proceed.
She closed her eyes and her horn began to glow.
Then, she put her hand on Izuku.
And he disappeared. Leaving only his clothes behind.
Eri held her breath, she had failed again. She knew what was going to happen next, but these moments when he was gone still scared her.
Then, out of nowhere, a flame popped into existence, before getting bigger, and bigger. Until it eventually became about as big as Izuku.
Bone and flesh started growing rapidly inside the flames. And soon Izuku was reformed.
Eri's quirk couldn't kill Izuku. Even if his whole body was destroyed, his soul would remain. And his soul is where his powers lie. And thus he would only ever be able to be truly harmed or killed if his soul was attacked.
As such, Izuku would have Eri use her quirk on him freely, in order to help her learn to control it.
"It's ok Eri," Izuku reassured her. "Let's try again."
An hour later.
After attempt, after attempt, after attempt, they had finally gotten their desired result.
Izuku was now about nine years old and Eri stood back. Izuku figured that going out like this would make it less likely that he would be found. After all, no one tended to pay attention to children that weren't theirs.
"I-I did it," Eri said, the slightest bit of elation in her voice.
"Good job Eri!" Izuku praised her. "Now remember what I told you about turning it off."
"Turning off a faucet?" Eri said.
"That's right," Izuku said. "You can do it Eri!"
Eri closed her eyes and concentrated, she imagined turning off the water in the sink. Her horn's glow flickered but didn't stop.
After a little bit, Izuku asked her to stop, because she was overexerting herself.
After a few more attempts, Eri finally managed to turn off her quirk.
Eri sat down tiredly. Using her quirk made her tired, and trying to control it made her even more tired.
Controlling her quirk was less like trying to turn off a faucet and more like trying to tame a wild animal. But due to Eri's lack of knowledge and experience about...well anything really, it was the best analogy Izuku could use.
Izuku laid Eri down on the mattress and put a blanket over her. "You did so good Eri. I know you'll be able to control your quirk soon."
Izuku patted her on the head as she fell asleep.
The minute Izuku started to leave her side, Eri's arms started moving around, searching for him.
Izuku moved quickly and handed her the All Might plush they got.
After making sure she was ok, Izuku headed out.
First person on his list, Endeavor.
Unfortunately, Izuku was unable to transform while he was like this. Doing so would cause him to regenerate back into his teenage form.
However, Izuku had found ways around this.
He made a chain using his powers beforehand and then left it out.
Something interesting that Izuku discovered is that anything he made using his powers, would stick around unless he destroyed it, and even after he transformed back, he would still be able to use the magic that was imbued in the item.
Using the chain, Izuku made a portal to Endeavor's house, going right past the house's security system.
Izuku walked onto the lawn of the number two hero. Holding his breath as he did so.
He knew very well that Endeavor couldn't beat him. Endeavor fighting him would be like a water hose fighting a tsunami.
But the part of Izuku that was still a hero worshiper, and the part of Izuku that kept his self-esteem at rock bottom, told him to run for the hills.
Regardless, Izuku walked forward, sneaking as best he could until he was close to the building.
Alright. Let's see if he's home. Izuku thought.
Izuku turned on his soul vision and looked around.
After a bit of looking around, he saw Endeavor. His soul was exactly what Izuku thought it would be like. A flame, sizzling with discontent, quick to erupt if provoked.
Having found his target, Izuku looked deeper.
And what he saw left him stunned.
Oh my god. Izuku thought as he looked deeper through Endeavor's memories.
All the abuse, the neglect, the pain. All caused by him.
Ignoring his children, beating his wife when she got disobedient to the point of driving her insane. And the "training" he did with Shoto. He saw it all.
Wha-wha- Izuku was taken aback. This...what. How could…
Izuku wanted to vomit from the sheer disgust he felt at that moment.
How could...he's the number two hero! How could he do this! Izuku thought.
"It is disgusting indeed. But tell me, what do you plan on doing about it?"
Doing...about it. Izuku repeated in his mind, as he realized that much to his horror this was likely still going on. Not what he was doing to his wife, but the abuse with Shoto…
Zarathos was right. He needed to do something.
But what?
If he told anyone about this then they wouldn't believe him. He was one of the most wanted people in Japan and Endeavor was the number two hero.
He could try and catch it on camera or something, but that would be difficult. His powers were not made to be subtle. And even if he did succeed in that, people would probably still claim it was fake.
"You know away. A way of punishing him. Of making him stop."
I'm not going to kill him! Izuku thought.
"You don't need to. To cause him to reflect. To punish him without the spilling of his blood. All you need to do is use the stare."
The-the stare. Wouldn't that kill him? Izuku asked.
"The stare only kills the most horrible of sinners. His sins are not enough. We will not die. Only suffer the pain that he himself caused. A fitting punishment is it not?"
Izuku grit his teeth. He was angry. Furious even. He was never really one to look up to Endeavor, but Izuku had still respected and trusted him as the number two hero. He felt betrayed.
But did that mean he should essentially torture him? Was it ok to permanently scar a person's mind for something like this?
Zarathos saw an opportunity to capitalize on Izuku's uncertainty and took it.
"Ahh!" Izuku screamed, as suddenly his head was filled with all the sins of Endeavor, as seen from his perspective.
Izuku saw all of it in brutal detail, each memory making him more upset and angry.
He knew that Zarathos was trying to trick him.
But he just couldn't let him get away with this.
Meanwhile, with Endeavor.
Endeavor grimaced as he rapidly sorted through paperwork in his office.
It was Endeavor's least favorite part of the job. Definitely the most boring.
Perhaps he should have Shoto do some of this. It would train him to endure extreme boredom while doing tedious tasks.
"Ahh!" Endeavor heard an unfamiliar scream coming from outside.
The number two hero immediately stood up and ran to his window to see what the screaming was, and when he got there he saw a pillar of flames.
Before Endeavor could act on this, a chain flew out of the flames right at him.
The hero dodged the chain, rolling back as it broke through the window.
The chain shot down at Endeavor, homing in on him.
Endeavor threw a chair at the chain, which reacted by wrapping around it and destroying it.
More chains burst through the walls towards Endeavor.
Endeavor dodged the chains, before sending a fireball through the wall of his office and jumping out of the hole it made onto the grass below.
Now he could clearly see his attacker. Izuku Midoriya, the Ghost Rider.
"Izuku Midoriya!" Endeavor barked. "What is the meaning of this!?"
"What is the meaning of this!?" Izuku yelled back at him. "I should be the one asking that! How could you do that! To your own family!"
"What are you talking about!?" Endeavor shouted. "I haven't done anything to my family!"
"Lair!" Enraged at the hero's response, Izuku's chains swerved back and drove right at Endeavor.
Flames burst out of Endeavor's feet, helping him dodge the chains with increased speed.
Endeavor charged up a fireball before launching it right at Izuku.
The fireball hit but, predictably, did nothing.
Nothing. According to reports, his flames can still burn underwater. Meaning trying to suffocate his flames probably won't do me any good. Endeavor thought as he dodged more of the chains. He normally only attacks criminals. Why is he here? He mentioned my family...did he find out about Rei?! No, he couldn't have. Midoriya must be on some sort of rampage. If I can bring him to his senses then maybe I can find some way to beat him.
"Midoriya snap out of it! Endeavor shouted at Izuku. "You're not even attacking villains any more! Gain control of yourself!"
"I am in control! Izuku shouted back, frustrated at having underestimated Endeavor's ability to dodge his chains. "And you're worse than a villain! How could you do that to your wife! Your children!"
Izuku secretly made a chain shoot out from his foot into the ground, completely hidden from the hero's sight.
Meanwhile, Endeavor was shocked by what Izuku had said. So he does know about Rei. How? How could he have known that? Is that yet another part of his damned quirk!?
Before Endeavor could respond to this, a chain popped up out of the ground behind Endeavor.
"Wha-gah!" Endeavor couldn't react fast enough and was ensnared by the chain.
Izuku brought Endeavor closer, as the hero struggled to try and free himself. He tried heating up, engulfing his body in the hottest flames that he could, trying to melt the flaming chains. But this obviously didn't work.
Izuku used his chains to force Endeavor on his knees.
"What are you-" Endeavor was cut off as Izuku grabbed the sides of his head, making the hero look at him right in his flaming eye sockets.
"No more talk. Time for Penance." Izuku said.
Endeavor saw the flames in Izuku's eye sockets glow, as he quickly found it impossible to look away.
And then the suffering began. Memories started flashing in front of his eyes, memories of neglect, of abuse.
"Gah! Ahh!" Endeavor gasped in pain, as he felt himself burning. It was far worse then when he overused his quirk, it was as if the flames were engulfing his entire being. And it was not just physical pain, forced feelings of loneliness, sadness, longing, hate. All the grief he forced upon his family was now being forced upon him.
But before Izuku could continue with the stare, he was suddenly engulfed in a huge iceberg.
"Gah." Endeavor started breathing heavily, as the process was halted. The pain lessened but didn't stop.
Shoto ran out of the house towards his father, who was still trapped by the chains.
The hero in training touched the chain with his right arm, finding that he didn't get burned at all.
He tried to freeze the chain, hoping to make the chains brittle. But the chains melted the ice immediately.
How the hell does these flames work!? Todoroki thought.
Before Todoroki could try any more fruitless attempts, the ice burst into flames, releasing Izuku.
Shoto stood in front of his father defensively, knowing very well he couldn't win this fight but wasn't going to just let Izuku win.
Izuku looked at Shoto, and then at Endeavor, who was spasming in pain.
The stare didn't finish. Should I keep going? Izuku thought for a moment. No. It looks like I've done enough. And I don't want to risk hurting Todoroki either.
With that decision made, Izuku recalled the chain that was around Endeavor, freeing him and making him fall back onto the ground.
Shoto looked at Izuku in surprise, as the skeleton boy started whipping around his chain, making a portal open.
"Wait!" Shoto said, making Izuku stop for a moment. "Why did you come here!? Why did you attack my...him."
Izuku turned his head to look at Shoto. "I couldn't let him get away. With what he had done. What he was doing. I'm sorry."
And with that Izuku exited through the portal, before closing it behind him.
Shoto looked at where Izuku was in disbelief. How did he...how did he know?
After a few seconds of being in shock, Shoto eventually recovered and looked at his father, who was now passed out on the ground.
He was still breathing but looked like he was in pain. He was tossing and turning like someone having a horrible nightmare.
"What did he...do to you?" Shoto whispered.
So that's all for now. I have something interesting planned for Endeavor and his family.
Anyway. Please review and have a nice day.