This AU follows Izuku Midoriya who never meets All Might or saves Bakugo from the sludge villain. He has grown through high school and still does not seem to have a quirk. Class 1-A and B have continued training and the LOV has proceeded to attack just like in the manga. However, everything that happens during the Overhaul arc has not occurred yet. The characters are just older and time has shifted. It's time to find out what Izuku's been up to all these years...
There will be OC's introduced, special chapters dedicated to other characters, but most of all, Izuku's journey to becoming a hero in his own way. I hope you enjoy it!
Chapter Two – Would You Like a Sticker?
[TW: Overhaul mentioning of abuse]
Kai Chisaki didn't like the idea of straying from the Hassaikai headquarters but the incompetent fools taking care of Eri had left him with no choice. She had been well behaved lately, too well behaved. Especially after he had accidentally pushed her past her limit during a blood transfusion last week. He could always bring the little brat back to a stable condition, but it seemed to have carried her past her tipping point. As a result of this though, Kai had been able to speed up research and cut production time in half. He estimated that the quirk enhancing drug he was working on would be ready in a couple of months, if not less.
So when he had heard that Eri had escaped, Kai decided he had to be the one to go look for her. Her little stunt might have been enough to fool the guards he had appointed to watch her, but it wasn't going to work on him. Apparently, Eri had managed to slip away during an outing.
"She- she said she wanted some fresh air and you said to give her anything she asked for so I–"
The guard hadn't even finished speaking by the time Kai had killed him, watching his crumpled form disassemble on the floor next to his shoe. The blood that splattered on his cheek was enough to give him a rash that would last three whole days. It made him want to puke. The other guard seemed to tense up by the door and ended up explaining to him where they had seen Eri run off to. Some small area near the edge of the hills.
Toys, idiots. I meant give her fucking toys goddamnit, Kai thought as he fumbled with his gloves impatiently. It was so hot out that he was having a hard time keeping them on. He could already feel the sweat accumulating inside of them and it made him gag.
Kai looked back at the convenience store that was a couple of feet away. He could go inside and cool off, but he might miss Eri if she ran past the area. He also wasn't in the mood to make small talk with the clerk. He was probably some lowlife smoker and Kai cringed when he thought about the second-hand smoke he could have been inhaling.
He looked out along the empty streets. They had just run an extensive panel of tests on Eri so he knew her blood count was low. Any energy she might have had was just pure adrenaline and it should have run out by now, making her easy to catch. Still, he had to be smart about the way he approached her, especially in a public place he had never really been before.
Kai just hoped he could find her before anybody else did. Not that Eri would have actively tried seeking anyone out. He had conditioned her well enough to fear other people. It kept her by him, even if he was the one she feared the most. Right now, Kai predicted that she was probably freaking out about her actions too, regret influencing her every move. He figured her indecision was going to slow her down and make her mess up. And he was right because while Eri hadn't been missing for more than 24 hours, he had already locked down on her location. As much as he hated the smell of blood, he had spilled so much of hers that the scent had been permanently etched into his brain. She was nearby, that much he knew.
The thought of running into others made Kai tense though. He remembered the guard's blood and felt his cheek flare-up. He didn't want to have to deal with anyone today, especially with this disgusting heat beating down his back. The constant drip from his hairline was stressing him out to no end and he had lifted up the sleeves of his jacket so much that there were hives building up and down his arms.
I hate Musutafu, he decided, squinting up at the sun and adjusting his mask. Even if he was circulating his own hot air as he breathed, Kai was grateful that he wasn't taking in the grotesque amount of pollution that must have been in the breeze around him. He was also grateful that the streets were quiet. He couldn't stand the sound of cars either. The way their tires squealed and screeched against unpaved concrete irritated him to no end. It was only a matter of time for rush hour to begin though so he had to be quick.
And that's when he saw them. Eri and some kind of green-haired kid standing on the other side of the road underneath the shade of a ginkgo tree. Kai felt his sleeves drop and he froze. He held back his impulse to scratch at his arms and instead, calmly made his way over to the pair. His glove was about to slip off again, but this time he didn't bother to put it back on. Kai would just replace it when he was done.
—
Izuku had been so busy going over his notes for the hundredth time that morning that he didn't notice the little girl until she ran into him and fell back on a patch of grass.
"OhmygoshIamsosorry!" he cried, shoving his notebook into his bag and rushing over to her. As he reached out to help her though, the girl recoiled and gave him a look of intense fear that made his blood go cold.
Her arms were wrapped in soiled bandages. Blood had crusted around the sides of the wrappings and had stained the oversized hospital gown she wore. There were also twigs in her wavy hair and she had a couple of scratches on her cheeks and chin. She was trembling and wouldn't meet his gaze as she looked around frantically.
Izuku was about to ask if she was okay when suddenly he heard footsteps approaching. The little girl turned too and then shrieked before jumping into his arms. It all happened so suddenly, but Izuku instinctively pulled her close to him, careful not to touch her wounds. The action reminded him of when one of his students saw a snake slithering across the floor during a field trip and had run to him for protection.
"Help me please," she seemed to whisper quietly. Izuku might not have heard her if she wasn't so close to him. Her body was cold but her forehead was burning hot as she buried her face deeper into his flannel, gripping the edges with her tiny fists.
Then, the person laughed. "Eri. There you are. Papa's been awfully worried about you ever since you ran away," the man who approached them smiled. He looked overdressed for the season with a dark green jacket that had a ridiculous amount of purple feathers on the shoulders. The other strange thing about him was the mask he wore. It reminded him of the plague masks doctors used in 17th century Germany.
"Excuse me?" Izuku frowned, looking over at him suspiciously. He had barely managed to see Eri's face, but she looked nothing like this man. Well, the part of his face that wasn't hidden anyways. She also hadn't reacted positively when he spoke and seemed to tremble even harder after he was done talking.
The man smiled again, but he never took his eyes off Eri. "My daughter is terrified of hospitals, you see. But after the accident and her mom's passing… oh it must have been too much for her to handle. I should've known she'd try and run off," the man shook his head and took a step towards them. Izuku backed away slightly, still holding onto the frightened little girl.
Terrified of hospitals? Her mom's passing? He wondered, looking down at her slightly and then quickly glancing back at the stranger. She was wearing a hospital gown.
"She ran away from a hospital?" Izuku asked. It was the only thing he could think of saying to stall for time. He had to think about the situation more. Clearly, there was something sinister going on, otherwise, the little girl wouldn't have rushed into his arms so quickly when she had been hesitant about him touching her before.
But the man continued to smile as if nothing was wrong. He switched his gaze over to Izuku and Izuku felt his heartbeat quicken. "Yes. I had to take her there you see. She was in the car when her mom crashed. Her mother was driving under the influence, unfortunately. So it's been a rough couple of days for us and I should have never taken my eyes off of her," he lamented, giving Izuku a sad look.
Izuku blinked. He looked back down at Eri who had grown quiet. She wasn't trembling as hard as before but hadn't moved her head either.
"Oh. I'm sorry for your loss," he answered quietly.
The man nodded and took another step towards them. Izuku felt his nose start to burn. Did this guy use antibacterial gel as a cologne or something? He sure smelt like a hospital. So could it be that he was telling the truth then?
The stranger's smile widened and he clasped his hands together. One of them was missing a white glove and Izuku could make out long, slender fingers void of any kind of scar or imperfection. His hands even seemed three shades lighter than the rest of his uncovered body.
"Eri. Come on, dear. Papa's worried about your health. You lost a lot of blood and shouldn't be out here without supervision," the man shook his head, reaching out his gloved hand. Izuku looked back down at Eri and noticed she was watching her father now with wide eyes.
Even though Eri hadn't moved, Izuku wasn't planning on letting her go. "What hospital?" he asked quickly.
The man stopped smiling for a while and lowered his hand. "Hiroo, near the photography museum," he explained, readjusting his sleeves. Izuku noticed he was only using his gloved hand.
"What? Don't tell me you don't believe me," the man chuckled quietly and looked over at him. A slightly annoyed expression crossed his face and for a while, Izuku questioned his intuition.
Is he right? Am I overreacting? The story fits and if I don't do something quickly, Eri will continue losing blood, he thought, looking back down at her tiny body again.
But every time he looked at Eri, her tiny plea for help echoed through his mind. Had she been asking for help because she was lost and couldn't find her way back to the hospital? How had she even managed to get past security?
Izuku frowned. She couldn't have. A girl this young and with this many injuries must have been in the emergency unit where nobody took their eyes off of you. He knew because he had found himself there many times after being too close to a hero fight. But if the stranger was lying, then why was she wearing a hospital gown? It didn't make any sense.
Izuku narrowed his eyes at her bandages. Also, what kind of accident could have caused those? Had the car flipped over and crushed her arms or something? It was certainly possible but also highly unlikely. The girl also looked very skinny and weak. Was that because of all the blood loss too?
"Sorry, but I really don't," he responded after a while, glaring up at the man with clenched fists. The girl started trembling again and Izuku held her head. Her hair was so brittle and dry he was afraid it would come out in clumps as he stroked it, trying to get her to calm down.
What the hell am I doing? Even if he's lying, there's nothing I can do about it. What if he has a quirk and he tries to hurt me? What if–
The man's bitter laughter interrupted Izuku's thoughts. "I understand. I mean, her mother never trusted me either. We just divorced last year. It's why she always insisted that Eri be with her. And yet look what happened. Such a shame," he shook his head. Eri sniffled quietly.
That was the only part Izuku was having trouble figuring out. If Eri's mother really was dead and she had been through the accident, it wasn't unreasonable to assume the poor girl was just traumatized. But Izuku wanted to hear it from Eri herself and right now it didn't seem possible.
"So please hand me back my daughter before I take her from you myself. I don't have to explain myself to you anymore and I think I've been polite enough despite your insulting assumptions," the man said simply. He held out his hand again, but this time it was the ungloved one.
Eri gasped and tore herself away from Izuku. She rushed over to her father and wrapped her small hand around his gloved one. "I'm sorry Papa," she said quietly, not meeting Izuku's gaze and staring at the floor. Her feet were extremely dirty and Izuku counted six painful looking blisters on her heels. The man seemed to have noticed these too and cradled Eri up into his arms like she was a newborn.
The action looked too normal for Izuku to question it and it made him doubt his original assumption even more. Eri also didn't recoil from his touch and buried her head into his chest as she had with him, greyish blue hair hiding her face. Was this man really her dad? Had he overreacted for nothing?
"I– she just looked really frightened sir. I didn't mean anything by it," Izuku explained, watching Eri, desperately hoping she'd look back at him. Just one look, that's all he needed to confirm or deny.
But Eri never turned around.
"Of course. I would do the same. Eri is very important to me you see," the man said as he watched his daughter.
Izuku wanted to ask more but his watch started beeping, signaling the start of the school day. Crap, he was going to be late. The man looked up quickly and raised an eyebrow. "Well, we better get going. I do want to thank you though. If I hadn't been for you, I would have never found my daughter–"
"Does Eri like stickers?" Izuku blurted out. He wasn't sure if he had offered it to Eri because he was used to doing it with his students, but when the little girl didn't stir or react, Izuku's suspicion came back. The man stepped back slightly this time.
"No. But thank you for the offer," he replied coolly.
Izuku shook his head, forcing a smile. "What kind of kid doesn't like stickers?" he breathed out, trying to keep his nervousness from seeming too apparent.
"Here–" he looked away from Eri's dad and started taking out the stickers in his backpack. It took him a while as he fumbled with the zipper but finally produced the colorful sheet full of unicorns and rainbows. He tore off one of the sheets filled with a glittery pegasus and stepped closer to Eri and her dad.
The two watched each other for a brief moment until the stranger narrowed his eyes at Izuku and then gently lowered his daughter to the floor. "Alright. She can have one but I'm telling you, she doesn't like stickers."
Eri approached Izuku slowly, still holding onto her father's hand. "It's… true," she agreed softly, looking at the sheet, and then up at him. Her bottom lip was trembling and Izuku noticed that she was on the verge of tears. It took all of his strength not to pull her back at that moment. He had to keep reminding himself that what he was feeling was just a hunch and even if this guy was dangerous, he wouldn't be able to fight him. The stranger was easily a foot taller and had some muscle on him, at least more than Izuku had. It would be hard to try and fight him while keeping the little girl safe. And what if she ran away? Did he really want to risk her health and go after the man who was probably her dad?
He didn't even feel when Eri had taken the sticker from him and once he blinked, she had run back to her father, holding onto his leg tightly. A curtain of hair fell over her tired, red eyes and Izuku swallowed. He also noticed the tiny horn growing out of her left temple.
"Again, I'm really sorry about the way I acted. But please get her to Hiroo soon," Izuku sighed, rubbing the back of his neck anxiously. What else could he do to keep them around longer? He stared down at his watch. He was already late to class anyway.
"I will. As I said, Eri is a very important person to me. Have a nice day," the man responded, as he picked up Eri's tiny body and carried her away without another word.
Izuku watched them go and felt his heart deflate. He really hoped he had been wrong.
His watch beeped again, reminding him of the hour and he took off in the other direction, looking back at Eri and her dad until they had disappeared down the hill.
After class. I'll definitely go visit her after class is over, he decided, making a mental note of remembering the hospital name and then rushing off towards Masegaki Elementary. If her dad had been telling the truth, that's where she would be. Izuku let the thought reassure him as he walked off.
—
Eri thought back to the moment when Kai had held out his ungloved hand and shivered in his arms. She knew the gesture all too well. It would have only been a matter of time before he killed the boy too.
She lowered her head and cried quietly, but no tears came. Then, she noticed she was still holding onto the sticker the boy had given her earlier. She had never gotten a sticker before and for some reason, the cute-looking animal reminded her of herself.
It has a horn too, she thought, holding the sticker close to her body. Eri tried to imagine herself riding on the animal's back as Kai carried her away. It was the only thing that kept her alive. That and the thought of concern on that boy's face. No one had ever looked at her that way before.
—
Ahhh, this scene was so painful for me to write! Poor Eri :( Izuku is definitely going to go check up on her at the hospital soon. But will she be there? And now Izuku has to deal with the first day of classes on top of all the emotions he's feeling. How will he get through it?
I hope I was able to surprise all of you with the special guest. I'm planning on reworking the Overhaul arc to begin right around now, so hang on tight if you want to see that begin soon. The League is also coming and so is Class 1-A! Also, I want to thank all of the feedback I've been getting. I'm in no way an expert about Japan so please let me know if I ever mess up on something, I'd love to learn more and improve this fanfic. Until next time!