A/N: I don't own anything but a handful of OC's.
This chapter is mostly identical to the One-Shot I wrote for The Many Lives of Izuku Midoriya but with some edits for clarity and to adapt it into an actual multi-part series. I also decided to start writing these on an actual program instead of the site's text editor, so I apologize if formatting is all over the place.
THERE IS IMPORTANT INFO IN THE AUTHOR'S NOTE AT THE END OF THE CHAPTER, PLEASE READ.
The air was still and the night quiet. A figure walked through the graveyard, snow crunching under his boots. The graves jutted out from underneath their white blanket, silently watching as he walked past. His eyes scanned the graveyard, looking for something in the light of the full moon. He retrieved a folded piece of paper from his black trench coat. It was a note, a threat; it was instructions to come to Musutafu Cemetary, alone, at midnight if he wanted to see the girl alive again. It appeared the perpetrators wanted to negotiate. As he walked, shadows flitted between the tombstones. They had been following him since he arrived. Probably some but not all the kidnappers.
The man stopped before a massive tree, the location designated in the note. He looked around but didn't see anyone, not even the shadows of his stalkers. Sighing, he lit a cigarette, which burned a dull blue and released purple smoke. As soon as he lit it, he heard muffled yelling above him. Looking up, he saw a young girl, no older than fifteen and in thick winter clothes, tied up and dangling from a rope around her waist. He couldn't understand her because of the gag in her mouth but he could almost feel the terror and desperation in her stormy grey eyes.
Suddenly, he heard a chain rustling behind him. He ducked; a blade linked to a chain piercing the space his head had been moments before. He turned to see the stalkers had finally chosen to reveal themselves.
"What are you doing, Goro? We need the detective alive!" one of them said.
It was just three of them: Goro appeared to be a large man with what looked like a chain coming out of the back of his head, one looked like a wolf made of metal, and the last was a slender woman holding various marbles in her hands. The detective gritted his teeth; he had been hoping to get the drop on them, not the other way around.
With a flick of Goro's head, the blade began to return to its owner. Seeing an opportunity, the detective grabbed the retracting chain and was pulled alongside it to the large man who attacked him. Twisting his body while in flight, he managed to just evade Goro's fist and then bring his steel-toed boot crashing into the giant man's jaw. They both tumbled backwards but only the detective stood back up.
Before he could react, the metal wolf's jaws clamped down on his left arm and dragged him to the ground. The leather material of his coat teared to reveal a metal layer that prevented the wolf from biting into his flesh, but it still managed to shake and twist it into painful angles. Undeterred, he scratched at its eyes, making the animal yelp in pain and retreat.
The gravestone next to his head suddenly exploded and showered him in dust and rubble. Scrambling behind another headstone, the ground around him quickly became pockmarked with dozens of small craters. Once drastically reducing his chances of becoming "religious," he pulled what looked like an elongated flare gun from his coat.
Before he could plan his next move, a growl in front of him captured his attention. The wolf had climbed onto one of the bigger headstones. It bared its fangs and lunged at him. Without hesitation, he turned the gun on the wolf and pulled the trigger. A deafening boom resounded from the weapon as the wolf was engulfed in flames and launched backwards and through several headstones.
He heard the woman yell something before the barrage of projectiles intensified. With a calm that belied his current situation, he removed the cartridge from his firearm and replaced it with a new one. Covering his eyes, he aimed it straight up and fired. For a moment, nothing happened. Then, the graveyard was illuminated like someone had suddenly turned on the sun.
Using the woman's pained yell as a signal, the detective dashed from his entrenched position and drew a telescopic baton from his coat. The light had disappeared again by the time he reached her, but she was still blinded. He deftly swatted at her hands, making her drop the marbles she was using as projectiles. The woman tried to retaliate by swinging blindly but he easily grappled her to the ground before delivering a swift blow with the butt of his handgun, knocking her out. With his aggressors dealt with, he aimed his firearm at his newest headache.
"Don't move or the girl gets it."
The girl had been brought down from the tree and was currently on her knees and held at knife point by... an orange with arms and legs?
"Now," sneered the orange in a high-pitched voice, "You and I are going to have a civilized chat, detective. It'd be a shame if something happened to such a ravishing young thing, wouldn't it?"
The orange used it's long and thin tongue to lick the tears from the terrified girl's cheek. He tightened the grip on his gun.
"Get your slimy tongue away from her, BrainRot," the detective commanded in a deep, husky voice.
"Ah, so you know my name, detective?"
"I know a lot more than that," he said calmly, "I know that you use your Quirk by sliding your tongue into your victim's ear and deliver a poison that slowly melts their brains. So, if your tongue leaves you mouth one more time, I'll blast you open like Humpty Dumpty."
BrainRot scowled but retracted his tongue into his mouth.
"Very well, detective, I'll cut to the chase: where is the Symbol of Peace?"
"So that's what this is about."
"Indeed," said BrainRot, "We know the two of you are great chums, so you have to know where he disappears to when he's not on patrol. And you're going to tell me, or I'll water this hallowed ground with the girl's blood!"
He pressed the knife just a little deeper into the girl's neck. Her eyes were full of desperation and fear. The detective did not move, weapon aimed at the orange. A tense moment passed before the orange spoke again.
"Perhaps I can sweeten the deal, detective."
He didn't answer and just kept his weapon trained on the villain. His cigarette sizzled quietly as he gently pulled on it.
"I know you know who this is, detective. My Quirk can do more than just destroy the brain; I can also choose to destroy parts of it to rewrite their minds. Think about it, detective, you tell me where he is, and I turn this irresistible snack into your obedient and personal sex toy. What do you say, detective?"
The girl's eyes widened in horror as her stream of tears intensified. She tried to squirm away from his grip but BrainRot seemed much stronger than he looked. The detective narrowed his eyes at the giant orange and noticed a flicker of blonde hair in the distance.
"Ok," he finally said, "You want to know where he is? I'll give you a hint: he's a lot closer than you think."
Before BrainRot could ask what he meant, a fist shot out of the ground. The fist was attached to a very muscular arm that was attached to a very muscular torso. Soon, a full adult man with blonde hair and in his iconic gold and red hero costume had phased out of the ground and launched BrainRot into the air with a punch, making him release the girl.
"POOOOWEEEER!" shouted LeMillion as he appeared, "Worry not, young lady! FOR I AM HERE!"
"You're late, is what you are," retorted the detective as he reloaded his empty gun.
"Well, you shouldn't have run ahead witho-" LeMillion began but stopped when he saw the other's state, "Are you ok, Detective Midoriya?"
Izuku Midoriya inspected himself. One of the arms of his coat was ripped to shreds, revealing the metal plates underneath. There was also a hole in his leg that was bleeding profusely.
"I'm fine, get the girl to Recovey Gal ASAP! We need to run a brain scan to make sure BrainRot didn't use his Quirk on her and get the antidote if he has. Go! I'll round up the villains," Izuku instructed as he took a long pull on his cigarette.
"Are you sure you'll be fine by yourself?" LeMillion asked.
"Yes. Besides, ZoomZoom and Power Lad are on their way, aren't they? Now get moving, you're wasting time," Izuku told him.
"Ok," said LeMillion as he turned his trademarked charisma to eleven, "Come, Young Miss, we have no time to waste!"
Rustling chains were the only clue they had that an attack was imminent. With the experience and intuition expected of Japan's #1 hero, LeMillion moved instantaneously to neutralize the attacker by phasing through the blade and dashing at Goro. However, he had moved assuming he was the target. He was wrong. Izuku, however, had guessed correctly that the villain would target the girl and moved to catch the blade. But he too had miscalculated.
Izuku had intended to try and deflect the blade with the protective plates covering his good arm but moved too slowly. Instead, the knife pierced through his right hand and impaled itself into his left shoulder, launching him backwards in the process. He landed next to the girl, blood spraying everywhere. The girl looked at him with terrified stormy grey eyes that continued to cry. Izuku gave her a weak smile and tried to say something but it died on his lips as he succumbed to the darkness.
{[0]}
Izuku awoke in a hospital bed. Both of his arms were bandaged and his leg was in a cast. He groaned as his senses returned to him.
"Ah, good to see you are awake, Midoriya."
Standing beside the bed was Mirio Togata, better known as LeMillion, in a light blue turtleneck sweater and brown pants. His boyish face didn't quite fit the mountain of muscles that was everything below his neck. At least his face had the ever-encouraging smile of the Symbol of Peace.
"Togata? This isn't Recovery Gal's clinic," Izuku said in a rough whisper.
"It actually is, or it will be, officially, in a week or two. This is the U.A. High School infirmary. Recovery Gal has accepted the position of school nurse at UA. She officially starts when the next term begins," Mirio explained.
"Damn, I'm going to need to find a new doctor, huh," Izuku said dryly as he tried to sit up.
Mirio laughed his trademarked LeMillion laugh as he helped Izuku into a sitting position and brought a cup of water to his lips. Izuku drank greedily.
"What happened to the girl?"
"She is in perfect health and back with her parents," Mirio said, "Recovery Gal ran every possible scan she could think of and found nothing."
"Good," replied Izuku, "Her parents should keep an eye on her and get a good therapist. BrainRot claimed he could choose to destroy parts of her brain to alter her mind, so we should inform them as soon as we can. Even if he didn't, I can't imagine recent events have been good for her mental health."
"That is concerning. I will let the Todoroki family know immediately. You just rest and recover your energy" said Mirio.
"That's not all," Izuku said before Mirio could leave, "We're being hunted, Togata."
"Hunted? What do you mean?"
"They didn't kidnap the girl because of her parents," Izuku explained with a grave look, "They kidnapped her because they knew I wouldn't pass up a chance to save her just to rub it into King Celsius' face."
"You think they were after you?"
"No, I know they were after you, Togata," Izuku clarified, "They knew I knew you well enough to have information they wanted. They wanted to trade the girl for information. That's why they sent me the ransom note."
"The ransom note?"
"Yeah. It's in my coat, left hand side, third pocket down, fifth pocket over, two pockets deep."
Mirio rummaged through Izuku's coat for a while until he found the letter.
"This is dire indeed," Mirio said after inspecting the message.
"Yeah. I think I'm going to go to ground for a while. Pack up and move to a new place. I'll see if the Bakugous are still willing to put up with my shit," Izuku mused.
"Ya aren't going anywhere!" exclaimed a stern voice.
Mirio visibly paled and stood straighter the moment the voice spoke. At the entrance of the infirmary stood a tall young woman, with brilliant long blonde hair that she had in a ponytail and shaved at either side of her head. She wore a blue tank top and camo cargo pants under her doctor's coat. She looked more like a soldier than a doctor. The bags under her eyes only added to the terrifying face she was giving them both.
"Ah, Recovery Gal, goo-"
"Don'tcha 'Recovery Gal' me, mistah," she interrupted Miro angrily, "Ya think I don't know whatcha doing? You're probably going tah tell him tah pull himself up by his bootstraps and get ready tah chase down villains tomorrow."
"Busted," Izuku teased Mirio.
"And you," Recovery Gal said, turning on Izuku.
"Me," repeated Izuku.
"Yes, you. Ya want tah tell me what the hell ya think you're doing? Ya disappear for six months and then ya show up at my new place of work on Death's door with all this shit in your pockets?" she said as she tossed a box of cigarettes and a zip-lock bag of energy bars on the bed.
"Ah sweet, my smokes. Hey, Togata, could you do me a solid?"
Mirio had begun to reach for the box when Recovery Gal gave him a glare that would turn Medusa to stone.
"Ya want tah explain to me," she began, picking up the bag of energy bars, "Why your stomach is tah size of a fucking walnut? When's the last time you had a full proper meal, huh?"
Izuku wouldn't meet Recover Gal's gaze as he coughed nervously.
"And what about these, huh?" she asked, holding up the box of cigarettes, "Running some hard-core clinical trials, aren'tcha? When's the last time ya slept, huh? And don't ya lie tah me or I'm breaking out the biggest catheter I can get my hands on."
"Uh, probably Thursday?" said Izuku shakily.
"Oh really? Thursday? What year?"
Izuku had suddenly found the wall incredibly interesting.
"How many years?" Recovery Gal asked, barely contained fury evident in her voice.
"T-Two years? I think?" Izuku said in a small voice.
Recovery Gal threw the box at Izuku and nailed him right in the forehead.
"I had a lot of cases-" Izuku began to justify when Recovery Gal interrupted him.
"Yeah? Well now ya got my case way up your asshole!" she reprimanded angrily, "And it's going tah stay there until ya get a bill of health so fucking squeaky clean it'll put the first years tah shame, ya understand me?"
"Yes, Ma'am."
"She's right, Midoriya. You have to take better care of yourself," added Mirio.
"And don't think you're getting out of this!" she continued, turning on Mirio.
"Me!?"
"Yes, you," she said angrily, "Where do ya think he gets it in his head tah jump dick first intah danger, huh? Ya walk in one day like you're All Might back from the fucking grave and suddenly he's out arresting villains that the top ten heroes woulda had trouble keeping up with. Oooh, if Granny Chiyo was still alive, she'd lend me her cane tah beat the stupid outta both of ya!"
"Er, yes, well, I will reflect on my actions. Goodbye!" Mirio said quickly before he phased into the floor, leaving his turtleneck sweater and pants behind.
"Fucking streaker piece of shit," Recovery Gal cursed at the floor as she picked up Mirio's clothes and put them in a nearby basket.
The door opened then and a girl with light red hair entered. She was wearing the winter uniform of one of the local private high schools. Izuku immediately recognized the cat-like stormy grey eyes, though they were terrified then and elated now.
"Oh good, you're awake," she said in a soft voice.
Now that they had a new audience, Recovery Gal moved to her desk in the corner to simmer down before she accidentally exploded on a kid. The girl pulled up a chair and sat next to Izuku's bed. She surveyed his injuries, frowning slightly.
"You alright kid?" Izuku asked her.
"Yes," she responded, "I am fine, thanks to you and LeMillion."
"Good," said Izuku, "Er, you're not feeling weird? Like the world's shifted an inch to the right or the color blue is a bit off?"
The girl looked at him confused.
"Ok, look," Izuku said, somewhat uncomfortably, "I'm glad you've come to see me and all that but I'm going to be very blunt and rude for a moment: I know Recovery Girl ran a bunch of tests but I am super paranoid right now. And you showing up to check up on me is sending all sorts of red flags after what BrainRot said. So, just bear with me for a bit, ok?"
The girl nodded before looking at the floor. Then her pearl white face began to get redder and redder before she hid it behind her hands. And then her hair suddenly erupted with blue fire. Recovery Gal rushed over with a fire extinguisher and put her out.
"What did ya do?" she accused.
"Nothing, I think? She just suddenly caught fire," Izuku explained.
"Well, the least ya could do is be nice tah her. She's been in her every day tah check up on ya," Recovery Gal said as she set the extinguisher down.
Izuku paused for a moment.
"How long have I been out?" he asked.
"Four days. I woulda preferred ya stayed out longer considering your sleep pattern, but I suppose medically this is good too. So ya can stop worrying about the girl, she's fine. What did that villain say tah get your panties in a twist?"
Izuku beckoned Recovery Gal closer and whispered into her ear. Her eyes widened as she looked at the both of them before letting out a soft "Ah." The girl's hair suddenly caught fire again.
{[0]}
"Absolutely not happening."
"Hey, ya were the one that kept complaining about my cooking," Recovery Gal smirked.
Izuku looked at the wheelchair again. It looked exactly like a normal wheelchair except it had several safety belts attached to it.
"Or I could just walk if you gave me a cig-"
"So ya can run off and get hurt again? Denied."
"I'm 35! I can take care of myself, for fuck's sake!"
"Then start acting your age, old man! Now, as your primary care physician, get in the fucking chair ya fucking pussy!"
"… Fine."
With Recovery Gal's help, Izuku's injuries were healing in record time. His cast had been removed but he was still bandaged pretty heavily. He put on his coat before slowly and gently getting out of the hospital bed and into the wheelchair. Once he was in, Recovery Gal strapped him in with every single belt. Izuku pouted like a child the whole time.
"There, that wasn't so bad was it?" she asked.
"… I feel like the kid with the fucking leash disguised to look like a backpack," Izuku grumbled.
"Good. Now ya might think twice before ya go and do something stupid again," she said as she wheeled him towards the door, "Now, go enjoy your lunch."
"You're not joining me?"
"Ugh, I wish I could," she sighed, "Some idiot misplaced some of my equipment. Going tah have tah spend my lunch and my afternoon figuring out where it all is. Don't worry, you'll be in good company."
In the hallway, wearing jeans and a light pink turtleneck sweater, was Yuki Yaoyorozu, the red-haired girl Izuku had saved the week before. She bowed to Recovery Gal and then wheeled Izuku away. Recovery Gal told her to bring him back before the end of the day and then closed the door to the infirmary.
"So, you have the week off, huh, Yuki?" Izuku asked, "Sorry that you have to spend your day off looking after this old man."
"You're not old, Mr. Midoriya," she said, "Besides, after the incident, I'm not allowed to go anywhere without Dad or one of his sidekicks, besides home and here. So, I wasn't going anywhere anyways."
"I see. Well, it gets lonely in the infirmary since Recovery Gal is working all the time, so feel free to drop by whenever you want. I've been told I'm pleasant company."
"You are," she agreed.
As they walked down another corridor, a door opened farther in front of them and a tall, muscular man with spiky blonde hair walked out.
"And speaking of pleasant company," Izuku said, getting the man's attention.
"Izuku?"
"Katsuki," Izuku replied nonchalantly.
Katsuki Bakugou looked Izuku up and down.
"Ignore the wheelchair. My doctor thinks I'll run off to find trouble if she doesn't tie me down to something."
"She's a smart woman then," Katsuki smirked.
"Yes, she is. Ah, this is Yuki Yaoyorozu, by the way. She's agreed to keep an eye on me for the day. Miss Yaoyorozu, this is Katsuki Bakugou, an old friend and the #4 Pro Hero, DangerClose."
"It's an honor to meet you, Mr. Bakugou," she said with a slight bow.
"I saw the news reports. I'm glad to see you were unharmed," said Katsuki, nodding his head.
"Hey, we're headed for lunch, want to join us?" Izuku asked Katsuki.
"Ah, I don't want to intrude," Katsuki began.
"C'mon, we haven't seen each other in four years, it would be good to catch up," Izuku said.
"Actually, I'm looking for Izumi-chan right now," Katsuki confessed.
"You brought Izumi-chan?" Izuku asked excitedly.
"Yeah. Ochacco's here, too. When we heard you were hurt while working the Yaoyorozu case, Izumi-chan wanted to take the bullet train down here immediately. When she found out you were recovering at UA, there was nothing we could have done to stop her from showing up. Of course the moment she does, she jets off to try and look for you. I don't know who that girl takes after," Katsuki sighed.
"Oh, then you should definitely join us for lunch. We'll ask someone to announce that they're serving katsudon. She'll find us before the first bowl gets served," Izuku laughed as Yuki pushed him down the hallway.
"You have the stupidest ideas that 100% always work, you know that?" Katsuki laughed as well, "So, I heard you got your a- *cough* got beaten up while trying to save Miss Yaoyorozu here and LeMillion had to go and save you."
"Yeah, I was in way over my head. We'd both be goners if he hadn't shown up when he did."
Izuku saw Yuki frown out of the corner of his eyes.
"You are so full of sh- *cough* I don't believe you for a second," Katsuki growled at Izuku before he addressed Yuki, "Er, Yuki, was it? I bet this idiot showed up by himself, beat everyone to a pulp, and LeMillion came in at the end to mop things up, right?"
"How did you know?" Yuki asked, surprised by the accuracy of his guess.
"You were supposed to keep that secret, Yuki," chastised Izuku.
"Ah, you're right," she said sadly, "But I don't understand why? You did the work, so you should get the credit, right?"
"It's because he doesn't have a Hero License," explained Katsuki.
"Huh?" she asked, bringing Izuku to a stop, "You don't have a license?"
Izuku glared at Katsuki before nodding.
"But why? You're clearly more than capable of doing Hero work, so why don't you have a license?"
"Because I don't need one," Izuku answered.
"I don't understand."
"He means he's not legally allowed to get one," corrected Katsuki.
"What do you mean?"
Katsuki looked at Izuku with a smirk while he glowered back. After a second of silent conversation, Izuku sighed in defeat.
"I can't obtain a Hero's License because I don't have a Quirk," Izuku finally said.
"Mr. Midoriya, you don't expect me to believe-"
"It's the truth," Katsuki interrupted.
Yuki looked at the both of them for a long time.
"Well, it is what it is," Izuku said, trying to dispel the serious atmosphere, "It's actually not too bad. The law is written in such a way that I can't be classified as a vigilante since I can't physically get a Hero's License, so I can't get in trouble. But it is a private matter, so I would appreciate your discretion, Miss Yaoyorozu. Anyways, I'm really starving now. Let's get lunch, Ka-chan."
Katsuki rolled his eyes at his childhood nickname before taking over wheeling Izuku to the cafeteria. They had already gotten to the end of the hallway when Yuki snapped out of her thoughts and rushed to catch up.
{[0]}
They arrived at the cafeteria just as it opened. Izuku and Katsuki sat at an empty table with their lunch while Yuki asked the kitchen staff to make a school wide announcement. The cafeteria was, in fact, serving katsudon today.
"You didn't have to tell her I was Quirkless," Izuku complained while he started on his food.
"I didn't tell her; you did."
"You know what I mean."
"I thought it didn't bother you anymore?"
"It doesn't. What bothers me is that everyone suddenly thinks I'm three years old and made of tissue paper."
"I don't do that."
"Not anymore you don't. And it took you thirty years and as many ass kickings from me to get it through your thick skull."
"Sounds like she'll outgrow it eventually. Besides, maybe she'll be able to stop you from getting hurt while doing something stupid."
Izuku stared at Katsuki for a moment.
"You're in cahoots with Recovery Gal, aren't you?" Izuku asked incredulously.
Katsuki laughed.
"No, never met her. But I agree that you're probably biting off more than you can chew."
"That's what you said the last time before I wiped the floor with you."
"Now listen here, you little shit!"
Before Katsuki could launch into his usual tirade, Yuki joined them at the table. Izuku gave her a gentle smile while Katsuki fumed silently. They ate their lunch in peace for some time until they heard what could only be described as jet engines in the distance.
"UNCLE IZUKU!"
Izuku looked up just in time to see a blonde blur land in front of their table. She had Katsuki's blonde spiky hair and his red eyes, but her face was more rounded and there was a perpetual blush on her cheeks.
"Izumi-chan!" Izuku greeted happily as he maneuvered his wheelchair to face her, "It's been so long! How are you?"
Izumi Bakugou looked at Izuku's bandaged arms, his bandaged leg, and the wheelchair he sat in before glaring at her father.
"What did you do to Uncle Izuku?" she demanded.
Katsuki almost choked on his last bite of katsudon.
"Me? I haven't done anything!"
"Uh huh, you're always saying you're going to put Uncle Izuku in a fucking wheelchair and now that he's in a wheelchair, you expect me to fucking believe you had nothing to do with it?"
"Now Izumi," Katsuki said sternly, "We said you weren't going to use that language anymore."
"Fuck you, old man!" she said as she jumped onto Izuku's lap and stuck out her tongue out at her father.
If Katsuki had been mad before, he was about to go nuclear. And Izuku's barely contained laughter was only making it worse.
"Izumi-chan, you should be nicer to your dad," said Izuku, "And you really shouldn't use that vulgar language in public."
"Okay~" Izumi said in a sing song voice while hugging Izuku.
"Izumi-chan! Don't run off like that again!" said a panting voice.
A short woman with shoulder length brown hair and a perpetual blush on her cheeks had approached their table.
"Mrs. Bakugou," Izuku greeted coolly.
"Hello Midoriya, how are your injuries?" Ochacco Bakugou asked, smiling warmly.
Izuku raised an eyebrow at her friendly greeting but said nothing of it.
"Better than it looks. The wheelchair is for everyone else's safety."
"I see. I'm glad to hear that," she said before looking at her daughter, "Izumi! Get off of your Uncle! Can't you see he's injured?"
"But Mom, I literally don't weigh anything!"
"It's fine, Mrs. Bakugou," Izuku assured them, "Now, how about we get you some katsudon?"
"Yes please~" Izumi cheered as Izuku wheeled them both to the ordering window.
The five finished their lunch relatively peacefully. And Katsuki didn't kill anyone, though it was mainly because his wife kept his anger in check. After lunch, the five toured the school, led by Katsuki and Ochacco.
"Look Katsuki! They rebuilt the gym you demolished in our final year!" Ochacco said as they entered a large concrete warehouse.
Izuku and Izumi laughed as Katsuki furrowed his brow. Whatever picture Katsuki was trying to paint of his time at UA was constantly being corrected by Ochacco as she filled in all the parts he had skipped, mainly of his terrible attitude and propensity to destroy school equipment.
"A bit empty for a gym, isn't it?" asked Izuku.
"It's used for Quirk training," explained Yuki, "The students can let most of their quirks go wild here since Cementoss Sensei can easily repair any damage."
"That is correct," said a gravelly voice.
Behind them appeared a tall man that appeared to be made of worn concrete slabs. He smiled warmly as he approached them.
"Ah, the Bakugous, how good of you to come back to your alma mater. And I was hoping I was going to have some time to relax with all the students gone for the week," he greeted them.
"Cementoss Sensei! It's good to see you," Ochacco said, giving him a slight bow while Katsuki clenched his fists behind her.
"And you must be Recovery Gal's patient," Cementoss addressed Izuku.
"I'm Detective Izuku Midoriya. It's a pleasure to meet you, sir," Izuku said, trying to give a small bow while strapped down to his wheelchair.
"Uncle Izuku! Uncle Izuku! Can you help me with my Quirk?" Izumi asked while poking his cheek.
"Er, Izumi-chan, I don't think now is the best time," Ochacco began before Izuku waved away her concern.
"I think it's the perfect time," Izuku said, "There's four adults, three of them are Pro Heroes, and one of them is even a teacher. We can handle two girls with Quirks, right? With your permission, of course, Cementoss Sensei."
Izumi looked at Cementoss expectantly. After a moment, he nodded and Izumi somersaulted backwards in joy. In the middle of her roll, jets of flame erupted from her feet and she rocketed into the air. She flew around the gym at blinding speeds, making hair pin turns assisted by the jets in her hands.
"Her speed and control have greatly improved from learning to use the jets in her hands and feet at the same time. And her flight time has probably doubled - no, tripled from using micro-bursts instead of sustained burns. The shoes I made her seem to be holding up well despite the micro-bursts probably being more intense than a sustained burn. She'll need gloves as well if her hands heat up anything like her feet do. And she'll need protective equipment just in case. A helmet and extensive neck support that won't inhibit her ability to look around. Maybe something that locks in place when she reaches a certain speed like ZoomZoom has? It'd be too heavy probably, unless she could extend the weightlessness of her Quirk to other things like Uravity can," Izuku mumbled to himself as he pulled a small notebook from his coat and began writing.
"Is he ok?" Yuki asked Katsuki.
"Oh yeah," Katsuki replied quietly, "It happens all the time. It just means his mind's working miracles right now."
"UNCLE IZUKU!" Izumi exclaimed.
Izuku looked up from his writing to see Izumi barreling towards him at a breakneck speed. She was going way to fast to stop and didn't look inclined to swerve out of the way. On the contrary, she seemed dead set on crashing into him at top speed. He held up his hands and closed his eyes, bracing for impact. One that never came. Opening his eyes, he saw Izumi floating in front of him, about two feet in the air, without using her jets.
"You... You figured out how to stop without your jets?" Izuku said after a moment.
Izumi's parents were stunned. They had noticed their daughter's intentions to late and tried to stop her but then she suddenly just stopped. Went from a hundred miles an hour to a dead stop in the air in half a second.
"Mhmm. It worked exactly like you said it would. I've been practicing in secret for weeks now and wanted to show you!" Izumi exclaimed.
"Yeah, it did, huh," Izuku said quietly with a small grin.
"Hey, so are you going to show me the move I need to get into UA?" Izumi asked excitedly.
Izuku laughed and looked at Katsuki.
"You've thought something stupid again, haven't you?" Katsuki with an annoyed smile.
"Maybe," Izuku said before looking at Cementoss, "Cementoss Sensei, would it be possible to create some targets for Izumi-chan?"
"Hmm, this is getting interesting," Cementoss said to no one in particular before placing a giant hand on the floor.
The floor suddenly seemed to turn to liquid as several vaguely humanoid forms rose from it randomly spread around the gym. Izumi looked excited to finally be doing something hero-like for once. Izuku wheeled himself to the wall behind her and prepared a new page in his notebook.
"Are you ready for your test, Izumi-chan?" Izuku asked.
"I just have to destroy the targets, right?" Izumi said with the same wicked smile Katsuki had when he was her age, "Piece of cake."
"Yep, you just have to destroy the targets however you like. Ah, but there is one rule," Izuku said without looking up from his notes, "You feet can't move from where they are."
"Huh? How am I supposed to kill them if I can't punch them?" Izumi whined.
"Kill?" Yuki questioned but was unfortunately ignored.
"That's a very good question. You should ask your Dad for advice."
Out of the corner of his eye, Izuku could see Katsuki stand just ever so straighter. Izumi looked at the both of them for a moment.
"But he's a moron," Izumi complained.
Izuku tried to stifle a laugh while Katsuki's hands produced small pops like bang snaps.
"No more hints," Izuku said, "If you can destroy five targets in the next 10 minutes, I'll give you a special prize."
Izumi smiled again as she stared at the targets again. The gym was practically silent for a long time. Izumi just stood there, glaring at the targets like she might be able to get them to explode with sheer anger.
"Midoriya, this is a little unfair, isn't it?" asked Ochacco.
"What makes you say that?" asked Izuku without looking up from his notebook.
"Izumi-chan's Quirk makes her very light and lets her fire jets of fire from her hands and feet," Ochacco explained, "She's made for speed and hit and run tactics, so shouldn't she focus on that?"
Izuku placed his notebook on his lap and put his hands together.
"Normally, I would agree," he said, "But you forget that Izumi is Katsuki Bakugou's daughter. You can tell her what she's supposed to do all you want but the moment you turn around, she's going to do whatever she wants. And what she wants is to find the biggest, baddest enemy she can find and try to cave their face in, just like dear old Papa over here. And if, I remember correctly, that sort of thought process put Katsuki in all sorts of dangerous situations, which I'm sure he's bragged to Izumi all about."
Katsuki tensed up at Izuku's comment. Ochacco glared at her husband.
"So, what Izumi really needs is options," Izuku continued, "Like Katsuki, she fights like an animal; pure instinct, no planning. But she's also a genius, so she'll choose the best option she has for the situation she's in. If all she has is a hammer, everything is going to look like a nail."
"But Izumi-chan's quirk doesn't produce enough power to attack from a distance," Ochacco countered, "This would be the sort of thing you would overcome with Support Equipment."
"Oh, ye of little faith. If her Quirk works the way I think it does, then there are three ways she can destroy the targets. It's all about which one she discovers first," Izuku said, gesturing to Izumi.
As they were talking, Izumi had raised her hand at a target and aimed her palm at it.
"DIE!" she snarled as a blast of fire emitted from her hand and carved a hole in the center of the nearest target.
"That was…" Katsuki whispered in disbelief.
"A.P. Shot," confirmed Izuku.
"But, that's impossible…" whispered Ochacco.
"DIE! DIE! DIE!" Izumi shouted gleefully as she left holes in one target after another.
When she aimed at the last target, the blast she emitted sputtered out before it reached it. Undeterred, Izumi raised her other hand and blasted a hole in the target. Her task completed, she turned to look at them, covered in sweat and a giant smile plastered on her reddened face. She raised her fist, roared in triumph, and then collapsed to her knees, panting. Ochacco and Yuki both ran to her.
"You've been planning this for a long time, haven't you?" Katsuki asked Izuku quietly.
"What do you mean?"
"The sudden request to join an MMA gym, wanting to go play laser tag every weekend, playing catch using our Quirks; it was all you, wasn't it?"
"You're giving me too much credit," Izuku dismissed, "She wanted to improve, so I just pointed her in the right direction."
"You should've studied to be a Quirkologist. You would have been the best," Katsuki mused.
"I did. Finished top of my class at undergraduate studies, too. The med program wouldn't accept me because, and I quote, 'I would not be able to handle the rigors of the program.'"
"That's just code for 'you don't have a Quirk, so get lost," isn't it?"
"Yep."
"So why are you so goddamn nice to all of us?" Katsuki asked.
Izuku looked at Katsuki. The blonde's red eyes were ever so slightly moist.
"What do you mean?"
"Izuku, the world's been an absolute asshole to you since you were declared Quirkless. I've been an absolute asshole to you since we were kids. We've placed nothing but walls and mountains and canyons between you and your dream. And yet, here you are, helping my baby girl achieve hers. You could have left, given up on her, crushed her dreams like I tried to crush yours. So why?"
Izuku thought for a moment and smiled.
"You really want to know why? It's because ten years ago, a little five-year-old girl who hadn't manifested her Quirk yet walked up to me wearing a tiny DangerClose costume and asked me if she could be a hero if she never got a Quirk. And I said 'Yes, yes you can. And you are going to be so cool!' So, I guess I'm just taking responsibility for what I said back then."
Izuku wheeled himself to Izumi while Katsuki used his sleeves to get something out of his eyes.
{[0]}
"Hey, you got a light?" Izuku asked, holding up a cigarette.
"I didn't know you smoked," Katsuki said as he took the cigarette and very carefully lit it with his Quirk.
"I don't," said Izuku as he took a long pull, "It's a special pain medication Recovery Gal developed for me. Keeps me in the fight for much longer than I normally can. I made it look like a cigarette because it helps me blend in while on patrol."
The two were in an empty classroom watching the snow-covered UA campus, Izuku in his wheelchair and Katsuki at one of the desks. Ochacco and Yuki had taken a sleeping Izumi to the infirmary to rest. Cementoss Sensei said he had other duties to attend to.
"Hey," Katsuki said suddenly, "So, I didn't come to UA just to see you."
"Obviously," said Izuku, "Izumi dragged the both of you out here, didn't she?"
"No, it wasn't that either," replied Katsuki.
Katsuki took a deep breath. Izuku looked at him with mild concern.
"You know the Pro Hero Eraserhead, right? He's my and Ochacco's old homeroom teacher from first year. He's finally retiring after almost 25 years at UA. The principal's also a classmate of ours, so she invited a bunch of us to come back and have a reunion to see him off."
"Sounds like fun. I never really kept in touch with anyone from my old high school," Izuku said absent mindedly.
"Yeah, it will be interesting," Katsuki noted bitterly.
"You pissed off a lot of them while you were still in school, huh?"
"Shut up."
Izuku laughed.
"Anyways, knowing Momo, she's fishing for a new teacher from those of us who attend. Or at least hoping we'll recommend someone we know," Katsuki explained.
"So, you're hoping to be a teacher now?" asked Izuku.
"No but I was hoping you'd be up for it."
Izuku's cigarette almost fell out of his mouth as his jaw dropped.
"Y-you're not serious, are you?"
"Yeah, I am."
"They'd never accept me."
"Hey, don't underestimate a recommendation from the #4 Pro Hero."
"But I don't have a Hero License."
"You've never needed one before and you won't need one now."
"But I don't have a Quirk."
"Izuku, when has that literally ever stopped you before."
"When I took the UA Hero Course entrance exam."
"Yeah, well, you'll just have to show them they were wrong to fail you back then," Katsuki laughed.
"Why me?" Izuku asked after a moment, eyeing Katsuki suspiciously.
"Because my daughter learned more from you in 5 minutes than she has from me in 5 months," Katsuki explained calmly.
"But I'm not a Hero," Izuku said quietly as he pulled on his cigarette.
"Yes, you are. Ask Yuki and Izumi if you aren't a hero. Hell, ask LeMillion if you aren't a hero. Izuku, it may not be your job but it's a title you've earned ten times over. You honestly deserve it more than most of us."
Izuku was quiet for some time, exhaling faint purple smoke. He watched the snow begin to fall over the school grounds as he thought.
"You're awfully adamant about this," Izuku finally said.
"That's because you have something I wish all of us had," Katsuki explained.
"What would that be?"
"A truly unbreakable determination. Do you know how many people would have given up if they tried even a quarter of what you've done, even if they had a Quirk? When the world put walls between you and your dream, you just climbed over them. When we put canyons in front of you, you built bridges. When we put mountains, you fucking tunneled straight through them. If you could instill even the tiniest amount of that into the next generation, then we'll never have anything to worry about. And if anyone can do it, you can. It might be twenty years too late, but you deserve to be at UA, even if UA does not deserve you."
Katsuki stood up then and stretched.
"Look, I'm not asking you to accept the position right now. I'm asking you that if they give you a chance, you bring your A-game and knock it out of the park. I don't care if you refuse after that. What do you say?" Katsuki said, watching Izuku's face.
Izuku took a long pull from his cigarette and released an even longer exhale of purple smoke.
"Ok, I'll do that much," Izuku answered, "But on one condition: you have to go and ask Izumi-chan for her forgiveness."
Katsuki's body stiffened as he opened and closed his mouth, trying to respond. Failing that, he chose to stare out the window instead. The seconds passed with only the sound of Izuku's cigarette to keep them company.
"Do you think she'll forgive me?"
"No," Izuku answered bluntly, "But she will one day. You just have to keep asking with your words and your actions."
"How do you know?"
"Because I've forgiven you a long time ago and you did a lot worse to me for far longer."
Izuku continued to stare out the window. He could see in the reflection that Katsuki was looking at him with a dumbfounded look.
"Why?"
"Because you- we're not the same kids we were back then. I'd like to say we've both grown up. I mean, you have a loving wife and a daughter you love with all your heart now, right?"
"But I don't deserve your forgiveness."
"No, you don't. But I deserve peace. And you need me to forgive you. And Izumi needs you."
"She doesn't need me; she has you."
"Yeah, but I'm not her father; you are."
Katsuki didn't say anything for a long time.
"You're an asshole, you know?" he finally said, his voice cracking, "Making a grown man cry this much in one day."
"I know," Izuku said, closing his eyes.
They stayed like that for some time, the only noise was Katsuki's occasional sniffles. The door opened then and Yuki entered. Katsuki tried to compose himself as best he could.
"Mr. Bakugou, the school's visiting hours are coming to an end. Your wife and Miss Izumi are waiting for you at the entrance," Yuki said.
Katsuki just nodded and prepared to leave when Izuku stopped him.
"Here this is for Izumi-chan's hard work today. And for her birthday next week," he said, retrieving a tube from his coat and handing it to Katsuki.
Katsuki took the package and quickly left the room without saying goodbye. Yuki looked at the fleeing Katsuki and then at Izuku.
"Did you two get in a fight?" she asked.
"Something like that," Izuku said, smiling.
"Mr. Midoriya, I don't think it's right to be getting into fights with your friends," she gently scolded him as she wheeled him out of the classroom and down the hall.
"It wasn't an actual fight," he said, "I was just killing him with kindness."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, a wise man once told me that evil begets evil and hatred begets hatred," Izuku said cryptically, "I guess I was curious if that means goodness begets goodness and kindness begets kindness."
Yuki didn't say anything as she pondered his words.
"Hey Yuki," Izuku said after a moment.
"Yes, Mr. Midoriya?"
"If I was your teacher at UA, what would you say?"
Yuki looked at him with a perplexed look.
"I'm not sure what I would say," she finally said, "But I would be happy to know I would be taught by such an intelligent and capable individual."
"I see."
Yuki stopped in front of the infirmary's door.
"Um, Mr. Midoriya?" she asked with trepidation.
"Yes?" he said, turning to see her face.
"Could you train me like you did Miss Bakugou?" she asked.
Izuku looked her in the eyes. She wavered slightly but otherwise held his gaze.
"Why?"
"I want to become strong," she said, "Strong enough to protect myself and those I love but I'm not sure how. I would like you to teach me."
"Hmm, I don't know," he said, teasing her, "I'd have to look at my schedule. I think I'm booked doing a whole lot of nothing the entire week. But I think I can squeeze you in."
"Thank you, Mr. Midoriya," she said as she opened the door and wheeled him inside.
He was about to say something else when Recovery Gal's voice shredded the silence.
"MIDORIYA! WHAT DO YA HAVE IN YOUR MOUTH!?"
Izuku's eyes darted down at his cigarette and then back at a furious Recovery Gal.
"Uh, a lollipop?" he said with a sheepish smile.
A/N: Before any of you get you hopes up, I'm not starting on this story quite yet. I'm going to finish The Many Lives of Izuku Midoriya first and then work on this and a few other stories. Don't expect updates any time soon.
That being said, I need your help with a few things. This is a fairly original AU in the sense that I have to make a ton of new characters to populate the universe. I need to figure out sixteen students and five teachers (which is a lot more characters than I normally work with). So, I'd like to hear any ideas you guys have for Quirks, characters, and possible children of canon characters. JUST TO BE CLEAR, THIS IS NOT A SUBMIT YOUR OWN CHARACTER FIC! I'm going to go through your suggestions and pick and choose concepts I like. And don't just suggest kids of characters from canon (I mean, I do want a few but I'm not going to fill the class with children from class 1-A and 1-B. Let's be a little original, yeah?).
And quick notes on Quirks for this AU: Quirks have evolved to the point where it's not super uncommon to have paired Quirks. In other words, people can have a Quirk like they do in canon, a combined Quirk like Shoto Todoroki, or they can have a primary Quirk that works as it does in canon and a secondary, more limited Quirk. The final option is what Izumi Bakugou has: her primary Quirk lets her shoot jets of flames from her hands and feet, a mutation of Katsuki's Quirk, and her secondary Quirk makes her weightless, a limited version of Ochacco's Quirk (I'll explain the specifics of Izumi's and Ochacco's Quirk in future chapters).
And before I forget, if you like what I wrote, how about you head on over to my digital begging hat (Endless Ambition Productions on Ko-fi) and buy me a coffee? All of my work will always be free (fan fiction and original fiction) but I work a lot faster with a cup of coffee or tea next to my computer. I actually just ran out of coffee, so the next few days will be interesting.
Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed and I'll see you in the next chapter. Cheers! – Jerry from Endless Ambition Productions