Izuku's Datemate: www. /20800010
Hero Name: www. strawpoll .me/20800083
I'd appreciate you guys doing the polls. I'll keep them up for about a week or until I finish the next chapter.
Previously on The Hunters Beginning:~~~~TIME SKIP TO 8 A.M.~~~~~
Mercy sat up in her bed, her breath coming in short pants. A shaky hand pressed against her face, fighting off the last clutches of sleep that addled her brain. Mercy blew out a breath before she climbed out of bed. Mercy stumbled her way to the kitchen while rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. Mercy moved around the kitchen as she began making breakfast for everybody. She made some sausage for her mom and Izuku along with eggs. She made her eggs with mushrooms and tofu slices(keep in mind all of this is on the fly, I have no idea what Japanese people eat for breakfast).
Mercy set up three mugs two filled with coffee and the other with chocolate milk. Mercy looked up from where she was setting the table when she heard the sound of footsteps.
"Morning, Mercy,"Izuku yawned as they entered the room.
"Morning, Bunny,"Mery replied as she stirred the eggs. "How are we feeling today?"
"Neither," They mumbled as they climbed onto their chair, green hair an even fluffier mess than yesterday.
"Ok, bunny, I put some chocolate milk in your mug if you want to drink it now while I finish breakfast,"Mercy stated as she kissed their forehead.
Their mom stumbled into the kitchen just as Mercy was plating their food.
"Morning, Kiddos," Inko yawned as she grabbed at her mug of coffee.
"Morning, momma," The two kids chirped.
"Here's your eggs and it's they/them today for Izu," Mercy said as she placed the food on the table. "Also we need to go grocery shopping soon."
Inko nodded as her eldest sat at the table and pulled her mug towards her. The small family sat and enjoyed their meal, knowing in the coming weeks Mercy would be on her way to becoming one of the greats.
Chapter 1
Mercy stood in front of U. A., her eyes sparkling as she walked towards her homeroom class. Mercy's mind was filled with questions as she hunted down 1-A's classroom. Questions like. What quirks would her classmates have? Or who is her homeroom teacher? and could she make her family proud?. Mercy twitched as she walked her free hand cycling through many different animals as she approached the door to 1-A. She paused and took a deep breath before opening the door to a cacophony of noise.
She spotted a shy looking boy next to a boy who seemed like the personification of sunshine. She skirted around the rest of the class and stopped by the first two boys she had noticed.
The blonde smiled at her while the brunette waved shyly at her before ducking his head.
"Hi, I'm Mirio Toogata and this is Tamaki Amajiki," the blonde introduced.
"I'm Mercy Midoriya, nice to meet you," Mercy replied as she sat down next to Tamaki.
"I didn't see you at the entrance exams, are you a recommended student?" Mirio asked curiously.
"Yeah, a retired pro recommended me because he saw potential in me, or so Captain Surge says," Mercy answered, sheepishly rubbing the back of her neck.
Mirio's and Tamaki's eyes widened at the name of the pro who had recommended her. They noticed as her eyes darted to the door and she went silent. The two boys followed her eyes and also went silent. The rest of their class was loudly talking and only stopped when they heard a throat clearing. Slowly every head turned towards the door and spotted what looked like a giant yellow caterpillar in the doorway. The caterpillar stood up and revealed itself to be a scruffy man who looked like he was in desperate need of sleep.
"It took all but four of you 15 minutes to notice me and even then I had to get your attention. My name is Shouta Aizawa and I will be your homeroom teacher. Put on the gym uniforms and meet me by the Gym Beta," Aizawa ordered, his eyes noticing one student tense slightly when he said his name.
She and the two boys she was sitting with were the first to move. As the girl walked past, their eyes met and for a moment it seemed like she wanted to say something. The girl shook herself and grabbed her gym uniform before booking it out of the classroom. She was quickly followed by her friends while the other kids stared at him before slowly moving to do what he said. Aizawa strode out to the field behind Gym Beta and pulled out his phone to start a timer. He looked up when he heard the sound of a girl's voice to see four oh his students approaching. One was the girl who had tensed when he introduced himself along with a lilac haired girl and the two boys from earlier.
The girl was tall with long black hair that was pulled into a ponytail and red eyes that held a spark of excitement. Aizawa watched as she laughed at something the other girl had said before shifting into a phoenix before shifting back.
"Does that answer your question, Nejire?" The girl asked, crossing her arms.
"Oh, yes! That is so cool," Nejire cheered, bouncing slightly as the group of four came to a stop a few feet in front of Aizawa and fell silent. The group of four stood there in silence for about ten minutes before the rest of the class trickled out and gathered around the original four.
"Well, now that everyone is here we can begin the quirk assessment test," Aizawa stated as he stopped the timer and put it away.
One of the girls scoffed, her entire posture screaming dismissiveness.
"Why should we listen to you, you probably aren't even a pro hero probably," The girl scoffed as she crossed her arms over her chest.
The black haired girl who had arrived first snorted causing everyone to turn towards her.
"Oh, my gods, you're a moron," the red eyed girl snorted.
"How? I'm right and you know it," the first girl sneered angrily.
"And you're a stuck up, snobby, moronic bitch," the early arrival snapped. "He's Eraserhead, my little sibling has two full pages on him, despite Eraser being an underground hero."
Aizawa blinked in surprise at someone knowing who he was. He then looked at the other girl and activated his quirk.
"Enough, he thundered, if you aren't going to take this seriously, you can get out," Aizawa snapped as he glared at the snobby girl who had dismissed him. The girl scoffed and stomped off.
19 left.
Aizawa began the test with the four early arrivals giving it their all while everyone else just half-assed their attempts. He learned throughout the trials the girl who had recognized him was named Mercy. He watched her closely, noticing how she kept making sure her friends were good and hyping the shy boy up. Her red eyes were sparkling with excitement as she dominated every trial he sent them. Her three friends were right there with her. By the time the assessment was over, he was ready to expel every student but the four who had arrived early and done exactly as Aizawa asked.
The end of the Quirk Assessment came and he cemented his decision to expel everyone except Mercy and her friends.
"If your name is red you are expelled, collect your things, turn in your IDs and get off campus," Aizawa ordered as he projected the names off all the students in front of him.
Mercy's eyes found her name and then located her friends' names and smiled brightly. Mercy yelped as she was pulled into a hug by Nejire and spun in a circle. Mercy laughed and hugged her back tightly as she was placed back on the ground. Mirio and Tamaki joined the hug, Tamaki hesitating until Mercy pulled him in. The group split apart after they heard angry yelling coming from every student Aizawa had expelled. Aizawa just stood there, his face blank as he listened to the screaming.
"Only four of you tried their hardest, the rest of you just barely attempted it," Aizawa snapped. "The four not in red arrived early to the field, tried their best and managed to beat my expectations. Heroics isn't a game, and I'm not going to let students who don't try or seem to care become heroes. You four, follow me."
His remaining four students scrambled to do as he demanded. Mercy, Mirio, Tamaki, and Nejire raced after their teacher as he headed back towards the classroom. Mercy stared at the man who she now knew was her father and smiled softly as she walked with her friends.
"Midoriya, you mentioned your little sibling has pages on me," Aizawa questioned as the group of five walked.
"Yes, sir, they have a few notebooks, all on pro heroes, a few on villains," Mercy reported as she sped up her walk slightly.
"Bring them by tomorrow, I'll give you two guest passess for your family. Arrive early and I will meet you by the gate," Aizawa stated as he led his students into the classroom.
"Yes, sir," Mercy answered as she grabbed her stuff. She scribbled her number on to a piece of paper three times, tore it carefully, and handed it to her new friends. She followed her dad as he led her towards Principal Nezu's office to get the passess. He knocked on the door while Mercy bounced on her heels. Her dad led her in and stopped in front of Nezu's desk.
"Ah, Aizawa, how can I help you?" Nezu asked one of his youngest teachers.
"I get the feeling I'm going to regret this but I need two visitor passess," Aizawa grumbled as Mercy pulled out her phone.
"Oh, crap, I forgot Mom has to work, I gotta go," Mercy muttered as she read the message from her mom asking where she was.
She looked up from her phone when two plastic cards were held in front of her face. She met the red eyes of her father before she took the cards with a quiet 'thank you' and booked it out of the room. Mercy ran down the hall and out toward the gate, her a grin on her lips as she partially shifted into a cheetah to help with speed. She gained a light spattering of spots on her face and arms and her eyes took on a more catlike appearance as she ran home. The U.A. guest passess tucked safely into her purse. She skidded to a stop at the base of the stairs that led up to the apartment and shifted back to her human appearance before heading up the stairs.
Mercy opened the door to her home but paused when she heard a male voice that wasn't Izuku's. Her eyes widened as she struggled to get her boots off before darting to the kitchen. Izuku was sitting on the counter, pink bracelet wrapped around her wrist giggling at something their papa was doing. '
"PAPA!" Mercy launched herself at her adoptive dad.
"My little hunter!" Hisashi Midoriya cheered as he spun his oldest child around slightly.
"When did you get home? Is mom at work? Oh, I have soooo much to tell you!" Mercy rambled, as she hugged her papa tightly.
"Slow down and breathe kiddo," Hisashi chuckled as he let his eldest go. "I got back at three, yes she is at work, and to answer the unasked question, I'm staying indefinitely. It all depends on if my bosses back in America want me to stay here or go back."
Mercy and Izuku cheered at those words. Mercy picked Izuku up off the counter and hugged her.
"Guess what?" Mercy spoke up as she moved Izuku to the table.
Her little sister tilted her head in curiosity before rambling a mile a minute. Mercy listened to her ideas as they got more and more outlandish causing Mercy and her papa to share an amused look.
"Zuzu! None of the ideas you suggested, but you and either mom or papa get to come to U.A. with me tomorrow,"Mercy stated as she dug through her purse to try and find the guest passess. Izuku fell silent behind her, green eyes wide. Hisashi glanced at his youngest to see her vibrating slightly.
Mercy let out a noise of triumph before she turned back to look at Izuku. She was then tackled by her sister. Izuku was giggling and rambling a mile a minute as she hugged her sister tightly.
Mercy just sat on the ground listening to Izuku ramble while Hisashi continued to make dinner. Hisashi finished dinner and had Mercy and Izuku set the table. Mercy smiled as Hisashi place her vegetarian curry in front of her. The family of three made small talk as they ate, Mercy excitedly telling them about her day and her new friends. Then the two listened to Izuku talking about her day and how Kachan had almost gotten in trouble for defending her again and how she climbed a tree during lunch. Once they were done with dinner Mercy began to clean up their dishes. It took her about 30 minutes to clean the kitchen and have the dishwasher running. She yawned as she walked out to the living room and sat next to Hisashi and Izuku, both of whom were completely engrossed in the movie playing on the T.V.
Mercy rested her head against Hisashi's shoulder and closed her eyes, missing the fond look Hisashi shot her as she fell asleep on his shoulder. He glanced at Izuku and saw that she was asleep as well. Hisashi smiled at his children before he too closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.
~~Time skip~~~ 3 hours later 12:16 A.M.~~
Mercy's eyes fluttered open when she thought she heard knocking at the front door. She glanced at her dad who was still asleep and at Izuku who was also asleep before looking at the clock. Mercy yawned widely and stood up from the couch, bending in just the right way to make her back crack, before she headed in the direction of the kitchen. She paused when she heard the knock again before going to the door. She noticed red and blue flashing lights as she peeked out of the peep-hole. Mercy opened the door to reveal two police officers standing there.
"Is this the Midoriya residence?" The first cop asked.
"Yes, it is, please come in officers," Mercy said stepping aside as the cops walked past them.
She led them to the living room where Hisashi and Izuku were still sleeping, a heavy feeling pooling in her gut. Mercy walked over to her dad and lightly shook his shoulder to wake him up.
"Dad, wake up, there are a few people who want to talk to you," Mercy said as she shook Hisashi.
Hisashi's eyes fluttered open as he heard Mercy's voice talking with two other voices he didn't recognize.
He sat up at that and turned to look at his daughter who was talking quietly with two officers, her right-hand scratching at a spot on her left arm. Dread pooled in his gut at the sight of her scratching at a spot that meant something was wrong.
"Are you Hisashi Midoriya?" An officer with a cat head asked Hisashi as he walked over to them.
"Yes, I am, how can I help you officers?" Hisashi asked.
"I'm sorry but your wife was hit by a car on her break, she didn't make it through the surgery, the damage was too extensive," The humanoid officer spoke softly.
Both Mercy and Hisashi froze at the officer's words. Tears started flowing down Mercy's cheeks at the thought of never hearing her mom's laughter or seeing her bright smile ever again. Hisashi pulled his daughter into a hug, clinging to her tightly as though she would be the next to die.
Mercy let out a quiet sob as she buried her face in her dad's shirt. She could vaguely hear the officers offering their condolences before they left. Her thoughts drifted to what her mom had told Mercy before she left for U.A. that morning. The letter she had been given wasn't the true letter her birth mom had left, she'd get the true letter when Mercy started her third year at U.A.
Mercy sobbed into her dad's chest as Hisashi squeezed her tightly.
"What are we going to tell Zuzu?" Mercy whispered as her sobs tapered off.
"We'll tell her after U.A. visit," Hisashi whispered. "She's a smart kid, she'll know something is wrong, but we'll tell her after. Let's all move to my bed, I need to have both of you as close as possible right now."
Mercy nodded and pulled away from Hisashi to go pick up Izuku and follow Hisashi to the Master bedroom. Mercy curled up around Izuku and Hisashi as they lay in bed, her nose filled with her mother's perfume. She closed her eyes as she drifted back to sleep.
~~~~Hisashi's P.O.V.~~~~~~~
I stared at my sleeping children, my mind whirling a thousand miles a minute. The thought of my beloved Inko being gone hadn't fully set in just yet. I knew then and now I'd have to drop everything for my children. I decided that I would step back from villainy to be fully immersed in my children's lives. I slipped away from Izuku and Mercy and headed downstairs.
I pulled out my phone and pulled up Dr. Tsubasa's number and called him.
"Tsubasa, stop the Nomu Project," I ordered as soon as he answered.
"Sir? Why do we need to stop the project?" Tsubasa's voice came through the phone.
"Quite frankly, it's overly grand and we're losing a lot of resources to the project," I growled at being questioned.
"Very well, Sir," Tsubasa sighed. "I'll stop the project."
"Good, I'm going to step back and let Kurogiri run the League how he wants," I sighed as I walked back to my room.
"Why the sudden change of heart, if I may ask," Tsubasa questioned.
"My children need my attention more now than ever, and to be honest," I leaned against the door frame, my eyes locked on my children. "They can probably change society and I need to train Izuku. I have to go, and the next time you question me Tsubasa will be the last time you talk.''
I hung up the phone and watched my children sleep for a bit. I climbed back into bed and pulled both of them closer. Mercy woke up slightly, her eyes shadowed and filled with grief. I pulled her and Izuku closer as I finally drifted off to sleep.
~~~~~Time skip~~~~ 6:08 A.M.~~~ 3rd pov
Mercy sat up when she heard her alarm going off in her room. Red eyes flicked around the room spotting her papa sitting at his desk, looking like he hadn't slept at all. She crawled out of bed and walked over to him.
"I gotta go get ready for school, we have to be there early," Mercy spoke quietly. "We also need to make sure we also need all of Izuku's notebooks."
"Ok, Princess, I'll wake Izuku up and get the pronouns," Hisashi whispered before Mercy walked out of the room.
Mercy walked on silent feet to her room, her left-hand shifting being the only sign she was upset. It cycled between a human hand, a cheetah's paw, an eagle claw, a badger paw, a lion paw and back again. She quickly got dressed in her uniform before she headed to the kitchen. Izuku sat on the counter, eyes studying Mercy as she walked in.
"Morning, bunny," Mercy smiled at Izuku, eyes locking on the green bracelet and watch combo on his wrist.
"Morning, Mercy, what's wrong?" Izuku asked, his head tilted.
"We'll tell you after our trip to U. A. today," Mercy promised her little brother who nodded, appeased.
Mercy then began to cook a quick breakfast for all three of them that they could eat on the go. Mercy handed one of the breakfast burritos she had made to Izuku and the other to Hisashi. Mercy made sure to grab her bags and pass out the guest passes before the three of them left the house. Izuku held his dad's hand as they walked, a feeling telling him his dad needed the contact. Hisashi smiled down at his son before he looked at his daughter. Mercy walked with her head held high and her posture screamed 'Don't approach me unless you wish to die; making Hisashi's smile grow wider. It took them about 20 minutes of walking before they reached U.A.
Mercy led them to 1-A's classroom and knocked to let her teacher know she was there. The door slid open to reveal an exhausted looking Eraserhead. Izuku's squeal caught the hero's attention as he looked at the small green haired child next to his student.
"I take it this is Izuku, and you must be Hisashi," Aizawa grunted. "I can already tell he's going to be a problem child. Did you bring the notebooks you mentioned yesterday?"
"Yes, sir, Papa grabbed them before we left," Mercy said, handing him a stack of twelve notebooks.
Aizawa grunted a little as he took the notebooks from the girl before he headed to his desk and set them down. Mercy and her family followed her teacher as Mercy sat her bags down. The door slid open to reveal a small white mammal standing there.
"Good Morning Principal Nezu," Mercy greeted. "How are you?"
"I'm doing well, Miss Midoriya," The small principal greeted. "And you?"
"I'm doing alright, if I may inquire, why are you here sir?" Mercy's head tilted to the right slightly.
"Mic mentioned something quite fascinating in passing the other day," Nezu chirped as he hopped onto the desk.
His eyes landed on the notebooks and faster than anyone could blink he had one in his paw and was flipping through it at an incredible speed. Mercy and Hisashi shuddered as they felt the urge to grab Izuku and run. In order to satiate the urge Mercy pulled Izuku closer to her, arms wrapped around his shoulders. Nezu began cackling, making Mercy's and Hisashi's feelings intensify.
"I'd like to tutor young Izuku on the weekends," Nezu stared down the small family causing Hisashi to twitch. "What type of quirk does young Midoriya have?"
"He has a variant of my quirk, he can either steal a quirk permanently, permanently copy a quirk by touch for at least three seconds, and he can give quirks if he so chooses," Hisashi sighed as he explained. "Mr. Nezu, can I talk with you in private after this? Izuku can stay with Mercy if it's O.K. with Mr. Aizawa."
Izuku turned wide pleading eyes on Aizawa who was startled by the pure cuteness radiating from both Midoriya children. He sighed before nodding in agreement.
"Very well, he can stay, but!" Aizawa snapped, "You are in charge of him and you are to make sure he doesn't distract the other three and yourself."
Mercy smiled brightly at her teacher, red eyes sparkling brightly. Hisashi followed Nezu out of the classroom and towards his office, knowing his fate was in the hands of the diminutive principal.
Back with the Midoriya siblings, Aizawa had signed Izuku's notebook and was answering questions that were fired off a mile a minute. Mercy had a soft yet sad smile on her lips, knowing that at the end of the day Izuku's smile would be gone.
Mercy was talking with Mirio who had wandered in a few minutes ago while Izuku scribbled away in his notebook. Mercy leaned against the desk, her arms crossed over her chest. Tamaki slumped into his seat a few minutes later and was quickly followed by Nejire. Nejire tackled Mercy in a hug before spotting Izuku.
"Onēsan, who's that? She's pretty," Izuku asked, his eyes locked on Nejire.
"This is Nejire, the shy one is Tamaki, and the ray of sunshine is Mirio," Mercy Introduced.
"Oh my gosh! He's so adorable," Nejire cooed as she picked Izuku up and pulled him into a hug.
"Alright, everyone in their seats," Aizawa ordered. "Problem child, you can sit right here, Nezu gave me these for you to do."
Izuku scrambled out of Nejire's hold and into the seat Aizawa had indicated. He started on the paperwork Nezu had given Aizawa to give to Izuku to do. The rest of the day passed quickly and in a blur for Mercy. There were highlights though. Her favorite moment had to be Izuku correcting Ectoplasm-sensei.
Mercy held Izuku's hand as they met up with Hisashi who had a sheepish smile on his lips.
"Let's go get ice cream," Hisashi offered, causing Izuku to cheer.
Mercy followed them after handing Izuku's hand off to Hisashi. She adjusted the strap of her purse as they walked. They got to the Ice Cream Shoppe and ordered their usual flavours. The small family of three sat at an outdoor patio set and enjoyed their ice cream, the older two doing their best to put off a painful truth.
"Ok, what is going on? You and Dad have been acting weird all day," Izuku demanded after he was done with his ice cream.
Mercy and Hisashi shared a look before turning to face Izuku.
"You're right that there is something dad and I have been hiding from you," Mercy sighed as she pushed the rest of her sundae away.
"Mom won't be coming home," Hisashi swallowed as he said the words that cemented the fact Inko was gone.
"What? What are you saying?" Izuku demanded, eyes filling with tears.
"Mom was in a car accident early this morning, the injuries were too extensive, and she didn't make it out of surgery," Mercy whispered, her arms reaching out to pull Izuku into a hug.
Izuku started crying at the news, his face buried in Mercy's neck. Hisashi wrapped both of his kids into a hug and rested his chin on Mercy's head. Shortly after the family of three straightened and gathered their items before heading home. Mercy's mind on the future and what it may hold. Hisashi's mind was on the future clash of his children. Izuku's mind was going down several different paths at once, but the one dominant thought in his head was 'How are we going to come back from this? What is our future going to be like?'
The family of three reached their apartment and curled up on the couch, soaking up the feeling of togetherness.
~~~~TBC….~~~~~~~~~
I know I said that this would be the beginning of Izuku's story but Mercy decided to be stubborn. I feel so bad that I killed off Inko :'(. I don't regret it because it adds to the plot line in a very obscure way. Izuku is going to have seven quirks by the time he starts U.A. I am still debating whether this will be ShinDeku, KiriDeku, KamiDeku, IiDeku, or TodoBakuDeku. I have a poll and I'll keep it up for about a week and if a pairing is close in votes I'll redo it. I also need a hero name for Mercy and whatever is closest in votes to the number one name will be Izuku's hero name,.