I god we trust and serve.
~0~
'So... that's America.' Izuku thought as he walked out of the plane terminal and into the carpool. Hopping onto his Dad's car and settled in the backseat with his book bag and weighted blanket. Hamsaduta quickly drove away, unwilling to brave the eponymous rush hour.
It had been over a month since he entirely left Japan for another continent. But before he could even enter the old English-owned territory, he was shipped to Ange-guardian's Military base, in Canada, Quebec. Where he was given medical and mental care.
Well, the medical care had been right in his face, but the mental care had been hidden and given in a way he could not refuse nor relapsed to what was happening.
Not that he'd cared much when he realized he had been psycho-analyzed and gently healed of a good chunk of his early year Trauma.
Also, apparently, Taking magic mushrooms and other Psychedelics was legal in America since it was proven to tremendously help with depression and PTSD without giving any addiction... as long as you didn't have a history of psychosis.
Which Izuku, thankfully, didn't have.
He was an Asperger, and that was it. He would always have a bit of trouble with social interaction, and would not understand pranks and while he understood social interaction better then Todoroki, he still was pretty gullible when someone's life was not at risk. Otherwise, he was a very smart young man with the drive needed to give the ISDW all the proof they needed to start raising the heat on the Japanese hero commission.
And that same smart had let him survive AFO and the sad, villain-infested Japan for a whole year with little to no support.
While it didn't seem much for the retired hero-student, plenty of retired Hero and Other pros from all over the country had praised him for his grit.
Since, in their eyes, seeing an underage boy facing down the worst enemies of this world, all alone and with a quirk that would break his bone and tore down his emotions, gave him PTSD and a rather heavy history of bullying and neglect that would turn anyone lesser to Villainy was impressive.
...
"Oh, Frick." Izuku cursed as he realized that... yes, what he had managed to pull off alone was dang impressive for him. If it would have been anyone else, the greenette would also be worshiping the hero's footprint.
He blushed at that... He was a Hero.
He was... He'd made it.
...
'huh... it's not as amazing as I thought.' Izuku thought as he leaned back in his seat, Tenko leaning on his side, a string of drool dripping from his lips. But then again, the root cause of this desire was one; everyone wanted to be a Hero as children, like everyone wanted to be a police officer, a doctor, firefighter... you know, Hero!
They wanted praise, they wanted recognition and being the one who saved the day.
Later, becoming a Hero had been the only reason why Izuku managed to survive through ten years of abuse at the hands of his bullies. then it had been his actual fate to be a Hero.
They may have called him a Vigilante, but the point still stood, Izuku was a Hero, he had saved more people then he could count, he had taken down the Chie Haisaikai, saved Eri and had been instrumental in dismantling the Hero Commission...
But in the end...
In the end... He still felt empty. Burned out.
Actually, now that he looked back, UA had absolutely no reason to be called the best Hero School in Japan.
He never learned how to use his quirk (Poor Kaminari had told him he was thinking of dropping out for health reasons. and Izuku told him that, he just needed to ask an out since, after everything was said and done, he had more money then he knew what to do with, including making sure his momma would be well taken care of until the end of her life... and a little beyond that.), he never learned how to deescalate a situation, he never learned how to use support items, and he'd never had support items despite the fact that he was Always breaking his bones!
But no... nobody helped him. The school really was but a slaughterhouse made to destroy the weak and churned out brain dead Idiots to feed the Hero machine... what was left of them anyway.
Izuku rubbed his hands, he was receiving treatment for his nerve damage and a slew of problems he'd received in the course of his life. and if the doctors had been truthful, he should really be dead by now.
But if the greenette knew something, it was how to stubbornly go against people's expectations.
and look where that brought him? That's right, to the states, with his dad and his stepmom!
Who was none other than the Stars and Stripes, the number one Hero in the world, the next in line for Regency (apparently, the new United state of America work with three kings and Queens, all of them post Graduate from the Alfred Ford School for (Krishna) Conscious leaders.
And, as it turned out, Shanti was next in line due to her prowess, strength of character and compassion for others.
As it turned out, his mother-in-law was a second Generation Hare Krishna, right after her parents had taken to it.
Her sister was not practicing, but the rest of the Family was.
Now, Izuku could geek on and On about her quirk, her numerous prowess and how she had shown the world that no, there was no such thing as a chosen one when it came to destroying an overpowered, century-old, basic super villain. And how she was operating on a whole different set of moral codes then the (now hopefully defunct.) HPSC held. (but considering how corrupt they were, whatever moral compass they had was always pointing to their advantages.) She was not afraid to kill villains, but would never harm a woman (if she could be talked out of doing whatever she was doing.), an elder (not that many Villains would reach this stage of life and remain villains.) nor a child...
definitely not a child.
Never a child.
and she would spare those willing to surrender to her. no matter their crimes, would they use this chance to once again do harm?
Well, the New Order would take care of them.
(yes, so she had lied about New Order needing some special parameters like touch and knowledge of the target's name to work. since it was less of a quirk, and more along the line of being a pure devotee and God, Krishna's eternal bestie. but then again the Commission didn't need to know that...)
But her 'quirk' was not what made her unique... it was her relationship with God.
As she had told Izuku, the reason why she chose to look like an Aryan American was due to a single phrase; In God we Trust.
It was what was written on the American bills, a simple phrase to make them all remember that no matter how powerful the Hero was, God was still the one who called the Shots. and Shanti completely surrendered to his will… and surrendered to his inconceivable love.
But now that the nasty bureaucrats were being hunted down like the Criminals they were, Stars could finally revamp herself, starting with a new name and appearance...
Not that she'd managed to design anything since, as she had confided in Izuku, neither she nor her husband were good at naming things and designing a proper hero costume.
Case in point, her own costume and name.
And thus, Izuku, when he didn't have to work on his psych and didn't have game nights and knitting parties, was planning Shanti's eventual return... and not as an American Icon but as an ode to her culture... and real heritage.
She was a spiritual descendent of the oldest disciplic succession in the world; the Brahma-Madhva-Gaudia sampradaya, dating back to the inception of this universe.
and with a history so rich in heroes and saints, Izuku came up with at least fifty different costumes and quite a few names to boot.
Yes, He adored the Srimad-Bhagavatam. best universal encyclopedia ever!
Suddenly, the van pulled over and stopped.
"Dad? what's going on?" The greenette asked as he felt his anxiety spike. He may be out of the battlefield and away from the 10,000 villains, the HPSC and his well-meaning schoolmates, but PTSD was not something that would disappear overnight... and would probably follow him since the last day of his life... and maybe even the next.
'Another reason to practise Bhakti... '
Izuku's dad turned from the driver's seat. (it was on the left, how odd.) His eyes only held love, affection and patience. "Don't worry Izu, we're just switching drivers. it's a long ride up to New-Vrindaban."
Izuku's cheeks coloured at that. He felt like an idiot, of course, dad would never betray him, it was his dad, and Toga was instituted and Twice was dead and All For One's decaying body had been found two weeks later after Spinner caved in and revealed everything he'd known.
no, there had been no torture or...what were the words, Augmented interrogation?
anyway, they had their ways to get the information out, and from what he'd heard. The guy who interrogated the league was a quirkless man who, by his smile and gentle demeanour, his humility and openness, would always manage to get the tightest of lips to open up.
He just had over a hundred in charisma and would constantly roll natural twenty in speech.
Oh, and the commission had been disbanded and hunted down with extreme prejudice by the Interpol and the nameless army.
No one knew their name, they were faceless criminals given a second chance, having chosen to crawl through hell and be reborn as the servant of the people.
And while it seemed like something the commission would do, those reformed criminals, now nameless in the field, were still better treated then Keigo and plenty of others whom the commission had stripped of every right.
For once, they had weekly checkups and their own village and the right to marry under the right circumstances, to have kids and, after a few years of service rendered, to have a well-deserved retirement in a private location where they could heal and learn about Bhakti… would they wish so.
But... anyway. Even with them being on the commission's back, Izuku still felt like a ball of nerves.
He felt a gentle hand on his knee, it was Shanti, in the driver's seat. She was looking with soft eyes filled with empathy and love.
"Hey, it's alright. Izuku. I know what it's like going to a place you don't know after a long and hard mission where you are the target." She gave his knee a gentle squeeze before she reached in her purse and pulled out a gift-wrapped box.
"Here, Your dad wanted to give it to you when we arrived home but... I think you'll appreciate it more now."
Izuku carefully took the heavy box and shook it to see what was inside.
"C'mon son, it won't bite ya."
'Oh, I've had gifts that bit, alright.' Izuku groused, hopefully, internally. as he opened the box, the previous memories of cadavers, blades and depressing stories about suicide, were received as gifts from his peers messing whit him again. 'It's not the same, Izuku. Shanti is a Hero, the number one Hero in the world and Dad's second wife... dad wouldn't choose a nasty step-mom, right?'
"Where's dad?" He asked as he began anxiously fiddling with a corner, both as a stalling technique and genuinely worried he may have left.
"Hamsa's passing water."
"passing water?"
"All this mint tea had to leave, you know?"
Izuku's mouth formed an 'o' as he realized what had happened, he'd even let a few chuckles in.
Humans had 'complete dominion over Nature, genetics and quirks, but even they could not stop the most basic function of the human body.
"Now come, don't keep mama waiting. open it." Star happily prodded on as she readjusted her seat to accommodate her gigantic size.
Seriously, was it true that they made everything big in the US?
Izuku huffed and opened his present...
"Oh, my God! is that the latest tablet?" the greenette asked as he ripped apart the rest of the paper (brown, and biodegradable.) "No wait... That's it."
"A premium pine tablet computer with the latest and best Linux Distro, the most stable and I even got you the Coding lines manual and how to play with the source code." She explained. "And yeah, I did open the box before you and set it up before you could put your hands on it."
"But... why?" Why give him something that must have cost a fortune? why spend money on someone who she didn't give birth to, who would take time from his dad from."
"Because… I wanted to, baby-bushy Shanti spoke kindly. "Just boot it up, hun," she said quietly.
And thus, Izuku did... only to be faced with the GPS and their itinerary.
They were right on track for New Vrindaban. and they would reach it in a few hours.
"Izuku... I know how you feel... the GPS will help you out, I promise."
And indeed, after His dad, Hamsa returned to the car and took the passenger seat. scolding Shanti for having spoiled Izu's surprise (Shanti was unrepentant, saying that, this time, she knew best.) and his mother-in-law drove the car away, to see their progress on the screen was reassuring,extremely reassuring.
Eventually, his dad began to chant on his Tulasi meditation beads, his familiar voice, a voice Izuku now associated with love and safety lulled him to sleep.
"Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare-
~0~
"Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare."
Izuku felt the car stop and woke up.
His ears were... under pressure, meaning that he was well above the ocean level.
Looking around the dark car, Izuku was quick to grab his new tablet and checked where he was...
"Oh... we're here, New-Vrindaban." He mumbled as he looked outside. instead of a temple, he has met with a very charming house.
Apparently, His mother thought it wiser to have Izuku settle home before he got his First Audience with God. Still, it didn't mean that Izuku had to refrain from gushing about the first-ever piece of land owned by ISKCON. "It was built in 1967 by a small group of Devotees headed by Kirtananda, it's where Srila Prabhupada's Palace of Gold was built as a house for him, but his health took a bad turn and he never returned, dying. in Vrindavan, India." Izuku spoke as he squinted his eyes, trying to make out the shapes in the pitch-black forest. His father had exited the car and opened the trunk to get Izuku and Shanti's suitcases... and Tenko, of course. causing said little dear (he was just starting to open up to people, and Izuku could see a mischievous spark in there... a spark that could either be used for good, evil or just plain chaos.) to wince and whine as he buried himself in Izuku's side.
"He didn't die," Shanti interjected as she helped Izuku out in the nice and crisp night air. free from the stench of death and heavy smog. "Srila-Prabhupada is alive, just not manifested to our eyes, Just like Jesus and Mohamed."
"Huh."
"But yeah! New-Vrindaban is the first Manifestation of the Holy Dham outside of India. Also, to say that our 'religion' is from India is totally wrong. it's like saying that I'm from the states."
"Right, you're from Canada."
"And my Family used to be some filthy commies," Shanti smirked. "'All American heroes, all right. Oh, speaking of which, how's Native?"
"Dead."
...
"Well, Ain't that a mood killer."
Another beat passed as Shanti folded her palms and prayed for the departed soul. Then she broke her moment of solemn silence with a tiny smile. "Well, knowing the guy, I'm sure he died fighting." Then she huffed. "Would've preferred this bro to reach higher, but eh, Swargas... Swarga's Swarga, he'll get the association of Upendra, and hopefully, Narada'll be there to enlighten the soul to Bhakti-Yoga." She said as she opened the door to her home, something that could be called Neo-Rustic with a wide front window that gave out to the mountains range where the sun would rise.
Izuku could not wait to see such a sight... after he had a good night's sleep in a bed with an actual comforter.
He felt Shanti's gentle hand on his back, gently coaxing him inside the house.
The wall of Shanti and his dad's home was made from wood panels stained to be golden and bright, the ceiling was cavernous, giving the whole place a cathedral sound quality. The living room was huge, a massive Persian rug was in the middle of it, and on it was a collection of floor pillows and zabuton seats. There was also a couch covered with a throw blanket and Champ, the Family Dog.
It was a rescued Pitbull, and Izuku's dad had called the earless mutant mutt a big pushover. with the heart of a cat and an excitable Labrador and the look of a seasoned killer.
among those pillows and other seating arrangements were a harmonium and a keyboard. leaning against the walls were different Indian instruments and guitars along with a two-headed, conical drum. and in a basket, the greenette could see tiny hand cymbals and another such instrument.
At the focal point of the room, instead of a big screen TV was a richly carved teak altar on which Gaura-Nitai stood with arms upraised and dressed opulently with silken garments, jewels and flowers... all fresh. Beside them was Radha-Krishna, the lord holding a golden flute in his hands and Radharani giving her ever sought-after blessings.
They wore pink and cream dresses, indicating that it was still Ekadasi in the US.
there was a fireplace (unused since it was summer.) no eating table (they ate on choki, or small, floor-level tables.) and a kitchen tucked in a corner.
There was a second floor where the guest room was, as with another toilet. the ground floor at the actual bathroom, an Indian-styled bathroom made out of cultivated marble, since it was more robust then the natural stuff.
He felt Shanti's heavy hand descend on his shoulder, something he had grown accustomed to in the past few weeks. Then he felt his dad's hand on his other shoulder, both radiating warmth and love, and it engulfed Izuku's still healing heart like a blanket.
"Welcome home, son." His Father, Hamsaduta das greeted him.
And Izuku answered a very teary okare anai.
~0~
the next morning, after the fast had ended.
Shanti watched with a light yet heavy heart as Izuku, her stepson, walked around the massive home. her God-given husband had already brought his sons' and wife's parcels in.
It was clear he was looking for possible entry points and exits.
and yet, the way his eyes shone as he found something new, how Izuku would mumble about what those instruments were and how to play them, almost had a meltdown when he opened the door to the Library, and how after thirty minutes, he regained a spring in his steps...
They were all bone-tired, ready to call it a day after what felt like decades worth of stress. so after an hour thirty, they had all hit the hay.
Shanti and Hamsa's sleep were dreamless while Izuku had yet another nightmare, something that had been quickly remedied with some Ahimsa cow milk.
It was now morning, Shanti and Hamsa had been the first up, and Izuku had followed two hours after at the post-crack of dawn.
his bushy green hair even messier
still, to See her bigger family mill around this big house...
"Now that feels like a homecoming," she spoke to her home deities that slept on their altar. The Hero was already planning on making them a hearty breakfast of Vegetarian eggs, pancakes and oven-baked potato covered in strong cheddar. oh, and a fruit salad, since, you know, fruits were good, and those growing in her orchards were the sweetest and best.
She felt a pair of arms snake around her middle and a sweet kiss between her shoulders, rubbing his scaled-covered cheeks there. "So, mother... how does it feel to be home?" Hamsa asked as he cuddled with the much taller woman, his rough scales scratching that Itch Shanti had not managed to reach since she woke up.
She throws her head back and sighs. "Oh... Hamsi it feels so good... a bit more to the left."
She heard her husband chuckle as he rubbed his cheek to the one spot. Causing his wife to moan in sheer relief.
Shanti heard a choking sound and was met with...
Well, while her new son had been marked as a normy, Shanti had her doubts, it was clear the boy had a very interesting heteromorphic quirk since he'd just turned into a strawberry... a very juicy strawberry... something she could use for tomorrow's breakfast...
"Um.. g-guy?" Izuku began with clear discomfort, "I'm okay with you being all over each other but... not while holding Tenko?"
Both Husband and wife froze as they realized that, indeed, Shanti was still holding Tenko on her hip, the dear dead to the world.
"Oh..."
"Well... hopefully, this won't be an indicator of how our future as a family will be." Hamsaduta deadpanned.
Izuku's snort and covered chuckles would forever be engraved in New Vrindaban as the second most beautiful sound in the world, the first being the sound of Krishna's flute and Rahdarani's Vina.
~0~
A week passed, then a month. Tenko met champ, and while he was scared at first, the pit bull (or more like cow lover.) had won the tiny child over... and yet, Tenko wanted his corgi.
After some sessions with a reputed child therapist Tenko actually liked, they learned that he had been abused by his father, and had a rocky relationship with his family despite being the youngest and most vulnerable, even his sister would use him as a scapegoat at the mere sight of trouble (ah, sibling love.) his only friend and ally had been his Dog, mon-chan, a corgi.
and he wanted his friend back to feel some normality, but with how dangerous the area was for small breeds of Dogs, they had to teach their youngest a harsh lesson in life; you can't always get what you want unless you are a pure devotee of Krishna.
This had prompted little Tenko to imitate mom and dad in their daily sadhana, he wanted his dog back!
then one day... They, Hamsa and Shanti, saw him on the bank of 'Pavana-Sarovar.' (an artificial lake Shanti's father, Patita-Pavana, had dug for his daughter on the day of her wedding.) with Champ sleeping with his big head resting in his lap... and a grievously wounded man on the ground.
As it turned out, this man had been sent by whatever was left of the Commission disloyal to Mera, to capture Tenko.
No need to know why.
After this, Tenko and Champ became the best of friends... and Tenko stopped asking for a live Corgi... he still collected whatever was corgi-related tough (corgi buts... why were corgi buts so popular? why not Krishna's lotus feet or Gauranga's lotus feet?)
Izuku got enrolled in the New Vrindaban gurukul for higher education, Shanti and Hamsa never forced their beloved sons to be Hare Krishna like them, but the two took it up quite naturally and without fuss about it.
Izuku also began joking that the last person he wanted to see in saffron would be Iida Tenya since the young man was obsessed with rules.
He learned how to herd cows, but his real passion was hoof care and sheep shearing.
He was one of the early risers and loved to participate in the Mangala-Aratai, he even made friends with a raccoon that had lumbered in the Sacred place one summer.
Time spun on, the season changed, and he and Tenko grew up (for Tenko, twice as fast.) Dabi passed away after exposing His father, cursing his name with a ghoulish grin as he died. His mother, Shanti had been there to make him move on, giving the ghost of the incinerated man access to heaven despite his sins, and a blessed human birth for the next time he'll be there.
Himiko finally managed to get out of Rehab, not completely well, but not as bad as she was. As her doctor said; Borderline Personality disorder could take decades to wane off, and they had given the blond girl all the tools they could.
It was up to her now.
Spinner was doing community service, having spilled everything he'd known, his only crime, to be with the only people who understood him and accepted him for who he was.
He was now one of the servants of the Midoriya-bates Family... officially, at least.
Truth be told, he was a part of the mismatched family, to Tenko's great delight.
The boys had their first Ratha-Yatra in New York, the first of many, there was also this assault that happened on I-island that was taken care of rather quickly, and this was how the family met the shield family.
Then there was the Humarise debacle, in which Izuku was slandered and used as a scapegoat.
Thankfully, his mother had a good team of lawyers and God at her side. But it was Izuku who managed to slap some senses into the leader, Flect Turn. Telling him that he was doing more harm to the Quirkless community than good with how he went.
and after said quirkless community raised their voice in unison to back Izuku up, some even going as far as to physically slap him. Flect lost whatever fight he had in him.
But beyond that, the next two years were filled with love, healing, laughter and plenty of Bhakti, for Izuku had taken to it like a man in an oasis in the middle of a desert.
He had a reason to be, a Goal that he could attain, and something that, even if he would fail, would always be within reach and closer, even after death.
He had so many reasons to smile now.
and one day...
One day, they had to return to Japan.
All Might, Yagi Toshinori had finally succumbed to his wounds.
~0~
Japan, after the micro apocalypse, was rebuilt.
it was not perfect and despite the international help and the new legal age to practice hero training (21, not even eighteen. it had been decided to let children be children and that anything like heavy combat training was illegal for them. and most schools were now teaching children how to deal with their quirk and effect... and the ISDW was making sure whatever quirkist agenda was left was defanged, those they could find, it was an ongoing battle, as always.) but as with everything rotten, not everything could be removed.) Izuku's classmates were already acting as...
Heroes...
more like super child soldiers but, once again, crimes were still high, especially after Yagi-san had passed away.
Still, after fourteen hours in a non-stop flight, and half a pack of no jet lag (guess what it did.) Izuku, Thirteen-year-old Tenko (it was at this age his body stabilized) Hamsaduta and Shanti landed in the Tokyo terminal. greeting them along the way where wails of despair, all promotional posters were darkened and whatever was left of All Might like statues and busts were covered with deep black velvety tarps and the personnel had guards around them to prevent any defamation.
"Well... can't complain with how they are treating this whole thing," Shanti muttered as she leaned back on the golf cart's seat. "For all the mistakes he made, mister Yagi did his best with what he had. He did plenty of good."
"And bad," Tenko muttered as he messed around with his fidget toy. "Now Japan's without their pillar. Chaos... that's the only thing they will get."
"It was always chaos, Tamasi." Hamsa spoke up affectionately as he ruffled his sika (he now sported a shaved head shaved a bit on the flat of it. While it was certainly different then seeing his usual mop of dirty blue hair, the look suited him... and it incidentally cured his dandruff quite efficiently.) "But they chose not to see it."
"Ignorance is 'bliss'." Izuku piped up.
Once again, the situation had somewhat improved with the ISDW taking the reins, but some demons still managed to make the situation... a situation.
not that Izuku was interested in knowing, he had been living through a literal hell four years back, the only thing he wanted to think about was his sheep, cows, family and Serving Krishna.
"So, what will happen now?" Tenko asked as they passed yet another statue of All Might covered in black velvet.
"Well, since I'm from America and Izuku was a minor, Japan now has no symbol of hope or peace. it will strain and test their ability to change and how they are willing to move away from the old ways and into something more holistic... but we won't interfere unless they ask about including God in the mix."
"This will... probably never happen." Izuku shook his head sadly.
It was amazing how perspective works. Now that the heroic greenette was living outside what the world called the 'fish bowl' he could probably do a blow-to-blow account as to what went wrong. Thankfully, Izuku was now living in America and had given up his broken dream.
He didn't need to be a Hero to be someone. Well, he would still practice vigilantism (it was legal in his state, as long as he got his permit. It was like being a hero but without the PR and an agency. He was serving under a mentor, but the hours he had was the same... and yes, opening debates and doing only sleuthing counted as such. Also, it was one of the reasons why the entirety of the American continent had the least numbers of villains since there were nice buffer zones and the vigilantes would gladly work with the police force and the Heroes that worked there. and once a Villain decided to join the rank of the Vigilant, he would automatically be on probation until he would do something stupid, or proved himself worthy of trust... like Toga and Spinner.)
"Wait, Zuzu, I kinda got lost there," Shanti said with quite a few sweat drops flowing from her forehead. washing off her old Tilaka further.
Izuku sighs. "What I'm trying to say is how happy I am to be an American citizen and not a Hero from Japan, you know."
"Hear, hear."
After that, the rest of the trip happened without any issues. The security check almost went south when they recognized Tenko as Shigaraki Tomura. but when Shanti showed her international Hero license, they let them through without any more fuss.
After a train ride in a super-secure compartment, they arrived at their Hotel room, and there, they all took a nap, since traveling sapped more energy than people were led to believe.
After their nap, they elected to stay in for the simple reason that Star, Izuku and Tenko were highly recognizable to the public, and from what Shanti's bro had told them, it was better for them if they only went to the official events to prevent any foul play.
Izuku had bristled, telling his family that they should not have to hide like that.
His Father had reminded his teenage son that even the Pandavas and their mother had to hide.
"But that's not what's putting you on edge," Shanti spoke from the recliner. "Son, I may not have birthed you, but I know something ain't sitting right in your heroic heart."
Izuku looked at the woman he had begun to call mother and his face crumpled. "No..."
"Zuzu..."
"It's... Eri." He revealed as he hugged himself. "She's... a little girl I saved from the Shie Haisakai."
"... None of this... wait." Shanti aborted what she was about to say. "I think I remember Mister Yagi telling me about his student beating the shit out of a nasty Yakuza to save a little girl... she's it, isn't she."
Izuku nodded, his face darkening.
"Not to sound like a far-right hoe but... what is her quirk?" The Vaishnavi asked carefully.
"Rewind... she can rewind whatever she touches when it's active. It doesn't matter if it's organic or not. as long as it exists, she can rewind it."
"I bet it doesn't work on the soul." Tenko popped up from his laptop. Despite everything, he was still a gamer... but more of a Pathfinder buff then anything else.
It helped that there was a very healthy community of Hare Krishna there, and many of the customs, Bhakti-based campaigns.
And what to say about the game selections, like Castlevania, God's holly song and the like?
"No, obviously not," Hamsa muttered. "But still, it's a very desirable quirk." He rubbed his chin pensively.
"But... the Commission's dissolved, right?" Tenko asked, his voice changing register suddenly.
"Woop, somebody, becoming a teen."
"Officially."
"God, I hate when they do that." the Dragon-quirked man grimaced. "You sure about that, Devi?"
Shanti sighed as she sent her prayers of protection to the lord. "Sadly, something so corrupted won't burn so easily, it's just like the wisteria plant; everyone wants one because it's pretty and dramatic, but once you realize it's an invasive species and toxic, no matter how you try to remove it, if the roots are still there, then it'll grow again."
"Not if I can dust it." Tenko piped up.
"And then we miss an entire chunk of a protected forest." Hamsa teased his younger son, ruffling his bluish hair. causing him to grumble with a shamed blush, fixing his sika.
"Yeah, Thank Krishna Mom's quirk managed to erase the damage." Izuku piped up.
"Anywho!" Shanti cleared her throat. " If I understand correctly. on top of going to All Might's funeral and pissing people off because I chose to wear white and my Tilaka proudly and with a white sari to boot, we also need to locate little Eri and make sure she ain't being used as either a fountain of youth or a broodmare."
Greenish pale Izuku nodded.
"And yah also need to network with your old classmates, and I need to find a way to get some of my teacher's ashes, and you..." she turned to her husband.
"Moral support and making sure our Tamohara's not taken by some shady police officer after he dusts All Might."
At the mention of his nickname and what he was supposed to do, Tenko perked up like a dog. "Wait... you mean I get to practice my quirk?"
"Whoa, hold on here, pony Joe." Shanti intervened. "First of all, we can't go against the wishes of the dying. Sir Yagi loved everything American, and most Jesus-loving Americans will choose burial over cremation." Star mildly scolded. " And while you have a chip off your shoulder with the man, our duty now has changed from socializing in a parlour with a dead body, to do a welfare check on a tiny girl with powers rivaling mine."
"So... you-" Hope shone in Izuku's green eyes.
Shanti nodded. "Yes, Imma get myself involved in Japan's affairs. and if Bhagavan's merciful, it won't take long... and yah won't have to sacrifice yourself either, Hunny-bun."
Izuku rushed to hug his mother, tears streaming down his eyes with enough pressure to make Shanti doubt his whole Normy diagnosis.
Really, these were reasons to get a second opinion.
For the rest of the day, Hamsa brought his two sons to the hotel's private pool while Shanti did the last prep for the next day... sorry, the next few days.
and also gather some Intel about Eri's whereabouts.
No use risking to start yet another intercontinental incident if not absolutely necessary.
~0~
Izuku hated this...
He hated this with a passion burning brighter than Touya's brightest flames.
The moment he walked out of the Limo (since, of course, they were treating All Might's funeral like a red carpet event.) a bevy of reporters and paparazzi were taking pictures and shoving their Microphones as far as there could, shouting questions like 'is it true that you are All Might's illegitimate child?' and the rest of nonsense that must have been circulated by Shoto.
Oh, and his favourite was how he was being Brainwashed by this crazy cult worshiping an adulterous teenager.
Not wrong... but not right either.
But one thing was for sure, Izuku proudly wore the Bhakta style in the event, going as far as to shave his head.
It had been weird to feel the
And Izuku's Family were not doing anything to make them change their opinion, since all the men had shaved up in Honor of Yagi-san's passing and had untied their rather long Sika.
There was a scientific reason to do that, of course, it was a way to make sure the dead would realize they were dead and thus be more willing to move on.
Still, Izuku could hear plenty of Todoroki brewed conspiracy theories about him and his family, and quite frankly... It was disgusting.
'I hope he stops with the mental wanking, it's going to get him killed, one day.' Izuku thought as he was quickly ushered in the filthy Venue; the poshest, most well-protected and grandest, a neutral (read atheistic) of funeral parlour.
There was not even a cross to be seen, or a white dove with an olive branch. Only the fake fat Buddha.
Izuku knew the real Buddha, he was an Avatar of Krishna and he wasn't a creepy fat laughing Chinese man.
"I'm sure they don't even have showers," Izuku grumbled as he made his way inside the ember-coloured hall, white a marble floor and golden column. There were rows upon rows of funeral urns lining the walls, cold and untouched.
and Izuku could practically feel the ghosts of the previous living clinging to their mortal remains.
Ugh.
He then felt his father's hand on his shoulder, giving his son his stern yet very present support.
Hamsa was almost stopped by the guards since he did look like his brother, a well-known villain.
After proving his identity five times and having his wife subtly use her mystic perfection to stop another Kidnapping attempt on their boys. (this didn't bode well.) they finally managed to reach the stage like the final viewing of Yagi Toshinori.
and boy, it didn't disappoint.
The room was stark white, and the stage was backlighted by what seemed to be a window, but Izuku knew that this was a backlit screen that gave the audience the illusion that it was the twilight, competing with the lighting for effect.
The floor they were on had plenty of seats, like... the one all funeral parlours had back in the states, something generic and with enough cushion to keep your but from dying also.
On the stage was the opened coffin, surrounded by numerous flowers like daffodils and sunflowers... and plenty of arrangements made in the likeness of the American flag... and All Might.
"Oh God, it's so cringe," Izuku said under his breath. "Such a waste of flowers. like, there's enough of them to make like... I think there are enough flowers to make like... four garlands for Everyone and to make vases for all the altars. But no, now those poor flowers are wasted on a dead body, only to be seen once before being either thrown away or kept by people who didn't know how contaminated they were. And they even went as far as to cover his face with makeup. What's the point? his body's gonna get buried and... right, that corpse will-
"Hey, could you please stop this disrespectful mumbling?" One of the mourners scolded. "and please don't get me started on-" and then his words died on his tongue the moment he recognized his saviour and school friend.
"Midoriya? Is that you?!" He asked.
The year that had passed had been... both good and bad for the speedster. Good in the fact that he had grown more handsome and finally decided to ditch his glasses and get LASIK surgery (really, what was his family thinking? Glasses may look cool, but they were a severe liability and the reason why Midnight had stupidly died on the battlefield was that she didn't see the very obvious range attack aimed at her.) He wore a black tux and was staring at Izuku as if his old schoolmate had grown a second head.
"Ah... Yep!" The greenette confirmed anxiously playing with his untied sika.
He both missed his old friends (were they even friends? Izuku had the feeling he was more like hanging out with them, just floating in their general vicinity, too shy to start any interaction.) and dread them terribly.
How would they react to Star and Stripes bailing him out, his stay in the nice and holistic mental health clinic, his change of diet (Sacred Lacto-vegetarian. Or Prashadatarien.), his picking up Krishna Consciousness and the amazing brotherhood he had with Spinner and Tenko.
And how the hell would they react to Tenko now?
And, as if summoned by Izuku's thoughts. (most likely Krishna's sense of humour.) The rest of his classmates manifested from the crowd.
Obviously, they gaped at Izuku, not really knowing where to start since, you know...
Being swept away by the number one, American Hero with a De-aged super villain, and being on radio silence with them for almost three years and not telling them he was a Hare Krishna, Fine and with a loving family now meant that he would get bombarded with Questions... many of those that would be unwanted.
And there was no way Izuku could escape since, you know, the Hell Class (now he understood what Aizawa-sensei meant.)
Not that he didn't have any friends here, he just...
How were you supposed to tell your highly chaotic and easily angered class that you were not kidnapped by an alien woman masquerading as the number one American Hero and that you were not held captive in area 51 in the hope to extract All For One since it was a Quirk from her People and...
Yes... Todoroki, as much as Izuku liked the guy, had once again let his imaginations and unfortunate love for conspiracy theory take over the chat.
Seriously... This would have to be addressed soon, since being a conspiracy follower was a good indication that he was suffering from depression (no Shit, Endeavor may have tried to improve, but staying with his Abuser of ten years would never be good for him.)
Still, this meant that Izuku was to be taken away and interrogated...
but thankfully, with his dad here, he was protected.
And once again, his father manifested, pushing himself through the crowd of rowdy young adults closing in on his son.
Hamsa protectively wrapped an arm around his son's Shoulders, sending a glare at those who were louder than the rest... yes, even at Bakugou.
"Are you alright? Izuku?" He asked as he kept an eye on the group of young adults.
"Now, I am." The greenette admitted as he leaned onto his father's warm side.
Sure, to his friends, he may seem to be a sentimental weakling seeking shelter in his father's warm and solid chest. And any other would see him as lesser.
But as Izuku's councilor had told him; let them speak. They are not worth getting disturbed over.
"Now, what is this?" Hamsa asked, his deep voice deepening further. " Is this a group of heroes? Or a bunch of Jackals falling off a fawn?"
"dad!" Ok, so that was embarrassing.
"Who the fuck are you!" Ah, yes. Bakougo. Still the most eloquent of the group.
"My name is Hizashi Midoriya... Midoriya Hizashi, Izuku's Father and spoke person. If you have any questions about his whereabouts and what happened on February 22XX, please come to me and leave my son alone. He will talk to you on his own terms."
Predictably, the whole class erupted in noise...
"ALRIGHT, HELL CLASS! QUIET DOWN!" Aizawa-sensei roared... and everyone did as he had requested.
Now... Izuku both liked and... disliked the Pro-Hero.
As an underground pro-hero, he was one of the best, if not the best.
But as a teacher...
Well, he was better than those at Aldera... but not by much.
"Now, mister Midoriya has given his request. He and his wife, Stars and Stripes, are the States representative and thus are political bodies. And have to be treated as such. Now move away, and leave them alone."
Some wanted to argue, but a red-eyed leer was enough to make them scatter to the buffet.
Izuku both relaxed, and shuddered in revulsion.
Who the hell thought it was a good idea to have food in the presence of a corpse, the whole thing reeked of a publicity stunt.
"Midoriya... Midoriya Junior." His old Homeroom teacher greeted him.
"Shouta... Aizawa Shouta." Hamsa greeted.
And Izuku pulled away from his Dad's protective embrace, feeling embarrassed by how he had reacted, but knowing that this was not something so easily stopped. Especially after decades of being the school's dedicated punching bag.
He let his old teacher's lazy disapproving gaze on him...
Or maybe he just didn't want to be here, in that case, Izuku felt the eternally tired man be his spirit animal of the moment.
"There's a private room in the back... don't make a scene here." and with that, he was gone.
"C'mon, Zuzu. We both need a break."
Despite feeling despondent about the fact that he didn't even manage to last an hour in this place, Izuku understood that he had to play it smart.
~0~
The room Aizawa had indicated was exactly what Izuku and Hamsaduta needed. It was clean, quiet, private and away from the cameras and overly curious classmates.
And a dead body.
The seats were still rather generic, but someone had brought in a few bean bags, some toys and... oh, hey! A young girl was there, watching something on a tablet PC. She looked about ten or so but was rather small, pale and thin.
'Huh... she sorta looks familiar.' Izuku thought, she reminded him of Eri in some parts.
For one, she should be about the right age, and she had red eyes but... lacked the nubby horn. She wore all black, her hair was cut in a straight bob and an adorable red ribbon was tied around her head. The little girl was intently looking at her tablet, the oversized headphone stuck to her ears and the way she stood stiffly told Izuku that she would rather be left alone in the room than to share it with him.
Relatable.
It was almost enough for the budding Vaishnava to turn tail and have another round of hounding for her sake, only to have his father push him in further.
There was a couch, not the coziest, but it would work. Izuku just needed a place to chill for a bit away from all the drama, the light, the smell and the sight of his dead mentor.
And Thankfully, he didn't have to deal with his ghost also, since Mom had deleted One for All since the last thing she wanted was for the son to be stuck in the damn ghost trap.
He only cried for an hour and a half after they did the shraddha ceremony for all of the past users, and the entire community had given them their Good Karma, so that they could move on to have, hopefully, a human birth in a good family of Vaishnava.
Still, Izuku would miss them all, even the grumpy ones.
As a Vaishnava, any type of Karma was seen as unwanted, since this was what kept the conditioned souls in the material world. A world filled with miseries, danger and strife. A world of death and rebirth, of deep darkness and no love.
And to be honest, Izuku had enough of this, he wanted to move on, to get away from all the politics, wars, posturing... and repeated birth and death.
Basically, anything that had to do with the material world sucked... hard. And only caused anxiety and more misery.
"Dad..."
"Oh, you talk." His dad sighed. "I was worried the whole thing would make you get stuck in your head for a while. I know you... friends are rather... umm."
"Intense?"
"Yes... Intense... especially the pink one." His dad winced as he sat down. "And the Iida heir too, and that round-faced girl... you know, the way she looked at you... are you sure she's not interested in you?" His father asked with his usual amount of tact.
"Yeah, the pink girl with the black eyes is the resident drama queen, she smells drama, she bites."
Hamsa winced. "A gossiper." he spat with disgust. "they have nothing else to do but to air people's dirty laundry for their own amusement."
I know," Izuku shuddered, for he had been in Ashido-san's talk a bit too often, mostly as whom he'd apparently service and for what. " and Uraraka-san is… well, we were still on friendly terms until I let it slip that I was a Hare Krishna… she tried to make me see the light and… yeah, no, if this is going to be our relationship, then I'd rather not. It was something about how much money I was expecting to make and the debt I had with UA and the doctors."
"But… you don't have a debt, it got paid under the 'service rendered' clause."
Izuku sighed. "She's… a Gold digger. she was poor or… her parents were in debt and she took this as her responsibility, and now, she is obsessed with her banking number."
"As with everyone in Kali Yuga, and you can't completely fault a woman for that those are creatures looking for safety and stability, so to have a strong man with resources means less anxiety and suffering."
"Yeah, sounds about right." Izuku leaned back on the couch. "And Todoroki Shouto is a mental speculator. But considering that he was abused by his father."
"Izu... please tell me he got better?"
"Hard to say, he was the only person I tried talking to, but apparently, Enji-san took his phone away... with that, or he was ordered not to."
"yeah... alright. Is he still living with his father?"
"I don't know... I just... I used to feel so close to them and now, I can't stand them." Izuku sobbed a bit at that. "Why? Do I hate them? Did I really like them? Was it all fake?"
"It was temporary... and you went a whole year without them, then there was this thing with the HPSC, and then you spent a bit of time with adults and then the kids your age at New-Vrindaban, Devotee's are not of the same cloth as None-devotee's. You are one of us so, mundane matters will drive you away while spiritual matters give you life. It's natural, Izuku... the same thing happened to me. It doesn't mean that you have to cut them off, just don't let them influence you."
"yeah... don't think it'll ever happen." It was hard not to feel sad about this... but since their friendship was based on the material concept of given pleasure, they would have been bound to end one day.
And this day just so happens to be today... or was it earlier.
He felt his dad's hand on his shoulder, massaging his tense muscles. "So... d'you think you'd be able to face them?"
Izuku thought for a few moments. sure, he could go out again and try to talk to them like a neurotypical person... but then again, that wasn't something he was very good at, especially with so many around participating in this super hyped-up social event.
And he was sure, and this was by experience, that he would get swamped by them, causing him to go mute and...
"No... let them think of me as a coward, I just don't have the mental strength to deal with them all at once."
"Alright... but some of your... saner mates want to see you..."
"Asui Tsuyu's fine, same as Tokoyami Fumikage and Yaomomo... those, I trust them. But not Bakugou or Mineta Minoru."
"I see... alright. If you need anything, just text me, alright?"
"I will... thanks, dad," Izuku answered as he practically slumped in his seat. Sure, his old friend was calling him a fucking coward, but the fact that the voice it was using was rather close to Bakugou's meant that it was easier to ignore it.
Being a Devotee meant that his false pride had to be curbed and while this hurt his Ego...
Well. His false Ego was just that, the Ego. The whole process of Bhakti aimed at reviving his true Ego as the Eternal servant of Krishna... and not a Hero, Vigilant or the last Holder of One for All.
No, instead, Izuku identified himself as a servant of the servant of Krishna (Or aspiring to, it was a work in progress.)... and ever since this became his new identity, his life went from depressingly stressful to absolutely blissful and sweet!
'yeah... and I owe everything to Shanti, I would be dead without her.' The greenette thought as he grabbed his Japa beads and chanted his last few rounds.
His family would wake way before the crack of dawn to have enough time to perform their devotional practice, like chanting the Maha-Mantra on their beads and, in Shanti's case, worshiping the lord while his Father cooked for them...
Not that Shanty didn't know how to cook, she was just better in deity worship, and his dad always insisted on cooking for his family
But... since the day was to be a stressful one, Izuku fell asleep at around midnight and woke up later than intended.
Not that he minded much, he just saw this as an Actual excuse not to mingle with a crowd of Materialists seeing him as a coward, a loser and a useless hero who caused the fall of the old system.
Well, Haters gonna hate, and Hare Krishna's gonna Hare Krishna.
And thus, Izuku sat with his leg crossed on the rather comfortable couch and took his beads from his bead bags and began to chant under his breath.
Who knew his mumbling habits meant that he could chant his Japa in an hour instead of two and a half... and would hear himself perfectly as he dived into the sacred sound vibration.
"Jaya Sri Krishna Chaitanya, Prabhu Nityananda, Sri-Advaita Gadad-huh?" The greenette's eyes flew open as he felt the mysterious girl hop on the couch.
And turning his head... he did scream a little since the said girl was right in his face, staring at him with more intercity than his physician when he learned of all the time he'd broken his bones and the seven quirks stockpiled in his body.
Fun times!
"Ah... yes?" he asked... wondering what was wrong with Japan and its people.
The girl blinked a few times (thank Krishna and Balarama, he was getting worried about her.) Before she touched Izuku's cheeks, right on his freckles.
She pinched them and turned his head until she forced Izuku to twist his head in such a way that the girl could see his Sika, or the long patch of hair Vaishnavas would grow and maintain over their crown chakra while the rest of the head was shaven. (and Yes, Izuku had shaved his hair since, despite being groomed by him to be the new symbol of hope and a martyr, Yagi Toshinori was still dear to Izuku... and the boy wanted to make his statement about the path he had chosen.)
then he felt a tug...
A hard tug.
"hey... yeah, that's my Sika. Shaved my head for the funeral since you know... wanted to make a good-" But Izuku could not finish his overly long explanation because the mysterious girl had wrapped her spindly arms around his neck and squeezed.
"Izu-nii! You're back!"
This is when Izuku realized that he had not been the only one who had changed his appearance.
As he hugged Eri closer, tears flooding the room, he could not help but offer the lord everything he thought he owned... including his very self.
~0~
"I see." Stars and Stripes spoke as she nodded, taking shelter in the neutral bathroom to get some much-needed update on the Situation from her best spy yet.
Hound Dog.
"Glad you managed to get the sweetheart out. Would love to go the last cells gun's a'blazing, but I fear this put me in the position they want."
"Indeed, without All Might, Japan's morale has lowered, and without the league of Villains, the PLA and All For One, villains, both new and not so new are crawling out of the old woodwork. Not only that, but some hidden cell of the Commission has already started to take over the new one... and the kids are the ones suffering from it.'' The dog quirked man spoke with barely hidden rage.
"Yes... This sounds like more trouble." She smirked. "Well then, God sent me here to meet you for a reason."
"So? You'll get out of retirement?" Hound Dog asked, his tail cautiously wagging behind him.
"I never really retired, not until I'm past fifty or I find a worthy successor. But I sure as Hell won't do it alone." She explained gently, yet firmly. "The biggest problem me, my Bros, husbands, Kids and everybody else with a fine intelligence had with All Might was how he was just a single guy doing the Work of Parashurama, but without the axe and without being a Shaktiavesha avatar."
"I... Beg your pardon?"
"Basically, Yagi-san tried to hold the entire world on his shoulders and he let everyone dump their problems on him. And in the end, not only did he die in extreme distress, but his actions were the roundabout reason why the HPSC got so powerful, and that no one realized the threat of All For One never really left. And for all I know, the HPSC already knew that he was still kicking, but you know them?"
"Yes, a bunch of money-hungry bureaucrats with a sense for the dramatic."
"Those are no better than you average Starlet agent, sucking out all life and youth from them and only leaving a husk behind once those kids have been sucked dry. So I made sure I won't run this show alone, I will be the figurehead and the strongest, but I will also plan for the future"
"And speaking of which, I managed to get Eri out of their grasp, she's... a mess, but she is safe in the funeral parlour's lounge. Eraserhead has already delivered Hero Deku."
"Dekiru."
"Dekiru." Inoue amended quickly. "To Eri's side... they wanted to use her to revive All Might."
Shanti's eyes grew as wide as Jagannath's own.
"Please forgive my French but, phoque!" Shanti 'cursed' as she quickly walked out of the bathrooms, she didn't think she needed her suit, but she fought in worse than a sari.
"You better plan for a quick distraction before the show starts, and make it something big." Hound Dog spoke with clear urgency as he trailed after the Vaishnavi Hero as she stormed out of the Bathroom. For her Part, Shanti was desperately praying to Krishna for inspiration, for anything that would let her save Eri and Izuku.
Suddenly, She almost bumped into Tenko as he exited the bathroom, looking extremely unimpressed with the facility.
'Thank you, Bhagavan, you are a Genius!'
"Please, don't mention it, my dear."
She quickly touched her Adopted teenage son and used two Orders on him. "Midoriya Tenko knows what I know about Eri... Midoriya Tenko will not get into trouble." She whispered in great urgency before crouching over to hug her rescued boy, kissing his cheek and whispering to his ear. "Tenko... cause trouble.'
When she got up, her teen looked at her with wide eyes... and a terrifying widening grin.
"Shanti, what's going on?" Hamsa asked, his worry clear on his scaly face.
One shot of New Order and her scaly husband turned into a chameleon and blanched.
"I need to find Izuku... and Eri."
"Yes... Shit, why does Japan have to be so horrible and dramatic?" Star and Stripes grumbled as she undid her braid and quickly tied her eight tufts of hair, her Gopis, as she rushed to the staff room. Knowing that this would be where the real action would be.
"The rating, Devi, the Ratings," Hamsa spoke as he rushed to find Izuku and Hopefully Eri.
''I am Adventure,' Krishna Said. 'It will be fun,' he said.' not that the lord was wrong about that.
~0~
The last thing Izuku wanted at the moment was to be fighting against whatever was left of the HPSC during All Might's funeral while dressed in a Dhoti.
And yet, here he was, his back to the wall and Eri Clinging to him for dear life.
In front of him was an agent... and HPSC goon that had changed coat but not his heart. And, oh, and didn't this just burn, but he was quirkless.
How did Izuku know of this particular man (woman? A trans?) quirk status was due to a new law that had been passed in Japan about the quirkless population.
They could now legally carry guns on their persons.
There was more to it... but Izuku remembered that there was also a fine print somewhere stipulating that only the government through the HPSC could distribute those weapons...
Nevertheless, he had a gun pointed at his heart, and he didn't want to test if the Operative was trigger happy or not.
Not that it would matter much since he was a spirit soul in a body, and at worst, he would take another birth (hopefully from his Step mom's womb this time.)
Still,... better he played it smart.
"Eri, come with me please." The young man spoke. But Izuku kept a hand on his little sister.
He had already told her not to listen to what her handler would tell her and stick to Izuku and his family.
"Why do you want Eri so much? And I thought the HPSC was considered a terrorist cell-"
"WE ARE NOT TERRORISTS!" The fool screamed, the hand on his gun was shaking, and he was sweating more bullets than he had in his magazine. "We are the only ones who can save the world from the rampant villains destroying everything."
"You torture children."
"A necessary evil."
"You drag them until they can't live with this shit in their system, like Hawks."
"A necessary evil."
"and look what they did to you..." Izuku narrowed his eyes. "Now you tell me... what's your ultimate goal of life?"
He asked.
"My ultimate goal in life is to serve my Master the HPSC president."
"Your mother."
"She is not my mother." He quickly denied it, his gun still trained on Izuku's heart. "She is my Master, her words are my life."
"Yeah, just like All For One was for Shigaraki, and how All Might was mine." He pursed his lips. "And guess who suffered."
"Shigaraki Suffered for his evil, Star and Stripe prevent us from-"
Knowing that the agent would go on a pride and passion fuel rant, Izuku took his chance and kicked the gun away before snapping the guy's elbow and dislocating both of his shoulders.
The sound of tearing tendons did not disturb him... but the fact that the kid under him made absolutely no sound told him that this poor boy had been conditioned.
And, as per the seminar he and his mother had received in dealing with HPSC droned, Izuku quickly stuffed his hand in the agent's mouth to the last molars.
"Not this one, not this one... this one!" He Yanked the cyanide pill... then pulled another one out.
And just to make sure the boy would not produce another one, kept his scared and gnarled hand in there, just to make sure not to have yet another ghost haunting Japan.
The agent kept struggling, huffing and crying now that he had been completely immobilized by a quirkless cultist.
Poor thing, what have they done to this poor soul? They have been so manipulated... oh Krishna, I can't wait to go anywhere other than Japan as long as sanity and your worship and names are present. Like, I heard the Mexican Yatra was in this really extreme place, but the devotees there are nice and sweet, and they have so much devotion and-
"Deku-nii?" Eri broke Izuku out of one of his ever-famous mumble-storms. "Am I going to get punished?" She asked fearfully as she held the front of her black dress in a death grip.
"Nope, not anymore." Izuku spoke with all confidence. "if you see an HPSC agent, either run or if you can use your quirk."
"But..."
"Hey, you're with me and my family...(and Krishna.) you're going to be safe, unicorn," Izuku said, doing his best not to promise anything until he was sure it would not be empty.
Suddenly, the door (that had been previously locked by Eri's Abuser/handler/poor soul.) had its door knob jiggle so hard that Izuku was afraid it would be ripped off from its whole.
"Izu? Izuku, it's me, Hamsa-duta Das... please, please give me a sign of life..."
Izuku grinned. "Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare-"
"Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare."
"Radhe-"
"Shyam"
"Yugala-"
"Nam!" His dad ended. "Will you have me sing the whole Bhajan, son?"
"Nope!" Izuku happily chirped as tears flooded his eyes. He turned to where Eri was still standing, she was staring at Izuku with literal stars in her red eyes. "Eri, my dad is at the other side of the door, you can open it. He looks like a scaly dragon though." Then he turned to the door again. "Dad, I'm sending Eri-chan to open the door. I just incapacitated her handler, it's a quirkless trans man who's about as fanatical about the HPSC as me when it came to All might."
"Oh Krishna."
"I pulled out two suicide pills from his teeth, not sure if there's more." The agent under Izuku whimpered. "Hey, calm down, we're trying to save you."
The greenette heard the door open, and he let out a sigh... even as Eri gasped.
"Oh my, and you must be Eri. Nice to meet you, deary." Hamsa spoke quietly, his deep voice higher as he kneeled closer to Eri's height. Making sure he was not looming over her. "
"Ummm... okay... Me too."
Izuku turned around to see his dad, and whatever anxiety he had left him.
"Hey, Zu, I can see you had almost no problem with the guy."
"A bit, he tried to shoot me."
"Oh, Krishna Bhagavan!" His dad whispered faintly, managing to pale despite his deep dark scales. "Please, tell me he didn't actually shoot you?" He asked as he moved closer, taking out a small credit card-sized injector and pressing it to the agent's freshly uncovered buttock.
Yes, he... she... They did manage to get a kick in, but Izuku had been crowned the wrestling champion in the New York regional championship for a reason. (he could've gotten a sponsor and a go for the Olympics, but the Bhakta wanted nothing to do with fame nor name. He just liked wrestling for fun, that's all.) and soon, they were subdued and sleeping.
Suddenly, they heard screams of panic could be heard from the main viewing room, screams and wails and...
Wait, was it Tenko screaming in distress?
"Oh, Bhagwan," Izuku uttered as he lugged the knocked-up agent (no way he was gonna let some Intel go.) and rushed to where pandemonium made its presence known.
People were screaming, some were holding each other, while others had full-blown panic attacks and PTSD episodes. For the din, Izuku and Hamsa could gather that 'He was back at it.' and how; he didn't change, he was still a monster, and 'Star has betrayed us.'
Parkouring over an overturned couch and two potted plants, Izuku finally managed to see what his mother had done to gain such Infamy... same as his brother, perched on her broad hips as he cried and wept, his nose still dripping blood.
Apparently, he had dusted the stage All Might had been on... and the corpse along with it.
For a moment, he saw his Mentor's ghostly form stare at him, looking healthier than before, his eyes brighter and a grateful smile stretching his lips.
'Thank you...'
~0~
"So... Can you tell us what happened?" Hamsa asked his wife as their driver, Ryan drove away from the belle dame that the funeral parlour had turned into.
Stars had managed to make chief Stuga... Tsurigo... the dog-faced one let her family go on the strength that they were from the ISDW and foreigners, and thus would only answer to their own police.
Thank Krishna for that.
"Basically, my spy here, Hound Dog, informed me of a nasty plot hatched by whatever was left of the HPSC to return to power. And this plan involved the little girl with the rewinding power they had stuffed in a vault, drugged out of her mind." She growled, but not as loud as Izuku, of course. "Those ass holes then took All Might's death to prove to the world that they would be better leaders then the ISDW since they could reverse the effect of death and give All Might back to the world."
"Bunch on Atheistic monsters, don't they have any shame?" Hamsa literally spat fire, only to clamp his mouth closed.
"Dad... why do you even have to ask, they do have shame... when they are caught." Izuku shot back with a sardonic smile.
"Long story short, this event would've been their big comeback to Japan's heroic scene... by the way, all of the new villains used to be old n' dead Tartarus inmates. The real numbers of new villains still pretty low since none of'em are stupid enough to start another shit storm after the first one." Shanti continued as he ran her fingers in Tenko's messy hair, mirroring how Izuku was calming Eri down.
"Smart... and we have outs right now. Places those villains.. or those pushed at their very limits, can go to to get help." Hamsa spoke with undeniable pride. "Not quite temples yet, but shelters and rehabilitation centres and soup kitchens are a good start."
"Giving out prasadam... Seriously, Hamsi, that was a masterstroke, right there." Shanti praised her husband, who quickly gave those praises to his Guru and the Lord with a light blush peeking out from under his black scales. "Now... what was I Sayin'... right. So before I bumped into you, I told our sweet Tamohara to make as much trouble as he could, blessing him that he would not get in trouble."
"It was scary," Tenko mumbled as he held a bag of something close to him. "I... I wanted to decay All Might's body since, you know. He wouldn't be able to move on otherwise... but there were so many people around, Bakugou was looking at me as if he wanted to murder me."
"Yep! Sounds like him alright. 'Lord Explosion Murder.'" Izuku cringed, seriously, why did he think he would be a great Hero?
"This name should've been flagged and psyches evaluated." Shanti groused. "But anyway. I managed to catch up with Tenko after you sent me and Hamsa your text, 'Zuku. One moment I see our precious boy running past the guards in a panic, and the next thing I knew, Bhagavan trips him and-"
"And he tries to catch himself by grabbing the stupid skirt that's around the stage." Izuku shook his head. "so, he managed to do what he was set to do, and Krishna tripped him to give him deniability."
"I swear, I did trip. And I landed badly." Tenko frowned as he rubbed his sprained wrist.
"So, we did manage to get our distraction, and because of that, most of the HPSC agents were mobilized to neutralize Tenko. Meaning Izuku only had to deal with Eri's handler while I and Bhagavan stopped the rest."
"And my Classmate."
"And your classmates, who now all have their licenses revoked and who will all be undergoing mandatory psychiatric care. From what Hound Dog told me, none of them are stable. Well, maybe Tsuyu, but it's clear she's breaking."
Izuku let out a huge sigh as he let his head hit the back of the seat, cuddling with the newly rescued Eri. The poor dear had fallen asleep after the day's event. "Well... that's the last time I'm setting foot in Japan. Mom, Dad,. When's our return ticket?" He asked, did they have to stay for a few days? Oh dear Krishna, he hoped not.
"How about now? I called my Bros into getting our stuff out of the Hotel. We already have a private jet waiting for us."
Woo! Jaya!" Izuku tiredly cheered and he vowed never to fall into Maya's trap again.
Heroism just wasn't worth it anymore, he'd rather be spinning his yarn as he heard the eternally sweet pastimes of Bhagavan.
~0~
A few months later.
Hamsa and Shanti (acting as the international Hero, Bhadra-Kali.) look at one with pride and love as their son, Izuku, now named Ilavritavarsha das, cast away Yagi Toshinori's ashes into the Ganges' embrace, ending the two hundred year curse and ushering forth a new era for the world at large.
The ceremony was performed by Vaishnavas acting as Brahmanas, and filled with the sweet chanting of the holy name, as a thank you for the imperfect man who gave everything for mundane peace.
Ila wanted to do this for his Mentor, same as Shanti devi Dasi.
Even Tenko (spiritual name pending.) wanted to do this one last service to the man, wanting to exorcise the last of his hatred towards the man in an act of humble service.
As Ilavritavarsha das entered Ganga's auspicious and eternally pure wave (shut up, biologist, Ganga's eternally pure.) with Yagi-Toshinori's ashes, and following the Brahmana's direction, merged the Sacred rivers clay ball holding the ashes, filled with auspicious substance in her white waves with the joyful sound of 'Toshinori Yagi ki Jay-ho!" and the Ululating to elevated woman.
And with this casting of ashes, the Era of Commercialised heroism came to an end, ushering in the Era of Divine mercy... the Era of Shanti... or peace.
An Era filled with chanting, Dancing and love of God given freely.
Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.
Om Tat Sat.
