Chpt 2: Looking through the Glass (The Beginning of the End)
Izuku Midoriya (age Fourteen)
Izuku woke up in a sleeping bag on a concrete floor, alone in a tiny back room… somewhere. He stirred a bit, then jerked awake in fear.
W-w-w-w-w-what… W-w-w-where am I…? He began muttering to himself. I remember the gangs, the fights… then the siren and the cops and the sludge… Wait, the sludge? I almost died?! What happened, why am I…
A deep laugh shook the tiny room he was in.
"It sounds like our guest is awake! I'll go check on him." Izuku froze, putting his back in the corner and covering himself with the sleeping bag as footsteps approached the door from the other side. A single light bulb, the only source of the light for the room, bounced and swayed as the footsteps grew closer. Suddenly the door was flung open and… blond?
Izuku's eyes went wide as a massive person stooped and poked their head inside the room. A broad face, with a wide smile and deeply set icy blue eyes, topped by the pair of blond, V-shaped bangs poking up from his head, now peered at Izuku.
"Are you all right, young man?" Izuku's mind went blank.
"You… y-y-y-y-you wouldn't h-h-h-h-happen… to b-b-b-b-be… All…"
"Is the boy awake or not, you great fool!" A well-aged (and well-annoyed) voice called. Suddenly the massive person from before grunted and was, apparently, shooed away as a short man in a yellow suit came striding in. While the first man's eyes were shadowed by his brow, the short one peered out from behind a mask of white eyes in black that clung snugly to his face.
"Are you all right, boy?" Izuku squeaked and nodded in response. His mind was still working on overdrive, trying to confirm what he'd seen, when…
"You see, dumbass? You scared him half to death poking in like that!" The giant began to wither where he peeked in. Old man or not, the geezer seemed to be in command.
"It's not like that!" Izuku suddenly broke out. "I just didn't really remember, and then All Might came in and then I couldn't really say anything I mean he's All Might what would I possibly be able to say he saved my life, thank you so much I mean…!"
"…You know his name?" Izuku went quiet as a bunny when the short man began to glare. The aura switched from 'annoyed old timer' to 'single deadliest man in the world' in an instant; before he could apologize or explain he was against the wall, chest pressed tight underneath the old man's foot. Even while breathless from the impact, Izuku instantly saw through the old man's quirk.
"Gran… Torino…?" He sputtered under his breath. The old man's eyes widened behind the mask. "(cough)…I've seen your…(cough) quirk… You're Gran Torino!"
"Who sent you here, boy?" Gran Torino growled. Izuku paled at the murderous tone.
"I-I-I…"
"Answer me, now!"
"I'm sorry!" Izuku shouted as he bowed his head. He couldn't see it (his eyes were squeezed shut as tightly as possible) but his actions caught his interrogators off guard. "I didn't mean to cause trouble! No one sent me! I just wanted to see heroes in action! I've admired you all my life! I'm sorry for causing you trouble!"
A long silence filled the space between them. Izuku felt the tears in his eyes, and so he kept them shut. But a laugh from the other room caught his ear.
"Calm down you two. You're going to scare him half to death." Izuku's eyes went wide as All Might pulled back from the door and an… incredibly fat man poked his head in. He wore a white suit, but Izuku couldn't really see much other than how fat he was. And the broad, toothy grin on his face. "Do you feel better this morning, young man?"
"I… Yes… sir…"
"Good! Would you mind coming out so we can take a look at you?" Izuku's eyes went wide, but Gran Torino simply dragged the boy to his feet and pushed him along until he walked out through the door… and nearly died from the flooding emotions inside him.
The room was full of men and women, all various ages, appearances and dress (mostly costume or civilian clothing). He tried counting and simply couldn't. There were far too many of them. For the most part he recognized them: they were the ones he'd spent the past seven years researching and admiring. Night after night, he would dive into the internet chat rooms dedicated to these people, and he would debate with others about clips and info.
Izuku Midoriya stood in a room full of heroes.
After the initial shock of that fact wore off, he was immediately made aware that every single one of his heroes was staring at him. Some had to poke around to get a good look, but they were all staring at him. A small portion of his brain noticed the look in their eyes and knew that they were evaluating him. Checking him.
Wondering if he was friend or foe.
Barely three seconds after walking into the room Izuku collapsed and scurried backward, only to reach a wall and cower there as the intensity of the stares made him start to hyperventilate…
Fat man let out a throaty chuckle and stood Izuku up, then pushed him to stand by the table in the room. A projector laid a map of japan up against the wall behind Izuku, while the heroes stood in the open space across the table from him and to his left. The table was easily as long as he was tall (not particularly saying much) and as wide, too. Across it was a series of documents, like city maps and building plans, but on top of those…
"My backpack…?" Izuku murmured, seeing his bag and belongings scattered across the table. The big man set a hand on his shoulder.
"Sorry for the scare back there. These two don't really know how to hold back… well, I suppose they've got their reasons. We all need to be careful. I hope you can forgive us." Izuku frantically apologized and bowed, drawing a chuckle from the heroes. His blush only made it worse. All Might and Gran Torino sighed and stood in the corner to Izuku's right, seemingly in charge of the gathering.
"Whether we knew he was a nerd or not doesn't matter, Fat Gum." Gran Torino snapped. The look he gave Izuku could have killed. "They could have sent him. We can't just pick up strays off the damn street, giant fool!"
Gran Torino kicked at All Might, who only muttered apologies. After they were done, All Might turned to Izuku.
"Young man, I would like to complement your actions last night. Regardless of our behavior till now, you were truly brave to save those boys. After you passed out I had no choice but to bring you here and ensure your safety."
"Ah…" Izuku gasped. "The mall, the police…! Was everyone alright?" All Might sighed.
"The turnout was bad. Despite my intervention, the first attack from the sludge man's gang killed several officers. Most of them got away, but the slime was collected and handled. We did catch some of the men and women, but there was a panic. However, you saved several of them by acting the way you did. It deserves praise. Everyone here agrees."
"I… I don't even remember…" Izuku swallowed, then chuckled at the shaking in his fingers. "I don't remember moving. Or anything, really, after the explosion. I just saw my friend in the sludge…"
"Your friend?" All Might's voice changed. Izuku waved his hands wildly.
"No no no! He… used to be my friend. He changed back when he got his quirk! I didn't know he'd be there, I swear! I was hiding from him!"
"Calm down, young man. I believe you. We saw nearly the whole thing." All Might said more calmly. "And in regards to that… deliberate or not, you were a hero. The fact that you did so out of instinct and reaction only makes it more impressive, in my opinion."
Izuku blushed fiercely, suddenly very aware that his hero was praising him.
"T-t-t-thank you…"
"There. You said what you need to, fool. Let him go so he can get himself home. His parents are probably worried."
Izuku's eyes went wide.
"It's… Oh, mom!" He moaned. The heroes chuckled amongst themselves.
"I'd like to take him there myself, if I may." The room went silent. Gran Torino glared at All Might, and the rest seemed too shocked for words. Izuku himself was in disbelief at the hero's request. Eventually, though, Gran Torino sent them along. Izuku cowered beside All Might, now dressed in a trench coat and not the tight red and blue suit he'd worn the night before. Neither spoke. They simply rode train after train until they arrived at Izuku's local area of Musutafu. Four blocks from his apartment complex, All Might stopped.
"Would you mind accompanying me for a short talk, young man?" Izuku nodded dumbly and followed his idol as they headed into a park. Despite Izuku's fears, it was very early morning; there was almost no one awake, let alone out and about. "My apologies for the shock you must have had when you woke. We were worried about your health… and for our own safety. But it was unkind of us to go about it like that."
"N-n-not at all… I would have done the same, in your position… Though I may have just left me there in the mall…" All Might chuckled.
"I don't know you at all, but I sincerely doubt that. You seem to be a young man of good character and a kind heart. You're exactly the kind of young man who makes us heroes do what we do. The exact kind who would be invaluable in our fight against villains." All Might spared Izuku a glance, and the combination stopped Izuku in his tracks. Fists clenched, Izuku stared at the concrete beneath his feet.
Despite the fact that he'd met All Might, despite the fact that his hero above all heroes was offering him the very thing he wanted most in the world, fear ate at his insides until he felt cold and hollow. He could feel his worst nightmares coming true inside his wildest dreams... It made him sick to his stomach.
"You don't seem like the kind to be afraid. Is something wrong?" Izuku swallowed, avoiding All Might's eyes. For some reason they seemed to glow inside the black sclera, which made him a hundred times more intimidating.
"I… anyone would be afraid. Heroes risk their lives. They have to hide from everyone, and going up against the gangs is nearly suicide. I've seen that… online, on television… in real life…"
"But you still leapt out, didn't you. To protect your friend." Yes… I did! I couldn't help it!
"That was stupid. I nearly died." I couldn't let him die! Even if I did… that would be…
"You're still here, young man. And I don't think you're afraid." I want this more than anything! I…
"No… I mean I don't… think I am…"
"You're quirkless, aren't you?"
The dam inside him broke, and Izuku collapsed.
Interlude
Yaoyorozu Momo (age Fourteen)
The walls of her room cracked and trembled again. She sighed, trying to get what little she could. But sleep wouldn't come. A few minutes later, the walls cracked again, bad enough that dust fell from the ceiling. Rolling over onto her side, Momo tried to look at the wall.
Was that crack always there…?
Another tremor. The wall bulged. Momo screamed as it was shattered, raining rubble down on the little cot she was allowed.
A black, shadowy creature pushed its way through the hole in the wall. Its eyes glowed like yellow furnace slits; she vaguely wondered if that was how wolves' eyes glowed. A howl echoed as the beast charged for her, reached with multiple claw tipped hands…
In that moment Momo felt death reach out and touch her. Pressed against the wall in her tiny cot, the full body straight jacket she wore completely restricted her movements. On top of everything else her mind was still foggy from the sedatives. No matter what she did her head was thick and her thoughts didn't quite seem… real. Or maybe they were just scattered? They seemed too real sometimes.
Something inside her snapped. As the monster reached for her, everything seemed to blur. Her body felt as if it were on the verge of breaking. With a scream blades pushed their way out of her body, hard enough that the straight jacket tore to shreds and the monster retreated with a grunt of confusion. Closing her eyes as tightly as she could, she popped four flash grenades from her stomach and pulled the pins.
After several minutes of dizziness Momo managed to climb onto her feet, though she was too unsteady to be alright. She could taste metal on her tongue, and realized it was blood; the left side of her face was covered in it. Without thinking any more of it she took a step forward.
Lying in the middle of her room was a weak looking young man. His head was a bird's head, but otherwise… he was human. Dressed in rags, sickly and looking… very much like she herself looked. She shook him awake, producing a cup and water from her side. He sipped slowly, groaning at the movements.
Momo couldn't find the words. It had been too long since she'd spoken to anyone. So they simply waited until the door was kicked down and the Yakuza came to see what the problem was.
P.S.
Hey everyone! Kread here.
So, a few things. Firstly I got some help checking the first chapter, and revising it. But from here on I'll probably be doing it mostly myself. I'm a bit of a stickler for grammar and all that, so I'll do my best, but please don't hate me if it ain't perfect.
Second, I wanna thank everyone who read this far. I thoroughly hope that you enjoy this and all the chapters to come.
As a bit of a note, I want to address your doubts, hopes, dreams, nightmares etc. about the story. The point of this is to create a more... brutal, Light vs. Darkness themed version of Midoriya's Japan. My plot-line is focused on a war between All Might's heroes (All Might as the champion of Light) and the designated champions of darkness (for anyone who hasn't caught up to the story, I won't spoil this early)
I can't do it perfectly; I'm ignorant of a lot of Japanese customs, the country's geography, the people and even the author's hopes for the story as it goes. As someone who suffers from a reading addiction I can say that I'm reading the manga on translation and will try to keep this story in line with both my own idea and the author's storyline. This ship has a course, if you will, but it's through foggy waters. Bear with me, and don't hate me if I get things wrong or it seems a little too American.
Fourth thing, I don't own MHA(BNHA) Please support the official release blah blah blah... I strongly encourage you to read it or catch up to the anime, or just enjoy the series. It's become a favorite of mine, along with the fandom surrounding it. The fandoms are actually the reason I ever wrote this to begin with.
Last but not least... I'm a pretty straight shooter (pun intended). Relationships in the story will follow canon as much as possible, though I may throw in a little fun here and there as a part of my own writing style. It isn't in line with the relationship ideals of Japan, I know, but I do enjoy writing the romance, the dating, etc. Be prepared for ordinary ships, barring one or two here and there that break my little rule. I think anyone who pays attention to my chapters will know the first ship (my personal favorite) within the next two or three chapters. If you don't, the sixth chapter will slap you around with it and wake you up. So look forward to that chapter. I put a lot of work into writing it, and I think it feels pretty good.
Hope you guys enjoy the series. Please message me or just comment if you've got criticism, ideas, or just some spare change to leave around for me to sift through. I enjoy getting everyone's ten cents.
Have a good morning/day/night, everyone. Smooth Sailing
Kread Stornham