Izuku raised his arms as he stretched after a few hours of manual labor although he did enjoy it, it was an easy way to get out of his own head and he needed that now more than anything.
"Once again, thank you for your help Yaoyorozu but you didn't need to stay and help me" the white and green haired boy said turning to look at black haired girl that was currently helping him put away the brooms they had used, she gave him a kind smile, one that was already leaps and bounds different than the overly formal one she used to have.
"It's alright Izuku, it's my job as the vice representative to help you out and you have been doing a lot so I just want to help ease the burden" slightly flinching at her words, Izuku turned away as to not let her see his guilty expression and at this, she just let out a sigh "Just know that whatever you're going through, it doesn't have to be alone, whether you like it or not, you are part of our class and that means that you are our friend and that we care about you"
It was strange, Izuku already knew that, he had already experienced all of that, their care, their friendship, their bond and yet… a wide genuine smile bloomed on his face as he couldn't help the heat that covered his cheeks as he watched her leave.
"I'm glad to see that you are feeling better" Hikage's ghost appeared next to him "You have been handling yourself much better than I did" A shudder crawled up Izuku's back as the cracks in his back came back to his mind.
"Oh not at all" the boy admitted "I've mostly been distracting myself with other things just to not think about it, I guess I'm just not ready to face my own mortality just yet"
"But that doesn't mean that I have been doing nothing" grabbing his backpack and leaving the classroom, he pulls out one of his many notebooks and flips it to a page with multiple bullet points, some have been scratched out already "Considering that I am already running on borrowed time I feel like this has also given me a step in the right direction in our extra vestige problem"
"What do you mean by that?" Fourth asked.
"Simple, what has been their one and only driving force since the very start?"
"Killing All For One"
"And what would happen when their only tool, A.K.A me, to take their revenge begins to break?"
It took a few seconds but the ghost understood quickly "They would become desperate" Correct "But isn't that also dangerous? We have no clue as to what they might try now that they are being driven into a corner"
"You are also right but that's why we need to strike while the iron is hot" Izuku reassured him "It may be risky but if I say the right things, I might be able to get them to come to our side for good"
Fourth nodded "That would be for the best but, what would we do after that?"
"Well, if everything is still going like last time then that means that soon the sports festival will start, when that starts I'll need to check if the timeline doesn't try to, I dunno, fix itself and still try to hurt Iida's brother, after that…" A shadow fell over his eyes as the image of the mad doctor villain flashed in his mind "I'll take Eri out of Overhaul's claws"
"And if everything goes well, we'll have a clean shot at All For One" Fourth finished with a satisfied smile.
"All in one fell swoop" Izuku agreed, closing the notebook and putting it back in his bag.
"That mind of yours can be quite scary when it wants to be"
"I'll take that as a compliment"
Bzzz Bzzz
A muffled buzz suddenly startles Izuku as he scrambles to get his phone out of his backpack only to frown at the strange message.
Msg from "Leech":
Hey Izuku, can you come home? I mean, our home with Mom, something really serious came up and I need to talk to the two of you about it, please hurry.
Izuku blinked a few times as he reread the message a few times, had something happened? He was sure that nothing happened between the USJ and the festival, so what did Himiko want to talk about?
"I'm not sure about this" Fourth frowned "A sudden change like this has never been a good sign"
"I know but I can't just say no to her, and it seems like she wants to bring Mom into this too which only makes me more nervous" Izuku admits before turning to the gates and beginning his trip to his mother's home.
--
Taking a deep breath Izuku turned the extra key his mother had given him and opened the door.
"Mom, Himiko, I'm here, what hap- HUH!?" Only to freeze on the entrance feeling like his lungs had lost all of the air in them because of the sight in front of him.
He had expected a lot of the situation. Maybe some blood, possibly a fire, hell, even a dead body. What he was not expecting was the skeleton of a man wearing an ugly yellow suit happily talking to his mother and sister.
All Might was in his home drinking a cup of tea.
Why was he here?
This is different, too different.
An avalanche of thoughts assaulted the boy as he stood frozen in shock, confusing and utter fear.
Why was All Might in his home? Was this what Himiko wanted to talk about? If it is then why do they look so happy?
Oh shit, did he figure him out?
Toshinori isn't dumb, did he come to arest him? But why in front of his family? Did he want to make a show of it? No, he isn't that cruel and if he did figure out his identity and connections he would have missed the perfect chance back at UA with all the other heroes.
Why was he in his house!?!?
"Izuku, honey, are you not going to say hello?" his mother's voice snapped him out of his trance and made him realize that he had been standing there without moving for a long time now.
"I-I, yes, sorry" He stumbled over his words as he tried to contain his nerves while he walked closer to the table in a stiff walk "Welcome to our home, can I ask what brings you here today?"
"Oh there's no need to be so formal to me Young one, I'm the one imposing on your home, but I am here to talk about some serious matters on behalf of your sister" Izuku whipped around hard enough to almost give himself whiplash but enough to make his family flinch.
"Uh yeah, I guess that's my signal" His sister began as he took a seat and kept staring at her with wide eyes "Well, Mr. Toshinori has decided to give me an incredible offer and he originally wanted to keep it a secret but…" Himiko than lowers her head "I couldn't bring myself to hide it from you… the both of you have done so much for me that I can't even begin to say, you gave me a chance at a life I had never imagined and have taken care of me as if I truly was your own flesh and blood" Small sobs began to shake the small girls body as she brought her hands to try and wipe away the tears.
All Might had a soft and warm smile on his face as he placed down his cup "Young Himiko told me what you have done for her and I can't say just how happy I am to know that such caring people still exist and it has helped me see that all of you truly care about each other and that is why I accepted her decision of telling the both of you"
The atmosphere was light and warm as praises were given to mother and son, the older woman was already beginning to cry as tears formed in the corners of her eyes, on the other hand…
A cold pit had formed in Izuku's stomach, a hole that only seemed to get bigger as the more words he heard.
This couldn't be happening…
This had to be a nightmare…
Izuku began to feel as he lost touch with himself as the conversation continued without him, he felt his consciousness slip into his own memories as he watched his sister compose herself.
Flashes of a life that will never be flashed in his eyes.
The warm moments he spent with his mentor, the spikes of adrenaline as he won a fight by the skin of his teeth, the satisfaction as he climbed another wall in his path.
But all bright skies come with their rainy days.
The white hot pain of his broken limbs that threatened to make him go unconscious, the feeling of alienation from his peers as he was left behind, the immense weight of the world on his little shoulders, the innumerable amounts of life and death fights he found himself daily and…
A full body shiver ran through him as his skin began to crack.
A sudden gasp made him come to his senses and he could see that Toshinori had gone from his skeleton to the one that showed he was the number one hero, his mother had her hands covering her mouth at the shock.
"So I ask of you, please let me make her my descendant"
Izuku still didn't move but he glanced at his mother and he felt his stomach drop as her eyes began to soften and she fought the worry in her face before taking a deep breath and relaxing before saying
"No."
Silence.
Izuku's cold voice made everyone present turn to look at him with shock.
"Young Midoriya…"
"I-Izuku!"
"Sweetie…"
"No" He repeated himself, hands tightly gripping at the couch "You said it yourself All Might, we care about each other and I want the best for my family but what you are offering is nothing short than asking for her funeral"
"Izuku!" Himiko exclaimed, surprised at the sudden change in her brother.
"Young Midoriya, I understand your concern but I promise you that I'll do my best to protect her-"
"Can you really!?" Izuku bit back "Back at the USJ, those villains said they were here for you and yet you never appeared until the very end, can you really promise that you can protect her when you couldn't even protect us?"
All Might didn't answer. He couldn't and Izuku knew that.
"Izuku! What is going on with you!?" His sister asked, anger now mixed with shock before she went around, took a hold of his arm and pulled him up the stairs.
Pushing him into their old room she slammed the door and turned to look at him with a completely baffled expression with red cheeks, he couldn't tell if it was from anger or embarrassment.
"What is wrong with you!?" she exclaimed while glaring at him "This- This isn't your usual you, I thought you would be happy for me!"
"Happy? You want me to be happy to watch you throw your life away like this?" Izuku answered back, just as angry, but he didn't know why.
Was it that he was jealous of losing his mentor to her? Was he truly worried about her safety? or…
Was he being greedy? Was the light of that quirk just too tempting to leave to anyone else but him?
"I'm not throwing my life away! This could do so much for us, for me!" Her hands began to shake. "It's a chance that I will never get if I let go, so why do you want to stop me!?"
"I'm trying to keep you safe!" His anger spiked.
"Safe!? How do you even know that I'm going to be in danger!?" She exclaimed, waiting for an answer.
But he couldn't give her one.
She wouldn't understand what he knew, no one could carry that burden, no one but him.
"I- I just do alright!" he told her but his flimsy excuse did nothing but stir her anger even more.
"You just do!? That's bullshit!" anger poured out of her as she took a step forward and pushed him "All you want to do is keep me locked up!"
Another shiver, another crack.
"You just don't get it!" Izuku burned with anger as he continued the screaming match and in a moment of fury he grabbed her wrist with enough force to make her flinch in pain " What would you know!? You are just a kid! "
In his anger, Izuku could barely notice the way his voice changed to one more gravelly than his but he did see when the figure of his sister changed to that of a familiar boy with long white hair that covered one of his green eyes as he glared at him with anger, behind him stood a large metal door slightly open revealing a dark abyss.
A vault.
The sudden change startled him enough to let go and step back but just as quickly as it came, the visage was gone and his sister stood in their place while holding their wrist and looking at them with anger and… fear .
Before Izuku could get a word out, she turned around and ran out of the room leaving him alone in the now dark room.
Izuku didn't move but he stared down at his empty hand, the one he had used to grab her wrist, as he thought back to the change.
He could already guess what that was, a memory, just not one of his but…
In the distance, he could hear the muffled voices of his mother and All Might only to be followed by hurried footsteps that got closer to the door every second that went by.
Inko burst into the room, eyes wide in panic as she looked around the room only to find an empty room with an open window.
Izuku was already deep into the city covered in red lightning as he jumped over buildings wordless with rage, his scarlet red eyes scanning the buildings looking for one place in mind.
The one place where he could easily deal with his anger.
The Shie Hassaikai.
