I'm back everybody.

So I'm going to cut right to the chase, the reason why I've been radio silent for nearly five months is because things are not going well at my job. Management has become an overbearing shitshow. Since my old boss left and a replacement came in, they have been pushing the staff to work harder and I can't keep up with their demands. I am under constant pressure and nothing I do is enough for them so I have made the tough decision to quit my job...at least not yet. I'm going to need another job to fall back on when I do eventually take my leave.

I've also been working on my short story during that time and then got my heart and soul crushed from watching Devilman Crybaby. And you thought Grave of the Fireflies was depressing. Might have to fix that...

So between bearing another fruitless day at my job and searching for a new one, it's left me emotionally and physically drained. I hope you can all understand. Enjoy this short chapter and have a Happy Halloween!

My Hero Academia, DOOM, and Darksiders belong to their respective owners. I do not own either of them.

Chapter 29

Never the Same

"When the world finds out what you can do, it's going to change everything. Our beliefs, our notions of what it means to be human...everything."

-Jonathan Kent, Man of Steel

MUSUTAFU GENERAL HOSPITAL-THE NEXT DAY

It was early in the morning when Izuku received a visit from Melissa Shield. It was a welcome surprise since he never got the chance to talk to her after they were evacuated from I-Island. Melissa explained to Izuku that once she was discharged from the hospital, Sayaka Grant informed her that she would be under HPSC protection until it was deemed she would no longer be under threat by the League of Villians.

"So you're really going to be okay with this?" Izuku questioned.

Melissa sighed. "It's not like I have a choice but maybe it's for the best." And she was right in that regard: the LOV wanted to use her talents for their sinister purposes and she would rather die than help them.

"So what happens next?" Izuku pressed.

"Well, my grandparents heard what happened so they're coming to Japan along with my uncle and aunt. They'll be taking care of me from now on...until things get sorted out with my dad." Her tone of voice darkened towards the end which unsettled Izuku.

"Is he...going to prison?" He asked, dreading the answer.

"No. The HPSC still needs him so they pinned the entire debacle on Abraham since he was the one who gave the Sabers the keys to I-Island and worked with the League of Villians. But he's...dead now. The League killed him." Melissa revealed. Izuku was shocked to hear that. Not just at Samuel's death but also that the HPSC would just pass on the blame like that so easily.

"But if you ask me, they let him off too easily." She voiced her disapproval. It was painfully clear to Izuku that she still harbored feelings of resentment toward her father. It was one of the reasons why he wanted to talk to her about back on I-Island but never got the chance. Despite what David did, Midoriya didn't want Meillsa's anger to fester into outright hatred of her father.

"Melissa, I understand you're angry at him but he made a mistake-" Izuku began before getting cut off.

"That could've got people killed." Melissa turned her head away, her eyes glassy with tears. "I don't want to talk about it."

For a few seconds, Izuku didn't say anything. But that didn't mean he going to let it go so easily. "I kinda have issues with my father too."

Melissa did not respond. Midoriya laid back in his bed, staring up at the ceiling. "I mean, it wasn't anything like David but it's more among the line of abandonment. My father was married to his job, I was too young to understand it at the time. He claims that he meant well and it was to support the family but he kept staying longer hours at the office and barely had time for me and Mom. That led to the two of them having a lot of arguments but they wanted to make it work for my sake. They tried so hard but it wasn't meant to be so they divorced around my 5th birthday. My dad said he would try to visit sometime around Christmas but he didn't show up. After that, I never saw him again."

Melissa had stopped looking away and was staring at Izuku with sympathy.

"You have every right to be mad at David but he feels terrible about what happened and he never meant for you to get hurt. You don't have to forgive him today or right now but please don't hold a grudge or say something you can't take back. You still have a father...I don't." He implored. Melissa appeared to be at a loss for words. While it was true that she was still furious at David for endangering everybody, could she truly hate him for the rest of her life? As she pondered her stance on her father, she thought back to all the good times they shared. Melissa ultimately decided that she could not let one bad experience mark the end of her relationship with her dad. She would forgive him but not just yet.

"I...need to think about it." She sighed. "I need more time."

Izuku smiled a little in response. At least it was progress. "I'm sorry I wasn't able to keep your Full Gauntlet from getting destroyed. It helped me out a lot."

"Don't worry yourself over it." Melissa waved him down. "That was only a prototype. I can easily create another one, only this time it'll be more fleshed out. I still want to keep making Support Items even though I-Island isn't going to be unusable for a while. That's why I'm enrolling at U.A."

"R-really?" Izuku said, surpirsed. "But aren't you quirkless?"

"Yeah, but I'm going to be joining the support department as part of an exchange program. I met Nezu and Power Loader a long time ago and they were impressed with some of the inventions I made. They suggested to my father that I utilize my talents in the creation of Support Items so that's basically where I'm going to go from there once U.A. reopens." Melissa explained.

"That sounds great! I know you'll help so many people!" Izuku excitedly beamed.

"That's what I always wanted to do." Melissa replied confidently. She heard her cell phone vibrate in her pocketbook and took it out to check who it was. She studied the text she had just received. "Well, I have to get going, my relatives just arrived at the airport. Get well soon, Izuku."

Midoriya nodded his head. "I will. See you at U.A."

Melissa smiled and nodded as well before getting up from the chair next to Izuku's bed and leaving out the door. Midoriya, now left to himself, turned his head over to the window on his right and gazed at the rays of the early morning sun shining through his blinds. It was a relaxing sight, considering everything that had happened. He did not sleep well last night since his dreams consisted of blood, gore, and the Vigilante. He would never forget the man's cold, soulless glare as the flames roared around the monster in human form.

Izuku wondered if he would ever have a decent night's sleep after what he went through or if any of his friends for that matter. Bakugou easily had the worst of it and there was no way of knowing what his attitude was going to be like when they returned to U.A. high school. Izuku felt a headache coming on from his overthinking and slowly drifted off to sleep. The warmth of his blanket and the pillow behind his head lulled him into a sense of relaxation as his eyelids grew heavy...

"I AM HERE!"

"GAAAAAAH!" Izuku nearly jumped out of his bed when the all too familiar catchphrase of All Might loudly announced itself. He whipped his head over to the left and saw Toshinri Yagi in a hospital gown standing in the doorway.

"To check up on you!" Yagi finished with a raise of his hand followed by a cough. Though Izuku looked happy to see his mentor again, he was a little bit irritated that he was denied a much-needed nap.

"You were admitted here too?" Izuku guessed as Yagi sat in the chair.

"Yup. What are the odds?" Yagi chuckled, having gained some of his humor back. "I'll be out of here tomorrow, still need to rest up."

"Same with me." Izuku said. After that, the two of them stayed silent for two uncomfortable minutes. They did not know what else to say next.; both of them were still deeply shaken from their horrifying ordeal. Yagi then uttered an exhausted sigh and hung his head.

"I-I'm so sorry." Yagi apologized. "I had no idea something like this would happen. It was supposed to be a friendly visit, I-"

"No, it's not your fault!" Izuku stopped him. "It's mine! I should have reported that man when he fell outside my apartment. Had I known what he was capable of, I would've called the police."

"But you didn't know. How could any of us have known?" Yagi reasoned, placing a hand on his student's shoulder.

It did little to ease the boy as he fidgeted nervously, remembering a subject that Hagakure brought up last night. "Is that kind of bloodshed and violence going to be common when I become a Hero?"

"Err..." Yagi struggled to find something to say to him but all he could do was look away from him. How could he possibly try to answer that question after what the poor lad had to go through?

"It ain't all sunshine and rainbows kid." Came the voice of a woman. The duo looked to their left to see Miruko standing in the open door. "Granted, it's not an utter bloodbath like on I-Island but there's always the risk of getting put in the ground six feet under. However, I'd say all of us lucked out on that day. We should've been dead a thousand times over but I guess fate had different plans for us." She continued, closing the door and sitting herself down at the foot of Izuku's hospital bed.

"I was feeling restless so I went to go stretch my legs. I checked up on the other Heroes to see how they were doing and came here afterward." She said, folding her arms so that Izuku and Yagi could get a good look at her scars. They shuddered, as to be expected.

"Well, Rumi is correct on the earlier subject. Being a Hero can be very dangerous at times, no different than being a police officer or a firefighter." Yagi said in a somewhat resigned tone. "The faculty at U.A. have to prepare you for that when you enter your 4th semester."

"I-I-I already know about that it's just that I didn't expect to see so much...blood." Izuku gulped, turning his gaze down to his lap. Yagi's chin quivered at the sight of Midoriya so traumatized. Miruko's expression was stern though she too felt sorry for what the kid had to go through.

Toshinori sighed through his nose and straightened himself. "Izuku, you've proved yourself to not only be the next bearer of One for All but also a capable Hero. I chose you to be my inheritor and I have no doubts that you will live up to the mantle of Symbol of Peace. But if you feel like you can't do this, I won't hold anything against you if you choose to stop-"

"No!" Izuku suddenly exclaimed, startling the Heroes. "I can't back out of this! I have worked so hard to get where I am now and nothing is going to change my mind! It's been my dream to be a Hero and I'm not backing down. All Might, you know I chose this path; if not me, then who else? I'm still enrolling at U.A. and I will never quit being a Hero."

At first, Yagi still appeared momentarily surprised by Izuku's earlier outburst but he gradually became proud of his student voice his conviction of staying a Hero. Even after the horrific events on I-Island, Izuku remained true to his dream and would never give up on it. It was a relief to know that he made the right decision in bestowing Izuku with OFA. " That's...good to hear, young Midoriya."

Miruko grinned. "I'll say it again, you got moxie. But get yourself some rest or you're gonna get an earful from Recovery Girl. Let us Heroes pick up the slack until you're ready."

"But aren't a lot of Heroes out of action right now?" Izuku recalled.

"Well, most of them are awake and Hawks along with Eraser Head just got released. But when I saw the other recovering Heroes...you could see the fear in their eyes. I mean, I don't think any of them are going to forget this." Miruko recounted, the hair on her ears standing up when she remembered her frightening encounter with Ragdoll. Granted, none of them were reduced to babbling lunatics but the raw terror in their eyes was noticeable. Whatever the Vigilante did to them, it was going to scar them for life. Izuku and Yagi felt the same. They, along with Rumi, had only seen the aftermath of the Heroes' battle against the Vigilante. They could only imagine what it was like to witness that one-sided fight: where one man single-handedly defeated multiple top-ranked Pro Heroes on his own. It filled them with uncertainty and dread.

"But he did go out of his way not to kill them." Miruko tapped her chin. "Like we all discussed before, he's violent as hell but goes out of his way to rescue people."

"It's still not going to change what he did though. No matter how 'good' his intentions were." Yagi voiced his disapproval of the Vigilante's actions.

"But then how do we stop him?" Izuku asked, hoping for an answer. "If All Might couldn't beat him then who?"

"What? You want to go at him?" Miruko joked. Izuku's jaw fell open as he stared at Rumi with mortification. The thought of him trying to fight the Vigilante almost made him lose control of his bowels.

"Relax, I'm yanking your chain." Miruko waved him down. But then she donned a stern glare at Izuku. "Seriously though, don't be that stupid."

"I assure you, he won't do that kind of stunt. I trained him well, after all." Toshinori quickly vouched for Izuku. The boy nodded in confirmation, he would never in a million years ever try to take on that madman.

"If you say so." Miruko shrugged with a playful smile. She believed Yagi would steer Izuku in the right direction. "So, has the HPSC said anything yet?"

"Nothing yet but they are going to hold a press conference this morning to inform the public of what they know. They are going to leave out some details; namely my condition." Yagi replied.

"That makes sense." Izuku agreed, taking his cell phone from the nightstand next to his bed. "They should be starting any moment now...wait, postponed?" Hearing Izuku, Yagi, and Rumi moved near his bed and looked down at his phone. A live news report showed that the press conference had indeed best postponed for later this evening.

"I guess they need more time to work on their cover stories?" Miruko guessed, flexing her ears. Yagi sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. Curious, Izuku turned up the volume on his phone to hear the rest of the report.

"The HPSC had given no word on the reason for the delay but has said that the conference will be held tonight. There is still no official statement about the current state of I-Island but it can be theorized that the near-destruction of the sea-faring facility is catastrophic and the estimated cost of the damages is estimated to be within the trillions. But the events of the I-Island Seige can once again be traced back to the currently unidentified Vigilante. Many of the liberated captives of the island claim that the Vigilante saved them but investigators are unconvinced and believe that the suspect had ulterior motives. We at the network still have no concrete information on him but he is rumored to still be at large. The press conference tonight should hopefully shed some light on the Vigilante who is already the most wanted man in Japan."

Izuku pressed the mute button and glanced at Yagi worriedly. "The HPSC doesn't know anything about him, do they?"

"No." Yagi shook his head reluctantly. No one knew the slightest thing about this man.

"Don't throw in the towel yet, some new info might pop up some time." Rumi encouraged. "Anyway, I should probably get back to my hospital room for some rest." Rumi went for the door but not before looking over her shoulder at Izuku with a sly grin. "You know, you showed some damn good skills back on I-Island. I don't normally do internships buuuuuuuut I'm willing to make an exception!"

"Wait-you-really-huh!?" Midoriya sputtered in surprise. Him? Interning with the Number 5 Pro Hero of Japan?

"That's honestly not a bad idea." Yagi rubbed his chin in agreement. "Rumi is a highly proficient fighter; you could learn a thing or two from her."

"And by that, he means I can turn you into a bonafide ass-kicking machine! If you want real combat training from a pro, don't be afraid to come find me. Buh-bye!" She left with a wink. Izuku was left with a flabbergasted expression, his brain still trying to process what just happened. First, he interned with All Might's mentor and now he was going to train with Miruko?

"I meant what I said. Training with her could help you out in the long run. A Hero not only trains his mind and body but also in self-defense. Rumi has years of kickboxing experience under her belt, it'll benefit you greatly when fighting a Villain." Yagi reason assuredly. "I...uh...just hope she doesn't get too rough with you."

"Y-Y-Y-Yeah." Izuku scratched the side of his cheek, nervous about what Miruko's training was like. He stared back down at his phone which was playing another news report showing the Vigilante again. He unmuted it as Yagi joined him in watching it.

"Rumors continue to persist about the identity of the Vigilante as detectives struggle in their search for clues regarding the suspect. The Vigilante's excessive brutality against the leader of the League of Villains at the Kiyashi Ward shopping mall evokes similar comparisons to Chizome Akaguro during his tenure as the Vigilante Stendhal before his eventual transformation into the infamous Villain, Stain the Hero Killer. Again, we can only hope that tonight's press conference will reveal who this man is."

Izuku and Yagi looked at each other worriedly. The deepening air of mystery that surrounded the Vigilante only served to hammer home just how much they didn't know a thing about him...

MUSUTAFU GENERAL HOSPITAL-4TH FLOOR

Miruko was on her way back to her room, jogging through the empty hallway as she did. She stumbled a little as she neared her door but managed to grab onto the armrest of a waiting room chair to stop her fall. Rumi sat down and huffed in frustration as she felt her legs shake. "Urgh! Come on, legs! Work with me here!"

"Pardon me, ma'am. Do you require aid?"

Rumi glanced up at a tall man wearing a traditional doctor's garb extending his hand to her. He was very thin and had bright orange hair that stuck up like they were flames while his curly goatee and elongated eyebrows were just as orange. His rather long, beak-like noise and wide eyes with green irises gave him a rather mischievous appearance but still exuded an air of trustworthiness.

"Thanks, doc. But I'm cool." Rumi assured him as she got back up. "My room's just over there."

"Very well. The staff here are more than welcome to help you if you need anything." The doctor responded politely.

"I'll keep that in mind. Later." Miruko waved goodbye as she walked down the hall and entered her room, closing the door behind her.

Out in the empty hallway, the doctor stared at her closed door. A sinister smile as thin as a razor blade stretched across his face. The doctor's clothing began to shift and change like a mirage into a dark green Norse tunic with a gold belt and symbols along the cuffs and collar. He wore loose-fitting, baggy gray kyrtill trousers with leather bands wrapped around the bottom of his legs and also wore brown jorvik boots with metal soles. Holstered around his decorative belt were two curved daggers with small chains around each hilt. At the ends of the chains were tufts of mistletoe.

A green, spiny snake resembling a bush viper slithered along his shoulder out of nowhere and traveled down the length of his arm until it coiled around his palm. The man held his hand up and gently caressed the viper's chin with his finger. The viper uttered a series of hisses like it was communicating with him.

"Why yes, my pet." The man agreed as he turned around and walked down the hall. "I believe she very well could be..."

To be continued...

Hope you guys enjoyed the first new chapter in a while!

I wanted to wrap things u with Melissa as much as I could but we'll be seeing her again sometime. I know there are a lot of fan theories regarding Midiroya's father but I don't have anything substantial planned for him so I just wrote him as a divorced father.

I did want to have the press conference shown in this chapter but I did not have the energy to do the whole thing so I'm saving that for the finale of the Premonitions arc. As per the quote I put at the beginning of the story, I want to showcase just how much of an enigma the Slayer is to the MHA cast. They're not going to know who he is for a long time and when it does get revealed, it's going to shake them to the core.

While Midoriya's confidence and willingness to resume being a Hero is admirable, don't forget that it's going to fly right out the window when the Demons arrive. Break the cuite all the way up to the max up in here. And no, I'm not going to have him fight the Doomslayer. He already pulled a stupid stunt trying to rescue Bakugou from the LOV in canon, he does not need to do some INFINITELY stupider.

I do plan on having him do internships with Rumi somewhere down the line, might give him a much-needed boost in combat. And thus we have the mysterious person who has taken an interest in Miruko. His identity won't be revealed until the next chapter but the subtle hints I laid out should give you all an idea of who he is...

I don't know when the next chapter will be out as I am still struggling with my job. Regardless, I greatly appreciate your patience and have a Happy Halloween.

Don't forget to review but please don't flame.