Shattering Images
Honestly, getting his provisional license was easy and he could hardly believe that he managed to do so with most of his classmates.
Todoroki and Bakugou hadn't managed to get theirs though.
To be honest, Izuku had known that the blonde wasn't going to be able to get his license due to his attitude. He had improved, yes, but he was still harsh and rash and just rude in general. So the blonde's failing was expected and it made something in his chest purr at the thought of succeeding where the blonde had failed.
He had made sure to shove that deep down where no one could see it.
Either way, it didn't matter in the end as he sighed and shook his head.
Especially as the class waited for the day to start and for Aizawa to appear. He felt like something was going to happen this class, especially after they got their licenses. He knew that their teacher would want to do something to increase their training or to give them a different perception.
It was how their teacher was after all, throwing curveballs at them at all times.
So he wasn't surprised when three Third Years were invited to speak with them.
Nor when the biggest of the three invited them all to fight him at once.
SI
He wasn't very sure if he wanted to actually fight this guy, especially as he watched him struggle with his pants.
After he had taken out Bakugou and Kirishima and Ojiro. He had taken out Ashido, Tsuyu, Ochako, and Kaminari just as quickly. Mineta, Hagakure, Jirou, and Yaomomo were next. Iida, Kouda, Satou, Sero, Shouji, and Aoyama all fell in what felt like a blink of the eye next.
He gulped and his gaze darted over to where Todoroki was watching next to Aizawa before looking back to where Mirio was standing, smiling at the younger teen. "It seems that you're that's all left of your class now." He shifted as he took a fighting stance, but that smile stayed on his face.
Izuku could only stare at him as he realized just how bright the other boy was with that smile on his face, his eyes shining in the light like sapphires. He didn't really know this boy, didn't know what true power he held, but he already knew that he could rival All Might one day.
Just from the way he held himself and the way he acted, it was all similar to his mentor and hero.
"Yeah, I'm the last one." He agreed as he lowered his body close to the ground, taking a stance that he had seen Aizawa-sensei take a few times to give him extra speed and reaction time. That's what he was going to need to face against this Third Year. Reaction and timing would lead to his victory.
He had to remember all that he had learned while under Nedzu, if only because it was a week and he was sure there was much more he could gain from the small mammal.
He'd use all the enhanced analysis classes to gain ground here and hope he could find a weakness here soon.
The only thing he had noticed was when he held his breath just before he fell into the ground. That was the only thing he saw asides from his ability to predict.
"Permeation." He muttered as he met the surprised teen's eyes, his own widening in realization at why this teen seemed familiar. "I had seen you at the last Sports Festival the year before. The second year that consistently lost his pants and came in complete last place." He stated as he prepared to move, waiting for the right timing. "The student that came in last now in the top three, meaning you either forfeited your chance at winning or you found a way to use your quirk in a way you needed."
"Oh, well look at that, you seem pretty well informed. I wonder why you didn't inform your class about me." He tilted his head as his eyes narrowed in his own thought.
"That's because he didn't learn it before just now." Aizawa cut in with a smirk on his face while the others all watched from the sidelines. "Believe it or not, Midoriya literally just remembered that just now and put all of what he just saw together." He had seen that spark in the teen's eyes, similar to what Nedzu and himself got when they remembered something important or saw something they could use to their advantage.
The blonde gave a surprised huff as he stood tall and ready to attack. "Either way, unless he knows how I'm attacking, he still doesn't stand a chance!" He shouted as he took a step forward and disappeared into the ground.
The greenette gulped as he flipped around and ran a solid five yards from where he stood before turning back to face where he had originally been and sunk down towards the ground once more.
He had to wait, the longest a person has ever held their breath without a quirk's help was about twenty five minutes, but he doubted that this guy could hold his breath for that long. He was guessing more towards the five to seven minute range.
Then there was the fact that he was popping up out of the ground rapidly and quickly, meaning that his quirk, permeation was allowing him to fall into the ground, but because basic physics had to come back into play at some point, it meant that his mass couldn't match up with the earth's and was so forced out of it instead.
Meaning that he was using that force to pop himself to places he wanted to be, predicting where his opponents would be in those seconds before he reappeared.
He had to use that to his advantage.
He smirked as he caught the bock of the third year, leaping forward as the other paused for that second.
His fist slipped past the other's head before it was grabbed and he was flipped over the other's shoulder in a throw.
He couldn't waste a second as he twisted his body to the side and avoided the kick to the stomach and held his arm up to block the fist heading for his face.
He didn't close his eyes as the fist phased through his head, instead twisting his arm block into a backwards swing that brushed the top of the other's hair.
It was then that he felt a hand grab a hold of his shirt collar.
His back hit the floor and the air left his lungs.
"I like this one." Mirio exclaimed as his pants were thrown at him by Aizawa. "He predicted a lot of my moves and only lost because I managed to slip through him and grab a hold of his collar when he wasn't looking."
"Whoa, he was really fast too! I've never seen someone push you around like that before!" Nejire was bouncing on the tips of her toes while Amajiki kept his head bowed. "Though you won in the end so I'm not too terribly surprised by that!"
"Mirio went full out again." Amajiki shook his head as he looked at all the groaning and grumbling students, some of them still laying on the floor. "He really needs to learn to hold back sometimes."
"Midoriya there, for a punishment for going out after curfew, was under the watchful eye of Principal Nedzu." Aizawa sent a small smirk at the three shocked expressions. "While under the watch of the principal, he was taught and learned from that rat, so I'm not surprised he was able to keep up with you."
"I see." Mirio nodded before smiling and looking at the rest of the class. "Well, that's what you could learn from Work Studies!"
With that, Homeroom ended.
SI
"You've been hiding things from me again." Izuku stated as he stared at the blonde in front of him with tired and sad eyes. It hadn't taken too long to find the older man while he was on his jog, using his quirk to catch up to him in a set pattern that would take him to areas he knew the older man preferred.
The older man gave a small cough at that before sighing and nodding his head in agreement. "There's more to it than I told you earlier, about my relationship with Nighteye. The reason why Nighteye and I stopped working together is much worse than you think."
"What was it?" He questioned as he looked at the other with worried eyes. There were only so many options that he could choose from to try and fill in the blanks that All Might was leaving out. Gran Torino must have known this too, which was why he had mentioned Sir Nighteye as a possible agency to do his Work Study at.
The retired bro sighed as he looked at his successor. "Nighteye's ability, foresight, he used it on me while I was recovery from my surgery. Back when I first defeated All for One." He held a hand against his side where his scar was. "I'm sure you know what foresight is and I'm sure you already know that he's never been wrong when using it before."
"What's that got to do with anything." He could feel his shoulders hunch and he couldn't stop himself from wrapping his arms around his stomach. He had read about Nighteye, had guessed and hypothesized about what his quirk meant, but he could find little because the man kept it a tight secret.
"Nighteye's ability, he's able to see the future, more precisely, a single person's future and all that they will do and will happen to them. The further in the future he gets, the grainier it gets." He explained calmly as he tilted his head off to the side. "When he used it on me, against my wishes I might add, he saw my death."
That sent a shock through the greenette, his eyes widening as what was said slammed through his whole being.
It was something he knew he had to hear and had to know, but there wasn't much he could do against the actual words. He wasn't sure that he would be able to stop them or to keep All Might from falling to what his once sidekick had told him. "How long?" He whispered out.
The sigh the released from the older man told of weariness and exhaustion, one that kept a firm hold on the man for so long. "Six or seven years, we weren't quite sure. Either way, I know when it's time, I'll go with a smile, but until then, I'll…."
"No!" Izuku shouted as he glared at the stunned man, bright blue eyes staring at him in incomprehension. "I don't care what Sir Nighteye says! I can't become number one without you! I need you here with me! Helping me get control of One for All and use it to save people! You can't die until you see me become the hero you told me I could be! So you have to promise not to give up until then!" He held a fist out to the other.
Yagi could only stare at his student, those bright determined eyes that spoke of such fire. It was something he had seen when he had first offered his quirk and continued to see again and again and again.
One he was going to see when this young man became a hero.
He smiled as he knocked his fist against the boy's. "It's a promise my boy."
Izuku smiled at that.
SI
He hated himself right now.
Completely and utterly hated himself because he fell right back into the habit of trusting heroes that would do nothing but hurt him in the end.
He could hardly believe how he had gotten stuck in this situation but at the same time he could because he had let All Might come up with a way to introduce him to Sir Nighteye.
Mirio Togata was in a work study under the once sidekick and so had been Izuku's way into getting into the Hero's agency. He had taken it full heartedly and was excited to meet the sidekick, the one that had gotten All Might to take him on and work well together until their falling out.
He just wanted to be a better hero and he thought that this hero would be able to do so in the end.
He had been wrong.
"You aren't worthy to be the successor for One for All." Nighteye stated as he pointed at the boy in front of him. "But as a favor, I'll allow you a chance to join my agency. All you have to do is take this and stamp your application." He explained as he pushed his glasses up and watched the bowed head of the boy. "You have three minutes."
Izuku though, wasn't really listening after that first sentence.
Really, who did this guy think he was? Did he really think just because he was the sidekick of All Might so many years ago that he could tell the man who was worthy and who wasn't? Did he think he have any hand in the quirk in the first place?
Who the fuck did this guy think he was telling him that he wasn't worthy of the quirk that he was given by one of the greatest men he had known?!
Sure, All Might sucked as a teacher at the moment. HE was constantly stumbling and not really giving any advice that Izuku could really use. Much like when he had first received the quirk and then not really trained him after that for a while. It took Gran Torino kick starting it for the blonde to really get his ass in gear.
Not to mention his judgement sucked when it came to people and how they interacted, but then again, that was most people at UA it seemed. His relationship with Bakugou for example, was such an interaction the man had thought simple rivalry until Izuku had opened his mouth and stood his ground.
But that didn't mean he couldn't make his own choices, that he couldn't make his mind up about something or choose his own path. He was strong and wise enough to do as he pleased with his own quirk and who to pass it on to.
He didn't need this guy's permission or blessing or whatever it was he had come here to do. He didn't need this man at all. He could find a way to improve without this asshole in his life.
So, with that thought, he bowed to the man instead. "I think I made a mistake." He stated as calmly as he could. "It's obvious I have nothing to learn from you here."
The man blinked as he looked at the young man in front of him, brows furrowed as he watched the reel in his mind stutter for a second before continuing on. "Oh, and what was that mistake?" He questioned as he pushed the reel to the side, not seeing anything different than he had earlier on. The boy would still be joining his agency, so nothing had changed. He didn't understand the stutter there for a second.
"Because you're no different then the people who told me I couldn't be a hero." The boy stood up then, eyes glowing with a fire even as they darkened with something he couldn't place. "You'll only take me on so you can try and make me give up One for All, that's the only reason you'd take me. To make me give it to someone else you believe deserves it."
"Correct." Nighteye didn't bother hiding his intentions, especially as the boy already knew them. "Mirio is more deserving of the quirk than you. He has the smile and drive that All Might did and does still possess. He'll be the next Symbol of Peace, I'm sure of it." He nodded to himself, as if he was truly in the right. "That's why you should hand it over as quickly as possible. The sooner he has time to gain control over the quirk, the better."
"But that's not a decision you get to make." Izuku growled out as he clenched his fists, lightning flaring up around him. "You didn't have this quirk, you never held it and it was never given to you and you never gave it away, so I don't understand why you think you have any right in thinking where it should go." He could feel the blood beginning to pool where his nails dug into his skin. "So what the fuck do you think telling me what to do with it when you have no control or say in what I do now!?" His eyes snapped into a sharpness that caught the hero's breath. The man almost wanted to take a step back but held his ground instead. The film in front of his eyes stuttered again and this time, he noticed.
A change in the reel.
He no longer saw the flashes of a battle between him and the boy. No, that was completely gone, completely out of sight now.
He gasped as he realized that the once stone solid future he had seen had completely changed.
"This quirk was All Might's and his choice was me and now it's mine." Izuku almost completely snarled. "I won't let you make me give it up just because you're an asshole who think's he has any right to control another person because he's afraid!"
"Afraid?" He questioned as he focused on the child once more, ignoring the continued stuttering of the film and how it would change minutely at the moment, several paths opening up like he had never seen before. "And why do you say I'm afraid?"
"Because you saw All Might's death, you and I both know that's true." They kept their eyes on the other, neither looking away now. "But that doesn't mean you get to decide on how he lives the rest of it. That doesn't mean he can't fight the fate you've seen and make it different. I won't let him break his promise and I won't break mine to him."
Nighteye frowned at that before huffing at the child. "It seems that I might have underestimated you." He walked over to his desk and quickly stamped the document. "I'll hand this in and you can begin working tomorrow with Mirio." He needed to figure out how this child had changed the future like he had. He had never seen the reel completely change like that before and it was something he needed to figure out so that he could save All Might.
"I already told you, I'm not going to work here." That made the man pause, staring down at the stamped document before him. "It was a mistake coming here, it's obvious I won't learn a thing from you, you'll only hold me back while trying to make me give up One for All." With that the teen turned on his heel and walked out of the office, leaving the man stunned.
SI
Honestly, Izuku wasn't sure what he had expected out of the man. That had been a bullshit interview and he wasn't going to harm himself by putting himself in another abusive situation. He had done that with Bakugou and he wasn't doing it with another if he can help it.
If that meant he wasn't going to intern with Sir Nighteye, then so be it, he would find a different hero that could help him improve his techniques. Someone who was similar to his own abilities and capabilities would be ideal.
He was so inflamed that he ignored the older third year, waving at him with a smile that quickly halted and turned into a worried frown. He ignored Bubble Girl who was watching him go with a sad smile and a shake to her head. He ignored Centipeder, who was watching him go neutrally.
He left the building behind, done with wasting his time on people intent on slowing him down and making him do things they wanted.
He had learned from Bakugou to never bow and to never give up. He wasn't going to let a hero take that blonde's place.
He was so incensed and ignorant of his surroundings that he was bowled over by a little girl while passing an alleyway.
SI
"Sir?" Mirio questioned as he walked into the office, the door almost completely torn off its hinges from how hard it had slammed into the wall. It was obvious that Midoriya had been incensed and lost control of his quirk. "What happened?"
The man sighed as he looked down at the document in front of him, his stamp held tightly in his hand. "It seems that I've miscalculated on how much that boy would take."
"Is this about One for All again?" Mirio had known about the quirk for some time, Sir having been grooming him to take it on for a while now. Though the blonde had thought that he would most likely refuse it if the Symbol of Peace ever offered it to him.
"Yes, it is. That boy that just walked out of my office, he's the inheritor of One for All, an unworthy child that has no idea how to use it and how to be a symbol for the new world." He explained as he turned to face the intern. "I had intended for him to pass it to you, a much more worthy candidate."
"Well, that's stupid."
Nighteye stared at the teen in shock, taking in the completely serious look on the other's face. "Mirio…."
"I hadn't told you yet, but I was going to refuse taking the quirk if I was ever offered." The teen stated sternly. "I already have a quirk that's hard to control, adding on another would have just made it worse, so it's null and void topic to begin with." He explained with a smile on his face. "I'm going to be the best with my own power, not one you made another person give up."
"I believe that would be the best course, not only for you but for All Might and the rest of humanity." Nighteye stated. "Not with what I've seen in the future."
Blood and screams. The horror of watching All Might fall to his knees as the monster over him reached down with all five hands to finish him off once and for all, the skeletal form of the man unable to prevent his coming fate.
"But that doesn't mean you try and force someone else to give up." Mirio sighed as he ran a hand through his hair, before smiling. "Midoriya has potential that I've seen, that I've faced. He's the only one out of the first years that lasted more than five seconds against me. He predicted my movements and kept up. He isn't someone you just brush aside." Nighteye could only watch as his protégé smiled widely. "I have no doubt he'll be number one in the future."
That was when Nighteye felt a tug and he looked back at the reel in the corner of his eyes, gasping at what he had just seen in the next few minutes.
SI
"Oh, are you okay? You took a bit of a tumble there." Izuku said as he looked at the little girl that was against his side where they were on the sidewalk. She had ran into him so hard that it had knocked him over.
He looked her over and took in the long silver hair and the little horn that was extending from the corner of her forehead. She work a short sleeved white dress. What really caught his attention though were the bandages that were covering her arms and legs and the trembling encompassing her entire body.
It was obvious she was afraid of something that he wasn't understanding. "Hey, are you okay? What's wrong?"
He pulled her up into his chest and wrapped a hand around her back and one underneath her bottom. She couldn't be older than a four year old, maybe a five year old but that was pushing it with her size.
"Please." She whispered and Izuku had to listen closely to hear it. She was so quiet and so scared, he wasn't sure what to do.
"It's okay, I'll help you." He stood up, keeping a firm hold on her and holding her tight against his chest. "Let's see about getting some help, maybe we can find your parents."
"There won't be a need for that." A voice called from the alley and Izuku turned to stare at the man that wondered out, white gloved hands at his sides as the black fur on his green bomber jacket swayed in the breeze. The crimson and gold plague doctor mask hid most of his face, but Izuku could see the other's golden eyes and how cold they were. "Come now Eri, don't bother the teen, he looks like he was just heading somewhere."
"Ah, no worries." Izuku murmured as he hunched over the girl slightly. "I was just heading back home when we ran into each other." He explained, heart beating rapidly in a sense he hadn't felt since he was in middle school, cornered by Bakugou. A sense that said that he was in danger. "Who are you?"
"Me, I'm Eri's father of course." The man held a hand out towards the girl. "IF you'll just hand her over, we'll be on our way."
The teen gulped as his grip tightened. HE didn't understand why, but he felt like this man was lying. His eyes were so cold and the way that the child in his arms, Eri, stiffened when he was asked to hand her over spoke of more than just a father and daughter.
"Please, help me." Eri's whisper reached him, along with the grip on his shirt tightening, and spoke of the terror she was obviously facing. He didn't want to hand her over, he didn't want to let her go, and so he didn't.
He had learned to hold his ground, for good or worse.
"I'm sorry but I don't think she's really going to let go." He said softly, hunching tightly towards the girl.
"That's fine, but Eri, we need to go, we don't want to waste this young man's time." The man's eyes narrowed as the little girl's trembling began to worsen. "Afterall, I'm sure he has more important things to worry about."
"No, no I don't, not really." Izuku exclaimed with wide eyes as he tried to think of a way to help take care of this girl. "I don't really have anything going on, not like anyone would miss me." He muttered as he thought about what Nighteye thought of him, along with Bakugou. He was sure his friends and the teachers would notice he was missing at some point, but it would be a while before it happened.
After all, he was supposed to be at the Nighteye agency for a while, not expected to return until late that night.
"Oh, and why's that?" The man questioned with a raised brow, now interested in the teen.
"Oh, um, because um, I'm….I'm Quirkless!" He exclaimed and his eyes widened in horror. He hadn't meant to say that. That wasn't something he had wanted to say to anyone ever again.
He wasn't quirkless and eh shouldn't be telling people he was, but something inside of him had made him that it was the safer option.
The man was quiet for a long moment before he seemingly made a decision and made a come hither motion with his hands. "IF that's so, then maybe we can help each other. Come with me and we can talk about it."
Izuku gulped as he looked down at the girl in his arms, Eri's shaking had increased, but he couldn't make himself let her go.
So he made a decision.
He followed the man into the alleyway.
SI
"Aizawa." He answered his phone with a sigh, tired as he looked over applications in front of him. Some of them were applications for work studies and others for time off of campus for various things.
"It's Nighteye." Was the clipped answer. "Has Midoriya Izuku returned to the dorms yet?"
That caused the older man's eyes to focus as he sat up straight. "No, he hasn't yet. I assumed he was still at your agency with Mirio, discussing a possible Work Study with you."
There was a curse and a fist slamming onto the counter. "I had hoped that what I saw wasn't true. Listen to me Eraserhead, when Midoriya returns, you are to bring him right back here. He'll have information I need. Do not delay a second on this, millions of lives could be on the line."
With that, the man hung up on him before the teacher could respond. He sighed as he rubbed at his eyes, his phone clenched tight in his fist. "What the hell did you do this time Problem Child?" He questioned as he stood up and walked out of his room in the dorms.
He headed to the front of the buildings and stood, waiting for the child to return.
He nodded at the other students that appeared and walked by him, speaking briefly with those that stopped, but otherwise keeping an eye out for a familiar head of bushy hair.
It wasn't until almost ten, pass curfew, when he showed up.
"Where have you been?" Aizawa growled as he glared at the student in front of him. His eyes narrowed further as he noticed the pallor the child had and the blood that was splattered on his shirt, eyes wide with horror. "What happened?"
Izuku could only gulp as he looked up at his teacher and then collapsed on the ground, grasping at his chest as panic completely swamped him. The teacher was next to the student in a nanosecond, trying to figure out what had happened while trying to calm the other.
Whatever it was, I was the reason why Nighteye wanted him to bring the teen into his agency immediately.
SI
A.N. I normally don't have a problem with any of the characters in BNHA, but there were two that I completely despised the moment they were introduced to me.
One was Endeavor and that should be pretty obvious why. The jackass is an abusive hero that has ignored all decency towards his family and he's finally getting what he deserves in the manga.
The second was Sir Nighteye. That was because of his holier than thou attitude and the way he was making decisions for All Might and for Izuku. I hated it and I wanted to hit him with a goddamn punch to the face. But whatever, there wasn't a whole lot I could do about it so I just let it go for the most part.
Not this time though! I've changed it up a bit and because of that, a few things needed to be changed about the way this needed to go, especially as I've made Izuku realize the signs for abusive behavior and he can now avoid it if he so wishes. Which is what I had done here. He doesn't have to deal with that shit now!
Though that meant I had to get him involved with Overhaul in a totally completely different way! So I hope you can follow! Hope you enjoyed!
I would like everyone to think about some of the authors on Fanfiction that died recently or a while ago. Some of them died in tragic accidents or illnesses and have left stories unfinished or had others finish them for them in memory. I would like everyone reading this to lower their heads, clasp their hands together and pray for those who have been lost. Allow there to be a moment of silence for wherever you, the reader, are and remember not just the writers here on this site but those who have been lost in your life or in tragic events.
Please remember that life is short and that you should love those in your life while you can and show your appreciation for water comes into your life.
Again, thanks to those who have lost their lives for spreading inspiration through their works.
I've written a story that wasn't exactly all cuddles and snuggles and some of the comments made my blood turn to ice. I worry for those who suffer from abuse of any form or depression of any form and so I decided to look for numbers to offer to those who need them. So I hope all of those who need one or more of these numbers will make use of them.
You all are loved and I pray that none of you give up on your life because of the assholes around you. Know that we are here for you and all you need do is reach out and we'll all help where we can.
Suicide: 1-800-273-8255
Bullying: 1-800-420-1479
Self-Harm:1-800-366-8288
Sexual Assault: 1-800-656-4673
Lifeline: 1-800-784-8433
Greif Support: 1-650-321-3438
Depression: 1-630-482-9696
Drug/Alcohol: 1-877-235-4525
Eating Disorder: 1-630-577-1330
Mental Health: 1-800-442-9673
Abuse: 1-800-799-7233
