Happy Thanksgiving everybody! For all those who saw my last update: Surprise! This is what I've been up to. For any new readers, welcome and I hope you enjoy what I've put out. Now to cut to the chase, this new fic is actually a tribute to Silverbits' KH x MHA crossover fics, namely Shadows of the Past, Light of the Future (and somewhat of a promo to her reboot: Heroes of Light). I fell in love with the first seven chapters of SOTPLOTF so much that I couldn't help but think about what the story would be like if taken in a slightly different direction, and, with Silverbits' permission, I decided to write just that! Now, before anyone gets too excited about this being a continuation of sorts, this will only pick up from the 7th chapter of SOTPLOTF (with slight variations) up to before the UA entrance exams. Anyone not familiar with that story, I recommend reading those first seven chapters. This fic will be mainly focused on family fluff along with personal growth. Finally, this first chapter will be split into two parts since I greatly underestimated how long I would make it. With that out of the way, on to the first chapter!
Chapter 1: You Can be a Hero - Part 1
A carton of eggs felt more and more like cracked glass in her hands. Did she dare walk with them? Could her treacherous, incapable hands be trusted to hold them? She didn't know where her mind was going with this—these were just eggs. But here she was—standing in the middle of a convenience store like a moron, having what she believed to be the beginning of a mental breakdown over the very eggs she was told to look for.
The young woman sighed to herself. Why was she getting so worked up on a simple grocery run? Well, she knew the answer, but she just didn't want to acknowledge it at the moment.
Alright. She sighed again. Let's just get these over to Inko and be done with it. Yet all she could do was stare down at her unmoving feet as if they were having a disagreement with her. She cursed her lack of decisiveness yet again.
Just move, you idiot! There's nothing more to think and stand around about! Just go over to Inko and tell her that you-
"Aqua?"
The aforementioned 'Aqua' turned in the direction of the voice, seeing the familiar green hair and concerned round eyes.
"Sweetie, is everything okay? You just seemed to be standing there, lost in thought. Oh! Good, you found the eggs! Now it's just one more thing to pick up before heading out."
"Uh… yeah," Aqua could only respond awkwardly before following the green-haired woman through the convenience store.
However, even in the midst of that, Aqua was having trouble keeping her thoughts from spiraling. The past month and a few weeks since she had been taken in by the woman in front of her, Inko Midoriya, have been a beacon of light in her previous months of turmoil. It gave her a family, friends and a world where she could find a life in. And yet, how much had she really done in return for that kindness?
Aqua shook herself out of those thoughts and looked up from the floor to keep track of Inko as they went through the store. She knew their purpose for being there, but she couldn't help but wonder how much good it would do.
"Um…" she began to speak up, "I know this is meant to surprise him and cheer him up, but… is this really to best we can do for Izuku?"
Aqua flinched at her tactless question when she saw Inko halt in her steps, every indication purposeful movement completely lost. The bluenette inwardly cursed her bluntness and tried to think of a way to rephrase her sentence before she heard the older woman sigh.
Inko could only look down at her hands holding on to the grocery cart as her mind started racing at the young woman's question. She couldn't fool herself into thinking she had a perfect solution at the moment, but damn it all if she wasn't willing to give everything she had for one of her children.
"I don't know," her breath hitched as she was trying, but failing to hold back tears, "I… I wish I knew for sure. I wish I could do better, but…"
Her agonized apologies to her crying son were filling her mind, but she pushed those thoughts down for the moment.
"I-I don't know, Aqua… I'm not sure if I can really do anything for him. We both know that… that the path ahead of him will be hard… no matter what he decides to do."
Tears were already forming and falling before Inko had the chance to hold them back. She inwardly cursed at herself for not keeping it together as she remembered the dismissive and uncaring tone of the doctor that she and her son visited that fateful day.
"Sorry, kid. It's not gonna happen."
Her eyes began to burn with more tears at the memory, but this time it was from barely contained rage against that man. At the time, she had been more shell-shocked and concerned for her boy as her worst fears for him had been confirmed, but to hear those words replayed in her mind—those accursed words from a medical professional towards her son as if his whole world wasn't being shattered right in front him—it was proving difficult not to throw away every sense of decorum and go confront that so-called "doctor".
She quickly shook her head to quiet these violent thoughts as she tried to think up an answer to the young woman behind her.
"I just…" she began again, frustrated at feeling her tears build up again, "this is all I really can do. I just… can't bear the thought that my baby boy will feel loved any less for something he can't control! This has to be enough! I just… I have to let Izuku know how special he is—how much he matters. How much he still deserves to be loved… even if the world can't bring itself to care."
By this point, Inko had completely given up on holding back from crying. She was sure to be drawing a lot of attention from fellow shoppers, but she didn't care about that anymore. She was stuck on how she may have failed her son—the pleading look in his eyes as he asked if he could still be hero. She blamed herself for how unlucky Izuku ended up being. If she had the chance to take on her precious boy's misfortune, she'd do so in a heartbeat. She couldn't, however. And now she could only stand back in dread for her son's well-being in a society that might not look out for him as well as it should, despite his kind-hearted nature. She hated feeling so useless, but just what could she do? How could she possibly make everything okay for Izuku?
Lost within her sadness and self-loathing, Inko was able to take in small comfort when she felt her adoptive daughter's hand on her back.
Aqua, however, was only faring slightly better in comparison as she comforted Inko. She couldn't help but chide herself further for how her words affected the kind mother, however unintentionally. She hated seeing her so defeated and miserable even as she was trying to do her best. But her anger burned more at the fact that this undeserved misery forced upon her beloved adopted family stemmed from a simple diagnosis.
Back then, that Friday after having met with the principal of the most prestigious hero school in Japan, UA High, and spending time with Tensei Iida, a new excitement filled her as she was given the opportunity to become student there. It wasn't what she wanted initially, true, but she at least had a direction for the near future—aside from getting back to Terra and Ventus, of course. This gave her the chance to use the powers gifted to her in order to protect this world that she eventually saw as home (mostly on account of the dark creatures that were finding their way into this world). It was a chance to finally live up to her title as a Keyblade Master. She had been so excited to share this excitement with her family from this world—Her two beacons of light that took her in ever since her miraculous escape from the Realm of Darkness.
However, when she got back to the Midoriya Family's apartment, she was instead met with sobering news.
Inko and Izuku had visited the doctor to find out why Izuku hadn't developed his Quirk yet while she went to UA, and since they got back, the mood had been very melancholy. When Aqua came back home, she was immediately alerted to sounds of sobbing in one of the rooms. She immediately rushed over there—her paper for entering into UA forgotten on the floor—ready to ask what was wrong when she arrived. As soon as she did, though, she could only stop and look at the miserable sight of her mother and brother crying while the video of All Might—the video that Izuku had wanted to show her—was playing in the background. Inko was desperately holding on to Izuku, giving out apologies ever-so-often. The look on Izuku's face, however, was one Aqua would remember for years to come.
His eyes were overflowing with tears, more so than Inko's, but the look on his face held up by a frozen smile contained a mixture of shock, sadness, uncertainty, but most of all, a fractured innocence. It was the look of someone who had just been told that their dream was forever denied—the look of someone who had their hope shattered.
From that moment, Aqua didn't think she could intrude on this moment between mother and son, and chose to leave the scene. She desperately wanted to reach out to her little brother and comfort him from every cause of sorrow, but she needed to know what was wrong first, so she waited.
Sure enough, after nearly an hour of comforting her son and putting him to bed, Inko came out to Aqua and told her the bad news from the doctor.
Izuku was Quirkless.
Aqua's precious baby brother—the little boy whose light in his heart exuded a kindness ready to bring hope to those around him—was Quirkless.
At that moment, she just couldn't fathom the unfairness of it all.
She knew from Inko's past explanation of this world that twenty percent of its residents were without a Quirk. The bluenette was a bit curious about that, but Inko didn't go too much into it. Despite that, Aqua could tell from her tone that Quirkless people were most likely not treated well. From her own experience, it wasn't uncommon to see people in other worlds without magic or powers of some kind, but this was the first time she's been to a world where nearly everyone has powers. She was amazed when seeing such things, but after thinking more about the information, she almost shuddered when wondering what kind of social dynamic that creates.
Based on Inko's knowledge, Quirkless people were becoming rarer in the world as generations passed. Unfortunately, in light of Izuku's diagnosis, the poor boy would be the only one in his age group without a Quirk.
That news alone turned Aqua's blood into ice. She already knew the indescribable pain of loneliness (most notably in the Realm of Darkness), and Izuku was already isolated from the all of the other kids apart from Katsuki. She couldn't bear to discover how much worse things could get for him going forward.
Back then, her mind was already going in circles thinking about how this would affect Izuku and Katsuki's friendship. Surely, nothing would change, right? A quirk shouldn't be the deciding factor for a strong friendship. Surely, Katsuki would continue to be there for Izuku, right? He did promise her to look out for him. Of course, that should be enough. Izuku will be okay. So, why was the awful pit in her stomach still not going away?
So, after being told this news, Aqua had asked Inko if there were still ways for Izuku to become a pro hero despite not having a Quirk. It was true that the job was dangerous enough for quirked individuals, but there had to be some sort of Quirkless hero out there. Maybe Izuku could take inspiration from them.
Sadly, as she and Inko looked it up online the next day, there were none to even speak of. There also came concerns in Inko's mind regarding her son's employment in the future. She was certain Izuku could find other jobs besides becoming a pro hero, but then again, it was likely that he would still be passed up for someone with a Quirk that properly suited the position. Regardless, Inko felt the need to hope that something would come along, even if her boy couldn't fulfill his dreams.
On Aqua's part, she was further disheartened. It seemed that no matter what direction Izuku would go, he was doomed to be undervalued by a society that was supposed to look out for his well-being. Even so, something told her deep down that her little brother wasn't going to give up on his dream so easily. Even with the despair so clear on his face, she could still feel his light burning in defiance, ready to defend and protect. To others, any further desire to be a hero in this predicament would be ludicrous, but she herself knew that it wasn't exactly an impossibility. After all, Aqua knew something about her little brother that their mother had yet to notice.
Izuku, like Aqua, was a Keyblade wielder—or at least had the potential to be one.
Ever since his fourth birthday, when the boy held the Keyblade that once belonged to Aqua's master and inadvertently gave her the energy to defeat the monster that attacked them, Izuku's magic would come out small bursts. Granted, the magic was weak enough that even the boy himself wasn't aware of it. Even so, it wouldn't be long before his magic became more uncontrollable due to his emotions, and there was very little chance someone could figure out how to help him reach his potential even if it was considered a Quirk.
Though someone like her could help him.
Aqua had been apprehensive about meddling more in the Midoriyas' lives than she already did. Aside from the danger Izuku's power could put him in, she wasn't sure how it would affect his Quirk when it came in. Since he ended up Quirkless, however, there was very little point for her to not get involved. She was a Keyblade Master, after all. Even if she didn't feel worthy of the title, it was technically her responsibility to train others like her. This left her in another predicament: how to explain this to her mother.
On one hand, Inko would probably be overjoyed that her son would have a chance to achieve his dreams, but would she be so accepting if she knew the risks, since the dark creatures would be sure to target him? There'd probably be little anyone could do about that, since he'd be excited to use his magic once he learned he had it. Now all that left Aqua with was the question of how she was going to prove Izuku had magic.
Could she leave Izuku to reveal it to himself and others on his own? That was potentially disastrous, so probably not. She could get him to unleash his magic, but she didn't like the idea of possibly forcing him to manifest it when he's already been told he doesn't have a power. She might have to consider just telling Inko without any proof, but would she take her words at face value?
This back-and-forth within her mind plagued Aqua as she spent that weekend discussing with Inko about admitting into UA. Because of Izuku being Quirkless, she didn't think it would be a good idea to tell him about it. She felt even less sure about going to UA, since she was afraid that Izuku would feel like he was being left behind, much like how Terra probably felt when Aqua passed the Mark of Mastery Exam and he didn't. However, Inko reminded her that if more of those dark creatures started popping up and attacking, she'll need a hero's license in order to fight to protect everyone without repercussions. They could sort out what to do with Izuku later.
She decided to try and get Izuku to open up and talk to about… being Quirkless—maybe even show him that he has powers. Instead, her little brother became a bit more withdrawn since the night after the visit to the doctor. Izuku would still smile and play like usual, but there were moments when the bluenette noticed the smiles were forced or he was struggling to keep himself from crying. She was glad when she was able to coax her brother into receiving a hug from her. Aqua would take any moment to make sure Izuku always knew he was loved.
By the time Monday rolled around, Aqua made her decision. She was going to tell Inko about Izuku's power and her intent to train him, and whatever happens after that, happens.
When they had to drop Izuku off at the daycare, Aqua made sure to give him a big hug and said that she had something really important to tell him after they picked him up at the end of the day. Her hand carded through the messy curls of her brother's hair as she promised him that he would be okay. She felt Izuku hug her tighter after hearing that, as well as a bit of hesitance in letting her go.
This led back to the present moment: Aqua and Inko stopping at a nearby convenience store to pick up food and ingredients for Katsudon (Izuku's favorite food) to try and cheer the boy up once the day was over. Inko usually wouldn't be too frivolous in taking time off of work, but she didn't care at the moment. Her son came first.
She had just finished drying her tears as Aqua comforted her and she looked back at the young woman with a wobbly smile.
"Sorry for losing myself there, dear," she said, catching any new tears that formed, "Let's get back to shopping. We can only do the best we can, after all."
Aqua gave her mother a tiny smile back with what little reassurance she could find in Inko's words. She frowned again while following the older woman as she was reminding herself what she planned to do.
There's probably no better time. She thought. Moment of truth. It's now or never.
Izuku's future may very well hang on Aqua's next words.
"Right, but um… about everything that's been going on, mom," She looked up to see that while Inko was still looking ahead, she had her head turned slightly in Aqua's direction to let her know she was listening.
The Keyblade Master took a deep breath as she gathered up her courage to speak again.
"What would you say… if it were still possible for Izuku to become a pro hero? That he might still have a power, but it just… doesn't come from a Quirk?"
She watched Inko continue to walk a few steps before she halted at the question. Her mother turned to look at her incredulously as if she just said the sky was green.
"I- what?" Inko walked closer to her and began fretting over her, "W-what do you mean by that, dear? Are you okay? I'm not quite sure I get where you're going with this."
Aqua did her best to keep herself from sighing. She'd be lying if she said she didn't expect that response. She may have spilled the truth to Inko about who she was, where she came from and what led her here, but she couldn't expect for her mother to understand what the implications of other worlds existing could mean for her own world. Two truths can't coexist, after all. That's part of the reason why the World Order is a thing. Inko probably never even considered asking if someone from her own world could possess magic, much less a Keyblade. There might be some part of her that still assumes that Aqua's power is a Quirk.
The bluenette did her best to reassure her mother, "Don't worry, mom, I'm fine. I know what I said sounds weird, but I've been noticing something going on with Izuku that I wasn't sure how to bring up with you. At least, not without proof, anyway."
She met Inko's gaze as she asked, "You trust me. Right, mom?"
The green-haired woman still wore an expression of confusion, but she nodded after a moment.
Aqua took another steady breath before laying out the truth.
"Mom, the thing is… Izuku is-"
Inko blinked when she saw her daughter had stopped short. Is whatever she had to say really this concerning?
"Sweetie, what are you about to say? I-I may not be able to get it, but I promise that I'll listen! Please, I-I know I can trust you. You can say what's on your mind, dear."
However, Aqua wasn't listening to her. Quite frankly, she completely checked out of everything going on in the convenience store. Right as she was about to reveal the truth, she was immediately hit with a sensation of fear and panic.
She didn't know what was going on, at first. Her eyes darted around the area for fear that another creature of darkness was attacking. When she realized that everything was normal, she began to notice a bit of familiarity to this panic. Her hand was subconsciously reaching for her Wayfinder as it became clearer that the sensation was reaching her due to an unbreakable connection that she had with someone. She quickly calmed herself as she touched her charm and tried to pinpoint the connection.
Aqua almost wondered if Terra or Ven had reached out to her, but quickly dismissed the thought as she noticed how young this connection was. She could feel this soul crying out in fear. Crying out for her… and for Inko…
Aqua's breath hitched in her throat at her realization.
"Izuku…"
"Yes, sweetie. What were you about to tell me about Izuku?"
She was snapped back to attention by those words, and looked back into Inko's worried eyes. Granted, she could imagine herself looking pretty pale at the moment, but that was the least of her worries now. She immediately grabbed Inko's shoulders in a manner for which she'd be sure to apologize later.
"Mom, we have to get back to daycare, right now," Aqua said, urgently, "Something's happened to Izuku."
If Inko wasn't already startled by the act of her daughter grabbing her by the shoulders, she was definitely looking quite frantic at this point.
"H-huh? Aqua, please slow down for me! What do you mean something's happened to him? How do you even know that in the first place?" She asked.
It was getting harder for Aqua not to huff in frustration, and she felt bad for rushing Inko, but right now, getting back to Izuku and making sure he was safe was the priority.
"I know it's confusing you, mom, but how I know doesn't matter. We have to get to Izuku and make sure he's-"
A ringtone from Inko's purse put a halt to this tense moment.
Aqua let her mother go while the older woman mumbled apologies as she dug a hand into her purse to find her phone. The bluenette, meanwhile, ran a hand through her hair in frustration. At this point, she had half a mind to just pull Inko to the car.
She calmed herself down as much as she could. She decided she'll wait to see if the call was important, but if it could wait until later, she'd have to get Inko to promise a call back.
"Ms. Yami?" Aqua heard her mother mutter.
She immediately perked up after hearing the name of one the supervisors at Izuku's daycare. Surely, if she's calling, there must be something going on with Izuku. Aqua's eyes met Inko's briefly. Whether it was the green-haired woman's way of asking for permission or confirmation, she wasn't sure, but she nodded in response anyway. It'd be best to know what was going on, at least.
Inko accepted the call and started talking.
"Hello? Ms. Yami? Is everything- Oh! The office where we-? Yes, it was with Dr. Tsubasa. What? Yes, I'm sure!... A misdiagnosis? I-I mean, I wish that were true, but-… What?"
Aqua watched her mother pace around with the phone until she completely stopped after uttering the last word, shock written all over her face. Although she couldn't hear the full conversation, she was already piecing everything together just from Inko's side, and she didn't like what she was coming up with.
"I-I… okay," Inko could only weakly mutter before she hung up.
"Mom? I'm right here," Aqua said, moving closer to her mother, "Tell me what's happening."
At first, Inko wasn't staring in any particular direction, but began to shakily reply, "S-she… she just said th-that… Izuku's Quirk manifested."
She finally turned toward Aqua, eyes full of fear and desperation.
"And it's out of control!"
Ten minutes earlier…
Izuku could only grip his clothes anxiously as he looked at all the other kids. He saw them all show off a little bit of their Quirks before a nearby supervisor would get them to settle down, not wanting the scene to get any more chaotic.
Everyone looked so excited to him, but there'd be no way for him to join in on the fun.
"Sorry, kid. It's not gonna happen."
Izuku quickly shook his head as the thought threatened to make him tear up again. He grasped for the good luck charm around his neck—the Wayfinder that Onee-chan made for him—reveling in the comfort it brought him.
However, that comfort could only do so much. Right now, he felt the strong desire to be back home safe in his mother's arms—or Onee-chan's. The thought of coming back here and everyone finding out that he was Quirkless chilled him to the bone—so much so that he was actually shivering.
He shook himself again from his thoughts and put on what he thought was a determined look on his face.
No! I-I can't get scared! Heroes never back down when things get tough! And I'll be a hero no matter what! Just like All Might! And Onee-chan!
"Oi! Deku!" he heard a familiar voice moving toward him.
"Ah! Kacchan!" Izuku perked up excitedly, seeing his best friend walking up to him with his own buddies.
That's right! He and Kacchan can play like usual. Maybe he could forget his troubles today!
"What was up with you not showing your face around me this weekend? What, were you down with a cold or something?" Katsuki said, gruffly.
"Hah! That's sounds like something Deku'd be unlucky enough to have happen to him!" one of the blonde's friends chimed in, waving his hand with extended fingers.
"Oi! I didn't ask you!"
Izuku stiffened at the question. "U-uh… some stuff happened, but… everything's fine now! Sorry I didn't get to see you over the weekend!"
"Hmph. Whatever," Katsuki huffed with his arms crossed, "It'd better not have been you and Sis up to something fun without me!"
"B-but… it's not like that Kacchan! We would have invited you! Honest!" Izuku tried to assure his friend, waving his hands in front of him in a placating manner.
From there, the two boys and the others carried on with conversation, with the occasional supervisor coming to check on them. It seemed to Izuku at the moment that he could rest easy. He could just be in the moment and not have anyone care about whether or not he had a Quirk.
Sadly, that peace wouldn't last as a child began to point out something.
"Hey. Why hasn't Izuku shown his Quirk yet?"
Izuku stiffened when hearing that, the icy feeling inside him returning.
Other kids in the room started to catch on, looking over at him with prodding eyes.
"Yeah, why isn't he showing it? Is he scared?"
"It's probably something super lame!"
"I think he doesn't have anything at all!"
The supervisors present were immediately doing what they could to settle the kids down again, telling them to be nicer to Izuku.
Izuku himself wasn't paying much in mind to this as he was facing the piercing stares of the other kids, however, as he felt the cold feeling inside of him intensify. He wasn't sure what to do at this point. Just admit to it? He thought about using his current discomfort as an excuse to say he wasn't feeling well. Maybe he'd be allowed to go home. Anything to avoid the additional heckling that was sure to come from his peers.
"But everyone else here has a Quirk and we're all four!"
"Yeah! If he doesn't have anything, how can he be special like the rest of us?"
"Children, please be respectful," Izuku heard Ms. Yami interject, "You all want to be heroes, don't you? Those are very hurtful things you just said."
Izuku didn't want to listen anymore. He knew the adults were doing the best they could, but it didn't matter now. Everyone was figuring it out. As much as he tried to push down what he was feeling, he felt like he was getting worse. The cold didn't go away and he was feeling extra jittery, like shocks were happening inside of him.
"Deku."
He felt time stop as he heard his best friend speak.
"K-Kacchan."
Izuku looked over to his best friend, not willing to admit to himself the discomfort of seeing a blank look on his face.
His reaction was the one he was dreading the most. They both said that they would be heroes together—albeit Katsuki declared Izuku would remain his sidekick—and they've been through a lot together already. Izuku always had the blonde by his side even when none of the other kids at daycare wanted to be his friend, so surely, he'd stick up for him here, right? They both made a promise to Onee-chan that they'd look out for each other, so wouldn't their friendship hold up against something like this?
"So, it's true? Are you really Quirkless?" Katsuki said with a face and tone that gave nothing away.
Izuku could only look down as he didn't want to see the blonde's response. All of the anxiety and pressure had him so choked up that he couldn't bring himself to force a word out. He ended up giving a weak nod, instead.
"Hm. That figures. You were always the least amazing out of all of us. Guess you really can't do anything, after all."
Hearing this, Izuku did raise his head, shock adorning his features.
"Don't sweat it, though. It just means that from here on, I'll have to be the one to protect you since you're a Deku. Maybe once I start my agency, you can join to be in charge of all the boring adult stuff!" Katsuki said with a smirk as if everything about this circumstance made perfect sense.
"Eh? You're really nice to do that, Kacchan!" one of his friends remarked.
"Yeah, I wouldn't let him anywhere near me or my agency. He might get his Quirkless germs all over me!" the other said with disgust, flapping his little dragon wings as if to blow something away.
"Ha! As if you'd make an agency! You'll just end up as some loser sidekick!" Katsuki shot back, not losing his grin.
Izuku was left speechless as this was going on. He didn't even register Ms. Yami calling him to not mind everyone else. He was left reeling after what he heard. Sure, he should probably be grateful that Kacchan still wanted him as a part of his hero life in some way, but still… it just wasn't what he wanted to hear.
"I'm sorry, Izuku! I'm so sorry! I wish things would be different!"
It was becoming harder and harder to hold back the tears that were coming out. He just wanted this to stop! Couldn't he just have someone believe in him enough to try and achieve his dreams? Would Onee-chan say that he could do it? He didn't know. He was too scared to ask her back then, having already heard his mother's answer.
He thought back to the scary man who attacked mama and Onee-chan while claiming to be his dad, and the monster that hurt Onee-chan and others on his birthday. He couldn't just be the one forced on the sidelines. He wanted to be that person that stands up to evil and protects everyone with a smile, assuring everyone around him that everything would be okay.
Amidst the internal freezing and electricity, Izuku started to feel a fire burn at his core.
"I-I can- I can still be one."
His voice came out in a small whimper, but seemed to carry enough to get the attention of a few who were near him.
"Huh?" Katsuki questioned with raised eyebrows, "What do you think you can do? Are you dumb or something? You've got no chance to stand at the top with me, anyway. So, just forget about it before you get yourself hurt!"
"That's the truth for ya, Deku!"
"Yeah! Just butt out of the hero stuff!"
"Boys! Please be more respectful!"
Izuku couldn't hold back his tears anymore as the feelings inside of him intensified. All around him were sounds of laughter, mocking whispers, and the concerned voices of adults trying to calm things down. He barely even noticed Ms. Yami's hands on his shoulders, her voice trying to reassure him that it'll be alright. Nothing felt alright! The heat at his core that burned hotter and hotter in defiance. The ice in his veins combined with the tingling feeling running down his limbs. The growing pressure in his chest. He wanted to stand tall in his moment of weakness, but the weight of everything kept him paralyzed. No matter how much he tried to force down the feelings inside of him, they just kept persisting. Whatever this was, he needed it to get out.
Stop it
One of his hands gripped his head while the other gripped at this chest.
Stop it
The feelings he was pushing down just kept growing.
Stop it!
The teasing around him started bounce around in his head.
STOP IT!
All of the sudden, something within him shifted into place, and floodgates began to burst wide open.
"STOP IT!" the greenette screamed with all of the strength he could muster. For a brief moment, it felt like time had stopped, and all Izuku could feel was relief that a pressure within himself that he couldn't define was lifted.
However, once he finally came back to himself, he realized that something was very very wrong.
Fire filled his vision as he started to hear cries all around him. Izuku's peers in the daycare were now cowering in fear, some of them openly crying to whatever nightmare that had just been unleashed.
Izuku was whirling his head around, trying to make sense of what just happened. How did they end up under attack all of the sudden?
I-is it a villain? Thought the greenette, frantically. Where are they? Would they really choose to attack us? But… the heroes should be able to stop them, right?
He kept looking around in desperation, hoping to catch sight of the villain before trying to run. Was it invisible? Maybe he should grab a few others to run with him. That would be a heroic thing to do, right? His thoughts came to a halt, however, when he saw a familiar face scrunched up in pain as she was clutching her sides.
Ms. Yami! Izuku internally yelled in fear as he scrambled to reach out to her. He should at least check on her. She was always nice enough to wait with him at daycare whenever mama was late picking him up. He should do what he can for her before the mysterious villain did anything else to her!
"Izuku! Please, stop! You need to calm yourself down, now!" the other supervisor, Mr. Suzuki, intercepted him and stood in front of Ms. Yami.
Izuku could only stare in confusion. Why was Mr. Suzuki stopping him from helping Ms. Yami? Shouldn't he be looking over her instead of being focused on him? And why did Mr. Suzuki look so… afraid when talking to Izuku? Is the villain right near him?
With that thought, Izuku was frantically turning his head every which way, trying to spot the sneaky villain, ignoring the growing heat around him and the older man's concerned pleas to get him to settle down. He couldn't settle down; none of them could. They had to get out of there so that a hero could take down this villain! It didn't make sense, though. Wouldn't a villain announce his presence? That's what he's seen them do on TV and in real life. What if it was the scary man or that shadow monster again?
A hand grasping his arm forced him out of his thoughts and he began to panic. Turning his head to see the owner of the arm caused his panic to lessen a little when he saw his best friend.
"Deku, knock it off already!" yelled Katsuki.
"But… Kacchan! We're being attacked, and I don't know where-" Izuku tried to respond before the explosive blonde cut him off by tightening his grip. "O-ow."
"Quit being a dummy!" the other boy yelled again, "Just turn off your Quirk already!"
Izuku wasn't fully focused on what Katsuki was saying and tried pulling his arm free.
"It hurts… Kacchan, you're hurting me. L-let go," Izuku whimpered.
"Boys! Step away from each other, now!"
"Katsuki, stop! Please don't agitate him!"
The voices of both of the adults fell on deaf ears as Izuku kept squirming to get his arm free. He didn't know what was happening anymore. Everything was scary! Fire was all around him, everyone was panicking, and those he wanted to help were looking at him strangely. And to make matters worse, Kacchan wouldn't let go of his arm as he was trying to figure out a way to help everyone! He just wanted be helpful even without a Quirk; to not be useless! Frustration started to build like electricity when his friend wouldn't release his hold on him.
"I-I said. Let. GO!" the greenette yelled, squeezing his eyes shut, only to open them when he heard a grunt of pain and felt the hand on his arm release.
"K-Kacchan?" stammered Izuku as he saw the blonde on the ground holding arm in pain, remnants of yellow sparks surrounding him.
How did that even happen?
"Hey! Are you alright!"
"C'mon, Kacchan! Talk to us!"
"I'm fine! Who even asked you losers to check on me?"
Izuku could only find himself staring at the scene of Katsuki's group of friends try to help. He didn't know what was happening, but he couldn't stand doing nothing while his friend was hurt!
"K-Kacchan," he stuttered, while walking over to them, "are you al-alright? What happened to you?"
He was almost to them when the two boys arriving flinched at his voice and blocked off Izuku's path Katsuki in spite of the blonde's complaints.
"D-don't come any closer, Deku!" the one with stretchy fingers ordered.
"Y-yeah, w-we're not gonna let you beat us, y-you monster!" the other boy with draconic wings stated in agreement, trying to put up a brave face.
M-monster?
Izuku stopped in his tracks, lost for words after hearing that last insult. He looked down at what he could see of his best friend as if asking him to tell him it's not true. However, as much as the anger was still present on Katsuki's face, something that Izuku recognized, he also saw something there that he would only rarely see, but would never imagine it be directed at him.
Fear.
Kacchan. His best friend. The bravest kid he knows… was scared of him.
Huh?
But how could that be? What could Izuku do to make him feel that way… and wasn't there a villain attacking?
"Just turn off your Quirk already!"
Wh-what? My… Quirk?
Izuku looked down at his hands and finally noticed the fire flickering around his hands and more flames at his feet. As his panic started to rise at this realization, he also noticed yellow sparks of electricity forming.
As his mind was starting run wild with the implications, his breath started to quicken in horror. He looked over at Ms. Yami, remembering that she was the first person he saw who was hurt. Sure enough, the kind lady's expression betrayed a hint of pain while Mr. Suzuki was attending to her, but she held it back in favor of giving a reassuring smile to Izuku, especially since she finally regained his attention.
"It's alright, Izuku. Everything will be fine," she said, still hiding her pained grimace, "We just… need to all calm down, right now. Just take a deep breath, okay?"
Despite her assurances, however, Izuku wasn't paying attention to her words. His eyes could only stay fixated on the woman's side where he could still see telltale signs of a burn even with her hand covering it.
Did I… do that?
He turned to look around the room despite Ms. Yami's pleas to focus back on her and saw the other kids cowering at the walls as far as they could get from him. Some were hugging each other as they looked at him in fear. Others were openly crying when he did so much as turn in their direction. Seeing these reactions, Izuku couldn't believe the horrified looks he was getting.
I really did this? Izuku's thoughts could only confirm the worst as tears were forming again. Everyone's… afraid of me?
Ice filled his veins again as he thought back to the scary man showing up at his house. The sickeningly fake smile he wore as he choked his big sister and hurt his mama. And then the second time he attacked on his birthday.
Was this why he wanted him? Was he going to end up turning into a bad guy like him? A villain?
"You monster!"
He sucked in a breath as a harsh chill racked throughout his body. He didn't want this! He wanted to be hero that made everyone feel safe! How could he possibly do that after causing everyone to be afraid of him with the power that he just got?
He felt so awful that every apology he tried to utter would simply die in his throat, like a lump he couldn't push out. The shame and frustration at having caused a terror for everyone gripped tightly at his heart, and before anyone could step in and calm him down… he screamed.
In his right mind, Izuku would have felt further shame because of the ice spreading from his form across the floor or the tiny lightning strikes scattering throughout the room, but that was all lost on him, now. All he could comprehend was the feeling of being pulled deeper into the despair of what he had done. He could faintly hear the adults yelling about what to do. If they were getting everyone out, he couldn't tell, but that was all he could hope for.
If he was being left behind… then maybe that wasn't a bad thing. Maybe that's what was meant to be done to a Deku like him… to a monster like him. He felt colder at that thought as tears continued to fall. Even if he deserved this fate, he still couldn't help but want someone… anyone to save him.
Mama… Onee-chan… P-please. I'm sorry. Please… help me.
Thank you for reading! Part 2 will be up shortly!