Chapter 2

Usotsuki, usotsuki

The chirping of birds filled the air, and a cool breeze swooped over Baraka as the fresh morning smell rolled into his wide nostrils. He quickly opened his eyes, the sun flashing into his red irises. "Grah-!" The man winced, jolting up as he shook his head, letting out a deep sigh as he sat against the brick wall he slept against.

It was only now that he noticed where exactly he decided to squat. A neighborhood; specifically the sidewalk of one next to a not so busy road. Baraka turned his head, looking over to the two students staring at him from the end of the street. Just one glance and the two let out a yelp before running away, causing Baraka to let out a huff of annoyance. "Ests'Pay!" The man said in his native tongue, shaking his head before putting his hood up. He looked far into the sky, and rested his head against the wall before closing his eyes once again.

Izuku Midoriya sprinted out of his apartment complex, his curly green blowing back and the afternoon breeze flowing against his face. He began to slow his jog down, a smile still on his face. He adjusted the sleeves on his turquoise tracksuit, the straps from his yellow backpack wedging between his pits and sore shoulders. Izuku turned the corner, walking down the baron sidewalk.

'The plan All Might has me on has been hurting, and I'll have to do even more if I wanna stand a chance..' Izuku thought, getting lost in his thoughts, unaware of his surroundings. "And with the number one hero.. My hero, I won't- WOAH!" His mutterings were immediately cut short as he tripped. His bag slipped off his shoulders, a meat bun falling out the pouch on the side. The boy slightly skid forward when he made contact with the ground, the palms of his hands getting scraped before they gave away, his elbows slightly bumping into the concrete. Izuku groaned softly before opening his eyes, seeing the man he tripped on seemingly glaring daggers into him.

"AH!" The boy let out a loud yelp before getting over the shock. "I- I'm so sorry, sir!" He quickly stood up, bowing as he then kneeled down to pick up his items; only then did Izuku see the state the man was in, particularly the blood staining his mouth and hands. He let out a small and quiet gasp upon noticing.

"Are you okay, sir? I've never really seen you around here before, and you seem pretty rough.." Clear concern in the greenette's voice, something that surprised Baraka completely. He continued to eye Izuku up and down, before letting out a small huff. "You said you were sorry, no? You can make it up to me by leaving." He said bitterly, looking back down; not without noticing the meat bun, smelling it through the plastic wrap.

Izuku was slightly shocked at the man's refusal for help, having a dejected look on his face. His expression softened when he looked again at the man's condition. "I don't know what you've gone through, but I'd still like to help! After all, it's what a hero would do." He said, making Baraka give a slight scoff in amusement before looking back at the boy. "A hero wouldn't waste their time with the people who really need it. All of them are the same.. Too good for the rest of us." Baraka spat out with spite.

"That's not true! My, uh, trainer, is actually helping out with this kind of stuff! Helping the community and all. He has.. Connections to other heroes, and even then he still tries to do his best for everyone!" Midoriya had said, with slight desperation in his voice as he worked on convincing the man. Baraka could only scoff again at this. "A 'hero' with power being generous? Tell me, boy.. What exactly does he do to make him so special then?" The man said with spite in his voice. Baraka kept taking glances from the boy to the spilled meatbun.

"Well, right now we're cleaning Takoba beach! It's right by the coastline." Midoriya pointed down the street, and then looked down at the man, noticing him eyeing the snack he dropped. "A-are you hungry, sir? You can have it if you want!" The brows on Baraka's head slightly furrowed. "What's the catch? You want to beat me first for me to have it? Or are you gonna take it back at the last second?" Baraka spat out, the blades on his arms slightly popping out in preparation.

The greenette could only look shocked at what the man had to say, concern clear in his freckled face. "Why would I do that? You're clearly not from around here, and I doubt you have anywhere else to go. Everyone should help someone when they need it, hero or not!" The boy said, a smile on his face. The fanged man only shook his head before scoffing and looking up at him. Baraka grabbed at his hood before pulling it down, revealing his monstrous features. "A hero wouldn't help with this though, would they? I'd be just another villain for them to beat." Baraka glared at the boy, only for his eyes to widen at his reaction.

The boy wrote away in a notebook, the blue spine of it contrasting the white cover, which read 'Hero Analysis For the Future No. 13.' Baraka was only more perplexed at the boy's mutterings. "Sharp fangs and a rigid skull, some sort of hardening quirk? And he could smell my meatbun even while wrapped.. A carnivorous side-effect?" Midoriya continued to ramble on about the man's features. "What are you doing?" Was all that the confused Baraka could ask, causing the teen to jolt up. "O-oh! I'm so sorry, sir! It's just- I'm really interested in quirks, and I haven't seen one exactly like yours before!" Midoriya managed to stutter out.

"Interesting? You aren't scared?" Baraka got up, tilting his head. Only then could the boy really see just how big the man truly was. "W-well, why would I be? You aren't doing anything wrong!" Baraka let out a shocked 'hm,' before looking back down at the meatbun. He picked it up, and stared at it before looking at the boy. The man popped his long blade from his forearm, and cut open the top of the plastic wrap. His sharp nails would slightly dig into the soft and fried outer layer. Midoriya's eyes lit up before he wrote even more down into his book, his muttering increasing. "Arm blades! Is his quirk just sharpness? Maybe he has some sort of predatory quirk.."

Baraka could only give a slight chortle at the display. "Why don't we make a deal, boy? You give me more of this.. Food, and I tell you about my 'quirk.'" Midoriya looked up at the man before smiling. "Y-you don't have to give me anything in return, sir! I'm happy to help either way!" Baraka was stunned, now left speechless. "I can even show you a place to stay in the meantime! There aren't any shelters around, but I'm sure it'll be enough for you. I can take you there now if you'd like!" The man looked around before staring back at the boy.

"Thank you." Was all Baraka could manage to get out, only causing the Midoriya's face to brighten even more. He began to walk ahead, motioning for the man to follow, and Baraka did.

He was still clearly hesitant, yet his guard lowered the slightest bit.

Hey there everyone reading, I'm really sorry about this chapter taking as long as it did; especially with it's length. It's been hard finding motivation with life stuff and all that, and I think I should say that I'm most likely not gonna be the most consistent when releasing new chapters.

Besides that, I'd like to hear the thoughts of anyone who's read this. It's a bit dialogue heavy, and I feel slightly repetitive, but by the end I just felt I had to get the chapter out now instead of waiting more. Don't worry if you're wanting more action though, this is a crossover with Mortal Kombat after all. I just need to establish a few things before getting to real meat of things. Literally.

I don't really have the most experience with dialogue, so I hope what I did was serviceable. Any tips and critiques would be welcomed.

That's about all I have left to say for this chapter, once again, thank you for taking the time to read any of this. Even if it's not a lot, it still means so much that anybody is interested at all. Have a good one everyone, and I hope you all get great things soon.