TOKYO, MIGHT TOWER.

The night had been pleasant for the number one hero as he celebrated Christmas with his coworkers. Despite it not being as big a holiday in Japan as it was in the States, his staff had gone out of their way to throw him a Christmas party worth remembering. In fact, it was so good that Toshinori almost didn't miss America. What can the man say? He had gone native from his year-long escapades there.

On a brighter note, even Mirai had been on his best behavior and was genuinely enjoying the party with him. They had been sort of falling out ever since Toshinori had chosen Young Bakugou as his successor. His sidekick just didn't wish to see any redeeming qualities in the boy, despite how the evidence pointed otherwise. In fact, either All Might was imagining things, or Nighteye had gotten even more dismissive of Young Bakugou ever since mid-October. These days, it took but a single mention of the boy for Mirai's mood to become ruined for the entire day.

However, this issue didn't reveal its ugly head today, and All Might could enjoy what seemed like the good old times in his sidekick's presence. Though, maybe not everything was that perfect.

"Why would he even think that giving you such a disrespectful gift would be remotely wise?" asked Sir Nighteye while holding his alcohol-free beverage.

The "gift" was the bootleg Endeavor sweater that All Might had decided to wear to the party. Even in his bulked-up state, the thing looked pretty good on his frame, indicating that despite being a bootleg, it in no way was cheap. Obviously, heads turned at the party once they saw their boss essentially walking with another hero's merchandise, and eyes widened once they witnessed what was written on said merchandise. Some found it funny, while others wanted to know where the hell he acquired that thing. All Might just laughed and said that he got it from a friend. Nevertheless, him wearing that sweater ended up as a post on his social media page. Endeavor being the good sport that he was, had even liked the picture.

"Well, I found it funny, and so did most people here," All Might rebuked while taking a swig of his alcohol-free beverage. It wasn't exactly wise to get drunk if you were a hero who could be called for an emergency at any moment.

The two were currently on a balcony on Might Tower and were overlooking the vastness of Tokyo. The time was currently 2 AM, meaning that except for Mirai and him, most of the other party-goers had already left. Sir Nighteye gave the sweater one last unsatisfied look before turning away, considering the possible argument not worth it.

"How far in the boys' training have you gone?" he then asked, seemingly disinterested.

All Might took a sip of his own drink and focused on the city skyscape.

"Pretty far, actually," he admitted. "In fact, I even transferred One For All to him this morning."

The man's sidekick widened his eyes as dread filled his heart; nevertheless, he held on to his composure.

"I see," Mirai replied. "How do you feel since the transfer? Any different?"

All Might laughed.

"I won't lose my powers overnight, Mirai," the hero said with mirth in his voice. Nevertheless, that cheeriness was quickly replaced by seriousness.

"However, this does mark the beginning of the end for my career as All Might. I'd say that I still have a year at best before the last vestiges of One For All leave my body."

Upon hearing this information, Sir Nighteye just grabbed tighter in his cup as his expression filled with an expression of pain.

"I still think that it is a mistake," the man admitted, "you were still in your prime. We still had a chance of defeating him."

Sympathetically, Toshinori placed one of his large hands on Nighteye's back.

"We both know that wouldn't happen. He is just too smart as well as immortal. That bastard would just wait it out until I could no longer pose a threat and then strike. The realization of it filled me with dread every single day."

"AND NOW YOU ARE NOT!?" Sir Nighteye shouted while brushing his boss's hand off. Unlike his sidekick, the World's Number One Hero kept his cool.

"No, because I have Young Bakugou."

To this, Mirai wanted to say something, only to be stopped when the beeping of his phone caught his attention. Quickly he grabbed it.

"Something important happened?" All Might asked, seeing the grim expression on Mirai's face.

"All Might," his sidekick said, "the Bakugous have been admitted to a hospital."


MUSUTAFU GENERAL HOSPITAL

"Why did you decide to keep track of my successor and his family?" Toshinori asked in his depowered state. He was now sporting the same coat he had worn yesterday when he last saw Young Bakugou.

"My opinion of the boy aside, he was still a successor of your quirk. Someone needed to keep tabs on him in case some of your enemies found him," Mirai replied.

Just like his boss, the man now sported a disguise. And in true Mirai fashion, it was something hilarious.

Instead of his fancy white suit, Nighteye sported a pair of gray, baggy track pants, green sneakers that weren't tied, a wide, shiny black jacket, and finally, as a finishing touch, a red cap. He had also gotten rid of his glasses.

Essentially, he looked like an old hoodlum who still hadn't accepted that his glory days were over.

"That is a rude breach of privacy!" Toshinori responded, not wishing to relent.

His sidekick faced him.

"Listen, All Might, I won't protest your choice of a successor, however, I refuse to accept this carefree attitude towards a possible vessel for it. In fact, if it weren't for me, you'd still be in the dark about what happened," Mirai replied, annoyed.

Deciding that it wasn't worth it to keep arguing, Toshinori focused on more important things. Two hours had passed since they had heard the news, meaning that it was four in the morning. It was how much time it took for the bullet train to get them from Tokyo to Musutafu. Originally, he wished to just use One For All to travel because that would've taken only an hour; however, his sidekick convinced him that doing so would draw too much attention. So the bullet train it was.

The two managed to get past the reception where Toshinori introduced himself as a family friend. Thankfully, both of Young Bakugou's parents had added him as a guardian in case something would happen to them. It was just meant as a precaution. Apparently, it was sometimes good to be cautious.

Finally, after being told where to find them, the two sprinted through a few halls until Toshinori finally spotted him.

"Young Bakugou!"

The young man who was mentioned immediately turned and faced him.

"A...Yagi-san," Young Bakugou quickly corrected himself before he could manage to say the hero's name out loud. He then also spotted Mirai, and once he realized who that was, the teen went on guard.

Toshinori, meanwhile, was happy to see that his successor was alright. Dressed in milky blue pants, a shirt, and slippers, items that were most likely provided by the hospital, Bakugou Katsuki looked unharmed. Even his hair stood up.

"What happened?" the man asked while placing his hands on the teenager's shoulders. "I was suddenly informed that your parents were sent to this hospital?"

Hearing this, Young Bakugou lowered his head as a shadow fell over his face.

"It was my fault," he said. Both pro heroes were surprised to hear this.

Tosthen kneeled until he was at the same eye level as his ward.

"Young Bakugou, what do you mean by this?"

Nervous, the teen stared into his eyes before explaining what had happened. Bakugou Katsuki told them everything. The longer they listened, the wider both men's eyes grew until it looked like they were about to pop.

"It's my fault," the man's successor repeated with a pain-filled expression. "If I hadn't tried to activate your quirk, then nothing of it would never have happened, and Mom and Dad," his successor wanted to say, only to be interrupted.

"Young Bakugou!" Toshinori exclaimed before he did two things. He stood up and pulled his successor up as well.

"It wasn't your fault. No one could imagine that your quirk would've reacted in such a way. So don't beat yourself up over it."

The teenager stared at him with wide eyes.

"All Might," he said as tears started to build up behind his eyes.

However, before he could say anything, one of the doors opened, and a person walked out. It was one of the doctors with red hair and tired eyes.

"Bakugou Katsuki.." he said before spotting both men.

"And you'd be?" the doctor asked, eyeing the two suspiciously.

"Yagi Toshinori," the hero introduced himself while extending his hand. "I am Bakugou Katsuki's legal guardian."

"Pleasure," said the man, taking his hand. The doctor then looked at the teenager. "You can visit them now."

Both adults immediately understood what that meant and followed him inside.

The two Bakugous didn't look to be in a good state. Mitsuki and Masaru were unconscious while heavily wrapped up and connected to hospital equipment. The only indication that even one of them was alive was the quiet beeping of their life support machines.

"They are currently stable," said the doctor. "We'll do our best to make sure that your parents make a speedy recovery. Meanwhile, it would be advisable that you, yourself, finally take a rest."

"Since your legal guardian's here," the doctor said while pointing at Toshinori, "he could perhaps take you in while your parents recover?"

Katsuki stared at the doctor, then Young Bakugou, then his parents. His expression was hard to read.

"Could we perhaps talk a bit outside?" Toshinori asked the doctor. He then turned toward Mirai. "Can you keep an eye on him?"

His sidekick nodded. While that happened, All Might dragged the doctor back into the hall.

"Could you please now tell me what their actual condition is?" All Might asked as he let go of the doctor.

The man straightened his coat that the hero had ruffled before sighing.

"They were brought in with heavy third-degree burns, both from the outside and the inside. The father is in a bad state, however, the mother seemed to have taken more of the damage and thus in a more critical condition. We managed to stabilize them; however, now the only thing that is left is the waiting game."

"I see," said Toshinori.

"Now, I have a question for you," the doctor said. "Did the boy previously show any signs of possessing a quirk?"

"No," Toshinori replied, appreciative that this was the form in which the question was given, "as far as I knew he was quirkless."

"I see," responded the doctor, "It actually matches what was said in his report."

"Did the parents ever seem abusive or negligent towards their child?"

The doctor's question almost threw Toshinori off the rails. Any normal person, especially one who had as much as him, would've immediately exploded. However, since he was the world's number one hero, Yagi Toshinori knew how to keep his cool.

"No," he said, a bit sterner than he should. "Yes, maybe the family was a bit turbulent, especially when it came to the relationship between Mitsuki-San and Young Bakugou; however, I am one hundred percent sure that they all loved each other dearly and would never hurt another, especially for something as ridiculous as a quirk."

The doctor looked at him tentatively before sighing and scratching his neck.

"My apologies. We just sometimes receive some pretty nasty nutcases. Parents who treat children these days more as a lottery than a commitment. Another thing that we can be thankful to the advent of quirks for."

Toshinori's mouth turned into a very thin line as a response. Unfortunately, he had met quite a few of these types of people during his career.

Meanwhile, the doctor continued to probe him.

"Do you perhaps know anything else that could've made the quirk suddenly manifest? Like a strange emotional response or a change of environment."

Toshinori put a hand against his chin to pretend to be deep in thought.

"Well, he has been working out pretty excessively for the last eight months or more to get into UA."

"Wait. I thought you told me that he was quirkless?" the confused doctor asked.

"He was. Young Bakugou wanted to become the first quirkless hero. You know, to show the world and to him that all it takes to achieve it was a good heart and dedication."

"And were his parents okay with this!?"

"They supported him all the way."

The doctor afterward sighed again.

"Yeah, that would do the trick. If he was training dedicatedly, then that and the extra stress from trying to achieve such a task could very easily trigger a dormant quirk."

The man then pinched himself on the nose before facing the hero again.

"Alright, here is what we are going to do. The hospital will give you some quirk suppressants. Nothing too major. Just that we don't get a repeat of 'That'. Afterwards, he needs to get some quirk counseling. But a serious one. The typical kind old man or woman shtick that we give to kindergartners won't work here."

"Since the kid is most definitely suffering from quirk-related PTSD, he'll need someone serious to talk with. If you wish, the hospital can give the contact address of some of the specialists that operate in this area. Any questions?"

That was a lot of information to swallow; nevertheless, Toshinori was able to quickly take a mental note of it.

"No doctor, I think that you pretty effectively covered all the bases that we need to worry about. Thank you, and we'll be taking our leave."

He then bowed to the man and was ready to go away before feeling as the doctor grabbed his shoulder. Toshinori turned around and took a good look at the man's expression. To be frank, he didn't like what he saw.

"One last thing," said the help specialist.

"It should be pretty obvious that the boy shouldn't be doing any hero training for a while, and I know that UA's entrance exam is supposed to start in a few months."

"I understand," responded Toshinori in a grim tone.

"Believe me, the last thing that I or his parents would want to do is to compromise his physical or mental health."

The doctor actually smiled.

"I am glad to hear that. Then I wish you a good day!"

"You too, doctor," said Toshinori


Thankfully, when Toshinori found his successor and sidekick, the two weren't trying to strangle each other as he originally feared. Instead, they were sitting as far from each other as they could while giving the other party a distrustful look, as if to see who would attack first.

"Young Bakugou!"

The teen in question immediately ceased his attempts at burning a hole in Mirai's cranium with his eyes and instead faced him.

"A...Yagi-San," Young Bakugoucorrected himself as he gazed at his mentor.

Toshinori, meanwhile, wasn't happy to see the state of his protege. It was obvious that the boy was devastated after going through the nightmare that had been One for All's first emergence. He hoped that maybe his silent battle with Mirai could've rekindled the fire in his heart; however, unfortunately, no such thing happened. Bakugou Katsuki was depressed, and there was no external force in this world that could get him out of it but himself.

"So what do we do now?" asked Mirai, who, as always, was the one that helped everyone remember to stick to the ball.

"Now we," Toshinori replied out of habit before he realized that his sidekick shouldn't be the person with whom he should be discussing things.

He put both of his hands on Young Bakugou's shoulders as well as lowered himself to be at the boy's eye level.

"Listen, Young Bakugou, how about you stay at my place while the staff here takes care of your parents. I know that you probably wish to stay with them; however, our priority should be that you could receive the care that you need as well. Do you agree?"

The no longer quirkless teenager seemed to wish to protest; however, relented.

"Ok," heagreed.

Toshinori offered him a sympathetic smile and clapped his successor on both shoulders before getting up.

"Alright, then let's get going, shall we?"


The process of leaving was frighteningly easy, at least in Katsuki's opinion. He and All Might just had to sign a few papers, after which he was given a few bottles filled with pills together with instructions on how to use them, and they were clear to go.

Before the ashen-haired teenager could even blink, he was waiting in the lobby while Vomit-Hair was trying to find a piece of transportation that could get him from Musutafu to Tokyo. Obviously, since it was early morning, a day after Christmas, he was having a hell of a time managing to do it.

Unfortunately, they couldn't repeat the same method because, unlike them, Katsuki in his hospital-issued clothing wasn't exactly well-prepared for the elements. So while All Might's sidekick was quickly switching from one number to another like a guy with a severely bad ADHD, they were just sitting on two plastic chairs near the entrance and waiting.

No words were exchanged between master and disciple, and Katsuki kind of preferred it that way. The hero didn't try to keep him distracted with some small talk or act overly boisterous in a sad attempt to improve his mood. All Might knew that Katsuki was grieving, and so he allowed him to continue doing it.

They sat like that, doing nothing until Katsuki could hear the hospital door opening. He figured that it was either some stranger or Vomit-Hair and thus paid more attention to a specific tile on the floor than anything else. So he didn't notice that after frantically hurrying inside, the person stopped and stared at him.

"Katsuki!"

Having his name called forced the teenager to see who it was. He widened his eyes.

Midoriya Inko, his mother's longtime friend and the mother of the girl that he used to bully, stood there like a deer in headlights. She had the same green hair that her daughter had, though hers were darker and resembled seaweed instead of the wild broccoli patch that Izumi's hair looked like the last time Katsuki had seen her.

Despite this unchanging element unlike Mitsuki, time didn't seem to have treated Mrs. Midoriya kindly. She was two times smaller than what Katsuki remembered her being, and the crow's feet at the side of her eyes were a pretty obvious sign of age as well.

Another thing that didn't help her look good was how messy her hair was and that she was out of breath from having to run. Even the buttons on her coat seemed to have buttoned up in a hurry.

"Aunty," Katsuki said, not believing what he currently saw. Before he even knew what was happening, the woman hugged him.

"Oh dear, are you alright?" Midoriya Inko asked after letting him go. "I heard from your neighbors that Mitsuki and Masaru were taken to the hospital due to a fire happening in your house. Did a villain do it? Are you three okay?"

At this point, Katsuki could practically see two little waterfalls coming out of the woman's eyes. All Might, who sat next to him, didn't seem to know how to respond to what he was seeing, and even Vomit-Hair had stopped his dialing and instead just stared at the woman.

Another thing that both mother and daughter shared—or had shared at least; again, Katsuki hadn't seen Izumi in a couple of years—was their ability to cry up a literal flood every time they got emotional. Frankly, if Katsuki wouldn't have known that they both had telekinetic quirks, then he would be absolutely sure that they shared some sort of water quirk.

"Aunty, it's okay," he said while trying to calm the woman down. "Mom and Pops are hurt, however, the doctor told me that they are stable, so there should be nothing to worry about."

That seemed to calm the woman down.

"That's great to hear," she said while wiping her eyes with a napkin. She then immediately turned to him.

"How are you doing, dear? Were you hurt too?"

Something about receiving the concern of a person whose daughter he used to bully made Katsuki feel incredibly bad.

"I am fine," he replied while not daring to look her in the eyes, "just a little tired."

"Ehem."

At this point, they both turned to see All Might sitting there while giving them a polite smile.

"Yagi Toshinori, it's a pleasure to meet you!" the hero said while offering her a hand.

Aunty Inko immediately looked embarrassed.

"I am so sorry, I didn't mean to ignore you," she then took his hand. "I am Midoriya Inko. It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Yagi-san."

The pro-hero quirked an eyebrow.

"Sorry, Midoriya-San, either my hearing is deceiving me or did you know who I am?"

The woman offered him a cheerful smile.

"Well, of course. Mitsuki told me all about you. And truly, Yagi-san, it's an honor to finally get to meet you."

At this point, alarms rang through Katsuki's and most definitely All Might's heads. The ashen-haired teen couldn't believe it. Did the hag really just blurt All Might's secret like that?

"And what did she tell about me, if I might inquire?" asked All Might who was doing a good job of masking how worried he was.

"Well, that you are a trainer that they hired in order to help Katsuki get into UA," Inko said after a deep pause. "Was I wrong?"

Both All Might and his protégé did a deep sigh. Crisis averted.

"No, you are exactly right. Mitsuki-san and Masaru-san employed me so that I could assist Young Bakugou in achieving his dream of becoming a hero!" All Might declared and clapped Katsuki on the back, quite heartily, mind you.

"That's wonderful, Katsuki!" Midoriya Inko declared with tears in her eyes. "I am so happy for you!"

"Thanks, aunty," responded the ashen-haired teen, who couldn't force himself to look the woman in the eyes. This didn't slip past both adults.

"Katsuki, what exactly happened to your house?"

Katsuki Bakugou lifted his head and after seeing her face, felt something break inside of him. This was the woman who had to cooked him pancakes when he had stayed over as a kid. The one who still treated him with some manner of kindness when he had been a no-good two-bit delinquent who took advantage of her daughter. And now, even after all the shit that he had pulled, she still treated him with kindness.

"It was my fault."

Both adults looked with surprise towards the teen who had said it. Two wet lines went down Katsuki's utterly devastated face.

"I hurt them again, and now they are going to die because of me!" the last sentence was whispered as Katsuki again stared at the ground. He couldn't dare to face her again.

Unfortunately for him, it was a fool's errand. Two hands cupped Katsuki's wet cheeks and turned his head. Now he was looking into the eyes of his aunty who had kneeled herself to be at his level. And oh boy, did those eyes make Katsuki's innards unravel.

"Why are you saying this?" Aunty Inko asked.

"I can't say," he responded while tears silently ran down his face. "Sorry."

Seeing that she wasn't going to get anything out of him, his aunt hugged him one more time before standing up. She then wiped the tears forming into the edges of her own eyes before facing All Might.

"All right, so what's the plan?" Aunty Inko asked.

Toshinori looked bewildered for a second before replying.

"Well, since I am Young Bakugou's legal guardian, I thought that I could let him stay with me until his parents recover."

"Is that so? In that case, where do you live?" Aunty Inko asked while pulling out her phone.

Katsuki's bet was that she was going to save All Might's address or something. The man in question looked a bit awkward before scratching his head.

"Well, it's Tokyo, Midoriya-San."

Aunty Inko's reaction was to widen her eyes.

"Tokyo! But that's too far. How will Katsuki be able to visit his parents to see how they are doing?"

"For the time being, Midoriya-San." Toshinori tried to explain before he was interrupted.

"Just call me Inko."

"Alright, Inko," he corrected himself. "In that case, you can address me as Toshinori. As I was saying. Our priority should be that young Bakugou could get some much-needed rest. Afterwards, we can address the issue of visiting his parents,"

"I see your point," Aunty Inko relented. She then gave a quick look at Katsuki's attire.

"Please tell me that you at least have a car so that Katsuki doesn't have to trek through this awful weather in those clothes."

She was right in that fact. It seems that added to Katsuki's misery, a blizzard had mysteriously appeared out of nowhere and was now laying waste Musutafu, enveloping the city in its frigid embrace.

"To be honest, Inko, both me and my friend arrived via the bullet train," All Might replied, sounding quite sheepish. "However, my friend is actively looking for a car that could get us there."

Everyone's attention shifted to Vomit-Hair who sounded to be in an intense conversation with someone on the phone. The other person seemed to hang up, which made the man swear under his breath before resuming to scroll through his phone.

"Well, it wouldn't be very likely that you could hire a car that could get you from here to Tokyo, especially in this weather," Aunty Inko explained. She then looked to be pondering something.

"How about I take him for the day, and then you and your friend could pick him up tomorrow?"

Fear immediately filled Katsuki's head.

"I don't think that would be wise," added All Might, who, by the looks of it, also seemed to consider this plan garbage.

"Why?" She asked.

"I am Katsuki's legal guardian as well. Or is there a different reason why I can't?"

Katsuki didn't want to respond, while All Might's only response was to awkwardly scratch himself behind the head.

"Well," he tried to say, only to stop as he was interrupted.

By Vomit-Hair, no less.

"Sorry, lady, but you have a smudge on your face," he said while gesturing somewhere on her face and trying to sound a few brain cells dumber than he was. In Katsuki's opinion, it wasn't an exactly hard feat to achieve for the guy.

"Oh, thank you! Where is it?" Aunty Inko asked while touching her face.

As a response, Vomit-Hair just brushed her cheek with his thumb while looking her in the eyes. Her cheek looked as smudgeless as before, so either this guy was a freak as well as an asshole or was trying to hit on Izumi's mom. In which case, Katsuki was more than willing to introduce the guy's ass with his foot.

After this weird stunt, Vomit-Hair changed his attention to All Might and nodded. For a second, he looked upset before hiding it behind a mask.

"I guess he can stay if it's one night," said All Might, surprising both Katsuki and his aunt.

"Really, that's great!" Exclaimed Aunty Inko while her temporary ward was confused.

"Guess I'll be taking care of you for the night," she happily said.

Katsuki wasn't having it.

"Can you give us a minute, aunty?" he asked while grabbing All Might and walking to a somewhat secluded spot.

"What the fuck?" Katsuki whispered once the two were no longer in ear range.

"It's going to be okay, Young Bakugou," All Might said, trying to reassure him.

It failed badly.

"How can it be okay!? We both know what I did. Do you really want me to fry her as well?"

"It won't happen," All Might reassured him.

"Mirai…." He tried to say before stopping himself.

"Let's just say that Mirai's quirk allows him to know when something bad will happen," All Might explained.

Katsuki furrowed his brow.

"Is that why he touched her before?" he asked.

"I can't disclose that, but there are certain conditions that need to happen for Mirai's quirk to activate."

All Might offered him a sheepish smile.

"Sorry, but I can't say more. His quirk is as big a secret as mine was. The only thing that you need to know is that he didn't detect anything bad happening to Midoriya-San."

Katsuki was relieved to hear this. Nevertheless, there was another thing that plagued his heart.

"What are we going to do, All Might?" he asked out of the blue.

All Might tilted his head.

"What do you mean, Young Bakugou?"

Katsuki did his best to keep his emotions in check, however, he couldn't hide the pain that was visible in his eyes.

"What are we going to do about me becoming a hero? I know that I swore that I would become your successor, however, after what I did. After my parents," Katsuki tightened his fists as a few stray tears escaped his eyes, "I don't think that I can do it."

All Might looked at him before sighing. He then did something very All Might-ish and pressed Bakugou's face against his chest.

"It's always two steps back with you, Young Bakugou." He joked.

"Can I tell you something?" He asked.

Katsuki didn't reply, however, he nodded while holding back his tears.

"I got my mentor, the previous holder of One For All, killed."

That received a response from Katsuki. He looked up and saw something unexpected. All Might looked down at him with a pained expression. The type that he used to show his parents when he tried to convince them that everything was okay with him back at Aldera.

"How did it happen?" He asked.

"Back in my youth, there was this terrible villain. He was cruel and possessed an incredibly powerful quirk. He also was inadvertently responsible for the death of my parents. So once I got my quirk and discovered where he was, I tried to ambush him. It was a trap."

"He wasn't there?"

"On the contrary. He was. And he was too powerful for a young inexperienced fool like myself to defeat."

All Might then briefly closed his eyes before reopening them. Katsuki had a suspicion that he was reliving his traumatic memories.

"You don't have to finish." He said.

All Might smiled and faced him again.

"It's okay. I can do it. After all, I should finally get this off my chest. Besides," All Might flashed him a grin, "it doesn't hurt anymore."

Katsuki knew that he was lying.

The man then again became somber.

"I was forced to escape while my master sacrificed her life to hold that villain off. Afterwards, I had to go on an exodus to America because it wasn't safe for me anymore in Japan. All because I got over my head."

"But it's not the same!" Exclaimed Katsuki as he escaped the man's embrace.

All Might gave him a crooked smile.

"Oh, and how are we different?" The hero asked.

"You were just a kid!" Katsuki exclaimed.

"And you aren't?"

That immediately got him to shut up.

All Might shook his head. Something that he'd been doing quite a lot as of late.

"I know how much you like to beat yourself up. However, you did something that any person your age would've done."

Katsuki wanted to interject.

"Even someone who is destined for greatness."

He shut his mouth and just stared at the ground.

"In fact, if this is someone's fault, then it's mine."

Katsuki gave All Might a surprised look.

"I was the adult," said All Might, "I should've known better than to leave you unsupervised with such a devastating quirk. So if you wish to blame someone for your parents' state, blame me, Young Bakugou."

Katsuki didn't want this. In fact, this was the last thing that he would've ever wanted.

"But you couldn't have known," he said.

"And so couldn't you," All Might quickly replied.

"It was just an unforeseen accident. Those will appear multiple times during your time as a hero, young man, and believe me, all of them will hurt as badly as this."

Katsuki couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Do all heroes have to go through this?" He asked.

"They do," said All Might. "In fact, one thing that I've noticed during my time as a hero is this. The brighter the hero marches ahead and inspires millions, the darker the path remains behind him, full of tragedy and those he failed to save. As much as it pains me to say this. Only those who have cried the most fight the hardest so that no one else has to shed a tear. Because if this world was free of suffering, then there would be no need for heroes."

Katsuki didn't know how to respond to this. It just seemed so unfair. He then noticed that All Might outstretched his hand.

"How about we do this?" All Might said. "Let's each take our own amount of guilt. But instead of allowing it to eat us alive, let it serve as a motivator to be better."

Slowly, Katsuki raised his own arm.

"When will I know that I am good enough?" He asked.

"Easy. When you will no longer be able to recognize the 'you' that others see."

They both shook hands, and the power beneath Katsuki's skin hummed.


"And we are here!" Aunty Inko exclaimed as she opened the door to her apartment. Katsuki entered it nervously behind the woman, half expecting something to attack him. Of course, nothing did. His way from the hospital had been a simple affair. All Might waved goodbye and told him not to worry about his training. In his words, Katsuki's mental well-being was more important to him. Afterwards, he just sat inside his aunt's small car and drove off, seeing as All Might and Vomit Hair turned into small specks until eventually disappearing.

"I hope that you won't mind how cramped it is," Aunty Inko apologized as they took off their shoes in the Midoriyas' humble hallway.

"Nah, it's okay," he said.

"I bet that it feels a lot smaller than even when you were a kid," she joked.

Involuntarily, it made a memory form in his head.

"Damn Deku, why is your apartment so small?"

"I-I don't know Kachan. I think that it's good enough for me and mommy."

"Yeah? Well, I bet I know why. It's because your mom has a shitty job, and that's why you both live in such a crappy apartment.

In fact, I bet that your home will be even smaller, D.E.K.U."

"Kachan!"

Katsuki clenched his teeth, forcing the memory to go away. He didn't need any more reminders of how much a shitty kid he had been.

"Yeah," he awkwardly replied.

If Aunty Inko saw his expression, then she at least pretended that she didn't. The woman loudly clapped her hands, startling him.

"Okay! How about I whip us something to eat? Do you still like spicy mapo tofu, Katsuki?"

"Yes!" He replied, actually not remembering the last time when he had any.

Apparently, spicy food was a no-go when you were intensively working out, so Katsuki had been on a sort of spice diet for quite some time.

"Though, I don't have the ingredients for that currently," Aunty Inko said while pondering.

She then snapped her fingers.

"Though I can make some Spicy Chicken Katsudon. Will that be okay?"

"I am fine with whatever you make, Aunty. You don't need to bother yourself." Katsuki replied halfheartedly.

"Well, aren't you sweet?" She pinched his cheek.

Aunty Inko then put her hands at her sides while giving him a thorough look.

"Frankly, I am happily surprised that you've become such a polite young man. Izumi on the other hand has gotten very spoiled recently. She didn't even want to spend her Christmas Eve with her poor, lonely mother." Aunty Inko fake sobbed. "I bet that no-good daughter of mine has gotten herself a boyfriend."

Katsuki snorted. As much as he remembered from his childhood friend, that seemed like an unlikely scenario. However, people did change. Maybe Izumi really was snogging with some dude right now.

Seeing his slightly improved mood, Aunty Inko beamed.

"Then I'll go and start making us something to eat," she said. "However, first we need to get you some better clothes."

His aunt pointed at the hospital clothes that Katsuki still wore.

That's how he found himself standing in the Midoriyas's bathroom while holding a box with some funky old clothes that apparently used to belong to Izumi's dead dad or whatever. Great!

After combing through it, Katsuki chose the two less egregious pieces of articles that he could find. A pair of baggy jeans that were a bit too short in the leg department and a white T-shirt that literally had the word T-Shirt written in kanji.

Katsuki didn't wish to be disrespectful to the late Mr. Midoriya, but the guy's taste in clothing sucked Toxic-Chainsaw balls.

After getting dressed, Katsuki re-emerged back into the rest of the apartment. He could hear Izumi's mom being busy in the kitchen while the aroma of cooked meat and spice was encroaching upon the apartment.

Not wishing to disturb her, he decided to occupy himself with something to do. So Katsuki took approximately five steps and placed the box with Aunty's husband's things right next to the door of her bedroom. Now officially with nothing to do, Katsuki gave the hallway a lazy look before his eyes caught the sight of something.

Carefully, he walked up to it. The thing in question was the door to Izumi's room. Katsuki knew that it was hers because this apartment had only three rooms sans the bathroom and kitchen, and he had already seen the inside of the living room and Aunty Inko's bedroom.

Also, the goofy All Might-themed name plate with Izumi's name on it that Katsuki remembered, her owning since freaking kindergarten was also kind of a dead giveaway.

He stared at the door as if it might grow teeth at any second and bite him. In fact, he wouldn't be surprised if it did. With his shitty luck, anything was possible. For a second, Katsuki pondered the thought of checking the inside of it before dismissing it.

First, it was her private zone.

Second, well, girl!

And third was that he didn't deserve it. Frankly, even being allowed in this apartment was a step above what he had expected.

Bakugou Katsuki was a parasite. Intruding into the family's dwellings to whom he had shown nothing but contempt in the past. All Might could say whatever he wished about forgiveness, but Katsuki knew that he should never be forgiven for what he did to Izumi, especially by himself.

With those thoughts, he left the door and sat on the couch in the living room. It was just like he remembered except for the new photos and larger TV.

He pondered turning it on; however, he was too afraid of seeing his house in the news and threw this idea away. Instead, his eyes landed on the first framed picture next to the couch.

Katsuki leaned over and gingerly took it. Seeing the contents of it made the breath in his mouth stop. There in the background of a school's gate stood Aunty Inko and Izumi.

Aunty looked like she was beaming out of happiness while Izumi was stunning. The picture couldn't have been older than a year because she looked as old as him, if not even older. Her hair was longer than in elementary, and instead of the ponytail that she had back then, her hair was flowing freely, reaching her lower shoulders.

In the picture, Izumi was wearing a silver-colored school uniform, and well Katsuki didn't wish to sound like some of those idiots from his class that should be put on a list less allowed near girls, but in that uniform, she looked like a ten.

And then there was her face. She had a cheerful confident smile that he had never seen on her face when they were little. It seemed that while Katsuki had become a shadow of his former self, Izumi Midoriya couldn't have shone brighter.

At the bottom of the picture, someone, most likely Aunty, had written: "Izumi Midoriya, ranked No. 1 in Soumei Junior High."

Maybe it was due to sleep loss or emotional exhaustion, but seeing this little recording of pride and happiness made the corners of Katsuki's mouth turn upwards.

"Good job, Izu." He said warmly.

The moment lasted for a second before he was interrupted.

"She's sure grown up, hasn't she?" Said someone behind him.

Any normal person's response would be to drop the picture due to surprise or something like that. However, as someone who has lost many things in such a manner due to his classmates being dickheads, Katsuki instead crammed his hand on the photograph and turned around.

Aunty Inko was standing behind the couch with a sly smile that only someone that has been close friends with his mom could imitate.

"I guess," Katsuki replied and tried to place the picture back. Instead, she gestured for him to give it to her. He did as he was asked and gave it to her. His aunt looked at the picture with obvious pride in her face before turning to him.

"You know, I think that if you started talking with Izumi, you both could get along."

To this, Katsuki only frowned and stared through the window.

"I doubt it," he said. "After all, we didn't exactly part in the best of circumstances."

The smile faded from her face.

"Is that so? Well then, in that case, food is ready."

Katsuki furrowed his brow.

"That quickly?" He asked.

Aunty Inko looked confused. "What do you mean?"

Weirded out, Katsuki checked the clock above the TV and saw that an hour had passed since he entered the living room. Did he really spend an hour gazing at Izumi's picture like a creep? Yes, he did. At this point, Katsuki was sure that a new word for pathetic should be added just for him.


The meal was pleasant. As Katsuki remembered, Izumi's mom was the best cook he knew, besides his dad, and the spicy katsudon she made tasted like heaven. Aunty Inko also chatted up a storm, telling about Izumi's whereabouts while asking about Katsuki's training, to which he responded with single-word sentences.

After the meal, Aunty Inko drew him a bath, which, in her words, he really needed. Despite his pride, Katsuki couldn't exactly reject her. The last few hours had done everything except make him smell nicer.

So that's how Katsuki found himself lying in the small tub that the Midoriyas used while feeling as if stress was quickly siphoned from his body. In his half-sleepy state, Katsuki raised the arm that had been the first to experience One For All. Suddenly, the memories came back.

He was no longer in the tub. Instead, Katsuki was lying in his backyard while All Might's quirk was tearing him to pieces. He begged and screamed, but nothing would change.

"Katsuki!"

"D-Don't, sTay B-b-Back. I CAN'T CONTROL IT!"

Fortunately, the actual real-life sensation of water entering his nose was good enough to force Katsuki to return from his flashback.

After quickly pulling himself out of the water, he coughed and grabbed onto the edge of the tub as a sense of fear that had enveloped his body dissipated. Katsuki could hear his own heartbeat, which wasn't a good sign, so he breathed deeply until the sound went away.

After the definitely not panic attack went away, Katsuki was pretty sure that he had had enough bath time.

So after drying himself with a towel and putting on a blue shirt that had "Bed Shirt" written on its chest that also used to belong to Izumi's dad – which only solidified that either the guy was the luckiest mf on this earth or possessed some sort of infinite rizz quirk because the man's drip was shit – he left the bathroom.

Entering the living room, he saw that Aunty Inko had already pulled out a mattress and was patiently waiting for him.

"Are you sure that you don't want to spend the night in Izumi's room? I bet that she wouldn't mind."

"No thank you!" replied Katsuki, who was one hundred percent sure that she would mind.

He then walked to the bag that All Might gave him and pulled out the quirk suppressants from the hospital. Katsuki then swallowed a few pills, hoping to dear God that they worked.

Otherwise, he might as well already consider himself a future chronic insomniac at this point. Meanwhile, Aunty Inko stared at him with a sad smile.

"I'll let you have some rest then. Please knock on my door if you need anything, okay?" she said and walked past Katsuki.

"Why did you take me in?"

Aunty Inko stopped dead in her tracks and turned to face him.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

Katsuki himself was surprised that he had blurted it out. In fact, he was more willing to believe that some doppelganger with his voice had suddenly appeared and said it instead of him. He wished to lie, to say "it was nothing" and go to bed. However, he couldn't.

"How many people have you actually protected by keeping your mouth shut?" asked a voice in his head. None. That was the correct answer.

"You know what I mean," he replied while looking her straight in the eyes.

Somehow, those windows of kindness made his chest hurt. However, he endured it. All Might knows that he had suffered worse pain than this.

"There is a reason why your daughter doesn't want anything to do with me. A reason why everyone's parents whisper behind my back and a reason why I don't have any friends my age. So why would you take someone like that into your home, aunty?"

The woman's response was to gesture at the couch and sit down there before patting the spot next to her. Feeling like he had no choice, Katsuki sat down there too.

"Can you please tell me now why you blame yourself for what happened to her parents?" she asked.

Katsuki lowered his head and stared at his hand. He wanted to repeat the same story that he said to All Might. However, something happened that could do it better than him. Feeling his fingers becoming hotter, Katsuki was mortified to see that orange lightning was once again dancing around his fingers.

"Katsuki, is that?" Inko asked, however, she never got to finish.

"GET AWAY!" Katsuki yelled as he jumped from the couch and pressed himself against the furthest wall that he could find, however, nothing happened.

Instead of exploding into the destructive force like before, the electricity simmered a bit before vanishing. Either the quirk suppressants were doing their job or Katsuki had only enough juice for one accidental patricide a day.

Still, fear spread through his limbs like venom, and he could hear his heartbeat again. Not daring to return to the couch, he slid down the wall until his rear hit the floor. He then looked at his aunt and saw that a vague picture was forming in her head.

"Katsuki did?" She wished to say before he interrupted her again.

"Yeah, I have a quirk now, and I almost killed my parents because of it," he admitted.

"But Katsuki," Inko interjected, "I'm pretty sure that it was an accident. You would never intentionally hurt them. Plus, I'm sure that you got that quirk fairly recently."

"What difference would it make!?" He yelled back at her, feeling as anger filled his heart.

Aunty Inko didn't seem to let this little outburst affect her.

"All the difference," she replied, "we believe that it's hard for small children to handle their quirks, however, it must be even harder if you are a teenager who believed his whole life to be quirkless. It would be the same if you tried swimming at this age without knowing how. Your body just wouldn't have the idea of what to do."

"You couldn't have known," Inko tried to reassure him.

Somehow, seeing that kind face looking at him yet again broke something in his heart.

"BUT I KNEW DAMMIT! I FUCKING KNEW!" He yelled.

"A WEEK BEFORE IT HAPPENED, I SAW SOME SIGNS THAT I MIGHT HAVE A QUIRK, BUT INSTEAD OF TELLING IT TO MOM AND POPS, I KEPT IT A SECRET. YOU WANT TO KNOW WHY?"

He then flashed her the ugliest, self-deprecating grin in his life.

"I WANTED IT TO BE A SURPRISE. AND BOY DID I DELIVER. OUR HOUSE IS WRECKED, AND THEY ARE ON LIFE SUPPORT. I DOUBT THAT THEY'LL BE ABLE TO FORGET THIS TILL THE DAY THEY DIE. ALL BECAUSE I COULDN'T TRUST THEM ENOUGH TO TELL THE TRUTH."

Katsuki then lowered his head in defeat. He heard footsteps, and before he knew it, Aunty Inko was sitting on her knees in front of him. She tried to touch his hand, only for him to brush her off.

"Don't touch me!" He yelled before seeing how hurt his aunt looked. "Please just don't."

"Do you hate me, Katsuki?" Aunty Inko asked.

He shook his head.

"Then why don't you want me to show support?"

"I'm afraid," he whispered.

"Of what?"

"Of hurting any more people."

"Oh Katsuki," the woman sighed. She then gave him a gentle smile.

"Do you want to know why I took you in?" Aunty Inko suddenly asked.

Katsuki didn't reply; however, he raised his head, allowing her to see his eyes. Her smile deepened before she began.

"You are right. I was mad at you at first. For the first few years even. It got even so bad that I cut my ties with Mitsuki."

He felt guilty hearing this.

"However, it all changed after seeing you during your first year of middle school."

"Izumi had gone to Soumei, so had more free time on my hands, so I took a stroll around the neighborhood. And suddenly I spotted you." She made an awkward chuckle.

"At first, I didn't believe that it was you. You had that ugly hairstyle and those glasses, and you seemed timid, as if you were about to compress in a black hole if someone looked at you for too long."

"I should've felt vindicated, you know. The evil little boy that used to hurt my girl was now humbled by the world. Instead, I felt sad. You were such a big person as a child, so seeing you become so little felt tragic. And despite my better judgment, I couldn't find it in me to dislike you, anymore."

"A few weeks later, I met Mitsuki in a store by accident, and we started chatting. I bragged about Izumi while she talked about you and seemed so incredibly heartbroken. We sort of patched that bridge afterward."

At this point, Katsuki was no longer only half hearing her. Instead, he was greedily paying attention to her every word.

"Then a few years later, something changed. She no longer seemed so dejected because not only did her boy become more honest, but he was also aiming to go to UA and become a quirkless hero. Mitsuki was beaming back then."

"While ?. I was happy that this sad story seemed to have ended with a happy ending," Aunty Inko explained and took a napkin to wipe the tears from Katsuki's face.

"I can never forgive you for what you did to my daughter," she said sternly before resuming to smile, "but I can see that the person who likes to belittle others is no longer there. Instead, I see a sweet boy with a heart that is a bit too big for his own good."

"So don't blame yourself, Katsuki. If you wish to make it up to your parents, then get into UA. If I know Mitsuki and Masaru, then seeing you smiling while wearing a brand new school uniform would cheer them up one hundred percent."

She then hugged him and allowed her friend's son to weep on her shoulder. Despite the pain he was feeling, Katsuki Bakugou was also healing. Because as much as life liked to push us down, it also tended to give us all the tools to get right back up. They stayed like that until Katsuki eventually tired himself out.


The next day, All Might arrived a bit too quickly for Katsuki's liking. Apparently, he had slept for thirteen hours thanks to the ordeal and had barely enough time to have breakfast or whatever meal it had been during the day before he'd be moving to his temporary staying place in Tokyo.

The man looked happy to see him; however, a bit confused after seeing him wearing one of Izumi's father's old shirts that read "Flannel Shirt" on its chest. He then promptly made a picture of him before sending it to someone before Katsuki could get his phone.

All Might seemed to have treated the sign that Katsuki was annoyed as that he was doing better, and so did his cheery attitude. Well, it was hard to tell if he was doing better; however, his head was clearer, and he knew what to do. Katsuki considered it good enough for now.

After an hour or so, Katsuki gathered his things and bid his aunt goodbye. Aunty Inko, in good Midoriya fashion, was crying a lot and asked him to call her from time to time and not be a stranger. And despite Katsuki's fear of ever coming close to anyone in Izumi's life, he couldn't force himself to deny that request. That's how the not-so-quirkless teen found himself in the passenger seat of All Might's trusty white truck, listening to the guy talking a storm in hopes of cheering him up.

"You are going to love the tower," said All Might. "It has all the state-of-the-art technologies in it, the amenities are excellent, and it even has a personal helicopter, even though I haven't used it nor know how. But I can ask someone who can. In fact, one of my old buddies should be good at this type of stuff."

"All Might," said Katsuki, gaining the man's attention.

"Yes, Young Bakugou?" He asked while, of course, keeping his eyes on the road.

"Are you busy?" Was Katsuki's next question. As a response, the man laughed.

"Oh, when am I not busy? I know that it might seem to you during our training that I have too much free time; however, there isn't a hero with a more intense time crunch than yours truly!"

"Would you have the time to go to two other places here before Tokyo?" Was his final question.

The man gave him a stare in the backseat mirror and didn't seem that cheerful.

"Sure, I guess. Where to?"

The first place they drove to was the Bakugous home. All Might stayed in the car while Katsuki went towards his house. He promised his mentor that he wouldn't be there for long. Katsuki opened the door by using the electronic lock that thankfully still worked and ventured inside.

Once he did, however, the teen felt strange to say lightly. Initially, his little melting accident had caused a fire; however, it seemed to never be able to get this far. Everything here was where it had always been and yet felt different than before.

It was a surreal experience seeing his house so quiet and devoid of life. In fact, he half expected to hear his dad doing something in the kitchen and his mom calling for him. Now it was only a dead, silent building.

Steeling himself, Katsuki walked up the stairs until he found his room. The door was closed; however, its edges had blackened most likely due to the fire. With a deep breath, he pushed it open.

He was greeted by almost nothing. His room had been ground zero to the event and thus suffered the most. Every item there had been melted or burnt to an unrecognizable piece of well something. Fourteen miserable, pain-filled years of his life were now gone.

In a messed-up way, it almost seemed liberating. He had hid here many times while pretending to do schoolwork while actually avoiding the world and his parents. Now he had nowhere to hide.

Katsuki offered a prayer to his old self. The one that died in this room that night before turning around and going downstairs. He had one final place to be.

A half an hour later, both he and All Might stood at the entrance of the hospital. This time All Might said that he'll accompany him at least till the door to his parents room. Katsuki bet that it would've seemed weird if he stayed in the car.

The hospital staff was very accommodating, and soon Katsuki found himself alone with his parents. They looked like shit. Both were bandaged and on life support, and his mother especially had the left side of her face wrapped up.

Seeing them like this, especially after knowing how they got here, almost made him cry. Nevertheless, he didn't get into another sobbing fit. Instead, Katsuki walked over and took them each by hand. He didn't know if they felt it because if they did, then there was no indication of it.

"I'll be going away for a while," Katsuki said to his unconscious parents. "I know that I have some explaining to do, but I promise that as soon as I get back and you'll be conscious I'll fess up about everything. For real this time."

He then waited for his emotions to die down before starting to speak again.

"However, I also will understand if you decide to never come back. All Might knows that you deserved a better kid. But if you do, then I'll appreciate it. So Mom, Dad if you are fighting there then don't give up."

Katsuki's eyes were glossy; however, he wouldn't cry anymore, not to them. Not ever.

"After all, I only survived All Might's horseshit training only because I am half of you guys. You are the strongest people that I know so show the reaper that the Bakugous aren't bitches that go out without swinging."

He then let go of their hands and walked back. Obviously, nothing happened. After all, it would be childish to assume that they would miraculously wake up as if it were some fairy tale.

"Whatever happens, I am grateful that you were my parents. No one else would've stuck up for a guy like me. I love you!"

With that final goodbye, Katsuki wiped the tears from his eyes and left the room where All Might was waiting for him.

"Your ready?" The man asked him.

"Yeah," he replied. They both walked back downstairs and entered All Might's car. Once they sat down, Katsuki started speaking.

"I want to start training," he said, "right now."

All Might couldn't have looked more surprised if he tried.

"Young Bakugou, you must be joking. There is no way in the world that you should start training on how to use One For All after such a traumatic incident. I mean, I appreciate such dedication but instead of pushing yourself, this time should be spent healing."

Katsuki waited for him to finish before responding.

"Sorry All Might, but I can't do that," he replied.

"The thing is I've never been good at doing nothing. And since I can't make my parents better I might at least get into the school for which I spent so long preparing. I hope that it doesn't sound too sociopathic of me."

Katsuki then looked All Might directly in the eyes. Through pain, they were more mature.

"I know that you said that whatever happened wasn't my fault. The thing is that for years I've attributed all that was happening in my life as a punishment for my past. However, if this isn't it, then I want to know why something so unfair could happen."

"I don't have the answer. I'm not sure that I ever will. But I know that if I don't get into UA then these past nine months have been for nothing. So please All Might, I am ready. I can do this"

The man sighed before shaking his head. A theme that has become surprisingly common during this time.

"Alright, if that's what you want." All Might then started his car.

"Do you think that you will be able to handle it?"

Katsuki nodded.

"Of course."

Despite everything, All Might smiled.

"Splendid, then we will be starting the second phase of your training tomorrow. You better be ready."

With that, the car drove off and headed towards Tokyo and Katsuki's destiny.


Hey Guess Whose Back.

Anyway as my new years declaration I've promised myself to finish all the fanfics that I've posted in reverse chronological order.

About this one. I Know. Kind of a downer but I am pretty sure that this will be one of the last of those that we'll see in a while.

Nevertheless, wish you all a great New Year and see ya next time.

Soul out!