Yo, I've been thinking a lot on what to add to this story while I'm at work. I know that this is a MHA and Demon slayer story but y'all see the mix of ATLA and I'm not ashamed to say that's part of my story too. Hopefully y'all don't mind, but I plan on still giving Izuku more of the other element abilities but it'll be through trial and error. Anyway, please give me feedback on what you think, so far I haven't gotten any.
Chapter 14: Progress pt 2
Izuku trained hard with Kyojuro throughout the time he had left before the U.A entrance exams. Everyday is used to hone his skills so that he could one day surpass his mentors and friends. Iroh would occasionally stop by to see how he is progressing in flame breathing and make them tea during breaks. During those times, the older man would teach Izuku the secrets to making the perfect pot of tea. Kyojuro would try but fail to imitate the tea sadly and just watched and waited. Izuku with his analytical eyes and brain would get it down after many attemps.
After a day of training Izuku is packing up his gear while listening to Iroh play a stringed instrument. Kyojuro had gone back into his house after saying his goodbyes to help his wife with their handful of a daughter. Once Izuku had his swords and bag ready he looked at Iroh and nodded. The older man got to his feet and they both headed go the gate.
"So, Kyojuro tells me that you're making steady progress in flame breathing. You're learning pretty quickly if I'm being honest."
Iroh said while stroking his long beard. He contiued to play a soft tune on the instrument while carrying his tea making set in a satchel.
"I watch him everyday while we train, like how I would watch you when we trained together. I'm not sure how to explain it, but when I focus on something I want to, all the details are easy to see."
Izuku told the man how his gift for analysis felt. He looked at his nichirin swords that gave off a different feeling from the practice sword Iroh gave him. It was like the nichirin katanas were made for him because when he swung them it just felt right compared to the normal one.
"I see. You did catch on quick to my style of fire bending as well. It's like you're a prodigy for being good at stuff you want to work for."
The word 'prodigy' didn't sit well on Izuku's tongue. He always had to work for what he wanted. Even his gift of analysation was something he honed from a very young age. All his notebooks filled with specific heroes and quirks are very detailed and will prove how much research he had to do.
"I don't like thinking of it that way honestly. Being born into something versus working hard for it are different things. I may have gotten good at the things you two have taught me but thats because I put in the hard work."
Iroh nods while listening to him speak. He agrees with what Izuku said and thinks back to his nephew and niece.
"Zuko has a sister who was thought to be a fire bending prodigy. Everything that she was taught, she picked up easily without struggle. The only thing is that she didn't work to master what she was taught and that was her downfall."
Izuku looks at Iroh in slight shock. They both get into the car that Iroh came fo visit them with. There aren't many times that Iroh would bring up Zuko so hearing that he also has a sister, Iroh's neice is a surprise to him. Slightly gripping the blade that Iroh had given him, he takes a small breath and looks out the window when the drive home begins.
"What happened to her?"
The question is simple, but Iroh took more than a moment to answer. Even though Izuku doesn't see the man, he can tell that his face is scrunched up in thought.
"She came to the conclusion that she was perfect. That everyone should worship her do to how talanted and vicious she had become. There was a day when Zuko stood up to her and they dueled. Before the fight though, she had lost important things because of her actions. She started to lose sight of the real world and lost the duel."
Izuku looked back at the man and could see the sadness in his eyes. The idea that someone could be so perfect but also so...flawed is eye opening. He would have to remember to stay humbled for future encounters. The memory seems to make Iroh sad so the boy changes the subject.
"I've been working on the other part of my quirk. The lightening generation. Mr. Rengoku isn't sure on how to help me with that but he did say he'd tell a friend about it."
As he talked, Izuku lifted up his hand palm up. Taking a moment to steady his breathing, small currents of green electricity started to travel up and down his hand. Before the current became too much he shook his hand and the currents faded away. Iroh looked at the boy with interest while still focusing on driving.
"Yes, it seems that the lightening is more than just advanced fire bending. You have the ability to weild both without separating the energies."
Izuku thought the same thing. It felt way too different when he used his fire to create lightening. This power is trickier to use and a bit easier at the same time. Like how the fire was when he first used it. Remembering back to when he first discovered the ability he laughed a bit. Iroh raised an eyebrow at the boy.
"What's so funny?"
He asked with interest. Izuku looked at the older man with a smile. After a quick intake of air he made a small flame appear on his pointer finger.
"When my mother and I first saw my quirk activate it was at a quirk check up. The doctor said that my lungs are bigger than most and that's what helps me make fire from my breathe. I lit my pants on fire twice. Once at the check up and another time when I woke up from a dream."
Iroh let out a small chuckle. He always enjoyed a good funny story. The drive continued in a peaceful silence with music from the radio.
-Later That Day-
Izuku sat on the roof of the apartment complex where he and his mother live. The air is warm and the sun is setting infront of him. Both his nichirin blades sat infront of him, the regular one being left in his room. For a while, Izuku thought of how both blades felt different from one another. Rengoku's blade gave off a feeling of power and strength while his father's blade gave off a feeling of familiarity and love. Both made Izuku feel conflicted on which to yeild.
He stands up and picks up his father's blade. The green lightening design along the blade almost seemed to glow from the light of the setting sun. Using the breath of flame didn't fit the look of the blade and Izuku wondered if he could learn either water or thunder breathing after flame breathing. Picking up the sheathe for the blade he looks at the design. The sheathe is the opposite of Rengoku's white and blue lined one, just black with a white dragon design going down it.
After sheathing the blade and placing it back into the case, Izuku picks up Rengoku's blade. The green fire design mixed with the green and blue guard look unique to the boy. Getting into a stance, Izuku takes a deep breath and closes his eyes. Feeling the oxygen in his lungs spread out throught his body he whispers to himself.
"Flame Breathing, first form: Unknowing fire."
With a dash of great speed Izuku crossed one end of the roof to the other while swinging the blade with a strong force. Izuku lowers the blade and exhales slowly. He takes a step and gets into a different stance. Inhaling again he whispers more.
"Second form: Rising scorching sun."
Izuku swings the blade upward with the same amount of force as if trying to cut the sky in half. Without exhaling the breath he turns the blade downward and whispers again.
"Third form: Blazing universe."
He swings the blade down with more force than before. Izuku exhales the breath and breathes in again. His body is already starting to ache from using total concentration for three attacks one after the other. Despite the effects of the techniques he smiles anyway at how far he's come. He slowly inhales again holding the blade infront of him. He ignores the aches and the pain in his lungs.
"Fourth form: blooming flame undulation"
He starts to swing the blade in a circular motion but drops to his knees with the blade falling to his side. Izuku puts his hands to his chest and struggles to breathe properly while coughing. He falls on his back wheezing and looks up at the sky. The sun has fully set and the stars are now visible. Remembering what Rengoku taught him, Izuku closes his eyes and tries to perform recovery breathing.
Izuku takes a deep breath and quickly lets it out to relax his body. Repeating the action over for a few minutes calms his body. He opens his eyes again and looks at the night sky. The stars shine brightly putting a soft smile on the boy's face. He slowly sits up and lets out a tired sigh. Taking the blade from his side he stands up and sheathes the weapon.
He picks up the case with his father's blade while holding Rengoku's in the other and heads back to his apartment floor. When he opens the front door he hears his mother in the kitchen preparing dinner. Deciding to spend a bit of time in his room he quietly heads to his door and softly closes it. Izuku looks around his All Might themed room with tired eyes. He puts the case under his bed and places Rengoku's blade against his desk, by the bed and lays down.
After a moment of peace and quiet Izuku lets out a heavy yawn. He gets into a more comfortable position on the bed and thinks about what he's been doing for the past nine or ten years. Going from a small child who couldn't use his quirk without almost dying to being able to do more than the averaged quirked person is a big step. Iroh is the person who showed him how to master his flames and even has tips for his electricity. Rengoku is showing him total concentration, flame breathing, and even new fighting styles and techniques. Yawning again Izuku slowly drifts off into a deep slumber.
-Elsewhere-
Izuku felt it before his eyes opened. Sitting up and looking around at the all too familiar darkness makes him curious. To the boy's surprise the elements are no where to be seen this time. he stands up and starts to wander the endless void. Even for his third time being in the darkness again it'll always be a little creepy to him. After what felt like a few minutes of walking he sees something in the distance that looks like a person. Picking up speed Izuku starts to run towards the person.
Seeing the back of the person Izuku can make out the firey hair of Kyojuro. He shouts out at the man in surprise as he keeps running towards his mentor. As he catches up to the man he turns around with a slight look of annoyance. Izuku looks at the man with wide eyes as he realizes the person isn't Kyojuro. The taller man has the hair and eyes of Kyojuro but he is older and has a hardened face rather than Kyojuro's happy and loving one. The man also looks older than Kyojuro as well.
"So you are the one next to bear the mark?"
The older man said a bit unimpressed. Izuku is taken aback at the sound of the man's voice. It sounded like he has been crying for a while but chose to hide it. Realization then hit the boy like a bolt of lightening.
'This man is a past flame Hashira! How is this possible?'
Izuku quickly took a knee and bowed his head in respect. The man gave a surprised look but quickly yanked him back to his feet by the neck of his shirt making the boy yelp a bit. He looked up the the man with a questionable expression.
"I don't deserve the respect of the flame Hashira title after what happened long ago. It seems that Kyojuro has finally found another who is worthy though."
Hearing his words made Izuku confused. Wondering what he meant by that the boy asked a question.
"Who are you? What is this place?"
The man stares at Izuku with a look of shame and sadness. He takes a seat on the ground motioning him to do the same. As he sits in front of him, the man picks up a white pot and takes a big drink from it. There is a silence for some time before he speaks.
"You are the first person in a very long time to connect to the transparent world."
The statement did nothing to help Izuku understand what is happening with him and how he's able to come to the void. He takes a moment to think of a response but before he does, the man speaks again.
"In due time you will understand what I mean. It is you who will have to understand how to use it."
Before Izuku can say a word he notices the older man unsheathe a sword that wasn't there a moment ago. Instict took over and before he knew it, he was about a good ten feet away with his own drawn sword. Rengoku's flame sword held in a defensive stance.
"I see that you have been given the family sword. Surely that means you actually have the skill to weild it!"
The man took in a breath and lunged at Izuku, making it look like he vanished. Izuku lifted up his blade with a high guard stance waiting for the older man to appear. His thoughts are all over the place in the current situation.
"You still haven't told me who you are."
The green haired boy said. He heard the noise before he saw anything move. The older man reappeared on his left side and before he could swing his blade the other man punched him in the ribs then dashed back.
"You're too slow. Hasn't Kyojuro taught you anything?"
Izuku put a hand on the spot he was hit while wincing in pain. Hearing the mans words made him grunt in annoyance. Taking in a deep breath, Izuku stood up and dashed at the older man with his blade held low. The man held his blade in a defensive stance as Izuku got closer. Once he was infront of the man he let out his breath while swinging the sword upward.
"Second form: Rising scorching sun!"
The man with hair almost identical to Kyojuro widens his eyes as he sees the attack. Easily side stepping the swing he spins on one foot and sends a kick to the boy's exposed chest. Izuku is sent flying back a few feet and lands on his back with a groan.
'Ok, this isnt going so well. He's too fast for me to react properly."
Izuku slowly got to his feet with his blade in hand. He closed his eyes as he took a slow breath. Once he opened his eyes again the man is standing right in front of him with his fist pulled back. Before the boy could react the older man punched him in the face with enough force to send him flying again. With a small grin the man looked at Izuku on the ground as he faded in and out of consciousness.
"You're alright kid. My name is Shinjuro Rengoku. I'll see you around."
-Izuku's Bedroom-
Izuku woke up with a groan. Confused as to why he is still hurting Izuku lifts up his shirt to see the bruise on his ribs and chest are there. Surprised at the marks he then slowly puts a hand to his face as he winces again.
"Bastard definitely gave me a black eye. This transparent world stuff is weird."
He mumbled as he got off the bed. Going to the bathroom and looking himself in the mirror proved his guess. Letting out a sigh he turns on the cold water and uses his hands to wet his face. After drying off the water he goes back into his room and sits on his bed trying to think of a way to explain the black eye to his mother. His eyes widen after a minute of thinking before he whispers to himself.
"Shinjuro Rengoku."
Izuku takes out his phone and goes to the picture album app. Searching through the different pictures he finds one that has Kyojuro, Kyan, and himself during one of his and her early training sessions.
'Is Shinjuro a relative to Kyojuro? I mean the hair, eyes, and names give it away but how far apart are they? He did mention that I now have the family sword.'
He looks at the sheathed blade that lay against his desk. Deciding that he should do something to ease his mind, he gets up and pulls out a wooden box from underneath his bed. He places the box on his bed and goes into the bathroom to get a towel to place on the floor by the bed. After that he sits infront of the towl sword in hand. Opening the box, he takes out various cloths and oils along with a small brush.
'I think I get why he was so rough with that sudden spar.'
He takes one of the small cloth and carefully wipes the blade from top to bottom, removing any material or old oils.
'Every time he attacked me was when I left myself open and defenseless.'
After wiping off the blade, Izuku takes out a small jar and uses it to sprinkle some dust like substance onto the blade. He takes out a new cloth and uses it to wipe the dust all over the blade.
'I got to keep my guard up even after attacking or evading. Shinjuro sure is strong but during that small spar I could feel that Kyojuro has surpassed him.'
As he wipes the blade with the dust he takes a moment to let it settle. Placing the blade on the towel, he takes out another cloth and bottle of oil. He holds the bottle steady and dabs a small amount onto the cloth and thinks more about both Kyojuro and Shinjuro. The difference between the two made it hard for the green haired boy to believe they are in the same family. Adding more oil to the cloth, he begins to wipe another portion of the blade. Just as he was about to finish there was a small knock on his bedroom door before it opened.
"Izuku dear, dinner is ready. I made big bowls of miso ramen with extra beef! Oh, please be careful baby. don't hurt yourself!"
His mother gave him a worried look as he used the cloth to wipe down the tip of the blade and then finally sheathe it. He gives Inko a reassuring smile as he starts to put the various cloths and bottles back in the box.
"Thank you mom, I'll be there in a minute. Gotta wash my hands."
Inko nods and closes the door. Izuku gets up from the ground after putting the box back under his bed and heads to the bathroom. He washes his hands of any oils and dust then looks at the mirror. His features have changed since his training. His arms show muscle and his face isn't so round anymore. His hair is getting longer too, might have to get it cut or tie it up? Letting out a sigh he looks at his hands with determination.
Showing the signs of old and new forming blisters, Izuku's hands are hardened from the sword training. He flexes his fingers and rubs the bruise on his chest one more time before heading into the kitchen.
'Hopefully I don't see that guy again.'
Hello everyone, I am very sorry for disappearing for awhile. I have been very busy with important life shenanigans. Anyway I hope that you all enjoy the chapter. I plan on the next one being the start of the U.A entrance exams. I can't wait to get started on that cause I have so many ideas for later stuff. As an apology for being gone, I'm gonna try to make my more recent chapters longer. Please give feedback for what you guys do and do not like. peace out!