Chapter 17

Izumi POV

I didn't know what happened. All I could think about was Izuku. How, even though I hurt him, he still helped me. And when he needed me, I… failed. I couldn't help him and instead, he saved me. I just… lost control.

I don't even remember what happened. Just that I could hear Izuku's voice. Then everything went black. I woke up, feeling like I was floating.

I saw memories of everything that's happened. From when dad trained me, pulled me out of school, even when he punished me for not being able to finish training. It all made me think about when me and Izuku were little. How helpless he felt.

I wished for so long that I take back every moment. Every single time it happened. That I stood up for him like I should have all those years ago. I always thought Izuku would hate me forever for it.

The thing that scared me the most was losing him again after he helped me. But… I'm just…

"I don't think you're weak." I heard Shoji's voice. "You hold yourself back more than you should. But that doesn't make you weak, you just need to have some confidence in yourself."

He was right. I'm… I'm not weak. I'm going to be a hero who can stand beside Izuku and Katsumi. I just need to believe in myself. "You're nothing but a failure."

I turned around and saw dad. "N-no. I d-don't care what you th-think." I felt my body shaking

He just smiled at me. "Oh, so the failure decided to stand up for herself?" He punched me in the face, knocking me down.

I held my face as tears sat in the corners of my eyes. I didn't know what to do. I can't stand up to him. He was just… too strong for me. I felt a hand touch my shoulder. I looked over and saw Izuku staring at dad.

Katsumi walked up next to him. So did Jiro. Then Shoji walked up next to me. Then I realized. "I… I don't need you anymore, dad. I'm not alone."

Dad's face quickly turned angry. I felt a little scared at seeing him like that. But my fear didn't stop me from getting up and glaring at dad. "Heheh, what's that look? Has the failure finally grown a spine?"

I didn't listen to him. "I'm not a failure. I never was one. And I won't listen to you anymore!" Izumi's eyes began to glow, pushing her father flying away.

Izumi shot up in Recovery Girl's bed, panting hard as she heard her heartbeat in her ears. She looked around frantically, seeing where she was, she began to calm down. She looked outside, seeing the moon was out.

"How long was I out?" She asked herself.

"Just fifteen hours," a voice answered her, making her jump with. A squeak.

She looked at the other bed and saw a gangly man with fairly long, blonde hair. He seemed to have sunken, blue eyes that looked at her. "O-oh, sorry. I… I didn't see you there, sorry." She nervously scratched the back of her head.

The man waved his hand at her, telling her not to be. "Don't worry about it. You seemed like you were having some trouble in your sleep?" He asked her.

"Oh…" izumi felt her face heat up in embarrassment. "I… I was dreaming about my… dad…"

The man nodded. "And what kind of a man is he?" The man asked.

Izumi didn't know why she was talking to this guy. She didn't even know who he was. But at the same time… she felt like she could tell him anything. "He… I… I hate him. All he wants is for me to be this great hero, but he never gives me a second to rest. I train and train all day with no breaks and I'm a failure if I can't.

He even told me that if I couldn't get through the entrance exam, I shouldn't even bother coming back home." Izumi felt tears threaten to escape her eyes. "I hated myself for so long. I thought he was right. I thought that I shouldn't even be a hero."

Izumi wiped her tears away. "It wasn't until my brother came back into my life that stuff changed. I thought he was gonna hate me. That I'd be alone with nowhere to go. But… h-he helped me. He gave me a chance when I didn't deserve one. Even after I hurt him so much. I…" Izumi began to break down completely, unable to say anything else.

The man had gotten off his bed and hugged the girl. She clutched onto him as if her life depended on it as she cried into the night. The man rubbed her head, looking out the window of the nurses office.

——

Izuku woke up, stretching his arms out. He moved off his bed and walked out his room. He left the dorms, wanting to check on Izumi. He quickly made his way through the school, reaching the nurses office. He was slightly nervous about what Izumi's condition is.

He opened the door, seeing Izumi talking with his dad, a smile on her face. Izuku breathed a sigh of relief at seeing she was alright. He walked in, izumi spotting him, and smiled. "M-morning Izuku."

Izumi smiled at her. "Morning Izumi." Izuku sat down next to her.

"So… what happened at the USJ?" She asked.

"Well, everyone got sent to different parts of the USJ, you lost control of your quirk, passed out after I got to you and All Might came in, defeated a monster and these two villains escaped."

Izumi looked down. "I… sorry, Izuku."

Izuku looked at her confused. "Sorry about what?"

"When you needed me, I failed. I couldn't do anything. I-"

Izuku put his hand on Izumi's shoulder, stopping her. "Izumi, it's okay. I didn't expect you to be able to do so much so early. You're still working through stuff. So take it easy on yourself. Because I know that one day, you'll be an amazing hero."

Izumi smiled, hugging Izuku tight. "Thank you."

Izuku smiled, patted her head.