Chapter 8: Road to Hero

Ignore it.

It took all her will to focus. Labored pants came as the air was ranked with a scent she could never ignore.

Her eyes paid little attention even as she continued running next to Ojiro, and her new friend, Izuku.

Also, that annoying blonde guy.

But that scent.

His arms, shoulder, body, no doubt, there was internal bleeding underneath. Aunt Ayuna often taught her about it, during the session in between quirk therapy. That it's dangerous and at times, fatal if it's too deep.

It also created a vivid wild pattern, almost like a marble floor. Each of the veins and blue streaks, indications of damage, down to the cells, was fascinating and most of all, beautiful.

Yet, even that was nothing compared to the spectacle unfolding behind her. Hampering and taking all her attention as she caught the scent.

Kurono's blood.

It was always strong but this time, it was completely overpowering. Like it was screaming to her.

Her stomach felt like there was a piece of hot burning coal stuck inside, searing her innards as pain flared through her.

Sweat poured and tears formed at the side of her eyes.

However,

Her flushed cheeks strained as her wide smile threatened to split her lips, panting eagerly with bloodshot eyes.

It was the greatest feeling she ever experienced!

I can feel it! Toga clenched her stomach and bit back the pain. That tiny ball of blood that she ate felt like a hot piece of coal.

At the back of her mind, it was like she was connected to them. Feeling their emotions swirled together violently as the numerous explosions continued like a crescendo behind her.

"Toga! Are you alright!?" Ojiro's voice broke her thoughts.

"I'm fine!" More than fine, she held herself back from laughing maniacally.

This was it! The feeling that she hadn't seen or felt for so long!

A sight that she vividly recalled at their first meeting sent tingles down her spine.

Just like how she had her love, yearning to be like others by taking a part of them, Kurono was finally doing the same!

That unrestrained, unrestricted, and violent bloodlust.

Her skin tingled, crawled and the nape of her neck rose. Eyes rolled upwards and pupils widened with her breath getting deeper each passing moment.

I want to be like him.

One of her eyes twitched, and like a dam-breaking, grey slime oozed outwards beneath her skin, it wasn't long before the mud-like substance covered her entirely. Then slowly, the grey matter then rearranged itself as her blonde hair changed to that of a bright pink instead.

Turning around, hands tightening around the black knife that was formed for her, she shot back to the fight. Ignoring the horrifying shout and desperate call for her, right now, she had to fight and crush the villain.

I AM him.

"God damn it! Toga, stop!" Ojiro snapped his head backward as Toga, now bearing the same appearance as Kurono, charged right back in instead of retreating.

He was about to join her but slammed his foot down when he recalled his current charge and safety.

Izuku on the other hand was murmuring incoherently and was rooted in place from shock. The only thing Ojiro picked up was quirk, disguise, and Toga's name.

Ojiro's eyes went back and forth between Izuku and his two friends, teeth clenched as he struggled to come to a decision.

"It's-it is alright! I'll go ahead!" Izuku yelled resolutely when he saw Ojiro's hesitation. A single glance was shared between them before he headed straight onwards to the escape assembly.

Letting a sigh of relief, Ojiro spun on his heels and headed right for the two.

There, explosions shattered and flipped cars upwards like they're toys. The large beastlike villain swung with reckless abandon as it tried to catch its targets.

Kurono, weaved to the sides swiftly and struck back with his blade, its weight slamming and sinking deep into the arm flesh before he bisected it cleanly in one smooth motion.

Was he always that fast? Ojiro thought in between, hardly able to believe his eyes and had to shut his mouth.

Barely bothered by it, the villain continued swinging even as the limb spurted out blood, muscles, and veins showing before it closed itself into a new arm.

That was when the second presence made herself known, Toga, looking like a near copy of Kurono, stepped onto the back of the villain before plunging her knife downwards as it buried itself deep within.

Quickly retaliating, the villain snapped itself to the sides into a roll. Knocking and picking scraps of plastic, metal, into its skin but unheeding of the superficial damage.

Equally responsive was Toga jumping off and disappearing from sight immediately, using her hands and feet to grasp the pipes and overhead lighting as handles for faster traversal. Her movement was strangely familiar until Ojiro realized that it was his.

Kurono's sword followed up by slashing the villain's sides, tearing a deep gash into it. A cat and mouse game between as they continued attacking without any pause.

Hesitation crept to Ojiro as he kept his distance from the direct combat. A niggling thought at the back of his head as the laughter by Kurono caused him to wonder if the latter had gone mad.

Another explosion sent a car to the sides, interrupting his thoughts as he snapped back to the current situation, and was greeted by said flung car.

Ojiro felt his heart nearly stop even as he dove to the sides in record time thanks to the surge of adrenaline and blood pumping through him. The resounding crash of metal on metal, glass, and krumping sound akin to a tin can be squashed into a ball reached his ears as he got back to his feet.

Then, a pungent odor filled his nose, and hurriedly, he looked behind to see the wreck of cars leaking a large amount of liquid that was pooling rapidly together.

Oh no.

A tiny spark flared between the exposed wires.

Ojiro felt the air from his mouth sucked out in an instant as the bloom of fire flared intensely into a raging storm.

It was hot enough that he was sure his hair got singed in the process, even as he rolled forward again and slid across the asphalt.

Black foul smoke immediately reached his nose and he gagged from it immediately, coughing harshly to clear as he held his breath.

A shadow loomed over him, forcing his attention forward as the large bulk of the villain with its arm raised before it shot forwards like a bullet.

Raising his arm for a guard as his heart rate shot up from fear and realization, Ojiro tensed his body without thinking.

The following impact was like someone took a sledgehammer to the center of his arm, pain flared, and felt his flesh tenderize from it as his feet were torn from the ground.

A heartbeat later, an explosion went off inches from his face. Gravity and orientation blurred with the sensation of the world spinning around him frantically.

And Ojiro knew no more after that.

"Ojiro!"

Huh? Her eyes snapped as that voice didn't come from her. Idly, she blinked several times as her head felt like it was full of lead.

What's going on? Toga shook her head to the sides, grasping her temple as a burgeoning headache made her vision swim.

Once she regained parts of her sight, she took a peek from her hiding spot before her eyes widened like saucers. Catching a glance of Ojiro being flung across the air before rolling several times until he came to a stop.

The sight of him lying motionless sent an unbearable heat to her head and the corner of her eyes red. The pale face complexion disguise that she currently wore went into a flush before it turned red.

"You fucker!"

Similarly, a furious yell came from Kurono, the latter face now stretched into one of absolute anger instead of the charming smile that he earlier had.

The sword that he wielded crashed into the villain, tearing and cutting cleanly through its body.

Such a clean-cut however meant the recovery was equally fast, a mistake that Kurono realized too late as he was head-butted by the villain directly on his forehead with a sickening crack, giving him a bloody nose.

Not stopping at it, the villain whipped itself around in a 180 turn, generating enough momentum and force before it jerked its leg upward at the last moment and kicked Kurono right in the chest like a horse.

The latter was flung into the air violently before slammed into the ceiling face first. This didn't end as Kurono bounced several times like a ball until he came to a halt in the hood of another car. His weight bending and leaving his imprint onto it before slumping down, unmoving as well.

Toga felt something snapped within her as she drew a handful of air into her lungs before holding her breath, and moved by instinct.

It was a simple trick, one that she used the most to approach Kurono, or more specifically, the nice one, to sneak behind them and relish their surprised expression.

Now, she realized that it was capable of doing more.

Approaching the villain's large back rapidly and silently, feet nearly skipping on the surface before she turned all that speed to focus on her toes to leap upwards.

Grabbing the upper right arm with her left hand before swinging down diagonally, this time, she felt her knife hit bone as it parted flesh easily as blood spurted out.

Toga was already on the move the moment she landed on her feet, deftly evading a backhand that swished loudly above her head.

It dares.

She moved forward, thrusting her knife into its abdomen before removing and jamming it back repeatedly.

It dares?!

Blood spurts out now but she ignored all of that in favor of stabbing feverishly.

Die. Die. Die. Die!

Her head pounded as loudly as her heart, giving rise to even further power as she continued stabbing.

Die! Die!

Hands slicked with crimson liquid as her knuckles turned white and fingers gripped the knife hard enough that it drew blood.

"I'LL KILL YOU!" Like a dam bursting open, all that collected fury culminated in her screaming her lungs out and vision going red.

It only further exacerbated itself when she thought about it again, both scenes of Ojiro and Kurono replaying themselves over and over as all sense of restraint flew out of her mind.

So taken by anger, Toga didn't see or think to withdraw as the villain cocked another punch and launched it straight to her stomach.

The mace-like appendage slammed right into her guts, sending the sensation of fluid rushing upwards, stomach compressing, and air leaving her lungs.

An instant later, she threw up the content of her stomach, pain hitting every nerve and inch of her body. Her disguise started to disfigure itself from the damage and loss of concentration in maintaining it.

Then, it sloughed off completely as Toga felt her entire world rocked apart with a point-blank explosion. A sense of vertigo and loss of direction as she was sent backward flying, the pain burning her stomach entirely and a faint scent of burnt pork.

Meeting the hard surface of the asphalt, it arrested her momentum painfully and further sent signals across her pained body.

Shaking the pain off and coughing before it turned into retching as bile rose, she spat it out to the sides while wheezing in pain.

Blood? Toga idly thought before realizing that the crimson liquid was hers. Without thinking, she reached out and swiped a few with her fingers before bringing them closer to her. Studying it intensely as it enraptured her.

So this is mine…

Her tongue flicked to the sides of her mouth and tasted her own blood.

Disappointingly, it felt muted and dull. The taste of iron lingered but that was about it.

Toga raised her head, coming across Ojiro's bloodied condition a few feet away.

All other thoughts flew out of the window as she pushed herself forward before being stunned by the pain that came from her stomach and ribs. Nevertheless, slowly, while forcing the pain down by gritting her teeth, Toga crawled to him with an outstretched hand.

"Oji-Guh!" Toga slammed her mouth shut as the mere act of speaking hurt but she never faltered in getting closer.

Turning him gingerly, her heart lightened considerably when he was still breathing. The worst of it was his arms, bleeding freely as his uniform too was torn apart from the explosion. Her breath quickened rapidly as her fascination with blood crept at the back of her mind.

Gritting her teeth hard to force her urges down, she chose instead to take off the vest of her school uniform and wrapped Ojiro's arms to stymie the bleeding.

The pain helped in that regard, Toga thought to herself despite every breath she took made her wince as she finished tying a knot.

Hissing as she dragged herself to her feet. Toga slid an arm underneath Ojiro to carry him.

Got to pick up Kurono too-

A huge stomp announced the villain's presence as it towered above her, halting her in tracks and their eyes widened in shock.

The villain, or Nomu, looked down upon her with its grinning fish lips. Tail flicking left and right animatedly.

Toga's blood ran cold even as she held Ojiro closely, careful not to make any sudden moves. Her heart was beating at an intense pace, fingers shook, and was breathing erratically as she didn't dare to even blink.

Then the villain began to raise its mace-like appendage above its head.

No.

Toga hackles rose as she realized what was going to happen.

Her eyes flicked to her hands, red with Ojiro's blood.

She slammed the palm of her hands into her mouth, slurping and swallowing the blood. Pushing for the disguise to happen and quirk to its limits.

A chopping motion from the nomu came, twisting its hips and arms as its fist bore down onto her.

Faster, faster! Her transform quirk worked as fast as it could, grey ooze pouring out from her skin. Covering her thinly but most of it went to the back instead, shaping herself into that of Ojiro and most importantly, his tail.

With a flick of it, she quickly wrapped Ojiro around. Controlling it through pure intent and instinct.

The explosive strike was a foot away from her, legs buckling and unsteady, pain burned through her veins but she pushed that all away.

She didn't know if her way of living in simply obeying the rules, putting on a smile, and acting like nothing as she suppressed her true desire is wrong or correct. Nor does she truly understand why one would go out of their help to help others altruistically.

What she did know was she doesn't like seeing her friend get hurt.

Arms crossed as she prepared to take another powerful, and perhaps, fatal strike. Her fake tail tightened around Ojiro one last time for impact.

This is it? Her mind prepared itself for the inevitable hit.

"Get down!" Only for an interjecting shout to interrupt her thoughts as it caught Toga by surprise, buckling her legs and falling flat on her rear before a stream of white gas flushed right above her.

Her momentary confusion and shock were dispelled as she looked upwards, seeing the familiar mop of dark green hair.

Zuku? Blinking, realizing that it really was him. Armed with a fire-extinguisher and firing it directly at the villain. His freckled face seemed like he would rather be anywhere but here, yet he stood his ground resolutely and continued to spray at the villain.

"Don't you worry now-" Then a similar large rotund figure placed himself between them and the villain.

Is that-? Toga weakly thought past her eyes as she vaguely recognized the hero.

"Fat-nyan! I got the other kid!" At the corner of her eyes, a female police officer with a vest, carried Kurono as her short orange-haired twin tails shook to the sides as she quickly made her escape. "Hit 'em with all ya got!"

Seconds later, the villain swiped the foam back with its wing extended, cowing all but one.

"Pick-!" Two meaty fists slammed against each other before winding backward, and shooting out a right haymaker directly to the head of the nomu, snapping it upwards and outright lifting it from the ground. " Someone of yer own damn size!"

"Tch." Rokuro clicked his tongue as he turned the screen featuring nomu number six off and went back to the current situation.

Already, numerous heroes from within the Sky Egg dome were assisting Captain Celebrity and taking down the other nomus. Even with all the distraction and planning, it was all going sideways.

His brief focus on the kids had cost him the chance to intervene or finish the job. The worst part was that he was just moments from bringing down the curtains before that annoying Osakan hero stopped.

All in all, it added to his foul mood.

"Nuh-uh, that ain't happening," Rokuro growled, his blood boiling as he took direct control of the surviving nomus. "Increase regeneration cell, converting to explosive cells-"

Fingers dancing across the screen feverishly, a final tap of the screen sent the remaining nomus into overload as they bulged up, reaching grotesque levels with multiple heads erupting outwards.

Continuing its fission, multiple smaller nomus split from the main body, nearly tripling its number even as the pathetic heroes tried to stop it.

"It was already a done deal, things went off-script but the end was never in doubt," Rokuro muttered, eyes focused on the tower as multiple black nomus clambered over it like rats. "In a few seconds, the Sky Egg, Captain Celebrity, all of it?"

"There ain't going to be anything left." Each of the nomu continued splitting up into more pieces mid-movement.

Seeing the panicked heroes scampering around like a headless chicken only sweetened the schadenfreude he was feeling.

Five seconds from detonation. His device started a countdown.

"All of you can't do a damn thing now, there's nobody stopping this." His words were bitterly uttered without any remorse as he watched coldly for the detonation to happen. "So long I-"

A great gust of wind blew against him, nearly making him lose his footing. Capturing his attention immediately as the world slowed down to a crawl.

It was still too fast for him to see properly even with overclocked.

The wind blew and warped around a figure traveling the skies, zig-zagging without any loss of speed or momentum like a bullet as blue, yellow, red streak left a blur behind.

"The bioengineered nomus have multiplied, they're crawling around the entire Sky Egg tower. Same with other areas where they've been suppressed." A signal from the earpiece communicator sparked to life.

"Understood, Nighteye. We have detective Tsukauchi to thank for informing us."

"Of course, It's also a-"

"A request from a friend? There's no need to be shy."

"It's unprofessional."

"There's no need to worry about such a breach of formality!" The sight of the Sky Egg is now in sight, crawling with the nomus and even spilling down to the base of the tower. "After all, that's the reason heroes exist!"

"And that reason is?" Nighteye responded cheekily.

All Might could easily see the latter grin at those words, a thought he put aside as he was meters away from the tower and the mass of nomus slowly turning towards him.

"To assure the people!" In a heartbeat, a swift kick to the sides had it compressed to the point it became solid from sheer speed, creating an impromptu platform for him to move around.

A single flick of his wrist sent multiple nomus to the air as he picked them up like a sack of potatoes, the air pressure from his actions alone creating a sonic boom trailing behind. This induced the nomus to expand rapidly like a balloon.

This continued as he ran a spiral downward from the top of the Sky Egg Dome, flinging all the nomus away into a far distance into the skies.

Not stopping, he continued running onwards the moment he reached the ground, heading for the closest reported outbreak of the nomu.

"That there's no reason to fear!"

A train station filled with nomus, the largest of them reaching the size of a train, was plucked and sent upwards before anyone even blinked.

"Why? It's because-!."

The city mall where a special restraining locker for the nomu, now torn apart as it was surrounded by police forces desperately creating a cordon around it, disappeared. Appearing several thousand feet in the air later with an indent mark in the center of its chest.

"I-"

This continued on as high-speed cameras, meant for traffic, captured several blurs speeding across its screen, unable to see it as anything else but a tracing line drawn by a brush.

"AM!"

Lastly, stopping at a museum car park basement, as a lone hero tried to stop the wave of nomus by pressing against it, his shirt a burning mess, looking thin and haggard as he bought time for a police officer to get a Quattro of students away from the nomus.

A fist tightened and he carefully lifted the hero back before unleashing a mighty strike, strong enough that it ripped the nomu apart before his fist even made contact.

'HERE!"

On that day, All Might, the number one hero in Japan, resolved the SkyDome Egg crisis all in the span of four seconds the moment he was informed of the case the moment he returned from Kyushu.

Such a feat was to be expected from the man known as the Symbol of Peace.

Hours later

It's dark.

Eyelids slowly stirred open before they shut closed due to the excessive bright light though it still bled through his eyelids.

Where am I?

The moment he took a breath, Ojiro felt his chest hitch and pain flared across his entire body, the worst of it coming from both of his arms. It was like acid poured on top as every little twitch sent renewed agony shooting down his body with tears forming to the sides.

After a long moment passed with the pain going from mind-numbing to teeth-gritting, Ojiro finally opened his eyes.

The bright white light and bedsheets, the scent of disinfectant, and hurried footsteps greeted him as he tried to lift his upper body.

"You're awake!" Turning to the side, a nurse with red hair and blue skin quickly moved to his side. Gently supporting his body weight by moving his pillow and adjusting the bed. "Try to avoid moving, just lie down and rest for now."

Ojiro's mind slowly processed the new information before a rush of what happened earlier came and quickly got back up, at least, he tried before the pain stopped him. That's when he noticed both of his arms wrapped in a cast.

Wiggling his fingers, Ojiro realized he was unable to feel them properly. A sudden onset of chill and hackles raised as the worse came to his mind.

"Don't worry, the doctors treated your injuries." The nurse assured as she smiled and placed a hand on his shoulders. "I recommend you don't move too much as there are minor fractures on both arms and your skin suffered through multiple burns."

That explains the pain. Ojiro mutedly nodded as he took several deep breaths, forcing himself to calm down and not aggravate his injuries further. Only then, did he ask the question that ate at him.

"What happened to my friends?"

"She's resting over there," A glance and turn to the sides revealed another bed with Toga slumbering quietly and covered in bandages, albeit, less than him. "She had a few broken ribs and scrapes but it'll heal fast. It was a bit of a surprise, we thought you two were twins until her disguise came off!"

Did she use her quirk? Ojiro blinked at that before he shook his head and picked up an oddity. "Why is she bandaged much more than me?"

"To prevent her from rolling around too much and avoid unnecessary stress being placed on it. Broken ribs aren't that easy to shrug off."

Perhaps he was seeing things but was that a twitch at the side of her smile?

"Where's Kurono and Izuku? Are they injured?" He decided to switch the topic instead.

"We only received the three of you since your injuries were more severe. I'm sure they're fine."

That reassured him as he felt his shoulder muscles relaxed and let out a sigh of relief but that was followed by the pangs of pain from his arms. Idly from the corner of his eyes, he spotted the loud and explosive Katsuki in a similar state as him with both arms in a cast, lying down quietly.

Though the moment he heard Izuku and Kurono names, Katsuki stiffened and his glare darted towards them. Just as quickly it happened, he then resumed scowling at the ceiling.

"Rest for now, I'll come and check up on you later. If you need anything just press this button." She gestured to a small button at the side of his bed, idly, Ojiro wondered how he's going to press it as both arms are in the cast but a twitch of his tail solved that.

With that, the nurse left the room, leaving the three of them behind.

Shifting himself gingerly to the sides as possible to relieve the numbness accruing at his tail, it didn't take long for the blood to flow, resulting in pin-pricks all over it as the feeling returned.

Ojiro let out a relieved sigh as his tail was free to move, it might be his quirk but it can be inconvenient at times.

Glancing down at his current state, Ojiro's mood darkened as he wondered just what he had contributed.

Sure, he did the sensible thing. Get everyone to safety and then tried to get his idiotic friends to do the same while the heroes come to do the work.

Gritting his teeth, a cold shiver went down his spine as he recalled the last moment of the fist impacting his arms. He swore that his life briefly flashed past him when he flew in the air.

Is this what heroes deal with? Closing his eyes and drawing a deep breath, as he was left with an uncomfortable feeling within. Doubt sprouted within and the room felt much colder.

Looking at the ceiling after a while and closing his eyes, he turned his thoughts to another scenario.

If he hadn't frozen, how things would've gone?

Perhaps he could've helped them out, perhaps it wouldn't change a thing.

But one thing was clear, he was not able to do more.

Tightening his fist and ignoring the pain, Ojiro swore to himself as he opened his eyes.

Never shall he ever hesitate or freeze like that again.

This path of heroism that he desired initially out of fame, shifted as he wanted something simpler.

Helping others, and ensuring no one else gets injured ever again.

That would be his way of heroism.

National Museum of History and Heroes

"There you go, you should avoid breathing through your nose for now. Otherwise, it'll repone-"

Crona nodded despondently at the words of the medic, barely listening as they sat with their legs folded to the sides. Eyes drifting back to their friends.

"Will they be-" Crona muttered to himself but was quickly interrupted when the other occupant in his mind responded.

They will be fine.

"Your friends are in good hands," The medic replied not a moment too soon, mirroring Kurono's words. "After all, All Might sent them personally to the hospital."

"I-I see." Crona tugged at one of his hair bangs idly, wrapping it around his fingers.

Taking the cue, the medic left them alone as they checked for others that were injured. Leaving them alone in the ambulance, without thinking, Crona inched to the sides and curled himself upwards.

I fucked up.

A quick peek to the mirror drawer, Crona caught Kurono reflection sitting in a similar position, though his legs were splayed to the sides.

Both shared a glance with one another but looked away just as quickly.

"A-Are you okay?"

That brought the two looking upwards to be greeted by Izuku, one of his hands covered in bandages. Noticing their attention, Izuku raised it towards them and waved it off. "Ah, this is just a slight burn. It's nothing serious. How's your nose?"

"I'm fine, helped," Crona answered politely with a wry smile as they pointed the plaster on their nose. The bleeding had stopped by the time they had been pulled out of the car anyways. "What about the other-?"

"Kacchan? The ambulance sent him ahead first before I got to you, but I think he should be fine!" Izuku muttered quickly with a smile before it dropped quickly, feet shuffling as well when he looked at his injuries. "I mean, I hope that he'll be fine."

"...It's amazing. You, Kacchan, Toga, and Ojiro all stood up to the villain without any hesitation," Izuku said, looking towards Kurono. "I suppose it's to be expected since you're the son of a pro-hero-."

"We got our ass kicked, bro." Crona's mouth moved before they could do anything as Kurono took the reins forcefully and glanced towards Izuku. The latter of whom wincing at his tone and choice of words. "Some goddamn hero I was."

"But even so, it's thanks to you, others hadn't got hurt." He pointed out diminutively in order to change the topic. "And you stayed to help out Kacchan after all."

"I also got both Toga and Ojiro injured because of that," Kurono muttered bitterly through a wry smile, fist-clenching tightly that the veins were underneath his pale skin. "A real fucking achievement, ain't it?"

Izuku felt like digging a hole to hide as he made himself smaller, head downcasted in shame at hearing their response. "I-I better go."

A noncommittal grunt from Kurono was the only response given back as Izuku quickly departed.

"That was too much, Kurono." Crona admonished with a frown, turning their attention back to the mirror.

I don't want to hear about how amazing I was when two of my friends are in a hospital. Kurono bluntly pointed out to them a pang of annoyance, anger, and resentment piled forth. Directed primarily towards himself as he swept his hair back before gripping it tightly.

Even in another world, he can't do anything right. Not a single thing.

Crona opened their mouth but slowly closed it, not knowing what exactly to say without making it worse.

Despite being together for nearly a decade, there are just so many things they still don't know about. What to say, how to react, or what to do, especially when it comes to others.

"I don't know what to do…" Mumbling to himself quietly, for all the good that it did.

"Do what?"

That snapped them to attention as the two of them followed the source of the voice. Coming upon a roughed-up man with a mask covering the top of his face even as he was chomping down upon the contents of a lunch box.

"Oh, Fat-nyan?" Crona muttered with recognition, eliciting a laugh from the pro-hero as he smiled warmly.

"Haha, friendly aren't ya?" The latter sat next to them as he complimented Crona, much to the latter confusion. "So, what's biting you?"

"Erm?" Crona inspected themselves before raising an eyebrow. "Nothing in particular?"

"I meant what ya said earlier." Fatgum pointed out, chopsticks following his fingers as he picked up a small amount of rice to pop into his mouth.

"...It's just, we didn't do anything right." Crona despondently said, a sentiment both of them currently shared.

"Well, yeah."

"Huh?" Crona and Kurono turned to face Fatgum, the latter stated nonchalantly.

"Ya ain't a pro-hero, just a normal kid." Chewing the rice before gulping it down. "You fighting like a total amateur is just how it is."

"But I was there, I couldn't help or stop-"

"I getcha but from testament, it seems like they dove back in to help ya."

That sent a tinge of shame running down and grimacing like they bit a lemon, if only-

"Besides, if All Might hadn't pulled us out of the fire there, well…" Fatgum, almost reading their mind, followed up as he placed his chopsticks down and sighed. "It wasn't going to be pretty. If anything, I oughta be the one going mad! After all, I'm a pro-hero."

"But it's not an excuse-"

"Got it one, kid!" Fatgum enthusiastically said with a smile as he slapped their back, nearly sending them sprawling from their seated position."That's why, At the end of the day, what matters is what ya can do for the future."

"After all, no use being sorry. You just gotta be,"

"Stronger?" Crona and Kurono finished, it's what their dad often said.

Fatgum eyebrows rose before he snickered, rubbing the top of their head gently. "Exactly!"

Crona smiled weakly but it made sense. To make sure no one gets hurt again, they have to grow strong. Far stronger. That way, they can deal with anything that comes.

This line of thought seemed to be agreed by Kurono as well, the latter affirming themselves as he felt the tug of will between them solidifying

Speaking of him- Kurono nudged Crona to face forward.

Already, the tall figure of their father was easily seen, police questioning before letting him through the cordon.

He looked haggard, as bruises appeared all over his arms, the well-kept suit was tattered at the edges, his tie and fake glasses he had were gone as his temple was bandaged. Still, the moment their eyes met, Kurogane strode over quickly with a dark face.

"Hey, ain't that-?"

"Oh no." Crona flinched as they saw him coming, they're in for it now. That face never bodes well. Quickly, they stood up at attention as their father rapidly closed the distance

Now at an arm's length away, Kurogane raised an arm high.

Instinctively, they closed their eyes from fear. Waiting for a reprimanding hit for their rash actions.

It never came.

Instead, they felt their chin being lifted upwards steadily and gently turned to the sides. Opening one of their eyes, Kurogane was methodically and intently studying them.

"How are you feeling?" He then moved to their neck and then kneeling down to study their arms before pressing their body. "Any pain? Numbness? Or lack of it?"

"I'm fine. Just the nose." Kurono replied in their stead as Crona looked silently before their will took over the body suddenly. Their eyes glanced all around their father's own condition. "Y-You're injured!"

True enough, from afar, it seemed like he had just bruises but at a closer look, the extent of it was far worse than they imagined. One of his eyes was bloodshot, their face was unusually pale, and the bruises didn't stop at the arms as the unbutton collar shirt he had revealed marks at the neck that trailed all the way down.

Kurogane ignored that comment in favor of checking their wounds first. Only once he's satisfied, he stood up and patted their shoulders. "For what you did, I should scold you."

Crona pressed both of their lips together, looked away as their feet shuffled uncomfortably.

"But I'll leave that for now." Kurogane stood up, turned towards Fatgum, and gave him a bow. "Thank you for saving my son."

"Ain't nothing to it but say...Are you Kurogane Tatewaki?"

"I am he."

"I knew it! You probably don't remember but I saw you at the Vale Tudo open division competition before!" Fatgums eyes widened in recognition as he offered a hand, one reciprocated by Kurogane, as he shook it firmly. "You sure did a number on the other competitors in your block, I didn't know you were a pro-hero!"

Kurogane cleared his throat as he adjusted himself, not really eager to talk about his early days. "A folly of my youth. I was rash then."

"Ya kidding?! You're an inspiration! Why, the things I learned from seeing ya-!"

Crona looked at the conversation going back and forth, not realizing the two were acquainted at all.

"Did you know about this?" They asked Kurono inquisitively with a tilt of their head.

No, I have never seen dad in the series before and I got holes in between now-Huh?

"What is it?" Crona followed to the sides.

Nah, nothing, I just thought I saw the big guy himself.

Slowly as events winded down, more clouds fill the sky and created a much-needed shade across the land.

For one of the people, the cloudy skies reflected their current mood as they dragged their feet back home.

Izuku Midoriya felt like the bag he was carrying contained lead, head downcasted as his thoughts flew at the speed of a comet.

What if he did this instead of that? How else would he approach or react better? All those questions continued to burn and ate at him.

He had been reprimanded by the police officer, Kaneko, that he shouldn't have done such a reckless thing but was also given thanks for it.

It was just luck. Izuku noted, knowing full well that his hobby of analyzing other people's quirk was the only thing that he contributed to it.

After all, being quirkless for all his life, it was the one thing he wanted desperately in order to become a hero.

But really, it was just him running away from reality and the truth. This was never more apparent than today, where he was involved directly with a villain attack.

What can you do?

Biting his lips as he stopped in his tracks. Wondering just how to answer that question before coming to the grim conclusion.

"There really is nothing that I can do, huh?" A gentle breeze brush by him.

"I!" Then like a hurricane, All Might, the number one hero, his very idol that admired since childhood, slide out of an alley as he skidded to a stop in front of him. "Am here!"

"Quietly." He added with a thumbs-up gesture.

His mouth moved before his brain even processed what happened.

"All Might! Can I have your autograph?! I always admired you since I was young and-" Hands moved to unzip his bag, taking out a pen, and handed his precious notebook to him.

"Haha, sure!" In a flash, hands zipped across the notebook before being passed back to him.

Exultation, excitement, and joy-filled him as he raised the notebook with All Might's signature. "I'll treasure this forever!"

"No problem, I was just checking on the young man who rushed in wanting to help others but you left early!" All Might waved it away before looking towards him in a quiet tone. "Are you alright?"

"Y-Yes, I wasn't injured at all. After all," Izuku's good mood deflated slightly as he recalled what transpired. "It was the others that did the work."

"Fatgum and Kaneko said you dashed back in. I shan't condone such an action, since it's very dangerous for a civilian to interfere with a rescue operation."

Right. Make sense. That sent his shoulders slumped down even lower.

"Your courage, however, is commendable!" All Might nodded approvingly at that, shocking Izuku back up as he stared wide-eyed with him. "Keep that courage with you and no doubt, one day, it'll serve you well!"

Izuku felt it struck home as he quickly asked All Might. "C-Can I ask you something?"

"Yes?"

"Do you think, someone, with no quirk like me?" He summoned the courage to ask, even as the crippling fear came back. His teeth chattered as he pleadingly looked straight at All Might's eyes. "Can be a hero?"

The moment those words left his mouth, Izuku held his breath and closed his teary eyes. Hands gripping his knees, feeling like he had been running from reality. Just what can he do when someone like Kacchan or Kurono, wasn't able to do anything.

All Might look on quietly as he was taken back by that question before shifting his feet.

He hated to break it to the kid but in this kind of line of work, it was just not feasible. Especially the kind of villains on the rise...

Opening his mouth to answer, a stray thought came to him.

Liar.

Shutting his mouth at that, a heat blooming within his chest.

Aren't you the same?

Those words felt like someone dropped a bucket of cold water on him, eyes twitching as he recalled how he was years ago before he was even All Might. Days of being Yagi Toshinori, back when hopeless despair filled the world, villains on a rampage, and how powerless everyone was to deal with it.

Flashes of his mentor, Shimura Nana, and a chance of opportunity. A life and legacy entrusted to him.

A piece of much more recent advice also came, telling him that he would know when he'll meet his next successor.

"..." Silence reigned between them as he considered those words, the sincerity as well as the sheer coincidence. He was told that the kid came back but why?

"Young Izuku." Those words felt right for some reason as the kid looked up to him.

"Yes?"

"Why did you rush back? You had an opportunity to run, and by all accounts, reached safety after helping your friend. Fatgum was also already there-" All Might crossed his arms and spoke in a much more serious tone rather than the joyful tone he often used for the public. "So why did you go back?"

"Because-" Why indeed? Izuku wondered as he looked to the sides, fingers tapping one another as teeth chattered. His mind swirling, trying to find the right answer.

Numerous explanations came, tons of ways and reasoning, all of it to justify why he did.

Yet ultimately, all of it was merely justification and not the reason. A moment passed and the reason came as he took a deep breath.

"I don't know," "Izuku looked towards All Might, which drew a raised eyebrow, as he pressed his fist against his chest. Speaking clearly without stuttering or murmuring his next words out. "I just saw Ojiro needing help. So after making sure Kacchan was safe, I went back."

"I see. Very well…"

A tense silence hung as Izuku wondered if he gave the wrong answer as All Might covered his face with his hand, looking upwards before brushing his hair back

"Of course you can be a hero!" A wide smile flashed back with a thumbs up.

Huh?

"Young Izuku, you said you didn't know? The answer is obvious!" All Might slapped a hand onto his shoulder. "There are times where someone needs to be saved, the body moves on its own!"

"That's exactly what happened."

Someone, someone actually really believes that he can and admits it.

"Which is why I have a proposition of sorts-"

On that day, one of the great heroes that emerged after All Might started their humble beginnings.

Next will be an interlude and we'll be entering the U.A entrance exam arc. As usual, kindly leave a comment or criticism. Thank you.