Chapter 8

"You just had to pick a pro-hero to rob, didn't you?" Amaya grumbled through her hand, trying to shield herself with the hood of her cloak as people gathered excitedly around Izuku and flashed their camera phones at them throughout the restaurant.

"You were the one who said to go after the dumb-looking targets. How was I supposed to know that he was a pro?" Tachi whispered conspiratorially.

"You idiot. You didn't recognize him with the messy hair, freckles, and the green lighting? You just tried to rob Deku. He's only in the top twenty pro-heroes of all time."

Tachi, having realized his error, only uttered an "oops, sorry, sis." Not like they could do much about it now. Having overheard the conversation while he was trying to arrange for a more private table, Izuku felt a twinge of hurt at the 'dumb' comment but decided to be good-natured and let it go. It was his own fault for being so distracted, and if all that was hurt in the ensuing fight was his pride and a superficial nick to the hand, he'd count himself lucky.

"Mr. Deku, it is an honor for you to be here. On behalf of the staff and everyone here at JoJo's Diner, we thank you for your service. Whatever you want, it's on the house." The owner greeted him amiably while he and the rest of the staff bowed in thanks. Izuku just smiled through the over-the-top gesture. He liked JoJo's Diner and Mr. Kujo, but Izuku would have been lying to say that he had hoped the other manager was working today. Being a fan was one thing, but being on the receiving end of hero worship sometimes felt a little much, and he was still struggling to deal with the latter.

Once Izuku was done with basic pleasantries and requests, he sat down at the end of the booth opposite of the siblings. After being bombarded by various fans or restaurant goers that wanted selfies with him or autographs, he had them seated in a corner booth away from prying eyes.

"I'm so sorry about this. Normally, it isn't this bad when I go out, but I saved this place from a boulder villain a couple months back, and the owner was so grateful that he sometimes gives me a discount." The girl narrowed her golden eyes at him.

"So you brought us here so you could show off and call in a favor while not having to pay at all? Real heroic."

"No, actually, I just come here because of the amazing sliders. It's one of the few places in Akihabara that has American cuisine," Izuku mentioned before adding, "And I told him that I would pay for my own meal but that you two could order whatever you like, so please help yourself."

"Really?" Tachi exclaimed before excitedly picking up his menu. "Sweet! I'm going to order one of everything!"

"You sure you want to be making that promise?" Amaya said after glancing down at her menu. "This place is kinda ritzy and we can eat a lot."

"Yes. Please order whatever you want."

"Fine then. It's your funeral," she muttered before pulling the menu in front of her face. Izuku took the opportunity to look at what he wanted, hoping to stay within his budget of ¥1500.

"So you both know my name, but I don't know either of yours." The two kids shared a look like they had been caught before the brother spoke up.

"I'm Hitachi Shirogane, although everyone calls me Tachi. The grump sitting next to me is my sister, Amaya." The sister in question sent him a not so subtle glare that spoke volumes, as if to scold him for being so open with him about their names. "What? He's a pro-hero, not a cop. If he wanted to do something bad to us, he could have done it a long time ago, right?"

"That's right. I don't want anything like that." His eyes fell on the older sibling, who simply slunk further into the booth with her arms crossed. They locked eyes for a few moments in a friendly staring contest before she glanced towards the glowing jukebox in the corner that was playing some sort of 60s rock band. "It's very nice to meet you two. I'm Izuku Midoriya, though you can call me Deku if you want. Either is fine with me."

"Okay, Deku," Amaya stressed his hero name like she had tasted something foul. "Mind telling us why we're really here?"

"Sure, we'll get to that, but first let's get something to eat. I've heard the Saturday specials are amazing."

Tachi inspected the menu like it was one of those Notice-the-Differences brain teasers, his brow furrowed and perplexed. "What is a suh-ride-der?" Tachi stretched the words out as if to sound them out.

"It's like a hamburger, only smaller and they put a dozen of them on one plate with different toppings and sauces."

"Ooh, that sounds really good."

"Then we'll order one for the whole table." Stars shone brightly in the twelve year old's eyes while his big sister continued perusing over the menu.

"So what made you choose this place?" She flipped through another page of entrees. "We could have just as easily gone to the ramen shop down the street and be done with it. You didn't have to make this thing a whole circus."

"Well, to be honest, a friend of mine from the United States recommended it to me, and lately I've been having a massive craving for American food."

"You've been to America?" Tachi asked.

"Yeah. I studied abroad there during my second year of college."

"Cool. What's it like?"

"Like here, only noisier with more cars and bigger yards. They also have something there called a turkey that are these really big, mean birds that Americans like to eat in November for some reason. They were a real problem where I lived." Izuku could laugh about it now, the incident having taken place around four years ago, but he still shuddered to think of the day he had been chased by one of those gobbling behemoths after they had caught him by surprise on his early morning jog, resembling one of those demonic chickens that could kill you in video-games if they were agitated enough. They were almost as bad as the geese that nested near his college campus. "Speaking of which, you guys ready to order?" Receiving a few reluctant nods, Izuku raised his hand and called for a waiter, who arrived almost immediately like he had been waiting to take their order exclusively.

"What can I get for you?"

"Umm let me have the... fried chicken combo with a large order of fries," Tachi held the menu close to his face, like he was struggling to read it, "and two quarter pounders with everything on it and uhhh... is well-done the one where it's cooked all the way through? Yeah, I'll have it well done. I also want a coke-float to drink... do you mean it when you say endless refills? Really? Awesome, I'll take that too."

"Order some real food, Tachi. You need some fruits and vegetables."

"That's rich coming from you, Miss Chocoholic."

"I am already grown. You, however, are still a baby bean and need to eat your healthy greens." She playfully whacked his head with the edge of her menu for emphasis.

"Fine. I'll have a fruit cocktail and a garden salad or whatever."

"And for you ma'am?"

"Yeah, I'll have three orders of BLTs with a large order of fries for each, a fudge brownie a la mode, a chocolate milkshake to drink and..." Amaya ordered with a practiced, rapid fire precision before pushing her menu forward in a non-chalante manner. "Whatever the most expensive item is on the menu."

Izuku blanched at the size of the order, his voice cracking as he said, "I'll just have the mini meaty-sliders appetizer for three and a green tea, thanks."

"Certainly. Coming up right away, Mr. Deku." Once it was just the three of them, Izuku let out a breathe. Maybe it was a good call in coming here. The order price alone would have been the price of admission for his entire class doing two hours of karaoke, but he felt so bad to be taking advantage of Mr. Kujo like this.

"You sure you two can eat all of this food?" he asked.

"Chill out, hero. Our Quirks require us to stock up on a lot on food," Amaya explained as their drinks arrived, plucking a bendy straw from the wrapper and shoving it into the chocolatey beverage. "Besides, anything we don't eat we can just take as leftovers." That certainly explained why they had to pickpocket. With metabolisms like that, it had to be hard to sustain themselves. No wonder they were basically skin and bone.

"You know, you two have some interesting Quirks there. Mind telling me what they do?" When neither of them spoke up, Izuku continued, "From what I've gathered, your Quirk can let you absorb matter into your coat or body, but it can't absorb inorganic matter. And yours-" Izuku pointed towards the blonde, "-lets you produce crystals from your hands that you can shoot out at will. Am I right?" The Shirogane siblings both looked at each other in surprise.

"Wow, that was really close, although mine is something involving... what did you call it, Amaya? Absorbing sunlight and carbs?"

"...UV light absorption and carbon intake," she relented with a sigh.

"That's it!"

"Wow, that sounds fascinating. How many crystals can you produce from your body? Do they only come out of your hands or can they appear elsewhere? Are you limited on the length? What are they made of? Is it made out of glass or something else?"

"...the hell is wrong with you?" Amaya said, recovering first from the bombardment of pervasive questions.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm just really fascinated by Quirks."

"No, I mean, why aren't you turning us into the police?"

Izuku paused, knowing this moment was coming. "Well, for one thing, you didn't really do any real harm to anybody. I mean, sure, you stole my wallet, but you could have just as easily threatened me for it as well. Your brother's Quirk certainly would have made it easier to get money, either by selling his crystals or using it to threaten people, but instead you just had him run as a pickpocket. Your intention was to flee, not to attack. You didn't actually try and assault me until I began attacking your brother, and even then you cared more about protecting your brother than running away with the cash, which you also could have done because my wallet is made out of organic materials."

"Amaya doesn't like it when I use my Quirk. She thinks it's too risky 'cause I might hurt someone or get worn out trying to make too many crystals," Tachi spoke up, staring down at his hands before his face burst out into an excitable grin. "But I've been getting really good at it lately! I can make my crystals really strong if I eat good and I've been getting really good at throwing them at tin cans from like... a really long ways away and get a bullseye almost every time!"

"It's more like ten feet," Amaya interjected almost too eager to pop his bubble, causing her little brother to pout.

"Hey, I don't get on you for being unable to carry change because the coins are made of metal." She ruffled his bristled blonde hair and had a brief shoving match with her brother, displaying the closest semblance to a smile Izuku had seen since he'd met her.

"So you can change the density of the crystals by how well you eat and your sister can store them along with other organic materials inside some sort of void that she can open at will, because they're made of carbon," Izuku muttered to himself.

"Woooow, and here I thought the TV was all talk when they mentioned you had keen intellect," Amaya uttered with a slight note of sarcasm. "You're really observant, aren't ya?"

"Oh, well, I'm not that great-" he sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck.

"And that's why you're looking out for two such pathetic head-cases like me and my brother, because you want to save us and make the world a better place." He grew silent at that accusation.

"Cut it out, Amaya. He's being really nice by letting us eat for free and you're making him feel bad about it. You shouldn't bite the hand that feeds you."

"Tch whatever." She scoffed, refolding her arms across her chest. The tense silence that followed pervaded until their food had arrived. It had come with at least three waitstaff balancing plates and resulted in their food almost covering the entire table. The kids eyes were the size of dinner plates as they stared at the feast in front of them. It's like it's they've never seen this much food before, was Izuku's thought during their initial hesitation. However, after a few seconds of smelling the hot burgers, the two kids said their thanks for the meal and began voraciously scarfing down their food with gusto.

Izuku gaped as he saw the siblings tear into their meals. Plate after plate of food began emptying, not even a crumb of it going to waste. Just where were they putting it all? "You weren't kidding when you said you could eat a lot."

"That's a rude thing to say to a lady," Amaya commented before dipping a French fry into her shake and then eating it.

"O-Oh, I didn't mean to imply that-"

"Relax, hero. I'm just testing your merit. So many people claim they'll do things and never follow through. They make promises without realizing how hard it it to keep them, and I don't take broken promises lightly. If all of this food goes to waste, then that's on you." Tachi let out a pleased hum as the special sauce and grease juice from one of his burgers dripped down his chin.

"Ish sho gouwd!" he spoke with a mouthful of burger.

"Dummy, wipe your mouth," Amaya reprimanded him before grabbing one of her napkins and forcefully wiping his chin with it.

"Don't tell me what to do. You're not my mom," he whined, fussing at his older sister's motherly advances while Izuku sat back and chuckled at the exchange. He bit into his own slider, enjoying the umami flavor of beef and cheese. Periodically, he would see her push a plate of fries towards here brother or have him try one of her sandwiches, and by the time they had been nearing the end of their meal, she was slurping down a third milkshake.

"You want to order some more dessert?" Amaya asked after noticing her brother avoiding the more sugary items she had offered him.

"Nah, I'm more than satisfied with my endless refills of coke-floats."

"Alright then, so now that your lunch guests are happy, fat, and full, you gonna tell us what the real reason it is you brought us here or-" Her words were jaded and much like her attitude, cut straight to the point. "-are you going to keep playing nice with us until you get what you want?"

"I don't-" Izuku began before he was swiftly cut off.

"Cut the crap. You still haven't asked us the real question you want. If it was a question about our Quirks, you would have just continued to lead with that." Realizing that there was no other way to put off the sore subject, Izuku relented and leaned forward, his hands folded underneath his chin. Guess he wasn't the only one with 'keen intellect.' This girl was sharper than she let on

"...You're right. That wasn't my original question. Actually, I have several, but the only one that bothers me the most is what your brother said back in the alley." His lighthearted expression turned solemn and was filled with concern. "Shirogane-kun... why did you think I was going to kill your sister?"

Those had been the magic words as the room seemed to go completely still that even the jukebox was mere white noise. Tachi had suspiciously gone quiet after having finished eating his fourth slider and now had his hands resting in his lap. "Because that's what pro heroes do," he finally mumbled. "They hurt people who get in their way."

"Why would you think that? Heroes are supposed to help people."

Amaya scoffed. "You're either incredibly naïve or more stupid than I gave you credit for to think that most people in the hero business are doing it out of the good of their hearts."

Izuku bit his lip at the words he wanted to say, his friend Ochako coming to mind as he chose his words carefully. "It's true that not all pros are in it for the good of saving people. Some are in it for the fame and fortune or simply to have as a pass for using their Quirks out in public. But still, most of us do try to do good with our Quirks and help people when they need it the most."

"Have you seen a hero hurt something? A pro who was abusing their Quirk?" The silence that followed spoke volumes. Izuku pulled out a pen and an old receipt out of his wallet. He could barely keep his hand from crushing the plastic as he clicked it open. "Who are they? What's their name?"

"You don't have to do that. It's not like you can do anything anyways." Izuku frowned at her refusal. He would have thought her the type of person to immediately point out when someone was in the wrong. That either meant that she knew them personally or they were high up on the Hero Board or had a lot of influence that she was afraid of speaking out.

"I can try."

"It doesn't matter. Seriously, okay? Just drop it."

"It does matter. It matters to me. No person should call themselves a pro-hero if they hurt innocent people."

"They're dead, okay?!" Amaya spoke over him with a raised voice, rattling the table with her fist. "They died a long time ago."

"Oh..." Izuku lowered his pen, tapping it precariously on the table. "Still, I'd like to know their name anyways. Maybe I can prevent repeat events."

Amaya rolled her head back and growled. "Seriously? Ugh fine, if it'll get you to shut up about it." She took in a deep breath, like she was trying to mentally prepare herself for a sparring match before she uttered a single word, a name that made Izuku's blood run cold: Endeavor.

It was true that the former number one hero had a spotty past and more than a few family problems, something he knew all too well after becoming friends with the Todorokis, but he didn't think the cycle of abuse extended this far. He had even completed his work study at his agency under Shoto's recommendation. Just how many people had this man hurt before he had found the light?

"When did this all happen?" he managed to say, shocking himself with the steadiness of his voice.

"What, you're not going to question whether or not my statement is valid? I just accused a top pro-hero of misconduct, a former Number One Hero at that."

"It didn't happen to me. I don't get to make judgments until I've heard all the facts." She grew rather quiet at this declaration, her lips parted before pressing back together.

"About eight years ago in April. Don't get me wrong. It's not like he hurt us directly or had some personal vendetta. He just failed to protect our home. It all came down to him stopping one man, a guy who was asleep no less, with a team of some of the top pro heroes while knowing everything in advanced, and in the end it wasn't enough. Because of him and so many would-be heroes, we lost everything. What kind of hero fails to save the people they're sworn to protect? He was supposed to be the Number One Hero, and he failed in the worst way possible." Amaya gripped the edges of her upper arms, her fingernails digging into her skin. A few seconds went by and then, all at once, Izuku understood. These kids... they were from Jaku. "You should know all about it, Deku. I heard you were there evacuating citizens, or did I get that part wrong?"

Izuku closed his eyes, horrible images flashing across his eyelids as he witnessed the obliteration of almost an entire city. People, animals, heroes, villains, lives erased forever that not even their bodies could be recovered from the destruction, the horror of Shiguraki's Decay and the rampage of the Paranormal Liberation Front. "Yeah... I was there." He swallowed the lump that welled in his throat, thumbing the side of his green tea but did not take a sip. He had been one of the heroes that contributed to the headstone memorial to honor those that had been lost and had continued to honor them long past. It was an immense tragedy, one that had claimed the lives of many, including Enji Todoroki, who in a tragic twist of fate, had been killed by his eldest son, a former leader of the League of Villains' Vanguard Action Squad. Since then, the title of Number One Hero had been a free-for-all, with no one person claiming it longer than a year or so and no clear winner in sight.

"So then you know much of an oversight there was in dealing with a massive threat. Many civilians on the outskirts of the city didn't get out in time before the place was leveled by some freak with a gigantification Quirk and the rest got caught up in the smaller fights afterwards."

"Heroes didn't cause the damage to the city," Izuku interjected.

"Well they certainly didn't go out of their way to fix it. Thousands of people lost their homes, their lives, to that conflict. It's been almost a decade and they still haven't cleaned it up." Amaya was standing now, her shoulders quivering and fists clenched, her eyes full of fury and sorrow. "Where were you heroes after the event, huh? You were there to rescue us from the crumbling buildings and fires, but how about after? Where were the heroes then when we had to rebuild and pick up the pieces left behind or fix broken families or deal with the raids and riots and murders that followed? You think donating to some charity or starting a fundraiser is going to help those people because a hero did it? Until you've experienced tragedy, held it with your bare hands, you can't say that you know what it's like to be on the receiving end of it."

Her haggard breathes were the only noise in the silence as Tachi continued to stare down at the plate of sliders. Izuku felt his chest tighten to the point of tears. Amaya Shirogane wasn't just upset for herself. She was upset for others on their behalf, like her brother who she tried to protect from or people who would take advantage of his offensive Quirk, something that was also possibly something that could be exploited as monetary as well.

Having heard this story, he knew with absolute certainty that he had made the right decision in coming here.

He felt like shedding tears at their declaration, not because he was sad, but on their behalf.

"You're right," Izuku finally said with a wan expression. "You're absolutely right. Things could have been done differently, and as a result, a lot of good people got hurt. It must have been so hard, growing up without a steady life. I can't even imagine what you two have been through, but that's why we need people like you. It's easy to say that we know what you're going through, but if we haven't gone through it and have no one to help enlighten us, how can we possibly understand it and prevent it from happening to others?"

Her expression faltered, changing back and forth between anger and disbelief. "Are you... are you seriously trying to recruit me right now?" She grabbed a fistful of her hair, sounding like she was on the brink of tears as she chuckled in self-deprecation. "Me, of all people, the one who had just tried to rob you an hour ago, to become a hero?"

"And your brother too, if you like. There are programs that let in budding new talent into the system and scholarships beyond just high school training, if money is an issue. I know that I certainly wouldn't have made it very far had I not had the financial support and someone who believed in me."

Her expression grew silent as she drew breathe and said, "...are you absolutely out of your goddamned mind?! What sane person would want me to become a hero?"

"I, for one, think you would make a great hero. You see, after studying heroes for so many years, I've realized that there are many different types of heroes in this world. Some Quirks are flashier or powerful than others, but it's not their Quirk that makes them great heroes. It's the change they create, the inspiration they bring out in others, and all it takes is for one person to make a real difference. That's what I'm striving to do. I want to help improve things, to save people and make a difference, and I think you can too. You and your brother have some amazing Quirks, and despite how much you roll your eyes and claim you don't care, you do still care about people. I think that's really admirable of you and the perfect quality for a budding hero."

Tachi, who had remained frozen during the heartfelt exchange, had not said a word against either of them, though his face appeared hopeful as he looked between his sister and the hero that were at odds, like a darkness had been pushed away like a curtain letting in light from a window.

"I'd like that..." he spoke in almost a whisper. Izuku then gave him a smile that radiated warmth, encouraged by the younger sibling's bravery. The older one, however, seemed to wavering, still doubtful of his intentions.

"It's still your decision. I'm only presenting you a path to move forward. Only you can choose whether or not you want to take it," the hero said, addressing this more towards the oldest Shirogane sibling before his brain caught up with the rest of him. "Umm sorry if that sounded too bossy! Sometimes I get a little carried away when I talk about heroes. Anyways, I know it's not much, but here's my business card. If you need anything or run into trouble, please don't hesitate to call," Izuku handed her a small white rectangle he kept on one of the first-aid pouches on his belt. "I'm sorry if it's nothing fancy. We're still working out all the kinks for a logo and haven't worked on an official brand yet. We're more of a Jack-of-all trades kind of agency."

Sensing that they were done with the conversation, Tachi was reluctant to stand but followed after his sister anyways once she scooted out of the booth to leave. Amaya eyed the card in his hand like it was about to be taken away from her the moment she reached out for it. "Don't make promises you can't keep," was all that she said before pocketing the card and taking her brother with her, leaving Izuku with the dishes and the check. He sat there for a few moments, processing and unmoving before sinking back into the booth, all of the tension hitting him at once as his smile melted away. Left the responsibility of cleaning up, he started gathering the crumbs and wiped up stains with paper napkins before tossing them onto the pile of plates.

The hibiscus pen he had pulled out of his pocket sat by the old receipt, the lavender scent calming on his nerves as he scribbled down a to-do list for today: first was to procure some more funds from an ATM so he could purchase a new phone and the second was to call his friend Shoto. They had a lot they needed to discuss.


Author's Note: References include Cucco from the Legend of Zelda series and Jakku from Star Wars.

Wow, this chapter was heavy to write. Also, I apologize if any of this was a potential manga spoiler for you, however some of it is headcanons since the manga is still coming out. I'd also like to think that you automatically run the risk of spoilers anyways if you read fanfiction in general, especially if Future Fic is in the title summary.

Also, quick shout out to my many viewers. Thanks so much to everyone who's reviewed, followed, and or favorited my story. It feels great to get support for something that is relatively new to me, which is regularly updating a story.