The Fairy Hero

by Silverbits

After the Nomu come to attack, Izuku is thrown into chaos as he struggles to survive. Before one of the Nomu can drag him off, he's whisked away to another world by a stray Anima and is given a second chance. Maybe, just maybe, life will get better from here.

13. Attempted Kidnappings

Izuku woke up with a gasp.

His heart hammered against his ribs as he sat up and looked through blurred vision. Painful aches ran through his body, reminding him of what had happened.

A hand touched his shoulder, and he flinched away from it. He looked up to see a familiar face looking down at him.

"Izuku?"

He watched her for a moment before his brain finally caught up and remembered who he was looking at. Not one of those strangers, no figure made of mist, he was looking at a friend. Here, in the real world. Someone who wasn't going to hurt him.

He shuddered, laid back down, and covered his eyes with bandaged hands. What he saw back there made no sense. It was just nonsense. People he had never seen before, either in the waking world or in his nightmares.

"Just a dream…" He muttered. "It had to be."

"Izuku?" Lucy tried again.

He slowly uncovered one of his eyes to see Lucy looking at him in concern.

"Are you okay?"

He nodded after a moment and put his hands down. "I'm alright. I-I just…where are we?"

"We're at the hospital. You've only been out for a couple of hours."

"Oh, okay…wait." He sat up again and ignored whatever pain flared up. "Where's Kacchan? He's okay, isn't he? He-"

"He's right over there." The other girl, he was pretty sure her name was Levy, pointed to a bed beside his own. He looked to the side and saw a small lump hiding under the covers. He swung his legs over the edge and got up, only for his legs to give out as soon as he stood up.

"Izuku!"

He fell forward but caught himself on the edge of the other bed. He took a shaky sigh and pulled himself up.

"I-I guess I'm still out of it."

"You just woke up, and you're still hurt. Just because you're bandaged doesn't mean you can get up like that."

Izuku looked over himself and saw his hands, arms, and torso wrapped around him. He eyed his hands and shook his head. He turned his attention over to the small lump on the bed.

"Kacchan?" He gently tapped him. "Are you feeling okay?"

When he got no response, he frowned and began pulling at the blankets' edge. There was an angry yell as soon as he was uncovered, and Izuku felt teeth bite into his hand. He hissed in pain, and after a moment, the cat let go.

"Who the hell is- oh." The cat had sat up and saw who was bothering him. "Oh, well, look at you. About time you're awake."

"Yeah…how are you feeling?"

"I'm perfectly fine," Katsuki looked him over. "You look like shit."

Izuku laughed at that as Lucy sighed behind him. Levy gave a small laugh as well.

"Well, they're still themselves, at least."

"Yeah. But Katsuki's right, Izuku. You still look exhausted."

He looked up at that. "I feel mostly okay, though. Just a little sore."

"Yeah, anybody would be after the ass-kicking you got last night." Katsuki huffed.

At the mention of last night, the girls tensed up. Izuku noticed and felt something in his chest twist.

"Is everyone okay?" Izuku asked. "I know the guildhall was destroyed. But everybody is probably upset over that. Me showing up all beat up probably didn't help…" He rubbed over the bandages on his hands.

"Yeah, everyone's okay." Levy smiled. "They're pretty upset at Phantom, though."

"Well, they did turn a dump of a guildhall into an actual dump."

"Kacchan!"

The cat rolled his eyes as Izuku sighed.

"Still, I'm glad everyone is okay. I'm sorry if I scared you all."

"It's not your fault." Lucy frowned. "You had to run, and there's nothing wrong with that. Everyone is happy that you're all in one piece."

"Yeah…"

"Well, when they get back, they'll definitely be happy that you're already up. We thought you might be unconscious for a long while."

"Huh?" Izuku looked up. "When they get back? Did they all go somewhere?"

Lucy and Levy looked at each other, but it was Katsuki who spoke up.

"Oh, you have to be fucking kidding me. Did those crazy ass people really leave to go deal with Metal Face and his guild?"

Izuku gave him a look, then looked at the girls. "D-Did they really? Please tell me they didn't!"

Levy shook her head. "Master was angry when he saw you two. It crossed a line, and a war between the two guilds was declared."

Something in him twisted once again, and he felt sick.

War.

A war had started over him and Katsuki. Just because they couldn't get away from one guild member of Phantom. Just because Phantom decided not to stop at the guildhall.

"Izuku?"

"I-If it had been just the guildhall, would he have let it slide or…"

"He would have."

"Oh…"

Levy nodded. "It was the fact that you two got hurt that made him angry."

Lucy looked over him, then to the side to see Katsuki giving him a look. Before the cat could hit him, Izuku spoke up again.

"They shouldn't…we're not even members. We're just affiliates. I don't get…just- war? I mean I would get it if it was you guys or one of the others but-"

"Izuku."

"I just couldn't run away fast enough. I lost a fight. I don't think that's grounds for-"

"Izuku!" Lucy stepped up and grabbed his shoulders. "Everyone was so upset when they found out what happened. You should have seen Natsu and Erza. Even if the Master didn't declare war, I'm pretty sure they would have gone to fight with them anyway."

"You shouldn't feel bad Izuku," Levy said. "Fairy Tail and Phantom Lord have been on edge around each other for a long time. Them hurting you two was just a tipping point."

He looked between the two before lowering his head. The sick feeling churned in his gut.

"I see…"

He wrung his hands together as Lucy stepped away.

I hope everyone is okay. If they're not then…then that's all my fault.

"Do you think that we can leave?" Izuku asked. "We're awake and all."

"You're still hurt," Lucy said. "Are you sure you don't want to stay? There's nothing wrong with resting for a while longer. Both of you."

Katsuki hummed and actually looked content to go back to sleep, only for Izuku to speak up.

"I think I want to leave."

"What?"

"I mean, we're both awake and relatively okay. There's no real reason for us to stay. We're just taking up another bed someone might need."

Lucy gave him a look and sighed. "Are you sure?"

"Oh fuck off nerd, I'm going back to sleep!"

Izuku watched the cat and sighed. "Besides, when everyone gets back, I'm pretty sure they'd want to know we're doing well. No need to worry them more than they probably are."

Lucy shook her head. "Well, at least let a doctor look you two over before you go decide to just get up and leave."

"Right…okay."

-FH-

Katsuki hung off of Izuku's shoulder and glared up at the sky. "When this rain lets up, you'd better go looking for your shitty backpack."

Izuku groaned and buried his face in his hands. "I forgot about my backpack."

"You forgot about the one thing that has your fucking money in it!"

Izuku let out another groan at the mention of that. "All my money. Oh no, and the guildhall is a mess! I don't even have money to find a place to stay for the night."

"Oh, you have to be fucking kidding me."

Lucy shook her head as the two talked amongst themselves.

They had been heading to the guild hall, after all. They had called the doctor in to look over Izuku. She was more surprised he regained consciousness so soon with the injuries he came in with.

The tired boy suffered through the tests before being given an overall clean bill of health. He was just warned not to put too much stress on himself before he was fully healed. He had to keep the bandages on for the time being,

It looks like he won't be able to go on any jobs anytime soon.

Lucy and Levy looked back at them every now and again just to make sure they wouldn't go off track.

"We can figure out your living situation when we get to the guild. Everything is set up in the basement for the time being. Maybe you can room with someone tonight. As for your backpack, we can look for it later," Lucy promised. "Don't worry about it for now. I'm sure you'll find it."

"Yeah, that's easy for you to say when you're not the one who stays in there. If this loser hadn't lost the bag, I wouldn't be getting wet by now!"

"My bag probably would have gotten wet anyway. Which means you would get wet. Just…trapped in a wet bag."

"...Fuck off."

Levy sighed and shook her head. "I'm sure Mira's missed the sound of you two already."

"What is that supposed to mean, Bookworm?" Katsuki shot her a glare.

"Kacchan…"

"I'm just saying. She always looked happy to see you two around. She was really worried about you, but seeing you two again so soon will make her feel better."

"Glad to know we're just entertainment."

"That's not what she meant, Kacchan."

"Bite me."

Lucy rubbed her temples and shook her head. "You know I say Happy's mean, but you're quickly earning that title from him."

The cat responded by giving her a sharp-toothed grin.

"Kacchan's not mean." Izuku corrected her. "He's just rude."

"Shut the hell up! I am a damn delight."

Levy and Lucy share a look before starting to laugh with each other. They ignored the venomous glare Katsuki gave them as Izuku held onto the cat. Just to make sure he wouldn't do anything.

As they walked down the street, the rain began to come down harder.

"The sun is still out. Why is it even raining?" Lucy complained.

"Let's just get to the dump already," Katsuki grumbled.

As they picked up the pace, they saw a woman up ahead walking in their direction. She was dressed in all blue, and looked rather gloomy.

"Drip. Drip. Drop." She muttered as she walked towards them. "I am Juvia, the rain woman. It's always with me. This gloomy rain."

Katsuki glared at her as she slowed her pace and looked over the small group. He looked away for a moment to glance at Izuku, and saw him staring at her.

"And what sort of people are you, pray tell?"

"Uh…" Lucy looked between Levy and Izuku before looking back at Juvia. "We're just regular, normal people. I guess."

Katsuki snorted.

"Drip. Drip. Drop."

"Is everything okay?" Levy asked.

The woman paused before continuing out on her way. "It was a pleasure to meet you. I'll be taking my leave."

"Well, if you're causing the rain take it with you!" Katsuki shouted. "We've got shit to do!"

The woman said nothing and continued on her way until a new voice appeared.

"Non, non, non." Juvia stopped.

"Non, non, non, non, non, non, non."

Izuku flinched as he saw a figure wriggling out of the earth on the other side of them. The stone stretched and warped into the shape of a man. Slowly the stone turned into a normal person, and a man grinned up at them.

"I bid you bonjour madmoiselle!"

"Another one of these guys?" Lucy asked. "Where are you all coming from?"

Izuku tensed up and put a hand over his shoulder where Katsuki was. "They've boxed us in…."

Levy narrowed her eyes as she looked between them. He was right They were on either side of them, and from the looks of it, they weren't just normal people.

The man swayed in rhythm as he looked past them at the rain woman. "Juvia, ma petite amie. You mustn't shy away from the task at hand."

The woman looked over them and shook her head. "No, Monsieur Sol."

The man, Sol, disappeared into the ground and reappeared beside the rain woman. "My monocle whispers to me many things, and it tells me this belle dame before us is our sought-after cible."

"The blonde one?"

"Yes, it is she!"

"I see."

Izuku raised an eyebrow. "Cible?"

Levy frowned. "That means target."

Lucy pulled out her keys as the man eyed her. "Ah, pardonnez-moi. How rude of me that I have not told you my name. I am Sol of the Element Four. Also known as Sol of the Earth. But it'd behoove you to call me Monsieur Sol."

Levy watched him. "The Element Four…that name. I've heard it before…" She gasped. "You're with Phantom Lord."

"Très bien! Correct."

Lucy stood in front of Izuku and Katsuki.

"You're the ones that attacked our friends, aren't you?"

"Ah, now, now, no need to be like that mademoiselle." Sol shook his head. "You see, ma belle compagne is a rain woman. Juvia of the Great Sea, another member of the Element Four. We do not wish for this to be difficult."

"All we ask is that you come with us to our guild. Such as our orders to collect you."

"Well, what if she doesn't want to go with you?" Levy stepped up.

The man sighed and rubbed his thin mustache between two fingers. "Then I suppose we will have to use force. What a shame."

Lucy gripped her keys tightly and dared a glance over her shoulder. "You two need to run."

"What?"

"You need to go. Now! Izuku, Natsu told me that you can't… I don't want you to get caught in any of the crossfire. You're still injured. You need to go."

Levy gave her a confused look, but before she could question her, a wave of water erupted from the ground and sent all but one of them back.

Izuku recovered and looked up to see Lucy encased in a sphere of water.

"What?"

"Lucy!" Levy cried out.

The trapped girl looked around and began to beat against the water trapping her. It acted like a solid surface, it didn't even ripple where her fists struck.

"Au contraire, madmoiselle." Sol grinned as she struggled. "We are not to blame. That honor and renovation of your guild hall was the work of Monsieur Gajeel."

"I could have told you that, you creepy fuck!" Katsuki shouted at them.

The man gave him a look and tsked. "Such a vulgar cat."

Levy beat on the sphere from the outside, at some point trying to reach in and grab Lucy to no avail.

"Why are you doing this?" She shouted. "Let her go!"

Juvia gave them a blank look. "It's pointless to waste your energy. My Water Lock spell cannot be broken."

Levy glared at her and stepped back. "Solid Script: Fire!" She drew the words into the air and flung them at the water prison. It dissipated as soon as it made contact.

"I told you, it cannot be broken."

Izuku stared at the scene before him. Lucy was still struggling but was starting to get weaker. Levy was trying spells to free her, but it was no use. Sol had an amused look while his partner simply watched over them.

They don't see us as a threat. They don't think we can do anything. If they did, they would have already knocked us out or hurt us.

Izuku looked at his hands, then at the Water Lock. He felt claws digging into his shoulder as he stood there.

If I leave, they'll take her. If I don't, then they'll know and…

Lucy's struggles were beginning to stop, but before she went still, she looked over her shoulder at Izuku and Katsuki one last time.

"What the hell are you doing?"

His movements felt automatic as he pulled the bandages off his hands and raced toward the sphere. He couldn't answer Katsuki as his mind struggled to catch up to what he was doing.

"I already told you, you cannot break my-"

He threw his hands on the water prison and felt that power inside him rush through him and latch onto the magic. He pulled it away, and the Water Lock broke.

"Lucy!"

Izuku panted as he felt the stolen magic settle into him. It was smooth and flowing, yet stubborn and chaotic, just like water.

"He… dispelled my Water Lock."

Izuku took hold of the newly acquired magic and felt it run along his hand.

"Kacchan, take Lucy and go! Levy, duck!"

Before the two could try taking Lucy again, Izuku shaped the water magic into a long arc before throwing it forward with as much strength as he could.

Sol ducked quickly into the earth, and Juvia took the hit head-on.

Before they could see the aftermath, Katsuki acted and grabbed Lucy before flying off.

"Where the hell am I supposed to go?"

"Anywhere but here!"

Lucy looked down at them and shook her head. "Wait, wait n-" She didn't finish as Katsuki flew off as fast as he could.

Izuku and Levy watched them fly off before looking down at the other two.

"Oh, non, non. This isn't good." Sol rose from the earth and glared at them. "And here I thought we could do this peacefully. Eh bien, if we must use force, we will do so."

"Our master said no harm was to come to Lucy Heartfilia," Juvia said. She glared at them as her body rippled and warped until returning to normal. "However, he said nothing of those who choose to stand in our way."

Izuku paled as he realized the attack had gone right through her. It didn't even touch her!

Is she resistant to water magic?

Izuku felt the magic he had left. He had just a bit of explosive magic from the bombs left and plenty of that other magic. Gajeel's magic. As he further searched, he felt something else, something foreign.

He shuddered.

"Tell us where your dear cat has taken Miss Heartfilia, jeune homme, and I promise no harm will come to him."

Levy got to her feet and stood at the ready. "We're not going to let you hurt them. You're not taking Lucy!'

The man clicked his tongue and raised a hand. A magic circle appeared on the ground, and the earth beneath them was upturned into a wave that threatened to crush them.

Levy huffed and drew in the air. "Solid Script: Shield!"

The word appeared in the shape of a shield and took the brunt of the attack. When it began to splinter, the two ran back to avoid the worst of it.

"Water Slicer!"

Before the dust could clear, a blade of water came at them, barely giving them time to duck to avoid it. Then part of the earth shot up and hit Izuku head-on, only for it to extend and send him flying into a wall.

The air was knocked out of him, and he used the wall as support to stay on his feet.

"Izuku!"

He didn't get a chance to respond before the ground warped and shot up from the ground to strike him again.

I can't dodge!

"You should be paying attention."

Levy dodged another blade of water as she drew in the air again. She allowed the momentum of the dodge to carry her, and spun around to throw a spell at the rain woman.

"Solid Script: Ice!"

The solidified magic took the shape of an icicle and flew toward Juvia. Like Izuku's attack, it passed through her, and she looked unamused.

She looked away as she heard a loud crash and saw part of the ground had risen to crush Izuku. After a moment, the spell crumbled and revealed Izuku, who should have been crushed.

Sol and Juvia paled as they saw Izuku. His skin was covered in metal, and he was seemingly unharmed.

"Non, is that…"

"Gajeel's magic," Juvia muttered.

Izuku panted and looked over himself and sighed in relief. "Oh, I was afraid that wouldn't work!"

"Izuku…"

He looked up and saw the look of shock they were all giving him. Something in his chest tightened, and he felt himself losing his grip on the magic he was using.

He was pulled back to the present as another attack came, and he dodged and blocked one of the smaller spires from the ground.

"L-Levy!" Izuku shouted. "We need to split up! We're causing too much damage here. We need to go!"

"Non! I will not allow-"

Izuku felt what he could only describe as instinct move him. He drew his fist back and threw it forward, only for it to turn into a metal beam and strike Sol head-on. After a moment, the beam retracted and turned his arm to normal.

His stomach twisted as he looked up to see the man doubled over and glaring at him.

Izuku stared at him, and was about to move when a glimmer caught his eye. He gasped and saw Lucy's keys lying on the ground.

She dropped them!

"Go!" Levy ran forward and pushed him to get him going, but he didn't move. Instead, he ran past her and towards the other two.

"No, don't!"

"Facing us head-on? A bold choice."

Izuku ducked down to avoid a blade of water and scrambled forward to grab the keys. As soon as he had them, he threw himself to the side to avoid being crushed by a pillar of earth.

He gasped as he avoided another torrent of water and ran forward. He was almost to where Levy was when Sol popped out of the ground and towered above him.

"I don't think so, jeune homme!"

Izuku tried to dodge, but some of the ground gave way from under him. The earth behind Sol rumbled and shaped into spikes aimed at him.

He scrambled for a solution, desperately grasping onto Gajeel's magic, and reaching out to that new source. It gave almost no resistance, instead, it allowed itself to be used.

He felt the warmth sucked from his body as smoke exploded into the street

"What?"

Izuku looked around to see purple smoke surrounding him, obscuring his vision. As he looked around, he saw something form in the smoke. The blood drained from his face as he recognized the figure, one of the ones in his dream. In that weird place, with all the other strangers.

The impassive look he had in the other place was gone, and instead, he stared at Izuku in surprise. He looked over him again and again, before turning away and disappearing.

"What just…" He yelped as a spike stabbed into the ground beside him.

I can't get distracted!

He scrambled to his feet and dodged another spike, then ran forward and out of the smoke. He panted and looked up at Levy, who was speechless.

"W-We have to go!"

The smoke was beginning to dissipate, thanks to the rain. They were running out of time.

Levy composed herself and nodded. "Go, run! We'll meet up later!"

With that, she took off at the sprint with Izuku close on her heels, only to split off once they could.

"Be careful!" Levy shouted over her shoulder.

"You too!"

-FH-

"Katsuki, put me down!" Lucy shouted as the cat carried her over the town. "We need to go back. They need our help!"

"Oh, shut the hell up! You're the one they're after, so clearly, you're the helpless one here. What are you gonna do? Let that water bitch catch you again?"

"If it's me they want, then I can help keep Izuku and Levy safe. He just woke up, both of you did. You can't fight. And Izuku doesn't…." She trailed off. "I thought he didn't have any magic. That was what Natsu told me."

The cat was quiet as he continued to fly.

"What did Izuku do? He just made that spell stop. Can he dispel magic? If that's the case, why would he lie?"

The cat ignored her and looked over the buildings for somewhere to hide her.

"Katsuki, I know you know something. You need to-"

"I don't need to do shit for you!" He glared at her. "I don't owe you shit, and neither does that nerd. The only reason I'm here saving your sorry ass is because he told me to. And if I didn't, then that idiot would have been bitching and moaning until I did it. And if he did that, then he'd go and get the shit kicked out of him again."

Lucy stared up at him, then looked away.

"You're useless in this fight, idiot." He continued. "You're more like a bargaining chip than anything. What the hell did you do to piss them off in the first place?"

"I don't know why they'd want me."

"Well, then you can figure that out while you wait here." He swooped low and dropped her on the roof of Kardia Cathedral. She grunted as she hit the ground and slowly got up to look around.

"Hold on. You're just leaving me up here?"

"Yeah, and shut the hell up! Just hide up here and don't do anything. If they can't find you, then they'll leave! Especially when those other idiots inevitably come back."

"Why not just take me to the guild hall?"

"Are you stupid?"

Lucy was taken aback by his words.

"That's the first place they'll look dumbass. Just stay up here and don't cause any trouble. I need to go find Deku."

Lucy was about to call him on his name-calling when she stopped.

"Deku? Who-"

The cat froze, then turned around and got in her face. Baring his teeth. "Shut the hell up! You didn't hear that! Just shut the hell up and don't make any noise!"

Lucy stared at him and nodded before he turned and flew away as fast as he could.

As she watched him fly away, Lucy couldn't help but realize that Katsuki looked…sad.

-FH-

Izuku panted as he sprinted through the streets. Thankfully they were empty; people had to have been taking shelter from the rain. That meant there was little risk of anyone else getting hurt.

I don't need to win. I just need to last long enough until everyone gets back, or they give up and can't find us.

He could feel himself panicking. That was another power. Another ability, something he shouldn't have! He didn't steal magic from someone by accident, did he? No, when would it have happened?

Izuku looked down at himself and gasped as he saw light streams of smoke trailing from his arms.

"What? No. Stop it. Knock it off!" He tried to rub his arms, but the smoke kept coming. "How do I make you stop?"

I may as well be giving them a signal to where I am!

As he struggled to get ahold of whatever power was causing this, the ground in front of him began to ripple, and a body stretched up out of it.

"You cannot hide jeune homme, I am Sol of the Earth. I can sense the ground you walk upon."

Izuku stopped in his tracks and began backing up. He swallowed hard and reached for a sword that wasn't there.

That's right. It's broken and gone.

"Now, tell me where that cat has hidden our cible."

"I don't know. I just told him to go and run."

The wizard frowned. "Surely you don't wish to fight. It seems you have already suffered once at the hands of our Monsieur Gajeel. Surely one scuffle was enough. Do you truly wish to stand in my way?"

Izuku frowned and straightened himself up. "I don't have to beat you." He said. "All I have to do is wait you out."

Sol raised an eyebrow as he swayed. "Oh?"

"Don't play dumb. It's pretty easy to figure out." He rubbed a hand over the scratch on his palm. "You wanted Fairy Tail to go after Phantom Lord. It's the whole reason you had someone attack the guild and attack someone in the guild. You knew that they'd be angry, and go after you."

The man stopped his swaying and eyed the boy.

"Knowing everyone was out there fighting the guild, you'd have the perfect chance to grab the person you'd want to get. I just don't get why Lucy."

"Oh dear, was our plan really that see-through? That a child could figure it out?"

"It's common sense. And it's just as sensible to know you're on a time limit. As soon as Fairy Tail finishes their business, they'll come back here. And even if some of them are hurt, you and your friend are still outnumbered."

Sol sighed and shook his head. "Mon, mon, a child too smart for his own good. I will say, you were quite the surprise! I have done research on every member our your guild, but I did not find anything like you lurking about."

Izuku couldn't the smile that quirked up his lips. "Probably because I'm not a member. I'm just an affiliate."

Izuku turned to run away as more smoke streamed from his body. Before he could get very far, a magic circle appeared below him and sand swirled around him, keeping him in place. With the sand blocking his vision, he couldn't dodge the hard kick to his back that sent him stumbling forward.

"Ah, ah, ah jeunue homme. We are having such a lovely conversation. Why run away?"

Izuku got up and looked around to try and find him somewhere in the sand. Only to be struck again and again.

"I can't tell you where Kacchan took Lucy! So why even bother with me?"

He reached for Gajeel's magic again. It had slipped at some point and felt some of his skin turn to metal just along his back, chest, and arms. Protect the vulnerable parts of himself. He had to conserve what he could.

This is bad. If I hit exhaustion or run out of magic, I'm done. I either need to run or end this, but I don't know how!

Izuku looked up to see some of the sandstorm dying down to allow Sol to stroll through and lean down at him.

"Because I'm sure your dear little pet will return to you as soon as he can. He obeyed you so easily back there. I'm sure he's well-trained to return to you."

"He's not a pet!" Izuku swung a fist, only for the man to dodge, then wrap his body around his arm and get close to Izuku's face.

"No? Then he's just a stray you keep around? What good are animals if not to obey their masters?"

"I already told you he's not a stray. He's my best friend!"

A fist formed from stone shot up and struck Izuku, only for another one to appear and hit him the other way. He managed to block another blow with his free arm, only for Sol to disappear and reappear behind him and kick his back.

Izuku didn't flinch and tried to lash out again, only for him to miss.

"Rather sad for someone to consider a filthy animal like that a fine companion." He was nowhere to be seen, but Izuku knew he was lurking somewhere in the ground.

"To you, maybe. But there's no guarantee he'll come back. He's not stupid, far from it. He has to know that one of you two will be looking for him."

Sol shook his head and tsk'ed at Izuku. "Fair point, still though it gives me plenty of time to look over you. Une petite surprise de Fairy Tail, a little affiliate that slipped through the cracks. However, I cannot help but wonder. If you are not even a member, then why waste your time protecting one of them? They should be of no consequence."

"I shouldn't need an excuse to help someone I care about."

Sol raised an eyebrow and raised a hand to allow another stone fist to strike Izuku. He blocked it and stayed on his feet.

"So you're more like a dog on a leash. Perhaps it is you who is the pet and not your cat."

"N-No!"

"Are you sure?"

Izuku paused and felt more of the smoke appear around him. "I can leave whenever I want. I choose to stay because they…they care about me. They took care of me when I needed help. The least I can do is try to help them when they need me. I owe them that much."

"So a stray taken in and tamed."

His mind dug up memories of constantly running and hiding, scrounging around for food and water whenever he could. Memories of trying to find a warm, safe place to sleep. Even if just for a few hours. Always uncertain what would happen the next day, whether he'd live or die.

He shook his head and looked up at him, standing at the ready. There was a seething feeling in his chest he pushed down. "Maybe…but that's a pretty narrow view of it. But whatever makes sense to you, I guess. As sad as it is."

Sol huffed, and a magic circle appeared beneath Izuku.

"Roche Concerto!"

Izuku jumped back and used his arms to guard against the barrage of rocks coming at him.

"You are quite the pest." He glared at Izuku. "Even more so with Monsieur Gajeel's magic. How did you ever obtain such a thing? Mimicry?"

Izuku looked at his hands and shook his head. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

"Nerd! Heads up!"

They stopped and looked up to see Katsuki swooping down toward Izuku.

"Wait, Kacchan don't-"

"There you are, petite chat!"

Katsuki saw a rock pillar coming at him and gave his wings a hard flap to avoid it. He went towards Izuku and grabbed a hold of his shirt.

"Is Lucy okay?"

"She's safe as long as she keeps her big mouth shut."

"Aw, intending to run away?"

"To get away from your creepy ass? Hell yeah!"

"I don't think so."

He sensed it before he saw it. There was a magic circle beneath them. He tried to grab Katsuki and run, only for the ground to erupt and swallow the two of them, before flinging them back out and separating them.

Izuku crashed into the wall as Sol grabbed the cat by his tail and held him up.

"Now, tell me where the belle dame is. I don't wish to spend more time here than is necessary chat."

Katsuki growled and thrashed around, trying to get any purchase.

"Put me down, you creepy fuck!"

Sol rolled his eyes. "Such vulgarity. All I ask is a simple question. There is no need for your foul mouth."

"Bite me!"

Sol hummed. "Stubborn. I'm sure we can fix that. Tell me, petite chat, what would happen if someone were to rip off one of your little wings?"

"Go ahead and try. See what happens!"

A cruel smirk crossed over the man's face as he reached around for one of his wings, only for Katsuki to wrench himself around and clamp down his teeth on the man's hand. He screamed and tried to rip the cat off of him, but Katsuki held tight and began to claw at his arm.

Sol let go of his tail and grabbed the cat by the neck before ripping him off. Before Katsuki could try to fly out of reach again, the earth upturned again and slammed the cat down.

Katsuki tried to get up and fly off, only for a boot to pin him down and press painfully down on his back.

"You little pest," Sol glared down at him as he held his bleeding hand and arm. "When I am done with you, I'll have you begging for mercy. Even if you do tell me where Mademoiselle Heartfilia is, I will make sure you pay for his indiscretion."

As Sol prepared his next spell, an air of dread surrounded him. He couldn't pinpoint the cause before a hand grabbed his neck and injured arm, and he was pinned against the wall. He looked down to see Izuku glaring up at him.

He tightened his grip on Sol, and felt that ugly thing writhing around inside his chest. Anger burned in his chest, but there was something else he couldn't place.

"Still on your feet, jeune homme?"

"I am going to give you one chance," Izuku said. "Take your friend and leave. Get out of Magnolia, leave us alone, and I'll let you go."

Sol smirked. "And why should I listen to you? You are a little boy, and I am one of the Element Four."

"I don't want to hurt you if I don't have to."

"And what can you do against me?"

He saw a magic circle forming by the man's hand.

Izuku dug his fingers into the scratches in his arms. He paused before looking the man in the eye.

"...You said you wanted to know how I was able to use, what's his name, Gajeel's magic, right?"

Sol stared at him, and felt a chord of fear hit him as he caught a red tinge in the boy's eyes.

"I'd be more than happy to show you."

-.-

Levy panted as she wove through the streets of Magnolia. At this point it was more like a game of hide-and-seek. Juvia had found her a few times and attacked her when she could, but Levy managed to slip away.

It was useless to attack her, she knew that. Juvia's body was made entirely of water, which meant any attack would phase right through her. She thought she could try to scatter her, but her wind attack was useless.

Nothing would work unless she could directly affect her body.

Now would be a good time for Gray's magic. Maybe Natsu's too.

Levy stopped running for a moment and leaned again a wall to catch her breath.

At this point it was more of a waiting game, she knew that. There was a reason it was just those two that came when everyone else was gone. They were on a time limit, and if they could wait them out then they won. They wouldn't get Lucy.

Master is going to be infuriated.

Once she caught her breath she got up and started to run again. As she turned the corner she saw a flash of blue and threw herself back as water whipped toward her and crashed into the wall.

"Running away won't work." Juvia walked around and stood across from Levy. "There's no point in trying, I'll capture you and I'll force that boy to tell us where his cat took Lucy Heartfilia."

"I don't think they'd tell you even if they wanted to. They're both pretty stubborn."

"There are always ways to get what you want." She raised a hand, and a blue magic circle appeared beneath her.

Just as it was about to activate, a blood-curdling scream echoed out throughout the streets. They both stopped and looked around, listening to the scream before it finally faded out.

"What was that?"

Juvia said nothing and instead stared at the direction she thought the scream came from.

"Solid Script: Fire!"

The rain woman turned and swung an arm out to put out the fire before it could reach her. She looked to where Levy was but saw her running away towards the source of the scream.

Levy ran as fast as she could through the rain-soaked streets, nearly slipping as she turned corners and sped down the roads.

"Please be okay Izuku, please!"

She ran through different spells in her mind to think of any counter against Sol. If she had to stand her ground against him, she needed to be prepared. It had already been such a gamble with splitting up, and she wasn't sure what Izuku could do against anyone else. She had no idea what kind of magic he used.

Some match-ups were better than others, and she had no idea how Izuku would fare against someone like him.

"Water Slicer!"

Levy threw herself to the ground and saw a stall ahead get cut into pieces.

"She already caught up to me?"

She pulled herself to her feet and continued to run, still trying to think over which spells to use against them.

Her thoughts came to a halt as she saw someone up ahead making their way toward her. Purple smoke followed him, and Levy gasped in relief.

He got away!

She began to run toward her and gestured to turn around. "Go! Izuku, Juvia's right behind me. You need to…" She stopped when she realized he was dragging something, or rather someone, behind him. Katsuki hung off his shoulder, looking roughed up again.

He had Sol by the back of his suit. The man was pale and trembled as he weakly tried to fight against Izuku's hold. He was barely hanging onto consciousness as he looked up at Levy.

"M-Mademoiselle, s-s'il vous plaît…."

"Izuku, what did you do?"

He didn't answer her, and instead glared straight ahead at Juvia, who had finally caught up. The rain woman had stopped in her tracks when she saw them, and saw Sol.

"Your name is Juvia, right?" Izuku asked as he stopped.

"Yes."

He was quiet before dragging Sol forward and dropping him to the ground. When he realized he was free from his hold, the wizard tried to crawl away, but his body failed him.

"If you leave Magnolia, I'll undo what I did. I'll help him, and you can take him away- but only if you agree to leave without Lucy."

Juvia glanced down at the man and back at the boy. Water appeared at her hand as she braced herself.

"And what did you do to him?"

The silence was heavy as Izuku stared at her, then looked away.

"People, especially wizards, can't survive if they don't have enough Magic. More so if they can't even absorb any anymore."

Levy went cold as she stared at Izuku, and Juvia's water spell stopped in shock.

"He's already in poor condition, but I can undo it. But I'll only do it if you agree to take him and leave."

The woman continued to stare at him before stepping forward and kneeling down beside Sol. She paled as she realized she couldn't sense any magic energy from him. She looked up at him and matched his glare before nodding.

"I'll take him, and we will leave."

"You swear?"

"Yes."

Izuku watched her before stepping forward and kneeling down. He placed a hand on the man's arm, he flinched when Izuku touched him. Izuku closed his eyes and searched through himself for the man's magic factor. It sat heavy and uneasy in his chest.

He began to coax it forward from that greedy void inside him, cutting off any tethers that tried to hold it down. It was easy enough. It hadn't been with him that long, so nothing had taken root. Not to mention it didn't sit right with him. It didn't feel right.

It didn't suit him.

"I'm sorry," He whispered as he pushed the magic back to its rightful owner. He felt it slot into place and stepped away as the man jolted. He gasped and looked around. He turned another shade paler as he saw Izuku again and struggled to get to his feet.

"He's okay now. I gave it back."

Juvia nodded and helped Sol to his feet. She began to guide him away before pausing to look at the others. "Our Master won't be pleased."

Levy found her voice again and nodded. "Neither will ours."

She watched them before moving on and disappearing into the rain.

When they were sure they were gone, Izuku brought up a hand to Katsuki.

"Kacchan, can you go get Lucy and take her to the guild?"

The cat was quiet before nodding and summoning his wings to fly off. Levy watched him go, then turned back to Izuku.

"Are you okay?"

He was quiet before wrapping shaking arms around himself. Whatever calm demeanor he had was gone now.

"I feel sick."

-FH-

"What. The hell. Was that!?"

"It looks like our Ninth has some stuff to fill us in on."

"I couldn't give a rat's ass about where the hell he is. You know exactly what I'm talking about."

"Yes, Second, we all do! But it's not like we can do much about it, can we?"

"It looks like Eighth's decision-making was poor after all. How is it of all people, that he-"

"Watch your mouth. He was doing the best he could! You barely even know the kid. For all we know, he's more decent than that-

"You expect me to trust this kid when he's probably-"

"Alright, enough!"

Silence settled over the Vestiges as they looked at each other. The first of them sighed and looked around.

"Clearly, we've missed a lot. We can ask our little Ninth what's going on when he comes around. Which looks like it may be soon."

They looked to the new throne and saw the mist surrounding the smaller figure beginning to lift and give shape to the newest of their group.

-FH-

"So two of the Element Four came to kidnap you?"

"Yeah, a creepy guy who called himself Sol of the Earth, and Juvia the Rain Woman."

Mirajane set down a cup of tea in front of the girls before sitting down in front of them. She had gotten all of them towels and blankets when they came in soaking wet.

"Yeah, thankfully, Levy, Izuku, and Katsuki were there." She looked to the side to see Izuku curled up beneath the makeshift bar and covered in a blanket. After he came in and dried off, he insisted on lying down and passed out as soon as he was down. Katsuki was right beside him, having fallen asleep once Izuku was out.

He had been a shaking mess when he arrived, on the brink of tears and looking ill. He had refused to eat or drink anything, just wanting to rest.

"He and Katsuki look a little banged up. Again." Mira frowned.

"Sol went after Izuku, and if I had to guess, Katsuki went back to get him out of there, but he became a target too. Since he helped hide you." Levy looked at her. "Where did he put you anyway?"

"On top of Kardia Cathedral."

"Really?"

"Oh my."

"I had no way down, so I just had to sit there under the bell tower and pray it didn't start ringing while I was there. That's why I wasn't as soaked as you all were."

"Well, all that matters is that you're still here. It was good that you had someone with you. I hate to think what could have happened if you were alone."

"Well, she wasn't, and that's the important part." Levy smiled as she looked at them.

"Yeah, thank you." Lucy looked down at her tea and sighed. "I'm still trying to figure out why they'd want me, of all people."

"Did you upset the Phantom Lord guild somehow?" Mira asked.

"I don't know how I could have. I don't think I've ever come across any member of Phantom."

Levy hummed to herself. "Maybe because of the type of magic you use?"

"I don't think anyone has a reason to be after Celestial Spirit Mages. Unless there's something I'm missing."

Levy hummed to herself before stopping. "Wait, hold on. Whenever they were talking about you, they always called you by your full name. They talked about you like you were someone to hold in high regard. It felt like they put a lot of emphasis on your last name. Is there anything about that that might help?"

Lucy stared at her for a moment before slowly looking away. She gripped the cup tighter as she thought about it.

"No way. There's no way they could know. Why would it even matter to them?"

"Lucy?"

"Did you figure something out?" Mira asked.

She was quiet before burying her face in both hands. "I think I did, and if I'm right…I think I might be to blame for all of this."

Levy frowned and sat up. "Lucy, I'm sure none of this is your fault. Can you tell us what's going on?"

The girl was quiet before sighing and putting her head down. "I…come from a pretty important family. The only thing I don't get is, how would someone like Phantom knows about me running away from home. Why do they care?"

"Maybe they're hoping for some kind of reward if they take you home?"

"All this trouble for a chance at a reward? No way." She shook her head. "I don't know, and at this point, I'm almost scared to know."

Levy watched her before scooting closer. "Well, if it makes you feel better, it makes no difference to me Lu. Whatever it is, we won't let them take you. I don't care if you come from an important family or not. You're just good ol' Lucy to us."

Mirajane nodded in agreement. "If they want to take one of us, they have to deal with all of us."

Lucy looked between them before putting her head down. Her shoulders began to shake as tears began to well up.

"Thank you…"

-.-

"Listen, I know we're all kinda…shaken up. But I don't feel any malice from that kid. I guess that's the big difference between him and the who-"

"There is a child here!"

"You can't stop calling him that, can you?"

"I called him that before the bastard killed me, it kinda stuck."

"You used your last words to insult him."

"What else was I supposed to do? Beg him not to kill me? Like that'd go over well."

Izuku heard voices beginning to filter in. It felt strange waking up.

He knew he had to be in his field somewhere, but he never felt as weightless as he does now. He was always grounded and solid, but now he felt as light as those mist silhouettes.

He slowly opened his eyes to see seven figures gathered around each other and talking. He felt his heart stop for a moment and averted his eyes. They were ignoring him for the time being, that or they didn't realize he was awake.

He stayed as still as possible and looked around with his eyes.

There were eight other seats around the barren, concrete room. Seven of them were empty. However, the one beside him was filled. The figure in the seat was made of bright yellow wisps as if they were incomplete.

They didn't acknowledge him in any way. Instead, they stared blankly ahead. Completely unaware of their surroundings.

"Well, look who's awake."

Izuku's eyes snapped forward, and he looked up to see one of the strangers towering over him. He had spiky pink hair and red eyes, as well as a large scar across his face.

"You had a good nap, brat?"

"Stop it." A hand grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back. Behind him was another man. He looked young but sickly. "Scaring him isn't going to do us any favors. If you can't play nice, then go stand in a corner."

The man gave him a look before stepping away. Despite the distance, he insisted on watching the boy.

Once there was some distance, Izuku looked back at the white-haired man.

"Sorry about that. He means well. You just gave us a scare."

Izuku felt his heart begin to speed up.

That dream he had earlier, it wasn't a dream. It wasn't some strange fantasy conjured by his mind. There were people here, actual people, their souls.

They were trapped.

When did I take it? When did I take any of their magic? When could I have done it? That doesn't make sense. I don't remember any of them. When would I have met them?

He felt sick.

He wanted to leave, to go back to his field.

Or just wake up. That would be better.

"Eighth passed us onto you without much explanation, it's unfortunate, but he didn't have time to explain. And it's only fair you know what kind of power you've been given."

No, no. No, no, no. Absolutely not. No. I don't want to…I can't…

"Perhaps we should start with introductions." The woman stepped forward and stood beside his chair.

He wanted to get up and run out, but for some reason, his body was betraying him. He couldn't move. Were they keeping him here somehow?

"The man in front of you is Yoichi." The white-haired man gave a small wave.

"The rude one is Second. He doesn't want to tell us his name, the same goes for his friend over there, Third."

Izuku hesitantly glanced over to the two men dressed in combat clothing. They refused to even look at him, keeping their backs turned.

"The quiet one there is Shinomori. He's relatively harmless. The one next to him is Daigoro."

The taller of the two silently nodded his way, and the bald one grinned at him.

"Nice to meet you, kid."

"The one sitting in that chair would be En."

En held up a hand in greeting, but stayed quiet.

The woman smiled as she pointed at herself. "My name is Shimura, but you can call me Nana. And the one sitting next to you," she paused for a moment before sighing. "This is Toshinori. Though, you probably know him as All Might."

Izuku jolted and looked at the wispy figure sitting beside him.

There's no way…no way that can be him.

Nana looked sad as she watched Toshinori, then she shook her head and looked back to Izuku.

"And for you, mind introducing yourself?"

Izuku shrank back at the question and continued to look between everyone there. The knowledge that All Might's…spirit? Remains? Were right next to him, did nothing to set him at ease.

All Might doesn't have magic. Nobody in my world has magic. It's Quirks! Quirks can't be passed on. That's impossible!

"It's not as impossible as it seems, Ninth." Yoichi stepped forward. "You think rather loudly, which is somewhat fortunate, seeing as you don't have a mouth yet." He pointed, and Izuku reached up with numb arms only to feel mist.

"As I said, Eighth didn't get to explain a lot, so we'll fill in the blanks. If you let us."

Izuku shook his head and pressed himself against the throne he was sitting in. He wanted to leave, to wake up. He didn't want this!

"Ninth!"

The mist surrounded him as he faded and pushed himself far away. The seven souls watched his figure fade, once again reduced to a faint outline with no consciousness.

Second, huffed as he watched this. "The kid isn't cut out for this. Any of this. We don't belong with him."

"You can whine and complain all you want, but we're stuck with him." Nana glared in his direction. "He's not a bad kid, he's scared and confused. This is a lot to drop on someone, especially if we consider what he might have been through. Toshinori found him all alone out there, if he is that…monster's son, clearly he was tossed aside, and that might have been for the best."

Second opened his mouth to snap back, only for Yoichi to cut in.

"It's true, it's likely he's of my brother's blood, but that doesn't mean my little nephew should be blamed for his father's sins." He stepped forward and rested a hand atop his head. "If anything, maybe this can turn in our favor."

"We saw how he was willing to fight against those two randos." Banjo piped up. "All for the sake of someone else. He took someone's power and gave it right back. The kid's got spunk. I'll give him that. I say we give him a chance."

"I was more surprised he accessed my Quirk, instead of the stockpiled power of One for All," En muttered. "Though, it makes sense. He wanted to hide, to run away."

"So we've got a coward for a user."

"I spent the majority of my life in hiding, running away whenever he got too close. Am I a coward?" Hikage shot Second a look.

"Shut up."

"Come on now," Yoichi smiled at him. "I'm related to him too, and I didn't turn out so bad, did I?"

Second looked away as Third coughed.

Yoichi hummed as he stepped away and walked to his throne to sit down. "We'll explain everything to him when he's ready, and he can give us a proper explanation as well. For now, let's just see what he'll do."

-.-

"Izuku."

A hand brushed through his hair.

"Izuku." A gentle tap against his temple.

He breathed in and turned away from the offender. There was a small laugh as she persisted, slowly pulling him from his sleep and waking him up.

"Wake up, you idiot, so she can leave us alone." A half-hearted slap against his face made him open his eyes.

He looked around and saw there were people in the guild, some were gathered around each other. Drinking and talking, and overall depressed.

"There you are."

He turned to see Mira smiling at him. "Have a good rest?"

He was quiet before nodding. "Y-Yeah, I feel better."

"That's good."

He shifted so he wasn't beneath the makeshift bar anymore and sat up. "When did everyone get back?"

"A while ago. They've been recovering here for a while, some of them have started to head home though. I thought we should let you rest for a while."

"Oh." He looked down to see Katsuki was still half-asleep. He wasn't ready to get up yet. He hummed and picked him up, with surprisingly little resistance.

Izuku scanned the room again and again before gasping. "I-Is everyone okay? They all went to fight Phantom, right? Are they okay?"

Mira stared at him before sighing and looking away. "Mostly everyone. Although…"

Izuku felt his stomach twist. "What happened…who-"

"Hey!"

He flinched as an arm snaked around his shoulder, and Natsu leaned toward him. "You're awake. About time!"

"Uh, yeah. I'm sorry, were you waiting for me for something?"

He grinned. "I thought I was gonna have to carry you or something. But since you're up, you can walk on your own."

"Huh?"

"Everybody's having a slumber party tonight!" Happy flew over.

"Since the fight with Phantom, there's a concern that some of their members may have followed everyone home. So everybody is going to be sleeping together in teams." Mirajane smiled.

"Huh?" He looked up. "But I thought…aren't I staying here? Unless, the Master isn't allowing that. Which, I mean, I guess I understand. The guild hall got wrecked last time."

They were quiet before Natsu pat his back hard enough to make him stumble forward. "Nah, you're gonna be staying with us at Lucy's house. It'll be fun!"

"What?" He looked up. "Uh, is Lucy okay with that?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't she be?"

"Does she know?"

Natsu and Happy looked at each other before shrugging.

"Oh my."

Izuku sighed as Mira laughed to herself.

"She can't be too mad. I heard how you helped her out when everyone was gone." He reached over to ruffle Izuku's hair. "Thanks for that, by the way."

"Oh, uh, of course."

"Anyway," He grabbed the back of Izuku's shirt and began to drag him off. "We should get going. Come on."

"W-Wait. Hold on."

"Besides," he looked over his shoulder. "I think we need to have another talk."