The Dark Knight

by LilDrummerBoi

After losing his family to a villain as a young boy, Izuku Midoriya decides that his heroes aren't the heroes he thought they were. He makes a decision. A decision to become the hero that he always wanted to be. It will take time, training, and a lot of money, but he's stubborn enough to see it through. After all, if you want something done right, it's better to do it yourself.

3. Chapter 3

2 years later

Somewhere in the Himalaya's

Sweat dribbled from his temple and down over his cheek. He did his best to ignore the distracting feeling and focus on the task at hand. He could feel his arms begin to wobble and the splintery wood was beginning to cut into the palm of his hand. He did his best to ignore the sharp spike of pain that reverberated down his spine as he fought with his body to keep his back straight. Slowly, inch by inch, he began to lower himself down. His shoulders groaned and protested against the movement and he had lost feeling in his legs nearly fifteen minutes ago.

He lowered himself lower and lower until his shoulders were level with the rough topped head of the wooden stake in the ground. With his shoulders level, he forced himself back up slowly, until his head was above the pole. With his rep done, he slowly began to lower his legs down, making sure that his back was straight until the last possible moment. His core shaking, he maneuvered himself until he could safely put his feet back down on the poles.

He didn't have time to enjoy the brief reprieve however as he saw something flash out of the corner of his eye. He tried to get out of the way, but his sluggish and exhausted body couldn't get out of the way in time as the large rock smacked him in the kidney. What little air he had left in his lungs escaped him as he was thrown off his feet. On instinct, his hands shot out and latched to the nearest poles and he only narrowly avoided falling completely as his shoulders shook. He desperately tried to climb back up, but his body refused to heed his commands. His end finally arrived when two more rocks smacked him in the shoulder and liver respectively. Unable to hold on any longer, his body finally failed him as he collapsed to the ground, utterly exhausted and incapable of moving.

Even if he could have moved, he didn't know if he had the strength of will left in him to even try. He'd lost count of how long he'd been in this veritable hell on earth. It could have been months, it could have been years. The days had simply blended together in a mesh of training and violence.

He was roughly and unceremoniously pushed onto his back and it took what little remaining strength he had left to turn his head and look at the man towering over him. Master Shi Lu Fan was a decrepit old bastard. His eyes and cheeks marred by wrinkles and weathered lines of a man who had spent much of his life in the outdoors. His tanned bald head glistened in the late-afternoon sun as he glared down at Izuku with those dark, pitiless brown eyes.

His mouth was moving, and Izuku knew that the man was talking, but for whatever reason Izuku could not make heads or tails of what he was saying. Master Shi Lu Fan's expression darkened as Izuku stared blankly up at him, and it was all the warning Izuku got before his side erupted in pain as the Master buried a sharp kick directly between his ribs. His world erupted into stars as blackness began to creep into the corners of his vision. The taste of copper filled his mouth as he realized he must have bit down on his tongue.

"Are you listening now, Mr. Midoriya?" The crisp, oddly high-pitched voice of the man cracked like a whip.

"Y-yes, Master," Izuku coughed around a mouthful of blood. "S-sorry Master."

He glowered at Izuku for a moment before nodding in acceptance. "You are stagnant. Incapable of growth as you are now." Izuku wanted to protest but a sharp glare from the man silenced the protest.

"This is the third time this week that your body has failed you. And when your body fails you, you then allow your mind and your spirit to fail you in turn. Until you are able to overcome your own will, you will never reach where you want to go."

Izuku wished he could have protested against the accusation, but he knew the old man was right. The training exercise was simple in concept, a rigorous and brutal group of exercises followed immediately by an aerobics exercise in which he was forced to maneuver out of the way projectiles. The point of the regime was to force the individual to the point of near exhaustion and put that person in a position to have to will their way through to the end of the exercise. It was brutal. It was harsh. It was beginning to look to Izuku like it was impossible. He didn't even know what it meant to push through one's own spirit and exhaustion. It was like asking him to walk on water. An impossibility. But he understood that was the hidden point of the exercise. It was meant to wash out the weak. To push away those he did not have the drive to do what needs doing.

And for the first time since he was a child, Izuku was beginning to doubt himself. Doubt his ability to see this through. To accomplish what he'd wanted to accomplish. He hadn't slept in what felt like weeks; his body was beaten, battered, and bruised and he felt he was no closer to his mission than he had been when he first came to the monastery.

He'd come here because of the tales he'd heard about the monks that lived in this monastery, hidden in the mountains of the Songshan Mountain Range. They were among the world's few remaining masters of the martial techniques. Exactly the sort of place that Izuku had needed for the mission. He had thought he had been prepared for what they offered. Had been prepared for any physical task they threw his way, but he had been wrong. They only allowed him a scant three hours of sleep a night before he was woken for the day's training. What followed would be day after day of the most grueling, brutal training regimens he'd ever experienced. He would work until he couldn't move, and then be told to walk it off and get back to work. Back-breaking barely even began to describe what it was like.

He hated it. Part of him wanted to quit. A large part of him, if he was honest with himself. It would have been so easy. It would have been so easy to simply walk away from all of this. Hell, he didn't even have to give up on the mission! He could find someone else. Find somewhere else. He could learn what he needed to from someone who wasn't insane.

But could he live with that? Could he live with the knowledge that he'd taken the easy way out? That he hadn't allowed himself to pursue the best? To be the best? And would anyone else really be able to teach him what he needed to know in order to accomplish his mission? He'd seen first hand the kind of power that the modern quirk users had at their disposal. The kind of strength that could be tossed around with reckless abandon. If he wasn't the best, he would be dead.

Then what?

Unbidden, the faces of his parents flashed before him. They looked down at him beside Master Shi Lu Fan. Emotionless. Blank. Dead. Anger roiled in his breast. Anger at the monsters that had taken them from him. Anger at the heroes who had allowed them to die. Anger at himself for not being able to do anything to stop it. Before he was even aware of what was happening, he was pushing himself back to his feet. His arms shook, and his legs felt like they would give out at any moment, but he didn't care. Couldn't care. With his teeth grinding together, he met the vicious look of his Master with one of his own.

"I'll get where I want," he wheezed.

"And I dare you to try and stop me."

1 Year Later

The Outskirts of Musustafu, Japan

Akihiko Uraraka looked out across the empty field, frowning lightly as he glanced back down to the memo on his tablet. Scratching at the light stubble on his cheeks, he double and then triple checked that they were at the right address. Sure enough, at least according to the GPS in the car, they were at the right spot.

"This feels…off." Akihiko looked up from the tablet then over to his fiancee.

"I was thinking the same thing…but this is the right spot."

"Yeah…" said Emi, "But it still feels weird. You're certain this isn't a scam?"

"Positive," Akihiko. "He had all the right credentials, and the down-payment came through this morning."

Emi's eyes widened as she quickly pulled her phone out and checked their joint business account.

"Holy…" she whispered. "I thought he was full of it."

Akihiko couldn't help but agree. It had already been too good to be true when their construction company had won the contract to build the new support company building in the middle of Tokyo, but when they'd gotten the second offer to build the house outside of Musustafu he had started to grow skeptical. For as confident as he was in their company, he and Emi were still relatively new to this entire thing. They had only started their company in the last six months, and to win such massive contracts over some of the bigger names in the country had been enormous. But he'd also been concerned that the entire thing was too good to be true. Companies his young didn't get these kind of contracts, and certainly not multiple from the same client. Hell, the contracts were so large that he'd needed and been able to sub-contract most of the work on the company building in Tokyo.

Even more confusing though, was the location of the second contract. Apparently their client, this Izuku Midoriya guy was moving to Japan, or was it moving back? He wasn't sure, and he wasn't being paid to ask questions, but when the location for the home they were supposed to build was nearly three miles outside the city limits, in the middle of nowhere, he couldn't help but be a little skeptical. Had they unknowingly gotten into bed with the Yakuza? He violently squashed that line of thought. Even if it were true, it would be best not to think about it too much.

The less they knew, the better.

He was pulled from his thoughts as Emi tapped him lightly on the arm. Looking up, he saw in the rearview mirror as several large trucks pulled up behind them. The rest of the crew having finally showed up.

Sighing, he smiled nervously over at Emi.

"Well…let's get to work."

1 Year Later (24 years)

Paris, France

Izuku focused on his breathing, doing his best to maintain a steady rhythm and keep his heart rate as steady as possible. Two months of investigative work had all to this moment, and it was hard for him to keep himself composed. His eyes began to water, and he realized with a start that he hadn't blinked in nearly five minutes. He forced himself to blink and to scroll through the social media app he had been pretending to look at for the last hour.

"Got eyes on Eagle," came the gruff, feminine voice in his earpiece. "He's heading your way. East exit."

Izuku surreptitiously shifted his position so that he was facing the eastern exit of the restaurant across the street. He took a sip of his now cold coffee, and forced his body to not turn in the direction of the building. Then, movement. The doors to the restaurant opened and an entourage of men exited the building. From the corner of his eye, Izuku could make out Eagle, ironically named as such because the man had the head of an eagle. Izuku felt his body tense, and did his best to relax as he spoke into the earpiece in an undertone.

"Eyes on Eagle, South by Southwest."

"Copy. Trail him. Three cars."

"Check,"

Izuku rose from his seat, tossing a wad of cash onto the table as he shoved his phone in his pocket. He kept his walk casual as he trailed the entourage of men from across the street. He made sure to move smoothly with the throngs of people crowding the ancient city. Luckily, the work day had ended some fifteen minutes ago, and the sidewalks were packed with city-goers making their way home for the evening. Using the crowd to his advantage he weaved in and out of the throngs as he blended in, becoming one with the masses.

Eagle and his entourage suddenly turned down an alleyway, disappearing from the crowd and escaping into the tight corners of the old Parisian side streets. Swearing under his breathe, Izuku related the sudden development as he looked for a good point to cross across the intersection.

"Lost visual on Eagle," he relayed, "He disappeared down a side street."

"I've got eyes on," came the reply, "They're backtracking south. Head two blocks and re-engage on the Southwest side."

Immediately, Izuku fluidly changed directions and began to double back the way he came, fighting against the waves of people moving the opposite direction.

"Think he knows we're on to him?" He asked as he sidestepped around a mother trying to wrangle her toddler into her stroller.

"What do you think?"

Izuku bit the inside of his cheek in slight agitation. His mentor liked to choose the most inopportune moments to use as a lesson. Granted, it was what made her who she was, but it could also be more than a touch irritating at the same time.

"Could be a couple of things," he mused as he meandered out of the way of a group of school kids. "He could just be paranoid. Wanting to make sure that he's not being followed and doubling back before going around the block the other way. He could have seen me exit the cafe and now he's trying to lose me in the maze of alleyways."

"A couple of interesting theories," his mentor mused. "Or maybe you're overthinking this and you weren't reading the briefing closely enough."

Izuku frowned and went back through the briefing. For every operation, they ensured they had a full workup of all of the known facts before going into the field. He had made sure to read through Eagle's brief three times before they went out this morning. As the words of the file reappeared in his memory, he swore as he came back to one sentence that he'd all but disregarded.

"There ya go," his mentor chuckled. "He's going to his girl's place."

Izuku mentally berated himself as he turned the next corner and entered into the alley.

"Relax kid," his mentor chuckled. "That's why you have partners, they catch the things you miss. Where are you now."

"Headed Northwest in the alley."

"I'm headed to the east. Trap 'em in the corner a block before his girl's building. I distract, you tag and bag."

"Understood, out." Izuku doubled his stride, though still made sure to not outright run. Turning the next corner, he caught sight of the pant leg of one of Eagle's entourage disappearing around the corner. Moving quickly to the next wall, he glanced around the corner just in time to watch as a smoke bomb exploded in the middle of the alley. Eagle's entourage, which doubled as his security immediately dove into action. Three of the men darted forward into the smoke as two others grabbed Eagle and began dragging him away from the smoke and directly in Izuku's direction.

Quickly hiding behind the wall, Izuku focused. He tried to listen for approaching footsteps but the sound of his own blood pumping in his ears was deafening and he was momentarily caught off guard as the group rounded the corner. Being forced to play catchup he darted out, still managing to catch the first guard by surprise as he clocked him in the jaw. He staggered, momentarily losing his grip on Eagle as Izuku buried his leg into the midsection of the second man. Eagle, completely surprised by the surprising turn of events was unable to do anything as Izuku buried his fist in the man's stomach, doubling him over.

Grabbing Eagle by the necktie, he turned to leave only to get a fist to the back of the head by the of the guards Izuku had hit. Cursing himself for not knocking the man out in one punch, Izuku stumbled forward, losing his grip on Eagle's neck which gave the man just enough time to scramble out of Izuku's grip and take off at a sprint down the opposing alley.

Swearing loudly, Izuku pushed the nearest guard out of the way as he chased after Eagle. Eagle was not a fast man, and Izuku was quick to catch up to him and he grabbed the man by the back of the shirt tugging him to the ground. With one hand still on Eagle, he ducked under the way of an incoming baton. His leg darted out, smashing into the man's knee and dropping him to the ground. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the other man come barreling towards him. Hauling Eagle with him as he moved, Izuku side-stepped the incoming blow, using Eagle's body as a human shield the man wheezed out a cough as the guard's baton smashed into his arm. The alley echoed with a horrible crunching noise as Eagle's arm shattered under the blow. Feeling the man go limp in his grasp, Izuku dropped the man to the ground as his hands darted out in a blinding fury of blows which knocked the guard to the ground in a flash.

Hearing footsteps behind him he whirled around, his hand cocked back and ready to strike but his attack was effortlessly deflect away.

"Easy there killer, no blue on blue please."

Izuku relaxed as he came face to face with his mentor. Claire Hartman was a tall woman, nearly as tall as he was and that was without her large heeled boots. With them on, she all but towered over Izuku, her deep red hair cascading down her shoulder in a tightly wound braid. Claire Hartman had started her career as a minor pro from Alberta, but had since become one of the pre-eminent bounty hunters across the globe. Izuku had been working with the woman for the last year, and for as much of a hard ass she could be, she truly was an expert in her field. Izuku doubted he could have chosen a better mentor.

Even if he thought she was a little…odd.

"Welp," she reached down and casually plucked Eagle from the ground, tossing him over one shoulder. "Let's get this asshat into custody and hit the bar."

Izuku sighed.

Odd indeed.

`One Year Later (26 Years)

New York City, United States

David shifted his weight from one foot to the other. He crossed his arms, then uncrossed them and tucked them behind his back, then re-crossed his and tapped an uneven pattern on his bicep. He still wasn't entirely sure why he had agreed to come here.

Feeling a heavy palm on his shoulder, he glanced over and then was forced to look up as Star and Stripe beamed down at him. "Thanks again for coming Dave!"

David smiled nervously up at her, "Hard to turn down a request from one of the States' best and brightest." Star laughed happily, clapping him on the back. He knew that she had pulled her strength rather considerably, but all the same he staggered forward, his back painfully sore.

"Ms. Star and Stripe!" A young man in casual clothes and a headset scrambled over to them, "We're about to begin, please wait for my signal and then the floor is yours." He had the eager look of a man desperate to please and more than a little starstruck.

Keeping himself from rolling his eyes, David expertly disengaged himself from the conversation, sequestering himself in the corner of the stage by a number of monitors. The stage hands shot him a confused look, but otherwise left him alone. The hand immediately to his left spoke into her earpiece as she raised a hand into the air.

"Alright Kyle, we're going live in five, four, three…" she trailed off, lowering the last two fingers in a silent count. As soon as her last finger dropped music erupted around the stage accompanied by the loud automated cheers pumped in to mimic the sound of a live audience. David watched through the monitor as the camera zoomed in on the host, a skinny, handsome man in his early thirties. His dark skin matched his perfectly styled dark hair, and his exuberantly colored contacts shimmered like an evening sky as his brilliant white smile threatened to split his face in two.

"Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, thank you so much!"

David couldn't quite hide his snort of derision. When in the hell had the world gotten so shallow? So…fake?

"To my friends of old, welcome back, and friends anew, welcome to A Night with Knight, I'm your host, Darius Knight!"

The introduction was inundated with another blast of faux applause. The host smiled genially, and made a show of nodding and waving to the audience. David had to give the man credit, at least he was committed to the bit. He wasn't sure if he would be able to keep a straight face. Probably why Toshi had always insisted that he be the one to do all the pressers back in college.

Knight clapped his hands together, "We have a hell of a show for you tonight ladies and gentlemen and it's so jam packed that I don't even the time to give you a proper introduction." He grinned apologetically at the camera, as fake laughter was pumped into the studio.

"So instead, we're just going to jump into the reason you're all here, and hell, the only reason I'm here." More fake laughter. "Please join me in welcoming, the one, the only, the newly minted Number Seven Hero in the country! Star and Stripe!"

The canned applause erupted in a cacophony so obnoxious, David felt his teeth grind together as Star stepped out onto the stage. He knew the woman was a voracious fan of Toshinori but good god had she even practiced smiling like him?

She played the part masterfully. Her smile was wide, charming, and genuine. Maybe one of the few heroes left in the pro circuit that were. She waved happily at the crowd as she took her seat on the leather armchair nearest to Knight's desk, shaking the man's hand genially. When the applause finally died down, Knight continued,

"Thank you so much for taking the time to join us Star and Stripe, I know you're a busy woman."

Star waved away the concern dismissively, "Part of a heroes job is reaching out to the community. I've always held the belief that the people deserve to know the people they're entrusting with their safety." There was another burst of applause mixed in with some hooting and hollering.

"Well I can certainly say for my sake, that I feel a lot safer with you watching over us," said Knight, that plastic smile still ever-present. He gestured at her uniform, "And can I just say, I love the new uniform! It certainly seems like an upgrade from when you were in school."

David's eyes narrowed. So that's what this about. He should have guessed.

Star had indeed changed her uniform up, rather considerably as well. She had ditched the American Flag themed cape in exchange for one of simple crimson. What had once been a rather simple singlet had changed into something considerably better suited for the caliber of villain she fought. Her midsection was now covered with a durable series of metallic plates with matching bracers and boots. She'd even decided to go for the classics with a throwback crimson domino mask over her eyes.

"Thank you!" Said Star brightly, tapping her chest lightly. "After my last fight with Archimedes, my support supplier decided that I needed something with a bit more durability so he put this together for me! I like it!"

"Now who is your supplier?" Asked Knight, his cheek in his hand as he leaned on the desk. "I think we've all been surprised that you haven't signed on with any of the big names in the game. Unless you have some kind of surprise announcement for us tonight."

"Nothing of the sort," laughed Star, "I've had the same supplier since I was in school. He likes his anonymity but I will say that I think he's the best in the business. He even apprenticed under David Shield himself."

"All Might's former sidekick?" Asked Knight, his eyes growing comically wide.

"The very same," laughed Star. "He made my first suit, and the second I tried it on I knew that I needed him to be my supplier."

"Well that's certainly insightful, and I don't think any of us were expecting that. But if you won't tell us his name, you at least need to give us the name of his company," prodded Knight.

"Happily," chirped Star, "He only recently just decided on a name. He's decided his company will be called Science and Technology Advanced Research Labs. Which is a bit of a mouthful I know, so I've just been calling it STAR Labs for short."

Knight laughed a little too hard at that, but David drove it from his mind. He should have expected this. This wasn't an interview, it was a publicity. An annoyingly shrewd one at that, but then again, he shouldn't have been surprised. Izuku had always had more of a knack fro the business than David did. Still, he couldn't quite stop the swell of pride in his stomach. In spite of everything, he was proud of his wayward pupil. He exhaled slowly, running a hand through his greying hair. He didn't need to stay for the rest of this, Izuku had made his point.

He spent the rest of the interview waiting in the lobby of the building. He only needed to wait for about forty-five minutes before the elevator dinged and a young, brown haired woman stepped into the lobby. She scanned the empty room for only a few minutes before a wide smile spread across her face and she approached. Unable to help himself, David matched her expression as he crossed over the lobby and welcomed her embrace.

"Sorry about all of this, David," said Cathleen. "But he was pretty insistent about you being here."

David arched an eyebrow, "Nice as it is to see you Cathleen, I can't help but feel like a simple phone call would have been sufficient."

Cathleen snorted, gesturing with her head to the door. Without a word, David followed her out of the building. There was a large truck waiting for them at the curb, the door open for them. Clambering in after Cathleen, he comfortably sequestered himself against the door, not bothering with the seatbelt as he turned in his seat to look at Cathleen. The truck rumbled to life, and turned smoothly into the waiting New York traffic. Cathleen pressed a button on the middle console, and a black divider rose between them and the driver.

"All right," said David, "What's really going on? Why was Izuku so insistent on me being here? And where the hell is he?"

Cathleen snorted, "You think he told me anything?" She asked as she fumbled around in her coat pocket.

"He told you enough to get me here?"

"If you call a letter on my desk telling me anything," said Cathleen with a roll of her eyes as she finished fishing around in her pocket, withdrawing an envelope. "All he said to get you here and give this to you."

Frowning, David grabbed the envelope. It was heavier than he anticipated, with an odd lump at the bottom. Flipping open a pocket knife, he carefully ripped open the seal and opened the letter within. Even if he hadn't known the letter was from Izuku, he would have recognized his chicken scratch anywhere.

David,

My apologies for not being communicative these last couple of years. But given the nature of my work, I know you can appreciate my need for anonymity. That being said, I have been far from idle. I have been keeping a close eye on ShieldTech's stock and have noticed a substantial, consistent dip in each of the last four quarters.

David frowned and couldn't quite help the swell of disappointment in his chest. Three years of no communication, and the first time Izuku contacts him and it's all business.

I wanted to offer you an opportunity. Over the last several years, I have been amassing assets and capital. I wanted to make you an offer to buy ShieldTech outright. I have estimated that ShieldTech has roughly $10 Million in non-liquid assets and another $20 Million in liquid assets. I wanted to offer you $100 million to outright buy ShieldTech along with all of its assets, employees, and current contracts.

David's eyes bugged. As much as it pained him to admit, he knew that Izuku was right. The problem was simply that ever since Toshinori had left the States to go back to Japan, the name of ShieldTech hadn't meant as much. He'd been losing more and more contracts to the larger support companies, and most of his investors had begun selling off their shares. It had only been a month ago that he'd estimated that if something didn't turn around in the next couple of quarters, he would have to shutter the company permanently. But for Izuku to offer to outright buy the company, and at such an egregiously over market value was…it was insane. He wasn't even sure how Izuku had the assets to even accomplish that. He'd been an active trader on multiple international exchanges but this…this was something else.

David…I want you to understand that this is more than just me trying to achieve my goals. This goes above the mission. You and Melissa…you might very well be the closest thing I have left to a family. I want to take care of you. To help you in whatever way I can, and I'll be damned if I let the company that you built with your own hands crumble to dust when I could have done something to stop it. I'm more than happy to allow you continue operations as CEO, CFO, Chairman of the board, whatever the hell you want it's yours. If you want to take the money, retire, and spend the rest of your life in solitude with Melissa and never speak to me again, I understand and will fully support it.

I don't expect an answer right away. Please, take the time and talk this over with Melissa. Your lawyer, with your friends and family. But allow me one final attempt to bargain with you. You spent your entire adult life as a caregiver. Looking after Martha and now looking after Melissa and then me. You have done enough, and it's time that you let someone else look after you. Please, let me take care of you the way that you took care of me. Whatever you decide, please contact the individual on the number in the phone at the bottom of the envelope.

Thank you again for everything you've done for me. Thank you for taking in that lost little boy, and help shape him into the man he is today. I hope to one day see you and Melissa again.

Best,

Izuku Midoriya

Looking back in the envelope, David saw a simple looking cellphone laying at the bottom. Picking it up, he glanced at the single contact in the list and saw a number that he didn't recognize. He looked back up at Cathleen, who smiling broadly at him. He wasn't sure if she knew what was in the letter, but she clearly had guessed as much.

He glanced back down to the letter. In spite of his disappointment. In spite of his own reservations about what Izuku wanted to do with his life, there really wasn't a decision.

He dialed the number. After only one ring, a male's voice, one he hadn't heard in years but would have recognized anywhere picked up the line.

"Hey David…so how long until I can get you to move to Japan?"