The Justice of a Gentle Madman
Prologue: The Boy and the Assassin
Midoriya Inko was in a deep sleep in the early morning when she was awakened by her excited son. Immediately, Inko felt that something was strange Her son had been depressed for a year since the awful news last year, so to see him like this was new. "Mama! Mama!" Izuku yelled. "I have a Quirk! I have a Quirk!"
Inko was so exhausted from her stint at the hospital, that she wasn't even able to hear him clearly at first. But when he repeated himself, she jolted awake. "W-What?" Inko asked, her brain trying to start up.
"Daddy and me s-saw a Quirk doctor and now I have a quirk!" Izuku excitedly explained. "Watch!"
In amazement, Inko watched her son point his hand at the cup of water on her nightstand and jerk it back, which made the glass fly into his hand. Izuku turned to her with a wide smile. "I do have a quirk, Mama!"
It was one year past the normal time people often discovered their Quirks and after the doctor said he was Quirkless, Both Inko and her husband had all but given up hope that their son wouldn't live out his dream of being ah ero.
By some miracle, her baby had a Quirk, and it reminded her of her own! Despite her exhaustion and the confusion about who this "Quirk Doctor" her husband saw, she pulled Izuku into her arms and squeezed him. "My baby has a Quirk!" she cried.
"Mama! I can do more!" Izuku said. He squirmed out of her embrace and held out his hand again. He drew his hand back and then jerked it forward, which caused Inko's clothes basket to fly against the wall.
Izuku looked up at her as his eyes glittered with excitement.
Inko's bottom lip trembled as she brought her son into another tight hug. She couldn't even speak at this point. Not only did he have a Quirk similar to hers, but it seemed like a better version of her own.
When Hisashi returned home from work later today, she was going to convince him to take their little one to the All-Might-themed restaurant, All-Mightiest. It would cost a pretty penny for them, but for something like this, it was worth it.
"See you around, Deku!"
The five-year-old Izuku turned on his side, the bangs of his hair covered his eyes and tears fell down the sides of his face as he heard the jeers of his former friends fading into the distance.
When he activated his Quirk two weeks ago, he truly believed that the bullying would stop once he revealed he had a Quirk to his friends.
He thought that Kacchan would be happy. He thought that they could be friends again, but instead, they beat him up because of his Quirk.
"That's your Quirk? You won't be able to even be a pretend hero with something like that," The voice of Kacchan echoed in his mind. "You were better off without a Quirk, Deku."
But not only that, since his Quirk awakened, his parents had been fighting, with his Mom begging him to see the Quirk Doctor again to make him Quirkless.
Was his Quirk so useless that even his Mom hated it?
The bruised child lifted his hand and stared at his hand.
It may not have been as super cool as Kacchan's Quirk but his Quirk wasn't useless.
He could become a hero with it!
A hero just like All-Might.
Izuku balled up his hand as his eyes gleamed with determination.
He would prove Kacchan, and his other friends wrong. No matter how long it took, he would make this Quirk something to behold.
All of the determination that Izuku felt after being bullied by his friend faded when he came across his apartment.
The door was off of its hinges and the apartment was pitch black inside. Fear settled into Izuku's heart as he hesitantly entered the apartment. "M-Mama? Daddy?" Izuku softly called out as he walked deeper into the apartment.
There was a strange stench in the air as his eyes nervously darted around. Something was wrong…Something was deeply wrong but the five-year-old couldn't understand what it was. Until he noticed an image in the kitchen.
Izuku's eyes widened in absolute terror at the sight.
"You shouldn't be here, Kid," a female's voice said from behind him.
Izuku turned around to see a barrel pointed at his face. Izuku fell onto his butt and scampered back as he struggled to breathe over the fear he felt. He forced himself to look at the person's face and saw emotionless purple eyes staring down at him.
Izuku couldn't speak.
Couldn't think.
He tried to do something.
Anything.
And yet he stood there, staring at the woman in front of him.
It felt like years had passed in just a few seconds.
Slowly, he noticed something change in the woman's eyes. He couldn't understand what changed, but he caught it. Slowly, the barrel lowered from in front of his face and Izuku watched as it slid back into the woman's arm. The woman closed her eyes and turned her back on him. "Follow," she instructed.
The young boy shakily rose to his feet and without hesitation, he followed.
Tsutsumi Kaina sat in her hideout, an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of Mustafu. Across from her, the small child of her target, Midoriya Inko, sat with his knees to his chest and his eyes focused on her.
Kaina didn't understand why she had spared his life. All for One had instructed her to kill both Inko and her child due to Midoriya Hiashi failing to uphold his end of the bargain by killing Nighteye, All-Might's partner.
But the moment she saw the young Midoriya, something pricked her conscience. And now, she had betrayed All for One, most likely putting her on his list as well. "Do you need to eat?" Kaina inquired.
The young boy silently shook his head.
"That is an unacceptable answer," Kaina told him. "You must eat."
"I want my mom and dad," the boy murmured. "I wanna go home."
Kaina sighed and responded, "I'm sorry, Kid, but that's not happening….Neither of us are going home. Not for a long time."
"Why?" Izuku asked.
Kaina pulled out a cigarette, lit it up, and took a puff. "Because a dangerous man wants you dead…" Kaina revealed. "Just like your parents…"
"A dangerous man…" Izuku murmured. Kaina nodded and blew out a plume of smoke as Izuku's golden-green eyes looked at her. "Is that scary man? The one Dad called the Quirk Doctor?"
Kaina nodded.
A beat of silence passed between them before Kaina noticed tears falling down Izuku's eyes.
"I-Is this all my fault?" Izuku whimpered. "Did I cause this b-by wanting a-a Quirk?"
Against her orders, Kaina felt her heart crack at how heartbroken and vulnerable the young child sounded. "It's not your fault," Kaina softly answered. "You're just a kid whose Dad decided having a Quirkless child wasn't in the cards."
"W-Wasn't in the cards?" Izuku asked.
Kaina frowned.
"Listen up, Kid…" Kaina instructed.
In the shadows, Lady Nagant observed the black-haired, green-eyed man as he stood before her boss on his knees in total submission. In his arms was an unconscious little boy.
"Ah, Detective Midoriya," All for One greeted. "One of the biggest allies to my dear friend, All-Might. Tell me, how did you find out this location and about me?"
Hisashi let out a shaky sigh. "I heard through the grapevine that you were able to give Quirks to Quirkless people…It took awhile but I was able to find out your location…."
"Does All-Might know?" All for One questioned.
Lady Nagant quietly aimed while under the cover of darkness, ready to kill him at her boss' behest. Hisashi shook his head. "No," he softly answered. "All-Might is unaware…"
All for One chuckled and said, "Of course you didn't. I can tell by the sound of your heartbeat. It is calm where it should be racing." All for One looked at the child. "I'm assuming that he is the one you wish for me to perform a miracle on?"
Hisashi bowed his head. "Yes," he answered.
Lady Nagant watched as her boss leaned forward in his chair, a wide smirk on his face. "You do understand what is at stake for you, right? By coming into the devil's den, asking for my help. You understand that once I agree to give this child a Quirk, your life, his life, and the life of anyone in your family is mine to control, right?"
Hisashi took a look at the sleeping boy. "My son always wanted to be a hero. Much like All-Might…Learning he was Quirkless ruined him. He's always alone at school, he constantly breaks down at home. My wife feels so guilty that she hasn't been able to sleep and has been eating nonstop. You know what it is like for the parents of a Quirkless child in this society...It's cruel and unforgiving…And it's taken a toll on our marriage…"
Lady Nagant's eyes softened just a little as she watched the man caress the boy's sleeping face. "I understand what I am doing. I am going behind my wife's back to bring my son's dream to life…I just want them to be happy again," Hisashi tearfully revealed. "And if it means making a deal with you to accomplish this…then I will…"
All for One leaned back in his chair and said, "As long as you understand the risk, I suppose I can help you…Bring your son to me, Detective." Lady Nagant watched as Hisashi stood up and approached the hulking form of her boss.
She watched as All for One placed a hand on the young boy's chest. "I suppose this will be the perfect time to test a theory of mine…." Lavender lightning crackled against him, followed by pale gold lightning and finally, pink lightning. Lady Nagant watched as the boy began to whimper before screaming in agony as all three streaks of lightning slowly became a bright gold before fading away.
The boy remained unconscious.
All for One ran a hand above the boy and she watched as an aura followed the arm movement. "Ah…interesting," All for One murmured. "So it seems Quirkless individuals can hold more than one Quirk without any adverse effects," All for One murmured. "No wonder…"
All for One leaned back in his chair and announced, "It is done, Detective. But now, it is time for repayment…"
Hisashi nodded.
"All-Might's former sidekick, Sir Night-Eye…I've been wanting his Quirk for some time…You will arrange a meeting so I can procure it," All for One ordered. "Once down, you will bring All-Might to me as well. If you fail, I will do unspeakable horrors to you and your family."
"I…" Hisashi drifted off and then bowed his head.
"…Understood, All for One…"
"…After that, he did as he was told. But at the last second, he had a change of heart and told Night-eye and All-Might what happened. They decided to confront All for One, thus destroying our previous base and revealing his deception," Kaina continued. "He sealed your fate alongside your mother's and his own…"
She could see that Izuku was horrified at the truth she had delivered to him. "B-But why? W-Why didn't A-All-Might help?" Izuku asked.
"Because all heroes are corrupt, Kid," Kaina softly answered. "They don't care about people that are used by evil. They are there to collect fame and fortune."
"T-That can't be true!" Izuku wailed. "A-All-Might wouldn't be that way!"
Kaina offered the boy a rare glimpse of her emotions by allowing a sad smile to appear on her face. "I thought that too a long time ago…"
"Y-You did?" Izuku asked.
Kaina nodded and answered, "When I was a young girl, the President of the Hero Public Safety Commission invited me to join the agency. Wanting to become a pro-hero like The Floating Hero: Skybound…" Kaina looked at her right hand and for a moment, she could see blood dripping from it. "However, the Commission primarily used me for classified missions, secretly disposing of Villains planning to commit acts of terrorism and corrupt Heroes seeking more fame and fortune. I believed in being a Pro-Hero with all that I was so I carried out my mission without hesitation…nor mercy…"
Kaina balled her right hand into a fist.
"Until it became too much…And when the President of the Public Safety Commission ordered me to make two corrupt Heroes "disappear," I questioned if whether the lack of transparency about what I was doing was akin to brainwashing. When he insisted on the act's necessity. I refused." Kaina let a cold smirk appear on her face. "He then proceeded to threaten me and in response, I killed him…"
Kaina looked at the stunned child and said, "The heroes that the public worship is a lie, Kid…Every single one of them…Even someone who seems as genuine as All-Might upholds the system that allows a little girl to become an assassin…Does that seem heroic to you?"
The child looked devastated.
"I wish he and any other hero could be the beacons of hope that they claim they are…But it's simply false and I don't want you clinging onto a false image of them," Kaina told him. "I'm sorry…"
Kaina watched the light go out in the boy's eyes and for a fleeting moment, guilt filled her. "We need to keep moving before All for One and his agents come after us," Kaina finally said, needing to remove herself from this situation. "I suggest you get some rest…"
And with that, Kaina left the young boy alone.
Three days passed since her conversation with the boy, and he hadn't spoken a word. He didn't eat, he didn't even sleep. All he did was stare ahead with those cold, emotionless eyes.
The guilt that Kaina felt after breaking the boy's unwavering support of heroes immediately after revealing what his father had done to give him his Quirks was almost overwhelming. She was admittedly thankful that he didn't talk as it gave her time to think about their next move.
So it came as a surprise when on the fourth day, Izuku softly asked, "Is All for One really powerful?"
Kaina's eyes flickered to the rearview mirror to stare at the boy. "He is," Kaina answered. "He's strong enough to even defeat All-Might."
"And All-Might is really powerful, huh?" Izuku asked, more to himself than to her.
"Why do you ask?" Kaina inquired.
In the rearview mirror, she saw his green-gold eyes harden with an expression she recognized.
Because she had seen it in her very own reflection.
"I want to kill him," Izuku answered. "And then after that….I want to kill All-Might…" His eyes looked at her. "Will that be possible?"
Kaina looked ahead at the road.
"If that is what you want….Let's see what All for One gave you first…." Kaina answered.