Disclaimer: Both Street Fighter and My Hero Academia belong to each of their respective franchises. I claim no ownership whatsoever.
Within the safe and quiet confines of the infirmary, save for the sound of a sniffling Midoriya Izuku, Toshinori revealed all to the couple and their son. From how Gouki first came into the scene, to the kind of power the boy held, and everything else of significance to his identity.
Hisashi, torn between indignation and disgust over this turn of events, shot an angry glare at Toshinori and said, "So, you invited us here... for all this?"
Slumped in his seat, his suit hanging off him, almost like parts of it were melting, Toshinori shook his head. "No. That much I can say was...for Izuku. I thought that if I could give him the opportunity to see his hero, to spend time with him, it would...mean the world..." He couldn't finish his words, feeling far too ashamed.
Inko, who continued to hug her son protectively, didn't rightly know how to absorb everything she and her family had just been made privy to. She could hardly bear the full weight of such revelations. She and her loved ones had been lied to, made fools of. By All Might, or should it be Yagi Toshinori, she no longer cared. The only thing that mattered to her at that moment was that they would be sent home so that they could simply forget what should have been a memorable occasion.
"None of us expect or even desire your forgiveness for this whole fiasco," Toshinori said with conviction, wanting to take full responsibility. "If you want to take legal action, I will..."
"Save it! We will not accept your bribes or any form of hush money!" Hisashi, standing in front of a slumped All Might, spat venomously with a swing of his arm, finding his anger in the sheer incredulity of it all. "No amount of compensation can make up for what you've put us through or the trauma you've caused our son. You..." He had never felt such anger in his entire life, against the one man he trusted as much as his son - the rest of Japan - no less. "I can't even—!"
Toshinori's head was the lowest it had ever been, his unkempt blonde hair framing his gaunt face. He didn't know what he could do, or if there was even anything that could suffice to make up for this travesty. He had broken their trust and had undoubtedly tarnished what respect they had for him.
"A-And you!" Hisashi turned to Gouki, and flinched when some fear managed to creep in when their gazes met. "W-What did you do to our son? I-It could only be you! Was that your Quirk at work?!"
"Midoriya-san," Mirai finally chimed in, pushing up his glasses. "As much as I myself suspect Gouki-san of foul play, he is not the reason why your son... acted the way he did. At least, not solely."
Hisashi whipped his attention to the bespectacled man, and froze when he eyed him in recognition. "Y-You're..."
"Sasaki Mirai," All Might's former sidekick introduced himself, "you may also know me as Sir Nighteye." Izuku perked up through his tears, knowing just as much about the man as he did of his idol, before he purportedly left to strike out on his own as a hero himself. "Rest assured that this invitation was not for any ill purpose. Admittedly, it was not the sole reason; for we simply wished to confirm whether or not your son possessed such a power."
"What power?!" Hisashi shouted in exasperation, exhausted by how dubious the conversation had been since it began. "My son is Quirkless! You can question his doctor to be sure, but Izuku is as powerless as-" He caught his words before he could say something he might regret. When he first came to know of his son's Quirklessness, he was not bothered or ashamed in the slightest when other families would. In fact, the only thing that mattered to him was his family's happiness and the peaceful life they lived. It was just one of the reasons why he worked diligently for Detnerat to support them, and any endeavor Izuku might choose to follow in the future. "My boy has nothing to do with whatever kind of sick experiment you're planning. We are leaving this instant, and if you try to stop us…!"
"You can go, Midoriya-san," Toshinori mumbled out in resignation. "We won't stop you."
Hisashi chewed on his lip, completely beside himself with the events that had transpired. He was still reeling from what he had been made to witness in the gym. Never in his life, since the day his son was born, had he ever thought he could look at him with such fear running through his veins. His thoughts and emotions were a jumbled mess, his faith in the people he was supposed to trust and believe in shaken. Before he could say anything else, just as his mouth opened to speak, he was overtaken by someone they least expected.
"Do…Does that mean…"
All eyes turned to the boy still sitting on the cot, the young man's hands bunched above his lap, squeezing the covers that now came up to his waist. "Does…Does that mean…" He looked up to the people in the room with him with new tears spilling out of his eyes. His parents, his heroes, the Inspector, and not least of all, Gouki. "Does that mean…that…that I have a…"
There was a part of him that didn't want to hope it was real. The very same hope that had been dashed not long after his diagnosis, and the bullying from Katsuki began.
Inko, who pulled her son close to her chest, shook her head and kissed the top of his head. "N-No, Izuku, you..." She didn't want to believe it. She didn't want to believe that her boy, her sweet and kind child, had been...she couldn't even finish such a train of thought, lest the guilt crush her.
No other sound but the sniffling of mother and child prevailed in the infirmary, leaving the rest to only look on. Only one of them cared not for such cloying displays of emotion. "The next time."
From the boy, all eyes fell firmly on the man, and he returned them with his ever-present glare. "The next time might not end so lightly."
Lightly?
"You consider what happened 'lightly'?" Naomasa deadpanned. "The kid caused the whole building, practically the entire block to shake like a rattle."
"Naomasa," Toshinori lightly admonished his friend.
"Toshinori, you were there, right? What exactly happened?"
Memories flashed through Toshinori's mind. A city in ruins, a woman smiling at him, and a figure draped in malice, before a bright red light vanished it all. He suppressed a shudder as he tentatively answered as best he could, recounting what occurred, and it left the Inspector nearly breathless.
"He…fired an energy ball at you?" Naomasa asked with tangible disbelief, almost as if the man had gone toe-to-toe with an actual villain not so long ago. What made it worse was that it was the truth. "Toshinori, the state that the gym was in, that was all him?"
"He only fired one," Toshinori said. "Everything else…let's just say that my ears are still kinda ringing."
Naomasa's mouth hung open, unable to find the words to say.
Mirai, without missing a beat, asked, "You did manage to shut off the surveillance beforehand, didn't you, Toshinori?"
Upon hearing that, the Number One Hero tossed his head back with a tight grimace on his gaunt face, mentally kicking himself for such a gross oversight.
"Fortunately," Mirai began with a sigh, "I was able to reach the recordings before anyone else. In no small part thanks to Naomasa, who provided me ample time to do so."
Izuku remained silent, though he inwardly questioned what they were going on about, when something came to the forefront of his thoughts, and after observing him for long enough, the same man who had been at his home all those days ago.
"Y-Yagi-san...?"
Toshinori, looking at the boy and sensing his question, nodded gently. "I am as you see me, Young Midoriya. I... am All Might."
The boy just stared, and it actually bothered the man the longer he did, unable, or perhaps unwilling, to read his expression. "Why...do you look like that?"
That pulled him out of his own thoughts. "It's because of an... injury I sustained," he replied, "fighting a villain."
"Who was it?" Izuku asked, some faint traces of tears still fresh on his cheeks, the turmoil in his emotions fading as he became engrossed in talking to his hero, his appearance hardly mattered to him.
Toshinori himself found it easier to talk to the boy; his own worries faded away. That he was actually telling his worst secret to a family—the fear that they would reveal it hardly crossed his mind. "One of... the strongest villains I had ever faced. It was..." He hung his head down again, unable to meet the young fan's gaze.
Izuku's next words died in his throat, losing his nerve as they both seemed to come back to the current situation, looking at his hero in a new light. He could feel the sadness radiating off the man, an emotion he was no stranger to. "A-All Might, are…you…okay…?"
Toshinori could feel a tired smile coming on, finding it strangely comforting to be asked such a question about his well-being. Maybe it wouldn't have mattered who did, but for some reason, Midoriya Izuku seemed to bring out a part of himself that hadn't seen the light of day since the aftermath of his battle with All For One, when much of his old optimism had been smothered by the pains he went through.
"I am fine, Young Midoriya," Toshinori answered tenderly. "And…I truly am sorry. For…everything."
Izuku shook his head. Perhaps it was because he was so young that he was naive and lacked much insight, but that was not to say that he didn't know the sting of disappointment and betrayal. "You... didn't do anything wrong. I..." His mother's hand gently stroked his cheek, calming him, and as he looked into her sad eyes, more tears welled up.
"We're leaving," Hisashi said with finality.
"Leave, and it will not-"
"Shut up!" Hisashi snapped at Gouki. He was shaking. Both with fear and indignation at how all the wrong things seemed to come back to the man. "You think I care what you think?! That you have any right to know what's good for my..." His words were cut short by a gurgling choke as Gouki caught the man's neck in his hand, his feet leaving the ground as he was lifted high above the others. The beastly man had moved with an almost otherworldly speed that none of them had pinned down, taking them all off guard.
Inko let out a fearful cry as she instinctively pulled her son close to her, the boy looking on in horror at what was being done to his father. Naomasa drew his sidearm and aimed it at the back of Gouki's head. Both All Might and Sir Nighteye took up their respective fighting positions. "Release him now, Gouki!" Toshinori ordered fiercely, assuming his muscular form again after he had been given time to rest.
Hisashi struggled in the man's iron grip, flailing his legs in vain as his airway was constricted. Gouki did not care for his discomfort in the slightest, looking him straight in the eye, his red pupils glowing with ruthless killing intent. "Listen well, fool. Regardless of what you may think, the boy is in a precarious position from which he cannot escape. If you leave him be and he suffers another attack, you will endanger not only yourselves but others as well. I could care less if that happens, but I will give you a very simple choice that even an insect can comprehend. Heed my warnings...or perish."
Time seemed to stand still for the occupants, before Gouki finally relinquished his hold on the poor man. Hisashi fell to the floor in a heap, clutching his neck as he was coughing to regain his breathing.
"Hisashi!" Inko cried out in despair. His wife and son rushed to him, with Inko already past her limit. What should have been a pleasant time for her family had turned into a nightmare, and despite the presence of All Might, Sir Nighteye, and Inspector Naomasa, it was as if they were all in on it. Whatever 'this' was, she was anything but willing to find out, but if it involved her son...
Toshinori deflated, with Mirai and Naomasa relenting as well. An anguished Izuku stared at his suffering parents, before directing his gaze up at the man. An urge seemed to stir from within him the longer his eyes lingered, his mother's sobbing making his ears burn. A frown gradually formed on his young face, interlaced with fear, but he powered through it, his mind harking back to how his and his family's lives had been since being diagnosed as Quirkless, as if that had been the catalyst of it all.
Would this be how it was always going to be?
Hadn't he always, more than anything, dreamt of becoming a hero?
"Stop it!"
Toshinori froze, as did everyone else at the boy's words. All except Gouki, who could feel Izuku's volatile Ki spiking again. "D-Don't...hurt my parents!"
The hairs on the back of Toshinori's neck stood on end when he saw the unmistakable red glow in the boy's pupils once more, but from what he could observe, he seemed to be...controlling the power, or at least keeping it at bay. This was much better than how it was just hours ago. Or perhaps it was his anger directed at Gouki that seemed to serve as a focus.
"Don't...hurt anyone!" Izuku didn't know where his courage was coming from, but with his hands clenched and his legs shaking, it was as if he was facing Katsuki and his cronies again. "I...I want..." He closed his eyes tightly before opening them again, hot tears dripping down his cheeks. "I want to be a hero! And if I want to be a hero..." His hair and clothes began to billow slightly, the red of his pupils intensifying as wisps of Ki leaked from every pore.
"I…"
The group could feel the air around them crackle again, but not as intensely as last time; the aura carried with it a kind of... they couldn't explain it, but it was as if they could feel the boy's...
Resolve.
"I...have to be...strong!"
Izuku looked up at Gouki with tear-filled eyes, his pupils returning to their normal green. "I...want to be strong!"
Gouki, who returned the look with his own, answered after a long silence: "Good."
More time passed, with Hisashi and Inko sitting close together on the cot. Izuku was by his mother's side, exhaustion having overtaken him from what might have been another attack had he not unconsciously held back. Toshinori, Mirai, and Naomasa chose to speak plainly for the family as they explained everything they knew, most pressingly of all the circumstances surrounding their son.
"It is not necessarily a Quirk, Midoriya-san," Mirai spoke, doing most of the legwork, "It is only by mere chance that your son was born with, shall we say, a natural aptitude for harnessing a metaphysical force of the universe that seems to embody chaotic forces, which would explain the rather...apparent propensity for destruction. That would merely be the Satsui no Hadō's influence manifesting through him whenever he suffers one of his…attacks."
"...Huh?"
Mirai looked Hisashi deeply in the eye, his signature flat glare opposite that of the latter's confused mien. Lightly adjusting his spectacles, Mirai began again, "As I said, it is not a Quirk per se, but-"
"Can you-" Hisashi's hands fluttered to his forehead, trying to weather through a headache of his own that had been coming on since they found themselves here. "Can you just…tell me how to get rid of it. Is it some kind of sickness? Is there a cure?"
"...Is there a cure for the Quirk Factor, Midoriya-san?" Mirai shot back, catching the other man off guard. "To my and my colleague's understanding so far, the Satsui no Hadō is something that cannot simply be 'removed', only suppressed or controlled. But for the sake of humoring you, it would be like trying to administer treatment to your son on a more spiritual level. So unless you have a mystic on call, then you can start from there."
"C-Can't-" Hisashi tried to reach for something, anything, when he caught Gouki by the corner, still shaken by what the man had done and said to him. "Can't he just take it? I mean, is it possible for him to?" His tone was hopeful, perhaps even a bit desperate. He could see Inko gently caressing their son's head from the corner of his eye, who had fallen back to sleep in the middle of the discussion.
"That was precisely the first thing we asked Gouki to do," Mirai revealed. "But no. Midoriya Izuku's connection to the Satsui no Hadō is deeply rooted in his soul, and I do not believe it's necessary for me to even go over the risks involved in tampering with one's soul. Debates aside, Gouki warned us firmly that the results would be unpredictable, perhaps even disastrous. I will not mince words with you, Hisashi-san, Inko-san, but if Gouki, who is a master of the Satsui no Hadō himself, is unable to go about the process without incurring any unwanted consequences, I cannot imagine any other force capable of doing so."
Hisashi's shoulders slumped, looking resigned, when an idea struck him. "Wh-What about…sealing it? You know, c-cutting…off the connection? Can that be done? Th-That can work, right?"
"Yes," Gouki replied, not even trying to deny it.
Hisashi and Toshinori were both hopeful once more. "Then…"
"It would be a temporary reprieve at most." And with that, much of that hope was dashed. "In time, the 'seal' will fade. His connection is strong, much stronger than I previously estimated. It will simply be a matter of whether he is able to suppress it himself, or fail trying, leaving him to wreak untold destruction."
"Th-That's..." Hisashi and Inko were shocked to the core, unable to believe that their son would be capable of such, even if unintentional. "N-No! No, our Izuku would never do that!"
"We know, Midoriya-san," Toshinori assured them. "That's precisely why we intend to lend you our help. In any way we can."
The couple traded uneasy looks. "All-Yagi-sa-...erm…"
"Just Yagi-san will do, Hisashi-san," Toshinori said assuredly. "Or even Toshinori. Right now, it's not the Number One Hero you're talking to, but a guy who simply wants to lend you a hand. Me and my…friends," he shot an uneasy glance at Gouki, "are here to help in any way we can. You have our word on that."
Hisashi held the man's gaze before a weight seemed to fall off his shoulders, releasing a breath that he felt like he had been holding in for hours. "I…Ya-Toshinori, if we do have your word, what…can we do? Our son…" He shot a look at his boy, reaching a hand over to caress his boy's hair. "What can we do to…help our son?"
Toshinori was quiet for a long moment, then directed his gaze at Gouki. The couple followed, silently realizing what was being implied. "What are your terms?" Toshinori asked steadily.
"...I will train the boy."
The Midoriyas were silent before Hisashi asked, "You mean…you'll come-?"
"At my dojo."
There was another period of silence, the couple's worries only increasing. "Wh-Which is... in Gifu, right?" Inko wrapped her arms protectively around Izuku's sleeping form, getting a sinking feeling. "Sh-should we go with a schedule-?"
"He will be staying."
The words were like a heavy blow to the couple, causing Inko to burst into tears once more. "No...no, no, no! Y-you're not-he's not taking our boy..." Hisashi tried to calm his wife as soon as he had recovered from his shock. "Hisashi..." she whimpered desperately, as if she wanted her husband to do something. Alas, Hisashi felt just as powerless, still reeling from nearly being strangled by the menacing beast of a man.
Toshinori clenched his hand into a fist. "Is there no other way?" He faced Gouki with a determined scowl, ready to defend the family if the man felt bold enough to take their son from them.
"They will be allowed to visit," Gouki agreed. "Provided he gains sufficient control, he will be permitted to come home. However, he must continue his training. It will be an arduous and challenging endeavor, but the boy must face such challenges to master such a dark and volatile power.
"The 'training' you're referring to wouldn't happen to involve your martial art," Mirai chimed in smoothly. "Would it, Gouki?"
"..."
"We had a deal," Mirai recounted in a warning tone.
"You heard the boy."
"He's a child!" Mirai snapped back. "He'll get over it. Pursue other career paths. He doesn't-"
"Mirai…"
Sir Nighteye adjusted his glasses, both out of habit and as a calming gesture for himself. "Don't, Toshinori. Don't even try. What kind of hero would he even be? He's Quirkless!"
"So was I, once upon a time," Toshinori fired back with a rare coldness to his tone, his reveal earning shock from the Midoriyas. "Does a Quirk even make a hero?"
"Against super-powered villains? Disasters both natural and unnatural? Heroes are more than just soldiers and public servants, Toshinori. You know as well as I do how uncharitable our society can be," Mirai explained pragmatically. "He'll be eaten alive."
"Not if he's trained," Toshinori reasoned.
"In Ansatsuken?!" Mirai exclaimed indignantly. "It is an art steeped in killing and murder. If he is trained in such ways, he won't even have a chance to get off the ground. Hell, you might even have to take him in yourself if such a time ever comes that he crosses a line."
"He's as much my responsibility as he is Gouki's," Toshinori persisted. "I'll be with him every step of the way if I have to."
Mirai scoffed as if he had just been told a bad joke. "Can you even commit yourself to such, Toshinori? Do I need to remind you that you have your own, more pressing obligations? Japan is always in need of its Symbol of Peace."
"I'll make it work," Toshinori pushed.
"I'd like to see you try," Mirai shot back darkly.
Both men stared each other down, the two of them having faced each other midway in their heated exchange, the tension palpable to all others present. Mirai disengaged himself from the deadlock, walking over to the Midoriyas. "You will be escorted back to your home, Hisashi-san, Inko-san. You'll be given a minimum window of two days to mull things over and decide. But know this, we cannot put this off for longer. For each passing day, we cannot predict how the Satsui no Hadō will manifest. It might not even be when Izuku-kun is in distress. Either Toshinori or Naomasa will periodically check in on your status. Rest assured that you are under our protection."
The couple didn't respond, nor did they spare Mirai or the others so much as a glance. All that was on their minds was how things had turned out this way. Soon enough, Naomasa and Toshinori voted to escort the family to the parking lot, with the Inspector volunteering to drive them the rest of the way. Hisashi didn't object, or perhaps he simply didn't have the strength to.
Upon departing, only Mirai and Gouki remained. The former sidekick, his back to the man, habitually pushed up his glasses as he addressed the latter. "I cannot tell you how much it pains me to even consider this. But if this works, it will all have been worth it." He then spun on his heel to catch the man out of the corner of his eye.
Gouki, returning the man's glare, narrowed his eyes darkly.
It was already dawn when Naomasa, driving the Midoriya family car, parked in front of their apartment building. A near two hours of driving, and that was without traffic. Hisashi, who had regained much of his composure during that time, thanked the man sincerely, even though the inspector would have preferred it if he hadn't. That was all the exchange they could spare before they both exited the vehicle. Inko had remained silent the whole time, tenderly cradling her young son in her arms, fearing that he could be taken away from them at any moment, forever.
Naomasa would have offered the woman his assistance, but one look in the rearview mirror and seeing her dejected expression wisely dissuaded him. Hisashi, in spite of everything, kindly offered to drive the man home, but Naomasa declined, since there should already be a taxi just around the corner.
Once the family was safely back in their apartment, not much was said. Hisashi accompanied his wife as they laid their son on his bed, the couple lingering as they silently watched his slumbering form. Hisashi intertwined his fingers with his wife's, kissing her forehead and just being there for her; for his family, fearing that moments like this would become scarce.
The following day…
"All right, Katsuki, when we get to the Midoriyas, I expect you to be on your best behavior. Got it?"
Bakugo Katsuki, sitting in the back seat of his family's car, grunted noncommittally at his mother.
Mitsuki, sitting next to her husband who was driving, darted her head to stare at her son. "What was that?"
Katuski huffed. "Yeah, yeah. I got it." He was jolted from his stupor by a blow to the head. "Hey!"
"Listen, you little brat," his mother snapped at him, "remember why we're here! It's to apologize to the Midoriyas, but especially to Izuku-kun."
"I heard you the first time, mom!" Katsuki fired back at her. "Will you just shut up already?"
"Don't tell me to shut up, you miserable little brat!" Mitsuku growled.
"We're here," Masaru said, smiling calmly despite the tension. He parked the car in the adjacent parking lot, turned off the ignition, and motioned for everyone to get out. "I hope we didn't come at a bad time," he said thoughtfully, adjusting his glasses.
"I gave Inko a call this morning," Mitsuki assured her husband. "She said it was okay." She turned to where her son was getting out. "Hey, come on."
"Yes," Katsuki replied under his breath as he held out his hand to his mother. He hung his head the whole way to the Midoriya residence, trapped in his own thoughts over what could be awaiting him. Since the incident, things in his life had slowly begun to change. His mother, for one, had been the angriest he had ever seen her, sparing nothing to give him the talking down to of his life, with a few good hits thrown in. Their family had come under scrutiny from both the neighborhood association and the local government for the damages caused by Katsuki's blatant misuse of his Quirk. Aside from the fines, their son was recommended to be placed under a counseling program for young children who couldn't control their Quirks, even though Mitsuki referred to the whole thing as being hokey and a money sink, she nonetheless considered after giving it some careful thought.
Katsuki was rarely allowed out, but the first time he was, he managed to find his henchmen at the same playground. Expecting them to hang out as usual, they instead ran away at the first sight of him, but not before shouting out insults and jeers at how much of a hothead he was.
He went home soon after.
The days that followed were just a lull of being locked in his room or distracting himself with other things. He rarely spent time with his parents, and while his mother had lessened her discipline of him, his strangely subdued demeanor caused her no small amount of concern. Still, she felt that he needed to experience the consequences of what he had done, and this might as well be the first step.
The time would come when Mitsuki felt that a proper apology be given to the Midoriyas. And so, she gave the family a call. Upon hearing Inko's voice on the other line, however, she immediately took note of something amiss in the woman's tone. When she commented if she was okay, her friend waved off her concerns with a light chuckle, but even then, Mitsuki wasn't fully convinced.
Upon opening the door for them, Mitsuki immediately sensed that something wasn't right with her friend, if the dark rings around her eyes could be any more of an indication. "Masaru, Mitsuki," Inko greeted the husband and wife with a soft smile. Her gaze then traveled down to Mitsuki's side, finding Katsuki, looking reserved as he kept his head down. Inko's features softened. She should have been upset at seeing him, but all she could feel was a resigned understanding. "Katsuki-kun."
Katsuki flinched nervously at the sound of his name as Inko bent down so that they were at eye level. She smiled at him and asked, "Are you well?" The blonde slowly turned to face the woman, and upon gaining a close look at her, even he could tell that something was wrong. He nodded, then bowed his head respectfully in greeting, choosing to remain silent.
"I-Inko," Mitsuki spoke up delicately. "Is everything alright?"
Inko rose to her full height to address her friend, her thin smile seemingly glued to her face. To the Bakugo couple's concern, they could see that the woman's complexion was rather pale, her cheeks sunken. Not at all her usual self, looking as if she hadn't eaten or slept for days. They half expected her to deny that anything was wrong, until the smile faded with a small whimper, and the lifeless eyes regained some of their light as tears began to flow profusely. "MITSUKI-CHAN!"
"Oi, Inko!" Mitsuki exclaimed in shock at her husband's side, completely bewildered by the woman who rushed at them.
After calming her down, Masaru and Mitsuki led Inko into the living room and set her on the sofa. As they did so, they noticed the state of the apartment. It wasn't exactly a mess, but a few details stood out that belied Inko's habitual neatness. As a housewife with nothing much to do but hold down the fort, Inko always did her best to keep her home tidy.
At the entrance to the kitchen, a blanket was left lying around, as if it had been neglected there. When Mitsuki stopped in the kitchen to get her friend a glass of water, a closer look down the hallway revealed more discarded laundry. With a start, she found a sock hanging over the stove. After handing her husband the glass of clean drinking water, she quickly cleaned up and gathered the laundry. To her surprise, almost half of them were clean, most of them belonging to Izuku.
"Inko," Mitsuki, who was sitting to the left of her friend, gently rubbed the woman's hand as she began to ask, "what's wrong? You can tell us. You're with friends."
Inko, her head down and her gaze aimless, sniffled, unsure if she should reveal any of the details to them. She was afraid, confused, and despairing over the possibility of Izuku being taken from her. "M-Mitsuki-chan," she sniffled, rubbing at some of her tears, "I…I don't know what to do."
Mitsuki exchanged a look with her husband. "Well, maybe we can help..." She was interrupted by Inko shaking her head.
"N-No, no, I..." Inko broke down again and Mitsuki frowned.
"Did Hisashi-?"
"No!" Inko snapped at her, returning the other woman's scowl, though hers was tearful. "Hisashi would never do that, and he didn't!"
While this conversation was going on, Katsuki sneaked away from the adults and crept through the apartment until he came to the familiar door with an All Might hanger. He stared at the image of his hero before his gaze fell on the doorknob, unsure if he should enter or not. It had been a while since his last visit. The last time had been when they had gone through their trading card collection and acted out a scenario with their action figures, although he had managed to force Izuku to play the role of the villain. He didn't even feel nostalgic or like he missed those days. He didn't feel like he could ever go back after…
He shook off such thoughts and moved his hand slowly until his palm touched the cool metal. Gently, he turned the knob, hesitant, before the door seemed to open by itself, revealing a dimly lit room. His eyes wandered, his vision adjusting to the darkness as he spotted a light at the end, that of a computer, and who else but Izuku was sitting in front of the screen, even though the back of the chair obscured him, he could tell because of the All Might videos he could glean from the corner of the screen. Swallowing hard, Katsuki slowly crept in, shuffling closer until the chair swung around, revealing a tired-looking Izuku, his features glazed and sunken like his mother.
That was until their eyes met. The boy's expression changed, slowly lighting up with recognition. "K...Kacchan?" Katsuki's shoulders jumped at the nickname, his mind flashing back to that day.
"De…Dek…" Katsuki bit his lip, his cheeks becoming flushed in what might have been embarrassment. "I…I-Izuku…" The awkwardness of pushing out just the syllables of the name made his stomach churn, causing him to rub at his arm. The awkward silence, if one could discount the muffled sounds from the headphones, hung thickly over them, with Katsuki unable to find the words to go on where he trailed off.
Confused, Izuku slowly got down from his chair, his eyes never leaving the other boy, almost as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing. But he was anything but happy. Nor was he upset or angry. Just... at a loss for words. That was before, after minutes had passed, he perked up with the memory and rushed to the table where his action figures were. He jogged in front of Katsuki and got the boy's full attention before he showed the one that All Might had signed.
At first, the blonde was a little bewildered, believing that the other boy wanted him to play. "What are you…?"
Izuku, as if remembering the dimness of the room, sped past the blonde to reach for the light switch. Once everything was brighter, Izuku again showed him the figure in a near-frantic manner. Now seeing it clearly, Katsuki saw the markings of what was clearly ink on the plastic. With an arched eyebrow, Katsuki asked, "What's this?"
Izuku, with some difficulty, blurted out, "An autograph."
There was a pause. "An autograph?" Katsuki echoed flatly. Izuku nodded.
"From All Might."
"...You're pulling my leg."
Izuku shook his head. "No, it…it's really his autograph."
"Come on," Katsuki scoffed. "You gotta do better than that. You think I was born yesterday?"
"All Might…invited me," Izuku stammered, "my family, to Might Tower."
Katsuki's characteristic scowl came on. "Look, if you're trying to get back at me for being a jerk to you, the least you can do is not crank out bullshit."
"But I'm not!" Izuku denied strongly. "T-This is not about getting back at you. All Might really did invite me and my-"
"What the heck are you saying?" Katsuki muttered under his breath, his scowl deepening.
Realizing his blunder, all the excitement left the shaggy-haired boy. "K-Kacchan, wait, I-" His pleas died in his throat when a hand grabbed at his shirt, pulling his face close to that of a now peeved Katsuki.
"Are you shitting me?! You?!" Katsuki snapped at him, his hot breath and spittle making the other boy wince uncomfortably. "Invited by All Might? To where?!"
Izuku felt like he had no choice but to answer. "M-Might Tower-" His body was pushed back as a sharp pain seized at his left cheek.
Katsuki had punched him.
Breathing heavily, the now enraged blonde stared down at the now cowering boy, who reflexively curled up into a ball. "Deku!" Katsuki seethed with growing anger. "You really think you're better than me because of that, huh? Getting an autograph from All Might? Getting to Might Tower?!" Sparks crackled from both of his hands, ready to fire an explosion at the boy when...
Trembling as he was about to be on the receiving end of the blonde's usual attack, Izuku suddenly froze, causing Katsuki to feel a change in the air.
A very familiar change that made him pause.
Izuku clenched his teeth as he felt the treacherous influence of the Satsui no Hadō. He closed his eyes tightly and tried to calm down with great effort. Katsuki took a step back, the sparks fading as he watched the scene in shock. A sound behind him alerted him to the arrival of the adults; Inko rushed past to get to her son.
Inko helped to calm Izuku by whispering tenderly that she was with him. After a few minutes, the pain subsided, leaving the boy drained and lying on his side. Inko gently took him in her arms to cradle him, her tears still in her eyes.
A confused Katsuki froze as he felt a hand grab his shoulder, firm but gentle, and he looked up to see his mother with a solemn expression on her face.
After what felt like an eternity, the adults returned to the living room with the children in tow, with Inko dispensing more details of what they went through in the days since the incident.
"So you're telling me that this... guy is gonna come along to try and take Izu-kun away from you?" Mitsuki said with growing indignation, using her nickname for her friend's son.
Inko didn't answer, gently stroking the top of her boy's shaggy head as he leaned against her, sitting on her lap.
Katsuki had listened to the story but had refrained from commenting. He was still angry about what Izuku had revealed to him, but that was small potatoes compared to what his mother had just added to the pile. Izuku was set to go to a dojo for some kind of 'treatment', but from what he knew about dojos, they were places where people went to train, to toughen themselves up. So not only had he gone to Might Tower to meet All Might himself, but he was going to be put into some kind of training program to become strong enough to qualify as a hero. So, not only had Deku been one-upping him all this time without him knowing it, but he was going to get a head start on what was once their shared dream.
And to top it all off, he had a Quirk the whole time. The dirty, no-good liar.
A smack to the head broke him out of his musings. "Knock it off, Katsuki," his mother chided him. "I know what you're thinking. Izuku isn't trying to get one over you, so spare us your nonsense."
Katsuki clicked his tongue. "Well, he's supposed to be Quirkless, right? He lied."
"That wasn't a lie," Mitsuki refuted. "I don't really get it, but what seems to be…happening with Izuku isn't a Quirk. Heck, I can barely even believe half the stuff I just heard, but your Auntie Inko is not the kind to lie. Neither is Izuku, so drop it, young man."
Hearing that, Katsuki tore himself away from the discussion, but not before slipping a glare at Izuku. "So," Mitsuki continued, "when is this…Gouki character coming?"
"Well…" Inko flinched at the sound of their doorbell, and all the color seemed to leave her. Mitsuki, seeing this, shot a glare in the direction of the door. Masaru reacted too late as his wife shot out of her seat and headed for the lobby.
The blonde opened the door, half expecting it to be Hisashi, and if it was, she could relax, but to her disappointment and anger, it was an unknown man. He was dressed in a suit, with shaggy blond hair that seemed to be in desperate need of a comb. But what struck her most was that he was as skinny as a rake, with the most gaunt face she had ever seen.
The man looked just as surprised to see her. "Oh! Uh, excuse me, I…"
"Who are you?" Mitsuki asked in a hard tone, causing the man to flinch, his brows furrowing in confusion.
"Um, I-My name is...Yagi Toshinori," Toshinori unknowingly introduced himself, wondering who the woman could be, as he was sure that he wasn't standing at the wrong door.
"Toshinori?" Mitsuki racked her brain for the name, as it sounded familiar. That was until it came back to her, and she shot an even deeper glare at the man. "You!"
Toshinori blinked. "Uh…yes?"
"So," Mitsuki growled, hiking up the sleeves of her blouse in preparation, "you're the piece of shit Inko was talking about."
"...Huh?" Toshinori didn't have enough time to process the woman's words when he was suddenly grabbed by his collar. Instead of fighting back, he let the woman pull him inside. Soon enough, he found himself in a headlock.
A surprisingly strong headlock.
With Masaru helping carry a tired Izuku, he, Inko and Katsuki made it to the lobby, only to find his wife strangling a complete stranger. "M-Mitsuki!"
Mitsuki, rather than relent, held on tight, even as Toshinori tapped her arm in surrender. "Call the cops, Masaru! This joker isn't going anywhere!"
Inko was in a panic, waving her arms frantically as she cried out, "No, Mitsuki! Stop! That's All Might!"
"..."
"..."
"..."
"...Huh?"
Inko, steadying herself, repeated more firmly, "That's All Might!"
"..."
"..."
"..."
"...Huh?"