The sound of pencils scratching filled the classroom, but the one in Yuji Itadori's hand remained still, hovering millimeters over the paper. The question on the page seemed to grow into a shadow that loomed over him, filling his mind with indecision. What do you want to be?
It was a simple question. One that most kids could answer quickly, even if it wasn't a realistic answer. Most probably even had the same answer in this superhuman age, but Yuji couldn't say with confidence what he wanted to do. The issue wasn't that he didn't have options or had too many to go over. The simple, truthful answer was he had never thought about it.
What point was there to thinking about something so far off? He had his grandfather to care for, and Wasuke Itadori had been in the hospital for over a year now. He was doing alright in his classes, had joined a club as his grandfather requested, and still made time to visit him. Between trying to do his homework, club work, and visit his grandfather every day after school, he didn't spare much time thinking of the future.
Now this sheet of paper with a simple question printed on it was causing him to freeze and tune out the world. What did he want to be? With his strength enhancing quirk he could pursue a career in professional sports or construction. He could also try for something more academic, like a salaryman or a counselor, though that option didn't really appeal to him. Maybe he should just ask his grand-
A hand grabbing onto his shoulder and shaking him derailed his train of thought. "If you think that hard, you're going to get a headache Itadori." Said one laughing Junpei Yoshino, his only visible green eye halfway closed with laughter.
"I'm not that stupid, my grades are every bit as good as yours." Yuji replied after realizing who had disturbed his thoughts. Junpei was every bit as tall as himself, but Junpei hadn't gained as much muscle in puberty, so he didn't seem to loom over him. His dark hair swept down over the right side of his face, covering one of his dark green eyes and the scarring from his childhood.
"I'm aware. That's why I'm trying to save you from thinking too hard. You need every ounce of brain power you have."
Both of them stared at each other for several seconds before they burst out laughing. Yuji had been friends with Junpei for a couple years now, since they had both joined the Cinema Appreciation Club. Junpei loved movies in all forms, and Yuji had just been interested in the clubs' early release time. They had quickly become friends as they were the only ones able to stomach the entire Human Earthworm trilogy.
Junpei looked down at Yuji's paper, "Struggling with the career choice question? I figured you would probably want to be a hero or a police officer." Junpei stated curiously.
Yuji couldn't help but look at his best friend's gloved hand that rested on his shoulder; acutely aware that Junpei had given up on that dream years ago. He had been forced to wear gloves when his quirk proved to be too much to safely handle. "I don't know, I thought about it, I mean my quirk does make me stronger than a lot of people, but I just haven't thought about it much." Yuji trailed off, his mind wandering again.
Silence slipped between them for several moments until Junpei slapped him on the back of the head. "Well, don't worry about it!" he said grinning "Just be my cameraman when I become a famous director!"
Yuji couldn't help but stare, and then grin at his friend as he stood up. "Cameraman? I'm going to need to be a producer just to keep you in line. Otherwise, you'll never get a movie made, you over obsessed critic!"
"Hey, that's not a bad idea! We could just become famous movie critics! Entire franchises could live or die by our opinions!" Junpei exclaimed.
"The only movie franchise you would approve of would be Human Earthworm. And that's only if the original director came back." Yuji replied as he quickly packed his bag and stood to leave with his friend. "So, what's the movie today?" He asked as they walked out.
As Junpei began to explain excitedly about the next film they had to study, Yuji couldn't help his mind wandering back to that question. 'What is my purpose?'
Several hours later, Yuji stood just outside his grandfather's hospital room door. He waited and observed him for a couple seconds. Wasuke Itadori had always seemed so strong when Yuji had been a child. The wrinkles on his face seemed canyons now, his body reed thin and just as strong. The stone-gray hair had faded to marble white, and his voice no longer had the power that had made Yuji sit up straight. The cancer had done a number on him, and it was a testament to Wasuke's stubbornness that he could even talk; let alone sit up.
He finally walked into the room "Hey Grandpa, you haven't been giving the nurses trouble, have you?" he asked as he moved to the window, placing the flowers he brought into a vase.
Wasuke ignored the question "I told you not to come. Why aren't you in your club?" his grandfather demanded; his deep voice now scratchy and strained.
"Relax Grandpa, my club wrapped up a while ago. I promised I wouldn't come if I still had club work to do. You taught me to always keep my promises."
Wasuke harrumphed and closed his eyes. "Well good. Listen up then, I've got some things I need to tell you. About our family history and especially about your parents-"
Yuji smiled and rolled his eyes. "I already told you I don't want to hear it. Grandpa, relax and drop the tough guy act. You don't have all that much time left. Do you really want your last words to be about that?" Even as he said it, Yuji realized the truth of the words. The lung cancer had removed all the years he thought he might still have with the man who raised him.
As Yuji contemplated the limited time he had with his grandfather, Wasuke laid back down and rolled over to face the wall. Quietly, he began to speak, "You shouldn't be like me; you should be surrounded by people at your death. You're a good kid, Yuji. You're strong, so try and help others. It doesn't have to be everyone, just save who you can, even if it's only a single person. Don't worry if you lose your way." With those words, Wasuke fell silent.
"Hey, speaking of helping others, I had something I wanted to ask you, Grandpa." Yuji turned around to face the elder Itadori. When he got no response, he asked again "Grandpa?"
The world seemed to grind to halt as he noticed the lack of movement from his grandfather. Despite wearing a hoodie, the room suddenly felt cold to him. "Grandpa?" his voice quivered, the fear breaking through.
He walked over and placed his hand on his grandfather's shoulder. He gently shook him, as tears began to glisten in his eyes. Wasuke did not respond, and his body moved with no resistance. Yuji let his hand fall away as the tears began to stream from his eyes. He turned quickly and reached for the phone on the wall, pressing the button to call the nurses station down the hall.
The voice of the nurse was distant as she asked what was wrong. He tried to speak, but realized it was impossible. He was doing everything he could not to break down. He had to stay strong, just like all those years ago. The nurse was shouting now and he could hear movements in the hall.
The door burst open and the nurses immediately took action. One nurse walked over and took the phone from his hands. She hung it up quietly and gently took him by the shoulders. "Follow me young man, let's get out of here."
She led him to the hallway, and guided him into a seat a few meters down the hall. "Please just wait here." She said before turning and hurrying back to the room. As he sat alone under the fluorescent lights, Yuji laid his head into his hands and started to sob.
Two hours later, Yuji stood before the front desk of the hospital, a weak smile on his face as the nurse had him sign forms and explained things patiently. As he signed the forms to confirm the death of his last relative and affirm his grandfather's wish to be cremated; Yuji's mind was desperately trying not to accept reality. Just this afternoon, life had been going normally, now he was left alone.
The few items his grandfather had at the hospital were now split between his backpack and a box they had kindly given him. Mementos of his grandfather in hand, Yuji began to trudge through the night to his home. It felt like a fever dream, losing his grandfather in what felt like a single strike of lightning. 'It wasn't suddenly' a cynical part of his mind whispered 'Grandpa had lung cancer for over a year. You visited him every day and you basically ignored it. He tried to prepare you, he tried to make you think about the future. To live for something beyond him, and you did nothing but visit him and try to comfort him.'
Finally, the dam burst. "I KNOW!" Yuji yelled in the street. Tears had begun to form again as he angrily exclaimed. "I know all that, I know I was diligently working to make it so he wouldn't worry! I know I was ignoring myself just so he could be at peace! I KNOW IT DIDN'T WORK!" His scream echoed off the buildings, the night silent except for the sounds of his sobs.
"I know that Grandpa was trying to help me, I know that I was focused on trying to make him feel that I would be okay. It was all I could do." He took a deep breath, trying to fight the sobs that wracked his body. "It was all I could do." He repeated. And he repeated it the entire walk home, and once he got home, he repeated it until he fell asleep, clutching the Crimson Riot hoodie his grandfather had bought him, just before he was diagnosed.
The next morning, he got ready for school as normal. He forced himself to leave the hoodie hanging up in his closet. He didn't want it to get dirty or damaged. As he walked to his normal meeting spot with Yoshino he replayed his grandfather's final moments. He passed under a bridge, and he muttered "Grandpa, I never got to ask you; What should I be? How am I supposed to help others?"
"How about you help me escape from him?" a seedy voice asked.
"Huh?" Yuji barely had time to think before he felt something constrict his body. His vision filled with neon green as something flowed over and around him, squeezing him. He immediately began to fight back, struggling to gain any kind of leverage when he felt something cold and slimy enter his nose. He gasped in surprise and his mouth was suddenly filled as well.
"Don't worry kid, I'll put your body to good use. You can help me get away from that bastard. That'll be good enough right? I need a skinsuit, and you'll do just fine." The voice grated on his ears. Now Yuji could see two bright yellow eyes staring at him. Below them a savage mouth was twisted into a horrific, toothy smile.
Yuji continued to struggle as best he could, twisting his body in an attempt to gain any kind of momentum. The gunk was viscous, dulling all attempts at movement. His quirk gave him more strength than most people, but it proved to be of little aid when his opponent had him completely surrounded and with no way to gain leverage. He struggled for what felt like an hour, but couldn't have been more than a few minutes, and his vision became blurry, and quickly began to fade into black.
'This…This isn't right! I…I can't die like this! This isn't a proper death!' As that thought entered his mind, he felt a surge of strength and rage, managing to break his right arm free. His arm was all he managed to get loose, and his vision finally faded. Just before he lost consciousness, he felt a large hand wrap around his arm and pull.
He awoke with a gasp, filling his lungs with air before he immediately started coughing. He found himself on all fours, staring at the ground. Looking up, Yuji stared into the intense bright blue eyes of a legend. At over two meters tall, the man looked to have been carved by a master sculptor, and then had broken free of the stone. The white t-shirt he wore was stretched to the breaking point over his upper body, his biceps easily bigger than Yuji's head. A pair of olive green cargo pants covered his legs, but they were about two inches too short to cover his ankles. His trademark smile was on his face as he looked down at Yuji, two spikes of blonde hair on top of his head.
"All Might?" Yuji asked, confused as he stared at the number one pro hero.
"Indeed. I am here!" The modern-day titan exclaimed; his booming voice just as imposing as his figure. "I must apologize young man, I was chasing this slime villain and failed to catch him quickly. He almost seriously injured you due to my negligence." As he said this, All Might tossed up what appeared to be an orange soda bottle. Inside it, Yuji could see a dark green slime and a pair of glowering eyes instead of the fizzy orange drink.
"Now then, since you seem to be alright, I must be going!" All Might quickly turned away; slipping the bottle into a pocket on his cargo pants. Without thinking, Yuji lunged and grabbed All Might's hand. "Please wait!"
All Might paused, staring at Yuji. Yuji took a deep breath. "Please wait." He repeated, a bit quieter.
"If you want an autograph, young man, I'm more than happy to oblige, but I should get this criminal-" All Might began to reply before Yuji firmly shook his head.
"I don't need an autograph! I…I wanted advice. My Grandpa died yesterday, and I never got to ask him. I don't know what to do, I don't know what to be! I'm strong, and he said that I should help others and save them, but does that mean I should be a hero? Should I be a firefighter? I…I don't know what to do."
The words seemed to flow quickly, and wouldn't stop until he finally choked. Tears threatened to form again, and he quickly blinked them away. "Grandpa was all the family I had left, and now I don't know what to do."
Yuji dropped All Might's hand and stayed staring at his feet. He saw All Might's feet turn towards him, and felt a heavy hand softly land on his shoulder. "Young man, my condolences on your loss. Losing someone so early in life is always hard." Yuji looked up and could see the sympathy in All Might's eyes.
"I can't tell you what you should do, or what your grandfather's words meant. That's for you to decide. Helping others is a grand ideal. As for if you should be a hero, you should decide if that is what you want because it calls to you, or if it's merely your grandfather's final request." Yuji began to speak, but All Might held up a massive hand.
"Young man, a hero doesn't do what they do just because someone told them to. A true hero is there because they can't help themselves. They throw themselves into danger because their bodies force them to move. Their entire being screams for them to use every ounce of strength they possess to prevent tragedies. They put their lives on the line, standing between those who would do harm and innocent people. If you don't have that spark, you should choose something safer in life."
All Might's words were hammer blows to Yuji's soul, each sentence shattering what little confidence he had. He stared at the ground, ashamed as he thought 'of course I can't be a hero. I've never felt the need to do that. I've never done anything like that. How could I be a hero?' Seeing the obvious disappointment written on Yuji's face, All Might made to say something more, but suddenly lurched to his feet.
Yuji's eyes shot up, worried as the number one hero quickly turned and shouted "Farewell young man! Good luck in your future endeavors!" and crouched before rocketing away. His leap stirred up winds and dust, forcing Yuji to cover his face. He sat there numbly, staring at the figure in the sky growing smaller by the second. Several minutes passed and his phone buzzed. Pulling it out of his pocket, he saw it was a text from Junpei.
Where are you? We're going to be late!
Taking a deep breath and wiping his eyes, Yuji texted a quick reply. He assured him he was on his way, and would be there soon. He stood up, grabbed his backpack, and started to jog to make up some time.
As Yuji made his way to his usual meeting spot with Junpei, he couldn't help but feel down. "What am I supposed to do? Grandpa, I love you, but I don't know how to fulfill this last request." Letting out a sigh, he closed his eyes and looked up feeling the sun on his face. Lost in thought, he continued to walk until he bumped into someone. He opened his eyes and made to apologize when the sound of the commotion hit him.
Before him stood a crowd of people; a mixture of police, EMT's, civilians, and a few heroes trying to keep the crowd back. The scene that had brought such a gathering together was from the depths of Yuji's nightmares. An olive-green mass swelled and shifted in the center of a shopping street, a single eye glaring at the heroes. "What's wrong, heroes? Aren't you going to save the day? Stop me from hurting anyone else?" The sludge villain rasped, taunting the heroes who had not made a single move.
Yuji could see Death Arms, Kamui Woods and Mt Lady glaring at the villain. It seemed like the heroes were in a stalemate. 'Is it an issue of compatibility? None of them could really catch and hold him. How did All Might do it?' Yuji shouldered past a blonde man wearing a t-shirt several sizes too large. As he moved to the front of the crowd, he realized why the heroes hesitated to move against the villain. The area around the amorphous criminal was covered in a thick purple mist, one that looked familiar to Yuji.
As this thought occurred to Yuji, he made it to the front of the crowd. He realized he didn't even know why he had moved forward. It was like his feet and body dragged him to the front, a curiosity beginning to smolder in his soul since he had almost died by the same scum. A scream pierced the air to his left as he stared at the villain. "MOM!"
Yuji swung in that direction, eyes widening as he locked onto the panicked form of Junpei Yoshino. His verdant eye wide in horror. He twisted back to the villain, his heart sinking into his stomach with terror. There in the center of the cloud was Nagi Yoshino, her own auburn eyes filled with tears. She was staring at her son, as if trying to convince him that everything would be okay. Yuji could see past that lie; he could understand the fear in her heart.
The villain had her wrapped up, his tentacles filling her mouth and nose. "Hahaha, this woman has a decent body and a decent quirk! This will work great! I'll be able to kill whenever I want, whenever I want!" He was gloating, assured of his victory. As he spoke, he whipped Nagi around, another burst of poison gas spewing from her. He could hear her screams through the mass in her mouth, the roars from the crowd, the pounding of blood in his ears.
Time seemed to slow down as he took it all in. The elation in the pallid eyes of the villain, the crowd shifting from excitement to worry, the dread in his best friend's face, and the resignation in Nagi's body. He processed all of it, his mind racing at what felt like the speed of sound, and then it all fell away. The world went silent, his grandfather's words echoed. 'You're strong, so try and help others.' Every muscle in Yuji's body tensed and he exploded into motion.
He raced past the heroes, far too fast for them to react. Death Arms still tried lunging for him, his shout falling on deaf ears as Yuji easily outpaced him. He crossed the distance in a flash, leaping into the air as he approached. He quickly spun, his ruby-red sneakers impacting one of the villain's eyes as he re-oriented himself. Yuji pressed off, the combined force of the impact and his push sending the villain reeling back as Yuji tackled Nagi. Wrapping her in his arms, he let the force of his headlong rush pull them both free of the gunk. He landed on the ground, crouching with Nagi as she gasped for air. 'You had a proper death Grandpa, but this kind is just absolutely wrong!'
The sludge monster playing at human recovered quickly. "Why you little punk! I'll murder you first then!" The villain screamed as he loomed over them, one eye now bloodshot. Yuji froze, now face to face with death for the first time, he felt his soul rage but his body wouldn't cooperate as quickly as before. His legs tensed again as the villain reared back, ready to smother them both.
"DETROIT SMASH!" A massive whirlwind erupted as the villain was disintegrated; a single, mighty fist responsible for the phenomenon. All Might stood over them, his fist raised to the sky; now the center of the hurricane that dissipated the poison mist, a column that stretched into the heavens above them. The sight burned itself into Yuji's mind and soul.
A man who could change fate. One who could stare at the universe's onslaught of injustice and decide that enough was enough, that death would go home empty handed and disappointed. His voice would be heard, his power would be honored, his decision would be respected. This was the man who became a pillar of modern society, the Symbol of Peace. This was a hero.
Yuji had never been saved by a hero before. They had always been figures in the distance or on the television, beyond the touch of a child from the countryside, just another facet of life he had never really seen up close. Now he could understand the obsession, the joy, the relief at seeing a hero, a miracle worker, where you had expected nothing but pain and misery.
As All Might lowered his fist he turned to Yuji, and flashed him a grin. He quickly grabbed the villain and stuffed him into another bottle. He turned and tossed the bottle to one of the approaching heroes. "I apologize for stealing your thunder, but I couldn't hold myself back after seeing this young man's bravery." All Might laughed, and then turned, holding up a finger and wagging it at Yuji. "That was brave, but an absolutely foolish thing to do young man. Why would you rush into danger like that?" All Might's bright blue eyes seemed to be twinkling as he asked the question.
"I didn't think. I just saw my best friend's mom in danger and my body just moved. I couldn't stop. I couldn't let her die like that. Thank you for saving me again, All Might, and thank you for saving Ms. Yoshino." Yuji bowed his head to the hero.
All Might reached down and patted him on the head. Yuji missed the wide smile on the man's face. "Is that so? Well best learn to control that urge young…?" His question hung in the air.
Yuji swallowed the lump in his throat and looked up. "Itadori. Yuji Itadori."
All Might nodded, and then he then turned to Kamui Woods. "Can I leave this to you Kamui Woods? I'm afraid I'm off duty and I would like to avoid causing too much more of a scene." Upon receiving a nod from the younger hero, All Might crouched and then leapt away.
As All Might leapt away, abandoning Yuji to the wrath of the younger heroes, he couldn't fight the smirk that crept onto his face. It would appear that he would have to disappoint Nighteye after all. Young Itadori was struggling to find the words, but he could see the spark had been ignited. Those movements, the struggling to understand exactly why your body had moved, the sheer defiance that had burned in the young man's eyes when he ripped the woman free of the slime. Oh yes, Yuji Itadori would absolutely be a hero, and if his gut was right, he would become one to surpass him.
He landed in a back alley, after glancing around and confirming he was alone, he quickly switched back to his scrawny form. He had watched in horror as the villain attack had unraveled, fear of his secret getting out, freezing him in place. He had been surprised when Itadori had pushed past him, doubly so when the young man had sprung into action. He made his way onto the street, and after confirming his location, he pulled out his phone and called Nezu. He had some research to do, and it would have to be done in a hurry.
Yuji spent the next couple hours in a frenzy of action, interviews, admonishments, bone-breaking hugs, and one very thorough medical examination. Given the nature of Ms. Yoshino's quirk a lot of people were examined for any adverse effects, with her and Junpei giving a list of possible things to look for over the next couple days. The heroes and the police all berated Yuji for the incredibly dangerous stunt he had pulled. After everything was wrapped up, one of the police officers had asked how they could contact Yuji's parents to let them know that he was okay, if a bit on the dim side.
Yuji glanced nervously over at the Yoshino's and whispered to the officer. "Um, I don't really have anyone at home right now. My grandpa raised me, but he died yesterday evening."
At his words, the officer started, and then lowered his eyes. "My apologies young man, I understand this is a tough time for you, but we still need to know who is responsible for you." The officer looked back up at Yuji, concern evident, but his arms now crossed, as though trying to size up how hard it would be to take Yuji back to the station, or a child services office.
"That would be me." Nagi Yoshino's hoarse voice cut into the conversation, and one look shut down any complaint the officer and Yuji would have been able to muster. Noting their silence, she pressed on "Yuji's grandfather contacted me a few months ago about taking care of Yuji once he died. Junpei and him are good friends and go to the same school. So yeah, I'm Yuji's legal guardian, and I thoroughly approve of his saving me." She crossed her arms as she stared down the officer, daring him to argue.
The man backed down immediately. "Alright ma'am. I understand. It's recommended that everyone take at least a day to reorient themselves after being attacked by a villain. Here is a copy of the report, and the station's contact information. My name is on the bottom of the report. Thank you." The man departed as quickly as humanly possible, which it turned out, was far faster than Yuji had realized.
"You already knew?" Yuji asked bluntly, turning to Nagi as Junpei walked over to them.
"I did, the hospital called while you were signing all the paperwork. I figured you needed a night to process everything on your own, but I wanted to let you know that Junpei and I are here for you. You can move in with us if you want, or stay at your house. I will say that I would at least prefer you come over for dinner most nights." Nagi's smile was gentle, and she wrapped Yuji into a light hug as she spoke. "You don't have to go through this alone, Yuji. We may not be your family, but you're important to us."
Yuji blinked back tears as Nagi pulled away, and Junpei swooped in, throwing his arm around Yuji's neck. "I know it's not easy to lose family, but I'll always be here for you buddy." Junpei's smile could have lit up a city block, it shined so much.
Yuji stopped fighting the tears and mumbled out "Thank you. If it's alright, I think I want to go home with you, but I'll need to go to my house and grab some things tonight."
Nagi nodded. "Alright then, let's go home boys."
After a long afternoon planning out his living with the Yoshino's, and a dinner that had stuffed Yuji to the brim, he had asked for some privacy to walk to his home and grab some things before heading back. It was dark now, the small streets quiet but for the sound of crickets, and the occasional barking dog. Yuji took a deep breath, filling his lungs with the warm night air, then exhaled slowly, staring up into the light polluted sky.
"Grandpa, this last request of yours is gonna be a pain in the ass. Especially if I'm gonna do this right." His teeth flashed as he grinned "I don't know how, but you saw what nobody else did. I'll follow through and become a hero. I'll save everyone and I won't regret a single second!" Yuji raised his fist at his declaration, clenching it at the full moon.
"Well said young man!" the booming voice of All Might caused Yuji to leap two meters into the air, before gravity took hold and he landed on his face. Picking himself up and turning around, Yuji found himself once again in the presence of the number one hero. "Now then, young man. You said you wish to be a true hero?" The man's ice blue eyes seemed to shine in the night as Yuji met them, and then nodded.
"Excellent! I deem you worthy of my awesome power. My quirk shall be yours to inherit."
"Huh?"
