Izuku felt cold… He heard the hum of fluorescent lights above and the sound of rhythmic beeping… He wasn't sure how he knew, but they were weak and weakening. It broke his heart, filling his vision with tears, before bringing his hand to mouth; trying to stifle his cry.

"He's dying…"

Izuku turned to their physician. "I know." The hallway's walls were white, its smooth floors were painted blue, and when the lights above shined, it colored everything in that blue's hue.

"He won't have much longer." Dr. Sakura, a woman with pink petals for hair, suggested, "You should say your goodbyes."

"Thank you," he said, putting a grateful hand on the doctor's arm.

She smiled and nodded, returning the gesture by placing her hand atop of his and squeezing. When they heard the squeak of a passing nurse's shoes, they're hands quickly parted.

He sniffled, swallowing down his cry, as he dabbed away his tears with a handkerchief. "Thank you."

Dr. Sakura gave a soft look of sympathy and concern. "Of course." As she walked past, she leaned over, whispering, "I'm only a call away."

Izuku nodded, smiling, before that smile faded as he turned his head into the room to his side. His heeled shoes clicked and clanked upon the hard floor as he stepped in. It was a hospital room like any other with the exception of the occupant.

The man under the covers slowly opened his eyes before catching her in view. Then, a light shone from them as the man grinned and laughed, "Chiyo!" The laughter quickly turned to coughing and Izuku hurried to his side. "M-My beautiful girl… How are you?"

"I…" He took the man's hand, forcing a smile. "I'm fine, Dad." He tilted his head. "How have you been?"

"W-Well…" He joked, "I've been better." He chuckled before letting out a breath and then staring up at the ceiling. "I know why you're here."

Izuku choked, "D-Dad… I…"

"I know, I know…" He patted her hand. "God… just seeing you here… It makes me know that I've lived a good life." His hand reached up to her cheek. "A Hero… In spite of everything surrounding us… I'm so proud of you."

He started to cry. "Dad, please… I don't want you to go…"

The man began to wheeze as his voice weakened and weakened. "Oh… my sweet, sweet girl… I'll… always be… here… for you…"

Izuku's eyes widened as the slow beeping was replaced by a long, almost-deafening tone. "Dad!?" The man's hand turned limp in his. "DAD!" His eyes were closed with an almost blissful smile on his face. "N-No… No, no, no, no, no… Please… please…" Izuku's vision turned blurry as tears rolled down his cheeks. "I… Don't go…" He held the man's limp hand tight, almost bringing it to his lips. "I can't lose you too…"

It was a peck, a small peck, upon the back of the man's hand.

The man's eyes shot open in pain as he coughed and began to thrash in his bed. "D-Dad?!" The beeping from the monitor, his heartbeat, fluctuated sporadically: from so fast that it sounded like screeching to falling to a flatline over and over. "DAD!" Izuku tried to reach over to hold the spamming man down, but his strength was far too much for the feeble old man he was. "DA–" Another spasm threw Izuku off and sent him stumbling to the ground.

An alarm sounded before Dr. Sakura and other nurses rushed into the room. "What happened!?" one of them cried.

"Strap him down!" commanded another.

Dr. Sakura stepped before her, pulling him onto his feet. "Chiyo?" She shook him out of his stupor. "Chiyo?"

Izuku couldn't meet her eyes, however. "I… I…" He couldn't look away from the spasming body. "I didn't mean to… I'm s-sorry." He cried as the man suddenly fell limp. "Dad!"

Dr. Sakura held onto his shoulders tightly. "You have to go."

"B-But…"

"If they found out you used your Quirk, even by accident, you could lose your license." She stepped into view, meeting his eyes. "Do you understand?" Then, there was a push. "Go. Go!"

As he stepped back, Izuku's eyes fell upon the man, shaking his head. "I-I'm sorry…" His eyes screwed shut as he turned around, rushing out the door. "I'm so sorry."

But, when he opened his eyes again, he found himself in that room again. Dr. Sakura and the nurses were gone. He looked down at himself and found himself in his burnt costume – melted elastic and all. His head slowly rose and he saw a new man in the bed. After he stepped over, he saw that he was old - no older than his mother. His eyes squinted - older, actually. Though, he wasn't sure how he knew since the man didn't have a face. His features were blurred and muddy.

However, slowly, features began to file in. "You get your freckles from your father…" Though, it made his head hurt. "And your hair curls the same way his does, but he hates it… Spends so much on gel just to hide it…" He closed his eyes as he shook his head. "But, you have my eyes…" For a moment, the pain lessened as a small smile grew on his face.

Then the man's hands clamped down on his arms, sending surges of pain. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!?" The man who sat before him, screaming at him, wasn't that stranger he could hardly remember, but… All-Might. "YOU HAVE NO BUSINESS BEING HERE!" The Hero coughed as his skinny body shook – as blood splattered from his lips. "YOU DON'T BELONG HERE!"

Izuku yanked his body back. "L-LET GO!" When he ripped his arms free, he stumbled back and found the tiled floors of the room give way underneath his feet. "W-What–" He plunged into arctic-cold water, struggling to stay at the surface. "W-Why is this happening!?"

All-Might stepped out of his bed before expanding into the Heroic form he truly knew. "A Quirkless child has no place amongst Heroes!" His signature grin felt mocking. "Did you think being able to 'heal' would change that? Did you think anything you could do would change that?"

"H-He wouldn't… say that!"

"Is that so?" All-Might leaned forward, tilting his head. "And what did you think I would say when you asked me that question?" He tapped his temple. "Hm?"

"I…" The ceiling began to climb higher and higher as All-Might loomed over him. "I just…" The lights above turned to distant sparks in a seemingly never ending darkness. "I just wanted someone to…", he sputtered as he sank below the water's surface.

The cold shocked him to his core as he shivered. His limbs locked up and numbness infected his entire body. Then, as the light piercing the surface just started to fade, an arm shot down, grabbing him by the collar and yanking him upwards.

Izuku coughed and sputtered as he climbed onto the tiled floor. He shook his head as he slowly sat up. Then, he lifted his arms, looking himself up and down. "An Aldera uniform…?" He then deflated before looking over his shoulder and muttering, "Of course it's you."

Bakugo Katsuki, in uniform, was crouched near the water's edge, grinning ear-to-ear. "Who else did you expect, Deku?"

"Why couldn't you have been someone I like?" Izuku groaned.

Katsuki stood, raking his hands through Izuku's hair as he walked by. "Oh, you don't how the fuck to feel about me anymore."

The hand was smacked away as Izuku stood. "Why are you here?!"

"That's stupid-ass question." Katsuki shrugged as he walked towards the door. "If you don't fucking know, what makes you think I do?" He crossed his arms, leaning against the doorframe. "You aren't stupid enough to think any of this is real."

"There's no rationality to any of this…" Izuku turned to him. "It's all in my head…"

"You died," he said.

"Again…"

Katsuki chuckled, "Your Mom's not gonna be happy with that."

Then, a little boy rushed out of the door in an All-Might onesie, holding a notebook of some kind. "Mom, Mom!"

Katsuki jerked his head to follow before stepping through the doorway.

When Izuku followed, he stepped into their apartment and the little boy rushed over to his Mom who was washing dishes. "What's wrong, honey?" He leapt up and down at her feet, holding up the pad. "Are those…" she giggled, "Are those Hero names?"

Little Izuku giggled, jumping higher than before. "Yeah! I can't decide which one to pick!"

"Okay, okay!" she laughed as she led him over to their couch.

She sat down as he excitedly climbed up. "Let's see…" As she read them aloud, he started to bounce up and down on the cushions. "Mighty-All-Man, Mighty-Boy, All-Might, Jr."

He leapt up, pumping his fist into the air. "Junior!"

She started to get swept up in his excitement. "Mighty-Man, Captain-All-Might, Super-All-Might!"

He leapt even higher, laughing, "Super!"

His Mom put the notebook down and picked the little boy up, lifting him in the air and laughing, "Super!"

They laughed together as she spun him through the air.

"Wow…" murmured Katsuki. He then turned to Izuku. "You were real annoying as a kid, huh?"

A flat glare was levied back. "Can you piss off?"

Then, something struck his heart as he heard a muffled sob. He turned back to the room, and there were packed moving boxes scattered about the dark apartment. His Mom sat at the dining table; she was hunched over, doing her best to sob quietly. Crumpled and stained papers decorated the table before her.

Katsuki looked around. "What's all this?"

"This…" Izuku's gaze dropped to a younger him, hiding behind the couch; peeking around it. "I remember this…"

"Is your pathetic life flashing before your eyes?" questioned Katsuki.

"No…" Izuku's hands balled into fists as his younger self gripped the fabric of the couch. "I'm remembering something… reminding myself…" He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. "And you're here because…" He turned to Katsuki, tensing his jaw. "I died."

"Yeah."

Izuku shook his head. "But, I'm not dead."

"No, you're not," Katsuki nodded.

"I can live," he said.

"You have to fight for it."

Izuku took a deep breath. "I have to win."

-XXX-

Yu glared down the alleys they passed each one. "Come on…" The less she saw, the quicker she walked down the road. "Come on, you piece of shit…" She stepped away from the sidewalk as she looked about the road. "Where are you…?" Police cars traveled slowly up and down the streets, shining lights down alleyways.

[Mount-Lady,] said Death-Arms through their radios.

Her hand rose to her ear. "What?"

[I got a fiery arcade, West of you,] he said. [Don't come big. Not sure what's happening here.]

Yu nodded, "On the way," before rushing across the road and down the sidewalk. She eventually spotted the abandoned arcade. Its boarded up windows were leaking fire from its gaps, but it seemed like the ground floor itself hadn't been doused in complete flames yet. Though, her angle through the door was limited.

She walked over to Death-Arms and the stopped police car. "What do you have?"

"Fire doesn't seem normal," he said. "Sporadic dispersal. In spots instead of a single continuous flame."

"Did he fight someone here?" she questioned.

Death-Arms turned to the officer. "Maybe."

She shook her head. "Nothing was reported, so it couldn't have been an officer or another Hero."

"Alright. I'll head in," said Death-Arms. "Officer, you go around back – keep an eye on the exits there." He turned to her. "Mount-Lady, eye in the sky - rip the roof off if I need ya."

Yu stepped onto the street, "I'll bring the whole building down on the bastard if you need it," taking up the center lane as the group split. She grew big, looming over the building, as Death-Arms entered.

There was almost complete silence apart from the distant cars and Death-Arms breaking through debris. Her jaw shifted as she resisted the urge to pace up and down the street. Then, eventually, Death-Arms stepped out onto the sidewalk, carrying something covered in black.

She shrunk before jogging over. "Is that…?"

"Is this your guy?" asked Death-Arms as he lifted the body underneath his arm's head.

Yu scowled, resisting the urge to spit in his face. "Yes." She took a breath, shaking her head. "He was just… in there…?"

"Already unconscious and tied up for me," he answered. He held out another piece of paper. "There was this taped to his chest."

Yu took it, reading its surface. "Give my regards to Midoriya Izuku and his family…" Her face contorted in confusion and almost disgust. "What the fuck?"

Death-Arms shook his head. "Looks like your boy has an angel looking out for him."

"Let's not be that generous just yet…" she muttered.

-XXX-

Samazu led Midoriya Inko down the hall. She was clearly crying, but she had wiped them away by the time she entered the ER. Eventually, they came to a stop at the window in the Quarantine Ward. Samazu's eyes widened as he saw the beeping on the monitor. "Is he okay?" He turned to Inko. "W-Why're they keeping him here?"

He reached over, tapping rapidly on the blue button. "Uh… it's a bit complicated…"

"What happened?" she questioned.

Samazu took a deep breath. "Okay, uh, Midoriya…" He sighed before stating, "He died in the ambulance."

Tears nearly started rolling down her cheeks. "W-WHAT!?"

"But…" He smiled, "But! His heart's beating! He's alive… They… They just don't know what's happening."

A voice from behind him spoke, "Please don't say things like that, sir."

Samazu turned, "Dr. Toga! Look, he's–"

"I saw," he stated. He then smiled, offering out his hand. "Ms. Midoriya, yes?"

She took it. "Y-Yes, m-my son, why aren't you–"

"It's a bit complicated," the doctor started.

Inko glared at the man. "You're the second–" She cut herself off before taking in a breath and wiping tears from her eyes. "How complicated could it be?"

Dr. Toga turned to Samazu. "If you could–"

His head and arm movement were suggesting he should leave, but Inko interrupted, saying, "No, he stays, continue."

"Ma'am, I understand–" When her glare leveled at him, he trailed off before clearing his throat. "Ms. Midoriya, your son was declared dead in the ambulance. His breathing had ceased and his heart had stopped." He shook his head. "That was an hour ago. Since then, he emitted steam – his body seemingly healed, but he has not shown signs of consciousness."

"B-But, his heart's beating," she said.

"Only recently, and he hasn't been breathing the entire time either." Dr. Toga struggled to find the words for a moment. "The brain… simply can't survive that long without oxygen."

"Can't you try something?" she questioned desperately. "What about a ventilator!?"

"It's too late," he concluded. "The human brain can only survive up to five minutes, at most, without oxygen. That five minutes passed long before these other symptoms occurred."

Inko's voice cracked, "You're not even going to try?"

Dr. Toga's head dipped as he sighed, "I'm going to give you both a moment."

As he walked away, Inko cried after him. "Please, PLEASE!" She stumbled back as the doctor brushed her off. "You can't–" She turned back to the window, almost falling against its sill. "No… No, no, no, no, no…" She began to sob, pressing her palm against the glass. "Izuku… n-no…"

Samazu stepped after the man. "You've got to be kidding me!" He stopped short of chasing him when a security guard eyed him. "Are you serious!?" He threw his arms down. "Fuck!" He stepped back, meeting the window sill. "Fuck…" He shook his head before slowly looking over to Inko. His face contorted for a moment before pinching his brow. He then took a deep breath before swallowing. "Ms… Ms. Midoriya…"

"W-What?" she sniffled.

Samazu wiped his face. "Midoriya… in the ambulance… he…" The sorrow on her face deepened. "He wanted me to tell you…" He nodded to himself. "He was sorry."

"S-Sorry…?" she echoed before her eyes widened. "O-Oh…" She shook her head as she leaned on the sill. "Oh, no…" She shook her head. "He… He said nothing dangerous would happen today…" She sobbed, "I–I made him promise…"

"It… It wasn't his fault… He…" he trailed off.

"What happened?" she asked.

"Kamui Woods was attacked. His classmates were there when it happened," he explained. "Mount-Lady went to help, and he… couldn't just stand by…" He shook his head. "She told him not to go near the villain, but… the villain… went after him."

Inko shook her head. "W-Why?" Her breathing hitched before she sputtered, "Why–"

Then, they heard the beeping. The monitor in Midoriya's room began to beep sporadically: incredibly fast one second and then flatlining the next – over and over. Steam began to pour from his mouth, nostrils, and ears before a pained cry escaped Midoriya's lips.

"IZUKU!?"

"W-We have to get in there!" Samazu moved to the panel beside the door. "Come on! Where's the open button!?"

"Sir?" A nurse behind them cried, "SIR! Don't touch that!"

Then, Midoriya shot up in his bed, desperately sucking up air before sputtering and coughing. His head moved around on a wobbly swivel as his eyes rolled around in his head. "W-What…" He pulled at the sensors stuck to his chest. "Wh–Where?" With a bit of force, he yanked them off, but that same force knocked him off the bed, tumbling to the ground. Once his body smacked against the floor, he contorted and spasm as he cried out in pain.

"Izuku?" Inko banged on the metal door. "IZUKU!"

"Get away from that panel!" yelled Dr. Toga as he approached.

Samazu scowled as he started pressing random buttons. "Fuck you, Dr. Fuckface." One was pushed and the metal door slid open. "Ha!"

"MA'AM, DO NOT GO IN THERE!"

Ignoring that, Inko quickly entered the room, and as the doctor and nurses approached, Samazu shut the door behind her.

"You've broken the Quarantine!" shouted the doctor. "We have no idea what effects from the villain's Quirk are occurring! You may have just gotten his mother infected with something! And we may have two bodies to bury tonight."

Samazu turned his ear, catching Midoriya's voice. "M-Mom?"

And Inko's followed, "Izuku!" A peek over his shoulder showed them both on the floor, hugging.

"I–I'm sorry…" muttered Midoriya.

Inko rocked back and forth. "O-Oh, I know, sweetie. I know."

"You're full of shit." Samazu scowled at the doctor. "You got no idea what's going on, and you're not even gonna try to find out."

"Get him out of here," said the doctor as he stepped aside for the security team to grab him.

Samazu was hoisted up by his arms, dragged down the hall, and eventually out the doors. A security guard said that he wasn't going to be completely removed from the premises, but recommended he stay out until Dr. Toga's shift ended. He grinned in response as he plopped himself down on the curb, pulling out his phone.

"Kaguya!" He chuckled, "No, no. Good news for once."

-XXX-

Inko and Izuku weren't going to leave the floor anytime soon. She brought her hand to his forehead, murmuring, "You're so pale…" He was able to sit up further than before, but wasn't quite able to quite sit up on his own. When she removed her hand, his forehead rested against her shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"I…" His stomach growled, "I'm… hungry?"

She held him tight. "Izuku, I don't know how much my heart can take…"

"I'm sorry…", he murmured.

Inko's vision began to blur as tears welled up in her eyes. "Why didn't you tell me?" She shook her head. "About your internship? About what you've been up to?"

"I didn't want you to worry," he said.

She opened her mouth before pausing. Her jaw shut for a moment before she frigidly said, "Detroit."

His eyes widened as he looked at her. "I…" Izuku's voice cracked. "I didn't want you to stop me…"

"Izuku."

He began to heave as she felt tears wet her shoulder. "I just… wanted to prove to you I could… To everyone…"

"Prove what?" she questioned.

"That I could be a Hero…"

"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry, Izuku…" she recalled – a day where she tried to comfort her crying boy. "Did I fail that day…? Did I fail you…?"

He sniffled, "But… I've just made a mess of everything… all over again…" His hug tightened around her. "I'm so sorry."

Her hand stroked his hair. "You didn't have to prove anything to me." She sniffled as she lifted his head, holding his face. "I'm your Mom, okay? I'll always believe in you – in whatever you do." A frown crossed her face as she shook her head. "But this… all of this… I can't do this again…" He nodded as she sobbed. "Running to a hospital at god knows what time… Not knowing if you were alive or dead…

And this… healing… steam?" She rocked back and forth, shaking her head. "What even was that?"

He pushed off of her, doing his best to sit up straight amidst sniffling. "I… I know someone we can call." He wobbled before giving up and leaning against the side of the bed. "Do you have your phone?"

She took her handkerchief to her nose as she rummaged through her purse. "Y-Yes." Before she handed it to him, she asked, "Who are you going to call?"

"Dr. Yaritezawa," he said.

The phone rang a few times before it was answered with, "Mh-what?" There was some sort of struggle with a blanket and a pillow. "Who–Who is this?"

"Midoriya Izuku," he sniffled and coughed.

She coughed and sniffled, "And his mother."

"Are you two crying?" she questioned.

They nodded, "Yes."

Dr. Yaritezawa was very groggy. "Alright… What's happened? Who died?"

"Me," answered Izuku.

Inko immediately gasped, smacking his shoulder. "Izuku! Don't jok–" She cut her sentence short as he recoiled in pain, holding in a cry. "OH MY GOD! I'M SO SORRY!"

"What? What!? What's happening?!" cried Dr. Yaritezawa.

Her hands hovered over his shoulders, suddenly very wary. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

He struggled for a moment before eventually letting out a sigh. "I'm… okay. I'm okay…" His body shook as he groaned, "O-Ow…"

"Mr. Midoriya, Ms. Midoriya, what is going on?"

"Izuku, he…" Her breath hitched as she started to cry again. "He was declared dead at the hospital. That was about an hour ago, but now, he's… he's fine." She almost laughed as she softly touched her son's shoulder. "H-He's alive! I-I don't understand how it's possible, but he is!"

As he smiled and patted her hand, Dr. Yaritezawa asked, "Okay… that's fantastic to hear… Why'd you call me?" There was a pause. "Wait, do you think this is connected to Recovery-Girl's Quirk?"

"I noticed this healing side effect a couple of days ago."

Scolding: "Izuku!"

"What? And you didn't tell me!? Even when I told you to tell me if anything weird happens!?" Dr. Yaritezawa cried.

"I didn't want you to cut my internship short," he said.

Disappointed: "Izuku."

"God! I thought you were a Support Course student – not a Hero Course student! Why're you all the same!?" She took a breath. "What hospital are you at?"

"Toriyama Memorial," Inko answered.

"That isn't walkable!" She cursed underneath her breath. "Of all the times for my car to—And the trains…!" The woman sighed, "I'll call Recovery-Girl and she'll probably be there later tonight." She quickly added, "Do not tell anyone else about this!"

"W-What? Why?" questioned Inko.

Dr. Yaritezawa seemed to struggle to find the settling with, "Healing Quirks are… complicated. Recovery-Girl should be able to fill you both in when she gets there."

"Okay." After a few goodbyes, Inko ended the call and turned to her son. "Once everything's settled, we're going to have a talk about this." She sniffled, "The lying… the hiding… the… the dying… Okay?"

"Okay…" He smiled weakly, nodding, "I love you."

"I love you too."

-\ XXX /-

AN: With another season complete, we move on to Season 3~! Thank you again for everyone continuing this journey and reading. Let's keep going strong!

Admittedly, Season 2 wasn't supposed to be this long when I initially planned it. However, a lot did change from what I had planned, so that makes sense.

Kaminari wasn't supposed to become a semi-antagonist for Season 2A, and instead Mount-Lady was supposed to hold this semi-antagonist stance when Midoriya encountered her. That changed once I figured out the ending of Season 1. Kaminari's story clicked into place while Mount-Lady needed to be reconsidered/restructured.

She was meant to be lazy and uncaring while Midoriya was supposed to be this figure that dragged her onto her feet. The lesson for him being to stand him for himself, and, of course, with Kaminari's story changing, that didn't work anymore. So, it became something, I think, far greater than what I initially thought of. To simply put, she became less shallow, or rather, her storyline did.

These changes pushed out the, what I've called, the "Raid" action sequence far down the line. The action sequence, in hindsight, was too significant character-wise. It needed more weight, more build-up, and more of a reason to exist. So, it's being set aside for the time being.

Now, the romance of the story. It's effectively set in stone with something else. All in all, this is guaranteed to be, at the very least, an IzuMina story. I do have one or two additions/twists for it, but I'm not gonna announce them yet. Simply because I'm still working out the kinks of said ideas. It's sort of a mystical third option I hadn't considered before. If it works, you'll see it in the story and I'll talk about it. If it doesn't, I'll wipe my hands of it and move on. Because of that, I won't be tagging this story with the appropriate ship just yet. In the end, this will be a slow burn of a romance like kindling in a winter storm sort of slow burn, so please, bear with me.

Last thing, for those concerned about this Quirkless Hero story having a Healing power in it, I'll get into it - promise. There's a whole lot of stuff to go with that.

With all that said, thank you for reading, and please criticize away!

Update Window: February 9th - February 15th

Intended Due Date: February 11th