I know I keep mentioning it but I didn't know I'd get this part into the fanfiction. I hope that you all are still enjoying it as much as I am. It makes me really happy to see so many people liking and following the story so far. I also appreciate the comments and I do recognize the one's that followed from when I first started this fanfiction. Thank you for sticking around!


Chapter 31: Tales From The Past

"Izuku, there's something I have to tell you about the mark."

Izuku can see a look of sadness on Rengoku's face after he said that. The look doesn't fit the man's face with how bright his eyes and hair are. From the look, Izuku can tell that what he has to say is really serious. Satori picks up Kyan and leaves the room to give them privacy. Rengoku stands up and walks over to a bookshelf looking through the selection.

"My ancestors were demon slayers and kept extensive notes of their travels and such. I remember reading about one particular slayer who manifested a mark in the shape of flames on his forehead."

Izuku's eyes widen at hearing the last part of what he said. From what he can remember his father also had a flame mark on his forehead. After he remembered his father's mark Izuku gave Rengoku a confused look.

"My father also had a flame mark on his forehead but he only called it a birth mark. Would that make me the fifth one rather than the fourth?"

The man gives him an interested look that also has a hint of surprise. He takes a book from the shelf that is red leatherback and pages that are yellow with age. Izuku can see the book is ancient but kept in good condition. Just like the swords on the wall, all the books are kept clean and intact. Rengoku flips through the pages carefully and shows Izuku a drawing of a man with a similar mark on his forehead like his father's.

The man has hair that is a redish pink, almost maroon that matches his eyes. He is wearing a haori with a green and black checker pattern with the same uniform that Rengoku wears. The sword that he holds catches Izuku's attention with the blade color and the guard. The blade is as black as coal with the guard being as bright as fire with the shape matching. The boy looks at Rengoku with awe as he points at the guard and the man nodding.

"Izuku, the man that I am named after died an early death while battling an upper rank demon. His father and younger brother made sure to honor his memory as well as those who came before and after him by writing notes and telling their stories from one member of the corp to the next."

Izuku then remembers that the blade is now broken. A wave of shame fills the boy as he looks at the ground. Rengoku places a hand on his right shoulder and smiles at him. The man lets out a small chuckle while closing his eyes.

"My boy! I'm sure Iroh told you that each blade here has been broken at least twice."

Izuku takes a moment to realize what the man said before looking up. Rengoku smiles brightly, obviously trying to hold in more laughter. A large tick mark forms on Izuku's head while he clenches his fist and stomps in place.

"Are you serious! He said if I broke any of my blades then he would do the same to me!"

Rangoku couldn't take it any more and lets out more laughter at seening his anger. After a moment they both clamed down and smiled at one another. Izuku hates that he's a cry baby but sometimes it doesn't matter. He leans forward and hugs Rengoku who hugs him back. They pull apart and Rengoku hands Izuku the red book. Izuku look at the book and back at Rengoku with a shocked expression.

"Take this and read the whole thing and remember what it says. I will make sure that you have done it by quizzing you. If you pass then I will trade you for the next one. Got it!"

Izuku takes the book and nods quickly at his mentor in determination. He may have broken the flame sword but that didn't mean he was swordless. His father's blade had been on his mind for a while after breaking the other. He then thought about the sword he requested.

"I got it!"

-Midoriya Apartment-

Izuku got home after he and Regoku had their last talk. He held on to the red book tightly like his life depended on it. His mother is out working after finally accepting his recovery. He went to his room and put the book on his desk and sat on his bed. The day took an emotional toll on his even with his enhanced body.

His stomach growls loudly now that he has the time to rest. He groans in annoyance at the nagging feeling in his gut. After a moment of laying down longer he sits up and walks to the kitchen. He thinks about what Rengoku said about the flame sword being repaired. Besides his father's blade, he also has his requested sword, and the training sword Iroh gave him. But only his father's nichirin blade will be useful against demons.

'So many things have happened so quickly that I haven't had time to talk to Kyoka.'

He suddenly stops in his tracks as he realizes what he thought. His face gets red with embarrassment as he shakes his head. He pulls his phone out of his pocket and squints at the devics when he sees no text messages. He thinks of something to say then is reminded of why he entered the kitchen by his stomach. He puts his phone away and looks through the fridge.

To his surpise there is wrapped up katsudon with a note on it. He grabs the note and opens it with a smile.

"Make sure to eat plenty! A full recovery needs lots of nutrients.

-Mom"

Izuku takes the plate out and removes the wrapping while tossing the note into the trash. He puts th plate into the microwave to warm up and waits by the counter. He takes the phone out and looks up Kyoka's contact. A moment of debating on what to do he finally taps the call button. The phone rings a few times and then Kyoka's voice comes through.

"Izuku? Are you okay? I heard what happened at the U.S.J. I wanted to call but I thought I'd let you have some time to yourself."

Kyoka's voice is soft and he can hear the tremble in her voice. He thought the same thing as her for not reaching out. The whole class went through their first life or death villain attack and he didn't think of how they would take it. He still feels the fear from seeing the amount of villains, drawing his sword, and the demon.

"I-I'm okay Kyoka. I hope you are as well. I kinda got worried when you stopped replying to my messages. I wanted to give you some time to recover too."

He can hear her let out a shakey breath as she thinks of what to say. Izuku has the sudden urge to hug her and tell her everything will be okay. The only thing is that he doesn't even believe it will be. He tried not to think about it, but how long can he put off the idea of slaying demons?

"It's not that I didn't want to talk!"

She blurts out loudly, making Izuku's face go slightly red. He can hear the desperation in her voice that made it true. They have both been trying to cope with what happened by themselves and it's not helping. Izuku thinks of what to say as he felt the same way. He is happy that despite some injuries everyone made it out alive.

"I'm just glad that you're ok."

He says with a serious tone that makes Kyoka blush and stutter. Izuku also blushes but smiles as he can't wait to see everyone back in class. He can hear Kyoka breathing on the other end of the line.

"Well, see you tomorrow. Bye!"

Kyoka quickly hangs up the phone making Izuku confused. Despite the abrupt ending Izuku smiles at how the call went. He opens the microwave and gets the katsudon quickly. The smell of the food makes him smile widely and his stomch growl in anticipation. He sit down at the table and digs into the food like a starving animal.

-Later That Night-

Izuku is reading the little notebook that Rengoku gave him in bed. The book starts off by telling the reader that everything mentioned is true and must be taken to heart. There is a message to the reader from someone named Senjuro Rengoku on the back of the leather cover.

'To the one who reads this, set your heart ablaze.'

Izuku nods at the words and remembers when Rengoku first told him. He wonders when the flame sword will be fixed and ready to use again. After some time he stands up from his desk and does a few stretches. He looks at his father's sword hanging on the wall and lets out a sigh. He takes the sword down and unsheathes it.

There has always been a different feeling that his father's blade had compared to Rengoku's. He knows that using a flame breathing technique wouldn't be as affective with this blade. Suddenly he remembers Sakonji Urokodaki and the breath of water. If flame breathing won't fit the blade than maybe water breathing will. He'll have to pay attention to the older man when he meets him again.

He puts the sheathe back onto the blade and puts it back onto the wall. He takes a deep breath and starts to go through various fire bending katas to clear his mind. The school day tomorrow is sure as hell going to be a long day. But at the same time, he is excited to see Kyoka and the others. He wonders how Aizawa is doing with all of his injuries.

The front door opens and closes and he can hear his mother trying to be quiet. He walks out of his room to say high and tell her goodnight. They see each other and pause for a moment before hugging one another. Inko lets out a tired sigh and smiles at her son. He smiles back at her and leads her to the kitchen for the rest of the katsudon from earlier.

"Thank you Izuku. Today has been a long day at work."

He nods and makes sure that the food is nice and hot for her and gets tea ready. He's always admired how much work his mother does for the both of them. It's why he wants to become a hero so he can take care of her in the future. They both sit at the kitchen table in a comfortable silence while she eats dinner. After she finishes they both go into the living room and turn on the tv.

They watch the hero news for a bit then switch to one of Inko's favorite shows. Izuku watched with Inko and would make fun of some of the obvious scenes. It had been a long time since they spent time together like that. After a few hours of watching different things on the tv they both yawn. Inko stands up and stretches her back while Izuku lays on the couch.

"Carry me?"

Izuku asks while holding out his hands to her with pleading eyes. Inko looks down at him with an unamused look and flicks his forehead. He yelps and holds the area she flicked and sits up. He is about to say something but suddenly feels his mother pull him into a hug. The hug makes him feel like when he was a little kid and she wanted to help make him feel better.

"Izuku, I Need you to promise me something."

He looks up at his mother and she is looking back at him with a proud smile. The sound of her voice makes him worried about she'll say. She takes a deep breath and runs her hand through his curly hair.

"No matter what happens in your class or when you become a hero, always look out for the ones you care about."

She is trying her hardest to not let the tears in her eyes fall. The truth is that she would rather he run far away from any danger. The thought of him becoming a hero always kept her up at night. No matter what she could never tell him to give up on his dream that he's worked so hard to achieve. She can only hope that he will be an amazing hero that will save anyone who needs help.

"I promise I will be there for the one's I care about."

She nods and leans down to kiss the top of his head making him smile. They spend a moment like that before Izuku gets up. They say their goodnights and then head to their own rooms. Izuku changes into some PJ's and gets into bed. He closes his eyes and wonders how the next day is going to go. Sleep starts to over take him as he feels himself drifting off.

-The Transparent World-

Izuku already knew before he opened his eyes to the darkness of the void. He noticed that he is wearing his hero costume from the U.S.J and has his father's sword. He walks around the void and hears a sword being unsheathed. He spins around to see Urokodaki wearing the same blue haori with clouds on it. They both stare at each other before Izuku draws his blade. They both rush each other with the older man sending Izuku flying behind him in a quick throw.

Izuku lands on his back with a loud thud and the air leaving his lungs. He slowly gets up and holds his blade up to guard. The man is already in front of him and uses the back of his blade to sweep his legs. Izuku manages to land one hand on the ground and flip away. Urokodaki appears at his side and hits him in the stomach with the hilt of the sword making Izuku fall to his knees.

"Do you know why I beat you again?"

He asks in a rough tone making Izuku flinch and squirm around. Izuku holds his stomach as he struggles to stand up. When he is back on his feet he picks up his father's sword and sheathes it.

"You're too fast for me to hit. You can dodge my attacks easily and counter like it's nothing."

Urokodaki doesn't say anything at first as he uses the tip of the sword sheathe to wack Izuku on his head. The boy yells in pain as he holds his head and glares at the older man. The man's mask is visibly shaking as he points to Izuku's legs and arms.

"Your movements are too stiff and your footwork is flat."


It's been awhile but chapter 31 is finally done. Hopefully things will be back to a normal schedule soon. I am also working on something new as well so wait for that. I didn't forget about the spiderman one either. Stay tuned and don't forget to read and review!