Very important Authors note: I want to make this abundantly clear. For new readers that this story is currently under a rewrite and the chapters will slowly change over time to piggyback off of this one. Just give me some time. But if you venture forth be foreworned that the writing is going to be a little bit bad and mostly rushed but garentee in the following month that it will get changed to create a more cohesive story.
My Hero Academia: Akio Takeyama
"How intriguing."
Akio's hands gripped his jean legs, lips pressing into a thin line, and purple eyes staring up at the mice sitting atop of the desk in front of him. There was a noticeable - migraine-inducing - clicking from the clock as the room fell into another awkward silence. The white mice looked up at his colleague as he took another sip of coffee from a cup- which was undoubtedly shrunk to accommodate his size - of tea. His colleague was tall and lanky, heavy bags under his eyes indicating an obvious sleep deprivation. Akio could feel his black orbs burn a hole in the side of his head which made him shift uncomfortably in his seat.
Not again.
"Not intriguing...more shocking than anything else." His long and messy black hair shifted across his shoulders as he turned to rub at his eye. His hand shook flattening out the paper, eyes quickly scanning over the top, and gluing itself back onto Akio. Akio was similar to Todoroki in part that his quirk allows him to summon two elements. While not uncommon it is still a rare breed of a quirk to manifest at a young age.
Aizawa felt worried, after taking a quick glance at the details on Akio's file. After Akio's quirk manifested he was sent to a hospital to heal than was transferred over to the psychiatric ward for some time.
"We may have to set some special accommodations for him..." It was only a suggestion but, Toshinori and Midnight were quick to judge. Which leads to a rare argument between Midnight and himself.
Principle Nezu was quick to divert there attention to more perplexing matters.
This is where the current debacle had started as a calm conversation between Aizawa and the principal concerns being shared over a cup of coffee. What was the risk of allowing another student to participate in the recommendation assessment? None, other than the fact he will be competing with Endeavors child born of ice and fire. Then again it would be more in favor of the boy as they would have something to compare because at this point Todoroki Shoto is guaranteed a spot in U.A. freshman heroics class. It just wasn't enough to go on.
Just exactly who are you? Was the most prominent and concerning question shared between them all?
Why is half your last name and details surrounding your birth redacted? Aizawa mulled it over for a long time deciding his curiosity piqued him enough to make a few calls. Calls unsuccessful for him but successful for Nezu and Toshinori.
His last name couldn't be a coincidence especially not in Japanese culture where family names could be written with different meanings and symbolism. But doing curt research found that there was too much of a likeness between Akio and Mt. Lady.
"Your name is Akio Takeyama," Aizawa said slowly as he set the paper down on the desk. "You're-"
"Akio Take." Akio sharply cut him off the tone of his voice on the splintering edge of anger.
Nemuri Kayama blinked the sudden spite and anger leaping out of his voice at the reaction of his last name had thrown her for a loop. She hadn't expected that. Akio flinched when Aizawa stood a little straighter fixing him with a glare. Such a simple trick and it got him to spill the inkling of truth they were searching for. It seemed their suspicion was correct. Nemuri held herself back nails scratching at the top of the desk when the smell of almonds filled her nostrils.
Principal Nezu let out a low hum mulling over how he should approach the subject further. Should I probe him a bit? It might be counterproductive but, it's a bit more fun this way. Intrigued by the reaction to his full name Nezu sought more.
"Akio Takeyama," Nezu called the boy by his full name on purpose. Nemuri kept her gaze glued to him. His blonde hair and Purple eyes. He has her features.
This time Akio kept silent, fingers digging into the leg of his jeans and his purple eyes glued to the white floorboards. "You're the son of Yu Takeyama and hero Mt. Lady."
Nemuri spluttered mouth going agape in surprise. "What are you doing?" She hissed at the principal brows furrowing in anger. Didn't they all agree to take this slow when it's such a sensitive topic? Principal Nezu always had a habit of doing the unexpected and being a little blunt.
All they could do was blame his quirk. His intellect and mind had such a way of analyzing a situation he would change his approach on a simple calculation.
The mouse side-eyed her and waved his small paw with a chuckle, "Oh it's quite alright!" He reassured her before nodding twice, "You don't seem to like beating around the bush so let's push past that trivial matter shall we?"
"Trivial matter?" Akio leaned back offended by the mouse casual dismissiveness of the topic they brought up moments before. His gaze shifted from each of them and landed on Nemuri who gave him a sympathetic look.
He hated that expression.
But he didn't know Nemuri could see it, no, the image of her in him. That image of a woman whose soft face and eyes had made Nemuri tremble. It was so distracting that I could look at the smile that didn't reach those brilliant eyes. Nemuri was no stranger to masks but hers had been so well placed it took a moment to find exactly where to look and the R-rated hero was a sucker for eyes.
Purple eyes with those piercing white irises. She bit her tongue, is he what you were trying to hide from me Yu?
Nemuri sighed her mouth drooping for just but a moment revealing to Akio a fleeting sadness. Akio's jaw tightened and he held his tongue the expression on the R-rated hero compelling him to stay quiet for he recognized why her expression had changed so.
She knows my mother personally huh? Akio thought, that perhaps she had also been hurt by her somehow.
Images of his mother's smile flashed in his head. The way she looked at, talked and told him that he was her one and only treasure.
Don't you love her?
In his head, he ripped the image apart, violently beating down the whispers in his head before burning it all down to ash.
No, I don't.
"I apologize..." Nemuri broke the silence driving the conversation forward as her partners grew quiet. "But we need to know these things in order to make sure we take the proper precautions to protect you."
Akio sighed, "I know."
There was truth to his words. It happened on the first day of elementary school.
"Don't tell anyone your full last name..." His aunt had told him. As a child he thought of it weird, but nothing more.
First-year of middle school and his teachers were the first ones to call him Take instead of Takeyama. That was no coincidence and it didn't take a genius to put two and two together. Scandals? Protection? He thought about every single possibility and narrowed it down to those two only the ladder seems more likely.
Considering Mt. Lady just made her debut.
"We had our suspicions," Aizawa spoke up voice grouchy and low. Everybody except Nezu wanted to get this over with. "Just know that we mean you no discomfort. We just want to get the facts straight so that if we make a decision on you... there are things we should look out for."
Nemuri spoke up, "If you don't want to tell us anything that's also fine. We understand if some topics are too sensitive."
"Thank you," Akio folded his hands and waited patiently.
Aizawa handed her a clipboard and she took it with a deep breath. "Okay," she clicked a pen, "Do you feel like you need any assistance...mentally?"
Akio spoke quickly, "No, but knowing there can be someone I can go to would be nice."
"There plenty of resources here at U.A. Ms. Nemuri is a hero and a teacher. But is also a councilor here at U.A." Nezu explained motioning to the woman beside him.
Nemuri nodded in agreement, "Whenever the need to talk to anyone arises, you schedule an appointment or come into my office if I'm free." She added writing something down on the clipboard. It will be good a good chance to get to know her son better.
After all the general questions were answered. Aizawa quickly took control of the situation.
"Alright, this will be the final question."
Aizawa let out a low breath as he pulled the tablet from under his arm. Akio slowly looked up at him with utter confusion, he had been duped. They knew from the moment he stepped in that this was a special case and so they handled it accordingly. Akio felt oddly pissed at the fact.
"So you knew about me," Akio stated glaring at principal Nezu.
"We knew about you-" Nezu paused to shake his head, " I won't lie that we know about the finer details surrounding your birth. Nemuri gave a confused glance to Aizawa but his gaze was steeled forward.
You bastards, she spat in her head. They kept information from her. How could they do that?
"But right now we have questions surrounding your involvement with an incident that happened a week ago." Nezu raised his paw and Aizawa held out the tablet to Akio.
He could feel his fingers shake as the display came to life and revealed a surveillance video. Akio grew clammy at seeing the battle not only for his life but for others as well. How did they get it? Why was it there? Wasn't it destroyed once the building came down? Nemuri's fingers pressing into his shoulders jolted him back to reality as he felt the sweat trickle down his forehead.
Nemuri gave the boy a reassuring smile, "Please, Take-san." Nemuri pleaded.
"Explain, from the start..."
"How were you, a simple boy, able to defeat a villain of this caliber." Nezu raised his mug taking slow but calculating sips.
One week ago. One week ago is when everything went to shit.
- One week ago -
Akio woke to the television blaring in his ears. His fingers picked at the blue flower patterned covers - It must belong to aunty - before raising them to comb through his messy blonde hair.
I must've fallen asleep in the couch right after a workout. His hand searched around the covers procuring his smartphone. Squinting his eyes past the home screen of endeavor and at the digital clock.
9 AM. Akio quickly kicked the covers off of him and scrambled to his feet. Of course, he would be late for school again. He was never one for being early - although his teachers didn't have much of a complaint as long as it wasn't too frequent - today would be the 4th day in a row if he didn't get there in under 10 minutes.
Akio did not want to think of the repercussions that would follow after being reported late for a week in a row.
"Ataru!" He called, slapping a slice of bread into the toaster. His feet shuffled into the entryway as he called for her again. Why didn't she wake me!?
"Aunty Ata-"
A thick red hair-like tentacle wrapped around his mouth muffling his words. He slowly turned around holding the appendage with both his hands. Dark Magneta orbs regarded his form cold, Ataru squinting hard and rubbing at her eyes.
Her hair retracted falling limp against her shoulders in smooth silky curves. "I heard you the first time." Her voice was soft but hoarse. She spoke slowly as if attempting to keep her voice in check. He watched his aunt's fingers diligently massage her neck.
"You lost your voice."
Ataru kissed her teeth before opening her mouth, "Y-"
"I'm not going to school today." Ataru eyes lowered into a glare, a mix of anger and shock on her face.
"What!?" She raised her voice as it went high pitch and suddenly faded out. She paused letting out a low whimper as she delicately massaged her neck again. Akio tilted his head watching her. He had only ever seen this happen twice before; When she goes out drinking-which is rarely- and when she's yelling so much that she loses her voice for a day. It has to be the latter Akio decided purple orbs glossing over her face. Did anyone ever tell her how pale her skin looks?
She barely gets any sleep.
"That...is not an option." She finally managed to say.
It is actually.
Akio rolled his eyes, "I'm not going to school today and you're not going to work today." He retreated back into the kitchen just as she swiped at him with her hand. Akio pulling the kettle from the cabinet before setting it on the stove. He was going to make some tea - chamomile tea - something to soothe that sore throat of hers. He could feel her hover close as his hands worked quickly at prepping the kettle before he added the water.
"I can't miss work Akio," Her hands grabbed at his shoulders lips pressing into his cheek. He groaned at the affectionate kiss as the feeling of it lingered on his face. "You know that."
Translation, your sweet but I don't need you to help me okay? She wouldn't allow him to get a part-time job and barely lets him help around the house. At least let me help you with this one thing.
"Why won't you let me help you?" He asked.
"You know why. The less stress you have the more you are able to focus on what is important to you." As she spoke Akio could feel something creep up his shoulders. He ignored it taking a deep breath as he tried to relax into Ataru's embrace. She sighed fingers playing with his blonde locks.
"I know you want to help...but I don't want a repeat of what happened all those years ago." Her voice was low with concern. "You okay?"
Suddenly, Akio felt uncomfortable in her grasp. He jerked away, Ataru letting out a gasp at the sudden movement. He looked up at her brows furrowed and fist balled.
"I'm not a child." Akio swallowed the lump in his throat. "You look as pale as a ghost and your eyes are baggy and puffy." He pointed out.
Ataru blinked in surprise, fingers ghosting the bottom of her eye. She hadn't even noticed and it made Akio all the more frustrated. She's pushing herself to the limit working two jobs as a teacher and then as a hero just to make sure he is living comfortably. But at the expense of her own health...it shouldn't be that way.
"Akio...your not ready."
The ding of the toaster went off.
His fingers gripped the kitchen counter hard. "Ready for what?"
"Ready for the horrors of reality...not yet." She hugged him tight so tight that she was squeezing the tears out of him.
"Stop fucking acting like a child and let me be the adult who takes care of you. Don't throw away your goddamn childhood just because...I can handle it." She sobbed quietly, "Please, just let me handle it."
But she couldn't handle it if she isn't there.
Isn't there to see the blood, your friend injured and a mother fighting for her life.
In a world filled with heroes and villains, you can't avoid the horrors of reality. no matter how hard you run.
It's there in the back of our heads.
What would we do without the heroes to protect us?
What do I do when my aunt is not there to save the day? Akio looked up at the kingpin muscles tensing and the floorboards growing.
"Come then with everything you've got because I'll fight."
"Why didn't you run away?"
The clicking of the clock had finally stopped and all that was left was the numbing silence as he sat up in his chair. With his fingers scratching at the black cushion of the chair seat his only response was to shrug his shoulders.
"That isn't very much of response now eh?" Nezu spoke taking another sip of his cup. "Oh boy, I was so enamored by your story that I didn't even realize all my tea was gone." Akio felt small watching the talking mice laugh up a storm. Perhaps he was trying to lighten up the mood? Although, Akio didn't feel like smiling nor did the hero across from him so the attempt - if there was one - fell flat on its face. Akio had to give him an A for effort though.
...
"You froze didn't you," Aizawa stated. His black orbs transfixed on the tablet in front of him as he spoke calmly and without restriction. "After you saw what he did...you froze and-"
Akio stood suddenly his eyes glued to the floor. He couldn't look them in the face. "I did." He whispered.
Akio never saw a dead body before, not in person, and definitely not up close. His vision seems to fill with those same images that plagued him last night when returned home. All of it filled with red a dark crimson flowing down the edge of the stage and under his sneakers. The man lying there in a pool of his own blood broken and mangled. Even now he would get wafts of a smell that faintly reminded him of the discreet metallic scent it had. Akio doubted the feeling of other disgust would ever go away.
No, that isn't the only thing. Akio would never get past the regret he felt. It taunted him.
"Too late,"
"Too late,"
I was too late.
He felt a tug on his pants leg. "Oh my-Oh dear, it looks like Mr. Aizawa said something to upset you," Nezu apologized holding up a box of tissues for Akio to take.
He took them with a nod of thanks. After a moment Aizawa came up beside Nezu.
"I have to say something," Aizawa folded his arms, "As much as I disapprove of your actions...if it weren't for you the situation would've been much worse."
Akio eyes widened looking up at the pro. Is Aizawa praising him? Akio squinted his eyes and tilted his head at the tall and lanky man. Nemuri letting a giggle escape as Aizawa raised an eyebrow.
"What?" Aizawa asked feeling slightly offended.
Akio let his lips curl up into a smile as he leaned back in his seat. "Nothing."
Aizawa groaned, "Don't let it get to your head, the police won't be so forgiving next time something like this occurs, " His eyes flickered red.
"It took U.A. an awful lot of trouble to make sure your involvement was buried."
Aizawa sighs looking off to the side, "This interview is over." He took
Akio raised up from his seat without another word. Looking back at Nemuri before giving a small wave goodbye. Midnight smiled blowing him a kiss as the door closed behind him.
...
Now, there was something else to address. Nemuri turned to Aizawa red in the face. Aizawa regarded her with cold stare as all the emotions bubbled up her throat and tears pricked the corner of her eyes.
"Why the fuck did you not tell me it was her kid!?"
Aizawa sighed, "This is the exact reason why."
Nemuri let out a frustrated growl as she grabbed and pulled at her hair. "That's not an excuse!"
And she went on and on. Until Aizawa was embracing her and Nezu was rubbing at her bicep comfortably. Aizawa didn't feel typically happy about the situation he was in. Feelings like this were not in his forte if only the loudmouth was here today.
"To think she would keep a secret like this." She sobbed into his chest, " Why...what happened to make her do that?"
Nezu shook his head knowing how everyone in the office reacted when he revealed the information to everyone but Nemuri.
"I wish I could tell you but...I can't."
Aizawa had seen cases like it before usually, it was after the fact so it softened the blow. But hearing about it so clear and unfiltered was too much even for him.
"...it's horrible," Aizawa began, "If she didn't tell you...I highly suggest you drop it."
"Trust me."
You wouldn't want to know.
Tell me what you thought about the first chapter. Reviews are really appreciated! Updated(4/14/20)