Izuku stared at the occupants of this strange place, where he wasn't solid, mostly made out of mist. He had no control here, and as unsettled as it made him, he needed to face it.

2nd and 3rd stood by Yoichi, but turned away when they saw him.

Great, he had people disapproving of him, even inside his head.

Yoichi meanwhile smiled at him.

"Well, it's about time."

Before Izuku could say anything he felt a hand slap his back, nearly making him stumble forward.

He was made of mist, how did that even touch him?

"Damn kid, you scared the hell out of us!" He turned his head to see Banjo grinning down at him. "But I gotta admit, you've got spunk."

"T-Thank you?"

"You have a bad habit of finding trouble, but it's a trait all of us seem to have." Nana smiles.

"A trait you all have." Second muttered.

"You have it too. You found me afterall."

"Be quiet."

Yoichi laughed to himself before looking back at Izuku.

"So, it's good to see that you're ready to talk about this. There's…a lot to go over."

"That's an understatement."

"If you and Second are just going to stand facing the wall, you two don't get to be part of this conversation!" Banjo shouted.

"It is rude."

The only response they got was a huff.

Izuku looked between the different members and saw a few of them shaking their heads. This seemed to be a normal thing.

Really hoping their arguments won't give me a headache…

"We've already gotten introductions over with at our first meeting so you know who everyone is. Let's get to the more pressing matter I understand is more likely concerning you." Yoichi leaned forward. "How in the world you ended up with us. I mentioned it before, but Eighth gave us to you, granted he couldn't explain it to you at the time."

"You mean transferring a Quirk, which in theory shouldn't be possible."

"I can assure you it is, only in certain cases. We are one of those certain cases."

Izuku looked around at the different members of this place, A lot of them weren't necessarily dressed in regular civilian clothes save for Yoichi, most of them seemed to be heroes of some kind.

"And what exactly are all of you?"

Yoichi smiled.

"We, this power, is called One For All."

"One…For All?"

"Yes, it was a power created to counteract a different Quirk. Passed down from user to user to further enhance it, stockpiling its power. You, Ninth, are our next user."

"But…passed down?" Izuku looked at Nana. "You said that All Might was the Eighth right? How did…"

"Come on kiddo, think." Banjo patted his back again. "Eighth gave you something before you ran off."

Izuku stared for a moment.

"The blood vial!"

"Exactly."

"But then…" Izuku stopped, and looked down at his mist-covered hands. "The vial broke and the glass cut me, then the blood…"

"Mixed with yours, lo and behold, a transfer. It was practically half way done though considering Eighth wanted to transfer it anyway."

"It requires DNA to transfer, which, yeah pretty much happened." En spoke up from his spot. "All the requirements were met."

"I see. Y-You said that this Quirk was created? To counteract a different Quirk? What exactly-"

"Don't worry about that for now Ninth." Yoichi shook his head. "That is a responsibility far away from us for the time being. Right now, we should probably focus on getting everyone up to speed. For example wh-"

"Where the hell are we? Or you at least?" Banjo appeared in front of him. "What kind of place did you end up, kid?"

Izuku felt everyone's eyes on him, save for the two facing away from him. Yoichi actually looked eager.

"Uh…well…" Izuku looked around, there was no real easy way to say it. "Another world?"

"Excuse me?"

"Really?"

"I knew it!" Yoichi cheered and pointed at Shinomori. "You owe me 200 yen!"

"We're dead, do we even have money?"

"You owe me 200 yen in spirit. Congratulations, your soul is now weighed down with debt."

"Joy."

"You…suspected this?" Izuku asked.

"Yes, more or less. I initially thought you somehow made it to another country, as unlikely as that would have been, but as we've observed, in our world, glowing circles with strange symbols don't appear in front of people when they use abilities. And the technology is different, not as advanced."

"I see…"

Izuku looked to the side to see some of the others glancing at each other.

"Either way, this can work out." Nana walked over. "You have more time and room to grow, and practice with One For All here, opposed to…"

"Home." Izuku looked down.

"Exactly, which is why it's advantageous to us right now. Not to mention it gives us more time to figure out exactly what happened here. Considering instead of tapping into the raw strength One for All offers, you actually brought up the Quirks from two of our users."

Izuku looked up at that, then at En and Shinomori.

"Yes Ninth, it was our Quirks." Shinomori nodded. "My Danger Sense was able to pull you out of unconsciousness during that battle. You're unadapted to it, and were wholly unprepared, so it caused pain. Unfortunately it's a passive Quirk, so you won't be able to turn it off. Assuming you still have it available."

Excruciating pain, but okay. Still really useful.

"You've already seen what my Smokescreen can do, though you struggle to control it at times." En said. "That can be fixed with some practice."

"If you can tap into other Quirks, why didn't you give mine a whirl kid? It coulda been useful." Banjo held up a hand as black tendrils surrounded it.

"Is he really bent out of shape about this?"

"It's Banjo."

"True."

"The Quirks he pulled up were most likely due to survival." Nana said. "Smokescreen gave him the cover he needed, and Danger Sense to- well, sense danger. It's actually better that he used those rather than One For All's raw strength."

At Izuku's questioning look she gave a small smile. "If you tried to use One For All as you currently are now, it would have likely destroyed your limbs."

"What?!"

"Oh, that's true. I suppose our Ninth got lucky there."

You can't just say things like that with a straight face and act like it's no big deal!

"As you currently are, you would likely only be able to use a small fraction of One For All."

"How small?"

"Perhaps 2-3%" Yoichi smiled.

…Oh I don't stand a chance.

"It's something to work on. It's not exactly something that can just be brushed under the rug Ninth. But I promise, you'll be able to grasp more in time."

As Yoichi finished Izuku's form flickered and shifted, causing all of them to look at him.

"Ah, it looks like we're just about out of time."

Izuku looked up and tried to speak, but his voice was gone.

"Don't worry Ninth, we can resume this conversation another time. For now, just try to improve yourself. It's not a race, work with what you have. Just take it one step at a time."

Izuku's form slowly dissolved, leaving the previous users alone with each other.

Yoichi looked up as he heard footsteps make their way over to him.

"You didn't mention that bastard, or the kid's Quirk and it's weird effects here."

Yoichi shook his head. "I'm aware, but it's been confirmed that we're in a whole other world. We're far away from my brother."

"That doesn't mean the responsibility is just gone!"

"I'm aware of that, but unlike the rest of us, this means Ninth has time." Yoichi stood up to look at the Second user, leaning in closer, almost whispering. "Kudo, I know you don't like it, but you cannot blame my nephew for the sins of his father. He has time to work, and he should take it."

Kudo looked away, grumbling to himself. He only looked back at Yoichi when a hand gently pulled his gaze back to him.

"He's a child, let him be a child for a little while longer."

"...Fine."

-FH-

It had taken some time for everything to settle down.

Between the aftermath of Phantom's attack, to the Rune Knights appearing and interrogating the Fairy Tail members, to everyone getting patched up, it was a lot. Though it didn't stop everyone from getting to work the minute they could.

"Alright everyone, break time!" Mira called out to everyone, grabbing their attention. A few cheered as they went over to grab some drinks and snacks from her.

In the short time they had been working, Izuku would say they were making pretty good progress. Magic certainly helped in this case, with Makarov growing larger to help move heavy loads or hammer something in.

Izuku himself…didn't feel like much help. At least in the manual labor aspect. Though, he was able to keep doing his regular job most of the time.

"I'm back!" Izuku called out as he walked onto the site. "I've got some mail so-" Izuku was swarmed in an instant by a few members. Some of them asked if any had their name on it. If he had to guess it was either letters from family or payments from clients. Considering they weren't getting new jobs for the time being, he was guessing it was the latter.

Once they were all gone, Katsuki flew over beside him. "The hell is up with your face nerd?"

"It was like pigeons descending on a piece of bread…"

"Whatever."

Izuku sighed.

Ever since the talk with the former users of OFA, he hadn't been able to visit them again. He hadn't had a weird dream in a while, leaving him alone to cope with, well…everything.

Transferrable Quirks, an intense, overpowered Quirk that could rip his limbs from his body, more passengers from his homeworld.

The fact that One for All was something made to counteract another Quirk.

The thought alone sent shivers down his spine.

They were hiding something from him, Yoichi at least. He wasn't sure if it was a good thing for the time being, or not.

What kind of Quirk can One for All even counter? How would that even work?

"Hey kid." Izuku jumped as someone appeared behind him. He spun around to see someone taller than him, orange hair and a green jacket. His eyes hidden behind a pair of glasses.

"Oh! Uh, hi. You're…uhm…"

"Loke." The man smiled. "I don't think I ever introduced myself to you, sorry about that."

"Oh, n-no it's okay. I wasn't always around to talk to."

Loke shook his head. "It's fine, either way I've got something for you."

"Huh?" Izuku was confused before letting out a gasp. Loke held up his yellow backpack, it looked a lot better than the last time he had seen it. Actually fixed up and no longer worn down.

"My bag! You actually…how?"

Loke shrugged. "Went walking around town to meet up with a lovely lady, and I happened to spot your bag. Figured I may as well fix it up before giving it back."

Izuku withheld another gasp as he looked inside. "All my stuff is still here. The notebooks, some…lacrima…heh."

Loke said nothing about that but instead pointed at the bag. "Take a look further in, I think you'll like what you find."

Katsuki took over with that and plopped himself in Izuku's bag, rummaging around until he popped out with a roll of money tied together with a string.

"Holy shit, you got the nerd's cash back?"

"Y-You didn't have to do that. I-"

Loke shook his head. "Don't sweat it, a lot of your Jewel was still in there. I just put it together for you."

"Oh wow, thanks." Izuku smiled as Katsuki got out of his bag. "It's really good to have it back, I owe you one."

Izuku barely flinched as he got swatted at by Katsuki. "Don't make promises like that nerd!"

"It's the least I could do. It kinda sucks when all your work goes down the drain, yeah?"

"Yeah…" Izuku nodded. "Either way, thank you. And if you need anything, be sure to let me know."

"Will do."

"Izuku! Come over here for a second!"

He looked over his shoulder to see Makarov waving him over.

"Well, duty calls. Get going kid, try not to lose your stuff again, okay?"

"Right, thanks!"

Izuku turned and rushed over to Makarov who had now shrunk back down to his normal size. He was doing much better now. Granted, he was already doing a lot better in his fight with Jose.

"You think you're in trouble nerd?" Katsuki asked.

"What? Why would you say that?" Izuku whispered as they approached the Master.

"Stealing magic, stealing lacrima, being a general threat to society…"

"I think you qualify for at least the last two yourself Kacchan."

"Oh fuck off!"

They stopped their bickering when they were in front of Makarov. The old man sighed as he took a swig from a nearby cup.

"It's been awful busy here, hasn't it?"

"Er, yes sir."

Makarov nodded to himself. "There's certainly a lot to get done, but I think we've made good progress. Even some members of the town have helped to chip in with resources."

Izuku looked around and it was true, there was a lot of lumber and stone lying around, just waiting to be used in construction.

"Yeah, even so, is it going to be enough? It looks like the hall is expanding. Do you need to put in an order for more materials?"

"Not for time benign. I think we're fine. I'd rather make sure we don't have too much excess."

"Even though the clowns here will probably wreck the place a couple of times?" Katsuki asked.

Makarov groaned, deflating a bit. "This is true, but it's something we'll take into account later. For now, I would just like to have our guildhall rebuilt."

Izuku and Katsuki looked at each other.

"Okay, and you called the nerd over why?" Katsuki landed on Izuku's bag.

"Oh, that's right."

"You already forgot? You senile old man!"

"I have to take a trip to see the Magic Council. Izuku, I'd like you to accompany me."

Both the boy and that cat froze, sharing a glance with each other before looking back at Makarov.

"Er, may I ask why?" Izuku tried his best not to fidget. "I'm uh, not in trouble am I?"

"What? Oh goodness no! I just have a few things I'd like to discuss with you. Not to mention if you plan to continue your job as Fairy Tail's courier, I am going to ask you to deliver a few messages to The Magic Council. It'll be a trip taken rather often, and I'd rather show you how to get there."

Makarov paused, then looked at Izuku.

"That is, if you're still planning to stay of course."

Oh, that's right!

"Oh, yeah, uh Master, that's something I want to discuss with you. Though I'm not sure if you want to talk about this now or while we're heading to the-"

"Hey Izuku!"

They stopped and looked over to see Mirajane waving him over.

"If you want to talk to me, it's something we can discuss later. Birds and stones and all."

"Are you seriously too lazy to just say the phrase old geezer?" Katsuki huffed and summoned his wings.

"Go on, see what Mira wants. It seems you're in high demand today."

"Ha…yeah."

"Hope you're paying him extra for this nonsense."

"Kacchan!"

Izuku sighed and headed over to Mira, who had a small box in her hands. She smiled as he walked up to her.

"I take it you've got an errand for the nerd."

"It's not that hard to guess is it?" Mira asked, then looked at Izuku. "I noticed Lucy hasn't been around very much. I know she's still healing, but mind taking this over to her?"

Izuku took the box and nodded. "Yeah, no problem. Anything else you want me to take to other members while I'm out?"

"No, most of them seem to be doing alright. They've come by a few times."

Izuku smiled and headed out of the guild site, Katsuki trailing after him like he always does.

-.-

Lucy sighed as she stared at the letter in front of her. Addressed to her mother, written with all her thoughts and worries she could only share with her.

She scanned over the lines again and again. Wishing she could hear her voice again, hear whatever advice she would be able to offer.

She pulled her eyes away from the letter and instead to her window, where there was a nest of birds. A mother bird, and a smaller bird. Still a child.

"Mom, he'd do it again, wouldn't he?"

Thought there was no answer, she swore a light gust of wind blowing by was an answer. A sad confirmation.

"He would…"

Lucy was pulled out of her thoughts when she heard a knock on the door.

There was only one person that was polite enough to do that.

"Come in."

The lock clicked, and Izuku hesitantly peeked in, before walking inside and closing the door.

"Hi Lucy."

"Hey Key Girl."

Lucy rolled her eyes and pushed herself away from her desk. She raised an eyebrow when she saw the box in Izuku's hands.

"Whatcha got there?"

"Mira asked me to bring this to you. She's a little worried since you haven't stopped by the guild hall in a while."

"Mira's always so nice." She got up and walked over to take the box from Izuku. When she opened it she gasped. "Oh, Mira is the best!"

"You haven't eaten again?"

"Not since what you made this morning."

"Ah."

Izuku had been staying with Lucy for the time being. Funnily enough, it was pretty much everyone in Team Natsu that decided Izuku would be staying there for now. Lucy didn't have it in her to protest, considering the place he stayed was in shambles.

So, he slept on the couch. Though once or twice when she got up in the middle of the night she also found him asleep beneath the desk or table, and Katsuki was always with him one way or another.

It was weird having a roommate, as temporary as it is. But she won't lie, Izuku is a pretty good one. He doesn't make a mess, and if he does he cleans it up, he doesn't break into her apartment without invitation. Occasionally he'll make some breakfast, apparently living with someone else is also making sure they eat. It's also something nice to wake up to.

He doesn't break into her apartment without her permission.

The only issue that really arose was the few times that Natsu broke in at night.

Izuku was apparently a very light sleeper if he isn't bone tired. Mix that with a dragonslayer and his cat that likes to visit on a whim…

Natsu ended up with a pretty good bruise on his face once, much to Izuku's dismay. Natsu got a kick out of it.

Izuku sighed as he took a minute to sit down.

"Been busy at the guildhall?"

"Yeah, and everyone is eager for any mail they can get. A lot of it seems to be partial payments from former clients. I've had to put in an order for more materials once or twice."

"Sounds about right." Lucy hummed. "What about Natsu and the others?"

"Natsu and Gray were in the ground last I checked. Courtesy of Erza."

"Of course. What about Levy?"

"She's doing well too. Jet and Droy are doing okay too. They're helping out as much as they can. Levy mentioned wanting to visit you later."

Lucy nodded. "It'd be nice to see her. How soon until the guild hall gets finished?"

Izuku and Katsuki look at each other.

"Well, barring anything goes wrong or big fights break out…

"Probably gonna be a while, the old man wants to expand. Which means its going to take longer."

"Are you upset that our old room is gone?"

"Fuck off!"

Izuku shook his head and Lucy rolled her eyes. Now that she was often around the irritable cat, she found he wasn't too hard to live with either. Even he knew when to stay in his lane, and it became easier after a while to tune his yelling out.

While Izuku and Katsuki were talking with each other, one saying they should start heading back while the other insisted their presence wasn't needed every minute of the day.

With those two there, she couldn't help but imagine the others there as well. Natsu and Happy would probably be looking through her stuff, Gray sitting around with his clothes scattered about. A fight breaking out and of course, Erza stepping in to stop it.

Destructive forces that would somehow spare her apartment from any damage.

Her guildmates. Her friends. Her family.

She smiled to herself, and looked back to the letter she just finished.

She didn't want to lose any of this, she couldn't.

She refused to.

She looked up when Izuku got up with a sigh, stretching and hearing his joints pop.

"Alright, we should probably be heading back. Do you want me to let the others know you're doing well? They'll probably stop by anyway but it might make them feel better about not seeing you for a bit."

"Sure, go ahead." She nodded.

Izuku grabbed his bag, which Lucy was surprised to see again. She thought he had lost it, then again someone must have found it and fixed it up. It looked a lot better compared to the last time she had seen it.

Before Izuku slipped out the door she couldn't help but stop him for a moment.

"Hey Izuku, mind if I ask you something?"

He had just opened the door, then looked over to her.

"Uh, sure?"

She watched him for a moment before sighing and looking back to her envelope.

"If someone you know, someone you may have cared about once hurt the people you care about now, how exactly would you go about…confronting them?"

Izuku stopped at that, then looked down.

"Is this about your…dad?"

Her silence was answer enough.

Izuku looked back at the door, taking a moment to think. Katsuki was quiet, watching the two of them.

"I…I think it's hard not to have complicated feelings towards your own family. They're supposed to take care of you, and maybe they let you down in a way, but if I got the chance I'd wanna know why they did what they did… I think it's better to take that chance as soon as you can before you lose it and you lose any chance of closure, or…attempts to make it right. Granted, you should be ready for it, I don't think it's something to rush into, because I think anyone would be afraid of what would come next."

Izuku stared ahead for a long moment, and Lucy felt like she touched a sore spot. It didn't make her feel any better when he shook his head and smiled at her.

"That's just my two cents though."

"Right…"

"Why are you asking anyway Key Girl, what you need moral support or some shit? Why don't you ask the other clowns on your team?" Katsuki piped up.

"No, no…that's alright. I just think it helps to hear another perspective on things. Thanks."

Izuku nodded and quickly slipped out, leaving Lucy alone with her thoughts.

-FH-

Elfman couldn't help but stare at Izuku, watching the teen run all over the place. Coming by the guild in the morning to pick up the outgoing mail, then come back with his backpack full of new incoming mail.

After that, he was usually tasked by Mira to check on some members who hadn't stopped by either due to injuries or just not feeling well. Often sent with something small she made to hopefully make them feel better.

He couldn't help the way he kept a close eye on the teenager, especially after the battle with Aria.

He saw a little of himself in Izuku, and maybe that was why he felt the need to watch him. Just to make sure a mistake he made wouldn't be repeated.

Ever since the fight with Aria, he couldn't help but watch out for any sign of that thing coming back. The thing that used Izuku's body as a puppet to punish the Air Wizard.

No red eyes, no harsh glares or mocking tone.

Instead he still had his usual green eyes, the easily flustered kid that was still getting used to being around others. Though now his hair had a few white streaks in it.

Right now Izuku was sitting at the makeshift bar, taking a breather while talking to Katsuki. The grumpy cat seemed to be in a better attitude nowadays, and just seemed less hostile towards everyone.

He watched Izuku too.

"Everything alright Elfman?"

He looked down to see his sister appear at his side.

"Oh, hey sis. I'm fine, just checking on the little man."

"Little man?" Mira looked up at Elfman and traced where his gaze fell. She smiled when she realized he was talking about Izuku. "Ah. Is everything alright?"

"Just making sure. The fight was pretty rough on him, but it looks like he's bounced back."

Mirajane nodded and watched the area around them. Everyone was still hard at work, she couldn't help how her eyes were drawn to Erza, Natsu, and Gray. Two of them were arguing, their magic beginning to appear, prompting Erza to smack them down and demand they get back to work.

"Are you sure that's the only reason? It looks like you've got something else on your mind."

Elfman was quiet. "No, I'm fine sis."

She raised an eyebrow.

He looked down at her and flinched before looking away. "Oh come on sis, don't give me that look."

"I know when you're hiding things, Elfman. If it's something to be concerned about, it's not something to keep to yourself."

He was quiet for a moment, feeling her gaze pierce through him. After a moment he sighed and conceded.

"He reminds me of myself."

Mira actually looked surprised at that.

"I just wanna make sure he doesn't make the same mistakes I make."

"How do you mean?"

His silence didn't make her feel any better.

"Elfman, did something happen in Phantom's Giant?"

The man sighed and nodded. "Yeah, the little man ran into Aria. He was pretty beat up when we got to him though, and Natsu and I had thought he passed out. He was back up on his feet a minute later but Mira, whatever that thing was it wasn't him. It was cruel and…just evil."

"Elfman…"

"I don't know how else to describe it, but just being in its presence made me wanna run for the hills. That's probably the least manly thing but…it's true. Erza stepped in and stopped him before he could do anything too serious, thankfully. He went back to normal before he passed out again but…"

He paused, and Mira put a hand on his arm.

"I gotta wonder sis, is that how you and…Lisanna felt when I went berserk?"

Mira silently recoiled, but nodded. "I won't lie, I was terrified. But I was more scared for you, than of you."

Elfman was quiet, and she could practically see the guilt eating way at him. He shook his head and looked back in Izuku's direction.

"I'll make sure that something like that won't happen again."

-FH-

Lucy sighed as she looked at her apartment, everything was all tidy and neat. Hopefully it would be that way when she returned.

She eyed the note she left on the desk, weighed down by a small inkpot. She knew they would come by wondering where she was and find the note, or at the very least Izuku would come to check on her and find her gone. Then he could relay that message to them.

She gave her apartment one last look.

She would be back, she had every intention of coming back.

She just had to settle things first.

"I hope I won't worry them too much."

-.-

Izuku yawned as he stretched. He tried to rub the sleep out of his eyes as he leaned against the make-shift bar.

"Are you seriously tired nerd? You haven't done jack shit!"

"I woke up in the middle of the night, stayed awake, made food, and did a mail run Kacchan. I think I've done a decent amount of things thus far. It's not even afternoon yet."

"Uh huh, tell yourself that."

"You take random naps in my backpack all the time, you don't get to say anything."

"Shut the hell up!"

Izuku hummed and watched some members of the guild slowly trickle onto the sight to get started with more construction. It would be full again before long, and he'd probably have to do another run, but for Mira. Just to deliver some things.

"Rather early to be lively, isn't it?" Makarov walked up to them. Instead of a mug of beer in his hand, he actually had what looked like coffee.

"Oh, morning Master." Izuku watched the short man hop up onto the counter and take a seat.

The old man hummed and took a sip of his coffee before glancing at Izuku. "You look exhausted boy."

"I've been up for a while sir." He laughed nervously and looked back out to see some members chatting and pointing out different parts of the area.

"Certainly looks like it."

They sat in silence for a bit, spotting Mira coming between groups here and there to check on them before moving on.

"I certainly hope you two are up for a trip today." Makarov broke the quiet as he took another sip of coffee. "I plan on taking a trip to see the Magic Council today. Better to get it over with rather than putting it off."

Izuku and Katsuki looked up, then at each other.

"While on the trip, we can discuss what you wanted to tell me the other day. I have a feeling you may not want too many ears around for that."

"Y-Yeah…" Izuku looked down. He could already feel his stomach churning. Makarov was nice, a kind man, and Izuku did want to talk about joining Fairy Tail. However…rejection was something that was always on the table.

"Anything you want to settle before we take off? Have anything you need to tell anyone?"

"I don't think so…wait, we're going to leave now?"

"Mhm. The sooner we take off, the sooner I can get my scolding, and the sooner we can get back. Mira and Erza will hold down the fort while we're gone."

"Oh, I see." Izuku looked down as he thought.

"Yeah nerd, anything you gotta take care of? Anything you wanna give back?"

"Huh?"

Katsuki looked Izuku in the eye. "Dumbass."

"What? What did I do?"

Katsuki groaned and climbed into his backpack. He rummaged around in there for a while before popping out, a key ring in his paws.

Izuku stared at it before paling.

"Oh crap!"

Izuku took the keys in his hands and looked over them. They hummed in his hands, emitting a strange warmth. Though he couldn't focus on that now, due to his panic.

Makarov looked over. "Are those Lucy's keys?"

Izuku smacked his forehead. "Yes! I was able to get them when she dropped them, back when Juvia and Sol came and everyone else was gone. With everything it slipped my mind to give it back. Even when I put the keys in the bag I said I'd give them back to her, and then I forgot!"

"I was wondering when you were gonna realize it."

"You knew and you could have reminded me any time!"

"It's your fault for forgetting about it."

Izuku groaned and shook his head.

Makarov shook his head with a sigh. "Well, you know now. And you can still make sure they get to her. If you give them to Mira, she's sure to give them to Lucy."

"Great…where's Mira."

"I dunno, go look for her."

Izuku shot Katsuki a look before heading off. Makarov and Katsuki watched him go around looking.

"Why didn't you remind him earlier?"

"The damn nerd needs to keep track of his own things. I can't always pick up the slack for him."

Izuku kept looking around, looking around for her a little more frantically. He didn't want to hold the others up for too long.

As he looked he caught sight of a familiar face, one he arguably just met.

"Loke!"

"Hmm? Oh, hey kid. Everything alright?"

Izuku hurried over, hardly giving much of a greeting as spoke. "You know Lucy, right?"

He didn't notice how Loke paled.

"Uh, yeah. I know her…why?"

Izuku sighed. "I don't know where Mira is, and I really need to head out with Master. I don't have enough time to make the run to Lucy's house. I think she may come by later today, or maybe tomorrow. I don't know how long this trip is going to take. But either way, I really need to get these back to her." He held up the keys.

Loke just stood there for a moment. "They really aren't kidding when they call you a motor mouth, do they?"

"Can you please make sure they get to her?" Izuku asked.

Loke looked at the keys with apprehension. After a moment he reached out, and reluctantly took the keys. "Sure kid, will do."

Izuku smiled, grateful. "Thank you! I owe you one," he said as he ran off towards the Master.

"Technically you owe me two." Loke said. He gave the keys a long look, feeling something in his chest twist.

"...Don't worry, I'll get you guys back to her."

-.-

"Hey Lucy!" Natsu opened the window and stepped in to look around the apartment.

He and the others hadn't seen her or Izuku all day. At least Mira told them about the trip Izuku was taking, but Lucy was still out of action.

"Nice to see you Lucy!" Happy greeted loudly, floating beside Natsu.

They looked around and saw no sign of her.

"Jeez, what's wrong with you? Don't come in through the window." Gray sat up as he dragged himself out of the chimney.

"Don't you two know how to use a door?" Erza opened the door to the apartment, and immediately went to pour herself something to drink

"Since when are you Miss Manners?!"

"Where is she?" Natsu began looking around. Lifting the covers of her bed and looking around. "She's gotta be around here somewhere."

"I know, though usually she would have yelled at us by now."

"Where in the world could she be?"

Gray turned to approach the bathroom. "Maybe she's in the bath?" He sighed. "I know I'm asking for it, but it's gotta be done."

He opened the door and was met with a wall of mist. When is cleared he saw none other than a certain flame brain.

"Where did you come from, get out of here!" He grabbed Natsu and dragged him out.

The door opened again a moment later and Erza stepped out with a sigh. "It seems as though she's not here."

"Way to state the obvious."

The three of them sighed. Natsu plopped himself onto Lucy's bed and looked around. He spotted a pillow and folded up blanket on the couch.

"Man, it's just not the same without her."

"Maybe in here!" Happy opened a drawer and froze.

"She's not gonna fit in a drawer Happy, be serious." Gray walked over and gasped.

"Oh hey, whatcha find?" Natsu came over and stopped.

Erza came over quietly and felt her face begin to heat up.

After a moment Gray kicked the drawer shut. "What even was that?"

"Underwear?"

"Since when is that considered underwear!"

Erza pulled them all away from the drawer so they could resume their search. As she did another scan of the apartment she spotted something on Lucy's desk. It was out of place compared to everything in the apartment.

"Lucy? Where'd ya go?"

"Quit looking in weird places!"

"Oh what's this? Gah!"

While Erza lifted the inkpot covering a piece of paper a loud crash was heard, and she looked over to see a box had fallen open. Courtesy of Happy. He was covered in sealed envelopes.

"So many letters." She muttered.

"And they're still sealed!"

Natsu went over to make sure Happy was doing okay, and once he was sure the cat was fine he picked up a letter and opened it.

"Dear mom, today was a very special day because I joined the Fairy Tail guild." He read off the letter.

"Hey, don't go reading her stuff! What's the matter with you?"

"I met the most beautiful wizard named Erza who's actually really nice and cool. She's always yelling at Natsu and Gray."

Erza withheld a gasp and felt her face warm. Natsu had stopped reading aloud and instead read the rest to himself.

Gray knelt down and picked up a few letters, seeing the same word on the back of each envelope.

"Are all these addressed to her mom?"

Natsu reached over and grabbed a different one.

"Dear mom, I actually met someone new today."

"Quit opening her stuff!"

"The boy from the forest is named Izuku. He still looks kind of sick and tired, but hopefully he'll get better soon. He tried to steal some stuff from Ms. Porlyusica, but Natsu seems to like him. So he can't be too bad."

While he began to pack them up and put them away, Erza returned to her self assigned task and picked up the paper. She stopped as she read the note. It was just four words but it was enough to make her hand shake.

"I found a note, evidently, Lucy left it for us. She's going home."

"What?"

"No way!"

-FH-

Izuku looked through the window of the train, watching the landscape pass by. He leans back as he watches trees pass by.

It had been a while since he took a train anywhere. The last time was when he went to put in that order for alcohol, when he met that Ochako girl.

He can barely remember the last time he took a train back in his old world, before everything fell apart.

He probably took a train just to go to a convenience store away from home. Away from the school, just to put some distance between himself and those places. He could remember idling in a snack isle, staring at the various bags of chips or wrapped onigiri in the cooler section.

He didn't even remember if he got anything, just that he was standing there, and then the long walk home.

It had been quiet, peaceful.

It had almost tempted him to leave, and stay away from everything. If those few moments of peace and contentment could last forever.

"A rather nice view, isn't it?"

Makarov's words brought Izuku from his thoughts. He looked up, then at the view again and nodded.

"It really is."

They were in a booth in one of the other cars, Izuku thought they'd be riding in a regular car. Open air and seats anyone can choose.

He had to admit, he appreciated the privacy.

"It'll take some time to get there, and there may be a stop or two, but it's a rather nice ride." Makarov pulled out his pipe and eyed it, before putting it away.

"Why exactly do we need to go to the Council," Izuku asked. "You said you were going to get scolded?"

"Ah yes," the man sighed, "The Council aren't too happy with the destruction some of the other members have caused while on jobs. I'm certain the incident with Phantom will also be mentioned." He sighed.

"Ah…" Izuku felt a chill run up his spine. "If I uh, go to deliver things to them, how likely is it I'll get the scolding?"

"Pretty likely." Katsuki popped out of the bag sitting beside Izuku.

"Now don't say that." Makarov grumbled at the cat. "They know where to direct their attitude, there won't be any crossfire. I promise."

"That's the last thing this nerd needs." Katsuki rolled his eyes.

"I think he's aware of that Kacchan."

"Yeah, but are you?"

Makarov chuckled to himself and shook his head. It was always nice to see those two getting along. An unlikely pair indeed.

"So, you wanted to speak to me?" Makarov's question made the two pause their playful argument.

Katsuki looked up at Izuku, and seeing the uncertain look on the boy's face, swatted at him.

"Just get it over with nerd, don't drag it out."

Izuku barely reacted to the cat swatting at him, instead staring at Makarov, then turning his gaze to the wooden panels of the floor. He saw Makarov sit up straighter, likely trying to anticipate what he was going to say.

"So, uh, Master…" Izuku began, keeping his eyes down. He tried his best not to fuss with his hands, and instead began pulling at a loose string from the train's seats.

"I've been in Fairy Tail for a while, and I feel like I've gotten to know a lot of people there really well. I won't lie, I wasn't expecting to last very long there. No powers and all but…well…" He shook his head. "You gave me a job, and a place to stay and I'll always be grateful for that, I think it really helped to put me in a better place."

He could feel his stomach twisting. Even if he said it, and even if Makrov accepted him, there was still the caveat of his abilities. If anyone should know, it would be him.

Izuku dared a glance up, and Makarov simply sat there, watching him with his arms folded. Quietly urging Izuku to go on.

"Honestly, I had still been thinking about leaving for a while. I wasn't really sure I belonged there and then…Phantom happened."

Makarov raised an eyebrow.

"I was going to leave, the night the guildhall was attacked. I felt like I didn't belong, and I was more of a hassle- no, a danger to everyone there. And then…well you know what happened."

"You could have left after you were out of the hospital." Makarov gave him a hard stare. "You could have run away when those members of Phantom came to kidnap Lucy- but you didn't. Even with Phantom attacking us, you, a boy with supposedly no power, saw fit to stay and fight. Why?"

Izuku thought back to the others, and shook his head.

"I just…couldn't." He said. "I couldn't leave. It didn't feel right."

"Even with the whole incident being over, you still could have left Fairy Tail."

"Yeah but I didn't…because I couldn't. I can't."

Izuku had long since abandoned the now looser string from the seats and began to mess with his hands. Makarov was silent, but he knew he was expecting more of an answer.

"Erza…helped me realize a few things." Izuku said. "I can't run away from everything. It feels like I've been doing that for so long and if I wasn't I wanted to run. But I don't want to do that anymore, I think I'm tired of running."

Makarov simply stared as Izuku made himself look the man in the eyes.

"I want to stay, but not just as an affiliate to the guild. I actually want to join. I want to be a proper member of Fairy Tail!"

Makarov nodded, and slowly smiled. "I see, it's about time! I had a feeling you were going to stick around. Its good to see you're joining us. I can get everything if sorted once we get back to the guild, and you can get your mark there."

Izuku smiled, Makarov had wanted him to stay. It was nice. He could only imagine how much the others wanted him to stay as well, others outside of Natsu's team and Mirajane.

But he smile fell, it twisting knot in his stomach hadn't left him yet,

"But there's…one more thing, Master." Izuku started, making the man pause. "I want to join, I really do but…I need to be honest before you fully accept me."

Makarov gave him a look. "Honest about what boy?"

Izuku looked away and instead looked at Katsuki, who was glaring at Makarov. He was tensed up, ready to dash away if need be. He made a swat at without looking and missed, he was just telling him to get on with it.

"…About me not having any magic I…I genuinely thought I didn't have any." Izuku said. "I mean I technically don't. Any magic I do have, or get tends to be borrowed…which isn't exactly true? It's more-"

"Quit yammering idiot!" Katsuki shouted.

Makarov was watching Izuku. "What exactly are you talking about? What do you mean?"

"I don't have, I…ugh." He put his head in his hands, trying to think of how to say it.

The booth was quiet for a moment, and Izuku simply sat in silence. Makarov let him be, let him think.

After a moment, Izuku sighed and sat up.

"Master, do you remember what happened to Gray?"

"You mean him falling ill? From Magic Deficiency?"

Izuku nodded. "And, he couldn't absorb magic, right? His Magic Factor was gone, and he just kept getting worse."

"Yes, I'm aware."

Izuku paused for a moment before sighing. "What happened to Gray was my fault, Master." He didn't look up at him. "I didn't know how it happened, not at first. But I had taken his Magic Factor without knowing it. I didn't even know something was off until I went to train with Erza, and when I panicked I used…Gray's magic."

Izuku could feel his stare, but continued.

"When I realized what was going on, him being sick, me using his magic, and him showing up in my field I put together what happened. And I gave it back! As soon as I realized what happened I gave it back. I didn't mean to, I didn't even know I could do that and-"

"Is that why you wanted to leave?" Makarov stopped him. "And why you referred to yourself as a danger to everyone?"

Izuku quietly nodded.

"At the time I was also afraid of…everyone being angry with me." He stared at his hands, trying to ignore the faint indent in his palms. "Even if I didn't know, I could have killed someone without knowing it. Even if I did fix it, I still hurt him."

He clenched his fists.

"After helping him…I found out something else. I can't absorb magic energy normally, not like others can. I have to take magic from others, or else I'll get sick."

"You can't absorb Ethernano normally." Makarov muttered.

"Knowing that, that I really hurt Gray and that I need to take magic from others- can you still accept me into Fairy Tail? I felt like you should know, that you deserved to know before making the decision. It's only fair and-"

"Enough!" Makarov raised his voice, and Izuku shut his mouth. The old man watched Izuku, opening and closing his mouth before sighing.

Here it comes…rejection

"Goodness boy," he rubbed his eyes, "You should have told me earlier."

"Huh?"

"The ability to take magic, and give it back. I can't say I've heard of an ability like that. Then again, I doubt it's very common, much less something someone talks about."

Izuku kept his head down.

"Izuku, look at me."

He flinched, but slowly turned his head up to look at Makarov. There was no anger, no disgust.

"I appreciate you telling me this, though I wish you would have told me this sooner."

This is the part where he tells me to leave, isn't it?

"It certainly would have saved you a lot of trouble."

"Huh?"

"Not being able to take in magic energy as others do, and having to sap it from others, I can only imagine how often that's made you ill. It's certainly a strange condition, but nothing that can't be managed."

Izuku had to repeat himself again. "Huh?"

"You didn't think I'd kick you out just because of that did you? No no, and before you go and decide to run your mouth again, I'm aware you hurt someone. But you made the effort to correct it. I can only imagine the relief you had when you took someone's magic, and instead of keeping it you returned Gray's magic to its rightful place. Not everyone has that kind of will power."

Izuku stared at him, and looked down. He could feel his eyes beginning to burn with tears.

"You aren't a bad person Izuku, your power is strange and rather inconvenient, but as I said. It can be managed. The nature of your ability isn't inherently evil, it's a matter of how you use it. Any magic has the ability to cause devastating effects, Natsu's fire can burn nearly anything, Erza's magic gives her access to a plethora of weapons that can cut someone down. You've certainly seen what my magic can do. And are any of our magics 'bad'?"

"No, of course not!"

"The pyro could do with a little less burning…" Katsuki muttered.

"And neither is yours." Makarov smiled, ignoring Katsuki. "You are still more than welcome to join Fairy Tail, if you are still willing to have us as your Mage Guild."

He didn't… He didn't kick me out. He's not mad at me, he said I can stay… He said I can stay!

Izuku nodded as he smiled, happy tears burning his eyes.

"Yes, of course!"

-FH-

A big thank you to KeeperofHounds and Bola for beta-ing this for me!