Your memory was embarrassingly bad regarding the fourth movie. All you knew for sure was that, somewhere overseas, attached to some Mafia family...was a cluster really, really cool quirks...
One day you were finally bored enough to look into this.. Gollini family...
-----
"Well...Simon? What was the Yakuza's offer? Did they seem worthy of an alliance?" A man in a white suit with a rather grim expression featuring sunken-in eyes sat at his office desk, fingers woven together. A man with green and gold hair sauntered in, a smidge disappointed by the cramped environment. He stretched his neck and his knuckles.
"Eh, they aren't worth our time. The drug's real but it's HELLA expensive."
"Hm.. is that so...?" A bit disappointed, the Mafia boss leaned forward so his mouth hid behind his woven hands. Seeming to sulk, his gaze drifted to the side. This was the man who killed his own father the other week? Yikes. The new arrival slipped out a small laugh. "What's so funny?" He glared.
"Mhmhmhmhm-" You laughed even more, the disguise melting off your body.
||Quirk edit: Toga's quirk no longer simply melts the user's original clothing only to replace them, but rather will use that cloth to reshape into the new form's attire. The cloth changes back to its original state as the disguise melts away.
"WH-WHAT!?" In fear, the Mafia boss threw his desk at you, which switched to concrete that instantly solidified around your legs. "WHO ARE YOU!? Where is the REAL Simon!?" What was revealed to him instead was nothing short of terrifying. A stranger draped in baggy, bloody gray clothes. A bloodstained potato sack covering their head...
"He's already dead~" You tilted your head. The man was lucky he couldn't see your smile. "I've never been a man before now; I must say it is quite the comical experience.."
The boss pulled out his gun and aimed it right at your forehead. He didn't give a warning.
Pap!
Pap!
Your head rocked back as it was shot a couple times. Quite embarrassing, actually. You need to improve your neck strength.
The man gasped. You neither fell nor stopped breathing. You simply tilted your head forward again. Your bloodstained eye was visible through one of the bullet holes, so full of glee. "My turn~" The concrete cracked and fell away. You stepped out of the trap barefoot. You giggled some more, your punching bag persona relishing the Mafia boss' terror. You stretched out your hand. "Now give me that yummy quirk~"
It was all violence from there.
----------
""(Y/N)!.. (Y/nnn)! You there??"" You blinked a few times, holding the phone up to your ear. Your breaths shortened as you woke to your surroundings. Your limbs were shaky. You were standing on a couple corpses, a few more strewn out over the land of rubble. How did- ho-how did you get here? Where WAS "here?"
You swallowed and pried open your mouth, forcing your jittery self to speak. "I-Izuku?! Wh-what's the matter?!" Your bloody hands clutched the phone. Everything from the tips of your fingers to almost near your shoulders was absolutely drenched in blood.
The boy laughed. ""Nothing much! I-- I'm ok-kay.""
You sighed in relief. Simply hearing that voice again was so soothing. He sounded troubled, though. "Y-you need me to come over there?! Ho-hold-d on, I- I'll be right over!" You could sense the presence of a few new quirks in your system. Was that why you found yourself in such a horrific predicament? Was this a mission Ms. Zeya sent you on, or-or a slaughter you committed entirely on your own!? There was no portal around your ankle, so maybe this was just another required mission..? Either way, these results were scary. Bloodier than usual.
""Ye-yeah, actually..."" The little boy croaked. ""I...need you here...""
He needn't say anymore. You teleported back home at once and washed up.
Oh... Your tracker had been removed.
Uh oh.
What really sucks is you had no way to access any of these new quirks, since you had no idea what they even were! Nope... Only that deranged Punching Bag could use them... How.. annoying.
What mattered now was making sure Izuku was alright.
----------
"How ya doin', bud?" You didn't exactly know how to go about this. You walked into a sterile room, white all around, where the boy had been taken after waking up.
Midoriya sat up in bed, the hastily made thing creaking under his movement. "(Y/N)!?" In his eyes was a mix of emotions. Too many to be sure what he was thinking. They started to water, though, as you expected, and you ran to wrap the young one in a hug. He clung to you, proving the experiments he'd undergone were a success, since he nearly broke your ribs. You clamped your jaw and hissed through your teeth, trying your best not to draw attention. But, he noticed your pain anyways and let go. "I- I- I- I'M SO SORRY!" Still crying, "I- I KEEP BREAKING EVERYTHING I TOUCH!! (Y/N), WILL I STILL BE ABLE TO BE A HERO IF I'M SO SCARRY STRONG!? CAN I EVER GO HOME!? I WANT TO SEE MY MOOOMMM!!" You hugged him again, one-sided this time. Izuku tried and tried to dry his face with his sleeves, but it never lasted.
Breathing slowly, you could smell all the chemicals the teen'd been floating in for months. Under his loose shirt, unnatural bumps, divots, and stitches remained in his skin from the experimentation. Dr. Garaki only admitted AFTER the fact that it didn't go as smoothly as he'd hoped... You were just glad the kid was still alive... You shivered to think what might've happened if another one of your rash decisions led to yet another death. Your gloved hand combed through Izuku's hair, heart-rate normalizing. "It's going to be okay... That won't be a problem for long..." You hummed softly, encouraging the little one to lean into you. "I'll teach you how to use your quirk... No, you won't be able to return home just yet. But.. soon. I promise, you will soon."
"O.... okay....."
It would be nice having him as your little protoje again.
----------
"Eh? Ehh?? Cool, right~?" You raised your brow, smiling down softly.
Izuku was holding his invisible hands out before him, only indicated by the visible sleeves. Every part of him from head to toe was completely transparent. The little bundle of clothes started to hop around. "THIS IS SO COOL! I HAVE A QUIRK!! I HAVE A QUIRK!!!" You chuckled while watching the little fellow, then pulled out your phone.
"Yeah and just think, little man, you can obtain an infinite amount of em too." Still staring at your screen, you talked while simultaneously skimming through a block of text Magne sent you. "My dad said a long time ago taking villain quirks was a bad idea, but I honestly just think he was sayin' that to keep me out of trouble, so that can be your hero thing. Villains will go crazy knowing there's a hero out there who can take their quirks!.. heh.."
Izuku turned visible and gave you a vaguely concerned look. "Yeah but well... I don't know... I feel like.. well.. Quirks are so important. Wouldn't taking other people's quirks, even villains, be a bad thing??"
You stopped yourself from saying what you truly thought. Instead, you remembered this was the young and hopeful hero to-be, and adjusted your response to fit that. "...I guess you are right... Yeah... I guess... But, sometimes people don't want their quirks, so you can take those ones I guess." No way were you going to give a speech about how important it would be for a symbol of fear to exist to fill the massive gap All Might left. That would be perceived as a villain speech no doubt, and, well, you didn't want to lose the kid's trust again.
You smirked at Izuku and ruffled his hair. He chuckled and pulled your hand off his head. "Stawp it, I'm not TEN anymore! I'll be FOURTEEN really soon!"
You retracted your hand, still smiling down at him. "No.. I suppose you're not."
...
"Here." Placing your hand on his shoulder this time, you gave Izuku another quirk. "I'd like you to treat these two quirks like homework, okay? Once you have a basic feel for how they work, I want you to combine them."
"Com...bine..them?"
"Mhmhm, it's a lot easier than it sounds. Trust me. Just takes some time. And a good imagination. You're already super good at analyzing quirks, so this should be a sinch!"
"And then can I go home!?!"
"..."
"I can go home...right?"
After idly rubbing your chin, your arms dropped at your sides. "Of course you can!.. Just.. Maybe a couple more days." Izuku's eyes immediately filled with tears. "Hey-hey, it's okay!" Stepping up beside him and crouching slightly, you gently rubbed his back. "You know you're about as strong as All Might was in his prime, right?"
Izuku gasped. "REALLY??"
^-^ "Mhm! Now with that picture in mind, think of how silly All Might would have looked if he didn't practice restraint with his powers!.. Every time he went shopping, he'd accidentally pry the door off its hinges, crush the milk, tip an isle, and run over a few people with his shopping cart!" Izuku giggled imagining that. "It's just as important to learn NOT to break something as it is to learn to break something. Even moreso in most cases. Here, let me show you my quirk." You slid off your glove, dropped to one knee, and with Decay, made a ring of cracks from around Izuku. The boy shrieked and jumped out of the circle. "AHAHAHAH! Don't worry, I wasn't going to hurt you. And I KNOW that because I spent YEARS perfecting Decay." Standing up, you stared at your hand with a look of satisfaction. "It's a quirk that's so dangerous, I wouldn't entrust it with anyone but myself... Able to level entire cities. It's NOT the quirk to play around with." Izuku entered serious mode upon hearing that, staring at your hand as well. "Thanks to all my training, though, it's become quite the impressive tool..."
"...You still have your quirk-taking quirk..." Izuku frowned. Agh.. he saw the indent in your palm. You shrugged the poorly veiled secret off.
"Hhhh, you caught me... I merely gave you a copy of my quirk... But, that should be fine at least." Turning to grin down at him. "Means if I go all psycho and try to destroy the world, you and Tenko should be able to stop me!" ^-^
Izuku didn't get the humor in your little joke. No, that part flew right over his head. He grabbed your ungloved hand and compared the holes in you palms. His hands were still so tiny compared to yours! He frowned and huffed quietly, disappointed in you for betraying him. But, just like Tenko last year, the boy simply accepted your tomfoolery as just you being you... Not like he had the authority to tell you to stop. No one did. You could...kinda just do whatever you wanted.
Even things like the HPSC were slowly shrinking as a threat, barely even rivals to your power... You only followed along in their silly games because.. well.. you didn't want to be the villain. Being the villain would.. well... I guess public perception was important to you, but-
.....
Why DID you care so much about being perceived as a hero...? You clearly weren't one anymore. And Ms. Zeya was dangling the hero life over your head like a carrot on a stick.
But..
Was being perceived as a hero even worth being treated like just another pawn???
Maybe it'd just be better to cut all ties from-
Wait-! There was still Hawks! And Izuku.
You startled Izuku by grabbing his hand as he was examining yours, making a little "raah!" sound.
He made a little squeak, prompting you to laugh for real.
Yeah...
This was worth being treated like the government's little pawn...
As tired as you were of being treated like one.
---------------
Ughh this is so awkward- having to hold someone's hAnDdddd! Jckdndjsn!
"Are you sure you don't remember why you removed your tracker and visited Europe last night?" The detective Tsukauchi asked.
"I- I- um- I- no!" You were worried about your hands being sweaty. Couldn't he just touch your hand- like- casually?? Not- like- hold it??
Keigo wanted to laugh at how easily you flustered, but this was a serious issue. What made things even more awkward was the circle of people surrounding you like some ancient ritual was at play.
The detective removed his hand from yours and sighed. "Hhhh, she's not lying." He turned to look at Ms. Zeya specifically. "Either (Y/n) found a way to erase her own memories, or she's developed a second personality of some kind."
"Definitely the second." You timidly rose your hand. "Sometimes I'll just wake up with a new quirk or two and I have no idea how that happened."
"Ghhh..." Zeya rubbed her brows. She didn't want to bring up the potential reason behind this..split of yours. Hated to admit to herself that she may play a responsible role. Taking an already broken teenager and breaking them further. This result wasn't entirely unexpected...but, she had to be careful from now on if she didn't want all this to backfire on her. "So, what you're saying is we need to put you under surveillance 24/7."
"I-! I- I- I- don't think that will be necessary!"
"Well, considering removing your tracker for longer than an hour would result in imprisonment, wouldn't it be an act of mercy to let you continue hero work?"
You: 'OF COURSE YOU WOULD LET ME CONTINUE TO BE YOUR SLAVE!'
You hid your disgust towards the notion. After all, it was the better of two evils. "Hmmhhgh... For how long..?"
"Hmm. How about one week quarantined to get a better idea what's going on with you, followed by a month living on HPSC grounds." That's actually a lot better than what you were expecting...but a whole WEEK?! Ughhh!
. . .
Keigo was mixed when it came to this. From what he knew, you were suffering severely to an extent he couldn't even understand. But even so, so far there were no cases of you taking innocent lives. Just the lives of mafia overseas or the occasional villain. He knew very little about the missions Ms. Zeya gave you and he refused to ask about it. Preferring to act oblivious. For now at least.
So, he just let things play out without pitching in.
. . .
Kai was against the idea wholeheartedly. He absolutely HATED how you were being treated. His feelings made worse by his preexisting bias against heroes. Your treatment was definitely not converting him to their side... You'd given up trying to convince him otherwise years ago. And at this point, you were having a harder and harder time not following his advice to break free from the HPSC completely. The sound of freedom only grew sweeter with each passing day.
. . .
Where you were really held up was Izuku... With you being quarantined a full week, you'd have no time to train the boy. He'd be stuck there for a week or more. And he was just a little guy desperate to see his mom again... You couldn't do that to him.
So, you passed that role on to Tenko. Tenko was...hesitant at first. As were you. But, he accepted, but only because he cared about Izuku too.
. . .
There were plenty others you wished to talk to before disappearing. But, then again, it wasn't like you'd be going away for good.
You definitely weren't dying.
So why did it sorta feel like it?
----------
Somehow, this social event took priority.
Your quarantine was delayed a few hours so you could attend this thing..
..because you had just made it to the top ten...
Thanks to your UA fame, you were a few points above Hawks, somehow making the #10 hero slot. This was such a new development, you hadn't a clue until you were driven to the event! Where the hero rankings would be announced and those who wanted would celebrate after.
No wonder Ms. Zeya made your punishment so light... Heh. Guess she was kinda stuck with you too, now.
. . .
The event itself passed in a blur. You appeared on stage, but didn't say too much. And afterwards, you were asked to stay a little longer and socialize. You didn't really want to, but, taking into consideration how lonely you would be the following week, pushed through the awkwardness of a large social setting to be with people just a bit longer.
...At least Tenko wasn't here... Endeavor made a quick appearance, but didn't stay for long. Still spiked your anxiety through the roof.
Time passed, turning into hours. As tired as you were becoming, you preferred this over being locked up.
Hawks left before you did. Said something about sleep before vanishing. Youuu definitely didn't blame him. Heheh.
You were about ready to leave when you caught glimpse of an unlikely fellow hanging out on the balcony.
Mr. Schlatt had just finished one of many drinks when you arrived. Instantly, he felt a little embarrassed. A bit tipsy and red in the face. And yet there he was, entertaining a small crowd of strangers. As you sat down in one of the chairs, he settled down.
"Hey, congrats on the #10 spot!" Mr. Schlatt offered you a drink. You held up your hand.
"No thanks.."
"Eh, your loss." With that, the man brought the drink to his mouth and tipped his head back, downing it in one gulp. "Ahhh." He tossed the empty glass on the short table. These were essentially just a bunch of fancy lawn chairs for the lot of you to sit on. And then he started to laugh. He laughed and laughed until it made everyone feel uncomfortable. You sighed and dipped your head. He'd clearly had too much to drink...
The other men, seeing as Schlatt was absolutely wasted, excused themselves. However, once the guy had had his fill of laughter, something about him seemed a whole lot more...sober. His eyes were filled with thought again as he stood and leaned his forearms on the railings. He breathed in long and slow before releasing a hefty sigh.
Staring at the city streets several stories below, the man grinned. "Think I'd die from a fall this high?" Immediately, you stood and grabbed his arms to pull him back. He swatted you away. "Hey, I wasn't thinking about actually testing it out!"
"You shouldn't joke about such a thing, especially while drunk." You spoke coldly.
"Eugh... You don't know anything about me." He stared at the distant ground. You eventually joined him, resting your forearms on the still-warm metal too. "...You know what my quirk is, right?"
"Your horns?"
"Nah, not technically." He chuckled. The city lights below lit up his eyes. "Regeneration, actually... When I laugh, I regenerate. The more authentic my laughter, the quicker I heal."
"Oh." Loosely weaving your fingers together, "Can't believe I didn't know that already... Pretty OP."
"Hmh, yeah. It was... It sure was..."
...
"...Oh..." ... "So, why'd you fake being a hero...all those years ago? You had a good quirk."
"Yeah, but a 'good quirk' isn't exactly enough."
"True.."
"You really wanna know?"
"Sure."
Schlatt stretched his arms and back before relaxing again. "I grew up with a few other kids who wanted nothing more than to be a bunch'a heroes. It was kinda our thing. Even as we went into college and took up jobs, being heroes was our end goal. ... Their quirks were enough to eventually pass the licensing exams, but, mine wasn't. Things always went wrong on my end for some reason. One test I was lacking in charisma, and the next my mind blanked and I missed something. ... For years, I had to watch as all my friends became heroes. Due to mere circumstance, I was sorta excluded from the group. ... So, I...faked my way into success. Started a channel, told some lies, made enough people believe that I really WAS a hero for real. ... I knew it wouldn't last, so I just enjoyed the moment. I enjoyed being something of a hero with my buddies again."
"...Hmh, wow. That simple, huh? How'd you go from those humble beginnings to being top ten in your country?!"
"Hah. Well, I kinda stumbled into that... Heh. I... Hmm. My..my friends had changed a lot too. Stress of...work, and stuff. They...weren't exactly the same people anymore. And all my fame suddenly exposed 'em."
"Oh dang! Heheh. Like, corruption?"
"Heh, yeah you could say that. One of em was accused of grooming a minor. Another was apparently turning a blind eye to illegal drug trade in his district for pay he could never get as a hero. Annnd, the third got lost in so many corn mazes, he went insane and started a cannibalistic corn cult!" He laughed.
"Wait, actual corn?!"
"Yes!"
"Pffff! Dang! That's so sad! Why'd all of them end up so bad?" You hadn't laughed like this in a while, sad as the circumstances were.
"Eh, two of them shaped up eventually, but for a while there I realized I'd risked so much for nothing." His attention returned to the beeping of crowded cars below. You watched the side of his face for a moment before looking with him at the distant ground. "...I decided that the only thing worth it anymore was to watch the numbers go up and hope for the best. Just to see how far I could go before I break... I made it a lot further than I expected."
"..."
"Hhhh... Yeah.. you probably know the rest. I was found out and arrested. But...instead of letting myself become a sorry old sap after being released, I decided to try and put my skills to good use."
"I'm surprised you got work as a publicist."
"People can be surprisingly forgiving. Especially those who care more about their own success than a few moral hiccups. I purposefully targeted the selfish type for the longest time before finally branching out."
"Hm, smart play."
"Heh, yeeah. And I make a good living off of it too."
....
"If you...could restart everything, go back to when you were in college, what do you think you'd do?"
"Now that's a fun question!" The man laughed before scratching his chin. "I don't know, actually. It's not like I have any big-time regrets. If anything, I'm glad I was arrested! It was either the law or the lawless."
"Huh?"
He smiled, being in a much brighter mood than you expected. "Oh yeah, I was smokin' hot back then! That's one of the main reasons I got to be so popular! But, I dunno, I just didn't really like that kind of attention very much." His head turned to you with a big grin. "Why do you think I put on so much weight while in prison?! I much rather the dad bod over the twink look I had goin' on."
"Oh- pff! Hahaha!" You covered your mouth, embarrassed. "I'm sorry-"
"-Nahh, it's fine. I'm the funny man! I like making people laugh!" You laughed with him this time. It was silly. Nonsensical even. But, it was nice. A nice change of pace.
You'd be quarantined for a week. Just remembered that.
"...So is this really the hero life?... You probably know better than anyone... Does it get any easier?" You asked.
Schlatt gave it a moment to think. "..It doesn't get easier, no. You just get better at handling it."
"I see..."
"The job's not fit for most people, that's for sure."
"How do you know who it'd fit best? Is there a kind of test?"
"Eh, not really. The current tests and stuff are all for physical traits. Whether a person's actually fit for the role is really only revealed through years of living as one. Whether they can stand up to the pressure, the kind of person it turns you into. Hhh. It's only a matter of time before your true colors are revealed."
"Yeah..." Would you pass that test? You're already in so much trouble. You shivered to think where you'll be in a few years...
"Heh, why'd you ask?" Elbowing you, "You already starting to feel worn down? It's been less than a year, kid!"
"Yeah...I... I don't know... All I can do is hope I'll make it."
...
The man pat your back. "You'll survive... I know you will."
---------------
This strict control over your life was starting to feel more and more like physical chains. There was no ignoring it as you were quarantined for a week. Forced to do nothing but entertain yourself in a near-empty room full of cameras. Your treatment had fallen past inhumane a long time ago and you knew that well, but now there was a physical..almost aching that accompanied it.
The week passed slowly. You knew this experience well from the mental hospital. At least now you could see and therefore also draw whatever you like... You drew a lot, almost nonstop. Everything you drew was collected and brought to experts for thurough examination, so you tried your best to not make it look like you had gone insane.
Keigo visited a total of three times. He was extra busy thanks to your absence, but he made sure to visit you in his free time. Well, sort of. He'd sit outside the door and chat. You weren't even allowed to open the door to see him. Better than Kai, who didn't even where you were.
The last time Keigo visited, he could tell you were in bad condition. Being left alone with nothing but your thoughts...was scary.
After finally admitting it to him, he didn't leave. Instead, he laid down right outside the door with his back to it and curled up. You also curled up with your back against the door. You'd run out of things to talk about a long time ago, but, his mere presence conveyed so much. In that moment, it said more than any words could...
The two of you fell asleep back-to-back that night, comfortable in the silence of each other's presence.
This weight was so heavy.. these chains so great... Why did they have to be held in place by the kindest soul..?
----------
After the week passed, the experiment was over with. Apparently, Punching Bag had made an appearance once or twice and eventually came around to make a deal with Ms. Zeya. That was all the woman wanted. So, at last you were let out.
But, that weight followed. That feeling wasn't going away, because it had in actually been there for a long time... You just hadn't noticed it until recently.
That crushing...suffocating feeling...like you were trapped under an entire ocean...
And you still, with every fiber of your being, hate even being reminded of that terrible memory.
...Why can't the world just leave you alone...?
---------------
All For One's motives were beyond comprehension. It seemed all of his little clues, riddles and tasks involved bonding activities between you and Ms. Zeya, purely for the intent to mess with you both. It was annoying to downright humiliating at times. And knowing your old man could be watching you at any moment didn't help either.
In order to solve a puzzle or riddle, the two of you needed to share information, whether that be the date of a special day or name of a certain pet. This seemed the man's perfect revenge for the two of you; especially Zeya, who clearly didn't like reliving old memories, even if they were happy ones. That also was something interesting. Other than that very first clue that started this whole thing, none of the hints or riddles related to any sad memories. It was all happy ones, as if your dad was attempting to lower both yours' and Zeya's guards or even slowly shift your perspective of him into a better light.
Either that, or the mastermind was building up to one big moment...
Both of you guessed that was the case, but, for now, you would play these childish games until proven right.
...DID he even know what Zeya's quirk was..?
---------------
Under such extreme pressure from all directions, your soul convulsed.
.
"The Nomu are almost ready~!" The doctor reported. At least...one of them did. Annoying as it was, ten Dr. Garakis buzzed around in the lab. Each had a different number sewn into the back of their coat to signify who was who, the original labeled with a zero. It didn't matter to you which was a clone and which wasn't. When all this was said and done, you'd kill them all regardless.
Tilting your chin down at the doctor, "Which one's the furthest along?"
"Oh!.. I believe that would be the young Touya! Yesss, I was surprised by how well he...." The doctor blabbered on. You walked silently beside him, both of you approaching the capsule that held the young man in question.
You placed your hand on the glass, warmth seeping through to your fingers.
The boy was still young. Age sixteen. You rewound his corpse to just before he killed himself. He didn't reawaken, however, so it was up to the doctor to bring this one to life.
You would have tried the same thing with All Might, but, his grave turned out to be nothing but a decoy. Who knows where his real body is, or if it was even preserved at all? It could be ash and you wouldn't know.
Garaki's words slowly faded back in, "...and I believe he should be cognizant enough to perform basic tasks and conversation."
"And his memories? Are they in tact?" Though Touya looked human, there was no knowing whether the army of mad doctors could really bring his humanity back along with him. Garaki hummed and looked away. Seemed he wasn't quite sure. You sighed and stepped back, careful as always not to remove your ankle with the tracker from the small portal. "How about we test that now?" You clutched your hands together behind your back, fingers fidgeting.
"As you command!" The doctor sat at the controls and happily typed at the keyboard. Hmh, at least he got a little bit of enjoyment out of working for you...
You stared with a set jaw as the liquid inside the tube was drained and the boy inside lowered to the ground. The glass sank into the ground, releasing a potent odor that tickled your nose.
Tup... Tup... Tup...
You kneeled down in front of the boy, pulling away all the wires from his back. He was breathing...but not much else. You swiveled your head to the doctor, who shrugged.
"I guess he's not ready yet."
"Electricity. Will that wake him?" You couldn't remember where this idea came from, but you had a vague feeling you were faced with this problem once before.
"It likely would, but it may be safer not to push our luck."
You huffed and stared down at the soggy little one again. Something stirred deep in your chest. You couldn't pinpoint the emotion, or emotions, but it was very, very strong. It wouldn't let your thoughts move on to another issue.
You reached into a portal and grabbed a taser, which you zapped the body with. It convulsed and flinched a few times. Then, it gasped. As the thing seemed to awaken, spitting up acids and coughing uncontrollably, you hid the taser away in the portal again, which led to a drawer in your bedroom. The Hassaikai bedroom, I should clarify, since you now had two.
There was something so nostalgic about those coughs. Slowly, it pushed its torso up onto its shaky arms. The husk going from still to so full of life sent a jolt of excitement through you. You anxiously reached out and rubbed the creature's back.
"Touya... Touya... Are you okay?" You waited impatiently for it or him to respond to you in some way, but it didn't. A little disappointing, but then again he had been dead for nearly eight years.
Once the body was done coughing, it flopped over, landing in your arms. By the time you had a good look at its face, it was sleeping. Like, actually sleeping. Not the restful, turned-off state of some machine or monstrous lab experiment.
A couple of your tears dripped onto his face, making you realize suddenly you were actually getting emotional over this. You adjusted Touya in your arms and just stared at him for a little bit. You were in shock, mostly. Someone who died so long ago was now almost.. maybe.. alive again. You shivered suddenly, the weight of what you had accomplished finally hitting you.
Your head rose. "Do you know where Chloe was buried?
---------------
"(Y/NNNN)!!!" Izuku ran after you as you were driving your motorcycle while on the patrol. Looking over your shoulder, your eyes bulged. The kid was literally right behind you.
"IZUKU, WE'RE ON A HIGHWAY!"
"OOPS!"
. . .
After you two pulled off from the highway, the young teen hugged you again. "Thank you for sending Tenchan to train me, he's so cool!!"
You hugged Izuku back, noting how much gentler his hug was. "Awh, I'm glad you're able to run around out here again~ Just, uhh, don't chase people on highways, okay?"
Izuku laughed. "I- I'm sorry, I didn't even REALIZE where we were!"
You ruffled the teen's hair, letting him go. "Pff, sure thing, show off."
"I wasn't trying to show off!!" On the verge of tears. You shoved him back playfully.
"Sheesh, calm down, kid, I was just playin'. Did you complete that homework I gave you? Merging the two quirks?"
"Um... About that..."
Ashamed, Izuku rubbed the back of his neck and ducked his chin. "...No... I'm sorry... I failed..."
"...Oh..." You tilted your head. "You sure?"
"Yeah-h! I'm sorry! I get what you were trying to teach me but- but the quirks just wouldn't fit right! I can use both at once, but I tried and I tried but I couldn't make them into one!!" He started to mumble in a squeaky nervous manner. "Tenchantoldmeit'sokayofijuststopbutIdidn'twanttofailmyfirsttestandIamtellingthetruthIreallydidTRY!"
You chuckled and shook his shoulder a little bit to break him out of that nervous trance thing. "Woah woah, chill. I believe you. Maybe there was a problem on our end and your version of my quirk just isn't built like that. It's okay. You can keep trying, but if you run into a wall remember to go AROUND, don't just keep ramming into it hoping it'll break!"
"Yes mam..."
"Hhhhhmh... On a brighter note, have you been enjoying living a normal life again?"
Izuku bounced right out of his depressive state. "Oh YES! I met up again with Kachan and Shochan and showed them how strong I am now! Oh-oh- and Mom was SUPER happy I was back, she threw a party!! And I- and I- and I-!" The kid stuttered and stumbled through his retelling of the past week. You placed your hands on your hips and smiled, nodding along and listening, not necessarily to his words, but the excitement in his voice.
Thirty minutes later, you had to apologize and leave the teen to continue working. Throughout the rest of the day, you kept smirking at random. Every time you remembered that conversation, hearing Izuku talk about his friends and his quirks. Couldn't help but pat yourself on the back for that one. That was something you'd always be proud of for sure.
Everyone seeing you smirk at random probably thought you were insane. Meanwhile you were just so happy to be alive.