"So, so you think you can tell,
Heaven from Hell? Blue skies from pain?
Can you tell a green field,
From a cold steel rail?"
- Wish You Were Here, Pink Floyd
~
Shin was never really a fan of Hosu city. Too many people, too many heroes, far too many inconveniences. Looking up at the hospital now, he felt an itch crawl up his back, sighing at its sight. There were also the memories that were just as much of an inconvenience.
Said hospital could be described as nearly regular, with tan walls, windows, four stories tall, with a small wing for medical emergencies. However, that's when the infrastructure took an odd turn. Sturdy supports surrounded each side of the building as well as a stabilization network connecting it to each and every building surrounding the hospital and beyond. This went for every building in Hosu, trying to protect the buildings from earthquakes the best they can, but these days, they're only really inconvenient. All the villains within the area took advantage of this system for hostage purposes and getaways, as damaging them was a huge risk.
'I'd immediately enact a petition to take this system down if it wasn't for that thing…' Shin thought with a grimace. 'God, I hope that thing stays still today.
'Of course, though, that isn't the point of why we're here!' Shin thought with a shake of his head, looking down at the small hand on his own, trailing up the small arm and eventually to his son. Ah, seeing his son always brightened his day. Yet, the memories came, unbidden by his search for another focus. 'I wonder if I can visit them…'
Shin sighed again as the family of three were hit by a blast of the smell of anti-sceptics walking through the front door. Thankfully, the hospital was a bit more empty today, a few elderly and another family occupying the front office space. Just as thankfully, the worker at the front desk had found the appointment easily, allowing them to sit and wait faster.
'Heh, there's probably a joke to be made about that,' Shin thought with a snort.
In the corner of the room was an old TV screen, playing live footage of the news. What was displayed was a textured lump of gray that only moved slightly, reminiscent of breathing. Shin ignored it, as well as everybody else who was old enough. Everybody knew what the screen displayed, and while the problem was huge, its continued observation and with all the preparations already taken for its moments had only made it an inconvenience.
Another ambulance arrived, rushing into the hospital. Shin's glad his son can't see the sorry sight that poor woman is in as they sat waiting for their appointment. The first had come through as they exited his transport.
'Must be a villain attack,' Shin thinks absently. 'That's the second ambulance that's come through… I do wonder why they'd go through the front door instead of Medical Emergencies… Must be newbies or…
…
… yeah, no way it's that, definitely newbies.'
Shin was swiftly pulled out of his thoughts when he felt a tug on his sleeves, Izuku's eyes questioning with knitted eyebrows, making Shin raise an eyebrow. Shin had thought he had missed the event because of the notepad Izuku was staring at.
"I'm sorry, Otou-san, but I think that woman on the stretcher had pincers, right?" Izuku said, widening his eyes, making Shin sigh.
"Izuku, it's impolite to make comments," Shin said with another sigh, petting Izuku's hair. He stared at Izuku when the boy pursed his lips, frowning a little while looking at nothing in particular.
"Izuku," Inko began lightly, sitting on Izuku's other side, "what if you were the one with pincers. Would you want comments to be made about something you can't control?"
"I thought they were pretty cool," Izuku murmured, making Shin and Inko stop speaking for a moment to look at each other, a small conversation held between their eyes.
"Well," Shin began slowly, "I think that next time, you should put your comments together. Just so nobody misunderstands your words," he finished, before adding. "You remember that time Ka-san and I had miscommunicated and I had nearly missed your parent-teacher conference?"
Izuku nodded, not completely following.
"Well, it was the fact that we miscommunicated and not the intention that was originally felt about the complication. Do you hear what I'm saying?"
Izuku began squinting at his Otou-san, Shin clearly seeing Izuku's mind running a mile a minute, before Izuku eventually answered, "No."
Shin blew a small raspberry, before humming and hawing at his words, looking towards a deadpan Inko, her unspoken words clear. 'Are you going to keep digging this hole, or do you want my help?'
Shin, as much as he wanted the help, felt his pride take a hit. He could explain this topic to a child, no less his own, who is the smartest ever!
"Well, Izuku, what if- I- you-"
Shin sagged between his stuttering and sputtering, the wind in his proverbial sails stolen right from him. Sighed and looked at his wife, who sighed, shaking her head with a small smile in return.
Inko looked to Izuku, and said—
"What your Otou-san is trying to say, Izuku," she began, brushing a hand gently through his hair, "is that people don't always hear what you mean to say — only what you actually say. So even if you meant something kind, like thinking someone's Quirk is cool, it can still hurt if they're used to people judging them for it."
Izuku's eyes widened slightly. "Even if I didn't mean to be mean?"
Inko nodded. "Exactly. That's why we try to say things clearly and kindly — so people know we mean well."
Shin nodded sagely. "Your Ka-san is much better at explaining things."
There were a few minutes of silence as Izuku sat and absorbed this new knowledge before he nodded to himself and said, "What is… talking clearly and kindly called?"
Inko smiled with a near imperceptible snort, saying, "If there was a singular word for it, it would be tact, but it's just being thoughtful and considerate of your words."
"I think the kids at school need to learn tact as well."
Shin raised an eyebrow at such an off-handed comment from his boy, but shook it off in the same instance. He locked eyes with Inko again as she tried to continue the conversion, but Shin made a sign with his hand to let the conversion die, shaking his head slightly. Shin knew his son, such words were likely never to be heard again unless it became a real problem.
"Midoriya Izuku?" An old, raspy voice called. As the family looked up, they saw a fairly old man of a portly and short stature. His head is completely bald, his big, square nose carrying a very large and bushy mustache. Goggles sit on his face, completely shielding his eyes while making said eyes completely unseeable. He stood, his doctor's coat a spotless white, hands placed neatly behind his back.
It made Shin tense, not being able to see a person's eyes. There was a truth about eyes being the window to the soul, and he didn't want to just hand off his boy to just anybody, could he?
He nearly cursed as he heard a series of high-pitched harmonic notes. 'Damn it, why now of all times?' Shin thought desperately.
Inko gave Shin a tired but knowing look, nodding at him. This only made him sigh, knowing he'll miss more of Izuku's life.
"Hey, Izuku, sweetie," Shin said with a tight smile. "I got a work call to take right, so I'll see you after your appointment, okay?"
Izuku blinked and pursed his lips, but nodded, making Shin's smile genuine. "I'll be back in a blink."
~
"Lets see, now," Dr. Ujiko- if Izuku had read the nametag correctly- sang, humming a little tune while swaying and flipping through Izuku's file to the beat of whatever song he had in his head. "Midoriya Izuku, age 5. Mother, Midoriya Inko, and father-"
The doctor stopped moving, tilting his head slightly. "Huh. Where do I- ah yes!" Dr. Ujiko continued, nodding a little and looking at Izuku. "I remember this case. Your father was once a subject of great… debate, regarding Quirkology. People were always trying to solve his Quirk, all trying to one up each other on the subject. It was funny really, it reminded me of watching my dad catch crabs when I was younger."
Izuku looked around, still slightly paying attention to the room itself. While the room had the same doctor's equipment he had seen in the Musutafu hospital, much like the outside, it was full of internal supports, everything practically nailed down to make sure it never moved. There was also another TV in the corner, also monitoring the news on low volume, still displaying that weird, giant, oval lump that was shown in the waiting room. It was still slightly jarring to Izuku to see everything be the same, yet so different. Looking down and under at the table he and his mother sat in front, and yup, more support.
Izuku felt a small tap on his shoulder, making him into the direction of the tap, and up to his mother, who was giving him a, 'what-are-you-doing,' face, and pointing at the doctor. Izuku felt his cheek redden a little as his gaze looked to the doctor, who had stopped telling his story, looking at Izuku with an expectant look.
"So," Dr. Ujiko said with a sigh, "Are you ready to continue, or do you need to take another look around?"
Izuku nodded with his head down, thoroughly embarrassed by his actions.
"Well then, thank you for letting me continue. Now, where was I? Right, so my dad would never put the lid on the bucket of crabs, and it always made me so anxious, thinking the crabs would escape," Dr. Ujiko continued. "But, to my surprise, the crabs would always end up pulling each other down when one got too far up. Dad said it was in their nature to reach for the highest point to get out, and it just so happened that the highest point was always going to be another crab.
"After that, all the crabs would try to use that highest point, and it always ended up with the highest crab being dragged down to the bottom with the rest. Crowd behavior, dad called it. Anyways, what were we- ah, yes. Your Quirk," Dr. Ujiko refocused, leaving Izuku and Inko in the dust. "What do you think it is, sonny?"
"Uh," Izuku stammered slightly before shaking his head. "My Quirk is best described as, uh…" Izuku said with his word faltering, padding himself down as if searching for-
With a snort and zipping sound, Inko produced a small notepad from her purse, Izuku feeling heat enter his cheeks.
"You left it on the chair in the waiting room."
Izuku's blush only intensified as he grasped said notepad and gave a mumbled thank you. Then, in a complete one-eighty, cleared his throat and said, "My Quirk is best described as the ability to see where the sun has been."
Dr. Ujiko paused in his swaying, tilting his head.
"I mean—" Izuku corrected quickly, flipping to a specific page in his notepad, "—I perceive the reflections left behind by sunlight. Every surface the sun touches leaves a kind of... afterimage, and I can tune into that. Like, light bounces off everything, right? So if something's been in sunlight, I can... sort of trace it. I can look into where the sun was and what it saw."
He glanced at his mother, then back at the doctor, encouraged by their quiet listening. "It doesn't work in the dark, not unless the light's been there recently. But sometimes if I concentrate, I can sort of... step into it. I get really blurry when I do. Ka-san says I shimmer. Otou-san says it's like I'm becoming light."
Dr. Ujiko's humming halted entirely, the mustache bristling like it had caught a breeze of intrigue.
"I can't always control it. And sometimes I see things from way back, like... stuff the sun touched days ago. It's hard to explain. It's not like a memory or a photo. It's more like... the light remembers. And if I'm careful, I can remember it."
"Hm," Dr. Ujiko sounded out, face turning to face Izuku's mother, who nodded.
"You know what, kid? That's honestly a pretty cool Quirk. In fact, I'm a little jealous.
"All I got is a hair thickening Quirk, which, as you can see," The Doctor continued, lightly patting the top of his head before shrugging. "Doesn't always apply."
Izuku and Inko snorted with the same eye roll and everything, until the world lurched. The lights began to flicker and the walls shook, trying to fling everything in the room around.
While Izuku and Inko began to feel slight panic, Dr. Ujiko merely sighed, hiding under the table and saying, "Come on, you two, let's get under the table."
The two Midoriyas' practically jumped under the table, the Doctor continuing by saying, "grab ahold of the leg, everything's gonna be fine."
The shaking lasted for a minute longer before it finally stopped. While the Mother-son duo helped each other up, Dr. Ujiko rolled out from under the table with a groan and smacked the TV in the corner a couple of times till the screen came back on. After a couple of seconds of staring at the screen, the Doctor made another audible groan, making the Midoriyas' look at each other with confusion.
"Is… everything okay, Dr. Ujiko?" Inko asked, still feeling a little panic.
"Yeah, just that stupid beast rolling over. Crushed half a block too."
"Stupid beast?"
Dr. Ujiko sighed again, saying, "Come on kid, Skydon, the sleeping Kaiju. Stupid thing fell from the sky, and because it's so heavy, we just have to leave it there, and let it crush the city ever so slowly."
"People can't move it?"
"That Kaiju is said to weigh over ten thousand tons! How could you expect anything to move that besides itself!
"Of course, nobody really lives close, or really gets close these days due to the danger of, you know, being near a ten thousand ton Kaiju that could kill by rolling over in their sleep, but come on! It's a waste of good infrastructure in my opinion-"
A phone call rang out, Inko blushing slightly as big band music played, quickly pulling out her phone and stepping away, mouthing, 'I'll catch up later.'
The door shut behind his mother, Izuku turning back to the doctor, who sighed. "Well, that's that. No use wondering about the Kaiju, really, just gets you tied up with anxiety. So, anything else about your Quirk?"
Thinking momentarily, Izuku hesitated before saying, "I think my Quirk can see farther back than just a couple of days."
"So then, like a month?"
"... No, I think more like thousands and thousands of years in the past."
The scratching of the notepad Dr. Ujiko was writing on slowly tapered off, the doctor looking up at Izuku with a raised eyebrow.
Dr. Ujiko chuckled softly, shaking his head as he jotted a few more notes on the chart. "Now, now, young man," he said with a light, almost playful tone, "there's no need for tall tales. I'm sure you're very imaginative, but we deal in facts here, not fairy stories."
He glanced over his glasses, the faintest hint of amusement in his eyes. "A Quirk that sees into the past? Come now, if only it were that simple. Even the best of us can't unearth what's been buried for centuries."
With a tap of his pen against the clipboard, he added, "Let's focus on what we can measure, hm? There's plenty to be proud of already."
"What?"
"Your Quirk is already good — there's no need to lie about it," Dr. Ujiko continued smoothly. "I mean, a light-based memory Quirk with a touch of light transformation? That's amazing all on its own, self-supplying its own light to activate. Why gild the lily?"
"But I'm not lying—"
"Kid." The doctor sighed, leaning back slightly. "You mention this after your mother left the room, meaning she doesn't know about this supposed function, right?"
Izuku nodded, eyes downcast.
"Realistically, there's no reason not to tell your mother," Dr. Ujiko went on, his voice gentler but still skeptical. "It just doesn't add up. You already said it only goes back a couple of days with her, and then — as soon as she's gone — you hit me with this bombshell like she's never heard it? Feels… a little too convenient."
He gave a small shrug. "Listen. If you can tell me about a past event that's believable, something we haven't already discovered, then we'll talk."
Izuku's head dipped lower as he fought back tears. Dr. Ujiko sighed again, softer this time. "Kid, your Quirk is already great. There's really no need to tack on anything extra. Trust me — I get it. I have a hair-thickening Quirk that only works on myself, passively. And look at me — bald as a billiard ball! All I can thicken is my mustache."
A wry smile touched his lips. "But look where I am. Look how far I've come without a Quirk that helped in my field. There's a lot you can do without leaning on powers. Really, all you can do now is work hard to reach your goals."
Izuku wiped his nose on his hand, a wobbly smile breaking through.
"Oh, gross, kid — tissue! This is a doctor's office!" Dr. Ujiko huffed, shaking his head.
Izuku let out a shaky laugh and grabbed a tissue, blowing his nose and — for the moment — forgetting his earlier frustration.
"So," Dr. Ujiko said, lips quirking up, "you wanna test that Quirk of yours?"
~
When Shin returned, he caught only the fading echoes of laughter from the exam room. A pang tightened his chest — he'd missed it again.
"Well, did you enjoy yourself, Izuku?" Shin asked with a grin.
"Well, there was an earthquake, Otou-san," Izuku said, surprising Shin.
"Really now?" Shin said, somewhat mortified he wasn't here to protect his son and wife.
"It was pretty scary to me," Inko murmured, holding Izuku's hand a little tighter than normal.
"It wasn't exactly scary to me, but the reasoning behind the quake did scare me a little," Izuku answered truthfully, looking over at a cloud of dust that had been shot into the air due to the Sleeping Kaiju.
"That makes you braver than me, huh, Izuku?" Inko said with a slightly sad smile, making Izuku hum with a frown
"I wouldn't quite say that, Ka-san," Izuku said, squeezing his mother's hand.
"So," Shin murmured, "Skydon rolled over?"
"Otou-san, did you know about Skydon?" Izuku asked, knocking Shin out of his mind as he flailed to answer his son.
"I thought- I mean - I, uh- well…" Shin blabbered before he cleared his throat, stopping to look at Izuku. "I was pretty sure you knew, seeing with all the Hero Forums you frequent. They speak of Kaiju a lot."
"... I didn't really pay any attention to those," Izuku muttered, kicking the ground slightly.
"Heh, yeah, you've always been more interested in Quirks," Shin said, ruffling his son's hair.
"In any case, shall we go home?"
~
To be Continued…