Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Beginnings

No one was really sure where they came from, how they got there or why. One day seemed normal as it could be, then the next the world was infested with these strange creatures.

The first incident took place in the city of Minato, Tokyo, the strange creatures leaping out from the shadows and attacking the citizens. Causing them to disappear within moments of being attacked.

Slowly they began to spread, from cities to countries, soon enough to the entire world. It was an infestation that led Pro Heroes scrambling for a solution. Day in and day out they would set their sights on these creatures, attempting to balance out the fight with villains and the shadowy monsters. 

People became panicked, scared to leave their homes for fear of being attacked. Especially in the nighttime, where the monsters seemed to become more frenzied and bold. Attacking anything that moved. Many Heroes and civilians were either injured or killed, overwhelmed by the creatures.

Just when it seemed like the end was near when larger and more powerful creatures began manifesting, someone appeared and slew them all in one fell swoop. With a swing of her curious blade and a wave of her hand, unleashing whatever elements she pleased, the monsters fell. One by one they all swarmed the stranger, only to be cut down and never appear again.

What Pros struggled with over months on end, this stranger was able to accomplish in mere moments. 

She wouldn’t stick around for the aftermath, disappearing as soon as they came and moving on to the next infestation. Only ever staying to heal a few people before leaving. No one was ever sure how the woman was able to fell these creatures, armed with only a key-shaped sword but they were thankful nonetheless.

A few months after this stranger’s appearance the shadows appeared less frequently, only daring to show themselves come nighttime. Almost every time the woman was always there to save the day.

As thankful as citizens were the law still saw her as a vigilante, using her power without a license. Some heroes were sent after her to apprehend her. Every time she managed to escape, most heroes going after her on sight.

Yet there was one hero that persisted, Ingenium. No matter how many times he lost her he would always track her down. Again and again, they came face to face, and every time she would leave him in the dust. Laughing as she jumped over rooftops, evading capture before disappearing.

Over time she had made a name for herself, and the public had taken to calling her Guardian, the Hero of Light. Granted she was an unofficial hero, a vigilante in the eyes of the law and other Pro Heroes.

A wannabe hero pest to some, and a new symbol to many.

Izuku Midoriya was 5 years old when he first met Guardian, a few months after her first debut.

-.-

The boy had been hiding in a cluster of bushes, growing worried with each passing minute.

He, Kacchan, and the others were playing a game of hide-and-seek. The game had been going on for hours, and he had been so confident in his hiding spot. He had figured he’d blend in perfectly with the greenery and he’d never be found. He ended up falling asleep for a while, only to wake up in the dark.

They hadn’t called out for him yet, which meant they had to still be looking for him. Right? He and Kacchan would play with the others for hours on end. Especially at hide-and-seek. They’d let him know if they were leaving, right?

Of course they would, but maybe they were looking in the wrong spot. Maybe it was time for him to change locations, maybe to somewhere they could find him easily. He was getting pretty tired and his mom must be worried, but he didn’t want to risk leaving Kacchan and the others behind. 

A hero wouldn’t do that, neither would a best friend.

He shifted around for a bit before standing up, humming as he brushed himself off. He looked around with a bit of unease. Everything was dark and he could hardly see his hand in front of his face.

His mother told him to be back before dark, Kacchan’s mom would want that too. That meant he had to find his friends and find them fast. Izuku’s mom told him about the monsters that would appear at night, the main reason kids would flee indoors once the sun started to set.

“Kacchan?” He called out hesitantly. Everything looked different in the dark, he wasn’t sure where he was. “Kacchan where are you?” He spoke a bit louder.

There was no answer.

The boy’s lip trembled as his eyes began to water. He sniffed before rubbing at his eyes, trying to calm himself down. He wasn’t supposed to cry, everyone said he cries too much.

“Maybe they thought I already went home.” He muttered, gripping at the hem of his shirt. “Maybe that’s why they’re not here.” He tried to reason it out. His mother always said to step back and think things over before panicking, it’s never as bad as you think.

“Kacchan?” He tried again, beginning to move forward. If he kept calling someone would respond, someone had to find him. He shuddered as a cold wind blew past him, making leaves rustle and sending branches swaying this way and that.

He walked forward, further into the forest whereas he thought he was going home.

“Kacchan!” He shouted, freezing when he heard a bush began to rustle and shift. He smiled, hopeful. He quickly walked over, he knew his best friend wouldn’t leave him! 

“Y-You didn’t leave! I’m sorry I was hiding for so long-” He began apologizing until he saw two beady yellow eyes staring at him from the foliage. First one pair, then two, then three, then soon enough he saw a wall of yellow eyes in the shadows ahead.

Izuku’s stomach dropped as he backed away, looking around. Only to see more eyes staring him down. He was surrounded. 

He whimpered while the creatures began to close in. He could hear them skittering all around, becoming eager as they grew closer and closer.

“Kacchan!” He called out, hoping someone would hear him. “Mama!” 

He yelped as one jumped forward, claws outstretched. He didn’t have a chance to dodge the creature before it pounced on him and began to claw at him. The child tried his best to fight back, screaming and crying while he tried to push the ant-like shadow off.

Just as the rest were about to overtake him, the air chilled and a frost began to appear on the ground. Before the creature attacking him could do any more damage, it was banished with a swipe of a blade. Disappearing in a puff of smoke.

He gasped and looked up, seeing a figure with a soft glow around her.

“W-Who-”

“Stay down, I’ll take care of the rest of them.” She spoke in a gentle yet firm tone.

Izuku could only bring himself to nod, watching in awe as the woman took a few steps forward. An even thicker frost began to manifest around them, leaving an untouched circle around herself and the child. 

She stared ahead at the wall of shadows and took a deep breath.

“Blizzaga: Overtake.”

She slammed her sword into the ground and a thick sheet of ice spread across the ground and slammed into the shadows, blowing them back before completely encasing them and freezing them in place.

With one fluid motion, she took her sword out of the ground and spun around with a loud shout. Sending a wave of ice from her blade, shattering the creatures that had been surrounding them. 

As soon as they were gone some of the darkness seemed to leave the forest, making it a bit easier for them to see.

As soon as the rest of the shadows dissipated the woman approached the sniffling child. She knelt down and held out a hand, producing a small flame and giving them a bit more light.

“Are you alright?” She asked, getting a good look at him. She frowned at the scratched and scrapes he had earned from the scuffle with the lone shadow. “What is a child like you doing out here so late at night?”

Izuku could only nod, biting his lip before he broke out into tears.

“I don’t know where my friends are!” He sobbed, wiping at his eyes. “We-We were playing a game, a-and I fell asleep. I woke up and it was dark, I-I’m trying to find them but I don’t know where I am! Then the monsters came and I was scared!”

The woman let him cry for a bit before gently picking him up, her strange weapon disappearing. The flame left for a second, plunging them into darkness while she adjusted her hold on him. He cried a bit harder as the dark returned.

“Hold on.” She murmured, trying to soothe him. She held out one hand again and created another flame, a bit brighter and bigger than the last.

Izuku clung to her and watched as she made some kind of sphere appear around the fire. It was clear with a few hexagonal shapes around the middle. It flashed a few times before staying as is.

“Can you hold this for me?” She asked him softly.

“That?” he asked, holding out his hands. He gasped as she passed it to him, it was warm to the touch. Not as hot as he was expecting. “Woah.”

“There, now we can see.” She hummed, stepping around a few bushes. Up ahead there was a small creek with a log acting as a bridge.

“Are we gonna try to find my friends?” Izuku asked, looking up to her. She had a mask that covered up the lower part of her face, it looked like some kind of armor. Granted it was incomplete, it still looked pretty tough.

“I didn’t see or hear anyone else before I found you.” She answered. “Maybe they’re already back home.”

Izuku looked down with a frown. “They left me?” He asked, biting his lip as he felt another wave of tears coming.

“No, no I’m sure they didn’t leave you. Maybe they thought you headed home too.” She tried to reassure him. 

He sniffed and nodded. “M-Maybe.”

The child rubbed at his eyes as he began to relax, once again looking at his savior. Who was she? Was she a hero? She looked kind of famliar.

“Who are you?” Izuku asked, tilting his head. “Are you a hero?”

The woman looked surprised before smiling. “I’m not a hero, I’m just doing my job.” She insisted. “Keeping people safe from the darkness.”

“But, you are a hero!” The child insisted. “You saved me, and you have such a cool Quirk!” He beamed. “And it’s a hero’s job to keep people safe.” 

That earned a soft laugh from her. “I suppose, maybe to you I’m a hero.”

The boy gave her a beaming smile. “That’s so cool. I wanna be a hero too.” He hugged the sphere holding the flame a bit tighter. “I wanna save people too, just like All Might, Just like you. Maybe my Quirk will come in soon, it hasn’t come yet though. Mama said I might just get it late…”

The woman glanced down at him, seeing his eyes water before he shook his head. 

“You have a dream.” She muttered, stopping after a moment. She could see some lights ahead, they were back near a neighborhood. They were close to where his home had to be.

He made a noise of confusion as she set him down, allowing him to keep their makeshift lantern. 

“Here, let me see.” She took his hand, sending a soft green glow over the boy’s body. Healing up all his scratches.

The boy gasped in surprise and looked at his arm. “It doesn’t hurt anymore.” 

The woman still had a hold of his hand.

“It’s good to have a dream, especially one like yours.” She stood up and ruffled his hair. “You should get going, does this place look familiar to you?” she asked.

Izuku looked around, nodding as he saw the gate his friend had broken down. “Yeah. Yeah! I know where I am! I can get home from here.”

“Good, now run along. I’m sure your mom is worried about you.” She gave him a gentle push.

“Me too.” The boy muttered. He took a few steps forward and then stopped. Still holding the little lantern. He turned around and walked back to the strange woman, hugging her legs. “Thank you!” 

Before the hero could respond he ran off, using the makeshift lantern to help him find his way. From afar there was someone calling out for him.

“It’ll disappear soon.” The woman muttered to herself, watching the boy run forward. “But he’ll be close enough to home by the time it does.”

She sighed and watched that light get further and further away, closer to the neighborhood and the voices that called out.

She hummed as she felt her magic fade.

“That boy, such a bright light.” She murmured. “I didn’t think I’d find something like that here.” She clenched her fists as she looked ahead.

She could still feel it from here, and that was what drew her to that area. Just in time to save the boy. So much raw power and energy radiated off of him, ready to be honed into something powerful.

She summoned her Master’s Keyblade and looked down at it.

“Maybe I should keep an eye on him. Just to be sure.”

Chapter Text

Pupil

He always felt so different compared to the other kids in the neighborhood. Compared to his friends, compared to Kacchan. 

He was never sure what it was, but he knew it was there. It was something he couldn’t describe. This weird...pull. It felt like a tug at his chest, pulling him this way and that. Like there was something inside him that wanted out, to show itself.

He wasn’t sure when that feeling manifested, it’s been with him for so long. Maybe some time after he met Guardian for the first time. Or maybe after his first fight with Katsuki, or maybe even before that.

Izuku was never sure what it was, but he did know one thing. 

Whenever he was met with one of the dark creatures everyone feared, that feeling in him would intensify. That something in him would demand he stand and fight, to face the darkness. Though no matter what he always found himself running away from them. 

He was scared, he was powerless. He had no way to defend himself from those things. The last time he tried he ended up doing more harm than good. Granted that harm was to himself, and he wasted the time of pros who spent a good couple moments yelling at him for being reckless. 

That was a few years ago, since then he had deigned to ignore that feeling. No matter how much it went against that strange instinct, to fight. To protect.

Though no matter how much he ran, the creatures would always hone in on him. Rushing towards him and taking any opportunity they had to swarm him. 

To say him getting yelled at by pros was a regular occurrence was an understatement. No matter how many times he insisted that he didn’t go after the creatures, and they chased after him his explanations fell upon deaf ears.

It was his fault.

He’s the one who irritated all those monsters.

If he just stayed on the sidelines where he belonged then there wouldn’t be any trouble.

And whenever it wasn’t a pro scolding him, it was her. The one who always kept her distance from him, but still seemed to watch from afar. 

Guardian.

She’s had to save him a few times whenever he got home late, either due to studying in the library or hiding out around the school to avoid Kacchan and his lackeys. Trying to run home and get ahead of him didn’t work out since they took the same route. 

Taking any other route would mean getting home later than what would be comfortable with his mom. It also meant the sun would be down well before he got home, which meant monsters. 

He’d rather risk taking the usual route home, thank you. It was quicker and he knew the area better. 

She never said anything, just watched and patrolled the area before disappearing. 

It was strange, whereas most kids looked up to All Might, Endeavor, or other top heroes he always found himself admiring Guardian. Yeah sure, All Might is pretty awesome, but Guardian was way cooler!

There was something about her that fascinated him, that drew him in. Like a moth to a flame. The way she moved, destroying those creatures with one swipe of her sword. How she harnessed the elements with ease, this strange energy always around her. Bending and twisting around her until it’s ready to be unleashed as something powerful.

It was amazing.

Something he could only ever hope to do, especially as a Quirkless person.

“Stupid Deku, you still wanna be a hero?”

“Of course, I-I can still do it!”

“Wanna bet?”

Izuku sighed and ran a hand up and down his arm, a burn from the previous day beginning to bother him again. An annoying itch biting at him and picking at his skin.

He was hardly listening to the lecture the teacher was giving them, he had heard it again and again from other teachers. Talking about how they should be considering what they want for their futures, what careers to look into.

Though a lot of them seemed to encourage the hero track for all but one. Each and every one feeling the need to point out that all but one could make it. And each and every time there was a crowd to laugh at him.

It never failed to make him hide in his arms, keeping his head down until the laughing stopped. 

Once again he was put into that position, ratted out by his teacher. Of course, just how he was planning on his day going. 

“I already know you all wanna go for the hero course!” The teacher shouted, throwing career aptitude tests into the air and prompting everyone to cheer loudly. Izuku glanced around to see kids using their Quirks, one having flames flare out from their hands, another turning into a rock. 

He grunted and gripped the edges of his desk as he felt that strange something in him flare up, seeking a way out but given none. This time it felt like an electric sensation, making his hands twitch and his heart skip a beat. 

“Ha! As if, don’t lump me in with these losers teach. They’ll be lucky to even be a sidekick to some washed up pro.” Katsuki stood on his desk, looking down at all the students around him. “I’m obviously the best here, and I’m gonna become the greatest hero of all time!” 

There he goes again…

“You wanna fight Katsuki!”

“You take that back!”

“Oh come on, I’ll take you all on!” He shouted, sparks flying from his hands. “I’ve aced all the mock tests, I’ve got one hell of a Quirk. I’m gonna beat All Might, becoming the richest and most popular hero, and it all starts at UA High!”

“Oh yeah, Midoriya aren’t you going for UA too?”

Izuku flinched and looked up as the class went silent. He looked around, opening his mouth to answer when everyone began laughing.

“Midoriya? A hero? You gotta be kidding!”

“He wants to shoot for UA? Ha, what a joke!”

Izuku looked down, feeling his face heat up in embarrassment. He flinched as someone threw a crumpled up ball of paper at him, and another threw a pencil which bounced off him.

“You can’t even get into UA without a Quirk, they don’t allow Quirkless losers like you!”

Izuku rushed to his feet, feeling the need to defend himself in some way. “Th-They got rid of that rule! I could be the first one, there’s no reason I can’t-”

Izuku was interrupted as Katsuki slammed a hand onto his desk, a loud explosion sounding out and knocking the boy to the ground. Izuku looked up to the blonde, eyeing the smoke coming from his hand.

“Listen here Deku, you’re worse than all of these losers! You really think they’d let some Quirkless wannabe in when they could have me?” He stepped closer, towering over the boy.

Izuku let out an ‘eep’ of surprise and shook his head. “Hold on Kacchan, I’m not trying to compete against you. Really! I-I just wanna be a hero, ever since I was a kid...you know that. Even if I don’t have Quirk, there’s no harm. I mean as long as I try my hardest...right?” He asked, looking up to his former friend. 

“Tch, you’d never be able to hang with the best of the best, you’d die in the exams! Defenseless Izuku, you wanna embarrass yourself more by failing so hard?” He grabbed Izuku by his collar, his hand smoking.

Izuku whimpered and looked away, praying that the boy wouldn’t set off an explosion so close to his face.

Before it could escalate any further the teacher spoke up. “Alright, Bakugo that’s enough, to your seats everyone let’s continue with the lesson.” He sighed, turning around and picking up a piece of chalk.

Katsuki glared at the instructor before huffing and throwing Izuku back against the wall and leaving.

Izuku steadied himself and hurried back to his seat, keeping his gaze to the charred desk. He could still feel the gazes of a few students linger on him. A few whispers and laughs cutting through the lecture.

Just keep your head down, you’ll be alright.

That strange feeling seemed to think otherwise, for just a moment a scorching heat settled into his chest before fizzling out a second later.

He was going to be alright.

That thought left his head as soon as he saw the scowl Katsuki was giving him.

-HoL-

“You damn nerd!”

Izuku saw stars as he was slammed into the wall, smoking hands gripping his collar. He flinched and turned his head, trying to escape the heat.

He had tried to run as soon as the bell rang, only getting so far before Katsuki caught up and dragged him to a quieter part of the school where no one would look. It didn’t matter, he had thought, Katsuki would have just found him somewhere else and taken his anger out then.

Why was he even angry?

“So, even though I told you over and over again you’re still applying for UA?” Katsuki snarled.

Oh, that was why. 

“I-I am...but Kacchan I’m not trying to-” Izuku was cut off with a punch to the face, letting out a small cry of pain.

“Look at yourself Deku, useless, Quirkless wannabe.” Katsuki slammed him into the wall again earning a few laughs from the two lackeys that followed him everywhere. “Still trying to be a hero? Is that it? Think you’re gonna be the first Quirkless hero?”

Izuku didn’t answer, keeping his head down. It was hard to tell if that was a rhetorical question or not with Katsuki.

“Are you gonna answer me or not nerd?” 

It was a real question.

“L-Like I said earlier...there’s no harm it trying. Right?” Izuku answered meekly. “Maybe I can pass and-”

That earned him another blow, this time to the stomach. He would have doubled over and held the area of pain if his wasn’t still held against the wall. Instead he could only cough and try to catch his breath. 

“Don’t think too highly of yourself Deku, you wouldn’t even make it in the exams. Hell, I’m sure once they see you’re Quirkless they’d just kick you out! As if they’d want someone as worthless as you, even in the Gen Ed course.”

Izuku kept his head down as Katsuki glared down at him. Before the blonde could say anything else there was a laugh from one of the two lackeys from behind him. He threw Izuku’s bag to the ground and stood up with his notebook in hand.

“Look at this Bakugo, this loser’s been taking notes on how to be a hero.” He laughed and showed the notebook to him. Red eyes looked over the cover, twitching the more they stared at it. After a moment Katsuki snatched the book and looked it over.

“You’re delusional! You really think taking stupid notes is gonna help you be a hero?” One of the others laughed at him, holding his sides.

Katsuki huffed and held up the book, staring Izuku in the eye as he slammed an exploding palm onto it. 

Izuku shouted in surprise and reached for his book. “W-Why would you-”

Katsuki followed up by tossing the book at the koi pond, a small splash being heard. Making the green haired boy scream out in alarm again. Izuku was about to try to run to the pond when Katsuki grabbed his arm and pinned him against the wall again.

“Listen here Deku…” He placed a smoking hand on his shoulder, digging his fingers in and ignoring the whimpers of pain. “Don’t even think of applying to UA, or else.” He grinned down at him. Turning up the heat a bit before letting Izuku go.

Katsuki gave him one last shove before they began walking away.

“Wow, for someone who wants to be a hero so bad I thought he would have had a bit more fight in him.”

“Right? Well I guess now he really sees it. He’ll never be a hero.” He tossed a random piece of trash at Izuku who stayed silent during the entire interaction. “Better he figure it out now rather than later.”

The two walked ahead, stopping when they noticed Katsuki wasn’t following, or rather taking the lead.

Izuku slowly went to gather his belongings when Katsuki turned to him, making him freeze in his tracks.

“You know Deku, there is one way you could become a hero.” He smirked at the way Izuku looked towards him, not quite facing him, that fragile little hope. “Pray you’ll get a Quirk in the next life, and take a swan dive off the roof.”

Izuku gasped, biting his lip as he clenched his hands into fists. He whirled around towards Katsuki in anger, hurt evident in his eyes. 

The bully only grinned and let off a few explosions. “Got a problem nerd?” He asked, raising an eyebrow. 

Izuku only stared at him before looking away, willing himself not to cry in front of them. That strange feeling was back, burning a hole in his chest and consuming his insides. A raging fire that wanted to be let out, only to be snuffed out as Katsuki walked away.

Izuku quickly gathered his belongings, furiously wiping at his eyes as he packed everything up. It was only when he was sure the others were gone that he had emerged from the small space he had been cornered in, allowing him to make his way towards the pond.

His vision blurred as he stared at the fish eating away at his book.

My dreams have been turned into fish food…

“That’s enough, give it back.” He muttered, grabbing the book and spooking the fish. He sniffed and looked it over. It was scorched and the ink had begun to run. “Stupid jerk…”

He was angry. Angry at Katsuki, angry how he was treated by the boy he considered his friend. Angry at how everyone was towards him. He wiped at his eyes again and hugged the notebook close. Trying his best to be careful with it.

He panted as the feeling writhed within him, switching between a burning blaze and a freezing chill that made his entire form shiver. He made his way out of the school with one hand clutching at his chest, trying to hold back the rest of his tears.

As he made his way home he couldn’t help but wonder how it got this bad, why his friend shifted his attitude the way he did. Him being Quirkless couldn’t be the only reason could it?

He was finally able to take a deep breath as he stepped outside the school gates, the feeling in his chest finally settling down. 

“Don’t even think of applying for UA, or else…”

His hands shook as he gripped his notebook tightly.

“It’s good to have a dream, especially one like yours.”

“Watch me.”

-HoL-

There’s something surreal about walking home with your grocery bags in tow, and seeing the Number 1 hero poke his head out of a manhole cover to look around before diving back underground. Though not before asking a question.

“Excuse me citizen, have you seen a slime villain anywhere?” All Might asked, looking towards the young lady. 

Aqua looked around before shaking her head. “Er, no sir.” 

“Right, thank you!” 

She sighed to herself and kept walking.

It’s been 10 years since she had first arrived to this world. 10 years she had been keeping the darkness at bay to the best of her ability, and 10 years heroes have been chasing after for breaking the law via vigilantism. 

There was one hero in particular that had been trying to catch her for the longest time, he would come close but she’d always managed to slip away at the last second. It didn’t really feel like so much a serious chase anymore, but more like a game between the two. 

A game of unmasking as they jumped from building to building and ducked through different alleyways. Ingenium was stubborn, and was getting better and better at chasing her. He had come close a few times, but always slipped at the last second. Whether it was intentional or not, she wasn’t sure.

If there was one thing she was thankful for it was her being able to keep her identity mostly a secret, hardly her showing her face while patrolling. Over the years she had been able to build a mimic of her Keyblade armor with a little bit of help. It wasn’t as strong as the original armor, but it was close enough.

Kept her safe enough, though whenever she broke it or had a bad enough dent she always had to request repairs. Though looking for the proper materials was a pretty difficult task in itself, more than once she’s had to substitute a few things.

She sighed as she pulled at the mask around her mouth then adjusted her hood. Even when she was out in public in the light of day she still kept her face hidden. It was better to be safe than sorry, especially when she had someone at home waiting for her. 

Home.

Well, a second home.

She had decided to make the World of Heroes her home for the time being, not that she had much choice.

It was when she first arrived that she realized she was stranded in that world. In her exhaustion she was desperate to get back to her friends, back to a familiar world. 

She ended only causing harm to herself as she tried to open a gateway to another world, she attempted to force her way through only to be rejected and thrown back into where she had ended up. It hadn’t taken long to realize that for some reason the world was sealed off, all gateways and lanes had been cut off.

Save for the Realm of Darkness. 

Or rather, what had saved her from the Realm of Darkness.

It was still a vivid memory, being cornered by a horde of creatures and doing whatever she had to in order to stay alive. They were hungry, ready to consume and put out any kind of light they could grasp on to. Even her own measly light, a pathetic beacon in the world of unending darkness.

She had pushed herself beyond the limit, using whatever magic energy she had and more. She had been running for what might have been hours, days, or even months. Hardly given a chance to rest whenever those creatures found her and decided to give chase. 

She thought it was all over once she had fallen from the ledge, the monsters choosing to chase after her even then. Just as they were about to reach her a bright light had come from the abyss below. 

So warm and radiant, wrapping around her and casting away the monsters with ease. Healing her wounds and giving her renewed vigor. It had taken her to the World of Heroes and brought her to the trash ridden beach. To a world that needed her.

Aqua hummed as she approached the old building she resided in. In was in a...not so nice part of town. But it was quiet and unoccupied, leaving her with plenty to work with. Especially with the residents she had taken in.

She looked around, staying in place until she was certain she wasn’t followed or had any attention on her. Once she was sure she slipped into an alleyway, moving quickly towards the end where the dumpster lay. 

She huffed and sped up into a run, jumping atop the dumpster and leaping up onto one of the air conditioners that stuck out of the building. She moved around with ease, jumping from wall to wall before diving into a small window with a makeshift curtain as cover. 

She yelped as she tried to land, her foot getting caught on something and causing her to tumble to the ground. She brought the groceries close to her chest and shielded them from the fall.

Aqua groaned as she rolled onto her back, staring at the old ceiling above. 

“I’m home!” She called out, sitting up to see a few Moogles looking towards her. 

“Welcome home kupo!” One of them waved to the Keyblade Master, then went back to their previous task.

“We have a door, kupo.” One of the older Moogles walked up to her just to dig through the bag and grab a pack of sweets she picked up. “I recommend you use it.”

Aqua laughed and stood up. “I know, but it would have taken me a bit longer if I used it.”

“You wouldn’t have fallen, kupo.”

She hummed and walked over to a table, placing the bag down and taking out the perishables. “You know I thought a certain someone would have come running out by now to greet me.”

“She would be, if she wasn’t napping.” The older Moogle grunted, opening the candies.

“She’s asleep?” Aqua looked over in surprise. “That’s good, she had a pretty rough night last night.” She went over to the fridge.

The Moogle nodded in agreement. “You’re heading out again?” 

“Yup, gotta go check on something real quick.” Aqua shrugged off her sweater. 

“Hmm, something or someone ?”

Aqua went quiet, glancing over to the Moogle with a raised eyebrow. “...Perhaps.”

“Why you haven’t approached him yet still escapes me. You’re a Keyblade Master, yet you seem so hesitant on taking on a pupil.” He shot her a look. 

“I’m not hesitant.” She argued. I just...I just want him to be ready. This isn’t something that should be thrown onto someone, and if he isn’t ready then-”

“If I wanted to hear your excuses kupo I would have asked for them. Go, you’re burning daylight.” He huffed.

Aqua sighed and nodded, hurrying out of the room to get her armor. 

“Let me know when she wakes up.”

“How?”

“You know how to use a phone.”

“I suppose...”

“You know you do!”

-HoL-

“Why are you being so mean Kacchan?

“Get lost Deku!”

“Wait up Kacchan!”

“I don’t need your help, I’m not a weakling like you!”

“Kacchan…”

“No one wants you around, useless Deku.”

“T-That’s not true…”

“You really wanna be a hero? Pray you’ll get a Quirk in the next life and take a swan dive off the roof.”

Izuku sighed as he stood in front of the tunnel. Katsuki’s words still rattling in his mind. He had tried again and again to push them out of his mind, but no matter what they would come back. 

“Take a swan dive off the roof.”

He swallowed hard and shook his head. 

“You can’t just say stuff like that, what if I really jumped then what? Whatever...you’re not gonna stop me Kacchan…” He muttered, wiping at his eyes. He took a deep breath and started walking forward, choosing to take a page from All Might’s book and plastered a smile on his face.

He started laughing like his idol and marched forward, clutching his book tightly.

I won’t let you stop me, I can’t stop. I’m gonna be a hero! I have to believe in myself, even if no one else will, I’ll keep smiling!

He continued to laugh on his way, unaware of the slime seeping out of the manhole behind him. It wasn’t until he was halfway through the tunnel, he became aware of another presence. Something foul and malicious, the air turning sour with a rancid smell.

He whimpered, turning around despite his instincts telling him to run and get out of there. He paled as he saw a wall of slime behind him, towering over him before a pair of eyes and a mouth appeared.

“Good, you’ll make a perfect skin suit for me to hide in…” The villain grinned down at the teenager, watching him tremble and shake. Izuku was barely able to snap out of it long enough to turn around and start running, he didn’t get far before the villain pounced on him and enveloped him in the foul goop.

He screamed out as sludge was forced down his throat and suffocated him. He writhed and thrashed around as best he could as more and more of the sludge wrapped around him.

“It’ll be a lot easier for the both of us if you stop struggling kid. It’ll only hurt for a minute, then you’ll feel better soon.” He crooned. 

Izuku tried to scream again as he grabbed at the slime, desperately craving oxygen and only getting more of the slime forced down his throat. He gasped as the strange sensation came back, this time it felt like it had slammed into him. An intense heat burning him, itching beneath his skin and begging for a way out.

“Grab all you want kid, my body’s made of fluid. There’s no use, but thanks for the help. I had no idea he was in the city. Gotta get out of here before he tracks me down, and you’re gonna help me with that.”

No! I don’t...can’t breathe…

He began to feel lightheaded, dark spots filling his vision. His struggles grew weaker and weaker, still grabbing at the slime.

I think I’m dying…

He stopped kicking at the villain, his consciousness fading. The only thing keeping him somewhat coherent was the heat under his skin.

No! I don’t want to die! Not here...please!

He made one more feeble attempt to grab at the slime, feeling himself go limp.

Help!

He wasn’t sure what it was, but it felt like something clicked. Something had shifted into its proper place.

The ground seemed to open up as that heat inside him exploded, turning into a raging inferno that seemed to burn him from the inside out.

He screamed, this time his voice echoing loudly in the tunnel as the slime wrapped around him was caught in the intense blaze.

“What the-” the slime villain screamed as he began to dry up, the sudden fire surprising him and making him panic. “Stop! Stop!” He yelled, trying to get away from the boy.

Izuku was unaware of the outside world, his only focus was letting the world know how much pain he was in as the fire consumed him from within. Something was being eaten away, like a well whose water had begun to dry up.

What...is this?!

He didn’t even register the pain of crashing into the ground, only able to feel the intense heat. It was unbearable, yet at the same time it was a welcome sensation. It was like relieving a pressure that had been there for the longest time. 

Now only if he could make it stop. 

He didn’t know how, he just couldn’t.

Stop! Stop, please. It...hurts!

It was a floodgate he couldn’t close. He let out another scream as the flames seemed to rage harder, in his desperation to make it stop it only seemed to grow worse. 

He wasn’t sure how long he had been there, lost in a sea of flames that ate away at him. He had already forgotten about the sludge villain, his only focus on what was happening. Even though there was no more slime being forced down his throat it was still hard to breathe. The air was hot and thick, it felt like with every breath he only took in flames. 

Without warning he felt a large hand grab him and a loud voice cut though his thoughts.

“Young man, please deactivate your Quirk!”

Quirk? No, that couldn’t be what this was, he didn’t have one.

He couldn’t get that part out, only managed a feeble, “I can’t…”

“Young man can you hear me?”

“I-I can’t!” He howled. “No...control!”

He heard a few garbled words he couldn’t make out, it took a moment before whoever had him spoke again.

“Apologies young man.”

He didn’t get a chance to question the owner of the voice before he felt a fist slam into his gut. He was only able to gasp for air before blacking out.

-.-

Izuku groaned as he began to rouse from unconsciousness, feeling someone lightly slapping the side of his face. The slapping stopped as he opened his eyes, vision blurred. 

“There you are young man, thought we lost you there! How are you feeling?” A familiar voice spoke to him. Izuku shook his head, trying to both place the name of the voice and shake away the pain the volume caused.

He coughed and pushed himself to sit up, everything hurt. His skin felt too hot, and he was pretty sure his abdomen was bruised with how it was feeling. There was also something else, a sort of emptiness in him. That strange feeling that had plagued him for most of his life now felt faint and quiet.

He stopped as he finally recognized the voice. He slowly looked up to see the Number 1 hero standing over him. His white shirt was burned on one side, seemingly to barely hold together.

He wanted to scream in surprise and scramble away, only managing a small yelp before devolving into a coughing fit. It felt like there were ashes in his throat.

“Woah there young man, calm down.” He felt the hero push a large bottle into his hands. “I have to thank you, you were a big help!” 

Izuku glanced down to the liter bottle of soda in his hands as the hero held out another liter bottle. That one was filled with green sludge, he could see the eyeballs floating around in there.

“I’ve captured the evil doer!”

Izuku had taken a small drink of the bottle, bringing instant relief to his throat, before going back to marvelling at the hero before him. 

It’s All Might...it’s really him! Standing in front of me. He looks so much cooler in person!

“H-Hold on can you please sign my notebook? I think I’ve got a pen around here somewhere!” He looked around frantically, seeing his notebook off to the side. He gasped and stood up to go over to it, only to feel the world tilt and fall to the ground again with a loud thud.

“Ah! Try not to move around too much young man, your Quirk certainly did a number not only on the villain, but to yourself as well.” He knelt down with the notebook in hand. “I understand that in stressful situations we tend to lose control but still, someone else could have gotten caught up in that.”

My Quirk..?

Izuku gave the hero a look of confusion before taking his notebook and hurriedly thumbing through it for a free page, only to make a noise of surprise as he found the hero’s signature.

“Woah! Thank you!” He managed to sit up again. “But...All Might sir, I don’t-”

“Now if you’ll excuse me young man I have to get this guy to the police station so they can deal with him. Be careful, see ya ‘round!” He secured the bottle into one of his pockets and began to walk away.

“But, h-hold on! I still have to-”

“Stand back, I’m taking off.” All Might announced, Izuku’s plea going unheard. The boy was still struggling to get to his feet. 

“Wait, I have to ask you-”

“Thanks for your continued support!” The hero took off, leaving Izuku alone. He stared at the sky, watching the hero fade into the distance.

But I still had questions…

Izuku sat there for a bit before sighing and falling into his back. So much for that…

Now that he wasn’t focused on something else he felt felt the intensity of how much everything hurt . He felt way too hot, though the breeze did help a bit.

He stopped and looked down, he shouldn’t have been able to feel the breeze. He gasped as he saw his black blazer burnt to a crisp. There was hardly anything left.

His white shirt was burnt badly, but at least enough for him to still be decent. The sleeves were gone. The bottoms of his pants were burnt as well, but at least they still had their length. 

He held up his arm to see a few light burns marring his arms, nothing too severe. 

He gulped as he got to his knees, packing his book back into his bag. The dizziness hadn’t gone away, though he hoped it would fade with time. 

What was that?

He stood on shaky legs, nearly falling over. He stumbled over to a wall for support. 

How did I do that?

There was no way that could have been him...he doesn’t have a Quirk! And how would it be anything akin to whatever he did earlier? His mother had telekinesis and his father fire breath. 

Why now? Why would it appear now all of a sudden?

He couldn’t stop thinking about it as he may his way home best he could in his state. 

That fire storm, how the flames seemed to burn him from the inside out. A torrent of power, raw energy he just couldn’t stop. It left him breathless, and...almost craving more. 

As much concern as he held for the strange power he couldn’t help but think how it felt right. Like a piece of him that had been returned.

“Oh man...how am I gonna tell mom about this?” He muttered. “Yeah mom I was attacked by a villain found out I had a Quirk! That’s not gonna go over well…”

He groaned and came to a stop when the spinning got too bad. He wanted to do nothing more than lay down and rest. Think on all of it later.

You can’t do that here. Just get home.

He nodded to himself and clutched his backpack straps tightly. It wouldn’t take him too long to get home.

I should be able to get there before sundown...maybe.

-HoL-

It was a loud buzzing that woke him up, stirring him from the deep sleep he collapsed into.

He groaned and fished for the source of the incessant buzzing, his phone. He looked at it through bleary eyes, unable to make out the contact information.

He pressed the answer button and held it to his ear. Not sure who on earth would be calling him.

“Hello..?”

“Izuku?!”

Mom!

He sat up in a hurry and looked around, finding himself in an alley. How did he get there?

“Izuku I was so worried! You didn’t come home and you weren’t answering your phone! Where are you? Are you okay?”

“S-Sorry mom!” He shouted, getting to his feet. “I uh, I ended up falling asleep in the park and yeah! I was really tired and...I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.” He frowned, leaning against a wall.

“I’m just glad you’re okay. I was ready to send out a search party for you, hurry home okay sweetie? It’s already dark out, and I don’t want you out any longer than you have to be.” She sounded nervous, she had probably spent the last hours or so pacing back and forth.

“I won’t! Don’t worry mom, I’ll be home soon. Promise!”

“Okay, be careful.”

“I will!”

He waited a moment before hanging up with a sigh. He rubbed his eyes and shook his head.

“How did I get here?” He muttered, peeking out of the alleyway and looking around. Much to his horror, he was more near the downtown area than the park. He was a good distance from home. 

“You gotta be kidding me, first the sludge villain now this?” He whispered to himself. “Great I’m gonna make her worry even more now.” He stepped out after making sure his backpack still had everything. At least he hadn’t lost everything.

He sighed and shook his head. At least the dizziness was gone, and he felt much better after that impromptu nap. He didn’t feel as empty anymore, but that weird feeling wasn’t bothering him as much. 

He ran towards the busiest street he could find, it was better to stay in large groups and well lit areas. Lest those monsters snatch someone from the darker streets.

He tried his best to ignore the strange looks he got from strangers, he knew he looked like crap but there wasn’t much he could do about it. If he was lucky no one would stop him and ask him anything, he doubted anyone would believe that All Might saved him from a villain after he freaked out and unleashed...whatever that was. 

As he walked he felt some kind of hope spark in him. He had a Quirk now, he really did have one. It took him a long time to get it to manifest but now...now he could definitely be a hero. He wasn’t a useless Deku anymore, he wasn’t Quirkless! Maybe that would make everyone stop teasing him.

Maybe, he still had to learn how to control it. He had no idea how to summon it let alone manipulate it. That would lead to a whole host of new problems.

Useless Deku, he finally gets a Quirk and he can’t even use it!

He could already hear Katsuki’s insults. It made that hope waver a bit, but it didn’t put it out. Maybe he’d be okay, if he worked hard at it he’d be good at using his Quirk in no time. Maybe just in time for the UA Entrance Exams.

Don’t even try it, you’re gonna fail anyway.

He doesn’t know that, no one knew that. They couldn’t be certain, he might just succeed.

He groaned to himself, trying to push the possibilities out of his mind. The thought of even telling anyone, even Katsuki filled him with dread. They would demand he show them, he might try and end up hurting someone in the process. He cringed as he thought back to All Might, he had burned the man. He also burned himself, what if next time was even worse? What if he actually killed somebody?

In his rollercoaster of thoughts he ended up crashing into someone and almost falling over. He had managed to stay on his feet, only to get pushed away and land on the ground.

“Watch where you’re going you...Deku.”

“Eep!” 

Izuku backed away and scrambled to his feet to get a look at who he offended. Katsuki, of course, just his luck.

“Uh...hi Kacchan?”

“What the hell are you doing here? Why do you look like shit?”

“I-I just am! I ended up here and uh...yeah. I’m heading home.” He kept his head down, feeling the eyes of people as they passed by. 

He waited, expecting some kind of yell of berating from the blonde.

“Tch. Whatever, go home loser!”

“I-I am...but you should too. It’s not safe to be out after dark Kacchan.”

“Get lost loser, I can take care of myself! I’m not useless like you are!” He yelled, glaring down at the boy. Even so the two walked in the same direction, keeping a reasonable distance between each other.

The two said nothing to each other, one occasionally looking to the other before looking away. The other keeping his gaze straight ahead.

“So what, you go somewhere just to get your ass kicked? The ass whooping I give you earlier wasn’t enough?” He snarled.

“N-No! Uh...it was a...I uh ran into a villain and yeah.” He fidgeted and played with his hands.

“How the hell are you even still alive Deku?” 

“...Luck?”

“Fuck off.”

Izuku flinched and looked slowed down so he was trailing behind Katsuki. He frowned and looked down, eyes catching the bag in Katsuki’s hand. A grocery bag, oh. That’s why he was out so late.

Neither said anything to the other, leaving them with a heavy, uncomfortable silence. They turned down a few different streets, slowly making their way home. Not as many people were out anymore, a lot of them hurrying inside or rushing into cabs.

Izuku sighed and looked at Katsuki before looking back ahead.

Should I tell him…?

He inwardly cringed at the thought. It could end badly, then again…

He at least wanted Katsuki to know, he didn’t know why he just did. He felt like maybe he should know.

The events of earlier came back to him, and that thought was quickly put to rest. If Katsuki knew he had a Quirk he might actually beat him harder and more frequently. It might just make things worse. 

“Why are you still trailing after me loser? Go home!” Katsuki shouted, knocking Izuku out of his thoughts.

“I-I am Kacchan! But we kinda live near each other, a-and well it’s dangerous to be out at night alone with all the monsters and-”

“Shut up!” 

Izuku bit his lip and nodded, still following after him. He would hurry home ahead of him if he could, but that meant leaving Katsuki behind, and leaving him alone in the dark.

“I don’t need you to take care of me Deku, I can do that all on my own. Get lost.”

The street was mostly empty at this point, very few people were wandering around. No one was aware of the pale yellow eyes that stared at them from afar. The excited skittering that started up and crawled around the shadow.

“We shouldn’t split up...something could happen.” Izuku muttered.

“Yeah? And if it does, what? What are you gonna do? Run away like a damn coward?”

Izuku bit his lip. “There’s no need to be so mean Kacchan…”

“I’m just stating facts nerd.” He bit back.

Izuku frowned and rubbed at his arms. “Still though…”

“Still what nerd?”

“N-Nothing…”

Maybe he won’t treat as badly...what if he leaves me alone? I’d be just like everyone else.

Uncertainty swirled around in his thoughts, it was Kacchan. He was his best friend, it just felt right for him to know.

“Oi Deku.”

Izuku looked over.

“You better have taken what I said earlier seriously. If you’re still thinking about applying for UA I’ll kick your ass.” He growled. “ I’m the one getting into UA, and showing everyone what I’m made of. You got that? You’ll just drag everyone down.”

Izuku looked to the side. “Y-You don’t know that…”

“Yeah, I do Deku. You’re Quirkless what the hell do you think you can do?”

“I-I don’t...I’m…”

“You can’t do shit Deku, you’re useless.” He hissed, getting in his face. “You’re just a Quirkless loser who can’t do shit!”

“What if...What if I’m not useless though…” Izuku bit his lip. “What if I can do something?”

“As if loser!”

Izuku frowned as the sensation came back, once again writhing around inside of him. He looked down before looking back to Katsuki.

“But...maybe I can Kacchan. Just...you know I-”

“Shut up Deku! When are you gonna get it through your head that you’re just so damn useless!”

“No I’m not Kacchan! Not anymore I-I...I-”

He was cut off with a shrill scream that sounded from down the street and caught the boys’ attention. The both looked over to see a woman running from a horde of the dark creatures.

Before the two could react a loud crash was heard from somewhere behind them.

They looked back to see another tide of monsters swooping in towards them. Izuku looked up and froze, trying to will himself to jump out of the way of the monsters, only to find his legs stuck in place.

Move! Move!

“Get out of the way nerd!” He felt a hard shove before falling to the ground. He looked up in surprise, paling as the world seemed to slow down.

He was only able to catch the look of horror, a flicker of fear in his eyes, as he was swept up by more of the creatures. The tide beginning to converge with more somewhere further down the street.

“Kacchan!” He screamed, watching the tide of darkness race to the others. 

He scrambled to his feet to see the stream of darkness that had taken his friend. Izuku could see faint flashes of light, making a few of the creatures go flying before rejoining the group. He could hear the shouts and yells of Katsuki screaming expletives and telling the monsters to let go of him.

He paled as he watched the creatures gather and converge in the middle of the street into a large black, writhing sphere. 

He could hear the screams of other people, and the explosions from Katsuki’s quirk. 

Izuku watched the creatures swirl around, yellow dots standing against the shadows as their claws raked and tore at the victims inside. 

“Kacchan…” Izuku muttered, he could see the small flashes of light. He was still yelling, he was still alive.

A loud siren snapped Izuku out of his frozen state and made him look around again, the alarm was on. That usually meant anyone in the area had to get out now . That also meant the heroes were on their way.

Guardian.

Guardian would be there too, she’d be there soon. She was the only one that could take on those monsters and make sure they stay gone. 

But if there are a lot of heroes she might get scared of getting caught…

It hadn’t stopped her before.

What if she doesn’t come? What if the heroes don’t get here in time?

That thought scared Izuku, just enough to take a few steps forward before someone grabbed his shoulder and stopped him.

“What are you doing kid? Get out of here!” It was Death Arms. “It’s not safe.”

Izuku stared at him for a moment before opening his mouth. “Th-There’s some-”

“You have to get out of here! It’s not safe for you.” Backdraft ran up. “Leave this area immediately, please young man.”

“But there’s-”

An enraged scream sounded out from the cluster of shadows, accompanied by a large explosions. Making the monsters startle, before becoming even more frenzied as some fell to the ground and scattered.

Izuku watched as a few tried to charge the heroes, only to get knocked back or thrown away.

“There’s someone in there!” A hero shouted.

“What?”

“That’s what I was trying to-”

“Kid, you have to go. Leave this to the pros!” He was shoved back as another stream of darkness came to try and snatch up the heroes. They managed to dodge it and knock more of them away.

Izuku backed up and dodged as best he could to avoid the monsters. He couldn’t run, he couldn’t bring himself to leave that place.

He yelped and ducked to avoid a few monsters, backing up and allowing one of the heroes to make a large swipe.

“We have to rescue whoever’s in there first.”

“How are we going to get him?”

“We need to clear some of them out before we can get to him! Knock them away.”

“No, we could hurt the boy.”

“DIE!” Another loud yell cut through their arguing, another large blast and a cry of pain following after.

He’s reaching a limit…

Izuku gasped as he felt panic begin to set in, his body feeling hot and cold at the same time, an electric sensation sparking over his skin. Putting an annoying buzzing in his head as he watched the heroes fight to keep the monsters at bay. 

He looked around at the top of buildings, Guardian should have shown up by now. She’s usually on top of stuff like this...unless this thing wasn’t the only one in the city.

All Might!

At least he should be here. Maybe he could get Katsuki, those things have hardly ever touched him before. Surely he’d be able to get him out of there safely with no injury.

  What if he’s dealing with other villains? Other monsters? Does he even know any of this is happening?

A small crowd had gathered around the area, those who hadn’t run away yet were watching in awe as the heroes danced around the large sphere of dark creatures. Still deciding what to do. The explosions had gotten weaker, not as frequent.

They have to get him…

Izuku looked around desperately, hoping and praying that one of the two heroes he looked up to would show up.

They’ll be here soon enough. They’ll get Kacchan and save the day...he just has to hang on.

And if they don’t?

Izuku bit his lip, ignoring the shouts of the heroes telling him and the small late night crowd to run and get out of there. They should have cleared out by now and given the heroes the space they needed to work.

I can’t leave...I’m not gonna leave him behind. 

He grunted as that feeling intensified, something that told him to run and charge into the darkness. Something that spurred him on to run forward.

You have a Quirk now...you’re not useless you can do something!

You’re being arrogant! You can’t even control it, you literally just figured out you had one afterall! You’re not a hero, that would be illegal, and you’d be causing trouble for the heroes…

His eyes darted around as his heart raced, where were they? 

They were running out of time, he knew this. It was a heavy dread that sat in his gut, growing worse with every second. He began to wring his hands as he stared.

They just had to pull him out, then they could go all out. 

Izuku looked up as there was one more large explosion, from where he stood he could see Katsuki. Clawing and scratching his way out of there, reaching the surface for just a moment. He yelled while trying to drag himself out of there.

Grab him...grab him and drag him out!

“Get the hell off me!” He shouted. He was getting weaker, getting dragged back despite his best efforts.

“What are the heroes doing?”

“Oh my god there’s a kid in there!”

“This is really bad. Isn’t All Might in town? Where is he?”

“Where’s Guardian?”

“Maybe we should get out of there.”

Izuku shifted from foot to foot, his mind still racing at miles and minute trying to figure something out.

Izuku looked back to the shadowy sphere to his best friend, the world stopped as he made eye contact with Katsuki.

He was terrified.

He didn’t register it at first, but he had raced forward. His legs moving on their own as he sped past the heroes and towards the shadows.

He heard the shouts of the heroes for him to get back, and asking what he was doing.

He saw a large stream of the creatures coming towards him, that only spurred him on.

“No! It’ll kill him!”

“Kid get back here!”

Izuku ignored them, throwing himself to the side before getting back to his feet and running towards the sphere.

He could still see Katsuki, he wasn't gone yet.

“Kacchan!” He screamed, reaching out a hand and jumping forward.

He felt Katsuki grab onto his hand, before both were dragged inside. The outside world becoming mute.

“Deku...you little bastard!”

Izuku said nothing as he felt onto Katsuki for dear life, his mind racing for a solution. He grunted as he received a light punch on his head. 

The darkness swirled around them as the creatures swiped and scratched at them before returning to their fold. It was like being in the eye of the storm, a moment of calm before a tide of creatures came to attack them.

Izuku did his best to shield his friend from the attacks, he had to get them out of there. Or at least Katsuki, he wasn’t sure how much more the boy could take.

Izuku shouted as another wave tore through them, earning new wounds.

They were pushed and tossed around in there, the creatures obscuring their vision from the outside world. Izuku thought he caught glimpses of the heroes, if he could just toss Katsuki out of there…

They yelled as another wave crashed into them, seemingly adamant about killing them off. 

“Get off me...you damn nerd!”

Izuku yelled as they were crashed into again and tossed in a different direction. 

Maybe I can…

Izuku gasped as he saw another wave coming, he grunted as he positioned them so he’d take the brunt of the hit. 

As they went flying Izuku roughly pushed him out where he could briefly see the heroes.

“Kacchan go!” He yelled, getting caught in another wave.

Katsuki didn’t get any time to yell or react before being thrown out of the cluster and onto the street at the feet of the heroes.

He grunted and scrambled to his feet, seeing the sphere grow more agitated it seemed. He could hear any shouts from inside.

“Deku you little bastard!” He was about to run forward when a hero grabbed him and demanded he get back.

From inside Izuku was on a new form of panic, getting tossed around like a rag doll and clawed into like there was no tomorrow. If this kept up then that’s certainly be the case for him.

He was caught in a moment of calm, for just a second. He could see all the creatures writhing and skittering over each other. Yellow eyes honed in on him.

It took him back to a different time. Where he was younger and helpless. Someone had saved him then, who was going to save him now!

He braced himself for another wave and met out a cry of pain, with only seemed to spur them on as another wave came, then another.

I have to get out...I can’t do anymore!

The sensation grew worse, burning and freezing and sparking all around him. Begging to be let out.

How do I use you?

Izuku felt it grow worse, back to unbearable. 

What if I hurt someone?

He yelled as he was tossed around.

What if I die…?

You will if you don’t do something!

What could he do? How would he do it? The heroes weren’t coming, All Might and Guardian were who knows where!

He cried out again as he took another hit. Everything hurt, he figured he didn’t have a lot of time left before they would finish him off.

He stared at the sea of shadows before him, his mind racing and looking for answers. Something he could use, anything!

His panic was getting worse by the second, being knocked around and clawed into was making him desperate. He screamed as a large group converged on him, the cluster of shadows growing smaller and denser from the outside.

Stop.

They swarmed around him, ignoring the drop in temperature.

Stop!

He flailed around, kicked and hit whatever he could.

Stop it!

He thought he heard someone from the outside.

I don’t want to die…

There was ice and fire beneath his skin, a sensation he somewhat recognized from earlier.

He felt tears stream down his face as he looked at an oncoming wave. He wouldn’t be able to survive that, there was no way.

He whimpered and wrapped his arms around himself to stop the chill that had settled into his bones.

I don’t want to die!

It was like the air had been knocked out of him, ice raced through his veins as the temperature dropped dramatically. 

From the outside others could feel a slight drop in temperature.

Katsuki glared at the cluster of monsters, pausing when he thought he saw a small shimmer in the midst of it all.

“What the…”

A loud scream cut through the mutters of the crowd and the shouts of the heroes. Everyone looked up to the cluster of monsters, staring in surprise as a frost began to cover the monsters. They began to slow down, before ice covered a large majority of them.

Katsuki felt his eye twitch as the scream intensified, ice flaring around and making the air colder. A few heroes stepped back in surprise, some of the crowd running away.

The sphere had been seemingly frozen over, a few of them still moving around and swirling around what seemed to be the source. Deku’s screaming had stopped after a moment.

“There’s no fucking way…” He muttered, staring straight ahead. “You damn nerd…” He took a weak step forward, glaring angrily at the sphere. “I’m gonna kill you, you little bastard!”

He yelled as he took off, shaking off a hero that grabbed him. He grunted at the aching of his arms, he was confident that he messed them up in his desperation to get away.

“No! Get back here it’s still dangerous!” One of the heroes ran after him as he brought his hands up and grit his teeth. 

“DIE!” He shouted, hands sparking for a moment before one more large explosion was set off. Sending smoke billowing into the sky, and an ear piercing shatter through the area. Everyone ducked as ice went everywhere and a cloud of darkness rose up from a large amount of deceased monsters.

Katsuki yelled in pain and held his arms, it hurt to even move them. He stumbled back and looked up to see Izuku go flying in the other direction and landing hard on the street. It was hard to tell if he was breathing.

“Holy…”

“Did that kid just-”

“Get down!”

Katsuki looked up to see a few more monsters, not as many as before. They all swirled around each other before splitting off into two more groups. A final attack.

Katsuki looked up to see one large wave heading towards him, while the other raced towards the body on the street.

He grunted as he raised his stiff arms, biting his lip as he stared down the monsters.

Izuku was barely able to prop himself on his elbows to see the oncoming swarm, ready to swallow him again.

Before either group could crash into their victims two heroes appeared. 

Rather, a hero and a vigilante.

Katsuki didn’t get a chance to react before the number one hero threw himself in front of the boy.

“There is no need to fear. Because I am here!” He yelled, one hand forming into a fist. “Detroit...SMASH!” He bellowed out, throwing a fist forward and with a large gust of wind he sent the demon tide away. Scattering all the creatures and sending them running.

Izuku couldn't marvel at All Might for the second time in the same day, the fear of death still before him. Just as it was about to come crashing down on him a familiar armored body appeared in front of him and raised her hands.

A clear sphere appeared around then, deflecting the attack. Without a word she snapped her fingers and made the barrier explode, knocking back the tide. She summoned her strange weapon and raised it.

“Thundaga!”

A large bolt of lightning appeared over her and striking down from the sky. Making the rest of the monsters dissipate. Much to his surprise, Izuku hadn’t been harmed in the slightest attack. Expecting a shock of some kind to himself.

She stood there for a moment, staring at the crowd at the other side of the street. There was the sound of thunder rumbling in the sky. 

She turned away as a loud cheer was heard, followed by another until whatever was left of the crowd was shouting and crying their praises. Guardian faced Izuku and knelt down, looking over his injuries.

“Look at you, all roughed up. Couldn’t stay out of trouble could you?” She asked, raising her hand with a small green glow.

“Guardian…” he mumbled, shivering violently.

“Shh, I’m sorry I couldn’t get here earlier.” She murmured, small petals of light falling around him and healing whatever injuries they touched. 

“Y-You’re here…” He tried to sit up, hardly able to move a muscle.

“You used so much more energy than you had. Try not to move.” She reached into a small pouch around her waist and pulled out what looked like a small blue stone. 

She lightly tossed it above him, he flinched and expected it to hit him. Only for it to dissolve and fall over him, some of the exhaustion wore off. Not all of it, but he didn’t feel like passing out anymore.

He was still shivering, frost and bits of ice covering his arms and face.

“I-Is Kacchan ok-okay?” He asked. “He’s...He’s the-“

“Everyone on the other side looks like they’re doing just fine.” She helped him sit up before taking off her cape and draping it over him.

There was this tension around her he could sense. This nervousness that made her move quickly.

“You-You should go.” Izuku shuddered. “T-The heroes…”

“I’ll be fine, it’s my job to help people isn’t it?”

“But-“

“Guardian! I see we have crossed paths again!” All Might could be heard somewhere behind her.

“Damn it…” she sighed. “Looks like it’s time for me to go. Be careful.” She whispered before standing up.

“All Might! It’s good to see you too, it looks like you have everything under control. So I guess I’ll take my leave.”

“Now hold on young lady.”

“Sorry, you know how it is. Wanted by the law for illegal activity despite bringing peace. Bye!”

“Now hold on.”

She was already gone. 

Izuku didn’t even see her take off, surprisingly All Might hadn’t gone after her but instead stood over the shivering boy.

“Didn’t think we’d meet again young man.”

“...Hi.”

“The heroes told me what you did young man. That was very reckless.” 

Izuku looked down, ready to be scolded by his idol.

“But it was very brave as well.”

Izuku stared at him for a moment before the hero coughed into his hand.

“Take care young man. Be careful on your way home.” He turned around and rushed off.

-.-

He was scolded by the heroes that had arrived on the scene, told his he was reckless and could have gotten himself and others killed. He should have just stayed back and let them handle it. 

They said he was lucky they weren’t going to charge him for illegal Quirk usage. 

Meanwhile he could hear praises for Katsuki, saying how powerful his Quirk was and how brave he was for being able to withstand being in there as long as he had. 

Izuku couldn't help but let it bother him as he walked home. The heroes escorted them until a certain point, then the boys split off. 

Katsuki wouldn’t look at Izuku it even yell at him. He was quiet through the entire walk. It wasn’t until they were about to split off when Izuku had tried to speak to him.

“Kacchan...are you-”

“Shut up Deku.” He didn’t yell. His voice was quiet, he kept his head down. “Get out of home and get lost you damn nerd.”

“Kacchan-”

“Get lost loser! Before I fucking kill you! Don’t think I owe you anything!”

Izuku stepped back, looking the boy up and down. 

“I-I wasn’t...I just want to know if you’re-”

Katsuki narrowed his eyes and raised his hand, making Izuku back up a bit.

“Get. Lost.”

Izuku stared at him for a moment before nodding and backing up, careful not to turn his back until Katsuki was gone.

He was fine, he was okay, he was alive. So was Izuku.

Izuku sighed and walked forward, he rubbed at his eyes and looked ahead. A bone deep exhaustion set in, not as bad as the first time. He figured he wasn’t going to collapse again, at least not until he got home.

“Oh man, mom’s gonna be so worried…” He muttered to himself. “I should’ve been home hours ago…”

He would have to apologize to her as she fretted over him, asking why he was so beaten up.

And then there was the discussion of his Quirk. That was going to be a whole other host of issues. His mom might be happy, yeah, but when she hears how he found out about it she’ll probably pass out from shock.

His Quirk.

It was a weird thing, it made him nervous to use it, but it was also a welcome thing. Twice he had used it, and both times he had lost control. Both times he nearly passed out and had to be saved by someone.

As troublesome as it was, he couldn’t deny how strange it felt. Was a Quirk supposed to feel like that? Something that almost felt sentient in a way?

The more he thought about it, the more he couldn’t help but think of Guardian.

At first he had assumed his Quirk was just something akin to fire manipulation. A balanced mix of his father and mother’s Quirks. The ice was definitely a surprise, it just... came out . It was almost the same as Guardian’s in a way.

Elemental manipulation, that’s what her supposed Quirk was. No one was sure what to make of her strange Key-shaped weapon. A lot thought it was a support item of some sort, though no one knew what it was necessarily for.

“It’s a weapon, a pretty important one at that.” A voice spoke up.

Izuku froze in place before looking to the side, seeing the vigilante walking beside him. He couldn’t see her expression beneath her helmet, but he was confident she was wearing an amused smile.

“Gah!” He jumped back in surprise, earning a small laugh.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you. You had been mumbling to yourself, thought it would be nice to let you get your thoughts out.” She said. 

“O-Oh...uh. Thank you…” He muttered, shuffling from foot to foot. “U-Uh for saving me.”

“There’s no need to thank me. It’s my job remember?”

“Yeah…”

Izuku looked around.

“Uh, is there something you...oh! Your cape! Here, I don’t really need it anymore. You probably want it back, I-I’m feeling better, not as cold. Uh-”

“It’s okay, there’s no need to worry. Thank you, but that’s not what I came here for.”

“Huh?”

Izuku looked up in surprise. “Er...then what did you come here for?”

“I heard about the fight with the creatures, how a friend of yours had gotten snatched up.”

She knew? How though?

“I also heard that you jumped in to save him, even with what little control you had over your power. And you got yourself hurt in the process.”

Izuku looked down, readying himself for another scolding. All Might didn’t give him one, surely she was going to. Maybe that’s what she was going to do before All Might approached them. 

“You did well, though I will admit you could have done better, but that’s not necessarily your fault.”

She took a deep breath and crossed her arms. Muttering something to herself at first.

“You don’t have a lot of control over it, your power. It flares out when you panic, and you can’t quite control the output.” She hummed.

Izuku frowned. That was the last thing he needed to be told, he already knew that.

“I-I know...and I might’ve hurt someone. A-All Might, he had to knock me unconscious earlier.”

She faltered for a moment before looking at him. “Earlier?”

“Yes ma’am. He uh, saved me from a villain...or maybe from myself. I just…” He took a shaky breath, thinking back to the sensation. “There was fire everywhere. I think I hurt him before I passed out.” He began to fiddle with his hands. “I’m sorry…”

She was silent for a moment. “No, no it’s not your fault. You didn’t have anyone to help teach you control.”

Izuku looked up, then looked back down as she walked forward. Stopping in front of him and holding a hand out. “Maybe I should just cut to the chase. I’m not exactly sure how to say this.”

“What do you mean?” He asked. 

Without a word she raised her hand a bit before producing a small flame. Izuku gasped and stared at it, watching it shift and bend before growing a bit smaller and hopping around her hand before dancing from fingertip to fingertip.

He was mesmerized by the display, snapped out of it when she closed her fist and snuffed out the flame.

“Your power, considering the shape you’re in it’s probably safe to assume it’s finally manifested right?”

“R-Right.”

“The kind of power you have, a power I share as well, is very versatile.”

“You share?” He muttered. 

“That’s right, I’m aware that you’ve seen quite a few of my battles with the creatures of darkness. You’ve seen what I can do, you’ve seen the immense power I can wield at any time. Granted I have a limit too.”

Izuku stared at her in surprise, looking her up and down. He wasn’t quite sure where she was going with this.

She was quiet for a moment before looking to him again.

“Tell me, do you remember me? From when you were small, you couldn’t have been older than 5.”

“O-Of course!” He raised his voice. “Of course I remember you. You-You saved me, in the forest after I was left behind. You brought me home.”

She nodded. “That’s right. Do you remember what you told me?”

“Uh...I mean…”

“You wanted to be a hero, you wanted to save people. Like All Might, like...myself. Do you still have that dream?” She asked.

Izuku stared at her before nodding. “Yes...I do. I wanna be a hero that smiles when he saves the day. I want to reassure everyone around me, and let them know they’re safe when I’m around. That’s all I’ve ever wanted. But I can’t really control my Quirk. What if I end up hurting someone with it?”

She nodded. “You never lost sight of your dream. That good, that’s very good. What if I told you that your dream isn’t far away?”

Izuku startled and look up. “How?”

He could practically see the smile beneath the helmet. 

“Please, tell me your name.” She asked, standing tall.

“My name?”

“Yes.”

“...Izuku. Izuku Midoriya.” He answered.

She nodded before raising her hands to her helmet and slowly taking it off. A few locks of hair falling from the messy bun her hair was in.

“Izuku Midoriya, my name is Master Aqua.” She looked at him with a soft smile. Kind blue eyes that seemed to carry something in them. Something he couldn’t quite place. Hesitance? Reassurance? It was hard to identify.

She held her hand out to him with a smile.

“I want to take you on as my pupil. If you’ll have me as your Master.”

From afar a skeletal man watched with dismay as the young man took her hand, nodding fervently and wiping away the beginnings of tears from his eyes.

“Shit…” 

Chapter Text

Master and Student

He was nervous.

Nervous, and maybe excited? It was hard to tell, either way, his stomach was doing flips as he approached the location she had sent him. 

After Izuku burst into tears and agreed to be taken on as Guardian’s pupil they exchanged contact information. She promised to message him a few days later, and she kept that promise. Sending him a location one Saturday morning with nothing else.

While he made his way towards the quieter part of town it had actually hit Izuku, everything that had transpired.

He agreed to be a student of a vigilante. A student of a person who is wanted by the law despite her good deeds. The same person who saved him years ago wanted to give him a chance now.

She probably had a plan to keep them from getting caught by any means, she had been able to avoid the authorities for 10 years now. She wouldn’t let them get caught.

Izuku hummed to himself as he looked around, the street was relatively empty. It made sense, it was the not so nice side of the city in the daytime. He glanced down at his phone, he was close to the location. 

He was surrounded by what one would normally assume were abandoned buildings. Just waiting to be torn down at some point. Well apparently not all of them were abandoned he realized as he stopped in front of an old building. 

If he had to guess it might have been some kind of office building, maybe an old hotel. It was hard to tell, from outside the five floors looked rather bare. 

Izuku looked back down to his phone and confirmed he was indeed at the right spot. He would knock if he could...but there was no door. At least none facing the street, it looked like it was sealed off.

He stood there in confusion for a bit, torn on whether or not to message her he was there. Should he? Would it be considered rude? What if she was doing something?

Before he could think too much on it Izuku heard a small thud from an alley off to the side. He jumped and looked in that direction. He frowned and moved towards it, tensing up as he peeked around the side. 

He had been expecting a cat that had knocked something over, maybe even a homeless person. 

He wasn’t expecting to see a strange creature poking out of a hole in a wall. It was small, white, and looked like a plush. It had an antenna with a large red ball at the end, a pink nose, and a pair of purple bat-like wings.

He gasped as the creature looked around and caught sight of him. The two stared at each other for a moment, one silent and the other opening and closing his mouth.

“You’re here!” It squeaked.

“I-I’m...huh? What?” Izuku sputtered before the creature disappeared back into the building. “W-Wait! Wait, hold on what…” He looked around before making his way into the alley. Approaching the hole in the wall that was covered by a ragged cloth and a sheet of metal. 

He moved the metal sheet just enough that he could squeeze inside. He yelped as he fell over, causing a loud crash. 

He groaned and sat up, rubbing where his face hit the floor. 

“Ow…”

He looked up to see his surroundings, only to see more of those strange creatures. Some looked smaller than others, a few had this more aged look about them. They had stopped whatever they were doing to get a look at the intruder. He could feel his face grow warm as he felt their eyes on him. 

“Uh...hi?” He tried, giving a small wave. 

“Hello!” One greeted, waving back. 

A few started whispering to each other, some gesturing towards him then at the stairs on the other side of the room. 

Izuku got to his feet and backed up a bit. What were these creatures? They didn’t seem hostile, but he had never seen anything like them before. They were small compared to him, barely coming up to his knees. 

He wanted to ask what they were, but that seemed rude. How do you just go up to someone and say, ‘Hello, nice to meet you. By the way, what are you?’

He walked around the room, trying to find a space that would make him stand out less. As he moved around he got a glance of someone peeking down at him from the stairs. They made eye contact, and before he could offer any greeting they gasped and up the stairs.

Izuku faltered before making his way over while doing his best to stay out of everyone’s way. He got to the stairs and went up a few steps. 

“Hello?” He asked, getting no answer. He stared at the stairs, hesitant to go up. Izuku took another glance around the room, only to see one of the creatures still watching him and gesturing to go up.

He took the hint and ascended the stairs, moving slowly out of fear of disturbing something. It took no time to get to the second floor, it looked cleared out as well. A few doors here and there that led to who knows where. 

Though his main concern was that no one was there. Maybe the person he saw decided to hide. He wouldn’t exactly blame them, he was kind of intruding.

“T-There. He’s the stranger.” A quiet voice spoke, he looked over to the other side of the room to see Guardian in civilian clothing. A simple sweater and jeans. Hiding behind her was a little girl with gray hair. Wide red eyes looked over him in fear, on the right side of her forehead a brown horn poked out.

Guardian and Izuku stared at each other for a moment before she smiled and looked down at the girl.

“Eri, remember how I said someone would be coming over at some point? How I took on a student?”

Eri nodded. “That’s him?”

“That’s him.”

“Uh, hello.” Izuku murmured.

“Hi.”

There was an awkward silence before Aqua patted her back. “Alright, why don’t you go downstairs and eat something?”

“Okay.”

Eri looked at Aqua then at Izuku and hurried off.

Izuku watched her hurry down before looking at Guardian. “H-Hello. I uh, I’m sorry I scared her. I didn’t mean to…”

“It’s okay, she’s a little jumpy around strangers but she’ll get used to you.” She smiled, quiet for a moment. “You look better than the last time I saw you. Are you feeling better?”

“Yeah, I am. Thank you.” He nodded. That feeling had come back, wanting to be let out and unleashed into the world again. It didn’t feel violent, moreso excited if anything. He had been shocking himself all week, what he chalked up to static...but figured he might be wrong in that regard. 

He probably was.

He kicked at the ground before speaking again. “So...So are we going to start training t-today? Or uh…” 

“Well, I suppose today can be considered your first day. But I don’t want to start anything physical yet.” She answered, waving him over. “Today is more of...filling you in. There’s a lot, and quite honestly as my student, you’re entitled to know all this.”

“Uh, know all this?” He tilted his head. “What do you mean?”

Aqua sighed and started heading to the other side of the room. “Come on, it might be best if we sit down for this.”

Izuku bit his lip and followed, his unease spiking again. What was it she had to tell him? Was it a warning? Rules? Well, she might have those, she was a vigilante and couldn’t afford to get caught by heroes. Not when she was their only defense against those dark creatures.

“You’re not gonna find out if you just stand there muttering to yourself.” She clapped, getting his attention back. 

“Oh! I’m sorry!” He apologized and hurried after her to a table where she set out bottles of water and sat down. He stood at the table awkwardly for a moment before shuffling over to a chair and sitting down. 

He was tense and rigid in his movements, afraid of doing something wrong. Afraid of giving her a reason to drop him as her student before they really began. What if he did or said something that offended her?

Izuku fiddled with his hands, keeping his head down and refusing to look at her for the moment. There was a moment of silence between them before Izuku coughed. 

“So, uh...what is it that you have to tell me?” He asked quietly.

“You see that’s where I’m thinking, where to start.” She answered, tapping a finger on the table. “There’s a lot to go over, and I won’t lie a lot of what I’m going to tell you you won’t believe. Not at first.”

Izuku nodded and looked up at her. “Okay, so keep an open mind?” He asked.

“Yes.”

She took a deep breath and sighed, rubbing her eyes. “Alright, let’s start here.” She sat up and looked him in the eye. “Tell me, what do you know about the dark creatures that I fight?”

“Uh, well they’ve been around for a long time now. They go after people at random and they’re all over the world at this point. Though some locations have more concentrated areas of the creatures. Heroes had been trying for a long time to get rid of them, especially here in Japan. Then one day about 10 years ago you appeared and you cut them down. And they didn’t come back.” He scratched his face. “Does it have something to do with your Quirk?” 

Aqua leaned back. “Well, it has something to do with my power. It’s not a Quirk, what residents of this world call their own powers.”

Izuku blinked. “This world?”

Aqua nodded. “Yes well, in all honesty, I’m what you call Quirkless.”

There was a beat of silence.

“B-But you have powers. That doesn’t make sense, how can you have powers if you’re Quirkless? That’s not possible. And what do you mean by ‘residents of this world’?” He asked.

Aqua sighed. Well, at least she was getting onto the subject now, no turning back.

“First off, yes it is possible to be Quirkless and have powers. I’m a living example of that, you are too. Now, before you ask any more questions, let me get to the ones you’ve already thrown out.”

Izuku closed his mouth.

Aqua held out her hand and summoned her weapon with a small flash of light. She smiled and placed it on the table for him to look at. “This is something called a Keyblade, I suppose you could say it’s the source of my power.”

She watched Izuku lean forward and look over it, tilting his head and murmuring to himself. 

“How is it your source of power?” Izuku asked. “Is it some kind of tech that manipulates the molecules around you that allows you to make those elements?”

“Nope,” Aqua answered. She held up a hand and created a small flame, grabbing Izuku’s attention. “It’s magic.”

Izuku stared at her, that feeling in him almost coming alive at the word, like something had just been realized. “Magic?” He asked. “That’s…” He could feel the logical part of his mind shorting out. “But that’s...magic isn’t real?” He said, looking over the Keyblade.

Aqua watched him look over the Keyblade in disbelief. She wasn’t expecting him to just accept it right off that bat, she knew better. In a world where powers had a logical explanation other than just saying it’s ‘magic’, it was going to take a moment for him to accept that.

“I know it’s hard to believe, but it’s true. How can I…” She hummed, looking around. “Oh, a good example. I was being chased by Eraserhead once.” She started.

“Oh yeah, I saw a video of that…”

“Yeah well I found out he can cancel out Quirks, his hair is his tell. It goes up when his powers activate.”

Izuku nodded, thinking back to the footage. “His hair was up a majority of the time you were being chased. And even then you still used ice to block his path, and...if I’m assuming right if this was to say your Quirk. Your Keyblade should have vanished. But it didn’t.” He stared at the weapon as if it would provide some sort of answer.

“Remember when I said keep an open mind.” She reminded him.

Izuku took a deep breath. “O-Okay. So, magic is real. Magic is a thing, and I have it?” He asked.

Aqua nodded. “Yes, you do. I was there in time to see the tail end of your use. When you froze those creatures over. You were exhausted because you didn't know how to control your output, and you used more energy than you have.”

Izuku was still thinking over this whole magic possibility. It seemed... mostly possible. Then again he was talking to someone who regarded people here as ‘this world’s residents’. His power wasn’t anything like his mother or father’s. 

The words came out before he could really process them. “Are you an alien or something?”

The two were quiet for a moment before Aqua put her hand over her mouth and started to laugh.

Izuku felt his face grow warm.

“I-I’m sorry! I’m sorry I don’t mean to laugh, but the seriousness in your voice…”

“I-It’s a reasonable question! You’re saying ‘this world’s residents’ which just makes me think y-you’re not from this world. Which would explain your whole...magic I guess.” He muttered quickly and fiddled with his hands. 

“I’m sorry, I suppose it would. And no, I’m not an alien.” She went on to answer the question. “I’m human, just like you. I just happen to be from a world that’s not this one, where humans exist too.”

“Okay, and you got this Keyblade from...another world?” Izuku asked, he was starting to worry if this was a good choice. “Where did you…”

“I didn’t really get it from somewhere, moreso that I was worthy of it.”

Izuku looked down. Worthy? He had to be worthy to get one? Worthy to use this power that she has too?

He gripped the hem of his shirt. “I have to be worthy? H-How do…”

“Your powers are already manifesting.” She spoke up, quick to assure him. “Your magic is proof of that, it’s the first step. At least yours. Everyone starts different.”

Izuku sighed. “How did you start?” He asked.

“Same as you actually, my magic came out in bursts. Granted a bit smaller than yours.” 

He looked down and tapped a finger on the desk. Small bursts of magic. He was still trying to wrap his head around this whole concept of magic, but the more he thought about it the more it started to make sense.

This world where everything was run by logic and science, everything had a logical explanation. Then one day those dark creatures had shown up out of nowhere. There was no Quirk in existence that could be powerful enough to swarm the entire world, not to mention there was no end to them. Everyone had a limit, and these monsters were endless. 

Heroes couldn’t make them disappear, if they did manage to take one out it would just come back. Then there was Guardian who was able to take them out in one go, they never came back. Ever since she had appeared the monsters had calmed down with the occasional flare-up here and there. Her power wasn’t a Quirk, Eraserhead’s fight could be used as evidence. And the weapon didn’t seem to hold anything that could be used to manipulate the air particles to create any form of ice, fire or the like.

“Okay, so magic I can understand.” He sighed. “But I still can’t understand...other worlds. Just, how does that work? Is it like another planet? You said there are other humans, so they’re planets like this? How did you get here, what made you come here in the first place? Was it those creatures?” He started to ramble on again, shooting off one question after another to her.

Aqua listened to him for a short while. He was curious, that was a good thing she supposed. He was eager to learn, even if it was a bit hard to wrap his head around everything at first.

“One thing at a time.” She stopped him, giving a small smile as he covered his mouth. 

“I’m sorry…”

“It’s okay, I understand it’s a lot. You’re going to have a lot of questions, but I can only answer so many at a time. Okay, so I’m not from another planet I understand it seemed that way but it’s not. It’s...another world. It’s not like the other worlds are in space like you might think, there are gateways that can take you from one world to the lanes between that lead you to the other worlds. Each one is unique in their own way, this is the only world I’ve seen where everyone possesses a power of some kind.”

“So, it’s not like breaching the atmosphere and going into space? Like, at all?” He asked. 

“No, not at all. Think of it more like having to take a portal to...hold on let me see if I can draw it out.” She got up and went to the other side of the room, coming back with a piece of paper and a pen.

She sat down and drew a few circles around the paper, making small designs within them. Then she drew a line around the circles, making sure they were connected. 

“So, say this one is your world. In order to get out you need to make a small portal and pass through it to get out here.” She drew a small oval next to a circle and made an arrow pointing at the lines. “And from here you can go anywhere you want, then you pass through another portal and enter a world when you get there. Does it make sense like this?”

Izuku gently took the paper and looked over it. 

Ok, so different realms. That was...that was certainly something. That meant the monsters came from somewhere else, but where? How many worlds were out there? How exactly does one make their way from world to world?

“So are you from one that’s nearby?” He asked. “I-Is there like a-a map where you keep track of the worlds that are around and what you’ve seen?” He bit his tongue before he could ask any more questions. He was motormouth and he knew this, best not to annoy her anymore with his mumbles.

“...No, I’m from far away and I don’t have a map. I didn’t get here like one normally would get to a world.” She turned her eyes down for a moment.

“Normally?” He asked.

Aqua said nothing before shaking her head. “It’s not important right now, that’s another subject we can go over at a later date.” 

Izuku opened his mouth, then closed it. Seeing how she shook off the question, he had no right to press further.

She was silent for a bit before taking a deep breath. “So, any more questions? Or are you ready to move on?”

“A lot of questions.” He admitted.

Aqua smiled. “Well, go ahead and ask away.”

They spent hours talking, backtracking once or twice to make sure he understood something. Aqua had to leave Izuku a few times to tend to something going on downstairs, making sure nothing would descend into chaos. 

It all seemed so complicated and unbelievable, but it somehow made sense in a way. The creatures downstairs were called Moogles. Merchants that sold anything you could imagine, they went into hiding for a few years because of the cruelty of humans. However in recent years they had started to emerge again, but never strayed too far from home just in case.

The dark monsters that have been terrorizing their world are called Heartless. Monsters that were born from the darkness in humans’ hearts, their souls. 

That had led to the question of the heart. In which he found out that if it was strong enough they’d be deemed worthy for a Keyblade. He was surprised to hear that he was considered worthy at all, that he was strong enough. He certainly didn’t feel that way…

Then there was the fact that he couldn’t tell anyone any of this because of something called the World Order. In order to keep everything at peace and to prevent any possible conflict between worlds those who were entitled to this knowledge were to keep it to themselves. No one else was to know. 

So everything he just learned, he has to keep to himself. 

No one else can know, and no one else will know.

“Do you want to know anything else?” She asked. It was a bit later in the day, Izuku still had some time before he had to start heading home.

“I think I’m good for now…” He muttered, it was still a lot to take in. He had a feeling he was going to have to get used to that. 

She nodded. “Well then, let’s move on to something else.” She stood up. “Come on, I’m going to show you something.”

“O-Okay!” He stood up and trailed after her, heading downstairs. While they walked he took a glance at the time. He had an hour or two before he had to start heading back, plenty of time. 

Aqua hummed as she pulled her hood up and reached into a drawer for a mask. “I’m heading out, I’ll be back soon.” She announced, walking towards their makeshift door when Eri ran up.

“‘Are you going to the field?” She asked

Aqua nodded, smiling as the girl beamed. “Can I come?”

“If you throw on your shoes and a jacket real quick then yes.” 

Eri took off without another word, racing up the stairs.

“Be careful!” Aqua called after her before sighing.

Izuku stayed quiet as they waited, seeing a few of the Moogles walk past them.

“Hello, kupo!” One greeted before walking out the door with a bag. 

“Where are…?”

“He’s just heading over to his usual spot to sell stuff. You know what time to be back.” Aqua reminded him.

“I know, bye-bye!” 

Izuku raised an eyebrow. “Kupo?” 

“It has a lot of meanings, but it’s overall a way of acknowledgment.” She explained.

“Oh.”

“I’m here!” Eri called as she ran down the stairs and up to Aqua. Wearing a red coat with the hood up. The shoes were a similar shade of red as well.

“What have I told you about running up and down the stairs?” Aqua asked, holding out a hand for her to take.

“Not to…” Eri mumbled.

Aqua nodded. “I just don’t want you to get hurt.” 

Eri nodded and Aqua turned to Izuku. “Alright then, let's get going.”

-.-

“What’s this place?” Izuku asked, looking around the open field. It was a lot farther away than he thought it would be. 

They had gone through a few backroads and different streets that were a lot more merit than he thought they’d be. 

“This is where we’re gonna be training for a while,” Guardian answered. “You can’t quite control your output, and this is the best place to practice until you get a good grip on it. It’s open and no one ever comes out this far.” She looked across the field to see Eri a short way away.

Running around and chasing something they couldn’t see.

“I actually train here whenever practicing big spells, so no one gets hurt. Also gives us plenty of space in case something goes a little wrong.”

“I see…” Izuku walked in a circle, it would take him a bit to get there. But it was a commitment he was willing to make. “So, when do we start?” He asked.

“Tomorrow, first thing.”

-HoL-

They were two weeks into training, and Izuku had thrown himself all in. 

Training was hell, and it was a sign for how far he really had to go. 

Master Aqua put him through endurance and muscle training, saying that the physical state of a Keyblade Wielder is just as important as everything else. He couldn’t just rely on one aspect of his power and hope it would be enough. 

She had him run laps around the large field, push-ups, sit-ups, and other exercises. Sometimes they spend an entire day on that kind of training. She doesn’t necessarily make him run on his own, she would run beside him to help set a pace. 

If it wasn’t the physical exercises, then it was combat training. She started him off on hand to hand, which only went so well. 

He had never been in a fight, and he voiced that worry to her.

“It’s training, it’s not like I’m going to go all out. Let’s just see what we can work on okay?”

She knocked him flat on his back within seconds. He wasn’t even able to throw a punch in the time it took to take him down. 

But it was okay, she said, it was just another thing to train on. 

She had assured him they would move on to fighting with weapons once he was a bit more comfortable with hand to hand. 

Then there was magic training. An exercise that took place almost every day whether he liked it or not. Sometimes it was talking it out, and other times it was putting what was discussed into practice.

“So you’ve used your magic two times now, right?” Gua- Master Aqua asked. 

“Yeah, that’s right.” Izuku nodded. “And both times I had panicked. The sludge villain, and the Heartless.”

“Magic can flare out as an emotional response.” Aqua nodded. “That’s normal for a beginner, it happens all the time. But as you get better at handling your magic, it won’t happen as often.” She held out a hand as a small block of ice appeared.

“Can some elements flare out differently from person to person?” Izuku asked, absentmindedly writing on his palm with his finger. Notes for later.

“It can, yes. When I was young ice would trail after me whenever I was excited and ran around all over the place. Then when I was nervous I would accidentally zap someone with thunder.” 

Izuku hummed and thought to himself. “I kept shocking myself the other day when I was excited...or nervous. It was hard to tell.” He knew that for certain. “I was frustrated the other day and it felt like everything heated up for a minute.”

“See? No two people are the same, and things are going to differ from person to person. Especially considering that the two of us might have different affinities for magical elements. I tend to have more of a liking for ice and water. You on the other hand might cater to different ones, time will tell.”

Izuku nodded and fervently scribbled down his invisible notes on his palm. Aqua paused and watched him. 

Once he had slowed down she had continued.

“The first two times you used magic you were in high stake situations. Life or death, you were stressed and you pretty much used up everything you had.”

Izuku thought back to the immense exhaustion he felt after both times. He had actually passed out the first time, and the second time he was close then she had used something to restore some of his energy.

“Yeah…” He muttered. Holding back a shudder.

“You’re not in any danger here, so it’s just a matter of mustering it up.” She smiled, walking over. “Alright, arms out, palms up, back straight. We’re gonna start off with just summoning them forward for now. Okay?”

Izuku nodded and stared at his palms.

“Using magic is also about focus and discipline. So just concentrate on what spell you want to use. Fire, Blizzard, Thunder, Aero, or Water.”

“Those are the main ones right?” He asked.

She nodded.

Izuku narrowed his eyes and stared at his hands. He just had to concentrate right? That was it? He just had to will it into existence?

He took a deep breath and focused on fire, it felt simple. It was something familiar to him in more ways than one. It was like reaching for something that he didn’t know was there, taking a piece of it and turning it into something else. 

It felt a bit...strange. It admittedly left him feeling a bit empty the more he grasped at.

He could feel his palms heat up. He looked down at them in surprise, seeing tiny flames flickering in and out of his hands.

“Woah…” He muttered. He brought his hands a little closer and marveled at them. 

At some point, he lost his focus and he saw the flames go out. He gasped and hurriedly worked to summon them again, only to make them flare out violently.

“Gah!” He tried to shake the flames off, momentarily forgetting they wouldn’t respond as normal fire would. As if fed by his panic the flames grew hotter and began to surround him like they did in the tunnels. 

He was brought back to that feeling, of fire eating away at him inside and out. Being lost in a sea of flames, the lack of control.

Izuku stumbled back and looked around in fear, angry fire surrounding him. He yelped in surprise when a hand shot out and grabbed his arm.

“Izuku calm down!” Aqua shouted. 

He opened his mouth to respond but only a weak rasp came out. He heard her, but he couldn’t. He could see the flames licking at her skin and beginning to burn at her sleeves.

I’m hurting her…

The thought increased his desperation and he struggled to put a lid on it. 

A moment later her hand disappeared, and before he could look for her he was hit with a large stream of water that immediately snuffed out his fire. He fell over and landed on his rear, coughing and trying to relieve the irritating dryness in his throat. 

“Well, that was certainly something for a first try,” Aqua handed him a water bottle. Which he took gratefully. “The fire went out since you lost focus, and you panicked and that made it go out of control.”

Izuku frowned and looked down, daring a glance at her arm. The sleeve was burned, but she relatively seemed unharmed. “Sorry…”

“It’s alright.” She offered a patient smile. “It was your first try, I’m not expecting you to get the hang of it right off the bat.”

Izuku fiddled with the water bottle and nodded. “Right...so…”

“We’ll work on it.” Aqua nodded. “We have time, and I don’t want you to rush yourself okay? Let yourself cool down, and then we’ll try again.”

“Okay!”

-HoL-

If someone were to ask Aqua if she knew what she was doing, she would say no. No, she did not, but she was going to wing it as best she could.

Izuku was someone who was clearly dedicated to whatever he put his mind to. He wasn’t going to stop unless someone stepped in. She had to admit, she was impressed how he threw himself into training, right off the bat he was ready to go and willing to listen.

Though he seemed to carry this air of nervousness around him whenever he was around her. He was tense and rigid, as if she would say something or lash out at him. It was like he was walking on eggshells.

She tried to put him at ease as with her patience and assuring him there was no need to worry about mistakes, they happen. It seemed to work more or less, as time went on he seemed less nervous but he still clammed up sometimes or panicked if he messed up.

In a way, Izuku reminded Aqua of herself. When she was young and starting on her training. She was just as nervous around Master Eraqus as Izuku is around her. She was afraid of messing up around him, afraid of disappointing him in any way.

Over time she had grown comfortable around him, she wasn’t afraid to mess up anymore. She went to him whenever she was scared or upset, or there was an issue she and Terra couldn’t fix. He was her Master, and she trusted and respected him more than anything.

Aqua didn’t want Izuku to feel nervous around her, that was the last thing she ever wanted from him. She wanted him to trust her and be able to feel at ease around her, the last thing she wanted was him to feel nothing but pressure to succeed. 

They were into their second month of training now and progress felt relatively good, to Aqua at least. Izuku was still getting a handle on using his magic, he had a few flare-ups here and there, and he was giving it his all in the physical exercises.

Once or twice she had to ask him to slow down when he insisted on jumping from on task, immediately to another. He was so insistent on moving forward.

Aqua had to admit, she admired his spirit and determination. It was certainly something else. She couldn’t help but smile to herself when she thought of Master Eraqus, he would have definitely taken a liking to the boy.

“I have a question…” Izuku started, looking up from his notebook. It was marked with the number 1.

“I might just have an answer.” Aqua looked up from the fridge. It was one of their days off, something she insisted on so he could recover. As well as study, he was still in school and she wasn’t going to jeopardize his education. Especially since he once mentioned he was shooting for UA, a hero school.

“Uh…” He scratched the back of his head. “You’re a Keyblade Master, right? Did you have anyone to teach you how to use a Keyblade, and magic, and all about the worlds?”

She paused for a moment looking over to him. He watched her for a moment before paling and backpedaling. “I-I’m sorry if that’s a personal question, you don’t have to answer.”

“It’s fine, it’s fine.” She smiled, closing the fridge. “I did have someone to teach me, Master Eraqus. This is actually his Keyblade, believe it or not.” She quickly summoned Master Defender.

“Woah...so, when you became a Master he passed it down to you?”

Aqua faltered before letting the weapon fade. “Not...not necessarily. Not in the way you think.”

“Oh.” He paused. “ Oh ...he’s-”

“Master Eraqus was struck down, and I later retrieved his Keyblade. I’ve carried it with me ever since.” She gripped the cup in her hands tightly.

“Oh, I’m sorry.” He muttered sheepishly.

“No, it’s okay. You didn’t know.”

Izuku nodded and tapped his pencil against the page.

“You said it’s his Keyblade, so did it replace yours? I remember you said once that the Keyblade reflects its wielder.”

“I had both for a time, and then I lost mine and I was left with my Master’s Keyblade.”

“You lost your Keyblade?” 

“Shh.” Aqua put a finger to his lips and he slapped a hand over his mouth. They looked at the stairs and listened for a moment before relaxing.

“Shush Kupo!” One of the Moogles hissed as they passed by.

“Sorry…”

Aqua sighed and sat down at the table across from him once she was sure Eri was still asleep. Another bad night.

“Yes, I lost my Keyblade.” She answered. “I gave it, and my armor up so my friend could return to the Realm of Light. I didn’t want him to be trapped in there, I’d rather it be me than him to be lost in there.”

“Your friend?”

Aqua nodded. “I wasn’t Master Eraqus’s only student, just one of three. I grew up with Terra. And we met Ven a lot later. They’re my best friends…”

Izuku made a random line in the notebook before speaking again.

“If you don’t mind me asking...where are they now?” He asked. “If you’re here and they’re...not.”

Aqua paused for a moment before sighing. “I don’t mind you asking, not at all. In truth, I have no idea where Terra is right now. All I do know is that I got him to the Realm of Light, for all I know he might be looking for Ven and I. And Ventus...I think he might still be asleep. I had to hide him away before I ended up here…” 

She had started to trace patterns in the table. She missed them dearly, 10 years apart felt too long to see the people she cherished. Though she couldn’t help but feel she deserved it in a way, she messed up. She should have kept a better eye on Terra, she should have been able to keep Vanitas away from Ventus. What good was her title of Keyblade Master if it truly meant nothing?

“Still be asleep?” Izuku asked. “Like a coma?”

Aqua tapped on the table a few times before shaking her head. “It’s a long story, really long. Besides, don’t you have a test to study for?”

Izuku sighed. “Yeah, I do…” He glanced back down to a textbook he still had yet to open. Math, his current nemesis.

“Well, I‘ll leave you to it.” Aqua smiled and grabbed her phone.

“Please don’t.” He yawned.

“If you don’t want to study, try a nap, you look like you need one.”

“I’d rather study.”

-.-

“You’re shooting for UA right?” Aqua asked as she threw a punch that Izuku dodged. Five months in, and he was doing well. He picked up things quickly, soon enough she’d move him to more advanced sword practice. She wanted him to have a better hold in hand to hand combat before moving too far ahead on anything else.

His control over magic had gotten exceptionally better, his flare-ups were pretty much nonexistent unless he was under a lot of stress. Something he had gotten better at managing.

“Y-Yeah, and-Woah!” He stepped to the side and threw a punch of his own, which she blocked and retaliated. “It’s the best hero school,” he continued. “Some of the greatest heroes came from UA, and well I wanna be a hero too.”

“Is that so?” She asked. “Like who?”

“Well, All Might for one.” He gasped and stumbled back. “A-And then there’s Endeavor, Eraserhead, Present Mic, Midnight, a lot!”

“Sounds rather prestigious.”

“It is! It’s the best of the best and well, I wanna be a hero! UA is my top choice, and-Woah!”

Aqua had grabbed his arm and flipped him over, making him hit the ground hard. Izuku coughed and laid there for a minute before groaning.

Aqua laughed before looking over to Eri sitting on the sidelines. “Eri, how long was that?”

“2 minutes and 20 seconds!”

“And what’s the score?” Izuku asked.

“4-1.”

Izuku rubbed his eyes and sat up. “One more time!” He insisted. 

“Nope, we did 5 fights, that was the agreed amount right? You were a little sloppy on that last one, but you are due for a break. Drink some water and then we’re gonna do some magic drills. Since we skipped them last time.” She eyed him, noting the bags beneath his eyes. Had he been getting enough sleep?

Izuku sighed and got up. “Right...Eri do you want some water?” He asked.

“Yes please!”

“Master?” 

“Sounds good.”

Aqua watched him jog over to their bags and rummage through them. 

She couldn’t help but notice that he had begun to change after a while. It was subtle at first, but as time went on she could see more and more of it. Somewhere down the line the nervousness he carried around her faded, and he grew comfortable around her, the Moogles, and Eri.

He would still fidget at times and stammer when asking what he considers sensitive questions, but there was a clear rise in his self-esteem. He had begun to carry himself differently and was a little more outspoken. Though there were times when he’d clam up and hide himself with his arms, or change subjects as quickly as they were brought up.

It worried her, but she didn’t want to push. She could only assure him she was there for him, the last thing she wanted to do was push too far. 

Aqua sighed and stretched out her arms before walking around. One of the next lessons she had been planning on was aim and multitasking. Izuku had admitted his aim was less than stellar, and she got to see first hand how off he was the first time he hurled a fireball at the ice target. He nearly set something on fire and apologized profusely after.

It took all of her willpower not to laugh. 

Terra had been the same way, awful aim and causing damage to things he shouldn’t. He had once thrown a spoon at her when she commented on his cooking skills, only to toss the wooden spoon out the window and into the training grounds outside.

That was something they would work on soon enough.

Multitasking was the main skill he had to work on, mainly on the aspect of focus. It still took him a moment or two to conjure up the spell he wanted, then fire it off. Then there was the minor issue of him losing concentration and letting the spell fizzling out, usually if he’s talking about something or looking around the area. He had to put 100% of his focus into using his magic to keep it going. 

Izuku hurried back over with three bottles in his hands. He handed them out before opening his own and downing half the bottle. “So what part of magic are we gonna be working on today?” He asked, clear excitement in his voice, it was glaringly obvious despite his efforts to hide it.

“Multitasking.” She answered simply.

Izuku froze and sighed. “Multitasking…”

“Practice makes perfect.” She reminded him.

“I know…” He drank some more and placed it down. 

Aqua nodded, then looked down at the child. “Drink your water Eri, I don’t want you getting dehydrated again.” 

“I know, me neither.” Eri took a few sips.

“Alright then, Izuku…”

He nodded and held out his hands. He reached for his magic and grasped onto the little he needed, channeling it into a flame he could hold. 

“Have a good hold on it?” She asked.

“Yeah.”

“Okay, well...how about you tell me-”

A loud noise cut her off. Aqua looked at Izuku, whose face had gone red. He chuckled nervously and pulled his phone from his pocket, managing to maintain the flame in one hand.

“Hello?” He answered.

Aqua sighed and ran a hand through her hair. She told him to leave his phone in his bag, and he usually listens. 

“Oh, you’re gonna be home tonight? That’s great! No, no I can start dinner…” He began to pace around. Aqua looked up at that.

“I don’t know...maybe? Maybe pick some up just in case, it wouldn’t hurt to have more on hand. Yeah, of course!” The flames changed into small excited sparks that grew stronger every time he spoke.

“Don’t worry Mom, I can do it. I am at the library though so it’ll take me a minute to get home. I will be, don’t worry...yeah I promise. Okay, see you soon!” Izuku smiled and pocketed the phone, pausing before looking up at Aqua.

“That was my mom…” He said sheepishly.

“I heard, I also heard you’re supposed to start dinner.”

“Yeah...I’m sorry but-”

“Go.” She said. “I’d say you’re pretty far from home and you’ve got a lot of ground to cover, Mr. I’m-at-the-library.”

He laughed nervously.

“Izuku does she even know you have pow-”

“Thank you, Master! I’ll see you later!” He darted away and grabbed his backpack from the ground. 

“Izuku!”

“I’ll-gah!” He tripped over himself and crashed to the ground, his backpack spilling its contents. “Crap!” Books, papers, and various other items spilled out to the ground. 

“You okay?” Aqua asked, hurrying over with Eri. 

“I’m good! I’ll see you later!” He shoved what he could gather in his backpack and took off again. 

By the time Aqua and Eri had gotten to where he was, he was long gone, speeding away in his excitement. While Aqua watched him leave Eri looked at the ground and picked something up.

“He forgot his book…” Eri muttered, looking down to see a few other things scattered about. Another notebook, a pencil, graded assignments, and a few other things. 

“He forgot a lot of things.” Aqua hummed, gathering the other dropped items. She paused when she picked up the second notebook. It had obvious water damage and had burn marks all over it. “What on earth…” She muttered. The notebook was in such poor condition, the ink was runny in some spots and smelled an awful lot like sewage.

This was something that was just...off. It wasn’t like Izuku to take poor care of his things. She knew he cared for his things, and he was always so careful to make sure the books he brought over to study would never be damaged.

Aqua eyed the notebook, curious she opened it up. She opened up to a page with a drawing of another hero, Mt. Lady. Besides the drawing there were different descriptions and questions written in the headers.

“Wow, these are really detailed…” She murmured, looking at it in awe. She flipped through a few pages, seeing other heroes with lists of strengths, weaknesses, observations, and questions of the hero’s abilities.

Aqua skimmed through the pages, she couldn’t help but wonder if she was somewhere in the notebook. She ended up stopping at a certain page, seeing the autograph of none other than All Might taking up two pages. After that the pages were blank.

“He stopped writing…but it cuts off here.” She muttered. “So what’s that other one?”

“Training Notes No. 1.” Eri read the title and handed it to her.

“He takes physical notes?” Aqua asked aloud. She hadn’t realized that she knew he would write on his hand. Was that how he transferred everything, just remembering what he traced? She looked through them. They were as detailed as his analysis notes, though there were more questions than the notes. Unlike the other notebook though the first page was blank, though this looked like it was on purpose.

He had notes on magic, and the different levels she told him about. A drawing of Master Defender with small bullet points on the side. Then there was a remake of the drawing she made when explaining how worlds worked.

There were a lot of questions, taking up a page or two. Things he hadn’t asked yet, things she hadn’t taught him yet.

Were the worlds always separate?

If not what happened?

How many worlds are there?

Are there other Keyblade Wielders?

Who put the World Order in place?

She looked through them before closing the book and shaking her head. A bit of shame filled her as she gathered the rest of his things. These were his notes, his business, which she had just gone through. Granted she just skimmed through them, it didn't make her feel any better. 

She silently berated herself until she saw the rest of his scattered items, which would be simply described as first aid equipment. She raised an eyebrow and looked over the half-empty bottle of disinfectant and the almost nonexistent roll of gauze.

“What’s that?” Eri asked, picking up a few graded papers. 

“Things for first aid,” Aqua answered. “Come on Eri, let’s go home.”

“Is Izuku in trouble?” Eri asked, taking her hand. 

“Not really, I just have to have a talk with him next time.”

Aqua would tolerate very few things, but one thing she refused to put up with was her student walking around and hiding injuries while he was training. How long had he been hiding this from her?

-.-

“Where the hell did he go?”

“Chill out Bakugo, it’s Midoriya. It’s not like he’ll just up and disappear.”

Izuku bit his lip, watching Katsuki walk by from behind the bleachers. It was gym period and the first chance he had he slipped away to hide. Katsuki had been getting more and more aggressive in the last few months, interrogating him and berating him.

He always kept his mouth shut and asked him to leave him alone, saying things to try and placate him. It never worked, and if anything it seemed to make it worse and only spurred him on.

Izuku sighed softly and settled down. He took a glance at the time and pocketed his phone before holding his hands out. He muttered to himself as small chunks of ice appeared in his hands, he narrowed his eyes and concentrated on the ice melting into spheres of water. 

It was a strain on himself, considering he had gotten little to no sleep the night previous. He had stayed up late, he hadn’t been sure of the time, but if he had to guess he finally collapsed a few hours before his morning alarm. 

His eye twitched as he lost focus for a moment, the water almost going everywhere.

“You still have some magic left, keep going keep going.” He murmured, ignoring the raging headache. 

Izuku narrowed his eyes and made the water evaporate into tiny gusts of wind, small tornados in his palms. He smiled to himself and made them smaller and smaller until they were nothing and dispersed, blowing a small gust of cool air in his face.

Getting better...I’m getting better. But that still took way too long to change between spells. Master Aqua can do it in seconds and it still takes me a while to switch.

Izuku leaned back and took a deep breath. He was exhausted and low on energy he knew that, but it didn’t mean he was going to stop anytime soon. He was grateful for Aqua taking him in and training him, he really was, and the last thing he wanted to do was let her down. In order to not do that he had to push himself beyond his limits again and again.

It was the only way to get stronger. To not let his Master down, to catch up to those who are miles ahead of him, to prove he was worth something. 

He had even begun taking nightly runs, running down a few blocks before making a sprint back to his house and slipping in through the window to his room. Sure once or twice he had gotten attacked by Heartless and sustained a few injuries. Even though he had the means to defend himself it didn’t mean he would, using his power would mean breaking the law. Even if it wasn’t a Quirk, even if it was in self-defense. 

He had to be saved by a few heroes once or twice in the months he’s been running, and he’s been scolded plenty of times by them. They would have escorted him home or to the station unless he managed to slip away and make the run to his house.

Izuku rubbed at the bandages on his arms, flinching at the pain. Katsuki had really done a number on him the last time he managed to corner him. It honestly felt like there was no rhyme or reason to it. It felt like he was taking his anger out on him, anger for something he had no idea about.

Whatever it was, all Katsuki did was belittle and threaten him. Izuku had been doing his best to avoid the blond in every way he could. As soon as the bell rang for the end of the day he would be the first one out the door. He had started taking different ways home if he figured Katsuki was too close and would catch up.

There were a few times where he genuinely thought about jumping out the window as a means of getting out faster. Instead, he nearly falls down the stairs by taking two at a time, which is by far better than taking the window.

Izuku tried to rub the exhaustion of his eyes and shakily stood up. He was tired, he knew this, but he had gotten pretty good at hiding it from everyone. A power nap on the train, dozing off around lunch, finishing his work early and letting himself rest just a bit.

He learned how to work with the short bursts of energy, he had to. He had to work harder, and if sacrificing sleep meant he’d get better at everything then so be it. 

He didn’t want to be left behind, he didn’t want to disappoint. So he’d work as hard as he needed to.

A loud stomp startled him from his thoughts and he slapped his hands over his mouth to keep back a yelp. He looked up to see a few people sitting above him and talking loudly. Something about going to someone’s house and playing a game.

Izuku sighed and moved from beneath the bleachers, looking out from his hiding place and stepping out into the open. With another glance at his phone he saw that gym class was almost over. He had a few text messages from Eri, she had probably sent him a few pictures of drawings she made. She had been doing that a lot lately. 

He smiled to himself and pocketed his phone, taking another glance around before walking forward. He figured it was time to head to the locker rooms, better to just keep hiding and try to avoid anyone. The sooner he could be out of there the better.

At least he had thought so until he was grabbed and thrown against a wall. From the angle he was at, the bleachers were blocking the sight of the gym teacher and pretty much anyone else.

Izuku grunted as he slammed into the wall, looking up to see one other than Katsuki. Much to Izuku’s surprise, he was alone.

Izuku shuddered and tensed up, looking down at the hand that held him there. 

“H-Hi Kacchan…”

“Shut the hell up you damn nerd.” He snapped.

Izuku shut his mouth and eyed the hand that began to heat up.

Katsuki said nothing for a moment, just looking Izuku up and down. Taking in his exhausted appearance, he had begun to notice the small changes in his physique as well as his confidence. But as usual, the damn nerd just clammed up at the sight of him, as he should.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing Deku? Are you still going for UA?” He narrowed his eyes.

“Uh...y-yeah. Of course, I mean...I still wanna go. I think I can-”

“Shut up you damn nerd!” He raised his voice and slammed Izuku into the wall again. “Do you not know how to listen? Or you dumber than you look? I told you you’d die in the exams Deku, you really think you can do shit? Just because you had one small victory that wasn’t even fucking yours you think you’re hot shit now?”

“N-No! No, Kacchan why would I think that I’m- ow!” He flinched at the small spark that stung him. “Kacchan, stop!”

Katsuki only glowered at him, the look in his eyes giving Izuku a sick feeling. A pit of dread appearing in his stomach and chills violently wracking his body. That feeling alone made him feel like he was suffocating, it made him want to run away but he couldn’t.

The corners of his mouth twitched up for a moment. “Or what Deku? You gonna use that neat little trick you did that night?”

“K-Kacchan, please. Just, just stop!”

“Why don’t you make me Deku, you’ve got some special trick now so why don’t you use it? Think you’re too good to use your power on me, Deku?”

“I s-said stop.” Izuku grit his teeth, gripping Katsuki’s arm.

Katsuki growled and held a sparking hand near Izuku’s face. “You really are still just a useless Deku, but it looks like you still don’t know your place you-”

“I said stop!” Izuku shouted as powerful sparks surrounded him. He gasped as they zapped Katsuki and made him yell in either pain or surprise, it was hard to tell. He grunted as the sparks persisted, fading after a few seconds. He panted and looked Izuku in the eye before scowling.

“You little bastard…”

Izuku gave him a hard shove and sprinted away towards the locker rooms. He apologized as he pushed past a few students to get to his locker and change as quickly as he could. By the time Katsuki had entered the room, Izuku was already pulling on his shoes and heading out another door. 

Izuku was shaking as he headed to his last class for the day. A few black spots began to dot the edges of his vision, making him stumble and nearly crash to the ground a few times. 

Kacchan’s gonna kill me, holy crap he’s gonna kill me.

Izuku shuffled into the mostly empty classroom and took his seat, the teacher didn’t give him a second glance. He didn’t see how he was pale and shaking like a leaf, he drew in one shaky breath after another and wiped away the sweat that poured down his face. 

He hesitantly laid his head down and tried to blink away the blurry vision.

I overdid it…

He closed his eyes for a moment, it felt like an eternity before a loud clap startled him awake and made him sit upright. He looked around in panic before realizing it was just the teacher getting everyone’s attention. He calmed down momentarily before catching the still, very , pissed off gaze of Katsuki.

Izuku shrank in his chair and stared straight ahead.

The class seemed to last forever, but it still didn’t feel like it was long enough. He didn’t pay any attention to the lesson at hand, he had spent the entire class period going through different plans in his head. 

I can either run home or make a run for Master’s home. I can probably lose him if I run for her home since he’ll be expecting me to go to my house. Unless he plans on just hunting me down right from the get-go, then I’ll have to outrun him. Can I even do that? What if he catches me halfway there?

Izuku scratched at his face nervously and glanced at the clock, he had a few minutes left to come up with some kind of escape plan. So far the only thing he had down was running away.

He glanced at his phone to see another message from Eri.

Maybe he could call Aqua, say something about asking to meet up somewhere halfway. 

Katsuki wouldn’t do anything if there was someone else there...well actually he would , but she wouldn’t let it just happen. She wasn’t like the other adults, she wasn’t like the teachers in the school. She wouldn’t turn away…right?

What if she did? What would she say if she saw he couldn’t defend himself? Five months of training and he was still weak, all that progress was practically nothing. If she saw him in the sorry state Katsuki would for sure leave him in would she feel disappointed? Would she feel like she wasted her time?

Izuku gulped and spent a few moments gathering himself, glancing at the clock to see he only had seconds. He quietly packed up his bag and stared at his phone, still trying to work out the problem.

What if he just sent her his location? 

Would she start to head towards him? Would she get there in time? Probably not.

Maybe if he was cornered and managed to get closer to that place he could send his location then .

What if she’s not even home? Her life doesn’t revolve around you damn it. What if she’s out doing something important?

He gripped the edges of his desk as the clock ticked down. If he got up and ran as soon as the bell rang he’d be okay, he’d have enough of a head start. 

His heart hammered in his chest as he reached down and picked up his bag, he glanced over to Katsuki. His heart dropped at the sight of his smoking hands.

“Remember to study for the test on Monday. Alright everyone, get home safe.”

The bell rang and Izuku was the first one out the door, having hurdled over a few desks to get to the door. 

“Watch it loser!”

“Hey, what’s the rush freak?”

Izuku ignored the various scoldings and pushed past the people who tried to shove him aside. He had a few seconds before Katsuki caught up to him and he’d milk that time for all it was worth.

He yelled as he nearly fell down the stairs, actually falling at some point when someone pushed him to walk without hindrance. He didn’t register the pain until he had gotten to his feet and rushed down the last flight and to the entrance. 

His arm began to hurt like hell but he ignored, using his good arm to throw a door open and run out into the open. 

Izuku looked over his shoulder to see Katsuki a little ways behind him. He gasped and looked forward, speeding up as he rounded a corner.

If I take the train he’ll manage to catch up, but he won’t do anything...but he’ll follow me!

Making the run to her house it was, it was a few ways away but he could do it. It wouldn’t be the first time, hopefully not the last.

“Get back here Deku!”

“Oh, crap.”

Izuku crossed the street, dodging cars and bikes as he went. He had to put as much space between himself and Katsuki as possible. There was no way he’d use his Quirk in public, not of it meant blemishing his record.

He looked around, he had to get out of the open and try to throw him off his trail. Maybe even take a shortcut if he could find one. Without a second thought, he ducked into an alleyway and sprinted down the narrow pass. He almost hit the wall when making a sharp turn.

Time blurred the farther he went, things seeming familiar then seeing something he hadn’t noticed before. He had gone on autopilot, it was all he could do to ignore the burning of his lungs and the painful ache in his legs. When he tried to pay attention to everything around him the world began to sway and colors would swirl into one another.

He just had to focus on getting there, he’d be okay. 

The bustling noises of the city blended into each other. Stranger’s voices, honking cars, shouting, the buzz of lights, his heartbeat. It all turned into a loud static noise that pierced his ears. Everything was static, the world around him and all its residents.

It was like he was running into nothingness, into a void that was ready to consume him.

He was slammed back into reality when he crashed into something solid and fell to the ground. He groaned and sat up, tentatively getting to his feet when two bony hands helped pick him up.

He wiped some of the sweat away from his face and looked up to the skeletal stranger. Blue eyes looked down at him in concern.

“Are you alright young man? That was quite a tumble you took.” 

Izuku panted and looked around, mumbling something incoherent as an answer. There was no sign of Katsuki, did he manage to shake him?

“Are you sure you’re okay? You look rather unwell.” The stranger frowned. “Why don’t you sit down for a minute and catch your breath?”

“N-No I’m...I’m good I just gotta…” He tried to walk forward only to have the world start spinning again. He stumbled a bit and righted himself. “Thank-Thank you.” He nodded and started heading off again, unaware of the man slowly following after.

Izuku jogged forward, wheezing with every step. His lungs were on fire and wouldn’t take in the air he was gulping down.

He slowed down some and pulled out his phone, not quite thinking when he selected his location and sent it. Adding a message of what he was sure was nothing but gibberish.

There wasn’t much distance left, just a couple of blocks. An easy jog, no walk. It was an easy walk.

The streets around him were mostly empty save for a few people every other minute. It was a bit unsettling, but he finally felt safe. He took a deep breath and picked up the pace, better to get there sooner rather than later and explain the weird messages.

He wasn’t paying attention and didn’t see a hand shoot out and grab his collar, dragging him into an alley. Stars exploded in his vision as his head was slammed into the brick wall.

“Finally found you, you little bastard. You thought you were gonna get that easy? After that little stunt you pulled? What the hell was that Deku?”

“It-It was an accident! K-Kacchan I di-didn’t mean to honest! I-”

“What Deku? You what? Since when does a loser like you have a Quirk? Have any kind of fucking power? Unless you think you’re too good to show me.”

“No! That’s not...that's not it! Kacchan I just…”

“Tch, so you’ve been hiding your Quirk from me, is that it Deku?” He sneered. “Look at you, thinking you’re stronger than you actually are when you’re just a worthless piece of trash that doesn’t know its place.”

Izuku bit his lip and looked down.

“What makes you think you’re gonna make it into UA if you can’t even defend yourself now? You might...no you will die the exams if you even make it there once I’m done with you.”

There was a strange feeling he had around Katsuki like he just radiated a horrible aura. It made his stomach turn and began to suffocate him again.

“I told you Deku I’m the only one from that crap school who’s going to UA, and if anything you being there will just drag that place down and make you look like more of a loser.”

“I can try...I-I will try, I still wanna be a hero Kacchan. J-Just like when we were k-” A punch to the face cut him off and made bright colors appear once again. When he managed to shake the colors from his vision he saw a sparking hand far too close for comfort.

“When are you gonna get it into your stupid head that you can’t be a hero. That you’re nothing but a damn-” A hand shot out and caught Katsuki’s wrist, stopping him from landing an explosion powered hit to Izuku.

The two boys looked up to see a woman a bit taller than the two of them glaring down at them. Izuku withheld a sigh of relief while Katsuki grunted in confusion.

“What is going on here?”

Her voice sent chills down their spines.

Katsuki faltered for a minute before wrenching free of her grasp and stepping away from Izuku. “What’s it to you lady? Mind your own business.”

“When I see someone getting hurt it is my business.” She snapped. “Now would you like to tell me what’s going on here, or do I have to drag you to a police station for illegal Quirk use?”

Katsuki narrowed his eyes and huffed. “Just settling something lady.” He grabbed his bag and shoved Izuku to the side and left the alley. He stopped for a second to glare at Izuku before finally leaving. 

Aqua waited until she figured he was long gone before stepping in front of Izuku. 

“Izuku, are you okay?”

He nodded slowly, not looking directly at her.

“Are you sure? I need you to talk to me.”

Izuku stood up straight. “Yeah, yeah I’m fine.” He mumbled. Everything was spinning again, but this time he couldn’t make it stop.

“Do you wanna tell me what happened there?” She asked, about to say something else when she saw Izuku starting to sway. She stepped a bit closer. “Izuku are you sure you’re alright?”

“I uh...I’m actually not feeling too-” 

Aqua caught him in surprise and sighed softly.

“I’m gonna guess that’s a no.” 

Chapter Text

Final Stretch

He woke up to the sound of someone talking and the smell of something delicious wafting through the air. 

Izuku groaned and tried to sit up, only to flinch and lay back down at the awful pounding in his head. He heard a small gasp and the sound of someone running away.

What happened?

He tried to think through the fog in his mind, struggling to look back at the previous events. It was all a blur, there were a few things that stood out but he couldn’t quite connect the pieces yet. A hand appeared and placed itself on his head, Izuku jumped and sat up in a hurry. Colors and pain exploded in his eyes, leaving him blind for a moment.

“Easy, easy. It’s okay, you’re okay.” 

He felt another hand place itself on his shoulder and lay him back down. It took a moment for him to recognize the voice and relax into the soft comfort of what he figured must have been the couch.

Once the pain subsided Izuku managed to open his eyes to see his Master standing over him, watching him with concern.

“Hey…” She murmured. “How are you feeling?”

“Tired. What happened…?”

“You collapsed after I intervened with that interaction between you and that boy. You’ve been out for a few hours.” She answered. “Izuku, I need you to-”

“Hours?!” He sat up abruptly, again, and held his head in pain. “What time is it? Just how long was I out? Oh no, I gotta head home I have to-”

“Izuku!” Aqua grabbed his shoulders and made him sit back. “Calm down, you’re still not at 100% and I don’t think you will be for a while.” She frowned. 

Izuku sputtered. “M-Master I’m okay! Really, I-I-I just...I’m just tired and-”

“Izuku Midoriya, don’t you dare lie to me.”

Izuku closed his mouth and looked down, his face turning pink.

Aqua watched him, looking over his form. He was hunched over and tense, he tried to keep his head down but it was easy to see he was blushing and trying to blink away the few tears that began to gather.

Izuku was wringing his hands, trying to hide under her gaze and attempting to calm himself down. He couldn’t though, he couldn’t even stop the slowly rising panic. He didn’t have to see her face to know she was disappointed in him, he could hear it in her voice. The silence between them was tense, the student shaking terribly in his mentor’s hold. Aqua sighed and sat back, letting him go. “Izuku, this is not something I can just leave unchecked. I can’t just ignore what happened, especially after I saw what that boy was going to do to you.”

He gasped as the pieces finally clicked together. He remembered now, how he accidentally shocked Katsuki, the chase, the threats, how Aqua had stopped him.

“Oh…”

“How about we talk about this somewhere a little more private?” She asked.

Izuku raised his head to look around at a few of the Moogles sitting around. One of them sat on the couch beside Izuku, they looked at him and waved.

“Y-Yeah...that sounds good…” Izuku mumbled, putting his head down again.

“Can you walk?”

“I think so…”

Aqua helped him to his feet and guided him through the room, saying nothing and leaving Izuku to stew in his own silent anxiety. Izuku grasped onto the railing of the stairs in an attempt to ground himself and get the dizziness to stop. He took a shuddering breath and forced himself to push forward despite the nauseating fear building up inside. As he followed her he couldn’t help but let his thoughts run wild. She knew now, she saw how weak he was. She saw that he couldn’t even defend himself against a single person. She could see how scared he was, and how much of a waste he was. After all this time he should have been able to hold his own, but he couldn’t and it was clear she had wasted her time on him. He lost his chance, and after this talk and he only further confirmed how weak he was that would be it. He would be alone again, and that would be that.

He slowly came to a stop as Aqua stopped as well, stepping away from the stairs and guiding him to the table in the room. 

He was still on autopilot as he followed her, each passing thought wound him up more and more. By the time he sat down in front of her he was visibly shaking.

Aqua sat across from him and watched him, taking note of how he was hunched over, how he tried to make himself smaller. He gripped the edge of the table so tight his knuckles were white.

“Izuku.”

He ducked his head lower if that was possible. “Y-Yes..?”

“You’re not in trouble, I want to make that clear. I just need you to talk to me, okay?”

Izuku silently nodded.

“That boy who was about to hurt you, do you know him?”

Izuku nodded. “That was Ka-Kacchan…” He whispered.

“Kacchan...isn’t that the boy you saved from the Heartless that night? The one you asked about?” 

Izuku nodded again.

Aqua frowned to herself. She knew she recognized that boy, she just wasn’t aware of how much of a bad attitude he had on him. She had heard yelling before she approached Izuku when he was alone, she hadn’t thought it would be him of all people. Yelling at the one who saved him no less. There was something about that boy that made her uneasy, a terrible darkness that was slowly brewing within him. If left unchecked it may consume him, or worse snuff out a bright light that was slowly being worn down by it.

“Do you know why he was going to hurt you?” She asked. It was a loaded question she knew that, but it was better to bite the bullet and get it over with rather than beat around the bush.

Izuku froze and closed his mouth. He knew the answer, and either way, it wasn’t going to look good for him. It never did, to begin with.

He gulped and took a shaky breath. “He...I uh…” He kept his gaze on the table, unable to look her in the eye. He could just see the look of disappointment she was going to give him, how she would voice her disapproval of not only the gross misuse of his magic but also his lack of courage to stand up for himself. 

“Izuku, look at me.”

He began to tug at his jacket, keeping his head bowed.

“Izuku.” She was more firm this time, making his flinch.

Slowly he drew his head up and looked her in the eye. He was barely holding back tears and he was biting his lip so hard he drew blood. Aqua faltered for a moment before opening her mouth almost fearing for the worst. 

“Izuku, what-”

“I-I didn’t mean to!” He blurted out. “Really, really I di-didn’t. He was...I mean...I got, I got scared and I…” He took a deep breath. “I accidentally...I shocked him.”

“You shocked him?” She repeated.

He nodded.

“He scared you, am I understanding that right?” She saw him nod again. “It was an accident, and it was an emotional response. That doesn’t warrant hunting you down and threatening you Izuku. Not at all, that’s unacceptable.”

She doesn’t get it…

He knew she wouldn’t, but then again she didn’t have the full picture. But she didn’t need it, she didn’t have to know all that, because all that was important was the basic things. She didn’t care, she didn’t have to.

Even if she did know, who’s to say she’d react any differently like his teachers in the past? Would she really care to hear any of it? It was always his fault anyway...was this really any different?

The words tumbled out before he could think about it.

“He’s been mad at me...because I have a Q-Quirk now.”

Aqua stopped. 

“Excuse me?”

He slapped his hands over his mouth. 

“Izuku, what do you mean? What do you mean by that?”

He shook his head, it was like torture. He wanted to say it but refused to allow himself to. He wanted someone to know, but at the same time, he didn’t. It was his problem to deal with, his own battle to fight. He shouldn’t have to unload all this onto anyone else. He had no right to.

“Why would he be mad at you for having powers?”

“Because I’m Quirkless.”

The dam broke and tears began to pour down his face. He continued before she had a chance to speak.

“I-I’m not supposed to have any powers, Master, none. And, and everyone knows this. They all know about poor defenseless Izuku Midoriya and how he doesn’t have anything spe-special about him. He’s just the weird Quirkless kid who talks to himself and wants to be a hero, even though to everyone else it’s such a stupid dream!”

“Izuku.” Aqua stood up and tried to approach him as he began to pace. 

“He’s known me since we were...since we were kids. H-He knows I don’t- shouldn’t have a Quirk. I’m not supposed to, and now that I do it’s like I’ve been lying to him. And I-I think that’s only part of it, because there’s always more, there’s always a reason to be mad at me apparently.” He sniffed. 

Knowing that they’ve known each other since they were kids worried Aqua. Had he always been like this? Did that boy really hurt him since they were kids? Though the thing that worried her most, was wondering how long he had been bottling this up.

“S-So yeah...To everyone else I’m just Quirkless Deku. And even, and even if everyone found out about my power they probably wouldn’t expect much from me. And you know what? I wouldn’t blame them, they h-have 10 years of experience on me. I have to work even harder to catch up to them, to even be good enough to try for UA. I have to work hard, since that’s all I really have.”

“What you call ‘hard work’, is you actually overexerting yourself.” She stepped forward and took his shoulders, stopping his pacing. “When was the last time you actually slept? When was the last time you ate something?”

Izuku flinched and looked down. He didn’t have any real answers for her there.

Aqua was quiet, trying to gather her thoughts to the best of her ability. “Izuku, what that boy was doing to you is unacceptable. It’s none of his business whether-hey look at me. It is none of his business whether you have powers or not. Understand? Nobody has any right to treat you poorly just because you didn’t have powers.”

Izuku continued to cry, saying nothing at first. 

“You’re working so hard, and pushing yourself far beyond than you should, and you’re only hurting yourself Izuku. You can not be doing this, because you’re only hurting yourself in the end and as your master I will not allow it. You’re talking about catching up when...Izuku you’ve already made so much progress, you have come so far from where you’ve started.”

Izuku shook his head and tried to wipe away some of his tears. Once he had started he couldn’t stop. Everything was spilling out whether he liked it or not. 

“How are you...How are you not angry at me?”

Aqua paused, having to take a moment to process the words.

“What? Why would I be angry at you?”

He grabbed at his chest and took a heaving breath, like the mere thought of the words caused him physical pain.

“Because you wasted your time…” A hoarse whisper. “B-Because you wasted your time on me...and even after all this time I’m still so weak. I-I can’t even defend myself from Heartless or anyone else. You’ve put all this effort into me and I don’t have anything to show for it…”

His legs gave out beneath him and would have fallen over if Aqua hadn’t been holding him.

“No...oh Izuku no.” She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close. “Izuku you...the last thing you’ve done is disappoint me.” She felt her voice waver as a tidal wave of emotion crashed into her.

Was this how he felt around her? A constant pressure to not disappoint when that’s the very last thing he could ever do to her? To know he had felt this way for so long, probably since the very beginning hurt her. She never wanted him to feel that way.

It was funny in a way, he didn’t want to disappoint her and she didn’t want to let him down either.

“Izuku, training you has and will never be a waste of time. Never , okay? And I don’t expect you to know how to take on Heartless straight away, you’re still a beginner. Do you hear me? You’re still learning, and I don’t expect you to get everything right away. Everything you do is enough.” 

She softly rubbed circles into his back. At some point he had hugged her back, and was crying into her shoulder. 

“Izuku, if anything, it’s me who has disappointed you .”

“W-What?” He pulled away and looked at her. “N-No...what you mean-”

“It is my job as your Master to not only train you, but to take care of you as well.” She answered, pulling her sleeve down and wiping away a few of his tears. “Instead I made you feel pressured to impress me, and like you had to rush everything. I never wanted you to feel like that. And even so, I may not be able to do much but I’m supposed to protect you. And clearly…” She looked down at the exposed bandages on his arm. “I have failed at that.”

Izuku looked down and pulled his sleeve down to hide the bandages.

“I don’t want you hiding things like this from me anymore, okay?” She took his arm. “Promise me. Promise that you’ll start taking care of yourself, and stop putting so much pressure on yourself. And promise that you’ll talk to me if you have to, because you don’t have to hide anything from me. Okay?”

Izuku took a shuddering breath and wiped at his face as more tears came. “I-I promise…”

Aqua nodded and smoothed over a few of his messy curls. “And I promise I’ll be better too. I’ll be here for you whenever you need me. I promise.”

Izuku nodded and devolved into a sobbing mess once again. 

They stayed there for a while until they calmed down and Izuku eventually passed out, his exhaustion evident on his face.

  -.-

Aqua yawned as she made her way downstairs, a hyper 6 year old on her heels and asking what they were having for breakfast. She hummed out some kind of response coherent enough for her.

“Morning kupo,” A Moogle muttered as they floated by, a small mug in their hands.

“Good morning.” Aqua nodded. 

She made her way to the kitchen and poured herself some coffee while handing Eri a juice box. “I’ll make us some pancakes.” Aqua promised.

“Can I help?” 

“Of course, but we have to put our hair up before we start cooking. Can you grab us some hair ties?”

“Yup!” Eri took another sip of her juice before hurrying up the stairs, greeting a few of the Moogles on her way up. 

Aqua smiled to herself and took a step out of the kitchen, catching sight of the couch in the next room. There still fast asleep was Izuku, sleeping peacefully. He still had dark bags beneath his eyes and was a little on the pale side, but he’d be okay.

She suppressed a laugh as she caught sight of a few Moogles asleep on top of him. It was a few of the younger ones, one had settled on top of his head and made a bed out of his hair. Another one was tucked into his arms, snoring softly and hugging him back while a third was on his back and had the blanket bunched all around them.

There was still a lot they needed to talk about, she knew that. They’d get there, but for now they were okay. He was okay.

She walked over and pulled more of the blanket over him.

It was best to let him sleep for a little while longer.

-HoL-

“I think I’ve finally tracked Guardian down.”

“You what?”

Toshinori and Naomasa sat in a restaurant, huddled in a booth in a quiet corner. It was still early morning so there weren’t many guests to overhear their conversation.

Naomasa laughed and stirred around his coffee. “Well that’s certainly one way to start a conversation.”

“I know you’ve been trying to track her down for a long time Tsukauchi, so have I and I finally found a lead.” The skeletal man insisted, pausing for a moment to cough.

“Mind if I ask how long you’ve had this lead?” Naomasa questioned as he handed Toshinori a napkin.

“A few months, but I had figured I’d better see if it was a good source just in case. Lo and behold,” he pulled out a map of the city with an area circled in red ink. “I found her.”

Naomasa’s eyes widened and he took the map in his hands, scanning it over. “This is way on the other side of town, it’s practically deserted there. A perfect place to hide. How exactly did you say you found her?”

Toshinori sighed and slumped in his chair a bit. This was the part he wasn’t too excited to share, none of it was but it was better to have this information on her just in case.

“Well, I tailed this kid. Guardian took on a student five months ago, and I saw them when I went to go find him. She offered to take him in, and the kid was in tears. Now at the time I hadn’t gotten a good look at her face, it was pretty dark then.”

Naomasa watched him and glanced back down to the map. “Do you at least know the kid’s name? That way we can look him up?”

Toshinori nodded and prodded at a small tower of sugar packets he had made. 

“Midoriya Izuku. I had actually run into him earlier in the day, saved from from a villain. Or, rather saving him from himself. His Quirk was insane, he nearly burnt that villain and himself to a crisp. Had to knock him unconscious to get it to stop, he had no control.”

“That’s not good…” Naomasa wrote down a few things.

“Then I saw him again, that monster attack that swept up a few people. Though only one of them had gotten out, a young kid about the same age as Young Midoriya.”

“Yeah I think I know which one you’re talking about.” 

“Tsukauchi, he froze those monsters. And when they shattered they stayed gone, none of them came back.”

Naomasa stopped his writing and looked up at Toshinori. “They stayed gone, as in the same way they do when Guardian slays them?”

Toshinori nodded.

“I take it you followed him after that whole incident.” He sighed. “Why though? Unless you were planning on giving him…”

Toshinori gasped and shook his head. “No, no. Offering him that was the last thing on my mind. What that young man did was brave no doubt, but it was also foolish and impulsive. No, I had tailed him for a different reason.”

“And what reason was that?”

Toshinori stared at the table for a moment and shivered. “His power Tsukauchi, it felt very similar to Guardian’s. Initially, before I had seen their interaction, I had thought they may have been connected in some way. I suppose they are though, considering the current situation.”

“What do you mean by that Yagi? You’ve always been vague when describing the ‘feel’ of power whenever you end up face to face with her.”

Toshinori sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Because it’s hard to explain. It feels off, like it doesn’t belong in a way. It doesn’t have a malicious air to it, it's just...off. It doesn’t belong.”

“Neither do those monsters, yet here we are.”

“You know I actually had looked for him and followed him because I was initially worried for him. I still am. I mean she’s a vigilante, he may be in danger being around her. Even if she had taken him on as a student. I mean I saw him the other day and that poor kid was half dead on his feet, I had thought she was overworking him and putting him through hell. Well, I actually saw the opposite when I stumbled upon the alley. She was worried about him, she looked scared when he blacked out…”

A woman came up and handed them their plates of food, thanking them for waiting before hurrying off and leaving the two men alone again.

Toshinori waited until Naomasa began digging into his food to speak.

“Tsukauchi, I understand that this information is important and all, but for now I feel that it’s best we don’t use it quite yet.”

He saw his head shoot up at that. “Now hear me out. We want to catch her, that’s true. But in doing so she gets jail time and has to be put through rehabilitation. That’s time where we’re left defenseless against those monsters and we may be overtaken. She may be going about it the wrong way, but if we’re being honest here Tsukauchi she’s pretty much our only defense.”

Naomasa stared at him as he began to speak again.

“Not to mention we may be leaving a child without her parent.”

That was when Tsukauchi began to choke.

-HoL-

Izuku yawned as he doodled on the side of his notebook. He was on the last problem of the worksheet, and he had been at it all day. 

He hummed to himself, and heard a hum echoed from across the table. Izuku smiled to himself and looked up to see Eri working on her own worksheet. She was already done with her real one, she was just sitting there and mimicking Izuku. She had grabbed a blank sheet of paper and drew a few things.

“What are you working on?” Eri asked.

“English.” He answered.

Eri tilted her head and walked over to him, peeking over the table to see his work. Her eyes widened at the amount of problems on the page, there were a lot more on his than there were on hers.

“Woah, that’s a lot.”

“It is.” Izuku laughed. “But I’m almost done.”

“Do you have any more homework?” She asked.

“Nope, this is the last of it. Some of my homework isn’t due into a few days but it’s better to get it out of the way. That way I have more time to train, or just relax.”

Eri nodded and watched him write down his answer.

“What’s going to school like?” She asked, pulling out the chair next to him. “Is it fun?”

Izuku paused. “Well...sort of. I mean at school you can make friends and join sports and stuff. I don’t really do that, I just go because I have to.”

“Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why do you have to?”

“It’s kind of the law Eri, if I don’t go my mom or I could get in trouble.”

“Oh.”

Eri watched him write down another line and erase the last few words and rewrite them in a different order.

“Do you like your school?”

Izuku paused, frowning to himself and tapping the paper before writing again.

“If I have to be honest, not really.” He scratched at his face. “It’s not very fun for me there. I don’t have any friends there, and people think I’m weird…”

Eri frowned. “But you’re not weird. Why do they think that?”

“Well…” Izuku checked over his work and nodded to himself. “It’s because I’m Quirkless, and I have been for a long time. So everybody kind of knows I don’t have powers, and people like to poke fun at that.”

Eri stared at him. “You don’t have a Quirk?”

“Yeah, magic and Quirks are two different things.”

“I know.” She nodded. “I think I’d rather have magic than a Quirk.” She fiddled with his pencil.

Izuku stopped what he was doing and looked at her. “Why’s that?” He asked and closed his backpack.

“You and Aqua make magic look really cool and fun, and I think magic is a lot better than my Quirk…” She poked at her horn.

“If you don’t mind me asking Eri, what’s your Quirk?” 

Eri fumbled with the pencil a bit before answering. “Rewind. I can reverse a living person’s body back to its previous state…” The definition echoing in her mind. The look of disgust on that man’s face still sent shivers down her spine. “It only works on people...which means I can really hurt someone.”

“Eri, your Quirk sounds amazing!” 

She gasped and looked up to see Izuku writing furiously in one of his notebooks. 

“Your Quirk is awesome, you can heal people that others can’t help. You can give people a second chance that they might not have otherwise.” He began to ramble on and on about her Quirk, listing off all the possibilities. 

Eri watched him in awe and listened to him go on and on. Aqua had said something similar, how her Quirk was amazing and how it was a gift, not a curse. For some reason it hit different hearing it from Izuku.

“You could be a support hero, or even a doctor if you don’t want to go down the hero track. Your Quirk can help so many people and…” He stopped when Eri hugged him. “Hey, is everything okay?”

She nodded and mumbled something he couldn’t quite hear. 

Izuku lightly patted her back, fearing he had upset her. It hadn’t occurred to him that a Quirk called ‘Rewind’ might actually lead to some sensitive subjects. Before he could ask if he offended her she sat up straight and wiped at her eyes. She looked over to the table to only see his notebook, none of the worksheets present.

“Are you done with homework?” She asked.

Izuku nodded and Eri smiled. “Do you wanna play tag with me and the Moogles?”

Izuku nodded. “Yeah, that sounds like fun.”

“Okay then.” She grinned and tapped his arm. “You’re it!” She yelled and ran out of the room.

“What? Hey, that’s not-” He shoved his notebook in his bag and ran after her.

-HoL-

Izuku panted as he fell to the ground with a thud. 

“Healing is...healing is hard.” He wheezed.

“It is, but at least you’re getting the barrier spell down pretty good.” Aqua sat beside him and sighed. “And using Cure is so hard because it uses up all your magical energy at the moment. But at least you were able to still run around. Not bad for your first few tries.”

“It’s a lot of magic energy for a...for a few small injuries.”

“Well I’d rather not beat up my student, and that’s because Cure is the beginning class of the spell. Mind naming me the other variations of it?”

“Cura, Curaga. Each one is more powerful than the last, but from what you said they all use the same amount of magic energy. How do you learn the more powerful variations?” 

“Well, it’s more like you growing more powerful and your magic growing stronger in turn. You can feel how strong they are.”

“Oh, so basically more training.” Izuku sighed.

“Yup, but the spells I’m teaching you are basic ones. There are many other spells, a lot more complex. There’s a few I can't even use, and I’m not sure if I ever will.” She looked up at the sky.

“What kind of other spells are there?” He asked. 

Aqua sighed and shook her head. “A lot. So many, a few of them I had learned on my own through trying to combine one technique with another. Then I had a new spell that surprisingly worked out, and then I honed it and tried to combine it with something else.”

“Is this your way of telling me that you can’t teach me every spell in the book, and that I have to learn some things on my own?”

“Pretty much.”

Izuku groaned and sat up. “Magic is kinda just something ever evolving huh? No way to really say where it’s going to end or become?”

“Nope not really.” She shook her head. “And I think it’s too early to be discussing the philosophies of magic.”

“It’s 4 in the afternoon.” He argued. 

“Way too early.”

“Aqua! Izuku!” Eri shouted from across the field. “Look what I can do!” She started running and tried to do a cartwheel, only to fall over halfway through. The two flinched at the loud thud and got up, ready to run over just in case.

Eri only coughed and stood up to brush herself off. “I’ll get it next time!”

“Keep practicing Eri!” Aqua cheered.

“Yeah!” She yelled, running away and ready to try again.

The two sat back down and watched Eri from afar. 

After a while Izuku began to play around with his magic. Making a tiny flame in his hand and making it grow bigger and smaller, trying to best to see what his limit was. After a moment he sighed and let the flame go out, flopping onto his back again.

“Burn off the rest of your magic?” Aqua asked.

“Yeah, feels like it.”

“Let yourself recover.” She tapped his head. “The more exhausted you are physically and mentally the longer it’s going to take for you magic to restore itself.”

Izuku nodded. “Yeah, I know. I’m just worried, there’s three months left and-”

“Three months is plenty of time and you’re improving everyday. Don’t get so wound up about it, you’re going to be okay..”

Izuku sighed and nodded, staring at the sky. Watching clouds pass over and burd glide through the air before disappearing from his view.

“Hey, Master?” He asked.

“Yeah?”

“What kind of worlds are out there? How many have you visited, what are they like?” He looked up at her.

“Different worlds...it’s been a while since I’ve thought about them.” She tapped her finger on the ground. “Well, the few I’ve visited were very interesting. I didn’t stray too far from home now that I think about it…”

Izuku sat up straight in interest.

“It’s hard to describe the worlds, there are so many and each one is more different than the last. There was a world I visited where I had to fight a witch that turned into a dragon to help a prince reach his love, another where I was sucked into a mirror and had to fight off the spirit living in there. There was another one where I was mistaken for another prince’s dance partner, and in the same world I was shrunk down and helped a mouse get a key to his friend’s room so she could escape.”

Aqua withheld a laugh when she saw the stars in his eyes, it was the same look Eri gave her when she told her about the worlds.

“Originally I had to leave my home to fight creatures called Unversed, and to bring Ven home, and keep an eye on Terra…”

“Unversed?” Izuku tilted his head.

“Creatures made of negative energy, they originated from one person but...that person is gone now.” She sighed. “As a Keylade Wielder it is our job to keep peace between worlds and protect light, to keep balance. Generally we’re not supposed to interfere or meddle but…”

“You can’t help it?”

Aqua nodded. “Sometimes you just have to jump in.”

Izuku hummed and looked into the distance.

“Out of all the worlds you’ve visited, which one was your favorite?” He asked.

Aqua laughed. “Well, I dunno, does the one I called home count? If not then...hm. I think I might have to say Disney Town.”

Another question popped into his head, before he could voice it Aqua continued. 

“I got there when something called the Dream Festival was going on. There was music and dancing everywhere, and so many different activities to take part in. I didn’t get to enjoy much of it, seeing as I had a job to do and had to fight off some Unversed. But it was fun, and then Ven, Terra, and I won the Million Dreams Award. Though I didn’t get to see them…”

She looked down and picked at the grass before shaking her head. “But yeah, that place was great. If I could I would take you and Eri there, even if the festival wasn’t taking place it’s just a place that seems like a lot of fun. Maybe one day...I’ll go there again with Terra and Ven, and we can enjoy it together.”

Izuku glanced over at her to see the beginnings of a sad smile on her face. He fumbled with his words for a moment before speaking again.

“So, uh...what was your homeworld like?” He asked quietly. 

“Hm, the place I called home was the Land of Departure.” She looked at him.

“That sounds kind of sad…” He mumbled.

“It does, doesn’t it? But it isn’t, not really. Or maybe I just think that because I grew up there. That world is actually a bit more special than the other worlds. Master Eraqus once said that the Land of Departure is a neutral ground, where light and dark peacefully coexist. Not too much of one, not too much of the other.”

“So, what was it like?”

Aqua smiled. “It was a beautiful place, with so many tall mountains and rivers winding around everywhere. At night the sky was so bright, you could see so many stars wherever you stood. The library we had there was huge, and the halls were so big you could just run through them for hours. It was home.”

Izuku picked at the grass some more. “It sounds really nice. Compared to everything you’ve seen this world must be kinda boring. Especially after 10 years or so.”

“It isn’t actually, there’s so much of this world I haven’t seen. It feels small sometimes, but only because I forget that there’s so much more out there.” She hummed. “You know, if the circumstances were different I probably would have brought you and Eri to the Land of Departure. To take care of Eri and train you…”

Izuku paused. “Why’s that?”

“Well, I feel like it would be the best place to train you. Not to mention that I have no idea what I’m doing, I would have asked my Master for help.” She looked up at the sky, as if to search for the world.

“Well, I’d say you’re doing a pretty good job for not knowing what you’re doing.”

“You’re only saying that because you’re my student.”

“No, no really.” He laughed. “So...why can’t we?”

“Hm?”

“Why can’t we go there?” He asked.

Aqua stopped. “Well, there are a lot of reasons Izuku. It’s not as simple as making a portal from one world to another. Remember how I told you about the lanes?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, it’s dangerous to go through those lanes without any protection. The space between worlds is brimming with darkness, and if you’re not careful it will overtake you. Not only that, but...well. It’d be hard to leave this world seeing as it’s sealed off, and it'd be pretty hard to get to the Land of Departure seeing as it doesn’t exactly exist at the moment.”

Izuku stared at her for a moment before processing what she said. 

“Wait...what? What do you mean that this world is sealed off!”

Aqua sighed and ran a hand through her hair. “I had the exact same reaction when I learned about that too. Well, the Moogles have been around for a very long time, and it’s knowledge they’ve passed down from generation to generation. Just like the other worlds this world was open and anybody could come and go as they please. According to the Moogles, about 200 years ago the few Keyblade Wielders that were here panicked for some reason and left this world and sealed it off. Cutting it off from the lanes and effectively other worlds, ever since then nobody in, and nobody out.”

“This world is sealed off? But then, how did you get here if it's nobody in and nobody out? How did that happen?”

Aqua nodded. “When they sealed it, I don’t think they quite cut it off completely. I got here the same way the Heartless got here. The Realm of Darkness.”

For some reason the name sent waves of dread churning through Izuku. “The Realm of Darkness?”

Aqua nodded. “Where we are is the Realm of Light. Where the worlds reside, while in that place...there’s only darkness. It’s endless, and there’s no end to the Heartless that dwell there. I had fallen off the path after fighting for so long, and instead of falling deeper into the darkness a bright light saved me and brought me here. I had been relieved at first, and the very first thing I tried to do was open a gate and go somewhere I knew was familiar. Looking back that was reckless, seeing as I had no armor and I ended up hurting myself trying to open a gate.”

“Then what?” He asked.

“Nothing much I just...I saw the trouble this world was in and I did what I’m supposed to do. I helped defend it.”

“A-And the Land of Departure?” He asked. “You said it doesn’t exist anymore?”

“It doesn’t exist in the way you’re thinking. I personally sealed that world off.”

Izuku sputtered. “What? Why?”

“I had to.” She answered. “My home was lost to darkness, and I had to keep my friend safe. So what better place to hide him than in a world that would be hidden from everyone but one person. Also, with me sealing that place away, the world could heal from the damage.”

Izuku nodded, it was killing two birds with one stone he supposed. That friend that she hid, must be the one who was asleep and couldn't wake up. Ven was his name right?

“So...say you had the chance to. Would you leave this world?” He asked, drawing his knees to his chest.

“...I would want to. But it’d be pretty hard, I don’t think I could leave.”

“Why not?”

Aqua smiled and ruffled his hair. “Who would take care of Eri, and who would train you? I do want to see my friends again, but right now this world is my home and I’m needed here more than I am out there.”

Izuku stopped and looked down. “But...wouldn’t you want to go look for them?”

“We’ll find our way to each other again, one day. I know we will.”

“How?”

Aqua pulled out a star shaped charm out of her pocket and showed it to Izuku. “This, our good luck charms. You see, somewhere out there there’s this tree with star shaped fruit.” She let Izuku hold the charm. “They say the fruit represents an unbreakable connection, so as long as your friends carry good luck charms shaped like it, nothing can drive you apart. And you’ll always find your way back to each other.”

“Woah…” He looked over the charm and handed it back to Aqua.

“So, I’ll find them again. I know I will.” She smiled. “One day.”

Izuku nodded. 

Aqua stared at the charm for a bit before pocketing it and standing up. “Alright, let’s head back. You have to get home and I don’t want you out in the dark. Eri, come on it’s time to come back!”

As Izuku gathered their things he couldn’t help but wonder what it was like to have friends like that. 

-HoL-

Izuku sighed as he made his way out of the school, much later than he was supposed to. There was a reason for that, one he was not too thrilled for anyone to find out. He lightly touched the burn on his face and flinched in pain.

As much as he would like to use a Cure spell on it he just couldn’t muster up the energy to. He felt drained from the day and Katsuki’s beating. He was almost out the main doors when Katsuki grabbed him and dragged him off. Demanding to know who the woman who stopped him was, and why the hell she’d care about someone like Izuku.

More insults towards him and his ‘flimsy power’ but most of the interaction was based around how many times Katsuki could hit him before it was time to head home.

Izuku had heard all the insults before, being called worthless and trash and the like. He was more or less used to it, but for some reason it just hit differently that day. The words stung more and knocked more air out of him than the punches did.

At first he wanted nothing more than to ask Master Aqua if he could take the day off and just spend it at home. His home. That was until he got a text from his mother saying she wouldn’t be home that night due to the influx of patients and the fact that by the time she did get off it’d be way too dark for her to feel safe to travel across town. So she was spending the night at the hospital, again.

Izuku knew he could just pick something up on his way home and warm it up when he got hungry but he just couldn’t bring himself to. He just wanted to lay down and sleep, if not that then just have time to zone out. But he didn’t necessarily want to be alone in an empty house.

He sighed and pulled out his phone to see a text from Aqua, asking if he was still coming to the field to train that day. 

He stared at the words for a moment, trying to get himself to focus long enough to type out an actual response rather than imagine one. His fingers hovered over the keyboard twitching a bit before he began to type.

“I’m not feeling very good today”

“Is everything okay? Are you feeling sick?”

She was quick to reply. It took him a bit longer than he’d like to answer back.

“It’s just a day.”

“Can I still come over?”

“Of course!”

Izuku sighed and pocketed the phone and began his trek over there. It had been a while since he had a day like that, where he was just mentally and physically exhausted despite not doing much. He almost forgot how much they sucked.

He considered using Cure to heal himself again, yeah it would leave him even more tired but at least he wouldn’t have to sit through uncomfortable questioning by his Master. Knowing how upset she’d get that this happened again. She was upset at Katsuki, not Izuku. He always had to remind himself of that, she never blamed him for getting hurt.

At some point after his breakdown, which he still kind of embarrassed about despite the major relief it brought, he ended up telling her how he was treated as a Quirkless person. The insults, how little faith everyone had in him, especially his teachers. She was horrified, and it was an understatement to say she was angry. She was enraged , he could feel it radiating off her at the time. She hadn’t known how badly Quirkless people were treated, she knew there was some prejudice against them; but she hadn’t thought it was as bad as he described.

He pulled out his phone again and plugged his headphones in and put on a podcast he had been putting off listening to. He didn’t really listen to it, couldn’t bother to focus on the words that turned into gibberish after a while. It was just some background noise to listen to.

By the time the episode was halfway through he had made it to his destination. He shimmied through a small opening after putting his things away. He stumbled forward but stayed on his feet. He was greeted with a few hello’s that he mumbled back some replies.

No sooner had he placed his bag down did his Master come out of the next room.

“Hey you, I was wondering where you were. Is everything...oh my god Izuku what happened to you?” She walked over briskly and looked him over. Looking over the burn on his cheek and bruising around one of his eyes.

“Kacchan er...I wasn’t paying attention and he dragged me off.”

“That boy, again .” She huffed, hating that she had already known the answer. “Come here.” She gently took his arm and guided him to the table and sat him down. “Stay there I’ll get something for you.”

Izuku looked confused as she walked off towards a cabinet. He thought she would have used a healing spell rather than actually dress his wounds this time around. She grabbed something from inside while murmuring to herself. 

She handed him a small bottle filled with some bluish, green liquid with some stuff floating around in it. Shaped like tiny stars.

“What’s this for?”

“This is a little something called a potion, go ahead and drink it.” She nodded.

Izuku stared at it and looked back up at her before going back to the bottle. Why not, he figured.

He uncorked the bottle and gulped down the contents quickly, almost gagging on the sweetness of it. He emptied the bottle and sighed, almost gagging again as the sweetness lingered on his tongue. Though the small things that were apparently some kind of gummies help cut back on it. He was about to ask what it was for when he felt the wounds from earlier start to heal and disappear. He lightly touched his cheek and felt no pain, the other injuries began to fade as well until they were completely gone. 

“Potions are used for healing, quick use items when you can’t use a Cure spell. They don’t always go down easy, but in the heat of battle you don’t really mind the taste.” She smiled, ruffling his hair.

“Thank you.” He muttered.

“Do you want to talk about it?” She asked.

Izuku shook his head. “It’s just been a day. I’m gonna go lay down, okay?”

She nodded. “Yeah, go ahead. I’ll be making dinner in a bit if you want to eat later.”

He nodded and trudged over to the couch before just collapsing onto it. Though not before making sure there wasn’t anyone he would squash. He let himself get comfortable before turning his back to the rest of the room and just lying there.

Aqua sighed and put the empty bottle in the sink before sitting at the table and going over the work she had given Eri earlier that day. She knew that feeling herself, the days where you just wanted to lay down and do nothing. To be alone but not alone . 

She heard footsteps coming down the stairs and heard a small gasp.

“Izuku’s here!” Eri smiled and hurried down the stairs. She wasn’t even halfway to him when she realized something was wrong. He hadn’t said any kind of greeting in response to her cheer, and he was just laying on the couch. It wasn’t like him to take naps on days like this, usually he’d be studying or writing in his notebooks. 

Eri walked over to Aqua who was almost finished grading her work. She tugged on her shirt.

“What’s wrong with Izuku?” She whispered.

“He’s just having one of those days.” Aqua answered. “You know those days where you don’t feel very good and just want to sit there and not do much?”

Eri frowned, she knew that feeling all too well and she wouldn’t wish it upon anyone. 

“Oh…”

She looked over to him again and slowly walked over. She climbed onto the part of the couch he wasn’t occupying and sat beside him. He looked up at the shift in pressure to see Eri smiling at him. He rested his head again and smiled softly.

Aqua watched them and smiled to herself. She looked at the stairs and reminded herself that there was one unused room they had. 

She thought maybe it was time to put it to use.

-HoL-

“I’m heading out!” Aqua announced as she walked down the stairs with her helmet under her arm. The sun had gone down and she had gotten a few hours of sleep so she was ready for her nightly patrol.

“Already?” Izuku looked up from his phone before getting an angry huff in return and forced to put his head down again.

“Stop moving your head Izuku, I’m not done yet.” Eri lightly scolded him and continued to make small braids in his hair. He had to get a haircut, but Aqua would remind him of that later. 

“Eri, sweetie, after you’re done with his hair I need you to brush your teeth and go to bed okay? Izuku, can you braid her hair before she goes to bed?”

“Can do!” Izuku gave her a thumbs up.

“Can we have desert?” Eri asked, pausing her braiding to look up at her. “Please?”

Aqua hummed and looked at the time before looking back at her. “As long as you’re in bed by 10.”

“11.” Eri grinned.

“10.”

“10:50?”

“10:30 take it or leave it.”

“I’ll take it!”

“Okay.” Aqua sighed. “Izuku, make sure she gets to bed okay. And I want you to go to sleep early too, no more late nights understand?”

“I got it…”

“If you stay up I’ll know.” She put her hands on her hips.

Izuku glanced over to see one of the older Moogles glance at him before looking back to the book they were reading.

“Got it.” He nodded.

“Stop moving your head!”

“I’m sorry!”

Aqua smiled and walked over to the entrance and put her mask on, bidding them one last goodbye before walking out and covering up the entrance again.

Eri watched her walk out and gave her a little wave before looking back to Izuku. “I’m almost done, there’s not a lot left.”

“Okay, it’s 9:45 so we’ve got 45 minutes.”

“Okay, so we can have some ice cream. Can we watch some more of that game you were showing me?”

“The one with the little fox? The singing one?”

“Yeah, that one.” She nodded, working on the last mini braid.

“Yeah, but only while we eat okay? We don’t want to lose track of time.”

“Why not?” She asked. “If we do we can stay up later.”

“Master will make me run so many laps next training session if we do and she finds out. And she always finds out Eri.”

They look over to the Moogle to see them staring at them and going back to what they were doing. They both shivered and Eri continued.

“But you’re good at laps.” She tied off the last mini braid and smiled. “Done!”

Izuku stood up and stretched before looking down at Eri. “Yeah I’m good at it, but you get tired after a while. You try running a lap with us next time and see how you feel.”

Eri shrugged and followed him to the kitchen where a few Moogles were sitting on the countertop and sipping at some leftover coffee. They were competing to see who could stay awake longer, and so far they were a few hours into their competition. 

Eri grunted as she sat at the table and watched Izuku pull out two bowls and the tub of ice cream. She watched him for a bit before sighing.

“Hey, Izuku?” She asked.

“Yeah?”

“When you get into UA, are you still gonna visit us?” She asked. 

“Huh?” Izuku looked up. “Of course I’m still going to visit, I’m still Master Aqua’s student and I still have a lot to learn from her. Just because I’m training to be a hero there doesn’t mean I’ll stop training to be a Keyblade Wielder. I mean...I don’t even have a Keyblade yet. I’ve still got a long way to go…”

Eri tapped on the table. “But won’t you be really busy?”

“My schedule might be a little more cramped, but I’d find a way to make time to. But that’s a big what if, I don’t even know if I’ll even get into UA.”

“You will.” Eri smiled.

“I dunno…” He quickly gave them both a scoop and put the ice cream away. “I dunno if I’m ready yet. I mean I don’t have a lot of time until the entrance exams take place. I don’t even think I’m ready for the written exam.”

“Why not?” She frowned.

“I-I dunno. I just don’t think I am. I know that it’ll pretty much touch on the stuff we’ve been studying for the last few years and some stuff and some more advanced stuff but yeah.” He sat down beside her and gave her a bowl.

“Well I think you’re gonna do great. You’re gonna be a hero!”

Izuku smiled to himself and pulled out his phone, opening an app and typing in the title “Uh, so what episode are we on again?”

“Three.” She answered, starting on her ice cream. “We were at the part where the fox was in the swamp.”

“I thought he was still in the forest.” Izuku looked at her.

Eri shook her head. “No, he was in the swamp. You just weren’t paying attention to the end of the video.”

“Okay then.” Izuku set the video up and they sat in silence, watching the game play. There were a few times both of them held their breath in anticipation when the character was spotted by an enemy. 

By the time the two had finished and the video was halfway through, Eri was struggling to stay awake. She kept shaking her head to try and stay awake, only to start dozing off again.

Izuku noticed and took the now empty bowls and placed them in the sink. He walked back over and asked for the hair tie she and around her wrist.

“Hm? Oh, okay…” She mumbled and handed him the red hair tie.

Izuku hummed to himself as he braided her hair, feeling her slump over as time went on. It was only 10:20, so at least she’d be getting to bed on time. Aqua and Eri had taught him how to braid hair, he sort of had a basic idea on how to do it. As he would make messy braids with his mother’s hair when he was a kid, but he had no real idea what he was doing.

“Okay, done.” He sighed. “Now let’s go brush our teeth.”

“No…” Eri whined. “It isn’t even 10:30 yet.”

“Yeah, but Master wanted you in bed by that time, so we have to start getting ready now.” Izuku turned off his phone and picked her up. She mumbled out a few excuses and protests but couldn’t do much to fight back, she only wanted to argue again once Izuku handed her a toothbrush with toothpaste. 

In the end she lost and resigned herself to bedtime, already half asleep by the time Izuku was tucking her in. 

“Please turn on the nightlight, and don’t close the door…” 

“I know Eri.” Izuku answered and flipped on the small turtle she had on the desk. He smiled as it began to change colors. 

“Goodnight Eri.” He whispered.

Eri shifted in her bed, already fast asleep.

Izuku smiled to himself and stepped out of the room, leaving the door halfway open so there was plenty of light still in her room should she need it.

Izuku sighed and made his way downstairs to wash the bowls. As soon as he put them on the drying rack the Moogle that had been watching them walked over and began to usher him towards the stairs.

“Your turn Kupo, go to bed. She said no more late nights and I intend to make sure it stays that way.”

“Alright, alright, I’m going.” He headed up the stairs with the Moogle still calling after him. 

“If you’re not asleep by the time I go up there to check on the two of you, you’re in for it!”

“Understood!”

Izuku made his way towards the room he called his own now. A few doors down from Eri’s room. 

It was just an empty room before, mostly used for keeping synthesis items away from the younger Moogles who wanted to experiment and possibly waste the rarer items. When he had come by one day and was about to leave later than he meant to, Aqua had surprised him with a room of his own.

He stayed over a lot as it was, she reasoned, and if anything this place seemed like a second home for him. She wasn’t wrong, he did consider it home. It was warm and welcome and he was never alone. Not for a second.

He had actually burst into tears when she showed him the room he would call his own. 

He took a deep breath and stepped into his room, mostly closing the door and leaving it ajar should anyone need him. Izuku looked over to the small desk they managed to put together using stuff they found at the beach. There laying open were the sketches he had for his hero costume, so far he had gone through 4 different variations. Each one more different than the last, he still wasn’t sure what he was going for, but at least it was better than his first idea. So that was a start at least.

He ran a hand through his hair and climbed into bed, getting comfortable before staring at the ceiling. 

Things were changing.

He couldn’t deny that.

Things were changing, he was changing. 

He had more control over his powers, sure they would get away whenever he was excited or scared, but he was working on that. He didn’t feel as scared of it as he used to, if anything it felt natural. Like something that really was part of him, no kind of disconnect that he used to have with it. It was an extension of himself, he couldn’t help but wonder if that was what a Quirk felt like.

Maybe, maybe not. Not that he’d ever know. 

And that was something he was okay with.

Something he wasn’t sure he was okay with, or maybe he was, there were still a lot of feelings flying around it. But something he had been thinking about for a while was his relationship with Kacchan, or maybe...maybe Katsuki was the best way to regard him. He had changed too, maybe not for the best or at least towards Izuku in that regard. He was aggressive, he was mean, abusive.

For a while he was Izuku’s best friend.

He almost felt stupid when he actually started analyzing their relationship, and he realized just how bad it was. For so long he had clung to Katsuki as his best friend, as a source of strength he always admired. Then after a while there were way too many displays of that strength he used to admire, used against him to ‘put him in his place’. 

In the end, clinging to Katsuki only really hurt him. He wanted to be close to this person that was the only one who let him hang around. Even if it meant being teased. He wouldn’t be alone, nobody else would pick on him. Maybe that was it, that was why he had considered Katsuki his best friend even after so long. Maybe in the end he was just afraid of being alone. 

In the end he actually was alone. 

Because they weren’t friends, they were just two people who grew up together and grew apart. He never really had any friends.

Izuku turned over in his bed and hugged his pillow.

It was a hard pill to swallow, and one he didn’t want to face just yet. And he wouldn’t, instead he’d go to sleep. Like he was supposed to.

The door cracked open and he heard small footsteps walking over to him.

“Kupo?”

Izuku sat up.

“There’s a bug on the stairs…”

Izuku sighed to himself and got up. “Okay, let me see this bug…” 

Then he’d go to sleep. 

-.-

She was running in the dark, in the twisting and turning labyrinth of the alleyways that never seemed to end.

Footsteps followed after her at a quick pace, she knew the sound of his footsteps. Each tap only added to her terror. She couldn’t get away, not when he was so close, she stood no chance.

She wanted to call out for help but couldn’t find her voice. She couldn’t make a noise to save her life, crying out would mean punishment should she be caught. And she was always caught. She could only conjure up the names of those she wanted to cry out for in her mind, maybe if she managed to find her voice they’d come and save her. Take her far away from that place. Her body ached the further she ran, her lungs burning and begging for some kind of relief but she couldn’t stop. She didn’t want to go back to that place, never again. She couldn’t.

If she ever had to, she’d die.

She rounded a corner and sprinted down the path, almost certain that she was close to the end. There had to be an exit somewhere!

She pressed onward, turning another corner and hoping to lose that man until she slammed into a wall. She scrambled to her feet and ignored the pain, turning around to find another way out only to see him standing in her way and blocking her exit.

“Naughty naughty girl, you know what happens when you disobey me.” He narrowed his eyes and took a step towards her. She backed up and looked around, looking for some kind of escape.

His distorted voice surrounded her, making the shadows grow larger and loom over her.

“You belong to me.” He hissed.

No she didn’t, she didn’t belong to anybody! 

She wrapped her arms around herself and shook her head.

“N-No...No! I-I don’t-” She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw what was behind him. A mangled body thrown off to the side and hardly recognizable. The only thing she had been able to recognize was the armor that had once been different blue hues.

“Nobody is coming here to save you, I told you…” He was right in front of her, reaching a hand towards her. “You belong to me, and you always will.”

She was broken into pieces, disassembled into bits of blood and gore and lost to the void. She didn’t exist, not anymore. And all that was left for her was to fall into the unending darkness she’d never escape.

Eri sat up with a gasp and covered her mouth, barely stifling a loud cry. She felt tears burning her eyes and running down her face. She sat in her bed and shook violently as her horn began to crackle with energy. 

She gasped loudly when she saw light gathering around her horn, lighting up the room and casting large shadows on the wall. 

Eri swallowed hard and took a deep breath. In and out, in and out. She had to calm down, if she didn’t she was going to hurt someone and that was the last thing she wanted. Just like Aqua said, take a deep breath, hold it, and let it out.

Eri looked around and saw the light start to die down, she made herself look around the room and find something familiar. There was her night light still changing colors, on the walls were the many drawings she made.

She was okay, she was safe. Chisaki was gone, Aqua made sure of that. She felt her Quirk turn off.

It still didn’t make her fear leave, a terrifying phantom that still haunted her two years later. She was alone, and she really didn’t want to be alone. She wanted Aqua.

Eri looked around before climbing out of the bed and slowly making her way towards the door. The dim hallway light acting as a small beacon of safety.

She slowly opened the door and stepped out into the quiet hall. Without a sound she slowly crept forward, careful to make sure her footsteps were silent. She didn’t want to wake anybody else up over a nightmare.

“Aqua?” She squeaked out, hoping to get some sort of reply. Hoping that maybe, just maybe she came home early. She crept past the Moogle’s rooms, hearing snoring from both rooms. She passed Izuku’s room which was as quiet as ever.

The hallway felt like it went on forever as she made her way towards the room at the end of the hall. She was so thankful for the hall light, the light took away most of her fears and made sure nothing else was hiding from her in the hall. 

Eri hoped with all her heart that Aqua was in her room fast asleep. She quietly opened the door and walked inside. The room was dark and she couldn’t see much, but she knew her way around well enough to navigate through the room quickly.

She hurried over to the bed and reached for where Aqua would be, only to feel a cold space of a still made bed. 

She was still out, she was still gone, and Eri was still alone.

Eri whimpered and hurried out of the room, back to the safety of the lit hallway. She closed the door behind her and stood wide awake in the hallway. 

She was alone, and she didn’t know where to go. She didn’t want to be alone, but she didn’t want to bother anybody else. Although, she did have one more option.

Eri walked back down the hall, each footstep heavy as she walked forward. It felt like she was on autopilot but she knew exactly where she was going. She just hoped he wouldn’t be angry that she woke him up.

Eri stood outside his door, hand shaking as she opened the door and headed inside. It was a lot hotter in his room than everywhere else. She gulped and approached the bed that was pushed up against the wall. She could hear some mumbling from the body in the bed, something she might have found funny if she wasn’t scared out of her wits. 

Eri scooted closer and looked over to him, he was drooling into his pillow and the blankets were a mess. She took a deep breath and reached over, and tugged on his sleeve.

“Izuku?” She asked and tugged a little harder. “Izuku?”

He stopped mumbling for a minute and opened his eyes. Eri took a step back as he sat up and looked around, rubbing his eyes before seeing Eri beside the bed.

“Huh? Oh, hey Eri is everything…” He stopped when he saw her crying, and managing to not make a sound. “Woah, woah hey what’s wrong?” He swung his legs over the bed and knelt down in front of her.

“I-I had a nightmare…” She mumbled, messing with the hem of her shirt. “I got scared a-and I want...I want Aqua but she’s not here!” She wiped at her eyes. “I’m sorry but I-I didn’t want to bother you b-but I…” She trailed off and started crying loudly.

Izuku put a hand on her shoulder and smiled. “Eri, you don’t bother me. It’s okay if you need to come to someone, especially since this sounded like a really bad nightmare.”

Eri sobbed and continued to wipe at her eyes. She tried to speak but failed to form words, she could only form incoherent noises as she tried to say what she was thinking. Izuku grabbed his phone off the charger and looked to see it was 4:30 in the morning. Just a little bit before the sun came up. He pocketed his phone and looked back to Eri, keeping a smile on his face.

“Hey, Eri. I know it’s really early in the morning, but you know Master is always back just before the sun rises. The sun will be up soon, so she’s gonna come back soon. Do you wanna wait downstairs for her and greet her when she gets here?” He asked.

Eri took a shuddering breath and nodded quickly, looking confused when Izuku took the blanket off his bed. He gathered it around himself so himself so his hands wouldn’t be occupied, after making sure he could move around with ease he gently picked Eri up and wrapped the blanket around her too.

“This is the safety blanket, as long as you’re wrapped up in it nothing’s gonna happen to you. I promise.” He smiled. It was something his mother used to do with him all the time when he was small and suffered from some kind of night terror. She’d wrap them in some kind of blanket and go to what they considered a safe spot in the house.

Izuku slowly made his way downstairs and made sure not to make noise, he didn’t want to wake anybody else up if he had to. He stepped over the step he knew would make a loud creak and continued his way downstairs. 

Soon enough they were downstairs where the kitchen light was still on, but on the counter a few Moogles were passed out. Only two left awake and furiously drinking coffee, thankfully they paid no mind to the two that should be asleep.Izuku walked over to the couch and made sure nobody was sleeping there before sitting down and adjusting the blanket over them.

“See? Now we’re right here, and as soon as Master comes back you can see her. And I won’t go anywhere until she comes back.” 

Eri clung to him tightly. “You promise?”

“I promise.” He hugged her to assure her he wasn’t moving.

Izuku rubbed her back as she managed to calm down after a while, her sobs dying down and leaving her sniffling quiety. She tugged at Izuku’s sleeve every once in a while just to make sure he was really there, and every time he snapped to attention and asked if she was okay. She would nod and begin to settle down again. 

There was silence for a while, save for the occasional sip and clink from the kitchen. 

Izuku looked down to see Eri starting to doze off but still staring at the door where Aqua was supposed to come through.

“Hey Eri, I know a lot of nightmares can be bad but sometimes it helps when you talk about them. Do you wanna talk about it?” He asked.

Eri shook her head and continued to stare.

“Isn’t the sun going to come up soon? Shouldn’t she be here by now?”

“Yeah, she will be. She’s always here, so don’t worry.”

Eri nodded and pulled the blanket around her tighter. “You’re really warm.” She mumbled.

“Yeah, I’ve always been a bit of a heater. When I was small my mom used to joke around that he didn’t have to turn the thermostat high in the winter, she just had to come to my room and she’d warm up easily.” He hummed. 

“You don’t feel hot?” She asked, yawning and beginning to drift off. 

“Not really no.” He yawned. “Just normal.”

Eri shrugged her shoulder and fell into a light sleep, prompting Izuku to fall asleep as well. Eri was safe, she felt safe and she was heading back to sleep. He sighed and leaned back, falling back to sleep in no time.

-.-

Aqua slowly made her way back to the house, downing a potion as she headed into an alley. She was exhausted, more so than usual. The Heartless were getting stronger, more aggressive, thankfully though she had been able to fight them back without losing anyone that night. At least to her knowledge. If she wasn’t fighting the Heartless she was running away from the heroes that were rather persistent that night. 

She was letting her magic recover, so she wasn’t too keen on using a great deal to heal up the rest of her scrapes and bruises, as well as a few burns but that was something she wasn’t too concerned with. She couldn’t wait to get home and just fall asleep. It was the weekend, so she and the others could sleep in.

She wasn’t going to make Izuku do any hardcore training, not when there were only two weeks until the entrance exams. If anything she just wanted him to focus on studying and maybe a few sets of magic and weapons combat.

Aqua smiled to herself as she turned the corner and saw her home just up ahead, just across the street from where she was. She quickly ran across the street to the somewhat cluttered alley and pushed aside a few boxes to get to the entrance. As quietly as she could she pushed aside some of the trash to reveal the hidden doorway.

Aqua slipped inside and covered up the entrance again to a room. Much to her surprise there was a light in the kitchen. That was a bit concerning, considering that the kids should still be asleep. It wasn’t until she had taken a few steps forward that she became so aware of how warm it was in the room.

The air almost felt thick, she could still breath but it wasn’t very comfortable. She looked around the room and caught sight of two bodies on the couch. She raised an eyebrow and walked over while taking off the mask.

On the couch fast asleep was Izuku and Eri, wrapped up in a blanket. Looking closer she could see Eri clinging onto Izuku for dear life, she had been crying.

Aqua frowned and gently brought a hand up to place it on Eri’s back. 

“Eri? Eri, wake up. I’m home.” She murmured softly.  After a moment Eri jolted awake and looked around in a panic before catching sight of Aqua.

“Aqua!” Eri shouted, startling Izuku awake as she jumped out of the blanket and jumped at Aqua who was quick to catch her. “Y-You’re home! You’re okay!” She yelled.

“Yeah, I’m home Eri.” She hugged her as Eri began to tear up again. “What happened? Is everything okay?” She asked, already knowing the answer. 

“She had a nightmare…” Izuku said as he sat up.The heat in the room began to dissipate.

“He was- He was back!” Eri buried her face into Aqua’s shoulder. “He was back, a-and he cau-caught me and you…he, he used his Quirk t-to…” She shook her head and Aqua was quick to catch on.

“No, I’m okay Eri I promise. I promise that you’re okay, you’re safe. He’s gone and he can’t hurt you anymore.” She murmured, rubbing her back. “I’m right here, I’m not going anywhere.”

“I-I couldn’t find you when I woke up! You were gone and I…” She swallowed hard. 

“I decided we could wait for you to come home, since that seemed like the best thing to do.” Izuku shrugged.

Aqua nodded and smiled at him. She slowly walked up and down the room while Eri calmed down. “Are you feeling a little better?” Aqua asked softly once she began to quiet down. Eri nodded and put her head down.

“Are you ready to go back to sleep?” She asked.

Eri shrugged and yawned, her breaths still a little uneven.

“Why don’t you sit here with Izuku for a little bit while I go wash up, and as soon as I’m done I’ll come back to tuck you in. Does that sound good?” She asked.

Eri looked up and slowly nodded, letting go of Aqua so she could sit back down on the couch.

“I’ll be 15 minutes tops.” She promised. Aqua turned and hurried up the stairs, leaving the two alone again. From where they were they could hear the sound of a door opening and shutting.

Eri rubbed at her eyes and gathered the blanket around herself. “What time is it?”

“About 5:30.” Izuku answered, trying to wake himself up. It was a somewhat reasonable hour to be up, but he just wanted to go back to sleep.

“It feels like she was gone a long time.”

“It does, doesn’t it?”

Eri looked up at Izuku and frowned when she saw his hair. “Some of your braids got messed up.” She muttered, reaching up to mess with his hair again. Izuku lowered himself so she could reach easier and let her rebraid some parts of his hair that came undone in his sleep. 

15 minutes came and went, and by the time Aqua came back downstairs she was met with the sight of a half asleep Eri messing with Izuku’s hair. Izuku had let her, and looked like he was already asleep. 

She smiled to herself and went over to pick Eri up. Eri let out a small whine before realizing it was Aqua. “I didn’t finish his hair…” She mumbled.

“You can finish it when you wake up again, you look tired.”

Eri nodded and laid her head down while Aqua made the trip upstairs again to tuck her in. Her fears from earlier fading away with her mere presence. 

After a while Izuku realized he was alone when the feeling of his hair being played with was gone. Figuring Aqua was tucking her back in he got up from the couch and walked over to the kitchen. He figured it was best to eat something before going back to sleep. He grabbed some cereal and milk, then walked over to the coffee machine where the two Moogles were still going at it.

One of them was vibrating while drinking yet another cup of coffee while the other seemed to be just fine. Izuku grabbed the half empty coffee pot behind them and a cup from the cupboard. He wasn’t paying attention as he poured one thing into another, put everything away and sat down.

“Kupo! Don’t drink that coffee, you’ll end up seeing things.” One of them tried to stop him.

“Don’t listen to them kupo, he’s been up all night.” The other sighed.

Izuku shrugged and took a bite of his cereal, realizing he had put coffee in the bowl instead of milk. He looked at his cup to see milk. Izuku groaned internally and poured a little bit of milk into the bowl and took another bite. It actually wasn’t that bad. 

“Is that...is that coffee in your cereal?” He heard Aqua ask behind him.

“Mistakes were made, but it’s a pretty tasty mistake.” Izuku hummed.

“You should go to sleep.” Aqua ruffled his hair and grabbed a bowl for herself. 

“I was hungry, and you should sleep too Master. You look tired.” 

“Well maybe I’m hungry too.” She made her way to the coffee machine and grabbed the pot. “Is this decaf?” She asked the two Moogles. 

“Nope.” They answered.

Aqua sighed and poured herself a cup anyway. “You two better not have used all the caffeinated coffee.” 

“We didn’t.”

“Good.”

She sat herself down in front of Izuku and dug into her breakfast. “As soon as you’re done eating, back to bed with you.”

“Got it.”

The two ate in silence for a bit before Aqua spoke up again.

“You’re curious about it aren’t you?” She asked. “About what Eri was talking about…”

Izuku kept his head down and pushed around bits of the cereal. “Well, kind of but it’s none of my business and it seems like a touchy subject.”

Aqua hummed and sipped at her coffee. It was a touchy subject, for more reasons than one. But it was something he should know about, just in case something should ever happen. She wouldn’t have been surprised if he actually heard of the fight that was a result of all that, or at least the aftermath.

“Two years ago I saved Eri from a villain, he was a horrible man who would hurt anyone who got in his way. I ran into her while she was running away from him, I didn’t find out what was happening to her until the next time she had managed to get away, she had run all over the place just to find me.”

“But at least she found you, that’s a good thing, right?” He asked. “You…”

“He managed to track us down, and then he raised hell and took her back.” She looked down. “I was actually really, really lucky to survive that encounter. One wrong move and he would have torn me to pieces, but oh I made him wish he did.” She looked towards the stairs. “I went through whatever resources I had to to get to Eri, it took me forever but I finally found out where he took her. Then I raised a hell of my own. I’m glad I managed to keep the damage to a minimum, especially since it was near a few residential areas.”

Izuku gasped. “Wait, was that fight the one with the monster in the sky? The one with the six arms in broad daylight?” He asked.

Aqua nodded. “Yes, that’s the one. Honestly, I was surprised it hadn’t been broadcasted as much as other fights, though that was a blessing in itself too. I had been able to fight mostly uninterrupted, the heroes hadn’t shown up until later in the fight where he…” She sighed. “He turned into a monster, a real monster. The darkness consumed him inside and out.”

Izuku took note of how tightly she was holding her cup, if her grip was any stronger she might shatter the glass. 

“You had to…” He trailed off.

She nodded. “I came out of that fight messed up in more ways than one, but I saved her. That was the most important thing to me, I got her away from that place. I went through hell and back for Eri, and I’d do it again just so she can be happy.” Aqua sighed. 

Izuku looked down at his food again and hummed. “You’re her hero.” He muttered. “I guess being a hero is really hard sometimes.”

Aqua nodded and sipped away at her coffee, her mind going back to that day. She herself had nightmares about it too sometimes, either being torn apart by his Quirk should she have gotten too close. Or sometimes it was her Master looking at her in shame, she had still taken a life as vile as it was. She could only imagine how much he’d disapprove of that, that was not a day his spirit was smiling down upon her. 

After a while she sighed and down the rest of her coffee and took an empty bowl to the sink. She looked over her shoulder to see Izuku mindlessly scrolling through his phone, most likely new articles if she had to guess.

“Are you done eating?” She asked.

Izuku looked down. “Uh, yeah.”

“Then go to bed.”

“But-”

“I’ll take care of the dishes.”

“But I can-”

“Bed. Now.”

“Right, okay. Understood.” He scrambled out of his chair and hurried up the stairs. Aqua listened to him take the stairs two at a time and heard the opening and closing of his door. She heard a bit of shuffling before it quieted down.

Aqua sighed and shook her head. “What am I going to do with you?”

-HoL-

“Are you excited?” Aqua asked, watching Izuku pace up and down the length of the room. He was fiddling with the hem of his jacket, occasionally sparking and zapping himself. Eri followed him in his pacing, keeping enough distance so she wouldn’t get zapped as well.

“I’m nervous!” Izuku answered. “Ugh, I think I’m gonna be sick.” 

It was the morning of the exam, and as Aqua suspected would happen, as the day of the exam grew closer he’d get more and more nervous until his anxiety full-blown and he was freaking out. 

“You’re gonna do great.” Aqua assured him, stepping forward and stopping him in his tracks. There was a small zap that didn’t faze her. “You’ve been training for 10 months, you’ve given it your all and studied everything you could. Look at yourself Izuku, you have come so far from where you started.” She smiled. 

Izuku looked up at her and bit his lip, trying to keep himself from mumbling. 

“So here’s what’s going to happen. You are going to relax, and you’re going to stop worrying. Why? Because you’re ready. You hear me? You are ready.” She smiled down at him.

Aqua stepped back after a moment and looked him up and down. He was still tense, but some of his anxiety left him.

“Izuku.” She grabbed his attention.

“Yeah?” He asked.

“Repeat after me. You can do this.” 

“Wh-What?” He asked. “Why…”

“Trust me.”

Izuku sighed and shrugged. “I can do this…”

“Louder.” Aqua said.

Izuku fiddled with his hands before standing up straight. “I can do this.”

“You’ve come so far.”

“I’ve come so far.”

“You’re gonna do great!” Eri added.

“I’m gonna do great.” He said it louder, a smile on his face.

“You’re ready.” Aqua grinned.

“I’m ready!” He shouted.

Aqua glanced at her phone and nodded. “Now get going, you don’t want to be late.”

“Oh yeah, I’m cutting it kinda close.” He looked at his own phone before jumping. “Okay, I’m going! I’ll see you later Master!”

“Good luck!” Eri called after him.

-HoL-

Chapter Text

Exam

Izuku sighed as he looked up at the towering buildings of UA, staring up in awe and excitement. 

“Wow, UA. I’m actually here…” He muttered. He was frozen in place before taking a deep breath and walking forward. 

I’m actually here, I’m at UA. I’m gonna take the exam, I’ve worked my way from the bottom to be ready for this.  

Izuku grinned to himself. 

I’m gonna be a hero!

The thought left as quickly as it came when he tripped over his own foot, seeing the ground rushing up quickly to meet him. 

Or I guess I’ll die. I suppose that’s an option too. I’m sorry Master, I’ve failed you.

Before he could slam to the floor he was stopped, he made a noise of confusion before looking down to see himself floating.

“Huh? W-Wait what?” He tried to get back to his feet when he heard a girl start to giggle from right beside him. 

“Sorry about that.” She apologized and righted him. “I probably should have asked before using my Quirk, but I figured you wouldn’t have minded.” She smiled and pressed the pads of her fingers together. 

“O-Oh, uh...thank you.” He stammered, turning his gaze to the entrance again. 

“It’s no problem, really.” She shook her head before going quiet. The two stood still for a moment before the girl cleared her throat. “Well uh, I guess I’ll see you inside.” She gave a small wave before leaving.. 

“Uh, s-see ya…” He mumbled softly as he watched her run ahead and into the building. He stood still at the entrance for a short time before coughing into his hand and feeling his face grow warm. 

She seemed really...really nice. Yeah, really nice!

He stood frozen in place before getting a hard shove that nearly sent him to the ground.

“Woah!” He stumbled forward and righted himself. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to get in the-”

“What the hell are you doing here nerd?”

Izuku flinched at the voice and hesitantly looked over his shoulder. Standing there with small sparks along his palm was none other than Katsuki. Of course it was his luck he’d run into him right before the exam. 

“Uh, I-I’m taking the exam…?”

Katsuki scowled and clenched his fists to prevent an explosion. “I thought I told you I didn’t want to see you here nerd. Do you not know how to listen, or are you stupid enough to think you’ll pass?”

Izuku paled and slowly began to back up, feeling the eyes of spectators on the both of him. “It doesn’t hurt to t-try. And you can’t really tell me what to do...Katsuki.” He continued to back up, putting some space between them.

“What!” He yelled.

Izuku whirled around and ran forward. “See you in the exams good luck!” He sputtered and ran inside, apologizing as he rushed past a few people. 

He’s gonna kill me for saying that, why couldn’t I keep my mouth shut and leave out the second part that would have been the smart thing to do!

Once he was sure there was enough distance between them Izuku slowed down and went with the flow of the crowd. They were all heading to the same spot, a large auditorium. The mere size of the place amazed Izuku, it was hard to think that such a big place was inside the building, the outside almost made it seem smaller than it really was. 

“So cool.” He whispered to himself. He took a quick glance around before stepping into a random row and walking down the seats until he found a spot where he could see clearly. The seat on one side was empty, but in the next seat was a boy who sat hunched over. His purple hair was wild and went everywhere, his eyes focused on the podium where their instructor would arrive soon. 

“Uh, hi.” He greeted softly and gave a small wave. “Do you mind if I sit here?” Izuku pointed at the seat beside him.

His questions seemed to startle the boy out of his thoughts and prompted him to look up at the nervous newcomer. He looked over Izuku before shrugging and looking forward again.

“Knock yourself out.”

Izuku nodded his thanks and sat next to the boy. He didn’t seem like the social type so Izuku kept to himself. He was probably hyping himself up and getting ready for the exam, he reasoned. It’d be rude to interrupt that. 

Izuku fiddled with the card in his hands, he had gotten it at the entrance as a way of checking in. There was his information on it, as well as a large letter B in one of the boxes. He wasn’t too sure what it meant but he figured he’d find out soon enough.

Before he knew it everyone was seated and the lights of the auditorium were turned off, save for the ones focused on the stage. 

“Hey hey hey, welcome UA candidates. Thanks for coming out and tuning in to me, your school DJ! Now let me hear ya shout!” He yelled and put a hand to his ear, only to be met with silence.

“I see, I see, keeping it mellow. Alrighty then, let’s go over how the practical exam is gonna go. Ya ready?” He shouted the last part again in an attempt to hype everyone again. Once again he was met with silence.

Izuku couldn’t help but vibrate in his seat from sheer excitement.

“It’s Present Mic, the Voice Hero!” He whispered. “So cool! I listen to his radio show every day of the week! Oh man it’s crazy that all the UA teachers are pro heroes.” He muttered, unaware of the light sparks dancing around him.

“I see you’re a fanboy.” The boy next to him muttered. “Hey, your Quirk is acting up.”

“O-Oh, sorry!” 

“Like your application says, today you all are gonna perform your exam in some hip urban settings! These mock battles last 10 minutes and after this neat presentation you all are gonna head to your designated battle spots ya hear?”

The screen behind the hero displayed seven different boxes with letters in them, making everyone look to their cards again.

So that’s what the letters are for, they’re dividing everybody up so no one from the same school can help each other…

“Okay now let’s check out your targets everybody! As you can see there are three types of faux villains for you to take on. Each one is worth either 1, 2, or 3 points so choose wisely and try to rack up as many points as you can! But check yourself kiddos, make sure you keep things heroic because attacking other examinees is a big ‘ol UA no no!” 

“I guess that protects some people from the wrath of other examinees huh?” Izuku muttered to himself, glancing at the head of blonde hair a few rows below. “Hopefully we’re in different battle stations…”

“Got someone here that doesn’t like you?” The boy beside him raised an eyebrow.

Izuku laughed nervously. “I guess you could say that.” 

“Excuse me, sir!” One of the students called out a few rows below. “I have a question.”

“Go ahead!” Present Mic pointed at the direction of the student, prompting a spotlight to flash on him.

“On the printout you’ve listed four types of villains, not three. With all due respect if this is an error on UA materials, it is shameful. We are exemplary students and we expect the best from the most notable school in Japan. Additionally you up there in the back, with the unkempt hair!”

Izuku looked around before pointing at himself. “M-Me?”

“Yes, you! You have been muttering this entire time, stop that. If you can’t bother to take this seriously like the rest of us then you should just leave. You’re being a distraction.” He glared at Izuku who shrank into his seat and covered his mouth.

“I’m sorry…” He felt his face heat up as a few people around him began to laugh at him. Once again sparks appeared around him, lightly zapping the two sitting next to him. The blonde on his left didn’t seem to mind but the purple haired boy grunted.

“Ow, hey cool it.”

“I’m sorry!” He apologized again and took a deep breath. He had to get a hold of himself, this was just the introduction. He was getting anxious over nothing, he was going to be fine. A moment later the sparks died down. He could almost hear Master Aqua telling him to stop worrying, her words from this morning echoing in his mind.

He had worked so hard, he could do this, he had come so far.

“Alright examinee number 7111, thanks for calling in. You see the fourth villain type is worth 0 points, that guy is just an obstacle we’ll be throwing in your way. There’s one in every battle center, think of it as a hurdle to avoid. It’s not that it can’t be beat, but let’s face it there’s no point to it.”

“I see, thank you sir. Please continue. The stern boy sat down as a few students began to murmur to themselves. 

“Now, you ready to go beyond?” He asked, staring at the entire audience. “Now let’s hear it, Plus Ultra!” He shouted. “Good luck!”

-.-

Izuku took a deep breath as he stared at the gates to the mock city. He had to admit it was pretty impressive. He could only imagine the cost of making these things, especially if they were destined to be destroyed at some point.

He looked around and caught sight of the girl from the entrance, the one who caught him. He could see her doing what looked like a breathing exercise and murmuring to herself. Izuku felt his face grow warm as he began to walk over to her.

Maybe I should wish her luck. She was nice enough to do so for me, besides it couldn’t hurt to say hi again. Right?

Before he could get very far a hand grabbed his shoulder and kept him from going any farther. Izuku jumped and looked over his shoulder to see the stern boy from the auditorium.

Oh no, he’s here too?

“What do you think you’re doing?” He narrowed his eyes before looking at the girl he was trying to walk over to. “She looks like she’s trying to focus. You were going over to her, do you intend to bother her? Ruin her chances?” He asked.

“W-What? No! Of course not, I just wanted to wish her luck. Why would I wanna ruin her chances?” Izuku waved his hands around. 

Izuku laughed nervously and looked down. 

“Right, let’s start!” A loud voice spoke up from above. 

Everyone looked up to see none other than Present Mic standing on top of a large building, waving his arms and pointing at the open gates.

“Come on, get moving! There are no countdowns in a real battle! Run run run listeners, you’re wasting airtime!”

Everyone was still for a second before breaking into a run and heading towards the gates. Izuku had almost tripped over himself when trying to pull ahead. 

“Okay, 10 minutes, I’ve 10 minutes.” He muttered to himself as he split off from the large group on the first side street he could. Too many people in one place meant all the villains would be taken out in no time. He had to move somewhere else less crowded.

“Okay, just calm down. You’ve got plenty of time. Just focus on taking down the villains, you’ll be fine.” He turned another corner and ran forward. Just as he was halfway down the street one of the walls broke down and a robot came rushing out.

Izuku gasped as the villain skidded to a stop and looked up at him. A large 1 was painted on one of the arms.

A 1 pointer!

“Target acquired.” A robotic voice spoke as it looked up at the boy. “Commencing attack.” It rushed forward and reached a mechanical limb towards him.

Izuku grunted and dodged to the side.

Time to put what I learned into practice, just keep calm!

Izuku held his hands out and shouted as he flung an ice spike towards the robot. It stopped and quickly turned around to try and attack again, only for the spike to drive itself into the glowing red eye. The robot stopped and flailed around a bit before Izuku ran forward and threw another ice spike at the main body. The villain flailed around before collapsing.

“Okay one point!” Izuku nodded to himself. He was about to run forward when he noticed a pipe lying on the ground, part of the wall the robot destroyed. Izuku hurriedly picked it up and moved on.

I have to conserve my magic energy, it’s finite and I won’t have enough time to recover much while fighting. Gotta save some where I can.

Izuku ran into a mostly empty street where a few robots were waiting. 

“Perfect!”

His voice seemed to activate a few of them and made them look up. He thought the one-pointers were big, but the two and three-pointers were a lot bigger. Without warning a group rushed towards him.

Izuku ran forward and dodged to the side, grimacing at the dent in the concrete. He had to be careful. He swung the pipe as hard as he could and caught a two-pointer in the side. He backed up and gathered some fire in his free hand.

They’re meant for exams, beginners essentially, so they shouldn’t be too tough. 

Izuku yelled and threw the fire forward, much to his disappointment it didn’t do much other than weaken the metal armor. He frowned and ran up to the two-pointer and dug the metal pipe in. No sooner when he had ripped it out a three-pointer was about to bring a fist down on him. 

Block it! Block it!

Izuku threw his hands up and a barrier appeared. The fist slammed into it and shattered the barrier, sending Izuku back a bit.

Stop using so much magic!

He turned on his heel and finished off the two-pointer before stepping back and dodging another swipe from the three-pointer. Izuku moved forward and landed a few good hits on the robot before slamming his hands onto it and freezing it over.

Once it was frozen over enough Izuku stepped back and brought down the pipe as hard as he could. The robot shattered and collapsed to the ground.

“Okay, 6 points…” He muttered, looking at some of the robots now heading towards him.

“You’ve got 6 minutes and 2 seconds left!” Mic yelled from above.

Izuku swallowed hard and readied himself. He had to get a move on, he wasn’t going to fail. He was going to pass! He had plenty of time, he could do this!

A group of faculty members watched the screens lining the walls and looked over the different focuses. One of the screens was focused on a boy standing among a pile of robots, his palms smoking. Another camera followed a young man that sped through the streets, taking down enemies as quickly as he could before speeding off with his engine Quirk again.

“It seems we have quite an interesting bunch this year hm?” One of the teachers eyed a camera focused on a girl splashing acid on robots as she ran.

“Yes, we do.” The principal glanced over all the different cameras but kept going back to the one that focused on the boy with green hair. He took down robot after robot, manifesting fire and ice to aid in him taking down the mock villains. Once or twice he had manifested a barrier either for himself or a nearby examinee that was about to be harmed. 

A very versatile ‘Quirk’.

Nedzu looked to the side to see their new teacher watching the same camera. Looking on in concern. That was something he may look into later.

“You’ve got 4 minutes remaining listeners!” A loud shout from the roof.

There was a grunt of annoyance from one of the other teachers but they paid no mind, he was always like that.

There was no audio to the cameras but it was clear to them that there was a lot of arguing going on between the examinees. They could see them shouting at each other for taking a robot, or getting in the way.

“They have no way of knowing how many robots there were in an arena or where they may be. So of course everyone will become frantic over time, especially if they have a low number of points.” Nedzu observed, it was always the same pattern every year. 

“That’s true.” One of the teachers agreed. “But there’s still plenty of time left, and I’d say it’s time to bring out the real test, no?”

They all nodded in agreement as the teacher opened a class case and pressed the button. Watching in excitement to see what they’ll do.

Izuku panted as he took down another robot, he wiped some of the sweat from his face as he looked around. There were people everywhere now and either fighting over robots or running off to find new enemies.

Once or twice while looking for a target to take down Izuku had used his Barrier spell to protect someone from an incoming hit. Or pull someone out of the way to narrowly avoid injury. He was supposed to be racking up points sure, but that didn’t warrant leaving someone to get hurt.

Even so he could feel himself start to panic, he was low on magic and if he had to guess even lower on points. He lost count at about 20 or 22, he wasn’t sure how many he had anymore. Either way it probably wasn’t enough to pass. Even worse, he was starting to face some of the backlash of his magic Master Aqua warned him about. Frost coated his arms, and he was beginning to feel overheated, not a good combination at all. 

“I gotta find some more robots. If I don’t I’m gonna fail!” He muttered to himself, about to take off in a random direction when the ground began to rumble. Everyone in the area froze and looked up to the source of the commotion, only to see a giant robot staring down at them. 

“No way, is that the zero-pointer?” Izuku asked himself as he began to back away. “Isn’t this a little extreme?” 

Without warning the robot brought a fist down onto the street, making the ground shake again and kicking up a lot of dust. All around him people began to scream and run away from the menace. 

Izuku backed up and tripped over a piece of rubble, falling on his rear. He stared up at the villain while everybody ran past him. Nobody spared him a glance as they ran to save themselves.

Izuku stared up as the villain as it plowed forward, destroying everything in its path. He had to get out of there, he was going to die if he didn’t! The thought sent panicked sparks dancing across his skin as he managed to get to his feet.

“You’ve got less than two minutes remaining!” 

“What!” Izuku looked towards the voice in shock. He didn’t have enough points, there was no way he did. He was going to fail, everything Master did for him was for nothing!

“Ow!”

Before he could get very far he heard a cry of pain from behind him. Izuku froze in his tracks to look for who was left behind. His eyes widened as he recognized the person trapped beneath the rubble.

It’s the girl from earlier!

She was right in the path of the robot. Destined to be crushed if she couldn’t get out of there.

Without a second thought Izuku threw his weapon aside and rushed forward. He didn’t have time and he had to move fast. He steeled himself as he ran into the cloud of dust and over to the girl.

He skidded to a stop and knelt down to try and get some of the rubble off of her. He didn’t falter as the girl gasped in surprise.

“It’s you!”

Izuku nodded and got to work as fast as he could. He managed to get a few pieces off when he noticed the robot was getting too close. They were running out of time. He wasn’t strong enough to lift all of the rubble by himself.

“You have to get out of here, I don’t think that robot is going to stop for anything!” She told him, still trying to get her leg free.

Izuku shook his head as he tried to come up with a plan. He wasn’t going to leave her behind, nobody was going to die in this exam!

“I’m not strong enough to lift this.” He muttered, forming a plan in his head. “I can’t lift it. Any barrier is too weak, it was barely enough for the robots. Is there any way I can destroy it, or at least stop it?” 

There had to be a spell that could stop the robot. Something devastating and powerful, but he didn’t have that kind of power yet. 

But maybe I do...it’d take what magic I have left and a lot of my stamina but…

Izuku didn’t debate it any longer, he didn’t have time to. He was going to stop this robot right here. Right now.

“I’ll be right back.” He promised before getting up and putting some distance between them. He ran so he was right in the middle of the robot’s path, there was no way he could miss.

Izuku smiled to himself as he gathered up all the energy he could, bright yellow sparks dancing around his body and growing more fervent the more energy he put into it. He had to put everything he could into this.

Master is going to be so mad when she finds out about this .

As the spell built up Izuku thought back to one of the first lessons they had gone over.

“Magic is powerful, very versatile and very useful in a fight. But, there are drawbacks, especially for beginners such as yourself using bare hand casting as opposed to using a Keyblade, which makes backlash much less severe. The backlash of a spell is no joke, you’ve dealt with it a few times now and you know how painful it can be. It can also be dangerous if pushed too far.”

“Does the backlash depend on the spell you’re using?”

“Yes. You’ve dealt with fire and blizzard’s backlash. Overheating and burning yourself, and being coated in ice respectively.”

“What about Aero and Water?” 

“Those two aren’t as severe. You’ll be a little windswept with Aero, in Water’s case you’ll just get soaked at the worst. The one spell you need to be the most careful with is Thunder.” She warned.

“Why’s that?” He asked.

“Thunder is more than useful in any fight, it can cover a wide area or be a single strike. It’s all about control and manipulating it. But, those who are inexperienced will face quite a bit of backlash if used too much at a time or too much in one go. You can temporarily paralyze yourself or go numb. Although in the worst, more rare cases, there is the possibility of stopping your heart.”

“...What!”

“Yeah, so you have to be careful. Magic is useful, but it must be respected and used carefully. Understand?”

“Understood.”

Izuku looked up at the robot that was almost on top of them, it was now or never and he gathered as much energy as he could. 

Yup. He thought to himself. Master Aqua is gonna kill me.

Izuku looked up to the robot. Body shaking from the immense power he had gathered for himself.

Green eyes sparked as he raised a hand to the sky, commanding his magic.

“Thundaga!” He screamed.

For a moment there was silence, the sparks had dispersed and the robot kept moving forward. Until a great bolt of lightning shot down and struck down on the giant robot. The sparks went everywhere, narrowly missing the girl that finally managed to get free but hitting the spellcaster directly.

Izuku held back cries of pain as the undisciplined lightning went everywhere and wreaked havoc on the environment. It couldn’t have been longer than a minute or two, but to Izuku it felt like an unbearable eternity.

When it finally stopped it was quiet, everybody had gone silent. Even the faculty watching the display. A moment later the robot began to collapse and fall apart, parts of the machinery exploding and falling to the ground in a cascade of metal and wires.

Izuku panted, black dots began to fill the edges of his vision before he began to fall.

Before he could hit the asphalt a pair of arms caught him and lowered him to the ground. He glanced up through his hazy vision to see the girl looking over him in concern.

“Are you okay! Can you move?” She asked while keeping a hand over her mouth.

“Backlash…can’t move.” He slurred. It was true, he couldn’t move, he couldn’t feel anything either.

“And that’s it folks! Time is up!” Present Mic shouted from the rooftops.

Izuku flinched at the loud siren that signaled the end of the exam. It was finally over, and he didn’t know if he had enough points to even be considered for the Hero Course!

Izuku passed shortly after, leaving the kind girl looking over him in worry. As she panicked an old woman walked onto the field. 

“Very nice, good work all around! I’m proud of all of you!” The old woman approached the group of examinees. Giving them gummies and moving on. As she passed someone mentioned her name, Recovery Girl. A few people realized that she’s the only reason UA can be so reckless with their exams.

She slowly walked over to the panicking girl with an unconscious Izuku in her arms.

“My my, what on earth happened here?” She asked.

“H-His Quirk! He said there was backlash and that he couldn’t move! And then he just passed out!” She answered.

She looked over him for a moment before nodding to herself.

“He’ll be okay, he’s just exhausted. Anybody else injured?” She looked around.

The faculty sat in shock and silence as the robot finished falling apart, Nedzu grinned to himself and clapped his paws together which did not go unnoticed by one of the teachers. He sighed and rubbed his eyes, he had a feeling this one was going to be a problem child, whether he actually made it into his class or not.

Nedzu grinned to himself as the screens began to shut off.

Never did he think he would find a magic user from this world!

-HoL-

“Izuku? Izuku?”

Inko looked worriedly at her son as he stared at the fish head with a blank look on his face. He wasn’t responding, making her nervous. 

“Snap out of it, Izuku?” 

Izuku blinked and looked up to see his mother staring at him with concern.

“Why are you smiling at that fish? Should I be worried about you honey, is everything okay?”

Izuku sputtered and shook his head. “O-Oh! Sorry no, I just spaced out for a second.” He stammered and began to shovel food in his mouth.

Inko had taken a few days off from her job at the hospital to spend some time with Izuku, but she couldn’t stay forever. Not with more and more people coming by injured every day and night. Whether it be Heartless or villains someone was always getting hurt. Izuku was more than happy to spend time with his mother, even if she couldn’t stay very long.

Izuku stared at the text messages on his phone as he sat on the couch, changing positions every few minutes. At the moment he was hanging upside down and talking about the exam. He felt a bit of shame as he mentioned what happened.

He was right about getting in trouble with Master Aqua after that attack. She chewed him out and checked him over again and again to make sure there was no lasting damage. Afterwards she made him run lap after lap for what must have been hours before letting up on the punishment. 

Izuku glanced at the conversation before sighing heavily. It had been three days after the exam, and his Master was trying to tell him that he wasn’t going to get answers so quickly. She would try to reassure him again and again, and it would work, but of course the thoughts would creep back in. The terrifying ‘what if’s’. 

Izuku shifted his position again so now he was laying across the couch. A moment later a hand found itself in his messy curls, trying to smooth them over.

“I know worrying about the results must be terrible Izuku, but I want you to know that I think you’re really cool. And I’m proud of you.” Inko smiled down at him and continued to fuss with his hair. 

Izuku smiled to himself and relaxed a bit. His mother always found a way to take the stress away, one way or another. Still though, Izuku couldn’t help but feel a little bit of guilt. He still hadn’t told her about his newfound power, even with his Master encouraging him to do so. 

How exactly was he supposed to start that conversation? ‘Hey mom, guess what, I’ve got a Quirk now? Wanna know what it is?’

“Come on, move over, let’s watch a movie.” She tapped his shoulder and Izuku nodded. He scooted over and sat up so his mother could settle down beside him. She picked up the remote and turned on the TV, flipping through the channels until she found one that was playing a movie they both liked.

Izuku watched the screen for a bit before leaning against her and letting himself relax. He smiled to himself as he felt Inko’s hand in his hair again.

“You should get some rest, you haven’t been sleeping well ever since the exam. Don’t give me that look, I can see those eyebags mister.” She looked at him before looking back to the television. 

Izuku made a noise of acknowledgement and made himself more comfortable. “Don’t wanna go to sleep.” He muttered, trying to keep his eyes open.

“Why’s that?” She asked, smiling to herself as she heard him starting to dirft off.

“Weird dreams.” He answered. “I keep thinking I’m falling from somewhere and I just, you know wake up.”

“Dreams can be pretty weird.” Inko murmured. “But they’re just dreams, and maybe your weird dreams are because you’re so stressed out. I don’t want you to get so wound up about this okay? You did great, I know you did.”

“Yeah, I guess...Thanks mom.” He nodded.

“Get some rest Izuku.”

No sooner as she had said that, Izuku had already drifted off. Muttering softly in his sleep, a habit he never grew out of. Inko smiled to herself and continued to play with his hair. She wasn’t around as much as she’d like to be, coming home only once or twice a week if she was lucky.

The trip from the hospital and the house was long. Especially in the night, she didn’t want to risk getting attacked. Not again, not when her son still needed her. So she would opt to spend the night in the hospital, as many other doctors and nurses would. There was a loud buzzing from the coffee table, coming from her phone. She elected to ignore it for the moment.

This was her time to spend at home, her time to relax and spend time with Izuku. She never missed the looks of excitement he gave her when she said she’d get days off, or the way his voice picked up when she’d call to tell him as such.

Inko leaned back and smiled to herself. Everything was fine as it was now, she just wanted to bask in this quiet time and enjoy it. That was all she needed.

-.-

When he opened his eyes he was in that place again. He’s been there a few times now, but every time he woke up the memory of the place would fade. Memories that would slip through his fingers and fade away. This time though, he hadn’t woken up in a shock, it looked like he was there to stay for the moment,

He didn’t feel real in that place, like he wasn’t really there. Like he was going to disappear at any second. His presence in this strange place was fragile, at any moment the ground was going to shatter beneath him and cast him into an unending darkness.

There was a bright light above him, shining down and illuminating everything before him. The platform he stood on had its own light, depicting a young woman with an apple in her hand. He took a step forward and froze when there was a low rumble from the ground. 

Three pedestals appeared from the ground, an object appearing on each with a bright flash. A sword, a shield, and a staff.

Izuku didn’t move, questions flew around his head as he eyed each object.

What is this place? Why am I here? Am I supposed to choose? What happens if I do, what happens if I don’t?

Izuku glanced around before a soft voice spoke to him, it was familiar but at the same time foreign. It sounded like people he knew and interacted with all the time, yet it was still a voice of its own.

“Power sleep within you, if you give it form...it will give you strength.”

Quiet and patient, as if it has seen this kind of thing all the time and knew what to expect. Izuku looked around and took a step forward, his footsteps were deafening in the void. He slowly approached the pedestal that held the staff.

A long green handle with a strange design at the top, a large sphere with two smaller spheres on the top, almost making a head of sorts. He reached out and grasped it, holding it up to look it over.

“The power of the mystic. Inner strength. A staff of wonder and ruin. Is this the power you seek?”

“Wonder and ruin…” He muttered, frowning at the staff. He put it back and stepped away from the staff. Choosing to walk over to the sword.

He grabbed the sword, feeling the heavy weight it carried. 

“The power of the warrior. Invincible courage. A sword of terrible destruction.”

Izuku flinched at the last word, destruction. Ruin, chaos, death, villains . He quickly put the sword away and backed up from the pedestal. He swallowed hard and looked to the shield, walking over and gingerly taking it from the stand.

“The power of the guardian. Kindness to aid friends. A shield to repel all.”

Izuku gripped the shield tightly. A guardian, a hero, someone who protects. That’s the kind of hero he wants to be, someone who will be there to save everyone with a smile. Someone who would always be there.

“Is this the power you seek?”

Izuku stared at the shield and nodded. “Yes, this is the power I want.” He answered. As soon as he finished speaking the shield disappeared in a flash of light. 

“Your path is set. Now, what will you give up in exchange?”

“I have to give something up?” Izuku asked, turning to the two remaining pedestals. The sword and the staff. He stared at the two for a moment, thinking over what the voice had said about them. A sword of terrible destruction, or a staff of wonder and ruin. Warrior or mystic. Invincible courage or inner strength. Which was he willing to lose?

Izuku stepped down from the pedestal and eyed the staff for a moment before turning away and walking to the sword. He hesitantly took the sword again, it felt heavy in his hands.

“You give up this power?”

Izuku nodded. “Yes.”

Just like the shield the sword disappeared in a flash of light. 

“You have chosen the power of the guardian. You’ve given up the power of the warrior. Is this the path you want?”

He looked up and nodded. He was sure this was what he wanted.

The pedestal beneath him collapsed and he fell forward.

“What?” He looked around in shock as the rest of the pedestals sank into the ground. “What’s going on?” He asked loudly, hoping the voice would respond. Izuku looked down and saw the glass falling away into the void. Izuku gasped and tried to back away, only for the rest of the floor to fall out from beneath him. Sending him falling into the darkness below.

Izuku flailed around, watching the green shards disappear around him as he fell faster and faster. The light far above him grew more and more distant, he looked towards where he was falling to see a blue platform appear. A woman in a dress with her head down.

Izuku managed to right himself as his descent slowed, he sighed as he reached solid ground once again. He tapped the ground with his foot to make sure it was stable, afraid the ground would cave in again. Before he could let himself feel relief the shield reappeared in his hand, his hand gripped the handle tightly. The shield almost felt too big.

“You have gained the power to fight. Use this power to protect yourself and others, there are times you will have to fight. You must keep your light burning strong.”

Izuku looked over the shield before noticing a shadow appearing on the ground, it rose up and looked at Izuku with its beady yellow eyes. Another one appeared, and then another. Soon Izuku was surrounded by the erratic monsters. 

“What? They’re here too?” Izuku asked, feeling a bit of panic rise as he held up a hand. He trembled before throwing his hand forward, thinking he had summoned a well practiced flame. Nothing appeared, leading him to panic even more. 

“Where’s my magic?” He asked. “Why can’t I use it?” Izuku stared at his hand before one of the shadows bounded towards him and leapt at him. He yelped and held up the shield, hearing a loud thud and seeing the small shadow fall to the ground. 

The voice said I have to fight…

Izuku yelled as he hit the shadow with the shield, knocking it away as two more came at him. He blocked the swipes at him and knocked them away, only striking when he saw an opening. Izuku shouted as he hit the one closest to him again and saw it fade away with a puff of smoke. The remaining shadows stared at where the shadow died before staring up at Izuku and sinking back into the ground. Slowly disappearing into the pale blue light of the glass. Where the shadows disappeared large pools of darkness came. Growing larger and larger by the second.Izuku tried to stay close to the parts of the platform that weren’t overtaken yet. His efforts were in vain though as the rest of it went dark, and he was dragged down. He struggled violently, fighting to get away before he was consumed by the rest of the shadows.

He continued to fight, trying to find a way out of the darkness. It was suffocating as he fell deeper and deeper until the darkness was washed away with a new warm light. He gasped as he sat up and looked around. The platform was pink this time with three large hearts with silhouettes inside.Izuku looked around as he got to his feet. The voice was gone and wasn’t helping him anymore. Then he’d have to figure it out himself. Izuku continued to glance around until he caught sight of  a large door at the other side of the platform. 

Is that my way out?

He looked around before running towards the door, he let himself feel relief as he came up to the door. He grabbed the handles and gave them a hard tug, pulling it open. A bright light shone from within, blinding him for a moment.

When he opened his eyes again he saw he was in his house. 

“What?” Izuku asked himself. He was in his living room, where he had fallen asleep. Was he home now? Was he awake?

“Mom?” He asked. “Are you here?” He walked out of the living room and into the kitchen to see his mother standing there with a blank smile on her face. She seemed focused on what she was making, but at the same time was completely spaced out.

“Mom?” He asked, going up to her. It unsettled him how slowly she turned to him, a blank smile on her face. 

“What’s most important to you?” She asked, no emotion in her voice.

“What? What do you...huh?” 

“What is most important to you?” She asked again.

Izuku stared at her before looking down. He was still in the dream, none of this was real. He wasn’t home, not yet at least. He wasn’t going to move forward unless he answered more questions…

What is most important to him? That was easy, the people around him. His mom, Eri, Master Aqua.

Izuku slowly looked up to the stranger that looked like his mother. “My family. They matter the most to me.”

“Is your family really that important?” She asked.

“What? Yes, of course they-”

There was bright light that blinded him, a warm glow filling the room before it faded away. He slowly opened his eyes and gasped as he found himself in the field he had trained in. Izuku looked around before a small hand grabbed his own.

Izuku gasped and looked down to see Eri.

“Eri?”

She didn’t respond, only giving him a smile before asking him a question.

“What do you want out of life?” She asked.

What do I want out of life?

“I want to be a hero, I want to save and protect people. I want to be the kind of hero that people feel safe around.” 

“To be a hero? Is that really what you want to do?” 

Izuku looked at her in confusion as she let go and stepped away. Another bright light filled his vision and disappeared as quickly as it came. 

Izuku looked around, hoping the questions would be over soon. Seeing these strangers, disguised as people he knew made him feel so uneasy. Maybe them looking like people he knew was supposed to make him feel better, but it only did the opposite. He wanted to go home, he wanted to see his real mom, Eri and…

“Master?” He asked. The light faded away to reveal a strange place he had never seen before. It was bright and warm, a large castle-like structure stood behind her. She slowly turned around to face him. He swallowed hard and walked up to her.

“What are you most scared of?” She asked. Just like the others she smiled at him. 

Izuku stared at her before looking down. “I’m afraid of being alone.” He answered. “Of being weak and left behind, that if I don’t work hard enough nobody will see any use for me. I don’t want to be alone…”

“Is being alone really that scary?” She asked.

Izuku stared at the imposter before turning away. “Yeah, it really is…”

He closed his eyes as a bright light appeared and washed everything away, bringing him back to the dark place. He opened his eyes to see he wasn’t on any platform, he was standing in the darkness all alone.

Now where am I?

Izuku took a deep breath and took a step forward, shouting in surprise as the ground erupted in a flash of light. The darkness began to dissolve and turn into white doves that flew past him. Izuku watched as more and more birds appeared and gave way to a soft green glow.

Izuku watched in awe as they flew around him before taking off into the distance, listening to the cries and flapping wings. He watched them fly into the distance until he couldn’t see them anymore. Izuku slowly looked down and gasped at the revealed platform.

It was himself.

Izuku took in the sight. He saw himself on one side of the platform, reaching out for something or maybe someone. Beneath his outreached arm was a large circle with five portraits within it. He recognized most of the people depicted there. There at the top was Master Aqua smiling, below her were two other people. One of them was the girl from the exam, the one he had saved, beside her was Katsuki who glared ahead. Below those two was the boy from the exam, the one who scolded him; beside him was someone he couldn’t recognize. Maybe someone he hadn’t met yet. An impassive look on his face as he stared into the distance.

He walked over to the portraits, looking over each person and wondering why they were there. Master Aqua he could possibly understand, was it because she was close to him? But these other people, he didn’t even know them. And Katsuki, he hated Izuku in general, so why would he be here?

As he thought this over he saw something that caught his attention, where Katsuki’s portrait was, was what looked like small cracks starting to form. Izuku walked over, looking over the small fractures.

He hesitantly reached a hand out, gently touching the fractures. They were cold, and a dull ache raced through his chest. As soon as he touched one a loud crack filled the air. Izuku gasped and drew his hand back, getting to his feet as the ground began to shake. 

Izuku looked around in fear, watching as the cracks grew wider and wider. A few green shards fell into the swirling darkness that began to overtake the area. Izuku tried to back away, only to find he was frozen in place. The darkness began swirling around him and dragging him down. Izuku shouted in alarm and tried to get free. He was pulled deeper and deeper into the darkness despite his struggles. He tried to drag himself away but to no avail. Darkness creeped up his body and wrapped around him, keeping him where he was. It was suffocating, he couldn’t drag any air into his lungs as he was plunged into complete and total darkness.

It hurt.

His hands wrapped around his throat as he tried to breathe in, becoming more and more frantic the longer it went on. His lungs burned and screamed for air he couldn’t find. He began to feel faint and grow weaker, his struggles slowing down. He didn’t want to die here, he wasn’t going to die here. Not in this place, not when he still had so much to do. He continued to fight against the oppressive darkness, feeling it wrap around him tightly. Whispering little things to him, doubts and fears that made him falter for just a moment. He tried to ignore them, but that grew difficult as he grew weaker. His body weighed down by the unyielding shadows that didn’t want to let him go.

Before he could pass out a soft light appeared above him, small at first but growing brighter and brighter by the second. In a moment of desperation he reached towards it, feeling its warmth wash over him. The darkness that held him gave way to the light he reached for. He made his way to the light, reaching out his arms and wrapping his hands around the small, but brilliant glow and held it close.

“Keep your light burning strong, and you’ll be alright.”

Izuku screamed as he was thrown back into the world of waking, flailing around in a panic as he tried to remember where he was and how he got there. He ended up getting tangled up in a blanket before falling off the couch and hitting the coffee table on his way down.

The pain was enough to snap him out of his panic and bring him back to reality. He stopped struggling and untangled himself before getting to his feet. He was sweating up a storm and his heart beat painfully against his ribs. He looked down at his hands to see flames flickering erratically before fizzling out and turning into bright sparks. He watched his magic dance around for a moment before taking a deep breath and calming himself down. He felt his magic fade and he let himself collapse on the couch. He panted as he looked around, trying to remember what happened. He had a strange dream, most of it escaped him but he could remember bits and pieces.

He looked down at the blanket on the floor, then looked to the side to see a pillow on the couch.

That’s right, I was with mom and I fell asleep .

His mom.

“Mom?” He called out. “Are you here?” He asked.

He picked up the blanket and began to fold it up, as he did that he noticed a piece of paper fall off of it. He must have knocked that over in his panic. He finished folding and picked up the paper to read it.

Got called into work, I’m sorry Izuku. I left you some food in the fridge for when you wake up. Be good, I love you!

• Mom

“Work again…” He mumbled, scratching at his face as he grabbed his phone. There were a lot of missed texts from Master. He glanced up at the time and gasped.

“It’s already 1?” He shouted.

-HoL-

Izuku groaned as he laid his head on the table. It had been a week since the exam now, and he was constantly thinking about it. 

“Still worried?” Aqua asked as she walked by, sifting through the drawer.

“Yeah…” Izuku mumbled, his voice a bit muffled with his face pressed against the table.

“At least you’re not staring at random objects all the time anymore. I mean you stared at the wall for a while, then you stared at your food, and then you stared at one of the Moogles for a while. I was starting to get worried.” 

“It was only for like, two days.” Izuku sat up to argue.

“Actually four.” Eri spoke up from beside him. “You almost burned the egg a few days ago too.”

Izuku sputtered and looked down. “I mean...listen…”

“I’m listening.” Aqua glanced at him.

Izuku stared at her for a moment, unable to come up with any sort of argument. “...Listen.” He said again.

Aqua laughed and shook her head. “Okay, okay. I understand though, you were stuck in your head for a while. Knowing you, you were going over the worst case scenario weren’t you?” 

Izuku looked down and shrugged. “Yeah...kinda. Still kinda thinking about that too though…” He admitted. “I mean, I told what I think happened. Even with how much I studied, I probably barely passed the written part. Then in the mock battle I lost count of how many points I got, but I know it wasn’t enough. I used up a lot more energy than I had, if anything that probably looks bad to the judges of the exam huh? They want someone who is efficient and capable, someone who can get around quickly and use their abilities for the best. I don’t think they saw that in me, besides I-”

Aqua walked over and tapped his head. “Hey, enough of that.” She lightly scolded him. “You gave everything you had in that exam and then some. You did everything you could and put what you learned into practice. Not to mention that you saved someone Izuku, you saved that girl from that robot that would have crushed her. Instead of running away to save yourself, you ran to rescue someone else.”

Aqua huffed as she shook her head. “That’s what a hero is meant to do right? To save and protect? Honestly if UA doesn’t recognize that, then they don’t deserve you.”

Izuku looked up in surprise, seeing his Master looking a little annoyed. At least he knew it wasn’t towards him.

“Hey, Master?” He asked.

“Hm?”

“If I don’t get into UA, then what? I mean it’s the top hero school, and if I don’t get in what else could I really do? I mean, it feels like I’d be losing my one and only chance you know?” Izuku turned his eyes back to the table where his open notebook lay. A sketch of his would-be hero costume. Something simple that isn’t too flashy and suits his rather plain looking self.

Aqua sighed and sat next to him. “Well, on the slim chance you don’t get into UA, there are always other options. UA may be the top hero school, but that doesn’t mean it’s the only one out there. There are other schools, can’t quite remember the names at the moment, but you could always go for those. They may be a little farther out, but we’d figure something out for your training. Or if you want to stay close by you could go to a normal highschool, and all your training would be with me.”

“We have options, but if you ask me those are options we aren’t going to have to go into. Because you’re going to get into UA.” 

Izuku scratched at his face, her words bringing a little more comfort to him. Even if he failed, she’d still train him. She’d still keep him around.

“You’ve worked so hard with me Master, if I don’t get into UA...would that mean that everything you’ve done for me was a waste of time? I couldn’t even get into the top school, so…”

Aqua tapped on the head again, a little harder this time.

“Izuku, remember what I told you all those months ago? Training you will never be a waste of time, I never want you to think that about yourself. You’ve come so far and learned so much in so little time.” She lightly ruffled his hair and smiled at him. “No matter what I’m proud of you, okay? Always.”

Izuku stared up at her before smiling to himself. Just hearing those words helped ease a great deal of his worries. It didn’t matter to her where he ended up, she wasn’t going anywhere, no matter what she and Eri would always be there. Aqua hummed and stood up again, going back to rummaging through the drawer for what she was looking for. For the moment Izuku went back to doodling in his notebook, Eri watched him and did the same on her own piece of paper. 

“Hey Izuku, how do you know if you got into UA anyway?” Eri asked, looking up from her drawing. A sunset on a beach.

“Huh?” Izuku looked over, taking a minute to process the question. “Oh, uh, well when they’re ready to let people know if they got in or not they send letters. They can either be rejection or acceptance letters, UA has a low acceptance rate and that makes it really hard to get into the hero course, as well as the other courses they have. What I’m hoping for is an acceptance letter.”

“How long does it take until they let you know?” Eri asked.

“I actually don’t know. I’ve been checking the mail everyday hoping I’d find a letter. It’s been a week already so I’m hoping it’ll be in soon.”

“So, you don’t know when you’ll get the letter? That must be awful.”

“Yeah, waiting for the results suck.” Izuku sighed. “But UA is a pretty prestigious school and stuff, so I’m sure they have some kind of effective system for this.”

Aqua nodded to herself and gasped as she found what she was looking for, quickly closing the drawer and running into the next room. “Found it!” She called.

Izuku watched her run out in confusion before looking at Eri. “Did she or one of the Moogles lose something?” He asked.

Eri looked at him and shrugged before going back to drawing. “Are you gonna stay over tonight? Or are you gonna go home?” 

“Uh, I don’t know.” Izuku shook his head. “It depends on whether or not my mom is coming home. If she is then I have to head back, I don’t want to worry her and she isn’t exactly aware of my living situation. Living both here and...well there. Then there’s also the fact she isn’t aware I have powers.”

“And I’ve told you to tell her, over and over again Izuku.” Master Aqua walked back into the room. “It’s not healthy to hide this kind of stuff, and it’s better to tell her sooner rather than later.”

“I know…” He muttered. “Believe me I know, but...well she’s not home very often. And even then, I don’t wanna make her worry.”

“I think she’d worry more if you’re hiding something. She’ll find out about it at some point, and I think it might be best to hear it from you.” Aqua began prepping for dinner.

Izuku hummed and looked down at his notebook before sighing. He did want to tell her, he really did. He was just scared at what she’d say. She would be happy, sure, but would she feel hurt at all? He hid this from her for 10 months, almost a year .

“Aw man…” Eri whined after a moment. “I broke my pencil. I’m gonna go get another one.” She put the pencil down and ran out of the room. She was almost done with her drawing and she really wanted to get it done before Izuku left. She ran into the living room and hurried over to one of the small boxes where they kept their pens, markers, and pencils.

“Come on, come on, I just need one sharp one.” She rummaged through the box and mumbled to herself. One of the Moogles came up to her and hopped on a stool, looking over the box.

“Whatcha doing?”

“Looking for a pencil.” She huffed. “Or a sharpener, that works too.”

“Oh, I have a pencil. I’m done with it if you wanna use it.” They held up their own pencil and Eri grinned. 

“Perfect! Thank you!” She took it and was about to run back to the kitchen when she heard a loud buzz. She made a noise of confusion and looked to the desk off to the side. It was Izuku’s phone going off. Eri went over and grabbed his phone, thinking it was an alarm at first and stopping when she saw what it was.

It was a phone call, from who she assumed was Izuku’s mother. She looked a lot like him, or rather the other way around. Eri stared at it for a moment before gasping and taking the phone off the charger.

“Izuku! Your mom is calling you!” She ran into the kitchen and held out the phone. 

“What?” Izuku stood up and took the phone. He quickly answered and put the phone to his ear. “Hello?”

“Izuku!” She had shouted, loud enough for the others to hear. She sounded frantic and excited. “Where are you right now?”

He opened his mouth to answer, then paused before coming up with a good enough lie. “I-I’m at the park. I wanted to go for a walk, why is everything okay?”

“They’re here Izuku! I just got home and checked the mail and they’re here! Your test results, from UA!”

Izuku froze and went quiet, Eri and Aqua stared at him before he stammered out a response. “Y-Yeah? I’ll be right there. I-I’ll run over real quick, see you soon.” He hung up and stared at the phone in disbelief. 

“Th-The results are in…” He mumbled. “They’re f-finally here...wow…” He ran a hand through his hair and was about to start pacing when Aqua gently grabbed his shoulder.

“Hey, calm down. You should start heading home before it gets too dark. They’re here, and you’re finally going to get your answers. No matter what I’m proud of you okay?” She smiled and patted his shoulder.

Izuku took a deep breath and nodded. “Okay, right, yeah okay.” 

He quickly gathered his things and put them in his bag. Before he left he gave Eri a hug goodbye. “Sorry I can’t stay over, are you going to be okay?”

Eri nodded with a smile. “I’ll be okay. Good luck, I hope you got in!” 

“Yeah, me too…” He mumbled, stepping outside.

“Let me know when you get home.” Aqua called after him.

“Will do!”

-.-

Izuku stared at the sealed envelope on the desk. The red wax seal of UA almost taunting him in a way. How long had he been sitting there just staring at it? Certainly felt like hours when it was probably only a few minutes.

How long are you just gonna stare at it? It’s not like it's going to magically open itself. Just sitting here and doing nothing isn’t going to give you answers.

Izuku watched the unmoving letter a little while longer before mustering up his courage and grabbing it. He grunted and pulled at the letter, struggling for a moment before it finally ripped open. 

When he ripped it a small item fell out, clattering against his desk before glowing and turning on. 

“Hello, I am here as a projection!” 

Izuku shouted in surprise as he saw none other than All Might on the screen. 

“All Might? Wait, this is from UA isn’t it?” He looked at the seal again to make sure. “All Might and UA...no way…” He muttered, had they called him in for these recordings? Why? Because he’s an alumni?

“Greetings, Izuku Midoriya. It’s nice to see you again after so long.”

Izuku thought back.

Oh yeah, it’s been a while since he saved me...and kinda praised and scolded me at the same time.

“You, like many other citizens, have seen me around the city fighting villains and rescuing civilians. The truth is I have not come here just to fight crime, but you are looking at the newest UA faculty member!”

“All Might, at UA?!” He gasped, staring at the screen in disbelief. “All Might is going to be teaching at UA, holy crap that’s amazing…” He muttered.

All Might cleared his throat and continued. “Even though you passed the written exam, you only scored 25 combat points in the practical exam, apologies.” Izuku paled at that. He thought he had scored a little more than that. He swallowed hard, now he saw it, this was a rejection letter. They were just trying to let the rejects down easy.

“I knew it…” Izuku muttered to himself, gripping his sleeves tightly. Tears began to burn his eyes as he looked down. “I knew I didn’t pass…” 

I’m a failure.

“Fortunately there were other factors in play! You see young man, the practical exam was not graded on combat alone. How could a hero course reject someone who is committed to saving others no matter the cost? After all that is what makes a hero, and that is what my alma mater is all about. Training those who would risk their lives for the greater good. So we have Rescue Points!”

Izuku gasped.

“A panel of judges watch and award points for heroic actions beyond fighting villains. Izuku Midoriya, 89 Rescue Points!”

The screen changed to show he had placed 1st in the exams with a total of 114 points altogether. His eyes widened in amazement, just below him was Katsuki with 77 Villain Points.

“You have passed the exams.”

“No way, is this some kind of joke?” He asked himself, feeling tears stream down his face. He sniffed and wiped them away as best he could. First place, he actually got first place !

“Welcome Izuku Midoriya, you are now part of the hero academia.”

Izuku watched as the screen went dark and the projector turned off. He smiled to himself and wicked up his phone, sending a quick text to Master Aqua. He put his phone down and rubbed at his face, he couldn’t help the grin on his face as he opened the door to his room.

His mother froze in her tracks and looked up at him. 

His smile grew wider as he answered her. “I made it!”

She stared at him before she began crying as well. “Oh, my baby!” She ran over and hugged him tightly. “I knew you would make it, Izuku I am so proud of you!”

Izuku couldn’t help it as he started crying again, hugging his mom back. He did it, he really did it!

He made it into UA!

-HoL-

Aqua panted as she got to the rooftop. She leaned against her Keyblade for support as she caught her breath.

That was close, way too close. If the Heartless had gone any further more people could have gotten hurt.

She looked over the minor destruction of the street, thankfully there were little to no injured people. People who shouldn’t even be out at this hour, there was a curfew for a reason.

Aqua sighed as she looked over her armor. There were a few good cracks and dents in it, she knew they were there but they were becoming more prominent now. Especially with how hard the Heartless have been hitting lately. 

They’ve been getting stronger, with each day that passed they grew more powerful than last time. She was still able to take them down with ease, but with the amount she had been facing, it was like having to be in at least five places at once. As soon as she got done with one horde  at least two more would appear. She was keeping up as best she could, she had to. People’s lives were at stake and if she didn’t protect them who would?

She leaned back and looked at the night sky, a pit of dread forming in her gut.

The sky looked a little darker than usual, like stars were missing from the sky. They were blinking out, one by one. 

Something was coming, and if she had to be honest it terrified her. Whatever was happening was big, and it was taking out worlds one by one. She could only hope she was strong enough to take on the storm that was coming their way. She had to be, she couldn’t lose. Not when there was so much on the line.

Eri and Izuku...

Aqua grunted as she stood up straight, turning her gaze back to the world before her. For now she had to focus on what was here right now. She was about to take off when someone cleared their throat.

“Hello, Guardian.”

Aqua whirled around and jumped away from the voice, holding up Master Defender. After a moment she saw who it was and sighed.

“Awfully late for you to be out and about All Might, you’re usually a day time hero.” She lowered her weapon. “You wanna try your hand at apprehending me this time?” She looked over him and noticed he wasn’t in his hero costume. Instead a plain white T-shirt and green cargo pants.

“No, that isn’t it. I’ve actually been looking for you for some time, I’m not going to try to turn you in.” He pulled a water bottle out of one of his pockets. “Actually I’d like to have a talk with you, if you’re willing.”

Aqua eyed the man for a moment before hesitantly taking the bottle and looking it over. She noticed he pulled out a second bottle out of another pocket.

“What is it you want to talk about?” She asked. “Especially with me of all people?” She backed away towards the other side of the roof, just in case.

“Quite a bit actually.” He walked over and stood at the edge, sighing before taking a sip of water. “I have a few concerns I wish to address with you.”

“What kind of concerns?” She raised an eyebrow.

“Guardian, understand that I ask this out of concern, and that it feels too coincidental to be above suspicion. Are you in any way connected to the dark creatures and their source?”

Aqua gripped the bottle tightly and stared at All Might for a moment. She understood where he came from, really she did. The Heartless had to have been plaguing them for a while, then out of nowhere someone can take them down and keep them gone. Anyone who didn’t know what she really was might assume she was much closer to the source.

“I see...no. No, I am not connected with them in any way. I can defeat them yes, but I have no control over where they appear and why. They appear at random, and honestly that can make it pretty frustrating when I’m trying to hunt them down.” She answered, straight and to the point.

All Might nodded. “Thank you, I apologize if I offended you in any way.” 

“It’s fine. You’re right it can come off as coincidental. But I promise I have no connection to them.”

“Guardian, I feel you should be aware of recent developments. Especially since they regard you...and your student.” 

Aqua froze, summoning her weapon again. “Excuse me?”

“I became aware of your student a few months ago, Izuku Midoriya. He applied for UA, I was there for the exam and I saw what he had done. His skills are impressive, especially for 10 months of training. He’s done well, and he’s passed the exam. As his mentor I’m sure you’re proud.”

“How do you know he passed?” She asked.

All Might coughed before turning to her. “Well, you are looking at the newest UA faculty member! I gave out the results in the letters that were sent. I saw Young Midoriya's name come up, he has made it to the hero course.”

A harsh chill ran through Aqua’s body. All Might, the number one hero, knows about Izuku. Her student. He knows Izuku passed and is going to UA, where he’s going to be teaching. If All Might knew what could stop him from telling other teachers who Izuku was, other teachers who were heroes . He was in league with a wanted vigilante, if they found out what would they do to him?

“Guardian, if I may-”

“All Might.” She cut him off. 

The man noted the sudden drop in temperature and the ice that began to creep over the roof. 

“You’ve known about him since the beginning, I take it you spied on us and saw me take him in is that it?” 

“...Yes.” 

“All Might, I want you to listen and listen well.” She snapped. “Izuku is my student, he is my pupil. As his master I am supposed to teach and protect him. I will not stop him from chasing after his dreams, that is not my place. I am proud of him for making it into UA, and I’m sure seeing you teach there is a welcome surprise to him. You of all people know who he is, and I’m fairly certain it's easy to guess what he means to me.” She began to walk forward, the ice growing thicker.

“I ask that you keep what you know to yourself All Might. Should any of the faculty members find out who he is I have no doubt in my mind harm will come to him. He’s had enough harm brought to him already. And should you hurt that boy in any way, I don’t care if you are this world’s Symbol of Peace I will not hesitate to bring that pain tenfold upon you. Do I make myself clear, All Might?”

She stood right in front of him, Master Defender pointed at his throat. A thin layer of ice began to coat his body, making him shudder. Guardian was usually a calm individual, but seeing her like this; angry and demanding, especially over the well being of her student. It almost reminded him of…

“I have no intention of outing Young Midoriya as your student Guardian. That would mean losing you and him, the only two who can act as a deterrent for these creatures. Not only that, but I don’t wish to cause anyone harm. Your secret is safe with me Guardian, you have my word.” 

“You swear?”

“I swear.” 

Aqua glared at him for a bit, the temperature dropping more and more until she sighed. The cold dispersed and the air returned to normal, it felt like he could breathe again. Guardian put down her weapon and turned away.

“I think we’re done here All Might. It was nice talking to you. Goodbye.” She began to walk away, getting ready to jump to another roof. 

All Might watched her walk away, letting himself catch his breath. He wasn’t in danger anymore, her focus was no longer on him and he could breathe . He wasn’t done yet though, he still had more questions. Things he wanted to know, things he had to know. There were things he wasn’t sure how to do, and maybe she could help, because he had no idea where to even begin.

“Guardian.” He called out, taking a few steps forward. Even in his muscle form he felt fragile, unsure of everything that could happen.

“What?” She asked, not turning around or slowing her gait.

“How did you choose?”

“How did I choose what?”

“How did you choose your successor?” 

Aqua stopped at the edge. Successor? She turned around to look at him. “My...My successor?” She asked.

All Might nodded. “Young Midoriya, how did you choose him? For such a heavy decision, how were you able to make that choice?” 

Aqua stayed where she was, thinking over what he said. Successor. Izuku wasn’t her successor, no he was far from that. She wasn’t expecting him to take her place.

“Saying he’s my successor implies that he’s going to take my place, and that I’ll be stepping down. That couldn’t be farther from the truth. He’s my student, I’m his teacher. I’m going to teach him everything I can, and once I’ve taught him everything I know he’ll go on his own. He’ll grow stronger on his own, and I’ll still be here, I’ll still be here when he needs me. I’m not going anywhere. Why are you asking me this?” 

Aqua turned around to look at All Might. He stood there for a long time without saying anything. It didn’t take her long to piece it all together.

“You’re looking for a…”

All Might nodded. “I’ve been on a long hunt, looking for someone who’s worthy to take my place. As a symbol yourself, I thought you may know how to choose a candidate. How did you choose Young Midoriya?”

Aqua looked down, she chose to teach him. It was her duty as a Keyblade Master to teach the next generation. Not to mention he was chosen as well, he never had a say yet he took it in stride. “Izuku has something that...that makes him special, in more ways than one. He has this light in him, and I swear with each passing day it just gets brighter and brighter. I wasn’t sure about taking on a student at first, mostly because I wasn’t confident in my own abilities as a teacher. I took a leap of faith and took him in, and I don’t regret it. I only fear that I’m not enough sometimes, but I think that’s a fear every mentor has.”

Aqua sighed and shook her head. “I don’t have any advice to help you, I’m sorry. All I can suggest is that...you take in someone that you wholeheartedly believe will carry on what you want. Just understand that this person isn’t going to be you, and they’re going to need you along the way. You’re their teacher, you’re not only supposed to pass down what you know but it is also your job to care for them. To be their rock, to keep them safe, to be there when they need you. And you need to be ready for that responsibility. That’s all I can really tell you.”

All Might stared at her before coughing into his hand. He stared at the crimson stain in his hand before looking up at her.

“Thank you, I’ll...I’ll keep that in mind.”

Aqua nodded. “I should be going, good luck All Might. And remember, I’m trusting you, okay?”

Before he could respond she was already gone. 

All Might felt for his phone in his pocket, pulling it out and gripping it tightly as he deflated.

A leap of faith, she had called it. Guardian, who is a pillar of her own without really knowing it, was so unsure of herself. So hesitant to take on a student of her own. Yet she had done so anyway, and she was doing her best. 

A leap of faith.

Could he do that? Could he put all his trust not only into this one person but also himself as a mentor? Was he really up to the task?

Toshinori unlocked his phone and looked at the contact he had been looking at last. An old friend, or perhaps acquaintance was a better choice of words. He had to pass on this power, he wanted to. He didn’t want One For All to die with him, it couldn’t. 

Would his Master approve? Would she think he’s a good choice? What would she have said?

He stared at the call button, his finger hovering over it. Would he be able to live up to the title as mentor? He had to, he had no other choice.

Toshinori swallowed hard and pressed the call button, putting the phone to his ear. One ring, two, three. It felt like it went on forever. What would he even say to Nighteye when he answered?

As he thought out some kind of script the line picked up, and he choked on his breath. Before he could even greet him, Nighteye spoke first in a frantic voice, gasping for air. 

“All Might, old friend, I’m glad you’ve finally called. I’m afraid we don’t have much time.”

Chapter Text

First Days

Izuku hummed to himself as he packed up his bag, practically vibrating in excitement. It was his first day of school, finally. After waiting for three weeks, spending most of the time getting ready for school and training. 

He had noticed that his magic had grown a lot more powerful ever since the weird dream he had. The details still escaped him, he couldn’t remember exactly what happened, all he could hang onto was the feeling. The fear, confusion, and the momentary feeling of safety. It made him shudder every time he thought about it, and he’d always push it to the back of his head. 

Izuku got to his feet and slung his backpack over his shoulder, making his way through the house. His mother caught sight of him as he walked past the living room.

“Oh! Izuku, are you heading out already? It’s pretty early.” She slowly got to her feet, still half asleep.

“Yeah I know, but I figure that the earlier I get there the sooner I can find my classroom and take a look around campus. It’s pretty big and I have a feeling I’ll get lost.” He laughed and scratched at his face. 

Inko looked at the clock before sighing and shaking her head. “Okay then, just be careful okay? I’ll be going to work today too, so be careful on your way home okay? Let me know when you get back.”

“I will!” He promised, stopping at the door and looking over his bag one more time, just to be safe. Inko followed him and stopped behind him.

“Do you have everything? Pencils, notebooks, keys to the house?” She listed off. “You didn’t just pack action figures did you?”

“No mom, don’t worry I’ve got everything.” He grinned, putting his backpack on. “I’m heading off!.” He was about to open the door and walk out when Inko spoke up again.

“Izuku.” She said, making him stop.

“Yeah?” He watched her, seeing his look down before slowly looking up at him. He had forgotten he was a little taller than her, he hardly ever got to see her anymore. He straightened up as she stepped forward and tried to tame his messy hair. His curls bounced back up again whenever she tried to smooth them over, as per usual. She smiled to herself and kissed his forehead. 

“I’m really proud of you Izuku.”

Izuku paused before smiling back at her. “I’ll see you soon.” 

Inko smiled and waved goodbye as he stepped out of the house, making sure to lock the door behind him. He walked at first, looking around to make sure he wasn’t being followed. Once he was sure he took off running towards his Master’s home. 

He took in the quiet of the morning as he ran, people slowly emerging from their homes for work and school. The dim light of the sun banishing the shadows of the night, making people feel safe again. Some people gave him a few passing glances, recognizing the UA uniform. 

He ran even faster, excitement fueling him as he hopped over benches and dodged past people. Soon enough he got into the more quieter parts of town, close by his Master’s home. He looked around again before turning into an alley, taking a less obvious way towards her home, a small habit he had gotten into a short while ago.

Izuku grinned as he approached the entrance, quietly moving the makeshift door to the side before placing it back.

“Morning everyone! I’m here!” He shouted, placing his bag by the door.

Aqua poked her head out the kitchen door, her hair a mess. Like she had just gotten up, though it was more accurate to say she had just gotten home.

“Oh, well well well, look at you.” She smiled and made her way over to him. She looked over his uniform and laughed a little. “Your tie is all bunched up.”

“I don’t know how to tie a tie!” He admitted, turning red. “I tried looking up some videos and I still couldn't get it right. I thought about asking my mom, but I didn’t wanna bother her with it. So, this is what I ended up with.”

“Okay, okay, hold still and let me see.” She was quick to undo the tie and hummed to herself as she tried to do it the right way. She had seen one or two videos in passing, even so she was a little lost after the first few steps.

Izuku watched her as she tried again and again, backtracking a few times.

“Okay let’s see, around...under, no over, then under.” She muttered to herself, straightening it out. She stared at it for a moment before shaking her head. “Yeah, I think I messed up somewhere along the way.” It was even more bunched up if possible, looking like a tangled mess.

“Yeah I think so too...but that’s okay, I guess it’s something I gotta look into later.” He undid the tie and redid it, once again making it shorter than it should be. He huffed in frustration before shaking his head. 

Aqua laughed again and shook her head. “Come on, eat something real quick before you have to leave.” She motioned him to follow her as she walked into the kitchen. Already having set a plate for him. 

“I decided to try out this new recipe I found for crepes, so let me know how it is.” She said, motioning at a few slices of fruit. “I still think I added too much water though…”

“It’s fine Kupo.” A Moogle said as they passed by, finishing the rest of their food. 

“This is coming from someone who just ate a bowl of cereal.” Aqua raised an eyebrow. 

The Moogle stared at her and shrugged, walking out of the kitchen and into the living room. Pausing when they saw Izuku’s backpack, and taking a sudden interest in it.

Izuku quickly assembled his breakfast and dug in, thankful to eat something before he headed to school. Just as he was finishing up the food and about to thank Aqua, Eri walked in with a yawn.

“Morning…” She mumbled, making her way over to the table and sitting beside Izuku.

“Oh look who’s awake!” Aqua smiled and set down a plate in front of her. “How’d you sleep?”

“Still tired…” She answered, staring at the plate for a moment before looking up at Izuku. “Izuku? What are you doing here so early? Are you here for training?”

Izuku laughed and shook his head. “No, I’m not here for training. It’s my first day of school, remember? I wanted to come and see everyone before I headed off.”

She stared at him before nodding. “Oh yeah, that’s why I woke up.” She smiled. “You look fancy.”

“Yeah, well this is the uniform. I guess it looks a lot fancier than my last school uniform. I actually have to wear a tie this time.” He tugged at the wretched piece of cloth again.

Eri only hummed and nodded, only half paying attention. “Are you gonna come back?” She asked.

“Of course I am. I’ll be back before you know it. Oh! Speaking of uniforms, Master I brought some of them for when I stay over and have school the next day. I’m going to go put them up in my room real quick.”

Aqua looked at the time. “Okay, but then you should take off. It’s getting pretty late and I don’t want you late for your first day.” 

“Right!” He got up and ran over to his backpack before running up the stairs. 

“Don’t run up the stairs!” Aqua called after him.

“Sorry!”

She watched him run up and smiled to herself. She was proud of him, she really was. She remembered when he came flying in the day after getting his results. He was in tears as he told her he made first place with 114 points in total. Most of them being something called Rescue Points. 

She was ecstatic, congratulating him and saying how proud she was. He cried out of joy and relief, surprised that he had gotten such a high ranking at all. It only made the gifts she made for him that much sweeter.

She snapped back to the present as Izuku made his way down the stairs, skipping steps as he went. He hopped over the last ones and landed on the ground floor with the thud. He checked his phone and yelped in surprise. “Oh geez, I didn’t think it was that late!” He shouted. 

He quickly ran over to his backpack, gathering his things while Aqua walked over.

“You got everything? Backpack, phone, charger?” 

“Yup!” He nodded, grunting as he put his backpack on. It looked like it had a little weight to it.

“...Your good luck charm?”

Izuku paused and looked at her before grinning and reaching into his shirt and pulling out the charm around his neck. A bright green star with a few red streaks towards the middle of it, in the middle was the same crest she wore proudly. Just one of the gifts she had given him.

“Of course!” He answered. “Wouldn’t go anywhere without it!” 

Aqua smiled before ruffling his hair, getting a small laugh out of him. “Have a good day Izuku.”

He nodded and turned to leave. “Will do!”

Just before he stepped out the door Aqua stopped him. “Hey Izuku?”

“Yeah?”

“...I’m really proud of you, you know that?”

He stared at her before turning a little red and nodding. “Thank you!” He said before turning around and leaving. His heart soaring with joy and excitement. It was his first day at UA, as far as he was concerned, nothing could go wrong!

As he ran off he didn’t see his Master peek out the entrance, staring at the sky in worry. It seemed a little darker than usual.

-.-

“I’m late, I’m late, I’m late…” Izuku muttered to himself as he ran through the halls. “Class 1-A...come on where is it?” He turned a corner and looked around frantically. He looked around and gasped as he caught sight of the room labeled 1-A.

He couldn’t stop a grin from reaching his face as he raced forward, a bit of nervousness creeping in just as he stopped at the door.

“This thing is huge...are there giants here?” He asked himself, shifting his bag a bit. It still bothered him that it felt a little heavier than it did when he got to his Master’s house. Did he pack that much stuff?

Okay, focus! The most promising students of the country are going to be behind this door…

Izuku stared at the door handle, the dreaded thought of both Katsuki and that strict boy from the exams being in the same class made him hesitate. They didn’t like him then, there was no way they were going to like him now.

Maybe they got in different classes. Maybe we won’t meet each other…

Izuku took a deep breath and slowly opened the door, being met with chaos. People were chatting, sitting at desks that weren’t their own and overall getting to know each other. Seemed normal enough.

“You take your feet off that desk immediately! You are defacing UA school property, very desks that pro heroes used before!” 

He recognized that voice immediately. It was the strict boy from the exam, scolding none other than Katsuki Bakugo.

Just my luck…

“What’s your problem? Did your last school put a stick up your ass?”

“Mind your language, we are in a school setting!” He made chopping motions with his hands before stopping to clear his throat. “Perhaps we should start over. My name is Iida Tenya, I previously attended Somei Private Academy.”

“Somei huh? You must think you’re better than me. Ha! Can’t wait to tear you a new one!”

“You threaten me? Your own classmate? Are you sure you’re in the right place?”

“Uh oh…” Izuku muttered, catching their attention. The boy who named himself as Tenya looked up to see him.

“It’s him.” He muttered. “The one who got first place.” 

Izuku bit his lip as everyone in the class turned to look at him. He felt himself blush as they looked him over, probably trying to gauge what kind of person he was.

“U-Uh...hi. Nice to you all.” He greeted, keeping his eyes averted. 

“Good morning.” Izuku tensed up as Tenya marched forward. “My name is Tenya Iida from-”

“Y-Yeah I know. I heard you introduce yourself.” Izuku said, looking up at him. “I’m Izuku Midoriya, it’s super nice to meet you.” He held out a hand, which Tenya took and shook stiffly.

“Midoriya, you realized there were more to the exams. I must say I admire your perceptiveness. I apologize for misjudging you, I must admit you are the superior student.”

Izuku scratched at his face. That was rather hard to believe, just off the bat Tenya seemed like a much more studious person than he was. He was about to respond when a new voice came up from behind him.

“Oh hey, I recognize that messy hair! You’re Lightning boy!”

Lightning Boy?!

“That move was amazing! I can’t believe you took that giant robot down in one hit! Also, thanks for coming back to save me, it really means a lot. And I’m glad to see you’re okay too, you passed out after taking that giant robot down I was really worried.” She babbled, unconsciously getting closer.

“O-Oh it’s no problem! I just did what anyone else would do ya know? And yeah, I’m okay, I just used up a lot more energy than I had at the moment.” He answered back, feeling his face become warm again.

“Still though, what you did was pretty cool! Oh! I never introduced myself, that’s so rude! I’m sorry, my name is Ochako Uruaraka! What yours?”

“I-I’m-”

“If you’re here just to make friends, then I recommend you pack your things and leave.” A low, tired voice spoke up. They froze and slowly looked down to the floor, only to see a man in a yellow sleeping bag. 

Is that a demented caterpillar?!

Izuku gulped and watched as the man sighed and got to his feet. “Hello everyone and welcome to UA, my name is Shouta Aizawa. I’m your homeroom teacher.” 

“He looks so worn out.” Izuku muttered to himself, looking over the man again and again. He seemed familiar, though he couldn’t place why. He knew he had seen him before, he had to. He just couldn’t remember where.

“Alright, enough chit chat. It’s time to head out to the field. You’ve got uniforms waiting in your lockers, come on let's go.”

Everyone looked at each other in confusion before watching the man walk out of the classroom. “Well? What are you waiting for? Get going.” He narrowed his eyes and began walking off, making everyone scramble to their feet to follow after. 

Izuku stepped to the side to avoid the stampede of students rushing out. After everyone was out Izuku sighed to himself and was about to rush after them when a rustling from his backpack made him stop. He stepped back and took his bag off his shoulders.

“What the…” He yelled as the bag came flying open and a Moogle popped out.

“Hello Kupo! It is I, the great Mogma!” He cheered.

Izuku stared at the little creature before feeling panic rise. “Why are you here? What are you doing here, I’m supposed to be in school! When...How-” He stopped and looked down at Mogma who had already hopped onto the floor. “You snuck in my bag while I was putting my uniforms away!”

“Indeed!” He pointed at him. “Anyway, you hear a lot of buzz on the streets about UA, whether it be about students or faculty. I wanted to see what all the fuss was about myself.”

“By sneaking into my backpack? Mogma you’re trespassing!” Izuku frowned.

“I know! That makes it even more exciting!”

“N-No! I can get in trouble, Mogma you could get in trouble! You’re not supposed to be here, and seeing as you technically snuck in you can be tried !”

“Only if I get caught!” 

Which you probably will...does Master even know you’re here?” Izuku asked.

“...I am going to choose not to answer that.” 

“Mogma!” 

The Moogle stared up at him before giving a nervous giggle and running off. “Okay I’ll see you later Kupo!”

“No wait!” Izuku closed up his bag again before trying to chase after the Moogle. Much to his dismay, Mogma was already gone. Running rampant in the halls of UA.

“Mogma…” He looked around frantically.

“Midoriya!” Aizawa shouted at him from afar, standing at the end of the hall. “Get moving, I’m not going to wait so you can catch up.” 

Izuku took another look around before shaking his head. “R-Right, I’m sorry sir!” 

I’m going to have to find him later, please stay out of trouble…

Izuku raced forward, wondering what they were supposed to be doing. Orientation was still a thing, and he was pretty sure that they weren’t heading in the right direction. He shook his head and sped up to catch up, he supposed he’d figure it out when he got there.

-.-

Mogma hummed as he walked around, peeking in every door he could. There he was, at UA, what was supposed to be the best school in Japan. Packed with heroes and students full of potential.

At least that was what he heard.

“Let’s see…” He pushed open a door and peeked inside. “Another empty classroom. Aw man, there’s nobody here...but there is stuff to look at!” He cackled to himself and slipped inside. The student desks were obviously empty, it was the first day after all. What he was really interested in was the teacher’s desks.

He hopped on a rolling chair and began peeking in the desks, shuffling things around.

“Paper...paper...chalk. Oh, Oh! Look at you....” He hummed as he picked up a small gemstone, it seemed like a shiny bauble to a normal person but to a Moogle it was something much more. “I’ll be taking this.” He put it in his bag and left a potion in return. He peeked through a few more drawers, finding nothing else of interest. Once he was through with his search he left the classroom, a tad upset it didn’t yield anything too interesting.

He went through a few more rooms, in each one not finding anything that caught his interest. Each time he couldn’t help but wonder just where everyone was, it was a school after all. Where were the teachers and students? Maybe if he could find some people he could sell a few of the wares he had on hand. 

Mogma closed yet another door to an empty classroom and sighed, continuing to walk forward. Where was everyone? It was a school for goodness sake, the first day no less!

Mogma stopped.

That’s right, it was the first day. People had to meet their teachers and learn all the rules and expectations. What better place to do that other than an orientation? If he had to guess it was on one of the lower floors, which was more beneficial to him there was still so much to explore!

-.-

I am so screwed…

Izuku stared at his homeroom teacher in silent horror as he finally realized who he was after the man scolded another student. As soon as he saw the yellow goggles hiding beneath the scarf the pieces had finally clicked together.

Shouta Aizawa was the pro hero Eraserhead, the Erasure Hero. The same hero who had chased after Master Aqua quite a few times. The hero whose Quirk didn’t work on her, because she didn’t have a Quirk, she had magic.

Izuku had magic, and magic couldn’t be cancelled out. Only then it had dawned on Izuku the kind of situation he had put himself in. 

Everybody in the school was either a hero or a hero in training. Then there was Izuku, who was a hero in training just like the others. But unlike the others he was directly connected to a vigilante, and if anybody found out not only would Izuku be in trouble, but so would his Master.

If the man tried to cancel out his ‘Quirk’ and it didn’t work would he think he was in direct relation with Guardian? How much suspicion would it cause? Could he find a way to explain it away?

“Mr. Aizawa is pretty scary huh?” Ochako asked, and Izuku nodded. “He seems kinda mean too, threatening to send one of us home if we’re in last place.”

Iida nodded beside them. “UA is one of the top schools for a reason, I suppose this is just to gauge how much potential we have.”

“Yeah, but sending last place home still seems harsh.” Izuku frowned. 

“I never said I approved of this method.” Iida reminded him.

Izuku bit his lip as they walked over to the area of the first test, a 50 meter dash. 

I have to focus, I need to get through these tests. I just have to be careful, if he ever tries to cancel my powers then I have to cancel it on my own.

Izuku stood in a line, fumbling with his hands as pairs went off. He was fast and considered himself to have pretty good endurance, though that would only get him so far with these tests, especially considering they’re physical. That meant having to get a little creative with his magic, that also meant having to ration off his energy in proper amounts.

Izuku eyed one of his classmates, someone who used ice to skate across the distance. Could he pull that off? Make a trail of ice and skate on it? He had seen his Master pull it off a few times, but then again she was much more advanced. This was a test he didn’t have time for risky experiments. 

“Midoriya, Bakugo, you’re up!”

Izuku swallowed hard and moved forward, taking his place.

I’m just going to have to push myself forward…

A blank went off and the two were off, dashing forward to the finish line. Izuku had been keeping good pace with Katsuki before the explosive boy threw his hands behind him.

“Burst Speed!” He shouted, racing ahead.

Izuku took a deep breath and surrounded himself with wind, feeling it push him faster and faster. He pushed himself and passed Katsuki.

“4.07 seconds!” The robot chirped.

“4.13 seconds!” 

Izuku panted and flexed his hands, it seemed that Aero was going to be his friend in these tests. Which was fine, he felt the need to practice control over that spell anyway. What better place to do it than here?

“Deku…” Izuku froze and looked up to see Katsuki glaring at him, his palms smoking. The blonde opened his mouth to say something, but before he could get anything out Izuku ran back to the group of students who finished the test. 

“Of course he’s mad at me…” Izuku mumbled, taking his place beside Iida and Ochako. 

“You know Bakugo?” Iida looked down at him.

“Y-Yeah...he and I don’t get along very well. It’s uh...it’s kind of complicated.” Izuku scratched at his face. 

“Ah, I see.” Iida nodded. “That seems rather unfortunate.”

Izuku shrugged and kept his head down, refusing to meet Katsuki’s eyes. He didn’t want to fight him, or try to. Not today, not when there was a lot more to worry about. 

“Alright, next up is the Standing Long Jump. Come on.” Aizawa waved them over and they followed. 

Izuku sighed and followed, hoping to get through the rest as quickly as possibly.

Mogma I hope you’re okay…

-.-

It turned out that the school was much bigger than Mogma had thought, a lot bigger. Finding the orientation area was a lot harder than he thought it was going to be, which was fine. Maybe he could find something even more interesting than an orientation, there was always something else to look at. He could sell some stuff when he found the crowd.

Mogma hummed to himself as he roamed the halls. 

“There has to be something interesting around here.” Mogma muttered to himself. “I can only get turned around so many times and not find something to look at. Or some kind of stray items, people always pick up synthesis items they never need.” 

It was common for some Moogles to trade with humans, instead of them paying with their usual currency they’d be willing to take the neat synthesis item they had picked up from somewhere. Where they managed to get them, none of the Moogles had any clue. At least it was understandable as to why Aqua did, she slayed Heartless all the time and they would drop all kinds of stuff.

Though where they found most of their supplies was the trashed Dagobah Beach. Every other weekend or so Moogles would go over and see what they could find, usually accompanied by Aqua or some of the older Moogles. Even though they would mind their own business, some humans would insist on harassing or attacking some Moogles if they were alone. 

“Hopefully none of those kinds of people are here...I mean this is a hero school after all.” He mumbled.

Mogma turned a corner and looked around the hall to see if there was anything of interest. Much to his surprise there was an open door with a light on. 

The Moogle tilted his head in confusion and began approaching the door, technically nobody should be on the floors. Everyone should be at orientation, right?

Mogma crept forward and looked into the room, hearing voices as he got closer. Inside the room were two couches facing each other. On one side was an older man, thin and withered with blue sunken eyes. Across from him sat a young man, sitting up straight, blonde with blue eyes as well. Though he had a more muscled form compared to the man who sat across from him.

“I apologize for pulling you away from your friends Young Togata, especially on your first day back to school.”

“Aw it’s no problem sir, really. Besides I actually wanted to talk to you too, I had some questions about your power.”

Mogma raised an eyebrow and crept closer, hiding behind a plant near the door to hear better.

“Of course, how is One For All treating you? I’m sure you’re still adjusting to the new boost in power, which is natural so don’t worry.” The old man reassured him.

“One For All?” Mogma asked himself.

“It’s fine, I won’t lie. The sudden change in power was surprising, but thanks to you and Sir, I’ve been getting the hang of it.” He smiled brightly and flexed his arm as if to emphasize his point.

“That’s good to hear young man.” He muttered.

Mogma watched the expression on Togata’s face shift a bit before quickly shifting back to his laid back smile.

“While I appreciate you checking on my progress with One For All, I feel like you called me in for another reason All Might.” The boy’s tone had turned a bit more serious.

All Might?!

Mogma covered his mouth to keep from making any noise. All Might? That skeleton of a man was All Might? How was that possible? All Might was a beast of a man, nothing but muscle and...muscle. The man sitting on the couch looked like he could barely carry himself across a room!

Mogma watched, shaking with anticipation as the man who was called All Might stiffened and sighed loudly. “Has Nighteye told you anything about what he’s seen with his Foresight?” He asked.

Togata gave him a look of confusion before shaking his head. “No, he hasn’t. Actually he hasn’t been using his Foresight at all lately. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t worried, everytime I ask about it he seems...shaken.” 

All Might nodded. “I can understand why, and he hasn’t spoken to you about it?”

“No sir.”

The two sat in silence for a moment, both looking at each other. A sense of tension rising in the room, making the hidden Moogle shudder. 

“All Might, do you know what Sir saw? Has he told you anything?”

All Might nodded. “I’m actually surprised he hasn’t told you anything, but I feel that you of all people have a right to know.”

“What do you mean?”

“...A few weeks ago I called Nighteye to ask him about, well you, my successor. He was frantic when he answered, saying he was relieved that I finally called. He told me he had used his Foresight on someone, and while the Quirk was active it came to his attention that something was wrong, he described it as everything going dark. He used his Quirk again and again when he could, finding that at some point whoever he had used his Quirk on faced the same fate.”

Togata watched the man carefully, trying to piece together what he was getting at. “What do you mean? Like a mass...a mass…”

“I’m afraid so.”

“Does he know what caused it? I know Sir’s visions are always accurate, but there has to be some way to stop this? I mean, it can’t just be the end of the world right? There has to be something we can do, when did he say this takes place?” He leaned forward and put his hands on the table.

“Young Togata…”

“Does he know what caused it at least?” 

“The Heartless…” Mogma murmured.

“We have a theory that the dark creatures are what will cause this, as to the exact day he said he’s not sure, but he’s told me that it’ll happen soon. Some disappeared one day, while others faded away what he supposed was days later. Though he has told me that he has seen one survivor who’s future hasn’t faded.”

Togata sat up straighter, struggling to keep from rising.

“Who is it? Maybe if we find them, they can help us find a way to prevent this!”

“It’s you Young Togata.” 

“What?”

The world is going to fall to darkness…

Mogma began to creep out the door, a little more than shaken up by what he had just heard.

Oh this is bad, this is bad. This is really, really bad. The world is going to fall to darkness, does that mean she failed? Was she killed by Heartless?

Mogma quietly panicked as he started heading out of the room. He had to find Izuku and then get back home, and tell Aqua everything. Maybe sneaking out wasn’t such a bad idea, not when he could find out stuff like this.

Just as he reached the door Mogma had stumbled and knocked something over, causing a loud thud. The two looked up at the source of the noise, only to see the small Moogle frozen in fear and staring right back at them.

“Uh...hello?” He waved his hands.

Togata got to his feet and started to walk over, opening his mouth to speak when Mogma took off running through the halls.

“Kupo! Kupo help!” He shouted as he ran away.

“Wait, hold on!” 

-.-

Izuku panted as he crossed the finish line of the long distance run, it wasn’t too hard. Basic training as far as he was concerned, he just had to keep a good pace and not tire himself out. Easy enough.

“We got through the Apprehension test.” Ochako sighed in relief. “It felt like it’d never end!”

Izuku nodded in agreement, doing a few stretches before following the crowd of students. 

“I just hope that we made it, you know? I don’t think Mr. Aizawa was kidding when he said he was going to expel someone.” She mumbled.

“That would be rather cruel.” Iida agreed.

“I’m hoping I’m not in last place.” Izuku admitted, wringing his hands. “My Quirk wasn’t exactly suited to all the tests.” 

“Oh I’m sure you did great!” Ochako smiled. “I mean you did great on a lot of them, especially that ball toss that was amazing!”

“I must agree, I believe you have nothing to worry about Midoriya. With what you’ve shown I highly doubt you’d be in last place.” 

“Right...I guess it’s just nerves.” Izuku muttered.

“I don’t blame you.” Ochako smiled.

“Alright, pay attention, the results are up.” Aizawa called, making the class settle down. “You’ve been ranked from best to worst, but you all should have a good idea where you stand.” He pressed a button on his remote and a screen appeared.

Izuku looked down the screen, starting from the top and finding his name early on, 3rd place. Just below Shouto Todoroki and right above Katsuki.

“Oh woah you made it to 3rd place!” Ochako said. She herself made it to 9th. “See, we told you you wouldn’t be in last place!” 

“Well done Midoriya.” Iida congratulated him.

While a majority of the class breathed a sigh of relief, Aizawa wasted no time in addressing their concerns. “Oh, by the way, I was kidding about expelling last place.” He grinned. “That was just a logical ruse to make sure you gave it your all in the tests.”

Everyone was silent before erupting into protests and complaints. 

“Why on earth would you do that?”

“You made all of us scared for nothing! That’s so mean!”

“I’m so lucky…”

One of the girls looked over to the others. “I’m sorry, I thought you all knew. I probably should have said something.”

“You think?” A group shouted.

“Oh man that was nerve wracking!” One of the boys muttered, taking a seat on the ground.

“You kidding? It’s always fun to have a challenge like this.” Another argued.

“Alright, and with that we’re done for the day.” Aizawa sighed, pressing a button and making the screen disappear. “Go pick up a syllabus and read it over. Go enjoy the rest of your first day.” He muttered as he walked away. 

Izuku sighed in relief and rubbed his eyes.

Great, now that this is over maybe I can go and find Mogma.

He was about to start walking away when a loud shout cut through the chatter. Izuku looked up to see Katsuki was furious . Dark smoke rising from his twitching palms. 

Uh oh…

“Deku you little bastard! Get over here so I can kick your ass!” He sprinted towards Izuku, raising his hands with small sparks coming off of them. 

Izuku shouted and put his hands up, fear holding him in place. Before Katsuki could get too close Ochako placed herself between them, and was about to slap Katsuki when Aizawa’s scarf shot out and wrapped around the blonde.

“What...the hell?”

The class looked between the students and the teacher, shuddering when they saw him. They had considered their teacher frightening enough, but with his Quirk activated it always made them quick to silence themselves.

“Bakugo, it’s still the first day of class. I can still expel someone, especially if they don’t behave themselves.” Aizawa growled, tugging on his scarf to drag the boy away from Izuku until Katsuki was right in front of him. “You are a heroics student, you are not to touch any of your classmates in a way that would seriously harm them. Do I make myself clear?”

Katsuki glared at him, about to yell in his face before stopping himself. He had to confront Izuku, not now but later, when he could get him alone. And put him in his place.

“Tch, yes. We’re clear.” Katsuki answered, muttering angrily to himself as he was let go.

“Now head back and change. And be ready for tomorrow, that’s when your real training begins.” He dismissed everyone as a crack of thunder surprised them. 

“Oh...that’s weird. The forecast said it was gonna be sunny all day…” Izuku muttered as he looked to the sky. He couldn’t help but notice that the sky seemed almost barren in a way, empty. 

He was about to walk off with the others when he was called over. “Midoriya, hold on a moment, I’d like to have a word with you.”

Oh crap! He knows!

“We’ll wait for you Midoriya.” Iida said, stopping and turning around to see his friends had gone very pale.

“You okay? You’re not looking too good.” Ochako commented.

“I-It’s fine!” Izuku stammered out. “You guys don’t have to wait for me, go on ahead. I’ll find you guys later, promise.”

“You sure?” 

Izuku nodded quickly, watching them walk away before turning around stiffly to see Aizawa looming over him. Izuku gulped as he met his gaze, afraid of what might come next. 

Did he know? Did he suspect it?

Had he used his Quirk while Izuku wasn’t looking? Was there anyway he could talk himself out of this?

“Uh...w-was there something you wanted to talk about Mr. Aizawa?” He asked quietly.

“Just a few concerns I wanted to address.” He answered nonchalantly, as if the student in front of him wasn’t scared to death.

“Like what, sir?”

The man eyed him before letting out a sigh. “Midoriya, it’s come to my attention that your Quirk registry was updated a few days after your exam. For a majority of your life your file has said you were Quirkless. That’s a pretty dramatic change, at an awfully convenient time.”

Izuku stared at the man, the gears turning in his head. “You...You just wanna know about my Quirk?” He asked.

Aizawa nodded. “Your file doesn’t give any details other than recorded changes and descriptions. Call it curiosity, and concern as your instructor.”

He doesn’t know, I’m still in the clear. I’m still safe, we’re still safe.

“I uh...well I had just changed it after the exam because I needed to, f-for the clothing allowance. I wasn’t really sure how to before until I looked it up, so it was something I kinda had on the back burner…” Izuku mumbled. 

Aizawa raised an eyebrow. “I see. So when did your Quirk come in, Midoriya?”

Izuku cringed. “About...10 months ago…?” He rubbed the back of his neck.

“Excuse me?” 

“It uh, I had tr-traces of my Quirk as a kid. Like feelings, but it n-never was considered a Quirk. Since nothing actively manifested…” He was beginning to ramble now and wring his hands. He kept his head down, afraid to look up and see the man’s expression. “My Quirk uh...didn’t fully manifest until I was…attacked by a villain?” It sounded more like a question than an answer. 

“What?” He raised his voice a bit, making the boy flinch.

“I was attacked by a villain…” Izuku said again, cringing at the memory of the Slime Villain. “I was panicking and my Quirk activated.” He finished. 

Aizawa stared at him for a moment, he supposed it made a little sense. Given how he had lost control in the Entrance Exam. If his Quirk was that volatile that meant he had to keep an eye on his new problem child, especially if his powers were to flare out like that again. He only had it for 10 months and displayed good control over it. Even so he could see the occasional spark around him, a Quirk attached to his emotions, perfect. 

“Alright, good to know.” He sighed. “But Midoriya, Quirks that are activated through trauma and manifest at such a late age can be unpredictable. If you start having problems you are to come to me and we can set you up with a Quirk Counselor. Understand?” 

Izuku hesitantly looked up at the man, his expression unreadable. Still looking tired and bored as ever.

“Yes sir...I understand.” Izuku nodded.

“Good, now get going. I’ve used up enough of your time, lunch should be starting soon. Go eat something.”

“Y-Yes sir!” Izuku nodded and darted away, putting as much distance between them as he could. Eager to meet up with his new friends, and look for the missing Moogle.

From afar All Might stared on in relief, he had been passing by looking for the small intruder when he saw the two alone. He was scared Aizawa had figured the kid out and was interrogating him, or expelling him. No doubt either option would raise some kind of hell upon them via Guardian. The kid was safe for now, and for the time being he would keep his mouth shut.

-.-

“Midoriya, over here!” Iida spotted the green haired boy and waved him over.

“Oh, he’s here?” Ochako asked with her mouth full.

“Uraraka, please don’t talk with your mouth full!” Iida shouted. Making a noise of disapproval as she stuck her tongue out at him.

Izuku jogged over and placed his bag on the floor before sitting next to them. The cafeteria was huge, Izuku was surprised his friends had been able to spot him from where they were sitting. 

“Hey.” He smiled, breaking his chopsticks and taking a bite of his food.

“What did Mr. Aizawa want to talk about?” Ochako asked, leaning forward a bit.

“Uraraka! That’s his business, you shouldn’t pry into things like this.” Iida began making chopping motions with his hands.

“It’s no problem Iida.” Izuku waved his hands to try and calm him. “And it wasn’t much of anything, he just wanted to talk about my Quirk. Just making sure that I have it under control, he saw what happened during the Entrance Exam and wanted to make sure I have a good handle on my powers. I did go kinda nuts there.”

“Well at least he’s acting like a proper teacher now.” Iida muttered.

“Oh yeah, you know I never asked but what is your Quirk anyway Deku?” 

“Deku?” Izuku nearly choked on his food and looked at Ochako.

“Yeah isn’t that your name? I mean that’s what Bakugo called you.” She gave him a look of confusion.

“O-Oh! No, Deku isn’t my name. Deku is what Katsuki calls me to make fun of me, you see my real name is Izuku.” 

“Oh I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”

“That’s awfully rude of him…”

“It’s okay, but yeah my name is Izuku.” He smiled.

Ochako smiled back before nodding. “Alrighty, Izuku then.”

He felt his face warm up before coughing into his fist. “R-Right, yeah. So, you asked about my Quirk…” Izuku looked around before holding his hands out, conjuring up a small flame.

“Hold on, I thought you had an electricity Quirk!” Iida exclaimed.

“Well, kinda but not really. My Quirk is called Energy Conversion.” Izuku changed the flame into a small ball of water. “You see I take my own energy and I convert into other types. Fire, lightning, water, wind, ice. I was actually using wind during the tests since I thought those would be best suited.”

“Woah, that’s an amazing Quirk!” Ochako grinned, watching in awe as the water froze into a chunk of ice. 

“Thanks.” Izuku smiled. “Your Quirk is really cool too. I mean being able to nullify the gravity of an object or a person, that’s a great power! It’s great for rescues and even in combat it can give you the upper hand.” 

“You know I’m actually interested in going into rescue as a hero. I really think I could help people with this Quirk.”

The three had settled into a comfortable discussion, talking about their Quirks and their expectations of the Heroics class. They would occasionally jump at the loud crack of thunder, it had started raining at some point. Something that made Izuku mentally groan to himself.

“Okay, I have to ask.” Ochako stopped the conversation to change the subject, prompting the two to look at her. “Who are your favorite heroes?” 

Izuku beamed at the question, though Iida ended up answering first.

“Ingenium of course! He’s the one who inspired me to be a hero!”

“Ingenium? The Turbo Hero? Hold on...isn’t his last name…” Izuku trailed off while Iida nodded.

“Yes, he’s my older brother!” He smiled. “My brother has followed the Hero Code and always does his best to help people wherever he can. I aspire to be the kind of hero he is.”

“Woah, it must be cool having a family of heroes…” Izuku mumbled. “What about you Uraraka?”

Ochako leaned back in her seat, putting a finger to her chin before humming. “I wanna say Thirteen. She’s so cool, and it’s rescue heroes like her that inspire me to use my Quirk in different ways. I gotta say Mirko is pretty cool too, even if she can be a little aggressive.”

“Interesting, what about you Midoriya?” Iida turned his attention to Izuku.

“Oh! Me, uh...well…” He rubbed the back of his neck, one had unconsciously going to the necklace that kid beneath his shirt. “All Might is one of my favorites, but I’m gonna be honest he’s kinda in the number two spot for me.” 

“Oh?” Ochako leaned forward with a curious grin. “Who’s in number one?”

Izuku smiled to himself. “Well, I’m not sure if she counts or if you guys would count her. But it’s Guardian.”

Iida sputtered.

“Guardian? But she’s a vigilante! One my brother has attempted to capture time and time again. She always slips away though…”

“Oh Guardian, I’ve heard of her. Isn’t she the vigilante that shows up at night and fights off the monsters? She sounds pretty cool, she must be exhausted, going out every night to fight all those things off.”

She is…

“But she’s a vigilante.” Iida continued to argue. “She’s not a licensed hero and technically takes part in illegal activity.”

But she does a lot of good.” Izuku pointed out. “She can take out the monsters in one go, and she’s saved a lot of people who can’t get home in time. Or are just stuck outside, I mean she’s even saved a couple of heroes.” 

“She has also gotten into a few fights with heroes.”

“I think she only punched Endeavor once .”

“Oh I saw that video!” Ochako cut in. “That was crazy, that was one of the only times she was out in broad daylight. She actually punched him in the face!”

“He was so mad…” Izuku remembered the fight on the social media pages. People either laughed at Endeavor and sided with Guardian or chastised her while being sympathetic to the Flame Hero.

Izuku remembered when he asked about that incident. Master Aqua had only grumbled about him misusing his power and nearly getting someone killed. It had been early on before she had changed to night patrols only. 

She had also described his face as ‘very punchable’ and left it at that.

“I get that she’s a vigilante, but I will admit I am pretty biased. I mean, I was one of the people that Guardian actually saved.” Izuku admitted. 

I’m actually really biased .

“She saved me as a kid, and you know she was a hero that was actually in my life at some point. So yeah, I look up to her. She does a lot of good, even though she’s breaking the law she still does the right thing. It’s not like I plan on becoming a vigilante just because I look up to one.” 

Iida hummed and crossed his arms. 

“I suppose it is admirable, and it is good that you’re choosing to take the proper channels.”

“Sometimes people can’t play by the same rules Iida.” Izuku hummed. “Sometimes circumstances make us take another route.”

“Still though, I-” Iida stopped mid sentence and looked at Izuku. “Midoriya, did you kick me?” He asked.

“What? No! Why would I-” Izuku felt a bump on his leg and looked under the table, eyes widening as he saw a familiar face clinging onto his leg.

“Hi Kupo…”

Iida and Ochako looked down to see what Izuku had spotted. Ochako gasped in surprise while Tenya stared in confusion.

“What on earth…”

“It’s a Moogle!” Ochako grinned.

“A what?”

“Mogma?” Izuku muttered.

“Hi Kupo…”

Izuku frowned and pulled his backpack under the table so the small intruder could climb inside.

“Where have you been? I have been worried sick all day...please tell me you didn’t get caught or something.”

“Nope.” 

Izuku sighed.

“I almost did!”

“Mogma!”

“I didn’t know you’re friends with a Moogle.” Ochako continued to stare in awe. “Mind if I ask what you sell?” She turned her attention to Mogma who had climbed into Izuku’s backpack, which was now resting in his lap. 

“Excuse me, but may I ask what in the world is a Moogle? I have never seen a creature like yourself.” Iida leaned forward warily. 

“Moogle are basically merchants, Kupo, we sell stuff at reasonable prices. Occasionally trade if you’ve got anything that interests us. And as for my wares…” He turned to Ochako and pulled out a small bag, digging through it and pulling out a few bracelets and potions. From where he was Izuku could see a few synthesis items in the bag, ones he had certainly never seen before. 

Oh don’t tell me he stole from the school…

“I’ve got these if they interest you.” Mogma hummed.

“Oh, can I see this one?” Ochako pointed to a silver bracelet with pink and purple threads. 

“Sure!”

“I’m sorry but do you have a permit to sell your wares on campus?” Iida asked, eyeing the creature.

“No.” Izuku frowned. “Because he snuck in the backpack while I wasn’t looking.”

“In my defense, you should have been paying attention, Kupo.” Mogma shrugged.

“I was putting stuff away!” Izuku defended himself, he leaned a little closer so the others wouldn’t hear. “And just imagine what Master is gonna say when she finds out about this.”

Mogma froze then slowly looked to Izuku once Ochako had put down the bracelet and apologized for not having any cash on her.

“Oh yeah, Kupo we need to get home like now .”

Izuku further lowered his voice. “Oh, now you want to go home? Mogma it’s not like I can just skip school.”

“Okay but like, I really need to talk to Aqua now .”

Izuku stared at the Moogle before narrowing his eyes. “What did you do?”

“I didn’t do anything! But the point still stands that I need to- eep!” The three jumped at the shout of fear he gave before hiding in Izuku’s backpack again and closing it up. 

The three stared at the closed up bag in confusion.

“I’m sorry, did I...miss something?” Tenya asked, looking at the bag.

“I don’t think so?” Izuku mumbled, poking at the bag and getting his hand swatted away. 

“Maybe he just saw something that spooked him.” Ochako hummed, looking up when the bell rang.

Izuku slung his backpack over his shoulders and sighed. “I guess so, I’ll have to talk to him about it later.”

“How did you not notice him in your bag?” Tenya asked, watching it rustle for a moment before going still. 

“I guess I thought I packed a lot more than I thought.” Izuku explained. “I mean I did kinda cram a lot of stuff in my bag if I’m being honest. I didn’t really think about it until well...I found out I had a stowaway.”

As the three made their way to class Mogma peeked out of the bag to look around, just a few ways away he could see who had been chasing him earlier. He had barely gotten away from him with way too many close calls. 

Mogma gasped to himself as the boy, Mirio, spotted him from afar. He was getting closer and about to approach them when the warning bell went off and made the group of first-years look up in surprise.

“I thought we had more time!”

“Apparently not!”

“We can’t be late, that would be unbecoming-”

“Just hurry up Iida!”

-HoL-

Izuku sighed to himself as he made his way into the house, dragging the metal sheet back in its place before turning to the living room. 

“I’m home!” He called.

There was a gasp and Eri came running out of the kitchen. “You’re home!” She shouted.

“Yup!”

“Aqua! Aqua Izuku’s home!” She ran over to the stairs and yelled.

Izuku walked forward and watched as his Master came down the stairs. She looked up and smiled when she saw Izuku.

“Hey you, how was your first day?” She walked over.

“It was good, kind of stressful.” He rubbed the back of his head. 

“First day nerves?” She asked, making herself a cup of coffee. 

Izuku shifted and took his bag off his shoulders, keeping it in his arms. “Well, yeah. That’s part of it.”

Aqua stopped and looked up. “What do you mean? What happened?”

Izuku sighed and looked at his bag. “Do you wanna tell her or me?” He asked.

Aqua opened her mouth to ask what he meant when his backpack opened and one of the Moogles slowly came out.

“Hello…” He mumbled.

“Mogma!” One of the older Moogles shouted. “That’s where you were all day? We thought you just took off without letting anyone know!”

“Hold on, wait, what happened?” Aqua asked, watching Izuku lower his backpack so Mogma could hop out. 

“He snuck in my backpack this morning.” Izuku sighed. “And then ran off while we had to do a Quirk Apprehension Test. He didn’t find me until about lunch time.”

Mogma went still as Aqua and a few of the other Moogles stared at him. He could feel the waves of disappointment and anger coming off them.

“Okay, I know that sounds bad but , one I found some neat synthesis materials that they had lying around.”

“You stole from the school?!”

“Well they weren’t gonna use it properly. And two, Kupo I need to talk to you.” He pointed at Aqua. “I found some stuff out and I really, really need to tell you this stuff.”

Aqua groaned and rubbed her eyes. “You snuck into the school and stole stuff...Mogma please tell me that nobody saw you.”

“Uh...Kupo’s friends saw me. And All Might...and someone else…”

“All Might saw you?” Aqua almost raised her voice. “Mogma…”

“Kupo! You can scold me later but I really gotta talk to you so can I please tell you?” Mogma hopped up and down frantically. “This is some really serious stuff!”

“What did you find?” Izuku asked.

“Can’t tell you yet. Kupo please?”

Aqua stared at the young Moogle for a moment before sighing and downing the cup of coffee. She took a moment before speaking. “Izuku, why don’t you go change and then do whatever homework you might have. Eri, you wanna sit with him?’

Eri nodded excitedly.

“Okay, Mogma put what you took on the table. We can’t exactly return it without raising suspicion, then meet me upstairs and I’ll talk to you. The rest of you, do not harass him. I know what he did was risky, but I’m sure he understands the consequences of what he’s done and what could have happened.” She continued. 

While Mogma began to walk away, Aqua smiled to herself and ruffled Izuku’s hair. “Welcome home.”

Izuku smiled and nodded. “It’s good to be home.”

Aqua made sure the others were okay and see if they needed anything before following Mogma upstairs. She was already planning out a lecture for him after he had told her whatever he needed to. She was almost ready to think he had just called this private meeting to plead his case and get off with little to no punishment. 

Mogma hurried upstairs and ran to the same table she had sat with Izuku at. He hopped on top of a chair and waited for her to sit down. Once she was in front of him he immediately went off.

“Okay! So I was walking around the school just looking around and looking for some neat stuff. I ended up walking past a room where I heard two people talking and I got curious. I know you and all the older people tell us not to eavesdrop but I couldn’t help myself and I snuck in there.”

Aqua watched Mogma as he spoke, despite him going at a fast pace she was quick to catch up with what he was saying.

“In that room was All Might, and some kid named Togata. Clearly older than Izuku but we can get to that later! Here’s the thing though Kupo, the guy who said he was All Might didn’t look like All Might at all! He was all skinny and withered and looked like he was on death’s door. The Togata guy said he wanted to talk to All Might about his power and apparently its something called One For All, and it boosted his power which is neat and all but that’s not the point!”

Aqua stared at Mogma for a moment, taking in what she had just heard. All Might didn’t look like himself, he was sickly. He asked her how she chose her ‘successor’. The pieces began to click together when Mogma took a deep breath and continued. 

“The point is Kupo, I heard them talking about something that’s bad. Really, really bad. Apparently some guy called Nighteye used something called Foresight which I guess is his Quirk, but it can see into the future from what I’m guessing. They were talking about it, and it sounds like this guy saw the world was ending.”

Aqua stiffened up at that. “What?”

“He saw the world falling to darkness, and the people’s futures he saw went dark. Apparently he used his Quirk on Togata, and saw him as the only survivor of what happened.”

Aqua stared at Mogma silently before standing up and turning away, taking a moment to process everything. 

All Might was sick, he passed his power down to this Togata person. A young man, still a child . Nighteye had foreseen the world falling to darkness which either meant she was going to die or fail in some way. She didn’t know the specifics about Nighteye’s Quirk other than he could peer into the future of a person. 

“Kupo...does this mean the world is going to fall to darkness? What’s gonna happen to us?” Mogma hopped off the chair and approached her. “I thought the seal on the world might keep us safe.”

“It keeps anyone from coming and going the normal way, it didn’t cut off the Realm of Darkness.” She muttered. She looked down, going over different options and scenarios in her head. She didn’t have enough information, she needed to know more. Maybe there was a way to stop or delay it. Izuku didn’t even have his Keyblade yet, she didn’t know when it would manifest but she knew it’d be soon. She could feel his magic growing stronger every day since the Entrance exam.

“Kupo?”

Aqua took a deep breath and stood up straight. “Mogma, this stays between us, understand? If this gets out the others may panic, and panicking won’t get us anywhere.”

“What are you gonna do?”

“I’m going to have to pay Nighteye a visit.”

-HoL-

“Be good you two.” Aqua smiled at Izuku, who was finishing Eri’s hair. 

“You’re heading out already?” Izuku asked, looking at the clock. “It’s a little early isn’t it?”

Aqua shrugged and walked over to them, opening her arms and catching Eri who jumped towards her. She hugged Eri tightly and looked over the two. “I’ve just got a few errands to run, it’d be best to get them done now before it gets too late.”

“What kind of errands?” Eri asked fussing with a strand of Aqua hair.

“Hmm, errands.” She smiled.

“Aww can’t you tell us?” Eri whined.

“Nope.” 

Eri whined as Aqua gave her another tight hug before putting her down. 

Izuku came over and Aqua ruffled his hair. “Make sure you two go to bed on time, the latest you can stay up is 10. You’ve got school tomorrow,” she pointed at Izuku, “and you shouldn’t be keeping my late hours.” She pointed at Eri who playfully stuck out her tongue. 

“I’ll be back in the morning, be good, try not to cause too much chaos while I’m gone.” She put on her helmet and tucked in any strands of hair sticking out. 

“No promises.” Izuku grinned. 

Aqua looked at him. “I’m going to pretend like I didn’t hear that.” Smiling beneath her visor as he and Eri laughed to themselves. “Okay then, I’m heading off.” She walked towards the door.

“Be careful!” Izuku called.

“See you in the morning.” Eri waved.

“Yeah, I’ll see you in the morning.” Aqua waved before slipping out and taking off. She made her way to the rooftops quickly, seeing it as the fastest way to get around. She had a general idea where Nighteye’s Agency was, she had been in that area once or twice in the past year. Ever since the man had chased after her for hours and always seemed to predict where she was, he was always two steps ahead.

Last time she had to use Stop to get him off her back. Time magic wasn’t her specialty and was exhausting to use. Especially after a long period of time. The man was a pain in every way and she wasn’t looking forward to the meeting, though whether she liked it or not she had to see him. She needed answers. 

Aqua smiled to herself as she leapt over a gap between buildings. Thinking back to what Izuku had told her about his day. She couldn’t help but let herself feel proud. Izuku had gotten third place in the Quirk Apprehension Tests, from what he had said the top 5 were neck and neck with each other. Either way, he still did better than Katsuki. The boy who constantly tried to tear him down again and again, her student had risen above that. He was growing, he was getting better, he was working hard to get to the top. Aqua may have had a hand in it, but Izuku had done a great deal of that on his own. His hard work was his own, she only gave him the basics. 

She was excited to see where he was going to go, during his school years, once he graduates, once he’s a hero. She had no doubt he’d go far, and she wanted to be there to see it. She had to, but she couldn’t do that if the world was gone.

She huffed and leapt again, using a bit of ice magic to keep herself from slipping and falling over. It was raining hard and the water made it difficult to always make a graceful landing. She was about to start running across the roof again when a white and blue blur hopped from  wall to wall and leapt onto the rooftop. He landed safely and looked up to see Aqua had stopped to stare at him.

“Found ya!” Without another word he kicked his engines into high gear and raced towards her.

Aqua couldn’t help but let a smile play on her lips before leaping into the air and icing over the roof. She heard a yelp of surprise as the hero tried to stop himself, only to crash into the railing and knock the wind out of himself.

“You really need to work on running on slippery areas, there might not be a railing there to save you next time.” Aqua crossed her arms and looked at the hero.

“Oh ha ha, like you wouldn’t catch me.” He slowly made his way over to her.

“Hmm, I dunno. I mean you came pretty close to catching me last time. I don’t think I can trust you.” She hummed, walking away to the other side of the roof and hopping on the railing. 

“Aw come on, you’re the one that kept slipping up.”

“I wasn’t the one slipping up, excuse you.” She laughed, hopping to the next roof. 

“Hey hold on now!” Ingenium went chasing after her.

“Listen if you’re going to talk to me then try to to keep up.” Aqua rolled her eyes and kept moving forward. 

“You act like that’s such a hard thing!” He used his engines to speed forward, catching up to her quickly. Aqua could almost see the grin beneath his helmet. “So, you seem to be in a hurry. Going somewhere?”

“Just have to pay someone a visit.” She answered. 

“Oh? One of the rare times you’re working with the police again? Who caused so much trouble that you’ve decided to work with law enforcement again?” He asked, keeping pace with her. 

“It’s not that someone’s causing trouble, rather something and I heard that a certain someone might be able to help me.”

“Oh? And who, pray tell, is this person?”

Aqua groaned as she landed on another rooftop and quickly changed directions. She was certain she was heading in the right direction anyway. It had been a long time since she went anywhere near his turf.

“Nighteye.” She answered.

Ingenium sputtered and nearly fell over in surprise, quickly recovering and pulling ahead of her a bit. “Didn’t he try to hunt you down the last time he saw you? And he’s pretty vocal about not liking the route you’ve taken. Regardless of you being a big help or not.”

“Yeah well I’m not in the mood to take any of his criticisms. He has something I want to know and I’m certain I may have something he wants to know. It’s just a matter of finding a way to talk it out. Which I have a feeling he may not want to do.”

“What are you gonna do? Freeze him over if he won’t comply?”

“If I have to.”

Ingenium shot her a look before looking straight ahead. “This is really serious if you’re willing to use force. What’s going on?”

Aqua frowned and pulled ahead of him.

“Hey, Guardian!” Ingenium called, speeding up. “Listen, if you just talk to me I can help!”

“Well the thing is I don’t know how I would go about solving this problem. So you can’t exactly help me at the moment.” 

“And you think Nighteye can give you some insight?”

“That’s what I’m hoping.” She pointed her weapon at the hero and shot out some ice, a frozen platform catching him where he would have slipped. “And I need to know what I can do.”

Ingenium nodded and followed after her in silence. Hopping from building to building, occasionally stopping to get their bearings. It wasn’t until they were in the area of his agency that he spoke up again.