Chapitre 141: 12
Bakugo was sure that he would die a slow, horrible death from boredom long before Deku's mom could kill him and make it look like an accident.
No, not Deku. He's Izuku. He earned that. Deku died when he developed a quirk and trained himself into the ground to become even stronger than himself. He watched the interview that the ner- Izuku did the day prior, and he vaguely alluded to the fact that he trained as hard as he could even before developing his quirk. It meant that even when they were still in school together, De- Izuku was working his ass off to get stronger, just like he was.
That begged the question, though: did Izuku become as powerful as he was in part because Aunty Inko was training him? The woman was terrifying when she wanted to be, and if she really was a retired pro, it would make sense if she was a ridiculous taskmaster during training. He was kind of curious about what she looked like in action.
Thinking about that, or literally anything at all, was better than succumbing to the boredom of sitting in a small, almost empty room during heroics classes as part of his punishment. Because he was barred from participating, he was relegated to a forced study hall with one of the civilian teaching assistants where he'd just get his homework done in silence. It was closer to detention than anything else, which he became familiar enough with after transferring schools years prior.
"Attention, students and staff of UA: due to unforeseen circumstances, classes will conclude early once again, and everyone is dismissed. To all of our UA family, please keep abreast of any and all email updates, and have a safe journey home."
The announcement from the principal drew the confusion of both Bakugo and the TA assigned to watch him. Bakugo shot the man a questioning look, and the man simply shrugged and motioned for him to leave. Bakugo packed his things into his bag and left the room, falling into the sea of equally confused students that were making their way to the exits. After shooting a short text to his mother that he'd be home early, he left the school grounds and set off towards the train station.
The train ride and following walk back to his house was quiet enough for Bakugo to retreat into his mind once again. His thoughts centered around De- Izuku and his strength, as well as the mountain of information he was given the day prior. His entire worldview had been all but flipped onto its head in the space of a single day, and there was apparently a pro whose devotion to being the best warped him enough to abuse the family he created solely to be the best in his stead. The thought alone just about made his skin crawl, but the possibility that he was headed down a similarly warped path in his own devotion made him physically shudder.
Conversely, surpassing All Might and proving to have no equal was his entire motivation for being the best. If he had to completely rethink his desire to be the best, where would he even begin? He knew how he *didn't* want to become the best, but knowing what path to not go down wasn't the same as knowing what the right path was. Was there even a right path? Was it one of those questions where there were no right answers, but there were certainly wrong ones?
So caught up in his thoughts, he ignored the people crowding around a screen broadcasting a news report of the developing situation at the USJ.
When he made it home, he shouted a quick "I'm home!" to his mother, and he received an equally loud "Welcome back, brat!" in return. He would ordinarily head right up to his room, but he stood ahead of the front door for a moment before heading to where he heard his mother's voice from the living room.
"Hey, hag?" Bakugo addressed with far less bite than normal, something his mother immediately noticed.
"What is it, ya' little shit?" she responded in kind, no antagonism in her tone to speak of.
"How come you never told me that Aunty Inko was a pro?" he questioned.
She frowned before a tired sigh escaped her. "It wasn't my story to tell. She has a difficult relationship with heroics."
"Do you know what happened to make her lose faith in heroics?"
"Yes, and if she didn't tell you, I won't either. Like I said, it's not my story to tell, and I'm surprised she told you even as much as she did."
At the surprise in his eyes, she narrowed her gaze at him. "Yeah, she told me about the conversation you two had. Like I said last night, I thought you had gotten over your obsession with proving your dominance over Izuku. I'm glad she chose to talk to you and give you a chance to get your goddamn shit together rather than throw you to the wolves for trying to hurt her son."
"If anyone's the wolf, it's her," he muttered.
"Damn right," his mother chuckled. "She's always been like that. Super protective of everything she cares about, and that includes you." Her face became serious once more, and her eyes were pleading. "Don't screw this up, Katsuki. Please."
Bakugo was taken aback by the near-desperation in her tone, and it brought his thoughts to another important detail. "Do you think that I'll become like that guy that… abused your other friend if I keep trying to be the best?"
His mother's eyes went wide at the question, and she didn't immediately respond, so he continued. "I don't know what she wants me to do, if she wants me to give up being the best entirely or if she wants me to find another way than chasing after All Might."
His red eyes became hard. "Like hell I'm giving up on being the fucking best," he snarled out, and then his expression fell just as quickly. "But, All Might is the standard for greatness. If that's unattainable, what the hell am I even chasing? And if chasing that standard turns me into…"
His mother's own red eyes softened as he trailed off. "I don't think Inko wants or expects you to give up being the best. No one worth listening to does," she assured him. "Your problem wasn't and still isn't that you want to be the best, your problem was that you already thought you were, and you didn't know how to handle it when someone knocked you off your throne."
She placed a tender hand on his shoulder and looked him in the eye with a loving smile. "I know you can be the best goddamn hero Japan has ever seen, we just don't want you to lose yourself along the way and become someone you're not, whether that be a monster that abuses his family or a homicidal puppet for the HPSC."
"A what?" Bakugo questioned, completely flummoxed at that last example.
Mitsuki immediately winced when she realized what she said. "Shit, I probably shouldn't have said that. Again, it isn't my story to tell."
Bakugo narrowed his eyes at his mother. He'd leave it alone for now, but they would revisit that conversation in the future. Mitsuki, meanwhile, tried to hastily change the subject by seeing what was on TV. While flipping through channels, she landed on a news report that had UA in the headline.
"-situation is still developing, but as of now, no students have been fatally injured in the attack."
"What the fuck?" both mother and son remarked simultaneously.
Izuku was becoming a little fed up with waking up to the sight of a white ceiling and the smell of disinfectant. Whatever he did to end up in a hospital bed again better have been worth it, as he was certain that he wasn't going to avoid another thwack from Recovery Girl's cane.
Then, the memories of the day started to come back to him in waves; the attack on the USJ, escaping the shipwreck with Mineta and Tsu, fighting Shigaraki and the Nomu, getting beaten bloody by the Nomu, destroying his arm in an attempt to subdue the Nomu and using the rest of his energy to heal Tsu in lieu of himself…
Oh, right. There was one final thing that happened before he lost consciousness. He didn't want to think about it. He really didn't. He knew that he couldn't avoid it forever, but he would for damn sure try.
The light sounds of shuffling beside him brought his attention to his bedside to see his mother waking up in her chair. When the two pairs of green eyes met, one lit up in a powerful mixture of relief and worry, while the other was more than happy to provide succor.
"Izuku, I'm so glad you're okay!" Inko expressed while gingerly wrapping him in a hug to avoid hurting his heavily bandaged right arm any further.
"What happened after I went out? Is everyone else okay?" he asked in concern, to which his mother smiled at him.
"Mostly, yes. All Might and I arrived shortly after you lost consciousness from what I was told. The villains were dealt with, but the ringleader and his warper managed to escape."
"What about Mr. Aizawa? And Thirteen?" he pressed.
"They weren't in great shape, and they'll be in the hospital for a bit alongside you, but they'll both likely make full recoveries," she assured. "None of your classmates were seriously hurt either, in part because of you. I got the story from the students who were watching the scene unfold from the entrance as well as the two who were with you."
She gave him the warmest tearful smile she could muster while softly running her hand through his curly hair, and he instinctively leaned into her touch. "I cannot express in words just how proud of you I am. You shouldn't have had to have been in that situation, but you handled it expertly, and you even chose to heal a comrade before yourself. You're already a fantastic hero, son."
Izuku wanted to believe that. He wanted so desperately to latch onto that glowing praise and let it warm him as long as he could, just like when he was 5 and was initially misdiagnosed. However, also just as when he was 5, something was preventing him.
"Izuku," his mother began, her face now draped with sadness and concern. "Do you want to talk about what happened?"
His throat went bone dry. She knew; of course, she knew. No one would keep that a secret, and no one should expect anyone to. He was not a hero. He was a murderer.
"Izuku," she said a touch more firmly, yanking him out of his spiral. "It wasn't your fault."
Izuku held himself together as best as he could, but he could no longer meet her eyes.
"It wasn't your fault. Sometimes, things just happen, especially when your life and the lives of others are on the line. It doesn't make you any less of a hero, and it doesn't make you a murderer, either."
Izuku was starting to shake. He still would not meet his mother's gaze. Inko drew him into a soft, loving hug, and she started rubbing his scalp again.
"You did what had to be done, sweetie. He was going to kill you and then use your body to kill your classmates. You saved yourself, your classmates, and countless other future lives. You're a true hero, Izuku."
And the dam broke. Izuku burst into tears and latched onto his mother as tightly as he could with his injuries, and he bawled into her shoulder. There they sat for the next few minutes as Izuku poured out all of his distress through his tears and his mother gently comforted him all the while.
"I… I didn't mean to…" Izuku choked out after his sobbing died down.
"I know you didn't," she assured in a whisper. "And no one ever enjoys it, especially when it's the only option."
A silence fell between them, and Izuku's tears mostly dried up, but he didn't leave his mother's arms.
"Does it ever get easier?" he softly asked.
"No," she answered. "The moment it does, it's time to step away."
Izuku didn't know how to respond to that. He had an inkling that she was speaking from personal experience, but he didn't want to explore that thought at that moment for both of their sakes. He elected to remain in her embrace and enjoy the comfortable silence.
That silence was interrupted by a knock at the door. Inko broke the embrace to open it, and All Might in civilian clothes stepped inside with Nezu on his shoulder.
"I AM HERE!" he bellowed. "To check up on my student!"
"Izuku, I'm glad to see that you're well!" Nezu chirped with a grin.
"I'm doing better, I suppose," he hesitantly responded.
Nezu solemnly nodded. "I'll be setting you up with regular sessions with Hound Dog. Myself and any other staff are always available as well if you ever need anything."
At the teen's nod of acceptance, he continued with a smile. "I must commend you on your valiant efforts in keeping your classmates safe from harm. While I was not there to witness it personally, testimony from both your classmates and your teacher have made it clear that you take after your mother more than you know."
"That is correct, Young Midoriya," All Might spoke in a tone which indicated that he clearly lacked an inside voice. "You've already proven to have such a strong heroic spirit at such a young age. I have no doubt that you'll be a stellar hero!"
All Might patted Izuku on the shoulder as he was finishing, and time seemed to freeze for Izuku upon contact. Within an instant, Izuku was inundated with flashes of shadowy figures , around 7 in total. They were surrounded by blue flames and staring directly at him, but they weren't the only ones; he could feel a dark, overwhelming presence looming over him like the feeling of death itself.
To the others in the room, all they saw was Izuku freezing upon contact with All Might and blue flames erupt from the boy's hair before blood began trickling from his nose, and he collapsed onto his bed.
"Izuku!" Inko shouted in alarm, and the other two immediately surrounded the boy in a panic to figure out what happened. "Damn it, Yagi, what the fuck did you do?!"
All Might deflated and hacked up a bit of blood. "I didn't do anything, I swear! Not intentionally! I don't know what's going on!"
"His heart rate has remained steady, and his vitals aren't fluctuating," Nezu commented upon checking the heart monitor, and then he turned his beady gaze onto the boy's hair. "Could this be another activation of his quirk?"
"I don't know," Inko worriedly lamented, "and I don't like it."
Izuku stood in a pitch black void surrounded by blue fire. Looking over himself, he found he was blanketed in the sapphire flames as well. Looking around, he spotted a collection of shadowy figures, likely the ones he had seen in those strange visions. He slowly made his way toward them, but as he did, that overwhelming presence of death grew stronger with every step. Pushing onward, he eventually got close enough to see a peculiar sight.
The shadowy figures were much less shadowy, and he could make out that most of them were wearing hero costumes. A woman with black hair up in a pony tail was being restrained by a shorter man with a high collar that covered the lower half of his face and a larger, bald man. Near them, a man with white hair observed the scene with mirth clearly written all over his scarred face, while three other figures observed him curiously.
"Did Eighth pass One For All to this boy?" one of the men who had his hair in a spiky ponytail asked.
"No," a man with white hair and green eyes answered. "This isn't the usual void where vestiges reside. This is somewhere completely different, and I'm certain it relates to his quirk."
Meanwhile, the woman had nearly broken free of her captivity and had a ravenous look in her eyes that slightly disturbed Izuku.
"Nana, please calm down," the shorter man helping restrain the woman urged.
"How can you tell me to calm down?! My grandson is right in front of me, I will hug him!" the woman bit back.
Wait, what? Grandson?
"Um, what's going on? Where am I?" Izuku hesitantly queried.
"We were hoping you could shed some light on that for us," the scarred man replied. "We're just as unfamiliar with this space as you seem to be."
"I can answer your questions," came a deathly smooth, androgynous voice reverberating through the void. The oppressive feeling washed over Izuku and the vestiges, and Izuku could barely turn his head to see a massive cat towering over them. The cat was garbed in elegant, white robes and was wearing red prayer beads around its neck. The eerie cheshire grin it sported was made even more frightening by the massive tanto wrapped in one of its two flowing tails. It stared down at them like they were little more than prey, vindictive mirth shining in its slitted eyes of different colors (the left eye being green and the right eye being yellow).
"Wha- what are you?" the bald man fearfully spoke through the aura of death.
"Guess," was its playful reply, its grin only widening to display even more sharp, ferocious teeth.
The group was silent for a moment, and then the white-haired man without a scar seemed to brighten in realization before he spoke.
"Shinigami?" he posed.
"One of them, but correct nonetheless, Yoichi," the newly identified Shinigami answered, maintaining its threatening smile all the while.
"How do you know his name?" one of the others questioned.
"Isn't it obvious?" the Shinigami nearly cackled. "I preside over this realm, and it's my job to be familiar with all of the souls that have crossed over. Well," the massive cat's gaze flickered to Izuku and became even more predatory, "with the exception of you. You're not dead… yet."
"Then… why am I here?" the teen asked with such fear that it nearly broke Nana's heart.
"You, my dear boy, have the privilege of being linked to me through your quirk. You're not the first, and you may not be the last, but it doesn't happen often. Be proud," the Shinigami answered.
'So that's what these blue flames are,' he thought to himself.
"You're very correct," the Shinigami spoke up.
"You can hear my thoughts?" he asked in a bit of alarm.
"I can do so much more than that," the Shinigami purred, "but it's not about what I can do; it's about what you can do now that you have me."
Izuku did not at all like the idea of being tied to a literal death god as part of his quirk, but he couldn't do anything about it. "What can I do?"
"With these blue flames you wield, I can grant you a sort of conditional necromancy," it answered.
That got the attention of everyone in the void.
"Conditional?" Izuku carefully probed.
"Nothing comes without a cost," the Shinigami responded with an even sharper grin if that were even possible.
Izuku gulped. "So, theoretically, I could bring someone back from the dead, but it would be a life for a life?"
At this, the Shinigami finally dropped its grin and appeared to pout. "Only if you reach too far. Unfortunately, reclaiming a life that was lost within minutes won't put you out of your misery. With that said, it will take you out of commission for anywhere from a few hours to a few days, and any situation you find yourself in where a life was snuffed out prematurely is probably dangerous enough to where reviving that person would result in your death anyway, so it doesn't really matter to me. Your soul will find its way to me regardless."
The cheshire grin returned with newfound danger. "And if you try to breathe new life into any of these souls, we'll be seeing each other again very soon."
That was quite a bit to take in for both Izuku and the vestiges. Now that the initial fear of the Shinigami had somewhat faded, his mind was clear enough to assess the situation a bit more. He had unlocked a new facet of his quirk, one that gave him a connection with a death god and allowed him to revive the dead with a cost. If he were going off his and his mother's theory about his quirk, it meant that somewhere down the line, one of his ancestors had a necromancy quirk of some kind. He would wonder where the hell that even fit in, but it truly did not matter at that point.
"What else can I do with the blue fire, if anything else at all? And what should I call you? Do you have a proper name? Are you always going to be around in my head?" Izuku asked in rapid succession, overcoming his fear for a brief moment.
The Shinigami was genuinely amused at the boy's sudden bout of courage to express his curiosity. "You may call me Matatabi, and no, I will not be in your head all of the time. As much as I would love to torture you to insanity, I have responsibilities to tend to. This will likely be the only conversation we ever have, provided you don't find yourself at death's door. As for what else you can do," Matatabi's grin grew even darker, "where's the fun in telling you all of that now? Allowing you to figure it out on your own increases the likelihood that you screw up and kill yourself."
Izuku wasn't really sure what he was expecting at that point.
"If that will be all, then I shall take my leave," Matatabi declared. "You're free to leave this realm at your leisure."
"WAIT!" shouted Nana before she broke away from her restraints and made a frantic break for Izuku, ignoring the shouts from the group behind her.
Izuku, surprisingly to even himself, did not put up his guard when the woman darted toward him. Something about her intrigued him. Even from afar, she had a similarly calming aura about her to his own mother. He didn't have much time to ponder it even further before he was practically tackled by the woman, and he realized that she was crying.
"I can't believe it," she choked out through sobs. "You're real, you're here, I can touch you!"
Izuku tentatively returned the embrace, and it felt as though a switch had flipped because he immediately tightened the hold and rubbed her back while she cried into his shoulder.
"I wish I could apologize to Kotaro and Inko," she started back up through her tears. "I wish I could have been there to see them grow, to see you grow. It was just too dangerous for them."
She fixed him with a kind, tearful smile. "I see Inko grew up just fine if you're any indication. How is Kotaro?"
"I… didn't know I had an uncle," Izuku hesitantly responded. He really didn't want to upset the grandmother he was meeting for the first time, but he also wouldn't lie to her.
She was downcast at the response, but she nodded in understanding. She looked around to find that Matatabi and the other vestiges had left, and the two were alone amongst the flames. "I can only see through Toshi's eyes; I can't speak to him or influence him at all, so please tell Toshi and Inko that I'm so sorry and that I'm so proud of both of them, just like I'm so proud of you, Izuku. I wish we could talk for longer, but everyone is really worried for you in the living world."
She hugged him one final time and ruffled his hair with a sad smile. "Be the best damn hero you can be, and don't ever stop smiling. If you really want to be a hero for the forgotten, then a smile is the very least you can offer them when trying to help."
And with that, she stood up and backed away from him, fading from the void. Izuku was left alone to take in the encounter amongst the inexplicable chill of the blue fire engulfing and surrounding him. After a deep breath, he closed his eyes and felt the abyss engulf him.
"Yagi, I swear to every god imaginable, if my son doesn't wake up, I will beat you to death with your own kneecaps," Inko practically snarled.
Toshinori had long since taken to cowering behind Nezu to escape the wrath of the boy's mother. Luckily, none of the doctors and nurses that entered to room to monitor the situation had seen him deflate, so his secret was still safe, but it was still too early to say the same for himself as they waited outside of the hospital room for any updates whatsoever. When the door finally opened, the three snapped to attention.
"He's awake," came the reassuring voice of the nurse. Inko felt the weight of a planet lift from her shoulders, and she melted into her chair.
"What happened to him?" she asked the nurse.
"We believe that it was an involuntary quirk awakening, and he confirmed as much. While not particularly common, it isn't unheard of for quirks to evolve and strengthen during or after intensely stressful situations. We want to keep him under observation for a little while longer, but he's relatively fine," the nurse answered.
"Thank goodness. Can we see him?" Inko asked.
The nurse nodded and allowed the three to enter. Izuku was sitting up in his bed and staring down at his hands. He turned his attention to the new arrivals, and he spared the skinny form of Toshinori a curious glance.
"Mr. Yagi?" he questioned. "What are you doing here? And where's All Might?"
Toshinori panicked, forgetting that he came in as All Might and that he had already met the boy in his deflated form. Inko, thoroughly exhausted with the man, offered him respite from the predicament.
"He's All Might's secretary," she tiredly began. "All Might couldn't stick around, so Yagi here decided to stay and keep an eye on you in his stead."
Izuku blankly examined the skinny man (who would swear to everyone who asked him later on that he did not fidget under the teen's piercing gaze), and he turned an equally blank eye back to his mother, who quirked an eyebrow at him in return. He turned his gaze back to Toshinori, and a small, white flame ignited in his hair. Toshinori was startled, but a wave of Nezu's paw kept him from moving.
Izuku stared at Toshinori for 10 uninterrupted seconds, then he finally faced his mother again with a furrowed, disbelieving brow. "Really?"
"What?" she asked, curious as to how he already figured it out.
He didn't give her a reply, only facing Toshinori again with an unimpressed stare. The white flame in his hair extinguished, and he raised his left hand. He activated his quirk, and his hand became coated with the familiar spatter of colored fire. After a good bit of concentration, he successfully managed to bring forth the sapphire flame he had become acquainted with. The eyes of the other occupants went wide as he pushed his hand in the direction of Toshinori. After a few seconds, he felt a light tug on his quirk, and he could vaguely see a faint hand reaching out to him and lightly caress the palm of his hand with its fingers. His suspicions confirmed, he cut off his quirk.
"Secretary, right," Izuku said dryly. "That's your story and you're sticking to it, so that's the story I'll give anyone who asks."
The cackle that Nezu unleashed sent shivers down the spines of Aizawa and Thirteen in their respective hospital rooms.
After dodging the inevitable spray of blood that the tall blonde hacked up, Izuku attempted to ease the man's worries. "Don't worry, I won't ask, and it isn't my secret to tell."
The relief that bloomed on the man's face was short-lived. "However, does it have anything to do with why the ghost of my grandmother is living inside of you?"
Toshinori did not have any blood left to hack.
"So, let me make sure I have everything straight," Inko began with a tiredness that not even Aizawa would envy. "You unlocked a new facet of your quirk when All Might patted you on the shoulder."
Izuku nodded.
"In doing so, you were transported to a void wherein you met 7 dead heroes that inhabit All Might's quirk."
Izuku nodded.
"Alongside them, you were face to face with the Shinigami itself, and it revealed that this new facet of your quirk links you directly to it, and you are granted conditional necromancy when you use these new, blue flames. Misusing this necromancy can kill you."
Izuku nodded.
"The Shinigami is a nekomata."
Izuku nodded.
"My birth mother is one of the 7 heroes inhabiting All Might's quirk."
Izuku nodded.
Inko sank into her chair with a heavy sigh, and she massaged her forehead. "What did you two talk about?"
"Not much, in all honesty," Izuku lamented. "She was just really happy to see me. She also wanted you to know that she's sorry, and she's incredibly proud of you."
Izuku turned away in time to miss the singular tear break through despite Inko's best efforts, and he faced Toshinori. "She's proud of you as well.
He did catch the tear escape Toshinori's eye that time. He turned to Nezu, who remained quiet as he still had difficulty parsing the eccentricities of human emotions at times. Toshinori soon excused himself, offering a quick ruffle of Izuku's hair before he left. Inko and Nezu followed shortly thereafter, the latter returning to UA to assist with the investigation and to look over the school's entire security system, while the former offered a final hug to her son before muttering something about needing a lot of alcohol.
Izuku, now left with only his thoughts, decided to hasten his recovery by applying his pink fire to his arm and ribs since he finally had the stamina to do so. Meanwhile, his thoughts traveled back to the last thing his grandmother had said to him before they departed the void:
"Be the best damn hero you can be, and don't ever stop smiling. If you really want to be a hero for the forgotten, then a smile is the very least you can offer them when trying to help."
Izuku pondered this statement for a long while, long after even his injuries were mostly taken care of. He found that the burns where he remembered the small patches of black flame to be were substantially harder to heal than the rest, but he put it out of his mind for the moment.
'Maybe if someone saved the Sludge Villain, it wouldn't have had to end like that…'
He could feel his mind inching towards a treacherous rabbit hole by broaching that idea, so he shook the thought away.
'Or maybe someone did try, and it just never took.'
That line of thinking, he found, wasn't any more comforting than the previous one. It was just exchanging one doomer mindset for another. He didn't know the Sludge Villain's story; he couldn't make a determination for sure about whether or not anyone had ever really tried to help him or if he was just beyond saving entirely. Maybe the truth was somewhere in the middle? Shades of grey, and all that?
'Guess that just means I'll have to work that much harder to help ensure that no one ever becomes too far gone.'
Tomura Shigaraki was not having a good day. His failed attack on the USJ left him in a broken heap, one that would take him a good while to recover from. If being put on mandatory bed rest because of a cheap, self-insert NPC wasn't bad enough, his Sensei specifically called for Kurogiri to bring him to his Sensei's own medical chamber for recuperation. Ordinarily, he'd be over the moon, but he just knew that Sensei was going to spend that time detailing everywhere he went wrong and why they failed so miserably at killing All Might.
He loved Sensei, but the man was a petty, condescending asshole at the best of times. He spoke to him in a tone that would sound caring and patient to most who gave a cursory listen, and it did just that to Tomura for years. However, ever so often, Kurogiri would glitch, and it was as if another, more playful personality would force its way to the surface. Those instances were usually rather brief, but Kurogiri would indulge in dry sarcasm or jokingly talk down to him in a way that would leave for plausible deniability.
It wasn't until Tomura became used to those infrequent slips that he started to notice similar speaking patterns from Sensei, only the twinge of joviality he'd get from Kurogiri wasn't there. It just felt… manipulative.
But that wasn't possible, right? Sensei always had his best interests in mind and wouldn't just manipulate him for his own ends. He was there for Tomura when no one else was. He was there to help Tomura destroy everything he hated. He was there to help Tomura destroy everything that had wronged him in this wretched world.
So, why did it feel so fabricated sometimes?
Whatever, it was pointless to think about it right then, anyway. He was stuck in a hospital bed beside Sensei's chair as the man was scouring through any available records on Player 2 and his lineage.
"So, Izuku Midoriya, hm? Lone son of Hisashi Midoriya, deceased, and-"
The heavily scarred man paused mid-sentence in surprise. He looked over the records a few more times, and then he perused even further when he found a particularly interesting thread.
"So that's where you've been all these years, little Inko," the man said with a dark chuckle. "If what Tomura told me about his quirk is true, I wonder if your son is the Ninth…"
"Sensei, how do you read without any eyes?"
A long, pregnant silence settled amongst the two. The large man did not answer right away, and Tomura couldn't figure out if he was merely considering the question or if he was upset at him in any way. The lack of a proper face made reading said face practically impossible when he wasn't smiling or frowning.
"Not well."
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone