9: The Midoriya Family
All actions had their unique consequences. It was a fact that Professor Paradox was all too familiar with. Yes, he knew that interfering with Earth Omega's timelines concerning Himiko Toga would invoke the wrath of certain beings. Yet he did not expect that wrath to be in the form of such an important figure.
When one looked upon the shadowy form of the Celestialsapians, many would notice that they seemed to never move from a single spot as the act of a simple blink of an eye would take their dual personalities millenia to decide upon. However, the one that materialized before him was unique in that she only had a single, united consciousness.
This was the lady Amastacia, the High Celestial of the Forge of Creation. Her judgement was swift, fair and harsh at times, yet she was one of the few Celestialsapians that was not openly hostile toward him
As with all Celestialsapian's Amastacia had no discerning features, save for the curvaceous shape of her body and her melodious voice. As he had been expecting a visit from the near omnipotent race, Professor Paradox had set up a table with a pot of freshly brewed tea waiting to be served. "You have been expecting me." It was not a question.
Paradox nodded and gestured for her to sit. "Indeed. I did not expect my actions in Earth Omega's time stream to go without a visit from your people," the professor smiled while the lady seated herself across from him, "Though I did not expect you to come in person, My Lady."
If the Celestial could smile, she would have. "I do believe that my brethren would have acted rashly in their treatment of you." She said while he poured a cup for her. "You know that you are not well liked by my people."
He gave a sad smile, "I do and I truly wish it were otherwise," the man sighed as he sat back in his chair, "Though I do hold hope that since you have deigned to visit my little pocket dimension yourself you will see reason within my transgression."
Amastacia raised her cup to her face where her mouth would have been and drank. "I will attempt to be fair in my judgement, Paradox, however you know that the Multiverse Preservation Act forbids what you have done," she sat the cup down and laced her fingers together to lean on her elbow, "However, I will hear your side of the story. I wish to know why you would provoke the ire of my people for the sake of a single human female."
Paradox smiled and nodded his thanks. "To know my reasoning is to look back into this young woman's life," he waved his hand toward the dimensional wall surrounding his home. An image of Toga Himiko appeared before them. "Her Quirk, as people call their superpowers in this world, is vampiric in nature." The image changed to one of the same young girl being terrorized by her father, "Her parents, who do not care for those with Quirks, treated her cruelly, even going so far as to force Quirk suppressing drugs upon her." He explained, seeing the Celestialsapian's eyes narrow.
"There are similar narcotics in your own universe," Amastacia said as she regarded the image with scrutiny, "Very few of them held any sway over superpowered individuals."
"And it would prove to be a fatal mistake on their part." The image changed again to one that saw the young girl with a feral expression on her face, "The drugs would play havoc on her mental strength, and because her parents starved her of blood she committed horrendous atrocities against her people when her hunger reached the breaking point."
The image changed to show the girl grinning maniacally with her fangs showing to be covered in blood as she held a knife in front of her, "Yet, in another timeline, she went on to aide the Heroes of her world, and became a wonderful person." The image of the girl changed again, showing the girl in an older form, her belly swollen with child. Around her knees was a little boy that appeared to have ashen blond hair begging for her attention.
Amastacia could not deny the look of happiness on the young woman's face. "This is quite the contrasting future," the Celestialsapian said, "But it hardly warrants your interference."
"In a way, it does," The image changed to show a city in ruin, "You see, had I left this child alone, then she would go on to cause untold chaos and strife until her capture and subsequent death." The image wavered again to show the city untouched, "However, now that I have ensured that she will be given a kind and loving home, she becomes just as kind and as caring as those that now care for her, and the world is a brighter place because of it." He gave the High Celestial a sorrowful look, "As you can see, all she truly needed was a single act of kindness, and she would have remained the sweet, innocent girl that she should have been."
Amastacia listened, her face showing no signs of sympathy or anger, yet when she leaned back to sit straight Paradox couldn't help but tense. "I understand why you have deemed it necessary to help this child, Paradox." She said while the man remained tense, "However, you have placed me in an exceedingly difficult situation." Her shoulders seemed to drop, "As you know, it was just barely tolerated when you brought the Ultimatrix into Earth Omega's universe, and lesser still that you are communicating with the new wielder."
"Forgive me, My Lady, but I cannot bring myself to regret my actions." He said as he sipped his tea, "When I chose Izuku Midoriya as the new wielder of the Ultimatrix, I knew that I was denying him a very great, yet harsh destiny," he went on as he showed her another window into the future, one in which Izuku did not possess the Ultimatrix,"Look at how greatly Earth Omega's future differs from just that one action," he said showing the boy he had placed his trust in standing alone on a field of battle.
Amastacia watched as the boy, whom she knew had been a small, bright child once was now a scarred and worn young adult. His clothes were tattered and covered in blood and filth.
With a wave of his hand, Paradox changed to scene one last time. Izuku Midoriya appeared to her again, the same bright and smiling child she remembered before Paradox made his choice. At his side stood two other children that she knew had become his closest friends. And on his wrist was the Ultimatrix.
Running toward him were blurred images of people he had yet to form bonds with, yet they were solidifying, which meant that soon, the boy would have more people that he could rely on. One of them, however, was clear to her: the girl, Himiko Toga.
Paradox lowered his hand, allowing the visions to fade. "Now you see," the man said, "I cannot bring myself to regret my actions." He lowered his gaze to the tea table between them, "I understand that you must uphold your laws, but I beg of you: do not make me undo my work."
Amastacia looked at him with pity in her eyes, "I will not do that," she said to the man, making him smile with a small amount of hope, "However, I do not believe that you are telling me the entire story of this new timeline."
The professor looked away for a moment before letting out a sigh, "There is a blackened timeline that breaks away from the brighter future I see for this child and those around him." He relented as he waved his hand, causing a flowing streak to appear.
Amastacia observed that there were three separate branches in the flow. The one that Izuku appeared to have inherited his power from his mentor appeared bronze in color. A sign that the future was a harsh one. The golden timeline in which the boy had received the Ultimatrix branched out at the same spot as the bronze timeline. However, further up the line, there existed a third branch, this one as black as the deepest recesses of space where no star would glow.
"Oh, dear," she rose to examine the timeline, "Paradox, what have you done?"
The professor shook his head, "Not I, My Lady," he said with a heavy tone. He sighed and rose to stand next to her, "This...tainted flow of time was born of something that I could not have foreseen."
Amastacia continued to stare at the inky black flow, then turned to the man, "Show me."
Paradox gave a slow wave of his hand and opened a window into the bleak future of his chosen Hero.
僕ぼくのヒーローアカデミア
Toshinori checked his face and hair in the mirror of his truck, making sure that there was nothing amiss or out of place. "These injuries are more of a curse aside from the fact that I can only work as a Hero for a short amount of time," he sighed at his reflection, "What I wouldn't give to look normal again." He said.
Next to him was a sandy-blond man with wide rim glasses and a blue buttoned up shirt. "I've never seen you fuss over your appearance before, Toshi," he said with a hint of teasing in his voice, "This lady friend of yours must be something special for you to think about looking good in front of her when you're not bulked up as All Might."
Toshinori sighed, his shoulders slumping, "She's the only woman I've ever met that didn't care about this sicklyappearance of mine," he gestured to himself, "And she sees me as...well, me...not the Hero I used to be." He groaned, "I can only imagine her reaction if she ever found out who I really am."
"Well, if you want things to work out between the two of you, then you're gonna have to tell her sooner or later," his friend said, "But that's not coming anytime soon, I think."
"Why do you say that, David?" Toshinori asked as they pulled up to the apartment complex.
David shrugged, "Well, you barely managed to work up the courage to tell me, and then Melissa a few years ago," he said, "And you love her like your own daughter, so if you're serious about this woman, then you'll probably pussyfoot around the whole thing for years."
"I've never actually taken her out on a proper date," Toshinori sighed as he parked the truck and undid his seatbelt, "I'm sure that Young Midoriya wouldn't mind us dating, but Inko seems skittish of me." He got out of the truck and dusted himself off, "Anyway, let's get going. Young Midoriya seems to think that those plans he's got will have you drooling."
David chuckled as he got out and stretched his arms above his head, "If the kid's as brilliant as you say he is, then I very well might." He said as the two of them made their way up to the Midoriya apartment.
They were met at the elevator by a woman with ashen blonde hair and a pink blouse, "What floor, Ma'am?" Toshinori asked as he was the closest to the board.
"Fourth, please," she said.
"That's a coincidence," Toshinori muttered as he pressed in the floor button before taking a better look at the woman, "Madam, forgive me for asking, but would your family name happen to be Bakugō?"
The woman smiled widely, "Ah, you must know my son." She said with a laugh, "I hope he didn't leave too bad of an impression on you?"
"Nothing that I can't forget about," Toshinori said, "You must be heading to the Midoriya household: we were heading their ourselves to talk to Young Izuku."
Mitsuki Bakugo then grinned even wider, "So you're Mr. Yagi!" She said loudly as the floor indicator pinged and the doors opened. "Inko's told me quite so much about you."
David chuckled and elbowed him playfully, "Nothing too outlandish, I hope?" Toshinori chuckled while he shoved his friend away from him.
The woman just laughed full and loud, "Oh, she thinks you're the greatest thing since sliced bread, Sweetie," she laughed, "But if you're wondering if she's hearing wedding bells in the future, then I'm afraid you're really gonna have to work on that one."
David laughed and laughed at Toshinori's absolutely neon blush. "Oh Lord, Melissa's never gonna let you hear the end of this!" He laughed as the woman looked at the man in question, "Oh, Melissa's my daughter, and Toshi's goddaughter." He explained as the woman nodded in understanding before he pulled out his phone and showed her a recent picture of the three of them, Toshinori in his shrunken form of course.
"Oh, she's beautiful," the woman smiled before she sighed dramatically, "I wish I'd had the chance to have a daughter. But with my brat's attitude, I'm actively afraid that he might get too rough with a new baby."
Toshinori looked at her as they came up to the apartment, "Surely not?" The elevator stopped and the trio filed out.
The woman sighed with a thoughtful expression of her face, "I don't think he would," Mitsuki admitted while the came to the Midoriya apartment, "But if you've met him, then you know that he's not kid-friendly."
David chose not to say anything on the subject and rang the doorbell. Inside there was a muffled shuffling of feet as someone came to the door. It was opened by a very much half-asleep Mei Hatsume who, thankfully, had appropriate sleepwear on.
Toshinori raised his brow at the girl, "Hatsume?" She blinked at him sleepily, seeming to just barely recognize him, "What in the world happened? You look like you've barely slept at all!"
Mei nodded with a huge yawn, "You don't know the half of it," she said sleepily, "We got in really late last night, so everyone's still asleep."
The skinny blond was a little surprised, "What happened?" He heard Mitsuki ask from behind him, "Inko's never been one to stay out late."
"Is everything alright?" Toshinori asked.
Mei nodded sleepily, "Yeah, we're all fine, just worn out." She stepped aside and allowed them in. Once inside the three adults were shocked to find that not only Mei had stayed over. Izuku was sprawled out in one of the chairs, his legs over one arm while his head was draped across the other. Another boy that Toshinori didn't recognize was half-laying on the couch on his stomach, looking like he would fall off at any moment. And on the other couch was yet another girl that Toshinori didn't know.
"Slumber party?" David asked with a slight chuckle, but Mei was shaking her head, "No?"
"It's a long story," the pink-haired mechanic yawned, "But a lot happened and...well, we made a few new friends."
Mistuki just smiled at her, "That's never a bad thing." She shrugged and headed off into the kitchen, "Either of you two handy in the kitchen?"
"Right behind you." David smiled while rolling up his sleeves, "Though I hope you don't mind bacon and eggs."
Mitsuki grinned, "Just set the table and get the coffee going," the woman said, "I'll whip something up for everyone."
Mei wobbled back to one of the open chairs where she sat and curled up, intent on getting more sleep. Toshinori chuckled as the girl dropped off almost immediately, not even bothering to pull the discarded blanket back over herself. He stepped around them careful not to wake anyone and draped it back over her.
Then he helped the boy back onto the couch. All he did was mumble something in his sleep and role over onto his back. He went over to Izuku then and put one of the cushions under his head so he wouldn't wake up sore. The other girl seemed to be fine, though she seemed to be curled up in a ball pretty tightly, almost like a cat, but she seemed comfortable and very deeply asleep.
The smell of coffee drifted to his nose as he heard David and Mitsuki talking in the kitchen softly. Then he heard shuffling in the next room, and saw Inko's bedroom door creak open. The woman was still in her pajamas and rubbing the crust out of her eyes. Her eyes were all red and puffy and her hair was utter bird's nest, but Toshinori couldn't remember ever seeing a more adorable sight.
Except the next moment when she saw him standing there amongst the sleeping children. Her mouth opened wide, almost letting out a scream before she clamped her hands over her mouth. Her entire face was aflame while her eyes were wide and watery with embarrassment.
"T-Toshi!" She squeaked, "Wh-what are you - ?! How did you - ?!"
He held up his hand to stall her. "Mei let us in."
"US?" She yelped before she looked down at herself, yelped, and dove back into her room. Toshinori snickered as a few moments later the poor woman came back out, properly dressed, though her clothes were all wrinkled as if she'd just thrown them on in haste. Her hair had been brushed, or had a comb dragged through it to at least keep it in place. Her face was still flaming red.
"Erm," she cleared her throat, "What...what are you doinghere so early?"
He chuckled while he took one of her hands and kissed the back of her knuckles. She gave a little squeak. "I'm sorry for scaring you," he said, "I came by to speak with Mei and Izuku about the blueprints they wanted to sell. We ran into Mrs. Bakugō on the way." He jerked his thumb toward the kitchen, "She and my friend are working on breakfast. David should have some coffee ready if you want a cup?"
Inko sighed, "Oh, yes, please." She said in a tired voice, "I've got so much to tell you."
Toshinori glanced at the sleeping children, "I can't wait to hear it."
僕ぼくのヒーローアカデミア
Himiko was certain that she was in heaven. Or somewhere really close to it. She sure wasn't in her room. It was too warm. And the mat she usually slept on wasn't nearly as soft as when she was laying on now. Add to the fact that there was the delicious smell of food wafting to her nose along with the invigorating smell of coffee, and she knew that she was no longer in her own home.
Opening her eyes slowly she saw Mei sleeping next to her in an armchair, bundled up like a bagworm with just her head poking up above her blanket. Shinso was laying on his back on a couch, one arm and leg dangling off of it while he snored away. [Oh, I remember them.] She thought as a warm feeling entered her chest. She then looked down and saw the green-haired boy sleeping curled up in another armchair. [These guys are my friends.] The thought brought a sleepy smile to her face.
Then she felt a soft brush against her hair causing her to look up and see the green-haired woman that had been so nice to her smiling down at her, "Good morning, Dear," she said quietly, "Did you sleep well?"
The girl nodded, "Yeah, I slept really good." She sighed, "Do I need to get up, now?"
Inko just patted her head, "Not unless you want to, Dear," she said, "You've had a rough time, and you most certainly need more rest." She told her while the girl seemed to snuggle deeper into her blanket, "We'll keep some food back for you, and you shouldn't worry about blood." Himiko looked at her with confusion, "The hospital I work for was willing to supply us with enough to keep you going for a while."
Himiko's heart gave a painful stutter. "I never knew people could be so nice." She said tearfully. "You don't even know me, but - "
"Don't you even think on it anymore, Dear," Inko said as she ran her fingers through her hair, "You're with us, now, which practically makes you family." She giggled as the girl blushed, "You know, Dear, I've always wanted a daughter."
"Ugh," Izuku groaned before she could form a response and sat up, rubbing his neck, "Please tell me that's coffee I smell?"
Inko giggled as the boy cracked his neck, "Izuku, don't do that," she admonished lightly, "It's not good for you. But yes, there's coffee, and breakfast, too." She finished as the other children began stirring. "Toshinori and Mitsuki came over and decided to cook for us. Isn't that nice?"
"Food sounds good," Hitoshi yawned, "Coffee sounds better."
"I like mine strong," Mei stretched almost falling out of her chair.
Just then the blond man that had come with Toshinori poked his head out of the kitchen, "I made it extra strong," he called out as Izuku and Mei looked in his direction, and both of their eyes bugged out of their heads.
"HOLY CRAP YOU'RE DAVID SHIELD!" Mei shrieked.
Hitoshi rubbed his ears, "Jeeze, Mei!"
"HE'S ALL MIGHT'S FIRST SIDEKICK AND THE BEST SUPPORT GEAR DESIGNER THERE IS!" Izuku blared out even louder than Mei.
Now both Himiko and Hitoshi were rubbing their ears. Inko shook her head, "I'm sorry about them." She apologized to both deafened children, and the blond American, "They tend to get a little excited whenever they meet someone like you." She chuckled as Himiko sat up, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.
"We might as well eat," Hitoshi said as he looked at the girl, "These two probably won't stop fangirling until they leave."
Mei looked at him offended, "Hey, I'll have you know that I have never, ever fangirled over anyone, thank you very much!" She snapped with her hands on her hips, then pointed at David, "This guy might just be buying some of the designs Izuku's got, and that - "
Izuku scrambled across the floor and clamped his hands over the girls mouth. "Mei, come on, we don't even know why he's here!" Mei frowned underneath his hands, throwing them off, and unbalancing the boy -
BO-OING
- which led to his hands landing on Mei's breasts.
"HEY!"
"SORRY!"
Mei covered her chest as Izuku dropped to the floor, "You pinched a nipple!"
Hitoshi sat with a wide-eyed look on his face, and shook his head, "Oh, you lucky bastard."
Himiko was practically biting her tongue to keep from laughing. Of course, the adults had no reservations about their laughter and were howling at the outraged look on Mei's face, while Izuku was on his hands and knees bowing his head to the floor stammering out "I'm sorry" over and over again.
David wiped a stray tear from his eye, "Your house certainly is lively," he complimented the woman as she sighed, wishing for the hundredth time that Mei would take an interest in her son. But then again, given her son's luck, he may yet get a girlfriend, and make her a few grandchildren.
僕ぼくのヒーローアカデミア
Breakfast, even after things calmed down, was a loud affair. David and Toshinori told stories of their youth, both of them leaving out any stories that could relate to All Might, many of them ending up with the pair getting into trouble which had the rest of the group laughing.
Mitsuki chuckled while Toshinori finished speaking, "You two sure were a wild pair," she laughed, "I can't imagine what you were like in your prime, Toshinori, no offense."
Toshinori just waved it off, "None taken, Mrs. Bakugō," he gestured to himself, "I used to look a lot different before I was injured."
David nodded, "It's true," he said, "The guy used to be as wide as refrigerator."
Hitoshi glanced at the skeleton of a man, "Guess that just shows how hard Hero work is." He said, wondering how the man had worked in the past.
Toshinori nodded, "Yes, Hero work is dangerous," he said, then turned his attention to Izuku and his friends, "Which brings up quite the little story. Inko told us about what happened last night."
Izuku jumped in his chair with his fork half way to his mouth. "Uh, well, I - "
"Now, now, I'm not admonishing you," the man said, shaking his head, "It's not my place. If anything I'd think your mother would have done so already."
Mei and Izuku blushed a little; in truth the woman had been bawling her eyes out so much it was hard to tell if she was angry, sad, or happy. In Himiko's case, the girl had almost been smothered by motherly affection before being brought into the Midoriya household.
"No, what I really want to say is that, were you two young interns, I'm quite proud of how you handled things." Toshinori went on and looked at the young blonde girl at the table, who was now sipping on a cup of tea that Inko had made for her. "And I'm sorry that you had to go through something like that for so long, young lady."
Himiko didn't reply. How could she? No one had ever thought she was in trouble before.
"Izuku's becoming quite the little Hero already, isn't he, Inko?" Mitsuku said as the woman smiled proudly before she looked at the young man, "Too bad that the first person you rescued was that ungrateful brat of mine." She sighed, "I found out later that you were the one that saved him from that Sludge Villain a few months ago."
Izuku just chuckled, "Oh, it's okay, I'm used to it after all this time."
"Young Midoriya, if I hadn't stopped him, he would have attacked you." Toshinori said, drawing the mothers' attentions. "He was ready to use his Quirk on you and everything."
"Uh -!"
"HE WHAT!" Mitsuki shouted loudly, reminding the blond man of the boy in question. "What exactly do you mean by that?!"
"Just what I said," Toshinori said, "I wouldn't lie about something like that."
Mei looked disgusted, "Jeez, the guy sounds like..." she trailed off when something occurred to her and she turned to Izuku, "Hey, wait a minute, Recovery Girl mentioned something about you surviving a bomb blast or something!"
"WHAT!?" Inko shouted.
"MEI!" Izuku yelped, feeling betrayed.
"What? It's true!" She crossed her arms, "So was it the same guy that you saved?"
Mitsuki just leaned on her hands, "It has to be him," she groaned.
"Auntie, really, it's no big deal!" Izuku tried to make her feel better.
David thought it best to try to divert the conversation for the boy's sake, "Speaking of deals, what about those blueprints you wanted me to see, Toshi?"
Toshinori, however, wasn't going to be so easily fooled, "Young Midoriya, just how bad did he hurt you to get Recovery Girl to notice?"
Izuku didn't answer; he felt too embarrassed.
Shinsō answered for him. "She guessed that he's not been sleeping well," he began with his friend giving him a pleading look, "Nightmares. Sensitivity to loud noises. She wants him to see Hound Dog when he gets into the school." As he spoke, Izuku's face just became redder and redder while Mitsuki looked like she was ready to start crying.
Toshinori pinched the bridge of his nose, "Post traumatic stress disorder." He groaned, "I should've seen it sooner, no wonder your confidence is so low!"
Mei looked at the man, "Recovery Girl also said that he has a pretty low opinion of himself."
Suddenly Mitsuki stood up, her face an angry pale color. "Inko, I'll call you later, right now I think that boy and I need to have a serious talk!"
Inko rose to stop her, "It won't do any good, Mitsuki, he's in school right now!"
"I don't care!" The woman snapped, "I knew that he had an attitude, but this goes well beyond what I'm willing to tolerate! Hell, you should think about pressing charges!"
"Mitsuki, he's your son!" Inko looked apawled.
Her friend gestured to Izuku, "And he's as good as my nephew! If I'd known sooner, you can bet that'd I'd have given that brat the beating of a lifetime!"
While the two women continued to argue back and forth about what to do about their sons, David took the time to clean his glasses. "I really stepped in it this time, didn't I?" He muttered, glancing at his friend, "Toshi, about those blueprints?"
Izuku placed something in front of him, "I'm really sorry about all of this Mr. Shield," he sighed while looking at his two friends, "They were just trying to help me."
David just smiled at the boy while he picked up the notebook he had placed in front of him. "That's what friends do, young man," he said, looking at the four children, Himiko having remained quiet through the entire exchange, "They look out for each other, and have each others' backs when there's trouble." He said while Toshinori nodded in agreement, "Just don't take after me and this skinny lug since he was always making us late for our classes."
Toshinori sputtered, "That was one time, and I made up for it didn't I?!"
"It was six times, and a meal for each time hardly makes up for the ass-chewing we got when the teachers had had enough of your excuses." David said with a grin in his direction as he started thumbing through the book. He adjusted his glasses once while Mei and Izuku were holding their breaths.
Himiko looked over towards Shinso and whispered, "Hey, is he really that big of a deal?" She asked while the man read over each page slowly.
Shinsō gave her a small smirk, "He sure is," he said while the man continued to read over the plans, "He's made all of All Might's Hero costumes, and he's made gear and costumes for some of the biggest names in the business. His tech is used worldwide!"
"Ooh," Himiko sounded mildly impressed.
Meanwhile as David continued to read and the two women continued to argue, Izuku and Mei were waiting for the man's response. Suddenly his glasses gleamed and he snapped the book shut. "Young man, you have no idea how much I've waited for something like this." He said as he held the book up, which stopped Inko and Mitsuki from squabbling. "The tech in here is beyond anything I've ever seen. I don't know how you came by it, but if it was left to you in good faith, I can only imagine that it was meant to be used." He said as he looked at the young man. "So how much do you want for it?"
"Which design were you looking at?" Izuku asked naively.
David just chuckled, "Oh, you misunderstand, Mr. Midoriya," he smiled, "I want all of it."
Izuku and Mei's jaws hit the table while Inko's eyes welled up with happy tears and Mitsuki was grabbing a roll of paper towels for her.
Izuku and Mei looked at each other, the latter of which shrugged, "It's your tech. Your price tag." She said.
Izuku thought for a moment, "Would it be possible to put the designs for the Proto-Tools in our names?" He gestured to himself and Mei respectively, "I'd like those at least to stay with us."
David gave a nod, "Understandable, they are extremely versatile and would do well in the police forces as capture weapons."
"If you can do that, then I'd say just name a price," Izuku said, "That way Mei and I could get royalties from the Proto-Tools and not have to worry about future funding."
The man chuckled, "We can draw up a contract for them later," he said as he reached into his pocket and took out his checkbook, "I assume that you want half of whatever I pay to go to Miss Hatsume, correct?"
"Yes, Sir," Izuku smiled while Mei beamed at him.
David began writing out numbers while Toshinori read over his shoulder, a grin coming to the man's face, "In addition to the Proto-Tools, I'll also put your names on the rest of the tech." Mei squealed with delight at that while Izuku just kept smiling, "Please, tell me if this is too small a price, and keep in mind that this is only half of it. An equal amount will be going to Miss Hatsume." He tore the check out and handed it over to the teens.
Upon seeing the price, however, Mei's grew to the size of dinner plate while Izuku fellout of his chair in a dead faint. "Sir, I think you might have missed a decimal somewhere!" Mei yelped. "This is the gross amount that Endeavor gets paid!"
"Oh, that's not yen, Miss," David said, "It's American dollars."
Mei promptly joined Izuku on the floor.
10: Odd Day Out
The following day that Izuku sold his designs was when the Midoriya household was completely empty. Both Hitoshi and Mei had to return home in order to finish up their school work, while Inko and Mitsuki took Himiko out shopping for the day.
Izuku, meanwhile, was being driven to his school to take his final exams.
Toshinori had arrived earlier and offered to take him since he'd let his mother have the car to shop. "Nervous?" The man asked as they drove along, "I'm sure that Alderaan holds some fairly bad memories for you"
Izuku shook his head and smiled at his mentor, "No, Sir, I'm alright, really." He said, looking down at the Ultimatrix, "It may not be an actual Quirk, but the Ultimatrix is helping me achieve my dream of becoming a Hero...so they can't make me feel useless anymore." He smiled, "And I've been studying like crazy. It'll be great to finally get it over with and start cramming for U.A.'s courses."
Toshinori chuckled. It was good that the boy was so confident in his academics. Truth be told, when he had spoken to Nezu about the school in question, they had found out quite a bit that had been ignored. Not only was the Bakugō boy openly using his Quirk in classes, but so were other students. Not to the extent that Bakugō seemed to be doing, but unsanctioned Quirk use was unsanctioned Quirk use. That alone was enough to get the teachers in plenty of hot water.
But it had also been discovered that the school had a very biased view on Quirks and those without them. Izuku's file had been pulled by the principal, and the mammal had been shocked. It seemed that, on paper, Izuku Midoriya was viewed as a delinquent. While the opposite could be said of anyone that had a Quirk. Aside from the single Quirkless individual in their school, the other students were completely perfect little angels. Toshinori had scoffed at such a thing. He had walked through those halls, and found nothing but a cesspit of bad behavior.
After the school year was finished, he would ensure that the school was procured and restaffed. Nezu had mentioned once about broadening U.A.'s educational horizons, and setting up a middle school would be the perfect starting point. Toshinori thought it was a very good idea. The younger the potential students were, the better trained and educated they would become once they entered the high school.
There was another thing that Toshinori noticed, "According to what I've seen of your school records, your grades are just barely up to scratch," he muttered quietly, though the boy was able to hear him perfectly fine.
"But I'm pretty sure that I answered all of the questions on my homework right, I even checked the internet to be safe." The boy said with a huge frown on his face, "Why would they - ?"
Toshinori growled in the back of his throat, "Probably because they see you as a liability, even if you, technically, have a Quirk now." He said, "There's so few people that are Quirkless nowadays that the discrimination has gotten to near racial levels."
Izuku looked saddened by this. He tried his best every day, and to find out that his school was the biggest problem he had was worse than whenever Katsuki would berate him for his unrealistic dreams.
They pulled into the school not long after the revelation and parked. Toshinori was tempted to bulk himself up into All Might, just to scare the life out of the faculty members, but he resisted. No need to turn the whole thing into a media circus nightmare. He would settle for seeing his young apprentice graduate from this horrible school, and enter U.A. as the young Hero that he was.
Knowing that they were coming, Izuku's former principal was waiting for them outside of the school with a fake smile on his face which tightened when he saw the skeletal man next to him. "Wonderful to see you back, Mr. Midoriya," the man said, expecting a stammering reply from the boy, but was greeted with the coldest look he had ever seen on the boy's face before. "Erm, let's proceed to the testing room, shall we?"
Izuku nodded and stepped into the school. The man wasn't expecting the Hero Agent to follow behind him, "I'm sorry, Sir, but given the circumstances, I'm afraid that - "
"Are really trying to fol me into leaving this boy in your inadequate care?" Toshinori demanded evenly, making the man pale. "I intend to make certain that you won't try to sabotage him as you obviously have been for who knows how long." He turned on the man with a hard stare. "And so help me, if you do try anything, you will regret it immensely."
The man gulped audibly, "Right, I-I assure you that nothing of the sort will happen under our care." He said rather meekly, "Now, if you'll follow me, please?" He turned away from the glaring blond and sped down the hall to put some distance between them.
The pair followed at a slower pace, of course, Izuku taking the time to have one last look at his old school. There were still many students in the school, all of whom were taking the exact same exam that he was about to. He tried not to worry about them: it no longer mattered to him what happened to them after they graduated.
He didn't necessarily hate them, no, he couldn't. But there was nothing between himself and them that could make him want to care anymore. They were bullies. All of them.
"Here we are," the principal said as he brought them to an empty classroom. "I think you'll find this room satisfactory."
Izuku didn't argue as he entered the room, finding a solitary desk waiting for him. He was glad it was empty: he wouldn't have to put up with any questions, jeers, or jibes at him while he worked.
The principal followed behind him, and placed a yellow folder in front of him. "These are your exams for each class you've taken up to this point," he said, "You may take your time in finishing them, I'm sure you'll need it."
Before Izuku could open the folder and get started, Toshinori surged into the room and snatched it up. He pulled the testing papers out and looked them over, Izuku wondering why until he saw the principal losing what little color he had left in his face. Toshinori looked at the man then with a bright gleam in his darkened eyes. "I believe I told you to keep this fair, did I not?" He asked as he held up the papers. "These are for college students."
"W-Well, Sir, you see - !"
"Young Midoriya," Toshinori said with a deceptively calm tone. "I think an online test would be better for you." He gave the boy a small smile, "Now, why don't you go outside and wait by the truck? This man and I need to have a little chat." His eyes had a very dangerous gleam in them as he turned back to the principal, "I shouldn't be long."
Izuku chuckled nervously, and, honestly, he wanted to feel sorry for the principal...but he just couldn't quite make himself do so.
He went out into the hall and shut the door just as he heard his mentor begin shouting angrily at the man. He could almost picture Toshinori turning into All Might for a moment from the tone he was using, but apparently he was used to dealing with people like this.
He started down the hall and toward the exit, managing to get halfway there before he felt a familiar grip land on his shoulder. The grip tightened as he was forcibly slammed into the lockers, his hand flying to his Ultimatrix on instinct before he realized who his attacker was.
Katsuki Bakugō was standing there, looking more furious than he could ever remember. His teeth were clenched so tight that he could hear them grinding against each other, and his eyes were burning with pure hatred. His hands were already smoldering, ready to explode in a moment's notice. "You little shit," his voice was calm, "Do you have any idea what you've done to me?"
[Auntie Mitsuki must've confronted him,] the boy thought idley. But the boy that would have cowered before the explosive teen had long since been put away. He reached up and wrapped his fingers around his former friend's wrist, "Let go of me, Bakugō." The boy said. Katsuki's eyes widened at the teen. "Whatever you think I've done, I have no idea what you're talking about."
Katsuki hauled back and slammed him against the lockers again, which was actually starting to make him angry. "Oh, like you don't know!" He snapped, "Because of you, I've been made a laughingstock!" He growled, leaning in close so that he wasn't heard. "All these fucking extras that used to give me the respect I deserve won't stop talking about you! You and that stupid new Quirk of yours!" He snapped, "And you wanna know something else? The old hag even got on my case!"
"And you think that I'm to blame?" Izuku asked, surprising the blond as he wouldn't normally talk back to him, "It wasn't even me that told her about what you've done!"
"What I've done!?" A small pop went off at his palm, "The only thing I've ever done is made sure a loser like you knows his place: beneath my feet!"
"And who made you the one to decide that?" Izuku demanded, "Can't you even see what you've become?" The boy looked at his former friend with sympathy, "I used to admire you, Bakugō, because I saw the Hero you could be," Katsuki's hold on his shoulder loosened, "But the minute you started treating people like the didn't have any feelings...like they didn't matter...I couldn't just stand by and let you hurt people like some Villain!"
The look in Bakugo's eyes turned wild, "Villain? You think I'm acting like a Villain?!" He looked down at his wrist, spotting the Ultimatrix with Izuku's hand hovering near the dial. He gave the boy a wild grin, "What about you? I bet you're itching to get some payback on me, aren't you? Come on! Let's see what you're made of!"
Izuku's hand almost touched the Ultimatrix...but he let it fall to his side. Katsuki glared at him. "A few months ago, I would've taken you up on that." Izuku said as he shook off the other boy's hand, "I wanted so much to show you that I'm not the useless boy you used to beat up all the time...that I'm not a Deku"
"So what?" Tiny crackling explosions came from Katsuki's palms. "Come on and show me what you've got, Mister I've-Gotta-Quirk-Now."
Izuku just shook his head and walked away from him, "I've got nothing to prove, least of all to you." He said, which only made the boy angrier, "You were never really my friend, I know that now, but I don't...I don't hate you...but until you realize what you've done, I want nothing to do with you, ever again." With that, the boy walked away, leaving a completely dumbfounded Katsuki behind him.
Toshinori, having finished talking with the principal, had heard part of the conversation and was grinning ear to ear. [Maybe those other kids are actually helping with his PTSD?] He thought hopefully as he moved to catch up with the boy.
Katsuki, meanwhile, ignoring the man passing him by, was seething. [That little shit!] His teeth were clenched so tightly that he could taste blood, [Fine. If that's the way you wanna play this, then just wait! I'll destroy you!]
僕ぼくのヒーローアカデミア
"This really is a nice car," Mitsuki commented as they drove toward the shopping center, "It's lucky that Izuku's Quirk lets him build stuff like this. Think of all the free stuff he could build out of garbage." She laughed.
Inko gave a light chuckle herself, "Oh, I don't think we're going to have to worry about paying for things for some time," she reminded her friend, "What with my half of everything from my divorce and Izuku selling those blueprints, I think things are going to be looking up from now on." She looked back into the back seat where Himiko was sitting quietly, sipping on a cup of synthetic blood. "Which means you don't need to feel guilty about anythingwe buy for you today, Sweetie."
The girl chewed on the straw nervously, "I still don't know what's supposed to happen to me after all of this is done." She said, "I mean, do I just get passed around in foster care until I turn eighteen?"
Inko looked outraged, "Absolutely not!" She snapped turning almost fully around, forcing Mitsuki to grab a hold of the wheel, "You've been through far too much to go through nonsense like that! I'll adopt you before they even think of passing you to another family!"
"Inko, the road!" Mitsuki yelled as the position the woman was in forced her foot deeper into the exceleration.
While Inko turned back around to get the car back under control, Himiko was actually feeling more stunned than she had when she found out that her parents were no longer going to hurt her. "You'd really adopt me?"
"Of course!" She said adamantly, though her tone was much softer now as she looked in the rearview mirror, "I told you that I've always wanted a daughter, Sweetie, and now I kind of have one...provided you'd like to stay with us?"
Himiko nodded very slowly, "I think I'd like that," the girl admitted whilst hugging herself.
Inko smiled at her from the rearview mirror as they pulled into a large shopping center, "I know that I would love that," she smiled as she parked the car, "Now then, Mitsuki, where's this should-be-famous clothing store of yours?"
Mitsuki grinned at her widely, "Oh, honey, wait 'til I show you what I've got!"
Twenty minutes later...
When Himiko thought about buying more clothes, the last thing she expected was to be thrust into a shop that sold dizzyingly expensive dresses made of satin, silk and some of the softest cotton she'd ever felt. They were all verypretty, that much she would readily admit, but there was just one problem...
"You don't like any of them?" Mitsuki's face fell as if someone had just told her that her store was closing. The clerk was no better, even though she had tried to pick out dresses that matched her skin well, nothing really stuck with her.
Himiko felt bad for disappointing her, "It's not that I don't likethem," she mumbled as she looked at herself in a extra satiny red dress with spaghetti shoulder straps. "I just...I don't see myself wearing this just to go to the park, or hang out with - "
Inko was giggling, "She's right, Mitsuki, all you've been showing her are clothes she'd need for a fancy night out on the town!" Her friend gave the woman a light glare, "Honestly, Sweetie, some of these dresses look ready to fall off of her!"
"That's sort of the the idea, in some regards," mumbled the fashionista, her arms crossed under her chest, "Ugh, you're right, Inko - oh, don't act so smug!" She snapped halfheartedly as the woman just grinned at her, "Once you've lost some weight, we will be back here for you!"
"Are you kidding?" She asked as she looked at a dress that used to be her size, "If I put one of these on, my breasts would fall out!" Himiko snickered at that mental image while Mitsuki coughed to hide a blush. "No offense, Dearie, but don't you have any everyday clothing?" She asked the store clerk.
"But of course, Ma'am, just follow me," she led them toward the middle of the sizable store where Himiko's face lit up with delight.
Inko giggled, "Now this is more like it, thank you, Dearie," She laughed as Himiko took off through the rows of jeans, sweaters, shirts and shoes.
Mitsuki just pouted, "A girl with her looks needs at least a couple of dresses."
Inko showed her some of the clothes the girl had tried on before, "I at least convinced her to keep the black and red cocktail dresses," she reminded her with a small giggle, "I admit, she looks lovely in those colors."
That did make her friend feel better as Himiko bounced back to the three of them with an absolute armload, "Wait a minute, how am I gonna pay for all of this!?" She asked in a near panic. She liked her kind-of-mother, Inko and Mitsuki a lot at this point, but she was still skittish: part of her hoped that this wasn't some form of joke.
Mitsuki just looked at her, "Honey, I thought you knew?" She gestured to the clerk, "I own this store, so you can just take whatever you want," she grinned at the girl and gave her a small wink, "But just for today, alright?"
Himiko blinked at her, "B-but that's stealing! Papa said stealing was - !"
"Papa shmapa," Mitsuki grinned at her, "This is me giving you a gift, Sweetie, a gift that you more than deserve after what you've been through, so consider this," she thought for a moment, "A really big birthday gift!" She grinned as she reached out and took the clothes from her before she handed them to the clerk, "Go ahead and bag these up, Michiko, she'll need shoes, too."
"Yes, Ma'am," the woman laughed, "And don't worry, young lady, this store's sales are pretty high, considering the only competition we've had has been from the stores owned by Uwabami," she giggled as she headed for the front desk, "Just bring anything else you find up to my desk, okay?"
Mitsuki and Inko smiled indulgently as the young girl was once again close to tears. "Ever worn heels before, Sweetie?" Mitsuki asked while Inko just groaned.
"Just no stilettos, please," the portly woman begged, "Those things are absolute death traps in disguise!"
Mitsuki ended up convincing Himiko to try on a pair of the high heeled shoes, and the poor girl instantly regretted agreeing when she tried to keep her balance. "I don't...think these are my kind'a - whoa!" When she had tried to stand up in the shoes, she found that the tiptoe way it held her feet up was exceptionally uncomfortable, not to mention the sudden increase in height gave her a dizzying headrush. Had it not been for Inko standing next to the girl, she would have toppled over and fallen flat on her face. "Yeah, I don't think these are my thing?" She said with no small amount of embarrassment.
"I didn't think so," Inko giggled as she set the girl back on her feet, and helped her sit back down to take the shoes off, "If you want her in heels, then at least give her something lower, like ballroom heels, or even a ballerina flat!" She said to her friend, who agreed with her rather quickly after seeing the girl's near mishap.
A few minutes later, Himiko was carrying four different boxes, "Uh, isn't this a little much?" She asked, "Really, a pair of sneakers would've been fine!"
Mitsuki looked at her like she'd grown a second head, "Now, that right there is ridiculous! I bet your mother owned at least this many pairs of shoes!"
"Uh, no?" Himiko mumbled, "Papa never liked her spending too much money on things he thought we didn't need."
Mitsuki's eye began twitching quite manically, "Your father...is a schmuck."
Himiko had to bite her lip to keep from laughing at her while she turned around and headed for the front desk, "Uh, Miss Midoriya?" Inko turned toward her, "I...don't mean to pry, but - "
"What is it dear?"
Himiko blushed, "I...I was just wondering...I mean I noticed her blushing around you a lot, and..." Inko still looked a little confused, "Are you and Mrs. Bakugō...dating?"
Inko's brow shot into her hair, "No. What ever gave you that idea?" She asked, genuinely surprised, "We have been friends since we were children, but we both got married and had our sons. Besides, I just went through a divorce, and Mitsuki has a very nice husband."
"Oh," the girl said, nodding, "I'm sorry, then. I just noticed that she was blushing a lot."
Inko giggled, "Oh, she's probably just embarrassed that she picked the wrong clothes for you, Sweetie," she said with a giggle in her friend's direction, "And I'm willing to bet that she's pretty happy today as well. We haven't really had a chance to spend time together like this in a long time. I just started having dinner with her and Masaru again not that long ago, so she was probably excited that I asked her for help in getting you some new clothes."
Himiko nodded again, though she still wasn't so sure.
When they reached the front desk, it was to find Mitsuki and Michiko talking animatedly with a very unique young lady. She was a girl with pink...everything, really. At least from what she could tell. She was just a little bit taller than Himiko was, with fluffy pink hair, and a lighter shade of pink skin. Inko thought it made her all the much more lovely in her opinion.
"I'm sorry, Dearie, I didn't know we were keeping you from your regular customers." Inko smiled at the girl, who turned to her revealing the most beautiful set of eyes that the woman had ever seen. [Oh, my, what a lovely girl!] She thought as she saw the girls golden irises surrounded by an unusual but beautiful black sclerae.
Michiko shook her head, "Think nothing of it," she smiled, gesturing to the girl, "Miss Ashido here is actually quite the frequent customer."
The girl beamed at her, "You better believe I am! This place sells some of the best clothes, and I can actually afford them, not like Uwabami's place!"
"Yes!" Mitsuki suddenly crowed, "Thank you! That puffed up woman never sells anything low enough for us commoners to wear!"
Inko giggled, "You're a former fashion model, Mitsuki, so I'd hardly call you a commoner," she laughed as Himiko placed her shoes on the desk. "Speaking of modeling, this young lady looks like she could be an up and coming talent!"
The girl just blushed a lovely shade of lavender, "Aw, shucks, I don't think I'm model material," she gestured to herself, "Pink skin isn't exactly all the rage these days."
Mitsuki gave the girl a calculating eye, "Hmm, I wouldn't sell yourself short so quickly, young lady," she smiled while the girl blinked at her, "Your skin is a lovely shade that would go quite well with most any color dress you wear, and you have quite the nice figure for someone as young as you are."
"Mitsuki!" Inko admonished her with a slap on the arm.
"That's not what I mean, and you know it," the woman grinned at her, "What I mean is that she has a healthy body, not like some girls who think a french fry equals an extra twenty pounds they have to barf up later."
Inko nodded, noticing that Himiko was standing slightly behind her, as if almost afraid of being near the girl. The woman smiled, reaching round to hold the girl's hand comfortingly.
"Yeah, I like my fries," Ashido giggled with a little embarrassment, "Maybe a little too much," she admitted while bringing her hands up and touching her fingers together, "But thanks for the compliments. I always love it when someone appreciates my pinkness. But I'm also trying out for U.A. in February, so modeling is kind of a no go for me. Sorry!"
"Well, what a coincidence," Inko said in delight, "Our sons are trying out for U.A., too!"
Mitsuki sighed in exasperation, "Against my better judgement after I found out what that little hooligan of mine's been up to." She said, leaning over toward the girl, "Do me a favor, if you run across a kid with the name Bakugo, give him a good ass-kicking for me, 'kay?"
Ashido started giggling again, "I'll keep that in mind," she said before taking a small bag from the desk and skipping toward the exit, "Well, it was nice meeting you guys! Hope I get to meet your boys in school!"
"Hmm," Inko was already imagining how the girl would look next to her son.
Mitsuki saw this and flicked her on the forehead, "No matchmaking until school starts!"
僕ぼくのヒーローアカデミア
Mina Ashido had just had the coolest time after meeting the owner of her favorite clothing store. Not only was the woman nice, but she like the way she looked and thought she had what it took to be a model! She was squealing with joy both inside and outside as she practically danced along the street. She was barely paying attention to anyone else in her excitement as she pranced along...that was until a large shadow loomed over her.
"Excuse me," the voice was low, yet loud enough to rattle her down to her core. She hadn't even seen who was speaking to her and she was already breaking out in a cold sweat, "I'm looking for the Springer Hero Agency," she turned her head very slowly to look...up at the giant that was glaring down at her. "Could you tell me where it is?"
He stood twenty feet tall, easily, and had his face and body mostly covered in an overly large tarp, but his glowing white eyes, and his tusks were very visible to her when she looked high enough.
When she didn't answer, the giant stretched out his arm from beneath the tarp, easily as thick as a tree, and dug his fingers into the building behind her, concrete falling away as he gauged it out. "Did you not hear me? I would like to know where the Springer Hero Agency is."
When the debris he had created fell next to her, she fell on her butt, terrified. [Just tell him!] She screamed at herself, [He'll go away if you just tell him where to go!] She tried to talk, but it just came out as a small sound. [Why can't I speak?!]
"Mmm," he sounded like he was getting angry. "You're being very rude. Why won't you answer?"
She wanted to, she really did, but she couldn't! There was nothing that could snap her out of the fear induced stupor she'd been caught in. Not the sounds of horns honking. Not the faint green flash of light she saw out of the corner of her eyes. All she could think was that she was going to die if this behemoth didn't get his answers.
Suddenly a large red blur appeared in front of her, "If you're looking for the Springer Hero Agency, then you need to go down this road," the large muscular red...man?...said, pointing down the road with his left arms (he had four of them), "Take a left at the next four way intersection, and you should see it right in front of you. It's a really gaudy building that's nearly impossible to miss."
#4 - Four Arms: This muscular behemoth's name speaks for itself! He's got enhanced strength and durability that put him near the same level as All Might in terms of power. His tough and thorny hide make him bulletproof, blade proof, and even fireproof! But thanks to his large muscle structure he's not the fastest alien around.
"Thank you very much." The giant withdrew his hand and started on his way. The red man stood in front of her until he was certain that the monster was not coming back before he turned to her, and touched an hourglass-like symbol on his chest.
In a brief flash of green that made her cover her eyes, the red four-armed man was gone, and replaced by a...boy...a boy not much older, maybe even a little younger than herself. He knelt down in front of her and offered her his hand, "Are you alright?" He asked with concern lacing through his voice, "He didn't hurt you, did he?"
His tone was so gentle and comforting to her in that moment that she immediately snapped out of her stupor...and broke down. "WAAAAAAAH! THAT WAS SOSCARY!"
Across the street, a certain blond man was close to having a heart attack as she phone the police, "I'm telling you guys, this was Gigantomachia! He's heading for the Springer Hero Agency, get someone over there to warn them right away! And get ready for some real damage!" He said and looked back toward the boy as he was freaking out over the crying girl, "Just hug her already." He grumbled just as he saw Inko, Mitsuki and Himiko running toward them, "Hoo, boy, that's not gonna look good."