Chapter 6: What is Lost
The yokai, which somewhat resembled a kappa, stood a bit shorter than Izuku. It lacked the beak-like face and the bowl on its head, but rather, it was scaly and had beady-eyes in a lion-like face despite clearly being a water yokai. Izuku shuddered at its scaly skin, but it was the yokai's knees that drew Izuku's attention. They looked like they had furry claws on them. The strange yokai did nothing but stare, and Izuku felt the urge to turn around – to go back the way he had come – but they had made eye contact. Turning away now would be like running away, and Izuku knew running away would only provoke an attack.
"You…." The yokai growled in a deep croak-like voice.
Izuku started and frowned.
At Izuku's silence, the yokai continued, "You can see. It has been long since the last Onmyoji tread this land. He curbed us. Stopped us. Hunted us. And you, you took what was mine. You banished yokai with talismans. You caused them to invade my river – my banks."
Silence fell as the yokai with the lion-like face seethed, eyes distorted in rage.
Izuku shifted and, taking a deep breath while eyeing the yokai cautiously, countered, "I will stop yokai from hurting humans."
Even if the urge to run still tugged at the corner of Izuku's mind, lately, he felt emboldened. This yokai's aura was sinister, but not nearly as oppressive as the Gotoku Neko. Ever since the encounter with the wolf-head yokai, he was feeling much stronger, and as the story spread, the little yokai in the neighborhood had started to avoid him – resulting in even fewer threats from the bullies without the yokai to provoke them. Bakugo and the other bullies werestill hard to deal with – but the confidence from his successful confrontations with yokai felt good.
So, Izuku readied himself in case the yokai attacked, but its next words caught Izuku off guard.
"You used it…"
Izuku tilted his head, confused.
Noticing this, the yokai shrieked, its dark and hostile aura seeping into the surrounding area, "You used it! You used the borderline! You will only disrupt yokai more!"
At the sudden surge of malevolence, Izuku's veins began to tingle with fear and adrenaline. He faltered, his guard dropping. The force with which the yokai spoke had almost pushed him back a step, and Izuku had to fix his balance. As Izuku adjusted his guard, again preparing himself for an attack, the agitated yokai's glare intensified, eyes bulging at Izuku's defensive but assertive stance.
It hissed, "You will continue. You will not stop…"
Izuku cut it off, "I will if…"
"No!" it screeched.
Then, the yokai lunged, and Izuku shifted to deflect the blow just like Ginro taught him. But he never got the chance to use the techniques he trained so hard to master because, at that moment, a blur of green blocked the path of the lunging yokai.
Izuku felt his blood run cold.
All he could do was watch in horror as his mother dashed in between him and the yokai.
A scream of pain filled the air, echoing in Izuku's ears, and splashes of red filled his vision.
The force with which the yokai hit Inko pushed them into Izuku, knocking him away. His head hit the ground, bouncing off the pavement, before he rolled away across the ground and lay dazed, unable to move as his ears rang from the blow.
Inko Midoriya could not see yokai, but Izuku had been acting strangely for quite some time. While children could hide things from their parents – and there were things parents did not know – it is a simple truth that parents notice far more than their children think.
Inko Midoriya had often found Izuku staring into space and talking to himself, except he would pause and respond as if conversing with some unseen person.
She remembered the first time he had done something strange. He had been so adamant and genuinely concerned about a turtle in the middle of the sidewalk, only to turn around and say it crawled off. It stood out in her mind because Izuku was not a good liar. Then, when he left with a water bottle later that day, she had not thought much of it. That is, until a friend said she saw him near the market, pouring water from a water bottle onto the sidewalk.
And then, there were the fish.
Ever since that day, a fish showed up on their doormat – every day. Even this morning, the fish was there.
While tales of yokai were told less and less frequently, she was aware of the most well-known tales. Izuku's exclamation about kappa in response to the fish initially had her assuming he had a new pastime. She was grateful at first. Given his lack of quirk, she felt he needed a distraction, but as time passed, coincidences and occurrences piled up. Eventually, she was sure that Izuku really believed he could see yokai. She had even found talismans hidden about the apartment when cleaning.
Today was the day she was contemplating addressing the issue with Izuku. But then, she saw it too. And Izuku was in danger.
So, she did the only thing she could think to do – protect Izuku from the attacking yokai.
Pain ripped through her as she felt sharp claws grip her and teeth sink into the nape of her neck, tearing away at her. Yet, almost as soon as she hit the ground, the weight of the attacking yokai disappeared.
As her vision faded, she saw a small furry creature and a kappa struggling with the attacker. She smiled. If they were the ones her dear little Izuku muttered about, then maybe everything would be alright.
Maybe he would be safe.
He was out earlier than usual for patrol. The sun still hung above the horizon and would not set for at least another hour, but today, he needed a distraction. His students had been – interesting – and he was seriously considering expelling the rebellious duo.
Eraserhead sighed, straining his ears for sounds of trouble. Moving from rooftop to rooftop, he made his way toward one of the residential areas.
A sudden scream of pain sliced through the air. Pivoting on his heel, Eraser flung out his capture weapon to rescue another citizen. Unfortunately, as soon as his feet left the ground, the scream cut short. His skin prickled with dread as he muttered a curse. It was never a good sign when a scream stopped so suddenly.
There was no mistaking the scenario he was likely to come across.
As the scene of the crime came into view, he saw two people lying on the ground. Both had green hair. One looked to be an adult woman, and the other was a child of about nine or ten years old.
Eraser paused for only a moment to assess the scene in an attempt to determine where the attacker was.
The child was crawling, scratching, and scraping at the ground, trying to reach the woman who lay in a slowly growing puddle of blood. While the boy appeared to be trying to crawl toward her, he was actually being dragged away by his leg by someone or something unseen.
Eraser silently cursed. Even if it was not a mutant-type quirk, if he could not see the person, he could not erase the quirk, and if they could make objects invisible, then he could not be exactly sure where the villain was. Regardless, he did not have much time as the boy was given a sudden jerk and was dragged back even further.
Without hesitation, Eraser jumped from the building. As he descended, he could see where whatever was wrapped around the boy's leg was cutting into his skin. The moment Eraser landed, the boy jerked his leg and suddenly started scrabbling forward. Eraser scanned the area again, but he still saw nothing. So, he cautiously moved toward the boy and his mother. Whether he could see the attacker or not, he needed to be in a position to protect them.
Only seconds before, Ginro and Kekyu had pushed the yokai away from Izuku. As soon as the yokai's grip loosened, Izuku jerked his leg free of its grasp and began to crawl toward his mother. Izuku could feel the grit on the ground digging into his hands and knees, but he did not care.
While his attention was on his mother, movement in Izuku's peripheral vision caught his eye, and he would have sighed in relief at the sight of a Hero if not for the sheer terror engulfing him. Still, Izuku had just enough presence of mind to remember that the Hero could neither see nor touch the yokai – meaning he could not do anything to stop it. With a quick glance back, Izuku confirmed that Ginro and Kekyu were stalling the yokai. He would have to trust them to take care of the yokai - as for his mother, he would have to trust the Hero. His head whipped back to see that the Hero was about halfway to his mother, and he desperately wanted the Hero to focus only on his mother.
So, hoping the Hero would believe him, he called out, "It's gone!"
At Izuku's call, Eraser nodded, but kept his guard up as he moved closer, drawing his phone out of his pocket and hitting the speed dial for an ambulance.
Izuku finally reached his mother, eyes locked on her face, flaccid and pale.
Hands and arms shaking, he picked himself up from the ground and knelt by her head, not daring to touch her. His head throbbed, and for a moment he felt the world spin.
Eraser, who had finished his call, knelt next to Izuku and, telegraphing each of his movements, placed a reassuring hand on Izuku's shoulder, "I'm here to help. Where did the villain go?"
Izuku trembled. He could not focus and had no idea what he should tell the Hero.
"I-it was invisible… b-but… I just saw it run as it let go."
Eraser pursed his lips and scanned the area again, but the bleeding victim in front of him had to take priority for the moment. Straining his ears for any sound of approaching footsteps, Eraser shifted his attention to Inko.
"Alright, I'm going to check her over. She's your mom, right?"
Eraser kept his voice as level as possible, and wide, green eyes met his. Izuku nodded, his eyes then slowly flicking over the underground Hero's uniform. Reassured by the man's presence.
As Eraser began checking over Inko, Izuku sniffled and asked, "You're Eraserhead, right?"
Eraser's lips drew into a tight grimace at the warble in Izuku's voice, but he continued focusing on Inko. There was a lot of blood, and it was making it hard to find the source of the bleeding.
Still, Eraser attempted to calm the unnaturally still child, "I've called an ambulance, and they will be here soon."
Eraser knew he could not promise anything more, and Izuku nodded.
When Eraser finally realized what he was looking at, he almost recoiled. What he had thought was blood surrounding the wound turned out to be the wound itself. Despite all his years as a hero, he had never seen anything quite like it. A large gouge spanning from the nape of Inko's neck and across her shoulder was obviously made by a set of razor-sharp teeth biting and tearing away at her. While it was shallow - just enough to miss the jugular, the sheer size meant she was losing blood rapidly. The pool of blood beneath her was slowly spreading.
Blood also oozed speedily from deep, claw-like puncture wounds on her shoulder and the side of her face where her attacker had obviously gripped her to make the bite.
Eraser pressed tightly to the wound at her neck with both hands, hoping the ambulance would arrive quickly as blood seeped between his fingers. He clenched his jaw. The wound was too big, and he did not want Izuku to read his tension.
Izuku took his eyes off his mother as Eraserhead tried to stop the bleeding. Off to their right, Ginro and Kekyu still stood between the three humans and the other yokai, who now glared menacingly at Ginro.
Izuku shuddered. Despite the danger, he was glad that Eraserhead had believed him – he needed Eraser to save his mom.
Izuku watched as the yokai stared at him from the other side of his two friends. The yokai's eyes traveled over Izuku, to the Hero, and finally, upward to something beyond them. Finally, it gave one last scornful look to Izuku and Ginro before tsking and walking away, leaving Ginro and Kekyu to turn and face the scene behind them.
As they took in the sight of Izuku and his mother, Ginro moaned. Images of Suiko-dono ordering Ginro and the other kappa around flashed through the kappa's mind. Suiko-dono should not have cared about such a minor kappa as Ginro. The kappa had been at the bottom, and he had thought that he had hidden himself from Suiko-dono well. But the child had drawn Suiko-dono's attention by learning to use his spiritual energy and by building his mind and body.
Ginro moaned again, believing wholeheartedly that this was his fault. If he had done a better job teaching the child, this never would have happened.
If only it had not done anything.
If only it had done more.
Suiko were stronger than Kappa. While they were a much more powerful yokai – Ginro could not have imagined this.
Kekyu watched, eyes fixed on Izuku, who knelt by his mother, shocked and still dazed from the blow to his head.
After that moment of hesitation, they approached, Ginro wailing, and Kekyu silent and somber.
As seconds ticked by, Eraser put more pressure on the wound – the distant sound of a siren was welcoming, but still too far away.
The pressure roused Inko, and her eyes shifted to the general vicinity of the man leaning over her. Inko's vision was fuzzy, and it was growing increasingly hard to breathe.
"M-my son?"
Eraser felt the warbled vibrations of her vocal cords run under his hands and the way the blood pulsed through the wound as soon as she spoke. Rather than argue with her, Eraser glanced back up at the boy beside him, who was now swaying slightly as he tried to stay focused on his bleeding mother, eyes wide and unfocused.
The boy was muttering, but Eraser did not know what he was saying. It almost sounded like he was having a conversation.
Izuku, for his part, was trying to keep his voice down.
"What was it?" Izuku whispered.
Ginro moaned, "Suiko-dono."
Kekyu turned sharply to face Ginro, "What?"
"Sukio…" Ginro moaned again. Kekyu pursed its lips.
Izuku glanced at them but quickly turned his attention back to watch as Eraserhead tried to save Inko.
"You know it?" Kekyu asked.
Ginro nodded, clutching its head and shaking it mournfully, "Clan, left."
"It's not your fault, Ginro." Izuku whispered.
Ginro sniffed.
"You chased it away, thank you both."
Izuku had seen it – he had seen the moment Ginro had not been able to stand up against the more powerful yokai. Only seconds after the pair had pushed the Suiko off of Inko, it had regained its balance and attacked again. Kekyu, who was no fighter, had been thrown to the side, and Ginro had not lasted much longer.
As Izuku started to crawl toward his mother in desperation, the Suiko had clawed and kicked at Izuku before grabbing him by the heel and started to drag him away.
It had felt like an eternity, trying to free his leg and get to his mother. It did not take long for Kekyu and Ginro to recover and push the Suiko off Izuku, but the damage had been done.
Now, Izuku was trying to quietly reassure a pitifully anguished Ginro and an indignant Kekyu. His eyes wandered to his mother, and he wondered how she had known, but also wished she had never been there to take the blow.
Izuku felt a shiver pass up his spine, and the world tilted for a moment, but he shook his head to dispel the dizzy feeling.
The blaring of sirens and screeching tires announced the arrival of the ambulance and two police cars. As soon as the vehicles came to a halt, the medics jumped out of the ambulance and rushed toward them.
Eraser sighed in relief, but then felt a tug on his arm and, turning back, met the mother's gaze – she repeated her question, gasping as she tried to talk around the pain.
Eraser nodded, ensuring her attention was on him, "Your son is fine. The medics are here, and they'll take care of you."
Inko, delirious and breathing shallowly, tightened her grip on the edge of Eraser's sleeve as the medics swarmed them and gently pulled Izuku away. Inko wanted to stop Eraser from leaving before the medics took her away. She had one last thing to say.
Inko coughed, forcing the words past her lips, "I-I'm all he has. P-please. Take care of..."
Tears were dribbling from the corners of Inko's eyes as they fluttered.
Eraser glanced at Izuku, who sat completely still as a medic began checking him over.
"Please…," Inko whispered.
Eraser knew she needed to let go. The medics were already working to stem the flow of blood, and one was trying to gently disengage her hand from Eraser's sleeve.
Eraser could hear them, telling him to back away – they needed to take her and go.
Eraser had seen the wound – he knew. The longer they lingered, the less likely she was going to make it, but it was a Hero's job to console and reassure the victims.
So, he did something he usually would not do.
Eraser reassured her, "I'll keep an eye on him. I promise."
Inko smiled, her grip weakening, and Eraser gently pulled back, the medics moving in to take his place.
As the medics wheeled her toward the waiting ambulance, they moved in a flurry of practiced activity, putting pressure on her wound.
All the while, Inko never took her gaze off of Eraser, doing her best to keep him in her sight, even as she was wheeled away. Eraser felt his gut twist uncomfortably. Inko watched and hoped that everything would be fine as the scene above switched from the darkening sky to the inside of the ambulance. Then, everything faded to black once more.
As soon as the rear doors closed, the ambulance was moving again. So, Eraser turned his attention back to Izuku. A police officer was helping him into a police car, and another officer approached Eraser.
"We'll take the kid to the hospital. He has a few scrapes and bruises, but the most concerning thing is the bump on the back of his head. He might have a concussion. So, the medics want to make sure everything is okay. We'll also look into whether he has any other guardians besides his mother. Kami, I hope she wasn't single. This isn't looking good."
Eraser tore his eyes away from the boy in the backseat, the officer's words pulling him out of his thoughts. The mother's plea for him to take care of her son echoed in his ears. He also hoped they could find the boy's other guardian.
The officer continued in a clipped tone, "Can you tell me what happened here?"
Eraser nodded and began his report. After the quick chat with the police officer, Eraser surveyed the scene, his gut twisting.
Then, Eraser's phone buzzed.
And the radio in the police car squawked frantically.
Both men quickly turned their attention to the information streaming through their devices. A group of criminals being transported in South Musutafu had escaped custody. Heroes and officers were being called to help round them up.
Eraserhead cursed under his breath.
The officer spun on his heel and called out, "We'll take the kid to the hospital where they took his mother and then join in the manhunt."
Eraser nodded and silently made a promise to himself to check in on the woman and her child once he had a chance. He snapped his capture weapon out and vaulted himself onto the roof of a nearby building, passing a dark, crouched, and unseen figure as he went.
Slitted pupils flicked between Eraser and the police car holding the little human, before the shadow jumped away to follow the Eraser hero. It had been watching the entire time, and while it had only met the eyes of the Suiko for a moment, it was sure that the Suiko would not return soon. It decided to find the little human later. For now, though, it continued to follow its human, who definitely needed more sleep – and real food – and most definitely needed to destroy the yellow sleeping bag, which was atrocious to the eye.
Eyes still closed, Inko roused enough to feel hands everywhere as the medics hooked her up to machines in the ambulance and tried to staunch the bleeding. She vaguely heard someone call for the driver to hurry. The last thing she felt was the ambulance picking up speed.
The medics were in a flurry, and by the time they reached the hospital, they had brought Inko back from the brink twice. As they rushed her through the hospital, nurses converged on them, calling out instructions as they went. The doctor, who had been called in advance, took over with a grim face as they swarmed Inko and took her into surgery.
Hours later, Inko Midoriya was in the ICU. They had stemmed the blood flow, but despite all their efforts, she had gone into hypovolemic shock and was comatose.
The doctor sighed, rubbing her eyes, and turned to a nurse, "You said that her son was brought in too?"
The nurse nodded, "Yes, he had minor scrapes and bruises. We were concerned that he might have a concussion, but he's fine. We still want to monitor him, though, just in case there are any issues we haven't found. He should be alright… physically."
The doctor nodded, "Did we find any information on an emergency contact?"
"A family friend is listed."
"No partner?"
The nurse shook their head, "Apparently, he is out of the country."
The doctor sighed again, "Call the emergency contact. We'll wait for the family friend to explain the situation to the kid, but have a hospital counselor on standby if needed…." The doctor looked at the proffered record for the child, wincing at the quirk diagnosis, "…and call child services, just in case."
The nurse nodded and hurried off to do as they were told, glancing at Izuku's file only briefly. After making the calls, they slipped the file into its proper place. The nurse had rounds to make for several other patients.
Izuku lay in the hospital bed, mind whirling. He had been checked over hours ago and told that his mother was in surgery. A nurse had checked in on him periodically, but otherwise he was left alone to rest. But sleep was far from Izuku.
As Izuku tried to process everything that was happening, a rustling sound came from outside the window. Izuku stiffened, that is, until he saw the form of a cat batting its paw against the pane of glass separating it from the inside.
Izuku smiled at the cat's antics but flinched when the cat used its tail to open the window and jump through to the inside.
The yokai cat purred and hopped onto the edge of the bed.
"Good evening, little human."
Izuku felt himself relax at the less sinister-sounding purr. The Gotoku Neko had been far more intimidating. If he remembered Kekyu's descriptions of the various bakeneko correctly, this was a Maneki Neko.
Izuku smiled. While Kekyu had not known all the different types of Maneki Neko, Izuku had done some research. This Maneki Neko was black, and the silver stripe of fur around its neck, almost looking like a collar, glinted. He would not have to worry about evil spirits lurking around while this bakeneko was in the room – if the research he had done was accurate.
"Good evening," Izuku nodded his head.
The Maneki Neko nodded back, "Good evening, young one. I have brought a companion to help you."
Izuku's lip twitched at the directness of the statement, but he took a deep breath while he decided whether to accept the offer or not. If he accepted, he would be obligated to return the favor. If he refused, he could insult it.
Yokai's whims could be hard to deal with.
As if guessing his dilemma, the Maneki Neko purred, "My human wants to help you, but cannot do so currently. My companion and I have been watching him for a long time. As you are one who is in between our two worlds – one of the first in a long, long time, we have decided to give you a gift."
"And in return, Maneki Neko-san?"
The Maneki Neko titled its head aloofly, "Nothing. We merely desire to fulfill the wish of our human and meet the new one who walks between both worlds."
"You really don't want anything from me?"
"No. However, if you ever have the chance to help our human, that would be acceptable."
Izuku considered the yokai cat for a moment, and taking in its appearance, asked, "You mean the Eraser Hero?"
The Maneki Neko nodded, "Yes. Our human."
Izuku's eyes widened, hopeful, "Does he know?"
The Maneki Neko sat, curling its tail around its feet and huffed, "Of course not. To him, we are but mere stray cats who appear near his apartment when we wish to be seen."
Izuku felt his heart drop, but he still smiled.
The yokai cat licked its paw and brushed its ear, looking expectantly at Izuku.
"Thank you," Izuku whispered, wondering how many people's cats were actually bakeneko with the appearance of regular cats.
At his words, the Maneki Neko turned, and another yokai cat hopped in through the window. This one, much smaller than the other, was reddish in color.
The smaller Maneki Neko also leapt onto the bed, but came close and curled up by Izuku's side. The larger one nodded, "I will remain outside to ensure no malevolent spirits enter this place. My companion will help ensure your health improves quickly."
Izuku nodded, and for the first time since coming to the hospital, drifted off to sleep.
Both bakeneko were gone when he woke, and he was feeling much better, at least until a moment later.
Hushed but agitated whispers floated in through the door, which was now open.
"Sure, I watched him on occasion in the past when Inko-san needed help since Hisashi-san is away, but I can't take him in. I have my own family. I didn't even realize I was still her contact – it's been ages since we talked."
Another voice cut off the first, "We can't get a hold of the father…."
"Of course not. He's working. You'll need to find him and get him to take the kid. I have things to do."
Izuku blinked and saw Auntie Tanaka pass by the door. She glanced his way once, but when their eyes met, she turned her head away, face pinched, and strode out of sight. Izuku felt his heart seize, but she was gone, leaving a gaping and confused Izuku in her wake.
Only a moment later, a serious-looking woman with a doctor's badge and another woman in a pencil skirt and matching blazer walked into the room.
Izuku felt the tears coming even before they began to speak.
There had been so much blood.
He knew.
And so, two weeks to the day after his 10th birthday, Inko Midoriya passed, and Izuku became a ward of the state.
Chapter 7: The Funeral
Midoriya Inko was dead.
In the middle of a large square room, flat, round pillows were set out in neat, orderly rows – seven across and five deep. The sliding doors in the back were cream-colored and decorated with painted green reeds.
The only living occupant in the room knelt on the middle mat in the front row, directly in front of the casket. He wore a dark, heavy, suffocating yukata, but the occupant wore it nonetheless – for his mother.
Izuku stared at the casket that would take his mother to be cremated. A photo of her was placed in front, and two bouquets bookended the casket. While he wished there were more flowers, there was not enough money to buy more.
No one sat by Izuku's side, but that was to be expected. A call to Hisashi Midoriya, while Izuku was still in the hospital cemented his fate. The man did not want him, could not be bothered with him, and gave custody of Izuku to the state.
While Inko had friends from work, Izuku had few means of contacting them, even if the officers and hospital staff had informed her workplace of the situation.
Unfortunately, Izuku was now old enough to realize that she had been spending time taking care of him rather than developing friendships with her colleagues. Thinking back, he did not remember her talking about them at all.
Outside of work, she knew some of the people from the neighborhood and, at one time, had befriended some of Izuku's former friends' moms, but those had slowly faded over time.
Izuku bit his lip and willed away thoughts of his mother's emergency contact, the 'friend' from the neighborhood, who had stopped by after the social worker's call. Inko was always busy taking care of Izuku and working. And, with Izuku focusing on his training both with Ginro and Kekyu at the river and with her at home, it seemed she had become more isolated from the other mothers and people in the neighborhood. After all, he had distanced himself from his former human friends. So, Izuku could not bring himself to call them or the other people from the neighborhood, his heart twisting in sorrow and trepidation at the thought of even trying.
The empty room made the isolating effect of his quirkless status and desperate training to prepare to be a hero all the more obvious. And so, Izuku sat alone, kneeling on the mat in the temple, hands clenched in tight fists pressed into the tops of his knees. His head was bowed, but not enough so that his hair blocked the view of the casket. He did not want it out of sight, even for a second. All he wanted was for her to sit up again and say everything was fine – even though he knew it was impossible.
As he sat there, Izuku found it strange. The body in the casket did not completely look like her. It was like looking at an empty shell. A stiff, cold figurine in the guise of his mother. It was like the 'something' that made her "her" was not there anymore.
It hurt.
It felt hollow.
It felt like a jumble of emotions warring inside him.
And it felt like nothing at all.
As he knelt in that empty room, it felt like a heavy weight was settling on him – like the air was constricting around him and holding him in place. His eyes were swollen, and they burned with unshed tears. His body felt heavy. Every limb felt disjointed, like they were no longer a part of him, and his mind was slowly becoming more and more blank.
Izuku was vaguely aware of impatient shuffling feet beyond the cream doors with the painted reeds at the back of the room.
At this particular moment, he almost hated his more sensitive hearing, gained through his training. He would not have been able to hear it before – he would not have had the warning, revealing the man's impatience.
The only benefit now was that he did.
After all, Izuku was not going home. The man in the hall was ready to take Izuku to his family's home. If Izuku turned, he knew he would see the man through the gap in the door, pacing and occasionally glancing at his wristwatch or peering through the gap.
Izuku hoped he could settle down with the family, but they knew he was quirkless. Izuku wondered if they would react the same way as the teachers and students at school. Before Izuku entered the viewing room to pay his last respects, the social worker had briefly introduced them. Izuku, not wanting to waste a moment, had greeted him and then quickly walked away. Shortly after entering the room, Izuku heard the hushed voices of the man and social worker talking about his 'status' before she left. The social worker had reassured the man, but his grumbling after she was gone had not gone unnoticed by Izuku.
Izuku gritted his teeth. The shuffling was starting to cause his muscles to tense more and more – slowly increasing his anxiety and tension. Izuku tried to relax, breathing deeply, but the sound of a new set of shuffling feet entering the room from the side alerted Izuku of an approaching monk. The man, in brown robes, bent slightly as Izuku's head lifted enough to make eye contact.
"It is time."
The monk's voice was soft, almost inaudible. Yet, the low tenor seemed to vibrate through the room, like the tolling of a gong – deep, reverberating through the air. Izuku could feel it in his bones, the finality of that statement.
Izuku studied the monk's face for a moment. His head, shaved in the manner of his sect, and his robes, bulky yet flowing around him, made Izuku pause. Izuku wondered what this monk thought about the quirkless orphan he had become. The monk's eyes were soft, sympathetic, and deliberately avoiding the back of the room.
Izuku's new foster father had stopped pacing.
Izuku imagined the man peering through the gap in the door, waiting with bated breath for Izuku to leave so that he could go home to his family, even if it meant towing Izuku along.
Slowly, Izuku stood. One hand was pressed against his leg, pushing himself up as if using his leg as a crutch was the only way to stand. Izuku's legs trembled as they took on his weight, but once up, he stood stiffly.
Instead of smiling, Izuku's lip twitched. He tried to smile. He really did.
Izuku bowed deeply, "Thank you." His voice strained and horse, sounded foreign in his own ears.
"We'll finish everything here, young man."
Izuku nodded as he turned to look at his mother one last time.
The other monks slowly lowered the lid of the casket, and Izuku's sight of his mother was cut off by the offending lid. The casket was lifted, and they began to move off to the side. Izuku tracked them as they carried the casket away until it was out of sight. He fought the urge to run after them, scream, shout – do anything to have his mother alive once more. Izuku took a shuddering breath. He did not move save to look at the monk one more time. The kindly monk had also not moved. Despite the space between them, it may have been the only thing grounding Izuku in the reality he faced.
Izuku's lip twitched again before bowing once more. The monk nodded, unseen by Izuku, whose head was still lowered.
The monk stepped back, and Izuku rose stiffly and, turning, walked toward the back of the room. He needed to escape the slowly constricting space. Sliding open the door, he came face to face with his new foster father, who was leaning against the wall, pretending like he had been there the entire time rather than impatiently pacing the floor.
Beyond his foster father, Izuku could see a globular yokai shuffling along the floor, grinning and glancing at the man with large, dark eyes. Izuku tried to ignore it.
The man, Miyobi Kenichi, pushed himself off the wall, "Are you okay? Are you sure you don't want to stay a little longer?"
"The monks had to… take her."
The man nodded, "Yes. I guess they have busy schedules. Come along."
Izuku only nodded, passed him, and headed for the exit. Behind him, Izuku heard Miyobi-san sigh, exasperated with the eerily quiet, quirkless child.
Izuku barely paid attention to the scenery passing by as Miyobi-san drove the car to his family home. As the car pulled into the driveway, Izuku observed the house. The house had a western design, stood two stories tall, and obviously had an attic above the second floor. Izuku wondered if there were any yokai in the home.
At the thought of yokai, Izuku shuddered. He tamped down the memory of beady eyes in a lion-like face. He was no longer sure if he wanted to be a hero. He did not have a quirk, and he did not have any power over yokai. After all, he was not able to save his mother.
His thoughts spiraled in a jumbled mess.
If I couldn't save her from a single yokai, who can I save? All I can do is banish schoolyard yokai, and even then, I'm not powerful enough to banish them all. If I can't face the stronger yokai, then how in the world will I face villains?
Miyobi-san had exited the car, but Izuku did not move.
Fighting the flood of self-loathing, he was still working up the courage and energy to open the door to leave the car when Miyobi-san opened the back door for him and, leaning on it, looked down on Izuku.
Izuku's train of thought crashed as his head whipped up to look at Miyobi-san and make sense of what the man wanted. When their eyes met, Miyobi-san's eyebrow quirked up, "You coming or not?"
Izuku shifted and moved toward the open door, nodding sluggishly. Miyobi-san stepped back, and Izuku slipped out of the car. Izuku watched as Miyobi-san picked up a box from the trunk of the car.
"You'll get your suitcases?" The man raised an eyebrow.
While phrased like one, it was not a question. So, Izuku nodded. Moving to the trunk, he grabbed the two small suitcases and closed the trunk gently after setting one down. He turned to face Miyobi-san once more, and when the man shrugged and moved toward the front door, Izuku followed behind.
Izuku had not been able to bring much, but the social worker had allowed him to quickly pack two suitcases and a box that morning. The social worker said he needed to be able to move quickly and that the families would provide for most of his necessities – so he would not need much anyway.
He was lucky he even got a suitcase, and it was only because he insisted on packing his All Might stuff and notebooks. The social worker had sighed, telling him that being allowed two suitcases, let alone the box, was already an exception, but at least she had seemed sympathetic and patient.
Izuku wanted to stay with her rather than the unknown family, but she just smiled and said that the Miyobi family did this often, and they knew what they were doing.
So, now, the only thing Izuku could do was follow Miyobi-san into the house.
As they entered, a stern-looking woman greeted them.
Izuku froze when she looked him up and down, from the top of his head to his red shoes and back up to his mess of curly hair.
"So, you're Izuku. The social worker told us about you. You'll be here until they can find a more permanent home. I'm Miyobi Akaya if my husband hasn't already told you. You may address me as Miyobi-san or ma'am."
She turned her attention to her husband, "I'll finish dinner prep. Show him to the room."
Miyobi Kenichi grunted, "Sure." Then he turned to Izuku, "Come on, kid."
Shaking in embarrassment, Izuku nodded and followed the man down a hall on the first floor, going toward the back of the house.
Miyobi-san began to explain the layout as he walked.
"Our rooms, the home office, and the guest bedroom are all upstairs. You won't need to go up there much. You'll be using the downstairs bedroom and bathroom. And, unless someone needs the downstairs bathroom during the day, you'll mostly have it to yourself. Sounds great, right?"
Izuku nodded. His arms were starting to hurt from carrying one suitcase each, but he persisted.
"Quiet kid, aren't you?"
Izuku shrugged, avoiding looking at Miyobi-san. The sound of the man's feet scuffing the carpet reminded Izuku of his persistent pacing at the temple.
"Hey now, don't be like that. You'll only be here for a bit, but we need to get along to go along, right?"
Izuku nodded, and Miyobi-san sighed. He then opened the door to the room he had stopped by with his free hand and gesturing said, "Well, here's your room."
Miyobi then dropped Izuku's box just inside the door and stepped to the side, giving Izuku space to move into the room.
Izuku jerked when the box hit the floor.
I hope nothing is damaged.
"Ahh," the man rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, "I'll leave you to it then."
Izuku's eyes, which had latched onto the box as soon as it hit the floor, drifted up to watch as Miyobi-san spun on his heel and moved down the hall quickly.
Slowly, Izuku moved into the room, set down the suitcases, and closed the door, shutting out the sound of Miyobi Akakya in the kitchen and Miyobi Kenichi joining her.
Miyobi Akaya was a very stern woman; at least, that was Izuku's impression of the woman who was married to Miyobi Kenichi. Since arriving, she had already stated more than once that they had fostered before but were generally a stopping point until children could go to a more permanent foster home or move to an institution.
Dinner that evening was a subdued affair. While the Miyobi's had tried to make light conversation, Izuku was not in the mood to talk – especially after being told again this was just a stopping point. Izuku was exhausted from the funeral, and despite the warning flags from Miyobi's indifference at the funeral home, Izuku had let himself hope, even if only a little bit, that the matron Miyobi would be more understanding. Now, Izuku doubted he would ever feel welcome.
Thankfully, the Miyobi's, at the very least, acknowledged that Izuku, having come from a funeral earlier that day, might be tired. So, they had let him leave as soon as he was done eating.
An hour later, while still fatigued, the sound of a muffled but obviously intense conversation had drawn Izuku's attention – prompting him to stand from where he had been listlessly picking through the box of hero merchandise to listen at the door.
When he determined he could not hear more clearly with his ear to the door of his new bedroom, Izuku opened it a crack and peered out. When he saw no one there, he slipped out so he could listen to the conversation the Miyobi's were having. Creeping down the hallway, Izuku stopped in the shadows just shy of the lights from the kitchen and peered around the corner.
Both Miyobi's were seated at the table, which had been cleared of the dishes. Miyobi Kenichi was leaning back in his chair, a glass bottle dangling casually in his grip. Miyobi Akaya sat upright, hands clasped firmly together and resting on the table.
"How long do you think he'll stay?" Miyobi Akaya sounded both worried and annoyed. "They normally give us a decent amount of money to foster children, but isn't this less? How are we supposed to keep him?"
Izuku flinched.
Miyobi Kenichi growled, "It's less because the boy is quirkless. Damnit. He doesn't need quirk counseling, and we don't, as they put it, 'need a budget for when he accidentally hurts himself with his quirk.' Although, we've never had anyone for long…."
"And who's going to take a quirkless? If he stays, what about the expenses for raising a quirkless? Even if they can't hurt themselves with a quirk, they've got to have more health issues, right? Since they're…"
Miyobi Kenichi cut off his wife, "Well if I know. They say that being quirkless doesn't incur more health costs – that quirks actually make medicine more expensive. After all, you've got to account for all the varying needs. Being quirkless means he just doesn't need the kind of care others do – like some…"
The woman scoffed, "Probably just an excuse to not have to give us the money we deserve for raising him! Who's going to take him? No one's going to foster a quirkless, and we…"
Izuku crept away quietly, hands over his ears. He did not want to hear anymore. It was obvious that they did not want him around. Slipping inside his room, he stood in front of the closed door for a long time.
While he had been picking through the box in an attempt to begin unpacking it, he had not unpacked anything. His first encounters with the Miyobi's had drained all his will to put the All Might memorabilia on the small bookcase or hang the posters on the walls. The box was currently tucked in a corner of the closet, lid open, exactly where he had left it. Similarly, the suitcases were set on the closet floor. At least he had opened them, propping the lids against the closet's back wall. Judging by the conversation in the kitchen, he may have made the right choice.
If this is only a stopping point, and they didn't want me. What's the point? But what if I wind up staying? What if no one else wants me, either? It's not like they like me at all.
Izuku looked at the suitcases once more and then at the dresser. There really was no real reason to unpack it now – the Miyobi's were a temporary stop, after all - if anyone would take him.
The Miyobi's have been doing this for a while; they would know, right? They would know whether anyone will want me or not.
The last of Izuku's remaining energy fizzled out. He staggered across the room, crawled onto the bed, curled up in the blankets, and drew the pillows around him, desperately wishing for the elusive, mind-numbing tranquility of sleep.
Chapter 8: The New School
Izuku woke up early, just like he did every day, but unlike normal days, he burrowed deeper under the covers. The scratchy, unfamiliar sheets blocked out the light, but also, along with the way the bed squeaked, only served as a reminder that he was not home. If it were a normal day, if he were still home, he'd be up and ready for his morning exercise routine.
Izuku sighed, squeezing his eyes shut, but a sudden screech made Izuku jump.
Jerking up into a sitting position, Izuku stared at the bedroom door. His pulse raced as the noises did not stop. The sound of feet hitting the stairs and Miyobi Kenichi's voice joining Miyobi Akaya's caused Izuku to tense.
The sound of his name made him flinch, and not wanting to be caught in his nightclothes, Izuku slipped out of bed and threw on a shirt and pants. Then, cautiously, he moved toward the door. It was then that he heard Miyobi Akaya screech his name loudly.
"Midoriya Izuku!"
Izuku flinched but opened the door and guardedly moved down the hall. He could see Miyobi Akaya standing at the front door, finger-pointing at something on the front mat. Once he was closer, Izuku could see a fresh fish laying on it.
Izuku cringed. Ginro had not given Izuku any fish lately since he had been in the hospital up until the funeral. The social worker's agency had seen to a quick turnaround between his mother's passing and the funeral. Now that Izuku was living in the new home, it appeared that the friendly kappa had decided to restart the daily ritual.
Izuku did not know what to say. He stood there, eyes flicking between the fish and the irate Miyobi Akaya. Miyobi Kenichi was shifting his weight from one foot to the other as he watched the two.
"What is this?"
Izuku bit his lips.
"This has never happened before, and as soon as you arrive, this happens. Do you know what this is?"
Izuku's shoulders hunched. He had yet to talk to the two yokai since leaving the hospital, and the sight of the fish made his heartache. It made him want to see his friends again, but Miyobi Akaya's reaction was startling.
She ground her teeth, "It's obvious from your reaction that you know something about it. What is going on?"
Izuku's mind raced. He never really told his mother why the fish showed up, and she had never really asked. Now that he was being questioned, he was not sure what to say.
"Midoriya!"
Izuku stammered, "I-I… a friend left it. H-he does…."
"Well, tell him to stop. This is totally unacceptable. Did this happen at your old home?"
Izuku flinched, chest squeezing and eyes watering.
Miyobi Akaya took a deep breath, "You will tell him to stop. Today. Do you need the phone?"
Izuku shook his head, "I'll tell him in person, please."
Miyobi Akaya raised an eyebrow.
"I-I'll make sure it never happens again," Izuku whispered.
"Good. Now, get rid of this thing. You'll go see him after breakfast."
Izuku nodded.
Izuku rushed toward the river bank where Ginro normally stayed. While he wanted to see his friends, he was also not quite ready to face the two yokai. All of his misgivings about training his spiritual energy due to the cost of the attention it drew made him feel guilty. The familiar at the temple had even warned him, but they had invested so much in making him stronger, all so he could be a hero, that he persisted. Now, he was not sure if he could.
Even more so, Izuku realized he would miss seeing the fish on the front mat every day. It was so ingrained in his everyday life, and now that he was going to have to ask Ginro to stop, he realized he would lose yet another thing he took for granted.
Izuku panted as he ran. The Miyobi house was far enough away that Izuku had to take two trains to get to the closest station, but the river was almost in sight.
He ran just a little bit faster. Despite all his misgivings, as the river bank where they always met came into view, his heart rose – even if his chest still tightened.
When Ginro saw him, he plopped down on the ground and bowed, wailing a long repetition of "Sorry."
Izuku quickly knelt beside him and gently hushed the yokai, "It's okay. You didn't know. I didn't know that would be her reaction."
After several long minutes, Ginro finally calmed down, and the three sat silently for a moment.
Eventually, Kekyu, looking between the two, asked, "What will we do? You live far away. Yokai cannot move. We cannot enter other yokai territory."
Izuku bit his lip, "Because it could make them mad? Like how placing the talismans made the… Suiko mad? Since they invaded its territory after leaving the school?"
Both yokai glanced at the other, sharing a silent look. After several long moments, Kekyu nodded, "Yes, but other things made it mad, too. Talismans still important for protection. Must be careful."
For the bristly yokai to be so subdued, Izuku knew how seriously they took the situation.
Izuku nodded, then glancing apologetically at Ginro, "I think you'll need to stop bringing the fish. Thank you, though, for all of them."
Ginro pouted, then turned hopeful eyes to Izuku, holding out another fish, "I give fish when you visit to train?"
Izuku, without thinking, reached out, and Ginro gently placed the fish in Izuku's hands. While slimy, the feeling of the fish made Izuku want to cry, but he held back the tears.
Looking at the two yokai, Izuku clutched the fish and choked out words that seemed lodged in his throat, "How about we eat it together when I visit? I don't know if I can continue training right now, but I can still visit, right? And when I can, we can eat the fish. Can we do that?"
Both yokai's eyes lit up and at their course of "Yes," Izuku's smile warbled.
Soon, the smell of cooked fish wafted through the air.
Izuku was not able to meet with the two yokai very often after that visit as he needed to adjust to the new rules and way of life in the Miyobi home.
In no time at all, summer break, which started a few days after the attack, ended just as September began.
Izuku found himself standing as still as possible while facing Miyobi Akaya as she gave the 'start of school speech' that she apparently gave to every child that passed through her doors. She was as curt and stern as ever, even as she described what Izuku felt would be a very difficult day – new teachers and classmates – all in the middle of the school year. To top it off, Izuku knew he would also have new yokai to deal with. He was going into enemy territory with no knowledge of the threats he would face, far too soon after losing everything.
"Now, I know that going to a new school in the middle of the year is always hard, but try to get along with everyone. At the very least, your first day will be the start of the fall trimester, and we were able to sort everything out over summer break. Be a good student, and don't make trouble for your teachers or fellow classmates."
She patted the school bag resting on Izuku's shoulders and shooed him out the door.
"You remember the way?"
"Yes," Izuku whispered.
Miyobi-san chuckled sardonically, "Well, that's better than just a nod. Go on now."
Izuku bit his lip. After overhearing the Miyobi's conversation in the kitchen the first night and the confrontation the morning after, Izuku could not quite ever meet them in the eye when they talked.
So, Izuku trudged off.
As he approached the school, Izuku cautiously navigated the stream of students chattering and waving at each other. Conversations about summer break and complaints about returning to school filled the air.
Izuku glanced at the sheet of paper that directed him to his new classroom. He and the Miyobi's had met with the principal two days before and were given a tour of the school. While doing so, Izuku could not help but notice the yokai – far less prolific than at Aldrea Elementary, but still there.
Izuku's eyes darted from one place to the other, keeping tabs on the students and yokai alike.
As soon as he entered the classroom, the teacher pulled him up to the front of the class, smiling, "Good morning, Midoriya-kun. I heard that you would be joining our class. You'll introduce yourself in just a minute. We do have an extra seat, but it's in the back. We reassign seats at the end of each trimester. So, you won't be back there for the rest of the year."
She paused, looking around the classroom, "Ah, it looks like everyone is here. Good morning, everyone!"
"Good morning, Ito-sensei!" The class chorused.
Izuku chewed on his lip. Everyone was staring at him and craning to see better.
Ito-sensei continued, "Now, we have a new student joining us," and turning to Izuku, asked, "Please introduce yourself."
Izuku bowed, "G-good morning. I'm Midoriya Izuku, and I just moved into town."
The classroom filled with chatter, and Ito-sensei smiled but quickly ushered him away, "Thank you, Midoriya-kun. Please take your seat."
Izuku hurried forward, hoping to escape the spotlight, but a voice called out, "Wait, you didn't have him tell us his quirk."
Izuku flinched, and Ito-sensei's smile grew strained. Izuku glanced at her briefly as he continued to hurry toward his seat, trying to ignore the strange looks coming his way.
"Now, class. Izuku may not want to share…"
"But everyone always shares!" Another voice piped up as Izuku slipped into his seat and tried to make himself as small as possible.
Izuku's eyes met Ito-sensei's for a moment, and he gave her a small shake of the head. He did not want to tell them he was quirkless. He knew it would come out eventually, but he did not want to deal with it now.
She sighed, "You can talk about that later. We have to start homeroom. You all have a busy day today."
Groaning, the class did as they were told, but not without sending many curious glances in Izuku's direction.
While the homeroom teacher, Ito-sensei had avoided the topic of Izuku's quirk status, as did a few others, the math and history teachers did not do as good of a job. The class was covering pre-quirk Japan, and the glances the history teacher kept sending Izuku any time he said 'pre-quirk' made Izuku flinch. As for the math teacher, he was clearly in the camp of those who thought quirkless people were inferior.
As soon as math ended and the bell rang for the start of lunch, Izuku let out a long sigh. While none of the teachers had called him out directly, unlike his teachers from Aldrea Elementary, they were not acting much differently overall. Izuku warily watched as the math teacher left the room.
The sound of several pairs of quick footsteps warned Izuku of the oncoming tide of curious classmates. Several people gathered around his desk and still more stayed at their own, craning their necks as they prepared to listen in on the conversation with the new student.
One of the students leaning on Izuku's desk was the first to introduce himself, "Hey, Midoriya-kun! I'm Kento. Don't worry about Watanabe-sensei; he's just super strict about math." Kento-kun grinned, "Ito-sensei didn't let you introduce your quirk. So, what is it?"
Izuku grinned wanly. Saying nothing would make him look unfriendly. Telling a lie would come to bite him once the truth came out, but telling the truth would most likely make him an outcast.
Izuku hesitated a beat too long, and another student scoffed, "What, too good to tell us? Or is it one of those pathetic quirks? It's not like you're quirkless or anything."
Izuku flinched, "Well, it's no…"
The student's eyes widened, "Wait, Okada-sensei was acting weird too. You weren't kicked out of your last school 'cause of your quirk, were you?"
"N-no…" Izuku stammered.
"Well then, why did you move here?"
"Hey," Kento-kun cut in, "I asked about his quirk first. He has to answer my question first, Ginga."
"Get over it, Kento; he can answer both of us."
"Umm," Izuku fidgeted, "It's… it's really personal. I-I don't think I can. Not right now."
Izuku felt tears forming. He really did not want to talk about why he moved. That was another topic altogether. While saying he was quirkless was hard, talking about his mother was even harder.
Although the students gathered around his desk had felt like an ordinary group of curious classmates before, Izuku was beginning to feel suffocated. As his heart rate ticked up, the students standing around him began to feel like towering walls, closing him off from escape.
Izuku jerked to a stand, his chair screeching across the floor, "I'm sorry. I have to go to the restroom."
Izuku forced a smile and moved toward the door. One of the classmates who had been standing behind him moved to the side, wary surprise etched on her face.
Izuku felt their stares and out of the corner of his eye, saw a yokai curiously watching him. Izuku hastily left the room and nearly ran down the hall toward the restroom.
Just as he was about to dive through the door, Watanabe-sensei stopped him. Izuku froze, and the yokai from the classroom, which had followed him, tilted its head curiously, eyes gleaming. Izuku's eyes darted between the teacher and the yokai. Watanabe-sensei looked annoyed, but Izuku could not help but notice other yokai joining the first.
Izuku stopped himself from shuffling his feet nervously and, taking a deep breath, greeted the math teacher, "Hello, Watanabe-sensei."
"Midoriya-kun. I want you to know that while I will help you in class, you have to understand that I need to give the entire class my attention and cannot spend my time helping you keep up with the rest of them."
Izuku only wanted to disappear into the privacy of the restroom, so he agreed, "Yes, I understand, sensei."
Watanabe-sensei frowned, "You shouldn't be so cavalier. You should try your hardest despite your circumstances. Your quirk status is not an excuse to do poorly, even if it will make it harder for you to keep up. I can't make exceptions or treat you any differently."
Izuku heard the whispering before he saw two students passing them.
Watanabe-sensei had the decency to look a bit embarrassed about confronting him in the hall but quickly strengthened, "Work hard."
Izuku smiled, "Yes, sensei."
As Watanabe-sensei walked away, Izuku's shoulders slumped. While he had expected the first day to go badly, he had not quite expected anything like this. It was like waiting for the blade of a guillotine to drop. The teachers were dancing around his quirkless status in their own ways, and Izuku was too emotionally raw to deal with them or the questions from the students.
Izuku pushed his way through the restroom door before anyone else could try to talk to him; shutting out the murmurs of the two students and the chittering of the small yokai who had gathered in the hall.
Izuku managed to avoid his classmates' questions for the rest of the day, but the fateful incident revealing his quirkless status happened the very next day.
Whispers followed Izuku all through the morning. The two students who had passed Izuku and Watanabe-sensei in the hall the day before had apparently talked to their friends, who talked to their friends, who also happened to be in Izuku's homeroom class.
"He never did say what his quirk was…"
"Watanabe-sensei said his quirk status would impact how he did in class? Really? What kind of quirk does he have?"
"Sensei never said 'your quirk,' he said quirk status."
"Okada-sensei was acting weird, too."
Izuku sat at his desk, leg bouncing, as he tried to ignore the constant chatter. After leaving so abruptly the day before, once they had started asking questions, no one approached him again, but it did not stop them from talking.
Class starting was a welcome distraction.
However, as mid-afternoon rolled around, so did gym class. They did not have gym every day, and this time slot rotated with the home economics class. So, Izuku, along with the others, trudged off to the locker room.
Being early September, it was still warm outside, especially in the afternoon. In their gym clothes, it became even more apparent who had quirks with physical manifestations and who did not, and Izuku cautiously observed the class. The first thing he noticed was that no one was actively using their quirks, which surprised Izuku. At Aldrea Elementary, students would often use their quirks whenever they could get away with it, only to be scolded and reminded they were not to use them in public.
As Izuku stood awkwardly to the side, avoiding eye contact, he quickly noticed when the person he assumed to be the gym teacher stepped onto the field. The man was tall with large, bulky shoulders. It was evident he had a strength-based quirk.
Izuku eyed the man warily, but as soon as the class saw him, they gathered around. Everyone was talking at once, vying to tell him about their summer vacation first and how they had kept up with their daily exercises.
The man smiled, "Hey! Hey, now, not all at once. I'm sure everyone was diligent since you don't always get a gym teacher like me – one who knows their stuff to help get you into a hero course."
The student's eyes sparkled, and Izuku's eyes widened in surprise.
This gym-teacher is helping everyone prepare for heroics?
"If you all keep up the good work, you'll have a good physical base for heroics. Now, what should you do first before a run?"
One of the girls called out diligently, "If we're running, we should do a light warm-up using dynamic stretches so we don't hurt ourselves."
The others nodded enthusiastically, and the gym teacher smiled, "Very good, and after you're done?"
Another student's hand popped into the air, and the teacher nodded. The student smirked, "Once we're done running, we should do some static stretches to help reduce cramping and soreness."
"Good, good." Now, remember not to overdo anything. Injuries only impede your journey, "Now get going."
As the students broke off into groups, Izuku began to prepare to do several stretches of his own but stopped as the teacher approached.
"Good afternoon. You must be Midoriya-kun. I'm Akiyama-sensei. Let's go over here. I'd like to talk with you for a moment since you're new to the class."
Izuku nodded and followed Akiyama-sensei off the field and away from the rest of the students. Once they were out of earshot, Akiyama-sensei faced Izuku, "Well, as you heard, we've been talking about good fitness and how to properly prepare for cardio workouts."
Izuku's head bobbed, smiling, "I've done my research on fitness, including how to properly stretch before and after running."
"Very good. It's good to see that you're not letting your quirkless status get in the way of good health. You might not need it for a hero course, but…."
A sudden gasp cut off what the man was about to say next.
Izuku paled as he saw two students standing slack jawed behind Akiyama. Akiyama-sensei jerked around when he saw the mortification on Izuku's face and, upon seeing the two, shooed them away, "Hey, now. Get going; I said to do your stretches and run. Now, go."
Akiyama-sensei rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly and patted Izuku on the shoulder, "Don't worry about it too much; everyone is different. There are still plenty of things you can do, and stretching and cardio are still good for your health. Let's talk a bit about what you've researched to make sure you know your stuff. Even if you won't use it for hero work, you can still learn something about health and fitness here. Even I didn't make it in the hero course, tore a ligament, and it never did heal properly." The man's easy-going grin widened, "Let's talk fitness."
Izuku could tell Akiyama-sensei meant well, just like his mother meant well, but it did not change the fact that the man did not think he could be a hero. It did not change that he had inadvertently outed Izuku. Biting back tears, Izuku dully parroted a brief summary of his workout routine and why it was important.
"Good, good. You know your stuff. Make sure to do the dynamic stretches every time you do cardio. We haven't started our lessons on stretching workouts yet. So, you seem to be ahead in that regard. Do you want to help demonstrate when we go over those routines?"
Izuku numbly nodded, not really thinking the question over.
Akiyama, smiled "Good, good – not letting it get to you. Now, how about you start your stretches and get running. Everyone else is up and moving around the track, but don't worry, even if you won't have as much time. I'll sound the whistle when it's time for everyone to stop and stretch before class is over.
Izuku nodded, and Akiyama-sense left to watch the other students.
Izuku mindlessly went through his pre-run routine and began to jog around the track. He could feel his classmates' wide-eyed stares. In the short time between the two students running off and Izuku joining the class, word had spread.
Now, they knew.
Before the week finished, the entire school knew Izuku was quirkless. The teachers quickly discovered that the students knew. Ito-sensei and Akiyama-sensei were the only two whose attitudes did not change, but neither did anything to stop the chattering either. Ito-sensei deflected any comments, changing the subject, and Akiyama-sensei just shrugged it off as "Everyone has their own problems. This is yours; you gotta learn how to deal with it." Watanabe-sensei was the worst by far. He saw no reason to hide his thoughts now that the students knew, and while Izuku did not have to worry about the entire class laughing like he did when the teachers or bullies at Aldrea Elementary taunted him, no one tried to stop it either.
So, Izuku spent his time trying to avoid everyone. Unfortunately, the yokai took notice of the student's shifting attitude toward Izuku. What yokai could avoid slander and arrogance? They fed off negative emotions, after all, and following the children who looked to goad and bully those weaker than them was impossible for yokai to resist.
With the yokai now paying closer attention, Izuku found himself defending himself on two fronts, even if the yokai had yet to realize that Izuku had the sight.
Several times, yokai incited some of the more arrogant students into throwing barbed comments, but it was not until later in the week that things escalated. Thursday morning, when Izuku was headed to afternoon classes, he was almost pushed down the stairs after a yokai provoked one of the students.
While Izuku knew that the three boys were following too closely, the hand that planted itself in the middle of his back did.
Izuku's hand shot out to grip the stair railing and shifted his weight, easily catching himself and regaining his balance. Then, using the momentum to his advantage, he turned while preparing to deflect any other attempts at the same time.
Izuku silently looked up at the three boys still standing at the top of the stairs. The yokai who provoked them was perched at the top of the railing, a toothy grin spread across its face.
"Hey," the bully smirked, glancing back at his friends, "Isn't it weird, they say he's quirkless."
The boys behind the bully laughed.
Izuku's hand trembled, and he gripped the stair railing tightly. The nervousness from the sudden weightless feeling from the near fall still pulsed through his veins, but as he looked at the students, he found he could not bring himself to care. It was too much work.
"Leave me alone."
Much like how he dealt with bullies and yokai before, Izuku tried to imbue his words, but it was hard to grasp the swirling energy when he could not bring himself to both with them. While Izuku failed to fully use his spiritual energy to muster a defense, the gleeful yokai did lose its grin, jerking in surprise. Its eyes narrowed suspiciously as it hesitated, affecting its hosts. The bullies, now free of the yokai, scoffed and started down the stairs, one bumping Izuku's shoulder as they passed.
Izuku sighed, brows pinched as his eyes followed the yokai – not the humans it accompanied. The yokai noticed, eyes bugging, and then it sneered.
Izuku waited until they were out of sight to begin moving again. He spent the rest of the day tracking the yokai, who were all eyeing him warily now.
As soon as school ended, Izuku was off. He was not sure how the Miyobi's would react to him returning late from school, but he needed to see Kekyu and Ginro.
That evening, Izuku sat at the small desk in the bedroom he used at the Miyobi house, staring down at the rectangular slips of paper and the spells written on them.
Both Kekyu and Ginro agreed that he needed to place the talismans at the school. Their argument – it was for his protection, and this time, he did not need to worry about the Suiko since that particular confrontation was instigated by far more than just the small yokai invading after placing the talismans at his old school.
Izuku's finger traced the spells on the talisman. Maybe this time, it would not cause too much of a problem, and he did not have anything to lose anymore besides Kekyu and Ginro.
I may not be sure if I want to be a hero, but if I want things to be better at school, banishing the yokai may be for the best.
Izuku sighed.
After all, my old classmates knew I was quirkless, but these people don't know what to do about it – I think I'm the first quirkless kid they've met. Placing the talismans before reduced the bullying. Maybe it can stop it before it gets too bad.
Nodding, Izuku slipped the talismans into his backpack and, turning off the light, went to bed – trepid determination setting in his gut.
The next morning, Izuku arrived early to school since he did not want to be caught placing the talismans. Taking a deep breath, Izuku focused on the outcome he desired because he needed to feel it for the spell to take effect. He could not approach using his spiritual energy with apathy – as evidenced from the day before. So, he quietly placed the talismans around the school, just like he did at Aldrea Elementary, and once the last talisman was in pace, he finished the spell and felt the familiar tingle of power leave him.
The sensation felt a bit like home, and something that had been coiling in Izuku's chest began to loosen. He turned to watch as the small yokai fled the building and schoolyard, squawking like flocks of birds jolted from their nests. A few did not leave, though, coming out of the school only to identify the source of the spiritual energy, and after a moment, skulked back to their corners.
Izuku grimaced but, after taking a deep breath, settled on making the best of it.