And just like that, time slipped by. Four years passed and now Ryūjin was 14 years old standing at a staggering 6'3" tall. His sapphire-red hair was wild and had grown long, dropping towards his back. His physique was now sculpted—as though carved of marble.
His shoulders? Literal boulders. His biceps and triceps were thick yet defined, retaining vascularity. His legs were large and compact—the muscles coordinated like thick steel cables. And then there was his back.
The most prominent feature of a Hanma. It took on the form of a disturbing entity—coiling into what some may even describe to be a nightmare. A terrifying demon is what it could be explained as.
His irises, burnt-gold, were glowing ever so slightly as his pupils had over the years contorted into predatory slits. Currently, Ryūjin stood in an underground training facility he had his mother personally construct for him.
In front of him was a literal steel training dummy that was as tall as two cars stacked atop one another and possibly even thicker than them combined. His body stilled—eyes relaxing as he adopted a combat stance. Then—he simply vanished forth in a chaotic boom.
THRUM
A loud vibration then followed as his hand curled into a brutal punch—launching forward towards the center of the training dummy. Fist met steel—the expected outcome would have been devastating if it were a normal human. Ryūjin? He was anything but normal.
Steel collapsed in on itself—folding and imploding in a devastating manner. In mere moments the gigantic steel dummy exploded into tiny fragments of steel that ricochet off the reinforced walls surrounding him, eventually coming to a halt as they collided with his body.
Clack—
Clack!
One by one, the shards fell to the ground. Ryūjin ignored them—his gaze shifting as he stared towards another three steel dummy—these looking far different however.
They were covered in sharpened spikes and were looking almost—intelligent? That's right. These were robotic. Meaning they were able to combat against Ryūjin. He grunted—his voice like gravel.
Silence ensued for a minute before suddenly—they exploded forth with shocking speed.
All lunged together in a three pointed arrow formation—martial arts clearly ingrained into their core programming.
Ryūjin's stance shifted as he took a decisive step back—and in that instance his figure exploded. Left behind was an after image of his former self as he appeared on the right side of the approaching robots. His leg shot out like a viper, its thickness promising a brutality too unfortunate.
BOOM!
His kick dug into its side, eating away at it as he launched it into the center positioned robot. The collision caused them to be sent flying. Ryūjin ignored it—he focused on the remaining one that still advanced. The left wing approacher.
His heel met the cold reinforced ground once more and in that moment a shockwave bloomed as he was propelled forth in a slingshot momentum. His figure spun—forearm stiffening as his elbow spun with his body delivering a sharp and devastating backwards elbow.
BOOM!!!
The area shook as a head soon exploded with a magnifying boom. Then the neck—then the entire of it followed briefly.
The room looked a mess—the supposed reinforced room now reduced to nothing but a chaotic mess of rubble and scars—a common occurrence throughout the last few years of its usage.
A feral grin overtook his expression as he turned and headed towards the room's exit. His large frame—devilish back and mystifying appearance were a force of nature. A force to be reckoned with.
——————————
In a few days he'd be participating in the U.A entrance exam. Thinking about it, his mind flashed with images of a certain green haired youth. For the last four years they hadn't seen each other.
It was a silent promise—one that declared that they'd see each other at the entrance exam of U.A.
"Heh—don't you dare disappoint me, Izuku!" Ryūjin shouted, his deep voice shaking the air around him. He walked into the living room—his mother had long since paused her show hearing his shouting and approaching footsteps.
Ryūjin's gaze met hers.
The woman who raised him. Who gave him a love he never knew he needed. The woman who healed him and inspired this fire of heroism deep within.
She was the woman he'd never disrespect—the woman whom he had sworn to protect. She was his mother.
His eyes grew misty as he recounted their memories together. However in the next moment he steeled himself and cleared such things.
His mother looked into those eyes that mirrored hers—smiling knowingly. She gestured to him and he followed. She then shifted on the couch as his tall frame lay onto the available space. He'd come to lay his head onto her lap—something he hadn't done since he was five years old.
Yet, somehow—for whatsoever reason—it felt necessary at this moment. She looked at him as he closed his eyes, embracing her warmth. Remembering everything. He did not need to stare at her to know. To see that she still looked at his face with that gentle smile.
"My sweet boy." That was all she said. Her words rolling off her tongue like honey dipped dew—caressing a part of him no fight could ever.
…
'I'll kill that bastard of a father for leaving mom alone like this.' Was all he could think of. His heart ached and yet—somehow his mother's touch calmed that aching feeling.
And just like that—the mighty Ryūjin fell asleep in the lap of his mother—resembling nothing more than a baby at that moment.
A very giant baby at that.
A light laughter was then spread throughout that house—heavenly and sweet. Viverion's light chuckle was all that was needed to soothe the pain of the wounded.
That was—a mother's love.
_____________________
[A few days later]
The day had arrived. In his room, Ryūjin stood in front of a long mirror—adjusting his clothes that his mother had personally bought for this occasion.
A loose tracksuit that somehow still looked a bit too snug on him. It was a deep shade of red—contrasting his eyes yet mirroring his hair.
His hair, now long and wild, fell chaotically but its nature was controlled in a strange way. It looked fixed in its position, unmoving unless he willfully did so himself.
He smiled—his canines meeting the rays of the sun that tore through the blinds. He adjusted himself before finally giving his reflection a curt nod. Turning—he gave one last look around his room, the posters of his mother in her heroine prime and of All Might were still up. They were old but—they held memories.
He sighed with a light chuckled before finally, he left his room, walking towards the front door of his house. There he saw his mother standing tall, smiling at his approaching figure.
He now stood taller than her by a few inches. She usually had to look down on people—yet having to look up to her son didn't seem so bad. She smiled.
"Today's the day, Ryū, how do you feel?" Her voice was cheerful, gentle and supportive. Ryūjin smiled at the name she referred to him as before he opened his mouth to respond.
"Feeling confident Mom—I feel like I'll make you proud today!" He said, his heavy voice softening with each word. She chuckled.
"Silly boy, I've been the proudest the day I got to be your mother." Her words resonated with young Ryūjin—his heart warming before he could no longer hold back himself and enveloped his mother in a warm bear hug.
"I love you ma, I'll do my best—I promise!" He said his voice, laced with emotion. He was extremely determined to keep that smile present on her face. She gently returned the favor—before immediately pushing him off and sending him out the house.
"Go on—go show the world the true weight of iron!"
He smiled as the door shut, simply turning as he took off—jogging to the nearest bus stop. Moments blurred in that moment as time flew by. After finally waiting for a bus he got one, dropping off to the nearest subway station as his destination was already locked on.
As he approached the stopped train, he waited for those in front of him to board as he then followed through entering. His tall frame garnered attention almost instantly.
His wild and unrestrained beauty was likely due to his Hanma Bloodline coexisting with the biological upgrades his mother's Quirk had done for him. His muscles could not hide from prying eyes—though he didn't try much to hide anything.
His eyes were indifferent to the stares—growing up larger than his peers, he was used to such things already.
"Woah—that kid's huge!" Whispered a dude.
"Kid? That's clearly a monstrous model—look at his features!" Whispered a girl next to him.
Murmurs and whispers alike surfaced around him yet Ryūjin simply drowned it out, switching to a pair of headphones he had gotten for his birthday—courtesy of his mother.
Suddenly, he felt a nudge at his back. It was a sharp pull, deliberate and purposeful. His eyebrows lifted then, and his hands moved to his headphones as he turned his head to face the tug.
"Woah—Dude, you're huge!!!" A squeaky voice, too cheerful on such an early morning, said in an exaggerated tone. That was when he saw it, a head of pink—a skin tone a bit lighter than it.
She had eyes that were strangely beautiful—black sclera and a deep golden pair of irises. Horns protruded her head—her figure was clamped in a tight and fitting tracksuit, its material looked like it was stretchy and movable.
She was certainly a character. Ryūjin looked at her—evaluative and aware. 'Mina Ashido!' He recognized her immediately, a member of the main cast of MHA.
"Hellooo—Hey! It's rude to just stare at people you know!" She protested as she met his gaze. Ryūjin chuckled as he countered.
"And it's rude to just tug at people's clothes." She smiled cheekily as she said, "Well how else was I to get your attention? You had your headphones blasting max volume!" She giggled, her jubilant energy infectious from immediate contact.
"Well, aren't you going to introduce yourself?" Ryūjin asked, his voice deep but light in tone.
"Name's Mina—Mina Ashido! Future Pro Hero you're staring at by the way!" She declared proudly, gaining a chuckle from the giant.
"Hanma Ryūjin—also a future Pro Hero!" His introduction was short but it had immediate weight. Her eyes widened a bit at the mention of the name.
"Hanma? As in THE HANMA?! Dude! You're the son of Iron Matron aren't you!" Mina's eyes shone with recognition and excitement—her eyes shaped like literal stars.
Ryūjin's mind shook a bit at the words of recognition. 'Mom's really well known huh? Even after so many years—' He couldn't help but laugh inwardly at the realization.
"The one and only." He said with a bright smile, his defining features seemingly magnifying more at that moment. She laughed at the confirmation.
"Haha! That explains the giant frame and all! Damn! A man like you must be headed for the best huh?"
"The best indeed. U.A." He confirmed. Ryūjin looked a bit relaxed—she was a lot but at least she was cool.
[Arriving at destination]
A voice at that moment sounded as the train came to a slow stop. They both locked eyes as a knowing look was exchanged. Mina was the first to step forth—her body practically bouncing.
"This is it, Ryūjin! This is where we forge our stories!" She said loud and proud, ignoring the looks of those that left and boarded the train. Her hands were held behind her back as she spun on her heel and took off.
Ryūjin laughed lightly as he followed slowly yet somehow at her pace. They walked together, deciding to head towards UA immediately. Ryūjin was ready for what came and even if he wasn't he knew, he had two traits that would mold him further.
TO BE CONTINUED!!!