Chapter Text
Izuku walked to where his notebook had been thrown, his mind filled with thoughts..,'' You fool... If I really did kill myself, you'd be sent to jail for instigating suicide.." he muttered, tears threatening to form in his eyes as he thought back to several years... Why? Why was he born without a quirk? Why was it that-- His thoughts were cut off as he reached the place he estimated his book to have fallen, because it wasn't his book he found- well, the book was there as well, but it was held in the hand of a young boy.. The boy seemed highly interested in his book, as Izuku stared at him, the boy glanced at his direction making him freeze. Half his face was covered in bandages, as was the rest of his body that was visible with his suit covering most of him and that large coat covering almost everything the suit didn't. "I- I-! W-well you s-see, that's my..." stuttered Izuku rapidly, trying to explain that he was only staring because it was his book the boy was holding, but the boy looked away.
"This... is your book, right? You want to be a hero or something?" asked the bandaged boy, making Izuku perk up. "A-ah.. Is it that obvious?.." he asked, looking to the floor... he did want to be a hero. It was all he ever wanted. But.. was it even possible for someone like him? Was it really possible to-- "I think you're doing well, then.. with the information stored in this book, you could very well replace that 'All Might' as number one soon after your debut." said the boy, matter of factly.
Izuku looked up at him, "Do you...do you really think so?" he asked, he didn't even know the boy, but at the moment he felt so desperate for approval.. for someone-- anyone!! He just needed to be told.. he could be a hero too. The boy didn't answer, he just slowly got up and walked over to Izuku, who, despite following his every move, didn't seem to be completely present, and when he got close enough..
"Here. Good luck." said the boy, putting the book in Izuku's hand before walking past him. For a few moments, Izuku couldn't move, couldn't even think of it, it was like his body and mind had disconnected, but as soon as he recovered, he spun around, "Wait!!--" he yelled, but the boy was no longer anywhere to be seen. Izuku deflated, feeling a sense of accomplishment as he walked, but it soon faded.. Did he really deserve that praise? He felt like a cheat, that boy had been so nice to him and yet Izuku hadn't even been able to tell him the truth-- tell him that he was placing his trust in the wrong person, because.. Izuku was quirkless.
He walked for a short distance, his heart heavy, but he shouldn't give up.. no, he couldn't!! He had to keep going, his head held high and his heart strong, he.. could be a hero!! He took large steps, stomping while feeding himself affirmations, but as he walked under a bridge, he heard a noise from behind him, but when he turned around.. a giant sludge monster!!! His mind was screaming at him to run, but he couldn't. Couldn't tear his eyes away, not at first.. When he finally got out of his trance, he turned to run, but regardless of how fast he ran, he found himself still in the same place, having not moved an inch, when he looked under himself to see what was going on... The monster had a hold of his feet, making him unable to move.
"Yes.. yes.. you'll make a fine disguise for me, child.. Now hold still, this will only hurt for about forty-five seconds~" said the monster, cackling as it went in attempted to take over Izuku's body completely. He pulled at the monster, unable to get it off.. it was fluid, though, and Izuku's fingers went right through it. He couldn't die here.. he couldn't!! He hadn't gotten to be a hero yet.. he hadn't even been able to try the entrance exam for UA!! He couldn't! He could--
"Texas.....SMASH!!" yelled out an all too familiar voice, though Izuku had no time to recognize it, having already been out cold.
He freaked out when he woke up, having met his hero, he felt like everything in the world.. until he left. In the end, Izuku couldn't let go of the opportunity and ended up tagging along with All Might all the way up to the roof of some building.
"Please, wait!"
"I will not!" replied All Might, a large smile on his face, as he was in a hurry to leave the building.
"Please--!! Just tell me!!-Can someone like me... Someone quirkless from birth like me... Can I become someone like you?!" asked Izuku, his eyes shut tight.. a silence covers the two of them, and when Izuku opens his eyes.. "What?! Who are you?!" he asked, surprised.
"It's me, kid. The symbol of piece..." replied All Might, before sitting down and lifting his shirt, "This.. is a wound I got multiple years ago. But ever since I got this wound, I've been utterly weakened.. I'm no longer able to stay in my hero form for more than a few hours.. and when those few hours are up, I look like this." He explained patiently to a wide eyed Izuku. After a short pause, he fixed Izuku with a sharp look and continued to speak, as he got up, "Being a hero, you're constantly exposed to danger and death.. it's no easy work, kid. A hero must always be ready to risk his life. So as much as I'd like to motivate you..."
And then silence. Silence, not because All Might had stopped speaking, but because Izuku knew what came next, and his ears wouldn't let him hear it. He couldn't even bring himself to turn around to look as All Might left. He felt hopeless, completely deflated.
As he walked through the streets after that, his pace slowed, his mind in another world... He thought back to the words of his teacher.. He had to start thinking seriously about his future. He stared at the cover page of his notebook-- Hero Analysis No.13-- biting his lower lip in frustration while using his left sleeve to wipe off the tears forming in his eyes. As he looked up, he noticed a commotion-- but before he could get closer, All Might's words flashed through his mind, and he turned away. But just as he started walking, he heard someone mutter something about the villain having captured a student, causing Izuku to spin around on his heels until he was facing... "Kacchan?"
Don't move. Stay put. You'll only make things worse. You'll only put yourself in danger. That's a hero's job, not yours. But... why was no one helping him then? He... just couldn't stand still. And so, Izuku Midoriya, a young boy, quirkless for as long as he had lived rushed past all the heroes, he slammed the sludge monster with his bag, taking the moment of stun as an opportunity to close distance with Kacchan. He pulled at the sludge. It wouldn't work, he had already tried. He knew it wouldn't, so why..
"hang in there, Kacchan!! I'll get you out!!" he yelled, and as he finally got some of the sludge off of Katsuki's mouth--"You damn Deku!! What do you think you're doing here?!"
"I- I don't know!! It's just-- I saw your eyes, that looked like they were pleading for help and.. and!! I just couldn't sit back and watch!!" he yelled, the monster was fully conscious once more, that temporary daze having worn off of it, but just as it moved to attack once more- "Detroit Smash!!"
The monster was blown to bits, and afterwards, Izuku was scolded for his reckless behaviour while Kacchan.. he was praised for his braveness. The heroes that weren't talking to either of them were spreading out around the scene, shoving the parts of the sludge villain that were scattered across the floor into trash bags, and eventually, the scene cleared out and everyone went home.
When Izuku finally came close to his home after all that happened, Katsuki ran up behind him "Hey, Deku!!"
Izuku turned around,"Kacchan?..."
Katsuki huffed, catching his breath. "I just wanted you to know, I didn't need you to save me back there!!"
And with that, he turned around and stomped away. But for some reason.. Izuku didn't feel too bad about it. It felt... bittersweet, in a way. He could never be a hero. But.. at least he was able to help Kacchan... at least--
"Young Midoriya."
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Dazai watched the entire scene from an electricity pole nearby. His stare was void, his posture casual despite the possibility of an electric shock. He wondered.. death by electric shock didn't sound too bad, did it? The reason he was on the pole was to eavesdrop on the conversation being passed between Izuku Midoriya and the number one pro hero.. Dazai hadn't known they would have such an interaction, and definitely couldn't have guessed any of the words that he would hear today... No, the only reason he was following Midoriya in the first place was to find out where he lived. When Dazai saw that notebook... 'Hero Analysis No.13'. He knew that boy would be his golden goose. He saw that the analysis book wasn't the first and knew he had to get his hands on the other twelve volumes. Of course, he could gather the information on his own- much more than the boy ever could but.. it's just easier this way. Besides, the residents of an area usually know how it works much more than those who landed about an hour ago. Usually.
In the end, following the boy revealed much more to Dazai than he could've figured out in such a short span of time, so.. all's well that ends well, right? Whatever.. One thing was for sure, though.. That 'Deku' boy, as the blondie had called him.. he was his ticket to an early mission end.
Once All Might left and the path was clear, Dazai got down from the pole himself, walking in the direction opposite to the way Midoriya was facing.
"Hey, you!!!"
Dazai cursed under his breath, turning around with a neutral expression, "I see we meet again."
"I.. I wanted to apologise to you. I lied."
Dazai raised an eyebrow," Oh? about what?"
"I'm actually... I don't have a quirk."
"You never told me you did, did you?''
Midoriya looked shocked, and started rambling, "W-well yeah, but I never told you I didn't and you probably assumed I did because you know about 85% of the population has quirks and--''
''I knew that you didn't have a quirk." said Dazai, looking somewhere in the left, his attention clearly not on Midoriya.
"You...what? How?''
"Until next time, Midoriya!" he exclaimed gleefully, and when Midoriya blinked, he was gone. Gone with the wind. Dazai was quick on his feet, and within a few seconds he was already multiple blocks away, far out of sight. Midoriya wouldn't find him again.
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Izuku only blinked for a second, and the boy was gone once more. Izuku looked around, searching for any possible place he could've hidden.. how did a person just disappear like that? A few moments after his disappearance, it started to rain-- no, rain was too light of a word to describe the fury of the water that raged down from the sky, within just a few moments it started raining much harder despite how sunny it previously was, and for some reason? Izuku wasn't surprised.
For some reason.. Izuku knew exactly why it was raining- or at least felt he did. The heavens seemed to be complimenting the inscribable aura of the bandaged boy.. yes, that boy... he was something else entirely. He knew Izuku's name without having known him at all... Izuku... he needed to know more.
And so, Izuku Midoriya rushed home as fast as he possibly could and rushed to his desk, when he went in he swore he could see a flash of black across the room, but he didn't mind that-- no, he turned on his computer and started searching 'brown haired boy covered in bandages in a suit' but there wasn't a single image of the boy he had seen earlier that day. Just a bunch of guys with brown hair, in bandages and.. wearing suits. Honestly, what did he expect? Rather than that, he saw a few ai generated images, but didn't even spare those a glance as he shut off his computer as fast as he turned it on.
Instead, he took out a completely different notebook and started drawing-- drawing the face of the boy, or as much of it he could remember. Once he got a sketch read, he started writing down as many details he could recall about the boy. The colour of his hair, the eye the bandage covered, the clothes he wore.. yet he couldn't remember the smaller details, such as the colour of his eyes and such.. Then finally, he wrote down everything about their interactions and the way he behaved. And with that, Izuku called it a night. He needed some shut eye.
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Dazai walked down the horribly, horribly bright streets of Mustafu holding the first five books of Izuku Midoriya's collection in his hands, holding them close to his chest. As he walked down the roads and as the cars honked angrily at the boy for recklessly crossing without waiting for the signal to turn green, he let his mind wander-- to the meeting he had with Mori a few days prior.
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"Mori-san."
"Ah! Dazai-kun!! I see you've finally decided to show up! How long ago was it that I called you?"
"Even if I came here fifteen minutes ago, you would've only bored me to death with your stupid stories while the mission documents printed...'' said Dazai, boredly looking away. He couldn't care less about whatever stupid mission Mori had for him. At the end of the day, Dazai was just going to finish them, Mori will figure out he's back, give him the next mission, then repeat. In the end, nothing ever changed.
"Who's to say I won't just bore you now instead?"
Dazai looked up at the former doctor, his face contorted in what one could mistake as disgust. It wasn't disgust, but it wasn't far off.
"Mustafu." Mori said, and that one word was enough to set realisation in Dazai's face.
"No!"
"UA High School."
"Absolutely not!!"
Dazai rolled around the ground, rambling, complaining and giving Mori a headache. Maybe if he tried hard enough, Mori's head would get jumbled up and he'd forget about the stupid mission! Or, I'll do you one better, he could go into a panic and take one too many ibuprofen and just die! That was just wishful thinking. And unfortunately for Dazai, Mori needed to stay alive. He was a good leader, and Dazai didn't feel like taking over. Once Dazai calmed down, Mori handed him a red envelope-- the colour of chaos.... the colour of destruction. Meaning this mission wasn't going to end well. For Mustafu, that is. Mori sat behind his table, scalpel in hand--
"Now, can you tell me why you're going to Mustafu?"
"The hero raid teams and spies trying to set Yokohama 'free' by penetrating it's barrier."
"And?"
"The villain raid teams and spies trying to establish control over Yokohama."
"And what will your job be?"
"Asses the situation... and take action."
Mori gave him a soft smile, pleased with his answer, "That's good. You're getting smarter by the day, Dazai-kun!"
"I'm not going to compliment your teaching."
"I wouldn't dream of it."
"I don't wanna go."
"Good luck on your mission."
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Lost in his thoughts, Dazai missed the car coming straight at him. His brain didn't register the car as a threat to his life, since the only real threat to Dazai's life was Dazai himself, and just as he was about to get hit--
Dazai's eyes slowly opened as the tight cloth that wrapped around him finally came loose.
"What, are you crazy, kid?! You were nearly run over because of your recklessness!" scolded the voice, in a tone that managed to sound totally concerned and yet totally uninterested at the same time. Dazai couldn't have cared less, and nearly turned around to leave until, " Are you Pro Hero Eraser Head?" and by the silence that followed, Dazai was practically screamed his answer. "Where do you live, kid?" he asked with a sigh, causing Dazai to raise an eyebrow. Don't adults usually tell you to not share your information with strangers? Well, the confusion must've been evident on his face, because the hero began to speak once more, "I'm a Pro, kid. I won't hurt ya."
Dazai didn't trust him, but did not want to go through running away all over again, and so he just pulled out his phone and showed his new living space to the hero, whose eyes flashed with recognition.
"What is it..?"
"I own that land."
Dazai blinked a couple times. Oh? How interesting.
"You moved in with your parents or something?"
"Just me."
This time, it was Erasure Head who blinked. Before he could say a word, though, Dazai began to speak himself, "I recently moved here, so that I could take the entrance exam for UA High School.." he said, waving his arms around as he spoke to add emphasis. By the look on the hero's face, he knew of UA. Well, everyone knew UA, but this particular man was probably a staff there or something.. a teacher, perhaps. The pro hero let out a sigh, "I'll take you to the house." he said, as if he were doing Dazai a favour.
"What? You're not coming to my house." retorted Dazai, before he could think... stupid Dazai, it would be good to have a stupid hero on your side!! But.. it would be bad to have people know where Dazai lived-- well, the hero already knew though, so... "I don't even know your name." said Dazai, and by the way he said it, not even Mori would be able to figure out he was just making an excuse to get friendly with the hero. Actually, Mori might... but that's not the point. This isn't about him. The hero blinked once more. Yeah, he did that a lot, huh? Dazai turned away, boredly to look at his nails instead.
"Aizawa Shoto."
Dazai looked up from his face, "What?"
"That's my name. Aizawa Shoto."
Dazai let out a sigh. He sure was resilient, that was for sure. He didn't mind it, though. The means didn't matter as long as the ends turned to his favour... nothing did.