MosesArk Reborn2000
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Chapter 7: A Hero’s Warmth
🕑 Added 2023-11-09 13:19:49 +0000 UTCAs pleased as I am, I do have to announce that there'll be no new chapters from November 24 till January as I'll be taking December off and using the time to brainstorm new ideas as I have a few rattling around in my head, but they all need fine-tuning and then make the final selection as I don't want to post anything on weekends, so at the present, I have just one 1 free slot.
Chapter 7: A Hero’s Warmth
When you’re been a hero for as long as Tatsuma has, you get used to moments where so much happens in such a short amount of time, what feels like an hour is revealed to be much shorter than that.
That was the mindset she had when she realized that it had only been 10 minutes since the boy…Midoriya had once more fled from heroes. In that time, she and Nejire Chan hadn't been idle, restraining the incapacitated villains and helping deal with the test of the fires, getting people to safe points and working with local firefighters and police to get it all done. In that time, her sidekicks had managed to catch up and being quick on the intake, had managed to get into the flow of things with few words.
Of course, there were some oddities to the situation, namely the villains themselves as while the ones she had taken down would need some medical attention, even the ones that had been attacked by that giant snake, the leader whom Midoriya handled and set alight was the only one that was free of injuries. He appeared to merely be asleep if not for the burned clothes that barely covered his dignity, leaving the police to cover the man up before restraining him.
The other unusual thing was that they learned that before getting into the fight proper, Midoriya had been helping to save others, at least someone matching his description. It was from them she learned that he not only had been living in the area since he was last seen but that he had managed to save 30 people remarkable quirk. She, along with her hero student intern was in the middle of one of those question sessions with a local.
“You know him?” Ryukyu asked, her attention on the grocers standing before her, all were a bit dirty and shaken, but otherwise fine.
"Aye, the boy comes by now and then to stock up on supplies. Anything he can't grow or make himself." The man who ran the general goods store nodded, having listened to them explain the situation and a basic description of Izuku.
“Would you happen to know where he would be right now? He didn’t stay long enough for me to ask.” Ryukyu wasn’t expecting to get a little defensive with her, watching her like she would do something that didn’t like.
With her arms crossed, the lady that run the hardware store asked. “Are you going to arrest him? He’s an honest lad, a bit weird that he’s no villain.”
Ryukyu was quick to shake her head at that. She might not have all the pieces, but she had enough to see that arresting the boy would be the wrong move. “I’m not, I just wish to speak with him. Understand his side of the picture.” They looked into her eyes for a moment, trying to see if she was being genuine but eventually backed off once they realized that she was.
“He doesn’t dress like that for show, you know.” The grocer stated, surprising the two.
“Like what? He wasn’t wearing anything when we saw him, he was covered in stone!” Hado made a show with her hands, trying to convey just how strange Midoriya was.
Of course, this wasn’t the best description as the people in question had seen him when he hadn’t fully turned and therefore, still had clothing. “What?”
“We believe his quirk was at play, what would his clothing have to do with this?” Ryukyu got things back on track.
“He never comes to town in anything but that shrine maiden outfit of his, or one of them anyway.” The hardware store owner replied, as she couldn’t recall a time when he wasn’t wearing it, even when she went up the mountain to check up on him, finding him on the roof of the place, hammer and nails in hand as he installed fresh tiles.
The lady who ran the supermarket where Izuku had done the last of his shopping not even a couple hours before pointed up the road that snaked up the mountain, vanishing into the trees. “There is an old shrine to the Kagu-tsuchi about 20 minutes way up the mountain. He’s been living in and restoring the place for months now.” Ryukyu frowned when she heard that, of all the things he could have done, he had been seeing to a temple. That most definitely didn't match up with the profile that the commission had drawn up about him.
Ryukyu needed more info and had a well-spring with these locals. “How long would you say he’s been living there?” The group looked at one another, silently debating how much time had passed now that they thought about it.
"Pretty sure I first met him around...early, maybe mid-July? That right?" The general store owner asked the other two, both nodding along with his time frame, though they were pretty sure he had been around longer.
“It was definitely before August as he was around to help Granny Tomako when she threw her back out.” The grocer reminded them of how he had been there to aid the old woman for the entire morning, only leaving when someone stepped in since he had to return and ensure that the fire in the temple was properly attended to. She was sure that old Tamako paid a visit to the place afterwards to have tea with the lad and give an offering and prayer.
“So, was he in town to shop then?” Ryukyu asked, getting nods from the trio.
“Yeah, came by my store with his snake friend, boy never goes anywhere without her.” The grocer replied, getting an amused snort from the hardware store owner.
“Have to admit, kids love her and she’s a gentle giant.” She never thought she would see a snake play with kids, but Koharu, as Izuku named her, was an odd one, fitting her owner. The reptile could even be gentle enough to handle babies, letting them tag and pull on her without complaint, wrapping them up so that they could nap, etc.
“I’ll say, but I have no clue what he feeds her, she looks like she could a whole dog in a single sitting.” The boy must have been stronger than he looked since the snake was often hanging off him and he never seemed to notice. But at the very least, they could joke that it meant he didn't need to worry about vermin in the shrine as that snake probably ate mice by the dozens on the daily.
“Have you ever seen him use his quirk before then?” Ryukyu asked, as their earlier confusion about what he turned into seemed to imply that.
“Can’t say I have, but it would explain those stories about flames in the mountain.” The hardware store owner notes, scratching her chin.
“Flames you say?” The trio gave the heroes a quick run-down of the situation, letting them see that it wasn’t much to be worried about. “I see, most likely he was merely training.” Ryukyu suspected as much, it would fit into it as they knew he hadn’t used his quirk in any meaningful way for years, so his control and understanding of it would be incredibly weak, comparable to that of a 6/7-year-old.
Which only made what he did all the more concerning, as what would he be capable of with a year’s practice, maybe 2?
“At least we know it wasn’t a villain, but honestly, he could have at least told us!” The grocer had even spoken with him about it and he lied to her face!
“Maybe he was scared, can’t say the boy was ever a fountain of confidence.” The general goods store owner brought up, as the lad had looked terrified when he first appeared, which made sense if he thought he was a wanted villain. The boy even after that, was kinda jumpy, at times looking like he would die from anxiety if not for that snake of his to keep him grounded.
“Aye, I don’t think he even ever gave up his last name, we just knew him as Izuku before now.” The hardware owner had been curious about that, they all had been, but respected his wishes and never pushed.
Line Break
It was a little while later that the two left the trio, having to come up with a plan of action. “Ryukyu, what are we going to do? He used a quirk without a license which is super illegal but he also sounds like a nice guy, he even handled that villain without hurting him though his snake did bite the others a lot."
Hado didn't want to arrest this kid, he seemed nice, if a little weird with the fire thing, and the snake thing, and the running thing, but people said she was weird all the time too, so it wasn't that big a deal to her.
Ryukyu agreed with her, as this could be solved much easier if it was handled right. "If I had to guess, he was healing him in equal measure to hurting him, which was what knocked the man out, leaving no long-term injuries." That would be an impressive skill for him to have, especially if he could cultivate it to heal bystanders without hurting them. "As for the quirk usage, like I told the locals, I don't want to give him any trouble for that either."
"However, we do need to speak with him and soon, once I report this, others will get involved and they might not understand the full situation and we'll have a repeat of his first two offences." She could only delay it so long, and she didn't want to imagine what would happen if others got involved with this.
Hado could pick up on this, and she didn’t want to see the forest set ablaze. “That doesn’t sound nice.”
“It doesn’t, and it would be fair to him if it did. Why don’t we go find him, it’s been a while since I’ve been to temple anyway.” Ryukyu smiled as she turned her gaze up the mountain road.
Line Break
“Oh no, no no no no no no no,” With Izuku, he had just arrived at the temple, booking it straight for his room in a panic, Koharu's safety wrapped around his shoulders. “What did I just do, Koharu?” He asked his friend, who merely gave him a look, one that lacked no answers but affirmed she was there for him.
"Do you think they saw my face? I'm pretty sure they did, but no one said anything." After the high of using his quirk wore off halfway home, he had just realized that he had used his quirk in front of a top ten hero, the number 9 herself! There was no way she wouldn't look into that!
"Oh, this is bad, this is really bad," Before he could descend any further into anxiety-fueled fear, Koharu rubbed her face against his own, her tongue flicking out to pat him like a hand would. This would be strange to others, but to Izuku it could feel her affection and worry for him through it.
Taking a breath, he gave her a thankful, if a little tired smile as he reached for her side, feeling her warm, smooth scales. "Yeah…yeah, you're right. The best thing is to pretend like nothing is wrong, and hope no one recognized me. I can just say I was back here when things happened, that'll work, right?" He got the feeling that she was thinking he was an idiot for assuming that would work, but she didn't move to call him out for it.
With that settled, at least for the moment, he now had time to focus on another thing, namely the fact he could feel the breeze where he shouldn’t. “First things first, I need a change of clothes.” Koharu nodded as she slithered off him to her bed, letting him walk towards his closet to get a fresh uniform to wear, along with some underwear. Putting both on, he quickly redid his hair into its bun before looking at himself in the mirror, confirming that he was in a state that befitted the temple, Koharu climbed onto him as he left the room and walked down to the kitchen so that he could make lunch.
“Okay, with that done, I just need to pack…away…the cart.” Both stopped, having realized that in his hurry to get home, he made a crucial mistake. “I left it behind, didn’t I?” He groaned, not only had he burned away his remaining cash, but even if he still had a wallet, he wouldn't have enough to get most of that. Not to mention town might be closed for a couple of days anyway.
“Sorry, Koharu, looks like we won’t be dining on tuna tonight.” Koharu seemed mighty upset about that, but he could only offer an apologetic smile as he rubbed her body. “We can still eat the salmon instead.” If nothing else, they could go fishing in the river. Cold it might have been, it hadn't frozen over so there was bound to still be something he could catch. Still, he had chores to get to so he quickly made his way to the kitchen and made the two of them a small meal.
With their appetites appeased, he got to work, first tending to the fire to ensure that it was still burning strong, making sure that there was enough dry wood to add to it should the need arise, then he got to work cleaning the place, polishing the surfaces around the room housing the flames, removing any stains from bird droppings etc. Afterwards, he decided he should get rid of the snow that covered most of the paths outside, so he went to the back, opened the door to the restored shed and grabbed the snow shovel.
A few minutes into him clearing the path, humming a mantra, he heard people approaching. He froze at this, scared but Koharu kept him calm enough to understand that they didn’t sound angry, they didn’t even sound like they were in a rush.
Figuring that it might be people there to pay their respects, he turned around to greet them with a big smile, only to feel his heart damn near shoot out his chest when he realized that the people in question were Ryukyu and one of her sidekicks!
“W-w-what, oh my god, it-It’s you, I mean, you know it’s you, h-how could you n-not? Oh god,” Izuku started to panic, his face going as red as Ryukyu’s dress, much to the surprise and slight relief of the hero.
"He's not as confident as I thought he'd be." She whispered to her side-kick as Nejire Chan nodded, but also pouted when Midoriya hadn’t done anything more than freak out, that was rude!
“Excuse me, where is the main shrine?” She asked him, dragging back from wherever his mind had taken him.
“E-e-Excuse m-me? Can…can you repeat that?” Wait, weren’t…weren’t they there to arrest him?
Hado’s pout didn’t let up, her cheeks filling out as she pointed around the place. “Where is the main shrine? We came to visit but there are no signs anyway!”
Midoriya regained some of his composure, but not a match as he leaned on the snow shovel, suddenly feeling a lot more bashful. “Oh, sorry about that…I haven’t had the time to put up proper signage.” Making a mental note to get on that, he turned to lead them there. “Right this way,” The two followed along with him. 1. With his back turned, he didn’t see how Ryukyu smiled, as she hadn’t known how he would react to seeing them, even if they approached him as openly as they could, actively speaking louder then usual so that he would perhaps hear them coming.
She hadn't realized that he would act like…a boy. She had seen many his age act that way when she or another hero was close, they were freak out before the excitement for the better of them and while that last part hadn't settled in yet, she could detect under his nervousness and fear, an excitement at seeing them that could only come from someone genuinely happy to see them, a feeling that no villain gave off.
It made her happy, seeing further proof that he wasn't the danger that the reports and media believed him to be, but she didn't want to be too aggressive with him either as while not evil, he was still skittish and already ran from two sets of heroes, so she was happy that she brought along someone that could crack any shell with their positivity and openness. Someone she was sure was a sure-in for the top once she finished her schooling and had the time to gain further experience.
Nejire Chan was doing all that and more, as she asked the boy question after question, none of which he could expect. "Do you live here alone?" She was close, really close to him but he didn’t know how to tell her to step away as this was the first time he had talked to a girl he was pretty sure was in his age group in…years maybe.
“Not really, I have Koharu with me.” The snake in question raised her head slightly to appraise the hero. Nejire Chan doing the same but for different reasons as while the serpent was suspicious of this stranger, Nejire Chad was more focused on how pretty she was!
“Is she the snake?” She didn’t see anyone else around, but who knows, maybe he was like a Disney princess and he lived here with all sorts of animals, oh, she would love to hear him sing and call forth all the forest critters!
“Yes.”
“What kind of snake is she, can I hold her? Does she eat mice, or does she eat cats since she's so big?" She kept the questions going as they moved, the pro keeping silent as she watched the two, seeing how bit by bit, despite his nerves, Midoriya was getting a little more comfortable with Hado and her many innocent questions. Even Koharu seemed caught off guard by this, as most asked if she was dangerous, where he found her, or if she was trained, this pro was instead treating her with almost as much respect as the boy who she lived with.
“Hmm, she’s a Japanese rat snake. You can, but she's the one that has to allow you, I can't force her. I normally feed her, but she can head off to hunt her food whenever she wishes, not sure if that includes cats." He spared his friend a look, and she seemed to shrug, despite not having shoulders, okay, now he knew that she might or might not eat cats. He only hoped they were strays else people started asking where their pets vanished off to.
“Why do you live and work here alone? Don’t shrines have other people, does it get weird being the only human?” Hado got even closer to him, almost leaning on him as his face returned to a tomato impression, but Koharu felt no threat from the girl and went lazing around his neck.
"It's…not easy at times, but worth it, people visit from time to time…" He mumbled, to be honest, he preferred not having to deal with people all the time, it was a hell of a lot less stressful.
Hado nodded, but her curiosity was only sated for a little bit before she recalled what the locals told them about him. “Oh, oh! I heard that you restored this place almost by yourself, is that true? Why didn’t you get electricity, doesn’t it get cold here without a heater? What about the phone, don’t you need to charge one? Wait, do you have a phone?”
She hadn't met anyone their age who didn't have one, how else would people call you? She needed one to keep in contact with her friends, her family, her teachers, and Ryukyu. How else would she be reminded of important dates, get stuff about tests and group projects, share funny memes, or make it in when she was called to work out of the blue?
Midoriya felt himself blushing at the awe in her words. He hadn’t done it because he wanted praise, but he couldn’t help but feel the little fire in him grow just a bit from her kind words. "I…I did, with help of course, otherwise, I wouldn't have managed half of what I've. There is electricity, but it’s mainly in the kitchen where it runs the freezer and fridge. I don’t need an electric heater when I have so many torches around, not to mention the fire.” He was also naturally warm all year round, hence why Koharu would nap on him when she had the chance but the less said about his quirk, the better.
He didn’t want this moment to end.
“I also don’t have a phone, when it comes to things like news, I can just pick up a newspaper, weather isn’t much of an issue as the animals typically see it coming before I do, and Koharu would tell me.” He nodded to his friend, as her instincts had saved him more than once when it rained out of the blue.
“That’s so cool!” He blushed a little more, with even Koharu seeming to preen at the praise laid towards her as they reached the main shrine, the flames still burning bright, inviting in their warmth on this cold winter's day. Midoriya stood at the side, his face red as a tomato, but less from fear and more from the normal nerves that came with being this close to a top hero and a pretty girl who seemed as inviting as the fire that she had come to see.
"You can offer up a prayer by the fire if you'd like, and the donation box is to the side, anything is appreciated." Both nodded, but it was Ryukyu who spoke up, her eyes open and kind as she placed a hand on his shoulder.
“Thank you,” His blush deepened, but so did his smile as she patted him and walked in, with Hado following as they approached the donation box. It looked like the typical one, which was mainly built for coins but seeing how this was a low-traffic area, they doubted he got many visitors aside from townsfolk and tourists, so they decided to go 110% with their donation. While he tended to the flames, placing in some wooden logs to keep it going, they both pulled out their wallets.
With Ryukyu, it was the smaller wallet that she carried while on the job as she rarely needed to pay for stuff and either kept what she needed at the office or carried it with her. Because of that, the wallet had no bank notes, or cards in it. just coins, shiny coins which made her eyes sparkle just a bit before she took some out and started counting. Once she saw that she had pulled out 7500 yen worth in 500 coins, she placed them onto the box, listening as the coins didn't so much cling upon landing on other coins, but clanged as they hit the bottom of the box, proving her suspicion about how few people he gets up here.
Nejire Chan took out her purse, her only purse which was covered with stickers and trinkets which she had collected over the years ever since she first for it when she was 9. Drawing some notes, she counted 3000 yen before donating it, pushing it through the slits on the top of the box with a smile.
Money given, they turned to the fires as Midoriya had stepped back. They clapped their hands together and offered up a silent prayer. After a couple of minutes, having done their piece and turned to the temple's sole occupant and worker. Realizing that Hado asked something else, something they had seen on the way up to the temple.
“Hey, you said you live here by yourself, why don’t I help with a few chores?” Midoriya would be lying if he said he wasn’t surprised by that request, as while the hero whose name he didn’t even know had proven to be quite…different, he could have never suspected that.
“Oh, I couldn’t ask that of you. You’re guests here.” That would be extremely rude for him to ask that of her, but she didn't let up, getting into his personal space once more, despite being just a little bit shorter than him, she carried herself in a way that left her towering over him, like a happy, smiling tidal wave of energy.
“But I want to, silly. Heroes are there to help people, right? Come on, show me the basics of what you normally do.” He didn’t pick up how she looked back to Ryukyu, who caught onto what her student was doing. Seeing her nod, she turned back to Midoriya while Ryukyu moved to excuse herself.
"I'll be looking around the temple if that is okay?” Midoriya nodded his head, there was nothing to hide on the grounds and he would be thrilled if people explored it now. “Is there anywhere I should avoid?”
“Just the…my living quarters, it’s to the side, closest to the baths.” With that said, Nejire Chan drew his attention once more, grabbing him by the arm and dragging him out of the shrine, proving herself far stronger than she looked.
“Understood, I’ll leave you two to it.” Ryukyu smiled as she waved them off, leaving the shrine as well and walking in the opposite direction, towards the entrance as there was something she needed to collect.
Line Break
About 20 minutes later, Izuku and Nejire Chan, having finally learned her hero name, were seated on the engawa. “Was that all for the day?” She asked him, having expected more than just a couple of cleaning jobs.
“Yes, I had already collected enough water for a few days.” She made a face as she heard that he took trips to collect rather than have plumbing. She wondered if that was part of his training. Looking out to the snow-covered gardens, Midoriya clapped his hands as he realized he had made a big mistake of hospitality. “Anyway! Would you like something to drink? Some tea perhaps?” He couldn’t believe that it took him this long, especially in this cold weather.
“I could go for some; it’ll warm me up.” Nejire Chan got up, stretching a little which gave him a clearer view of just how fit and….shapely she was, before she could notice his red cheeks, he turned away and mentally slapped himself upside the head.
“It’s a good thing that I stocked up on some jasmine, it goes…” That earlier slap turned into a beating of mental self as he recalled that he left behind his shopping. “I left the cart, and it had the jasmine.” Now he felt like an idiot, what was he supposed to serve her? Warm milk?
Nejire Chan was confused for a moment, no doubt thinking he was an idiot for such an oversight as he awaited her confirmation of that fact. “You mean your shopping for the day? We found it on the way up, pretty sure Ryukyu must have brought it up by now.” He looked at her, shocked by her statement.
“Wait, what?” She didn’t give him time to question it as she once more grabbed him, pulling him to his feet.
“Come on, let me show you!” With a whelp, she dragged him towards the temple entrance, barely giving him time to put on sandals once they stepped off the engawa and onto the now free-of-snow stone path. Ahead of them, stood the hero in question, and with her was his full shopping cart. "See?" She smiled as she pointed it out, with both Midoriya and Koharu being stunned to see it, having accepted that they'd have to get it themselves, or that it would have been lost with how bad his luck was at times.
"Good timing, I just got back, it was a bit heavier than I thought," Ryukyu stated, as she had been tempted to transform, but decided against it. it was a good workout, a nice little way to keep in shape if nothing else.
Midoriya didn't seem to hear that part, as he slowly approached it, feeling it as if scared that it was an illusion, but upon touch, he knew it was real. "It's…it's all here." Everything that he had bought was there if covered in a little frost and snow.
"And the cold weather ensured that nothing's spoiled, though I would still advise you pack it all away quickly," Ryukyu advised him, which he responded to with a deep bow.
“Thank you so much!” Ryukyu, used to such gestures of gratitude from those whose lives she saved, was able to roll with it. Even if this was the first time such thanks were given for what was essential lost shopping.
“You don’t need to thank us, it was the right thing to do.” She placed a hand on his shoulder and encouraged him to stand straight once more, but Izuku didn’t think that just his words would be enough for this.
“Still, I can’t just let this go unpaid, please let me treat you to a hot meal, it’s the least I can do.” Neither objected to this, leading to Midoriya leading them to a small reception area to wait while he stored the shopping and prepared for them a hot meal to go along with the tea that he already owned them. Before he left, he lit up a small fire to warm the place up, not even realizing that he didn’t use a lighter, but just spat a small fireball into the pit and letting the wood already present catch light. Neither said anything about it as it was clear it was more muscle memory and such a minor quirk use wasn’t worth even acknowledging.
35 minutes later, he returned carrying their prepared food on a large tray. On it, aside from their tea, was grilled spiced tuna with green bean soup, all of which piping hot. Placing it down for them, he looked both nervous about their opinion of the meal but also pleased with himself for making it.
“Why are you still standing?” Ryukyu asked him, neither having touched their food yet.
Midoriya stood a little straighter at being addressed, the empty tray held close to his chest. “Excuse me?”
"You're not our waiter, and I would like to speak with you if you're comfortable with that," Ryukyu asked but gave him a way out if he wished to leave.
He would have, but…this was nice, and neither seemed like bad people, plus with Nejire Chan giving him puppy dog eyes, he couldn’t find the strength to refuse. “Oh..uhm…sure, Yes! I mean yes, thank you.” Awkwardly, he took the third seat of the four that the table could hold. Having not prepared a meal for himself, having already eaten his lunch, he was satisfied to watch them, and he felt a deep joy in him when Nejire Chan happily hummed when she tasted the tuna.
“Oh, this is really good, you should try the tuna, it melts in your mouth!” She tossed another one into her mouth, her smile bright as she enjoyed the meal while her mentor followed suit, but maintained a humbler and calm approach to it.
“It is delicious, you have a talent for the culinary arts.” She smiled at Midoriya was developed a blush from the praise.
“Oh, it’s not much, I just followed the recipe from the book.” Koharu remained uninvolved in the story, having fallen asleep around his neck.
“Trust me, just following a recipe doesn’t produce meals this flavorful.” She took a spoonful of the soup and hummed with a small smile, as the garlic and carrots were balanced, but also explosive in flavor. "I would say that you've gotten the temperature for cooking it all down to an exact number, as it tastes like it was taken off the heat not a second too early, or a second too late.”
She didn't know it, but Midoriya had used his flames to cook, controlling every aspect of the flames to ensure that very outcome. The issue was he wasn't sure he could tell them that so he just nodded, keeping his silence as the two enjoyed his meal. 15 minutes later, they had finished it, and he collected the dishes to take them back to the kitchen so that he could wash them later.
Upon his return, he sat back down as Ryukyu gave him a small bow. “Thanks for the food, it was nearly as good as the stuff we get from Lunch Rush at school!” Nejire Chan was more vocal with her appreciation, though he had no clue when she could have tasted Lunch Rush's reward-winning cooking, or why she seemed to imply that it was a regular thing for her.
“Thank you, I’m glad you enjoyed it but I don’t think I’m as good as he is.” He looked down, but Ryukyu raised his chin so that he could keep eye contact with them.
“You certainly have the rescue aspect of hero work down,” His eyes widened, realizing that they had done all this to lower his guard! But…wait, that…that didn’t make sense, their eyes remained kind, they remained warm.
No, did they…just want to give an offering to the temple before they brought this up? His paranoia said yes, but their eyes said no. Ryukyu, seeing that he was relaxed and willing to listen, continued, speaking softly. “What you did in town was a good thing, Midoriya. Because of you, a lot of people will live to see another day without needing to see a doctor.”
“I just,” He didn’t know what to say, but he knew that she was exaggerating what he had accomplished. “I just did what anyone else would have.” He looked to the side, his voice losing most of his volume.
"And yet no one did." She countered, and he found that such a simple response was ironclad. He wanted to say something else, that the police did their best, that it was an unexpected event, but that all felt meaningless to the facts of the situation.
But facts didn’t mean much when compared to years of lived experience. “I burned people, burning people isn’t good. I can’t help it, I try and I try again, but no matter what, I’ve always burning stuff” At some point, Koharu had woken up, but she had remained uninvolved with the talk as he recalled all the times he was told he was a pyromaniac, that he was a villain in the making, a monster that loved flames more than people, to how his mother's arms were badly burnt because he was screwed in the head.
But then something warm covered him, banishing away all those thoughts, all those bad memories. He instinctively snuggled closer to it, as it reminded him so much of the flame he had been caring for, it was not just inviting, but also liberating in a sense.
Blinking, he realized that Ryukyu was hugging him, holding him close to her body and once more, paranoia screamed for him to make distance, that this was a trap, but it was such a tiny voice now, easily ignored in favour of his heart telling him to accept, as he leaned in further, taking in her scent of Orange Osmanthus and Apricot.
“You don’t need to help it, not anymore. The fire is part of you, it doesn’t make you bad,” She didn’t speak loudly, but her words still carried as much weight as her strikes in her dragon form. "In fact, I would say you use it like a proper hero would. Yes, you burned people, but your fire is a special one, one that helps people, heals people, saves people." She combed a hand through his hair, her touch calming the boy even as his emotions went from one extreme to the other.
Burying his face in her chest to not have to look, she coaxed him out of this. “Midoriya…Izuku, please look me in the eye,” When he eventually did, she could see confusion, fear, joy, and all other kinds of emotions swimming in his eyes. She needed to do this, and she had a great way to do it. “Do you think I’m a bad person?”
Her question, which sounded completely bonkers threw in for a loop as he raced to answer it, fervently shaking his head. “Wh-of course not, you’re a hero, one of the best!”
"But I hurt people, on the regular, they might be villains but that doesn't make them any less than you or I." His response stopped halfway up his throat, as he thought about it, turning it over in his head as he agreed with that, didn’t he? He never liked hurting others, nor did he like seeing villains hurt. He wanted to stop them, yes but if he could do that with his words, he’ll never throw a punch.
At the same time, he couldn’t stand the idea that such a wonderful person would ever think something so negative about themselves. “But-but you fight to protect people! You don’t fight to hurt people!”
“You’re someone that I really admire and look up to.” Koharu snuggled closer to him, with Ryukyu was forced to hug around her but found a good way to do it.
“You’re the same.” Ryukyu smiled as she saw his refusal die before it could form, as he realized that if he tried to say he wasn't, he would contradict his words about her. She didn't know much, but she knew enough from their time with him that the boy was a selfless soul, if he wouldn't care for himself, he'd care for others.
“Would a villain take care of a shrine? Would a villain help people just because they needed help? Would a villain save others, risking themselves to do it?” She asked him, reminding him of all the good he'd done, all the people he helped as he looked like he was close to the breaking point, but those chains of indecision and fear still lingered, even if weakened.
“Would a villain but such a good host?” she directed his gaze to Hado, to the table where he had served them a meal tastier and more filling than what she would have gotten from a restaurant.
“You make amazing food too!” She smiled at his blush; she could always trust Hado to know what to say to help someone.
“You did a good thing, Izuku. You ARE a good person, and nothing anyone can say will ever change that.” She made sure to emphasize that to him, as he started to cry, with his tears only barely being held back as he tried to fight this, even if his defenses grew weaker by the second.
“But…when I transform…”
“It’s as part of you as my dragon form is a part of me. Neither make us good or evil, we make them that, and you and I have both chosen to make them good.” He looked up towards her, all but fixated on her, on how nice this felt.
“You really think I can be like you, a hero?” He had asked All Might that question, but he saw how he feared him. now, he reached out again, hoping that he wouldn't make a fool of himself, and wouldn't feel that icy sensation of betrayal.
“I know you can.” Ryukyu’s response, spoken without hesitation or deceit was the final nail, as he lost all sense of composure and started crying into her chest, apologizing and thanking her in equal measure. She didn’t stop him, only holding him close and letting him let go of it all. She wanted him to know that he was safe with them, that he could express himself in all facets.
Line Break
20 minutes went by like this, 20 minutes before the waterworks stopped as an emotionally exhausted, but spiritually relieved Izuku pulled his head back, wiping away the last of his tears, seeing the mess he had made of her costume. He was about to apologies but she gently pressed her finger to his lips.
"You don't need to apologies for this, costumes get dirty all the time if it's tears instead of blood, that's fine by me. After all, heroes don't just save people from danger, but we help them learn to smile again." She told him, coming to his hair as he relaxed.
"Izuku, there are some questions that we need to answer, the first being should contact your mother. I can only imagine she's worried sick about you." Izuku didn’t know about that.
“Are you sure…I broke the rules and went to the fire…” He could only imagine how disappointed and angry his mother was with him. Ryukyu picked on this hesitation.
“How is that bad? If you weren’t playing with it, then I don’t see an issue.” Hado asked him.
“My quirk…my urges get stronger when I’m around fire, makes it harder for me to focus.” He remembered that day when it all fell apart. Years of restraint, of remembering the rules, all forgotten in an instant. But for the life of him, even though he hated the response he got, that he must have disappointed his mother, he couldn't find it in himself to regret doing it. Someone was in need…that was enough reason for him.
“What kind of bad thoughts? I get those all the time, like breaking my diet, not doing my homework.” Hado asked, with him being slow to respond.
“Fire, it makes me want to release it, burn stuff.” Ryukyu felt his shake there and didn't like what implications that had.
“Who told you that?”
“My mom.” He didn’t see it, both student and hero shared a worried look at that. Ryukyu had a better picture of the situation and could tell that this was quirk-related. So, the question was why did his mother purposely enforce such a self-damaging rule onto her son? Did she not know, or worse, did she not care?
“But you’re surrounded by fire right now, and are completely fine.” Hado raised a good point as if anything, she would say that being surrounded by fire calmed him more than anything.
“Well, I’ll just have to speak with her as it seems she got that wrong.” Ryukyu had enough experience with possible abuse victims to know that for those in doubt, being an active aggressor towards their abuser might not be the best idea, as instead, she'll need to get them to understand that if abuse was a happening, that they shouldn't defend their abuser or value the connection they had with them to such an extent that they'll disregard such terrible behavior.
However, she felt his body lose most of its strength as the toll of the day's events started to catch up with him. "But before then, why don't you rest for a bit? I can imagine you've had a tiring day."
“But,” He couldn’t stop himself from yawning, his eyelids heavy. “Who will take care of the fire?” Ryukyu combed his hair, lulling him to sleep.
“I can manage that till you wake up, but for now, rest.”
“Okay.” He nodded before in just a few minutes, he was out like a light, with Koharu remaining awake but calm, recognizing neither as a threat. Passing him over to Hado, Ryukyu got up to stretch her legs, and also think about what they had just learned.
If was apparent that his childhood was less than ideal, one of the worst cases if upon breaking one of these 'rules', he chose isolation in the mountains then returning. "Hey, Ryukyu. I been wanting to ask this for a while now, but do you know him?” Hado asked her, as she had been seeing strange things from her for a while now, but her mentor had refused to elaborate further.
“I know of him, Hado. His information was shared across the Hero Network some months back. Most of it wasn't flattering, but now I can see how it was almost all wrong." She looked at the boy and didn't see a villain, or a reckless teen drunk on his power, but a kind soul that was merely dealt a bad hand.
“And I in good conscience, let that stand. Not when I can save someone instead.”
And we’re done, that chapter was longer than I was expecting, but I figured that with my Holiday break closing in, I might as well indulge just a bit. There was also no point where I could put a sensible cut-off point that wouldn’t just be a needless cliffhanger.
