4- Taken

'He is such a sad sack that even now that he's a senior, he still can't face reality.'

'You need to see reality for what it is, kid.'

'It's time you started thinking seriously about your futures!!'

No one had supported him. No one thought he was capable of becoming a hero. Not even All Might himself. Why did he have to be born without a Quirk!?

'I told myself I'd climb to the top of the pro-hero world…' Deku thought, close to tears.

'Don't cry! Just let it sink in!!

'I always knew it was impossible… but I desperately refused to accept it!'

He kept walking on his way home going through a noisy neighborhood.

'Just block it out. Just block it all out. Just-'

BOOM

An explosion interrupted his thoughts.

"What the…"

He hadn't been on his way home like he thought; He had subconsciously come to see the villain attack.

'I came by habit… to see the heroes. I should just quit already. It's hollow now.'

Yet, he couldn't help but join the crowd to watch.

"Eh? Him again?!"

The slime was somehow setting off explosions!

Had the villain slipped away from All Might?

"Its… my fault!" He said aloud, mouth agape. His hands squeezed around the straps on his back pack.

"Why are all the heroes standing still?"

"The guy's got some middle schooler hostage."

The slime has swallowed someone else?! Will they be able to bear the excruciating pain he himself had experienced?!!

'Oh no…'

"I see. So that villain… is the same one All Might was chasing earlier, right?"

"All Might?! Seriously?!!"

"He's here?!" The Number One Hero didn't usually come to this part of town.

"...!" All Might, who was also eavesdropping like Deku, had gotten startled when he was mentioned. Then again, the citizens couldn't recognize him in his weak form.

"Yeah, I saw him a second ago."

"In that case, what's All Might doing now?"

Izuku and All Might hadn't noticed each other, yet. 'This is all my fault-- All Might can't transform!'

Now the villain can't be captured until a hero with a Quirk that works against him shows up!

'Hang in there..! Somebody..! A hero will come save you soon!!' Deku looked at the slime monster who was strangling the victim. Their eyes met. Those red eyes... Wait was that--?!

Deku fell into a full sprint. "KACCHAN!!"

"?!!"

"You idiot, stop!!" The pro heroes had enough problems on their hands already!

"iT's tHat bRaT!!"

"DEKUUUUU!!!" Katsuki yelled angrily through the murky slime. He didn't need a weakling's help!

'What am I doing? Why am I running…?' Knowing Kacchan, he certainly did not want his help. So why…

"i'LL blOW yOu tO piEcEs!!"

'What do I do?! At a time like this?!'

He swung his backpack, hitting the monster's eyeball. "Shya-!!"

"Kacchan!!" He frantically pulled at the slime, desperately trying to remove it from Bakugou's body.

"YOU!! WHY YOU?!" Why would this stupid idiot help him after what he had said? He didn't need his help!

"My legs moved on their own! I don't know why either!"

He could have said many things at that moment,

"WHERE DO YOU GET OFF PUTTING YOURSELF AT MY LEVEL?!¨

...but the only thing he could say through his tears was,

"It's because…! Your eyes were pleading for help!!"

Hearing this, All Might transformed, not being noticed by the people who had their eyes on the idiot who ran into the attack.

'I'm pathetic!'--All Might was already at his limit--'Pathetic!!'

"iT wiLL onLy tAkE a liTtLE lOngEr… doN't gEt iN mY wAY!" The slime was about to swing one of his arms at Deku when the pro-heros sprung into action and grabbed him.

"You wanna kill yourself?! You'll die for nothing!!"

All Might, in his buff body, charged--"I CHEWED YOU OUT FOR SOMETHING I NEARLY DIDN'T PUT INTO PRACTICE JUST NOW!"--the blood gushing out of his mouth as he spoke--"A PRO HERO PUTS HIS LIFE ON THE LINE…!"--- and with one punch---"DETROIT SMASHHHH!!"--The slime exploded into little pieces;All Might grabbed the two teenagers before they were swept away along with the monster.

"Rain?"

"Unbelievable… He sent him into the stratosphere!"

"With just wind pressure?!"

"Woah! Hold on… don't tell me…"

"HE ALTERED THE WEATHER WITH A SINGLE RIGHT SWING?!!"

"Oh my god!! So this is All Might…!"

"....." All Might felt dizzy. His doctor had told him that straining his body would lead to worse consequences but… if he hadn't shown up… who would have?

-+-+-

The other pro-heroes collected the bits of slime that had fallen as rain and delivered them safely to the cops.

They had also gotten really angry at Midoriya.

"You had absolutely no reason to rush headlong into danger like that!"

It was stupid to rush headfirst into situations like that but… Kacchan probably wouldn't be here if he hadn't.

Midoriya began to second guess himself.

Meanwhile, Kacchan got nothing but pats on the back.

"You're a tough customer! And that Quirk!"

"Once you become a pro-hero, I'd love you as my sidekick!"

Most of the crowd had already dispersed. 'I wanted to apologize to All Might. Maybe I can leave a message on his homepage--'

"Deku!"

"!" Kacchan? Is he going to thank him?

"I…!

"I never asked to be saved! Least of all by you!

"In fact, you didn't save me! Right? Right?! I did it all on my own!!"

"..?"

"I won't let a Quirkless, worthless little rat like you look down on me!!

"You think I owe you some kind of favor?! Don't you dare fucking look down on me!!

"You shitty goddamn nerd!" He turned and left Deku standing on the street, speechless.

The heroes should've left Bakugou in the slime.

-+-+-

All Might, after escaping the press, had gone to search for Midoriya.

'Maybe that kid could be…. No. Nighteye already has someone. I can't betray him again."

He gave up on looking for Midoriya.

-+-+-

'Whaaa-?! Midoriya? Your kidding, right?'

'You don't even have a fucking Quirk! So where do you get off putting yourself on the same level as me?!'

'You should just give up already.'

'It's impossible.'

'I'm sorry, Izuku! I'm so sorry!!'

"I just want someone to tell me I could be a hero." Izuku said, as he looked down from the rooftop of the school. "Maybe it's better this way." His eyes had lost the energy to cry.

He crawled over the railing that surrounded the roof. He looked down and let his grip on the wire fence loosen. 'Maybe I'll come back my next life, with a new body and a Quirk. I can surely be a hero then!'

¨I can´t go through with it.¨ He couldn´t bring himself to let go entirely. Maybe he could just take All Might´s advice and be a police officer or something like that. He could have a bright future after all!

He turned his body in attempt to get back over the railing, losing his hold on the wire, and fell, eyes wide, hands reaching up into the sky.

---but before his head reached the ground and splattered, a purple void swallowed him up.

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