A Tarnished Hero

Tsukauchi's heart beat once, twice, thrice, then skipped the fourth before it continued as normal. His eyes locked onto the teen's green orbs, the palpable hope lying underneath nearly making the detective refuse his request right then and there.

The watch on his wrist continued to tick by as he found his mouth unable to utter a single sound while the man in front of him slowly became a bit perturbed.

"Is something wrong?" Midoriya pursed his lips, the words exiting his mouth slapping Tsukauchi out of his sudden inability to speak.

"My apologies, Midoriya, but I'm afraid your request is impossible to consider at this point in time." Tsukauchi was quick to think of various excuses as to why. "You see, the authorities have labeled you, as of now, as a tentative villain, bordering on vigilante due to what happened in the USJ. As such, any outside contact is prohibited due to security reasons. I hope you're understanding of your situation."

"Hmm…" Midoriya hummed, and the detective had a feeling that the man didn't like it, but he was accepting of the situation that surrounded him. "Very well. That said, how long until all this is over?"

"Once the villains are all accounted for and give their testimonies, we shall see what will happen." Tsukauchi's heart slowed down, a breath of relief leaving his lips. "But rest assured, from the testimonies gathered from the victims, we will make sure that you will be free from charges labeling you a villain."

"Good to know." Izuku sighed as Tsukauchi made to exit the room. With his back turned, his stomach flipped back and forth as he felt the stare from Midoriya bore onto his back. Grabbing the handle, he looked once more at the man and gave him a slight nod, before he headed out and was greeted by All Might and Nezu with frowns on their faces.

All Might wasn't that one that spooked him, however, it was Nezu's frown that made all of his mental danger bells whine in panic. Whenever the rat looked like that, somebody's day was about to be ruined. He sure hoped it wasn't him.

He already had his hands full with this… confusing case.

"Detective Tsukauchi. I assume you are done with questioning Midoriya Izuku?" Tsukauchi hastily nodded his head, not wanting to be the target of ire the little rat could give. "Good, then allow me permission to speak with the man who had saved my students and one of my employees."

In but a split-second, Tsukauchi stepped aside from the door and allowed the rat entry. No way would he jeopardize his job and safety because he wanted to deny the rat the satisfaction of his curiosity.

"Oh, by the way. This will be off the record, am I clear?" Tsukauchi moved to deactivate the sound recording devices faster than ever in his life.

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Nezu's beady eyes locked onto the man sitting behind the desk, hands chained like a dangerous criminal. However, his eyes said otherwise.

This being was a beast. A dangerous beast that could rip of his restraints in but a fraction of a second if he was so inclined. But he surmised that the man viewed it as either beneath him, or counter-productive to his goals. A sentiment that Nezu could respect.

Climbing up the chair because human-sized chairs weren't kind to his plush-sized body, Nezu couldn't help but gaze into the piercing green orbs that was Midoriya's eyes. Or more specifically, the hint of a slit pupil.

If he squinted his gaze long enough, Nezu could spot the slight constriction of his pupil from circle shaped to slit shaped. It was a nice touch of detail to add to the mysterious savior of his precious students. And that begs one of the many questions he had in store for the man.

"What is your quirk?" Nezu propped his snout on his two hands as he leaned forward. Midoriya didn't show any kind of body response from the sudden line of question, causing a hint of a smirk to show on his face.

"Nothing." That was an answer he didn't expect to be given. Such a mystery, and Nezu loved mysteries. It was probably time to go diving into the Japanese records again, dig up more information about this peculiarity sitting right in front of him.

"What we got from the security cameras told otherwise." He remembered the video with Midoriya turning - or maybe summoning it would be an apt description - his arm into that of a giant scaled reptile. Quite possibly a dragon quirk, but unlike Ryukyu's full body transformation, it was a partial transformation.

Questions for another time, he supposed, once he has Ryukyu in the same room with Midoriya.

"But that is there and isn't at all important for our… discussion, so to speak." Nezu grinned and the tilting head of Midoriya gave him quite the rush. "So, allow me to ask you this one thing, Midoriya. Have you ever thought of being a hero?"

"A lot of times, actually." Now that was a surprise. Based on what he's wearing, the spots of grime on his armor, the various dents and cracks, and even the lack of luster, it was clear that what shielded him from the elements were under light maintenance, if it ever was maintained at all. Something a hero would never dare drop to. "Sadly, the world decided I was never meant to be a hero and offed me before I could even try."

The vitriol that escaped his lips was second to the implication that the man before him had indeed been killed. That didn't explain how he was walking well and looking alive much more than the Symbol of Peace who had most of his organs removed because of the fight years ago.

"So, you really are the one that died to the Sludge Villain?" Izuku's glare sharpened, before he nodded his head. "Well… That is quite the revelation. Are you aware of what happened to your murderer?"

"Nope, but I sure wouldn't mind skewering him myself." Izuku growled, hand rubbing the bottom side of his chest. "Make him understand the pain of how it felt to die."

"Now, now, Midoriya. As much as you are justified for wanting revenge against your killer, that would be less than ideal for a man such as yourself who is already in hot water with the authorities." Nezu's words caused Midoriya to react poorly.

"Is that a threat?" Nezu felt the table shudder at the weight that was pressing down on it, but he didn't let that perturb him.

"No, but a fact. From what we heard with your talk with the detective, your goal of meeting your mother would be hard pressed to be approved if you showed signs of bloodlust." Nezu waved his paw around. "Believe it or not, I am here to help you. My thanks for getting my students and employee out of harm's way. However, I would need your undue cooperation for you to leave this all behind without legal ramifications."

"So, what? What do you want me to do?" Nezu blinked. He didn't expect the man to agree at once without even a hint of protest. The more he interacted with this man, the more his curiosity began to grow.

"Oh, nothing too harsh. Just answering a few questions, a bit of a demonstration of your capabilities, and possibly a teaching role in my school." Now it was Midoriya's turn to blink. Oh, how he loved messing with the minds of humans. It was just so much fun!

Nezu was also sure that outside of this room, both All Might and Tsukauchi had their mouths agape. As if they could even veto his decisions. No matter how unorthodox, everything was for the greater good of humanity. Something humans didn't want to do themselves.

So, why not an animal do it then? Become the puppeteer controlling the actors from behind the curtain to ensure that humanity doesn't implode in and on itself.

"A… Teacher…? You want me to teach your students?" Midoriya hummed, quite possibly a sign that the man was thinking deeply on it. A trait Nezu really appreciated.

Nowadays, only Aizawa was the one that thought hard about his decisions. It would be a nice change of pace for another one to pop up. Who knows, it might even be fun butting heads with each other in intellectual battles.

"Indeed. Normally, I wouldn't offer such a delicate spot to one unknown, much more so if they aren't registered heroes." Nezu grinned with his beady eyes focused on Midoriya's. "You, however, are a special case. I won't go into the nitty-gritty now but trust me when I say I have your best interests at heart."

"How do I know you aren't lying?" Ah, such a wonderful specimen. This truly was the greatest gift he had received this day. The HPSC must never get a hold of him.

"You don't, but as a token of my gratitude…" Nezu's voice went down an octave, knowing how hard it was to relay this kind of information to Midoriya. "I can give you the permission to meet your mother."

Hook, line, and sinker. Sadly, what comes next might be truly… devastating for the man… He hated this part of heroing, and most, if not all heroes around the world shared the sentiment.

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Izuku got out of the car with Nezu riding atop his shoulders. Behind him followed All Might in his deflated form with detective Tsukauchi slowly getting out of the driver's seat. He couldn't help but feel his heart beating within his chest, a wide grin plastered on his face as he thought of seeing the person he held dear to his heart.

But that grin faded away when he saw where they were. Looking at the arc with a sign at the top, his heart skipped a beat.

Slowly, the group proceeded forward, with Izuku dragging his feet as his heart continued to tighten. The further in they went, the more Izuku felt it harder to breathe.

He could feel the stares coming from the group. The pity, concern, and most of all, sympathy. It was never easy losing someone you loved.

And once they stopped in front of a grave, Izuku knew what it felt to truly break.

Dropping to his knees, tears cascaded down his cheeks as gasps of air escaped his lungs. Inching forward, he laid his hand on the smooth stone, the grave well cared for and maintained. His other hand stroked the writings on the tombstone, each character making his hand go numb.

Midoriya Inko… That was the name that was written on the tombstone. The name of his mother who he never managed to say goodbye to, or even thank her for everything she had done for him. And now…

Now he wouldn't be able to…

His gasps slowly turned to chuckles, voice raspy and hoarse. A small grin floated up his face as he thought of everything that had happened to him.

His death. His sudden transportation to the Lands Between. His struggles. More deaths. His triumphs… All of those…?

It didn't compare to the void that formed inside his chest when he saw the name on the tombstone.

Why did it always happen to him? Why did the world make him life's punching bag? Was it because he dreamed too big? Was it because he stepped on someone else's toes!? WAS IT JUST BECAUSE HE WAS BORN!?

Forehead impacting the tombstone, he wrapped his arms around the stone and wept, all the while those behind him continued to watch him grieve. This continued for a time, seconds stretching into minutes, and minutes stretching into an hour.

A pat on his shoulder caused him to jerk, and he twisted his head like a rabid animal, mouth turned into a menacing growl.

"My boy, I know how it feels to lose a loved one." All Might kneeled beside him, blue eyes locked onto the tombstone before him. "It never gets easier, holding the grief inside. But your mother wouldn't want to see you like this."

Izuku's didn't let go of his frown, but he did manage to turn his sights back onto the grave. Tracing the characters on the tombstone, he felt himself choke on his saliva.

"How… How did she die…?" Izuku didn't like the sound of his voice. It felt raspy… frail…

"Suicide." Izuku felt a punch in his gut. "She mourned for you; you know. I was there at your funeral; I saw what she looked like. Months after your burial, she…"

Even with All Might's voice trailing off, Izuku knew what he was about to say. So, in the end, it was still his fault. His fault that he died. His fault that Katsuki continued to bully him. His fault that she died…

Always… It was his goddamned fault… Maybe… Maybe Katsuki was right… Maybe he was just a fucking Deku…

"Midoriya, look at me. Please." Izuku didn't respond, the words entering one of his ears and exiting out the other. "Midoriya, please look at me."

When he didn't respond again, he felt a hand on his head. Twisting his head to the side, his eyes gazed into piercing, blue orbs.

"Midoriya, I know what you feel right now. I know it all too well." All Might lowered his head. "This was a mistake that would haunt me until the day I die. I do not deserve your forgiveness, nor your sympathy, but please, think of your mother's wishes. What would she want you to do when she's gone…?"

All Might's words caused Izuku to dig deep within his mind. The memories of the past that blurred together like an abstract painting coalesced and made it hard to distinguish one from another. But one was clear. Clearer than anything in that amalgamation of pictures, colors, and static.

A computer. A video. His mother walking in with a tray of food. A smile… Her smile…

"You can be a great hero!"

Even after all this time, he never forgot that moment. He could recall it with perfect clarity. The time where everything was simple, where everything wasn't a fucked-up cauldron of bad luck and malice.

So, he vowed. He would become a great hero. If not for himself, then for his mother who believed in him when he was younger, so that when they meet again… He can finally say he became a great hero.

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