Wings of Steel

The Price of Heroism

43 years ago

"Why did you take me on as a trainee, Shimura-sensei?" asked a young 17-year-old boy to the woman who was walking beside him on a regular patrol.

"Well, in my opinion, you can never have too many heroes! It's a privilege teaching the up-and-coming generation so they can surpass the current one," came the reply, as the woman, Nana Shimura, smiled down at her student.

Nana Shimura was an athletic woman with a youthful face and a smile that could light up a room. Her voice had a kind and caring undertone to it, and her visage spoke of a patient and carefree personality.

"But won't it affect Toshinori-san's training as well?" asked the boy yet again, this time pointing to a blond-haired youth with a well-built physique who seemed about the same age as the boy.

"Oh, you don't need to worry about that!" came the blond's quick reply as he waved his hands in dismissal of the boy's statement.

"Toshinori-chan is right. You needn't worry about his training," affirmed Nana. "Besides, I'm sure Gran Torino will be happy to help young Toshi train!" The latter half of her statement was accompanied by a sharp smirk.

Toshinori froze mid-step. "W-What?" he stuttered.

"He isn't that bad," exclaimed Nana. "He believes in you, and that's why he pushes you so hard."

Toshinori Yagi was all but shaking in fear by now.

Nana promptly ignored him. "Besides, you have a good heart," said Nana, continuing the previous conversation. "I can feel it!"

"Wha-" the boy was clearly dumbstruck by her statement.

The veteran hero promptly stopped in her tracks and turned back towards him. "You need to believe in yourself if you want others to believe you," she said with conviction.

"It doesn't matter what Quirk you have or how strong it is." The passion behind her words could be felt by the listeners as if it were a tangible force. "You can only be a hero if you have the heart to sacrifice all that you have. You need to be willing to suffer for the sake of others and put your lives on the line for complete strangers. That's what it truly means to be a Hero. A figurehead of hope. A ray of light in a world filled with shadows." Her white cape flowed behind her, giving her an ethereal quality.

"It takes a good heart to be a true hero, and I can see that both you and Toshinori have that heart." Nana was now addressing both–her successor-to-be and her student from another hero course.

"Nurture those hearts and be the best heroes you can be. It doesn't matter that both of you are Quirkless!" Nana opened her arms with a flourish, which was only enhanced by the cape billowing behind her.

"But most importantly, remember to cultivate this quality in the generations that come after you. After all, it's a hero's job to inspire the next generation to act."

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Present Day

Inko Midoriya was a middle-aged woman of 40 years and a proud mother of one. She could also be described as a very caring and gentle woman who wouldn't harm a mosquito even if it bit her. Unless her son was involved. Then she could, as her best friend put it, 'crack some serious skulls.' She had to be this way, though. After all, her son didn't have a Quirk of his own. And she was aware of how insecure Izuku was about it still. She loved her son with all her heart, Quirk or no. This also meant standing with him and giving him all the support he needed, even standing up for him should the need ever arise.

She knew her son was strong. No doubt about it. But she was a mother, nonetheless, and mothers tend to worry the most about their kids.

Speaking of worry, she was quite anxious about the fact that her son wasn't home yet, despite his school getting off about two hours ago. So worried, in fact, that she was just about to leave to make sure Izuku was alright when she heard the doorbell go off.