Before my heart gives out (My hero academia)

Make a difference

Time went by as Izuku recovered. He talks and reacts more. The light in his eyes is ever so slowly returning. The blankness in his expression was fading away with every stroll he'd take in the courtyard with Ryu. Their outings have become a daily occurrence, the bond between them was growing with every passing second. This man managed to get through the boy's thick walls and was slowly saving Izuku from drowning in his own bitterness and sadness.

These past few weeks, they learned a lot about each other. Izuku learned that Ryu used to be an underground hero before his retirement. He lost his sight a long time ago, while he was on one of his patrols. A fire had erupted in one of the apartment complexes on his route. However, the incident didn't stop him from staying a hero. He worked hard, trained, learned to adapt and he managed to save so many people because of his determination and hard work. He later retired when his age was no longer suited for hero work.

However, Ryu couldn't stay forever and tried to see Izuku whenever he could.

Yet, in the short time they spent together, the man lit a fire in Izuku. His dream didn't seem too far from his reach anymore.

The man promised Izuku to train him. He will help him hone his senses and teach him how to fight and defend himself. Ryu will help Izuku see that his blindness isn't something that may hinder him. He will learn how to use it in his favor.

It will require a lot of hard work but Izuku is prepared to do anything to accomplish his dreams. Life was short, Izuku knew that all too well. He was going to make a difference and save as many people as he could. Even if it took all of his time and energy. He will become a hero.

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The training was going relatively well, Miss Luna granted him permission to go out every day before noon. He would wake up early and go for a run.

One day, he stumbles onto Dagobah municipal beach, he remembers going there as a child with his mother. It was beautiful there, a great contrast from the garbage-filled beach, it is now. Mountains upon mountains of trash were scattered everywhere. That day, he decided that part of his training would consist of cleaning it.

He couldn't see the beach's beauty anymore but maybe, just maybe, he could grant the others this opportunity. His mother would have loved it.

Soon enough, it became something of a routine for him. On the weekdays he will go through his usual exercises and training while cleaning the beach and on weekends Ryu would give him martial art lessons along with other weapons and self-defense training.

Those self-defense exercises consisted of intense sessions where he'd have to focus all of his senses on his reflexes and his awareness. They'd train for hours on end.

At the end of the day, he came back to the orphanage half dead. However, with the bone-deep exhaustion came a satisfaction he wouldn't trade for the world. He finally has something to live for, to work hard and fight for.

As the days passed by, he realized just how much his powers had changed him. His reflexes were enhanced, his senses were extremely amplified along with his flexibility and balance.

One day, while doing parkour training with Ryu, he realized just how easy, how right, it felt to jump from roof to roof, to scale the buildings of Musutafu as if they were his own little jungle gym. The city quickly became his playground.

Yet, training his enhanced senses didn't always lead to good things, because training made his range expand. Every night, he'd lay in bed, sleep forgone entirely as he tried to shut off his brain. To make them stop. The screams, the endless calls for help. Afraid and desperate for someone, anyone to save them. He could hear their pleas, their dying screams, their wishes for a hero to save them. Unfortunately, heroes never came to their rescue.