Differential Similarities (A My Hero Academia fanfic)

Chapter 1: Ary

"...So no I honestly don't think you can become a hero without a quirk,"

Well that certainly was not the answer he was expecting. You would think that the beloved, renowned and inspirational All-Might would be more than supportive of a child's dream to become a hero someday, but it appears that such a belief was misplaced at best.

Now, in any other instance, Izuku would simply shrug such criticisms off and continue on his merry way for that was just the kind of optimist that he was. This was different. The literal 'Symbol of Peace' had denied his plight; it isn't something one can merely ignore and move on from. Should it have affected him? No, he's yet another celebrity that prioritises fame over all else. Did it affect him anyway? Yes, after all if your idol did not believe in you, how would you feel? Did him being quirkless make him that useless, as the bullies had incessantly told him on a daily basis? Was Izuku's desire considered that farfetched? Was he really that much of a deku?

These and other, darker thoughts swamped him, nearly drowning in the despair that ensued. The drumming got louder and louder until he could start to distinguish the words being chanted. You see, growing up, there had always been that voice ticking at the darkest recesses of Izuku's mind, grinding at his already crippled self-esteem with the dread and fears accrued over the years. It would speak to him on occasion when Midoriya was at his most vulnerable, reiterating said thoughts, only with a voice that even daemons could hardly hope to recreate; an imperfect mixture of malice and sarcasm combined with the bloodied rasp of a dying man. After a while, the thing would echo back into his subconscious as quickly as it had appeared. Yet, the events of today made Midoriya actually contemplate the verity in its statements as he began to feel that maybe, just maybe, it had been right all along- no, he would not give up that easily. He was Izuku Midoriya, he reminded himself. He had gotten this far, he could and would go further.

Unbeknownst to him, All Might had long since left in the midst of his internal debacle, which may have been due to the man getting increasingly uncomfortable with the near endless spree of mumbling. It wasn't particularly surprising; it was not the first time that exact situation had occurred, nor would it be the last. Soon enough though, he did in fact notice, immediately ceasing and remembering where exactly he was: on an office rooftop, thankfully a short distance away from his home, judging by the roads below.

"Let's just hope he left the door open," Izuku thought, reaching for the doorknob, relaxing slightly as the door gently swung open which revealed the long stairway downward. The metallic planks followed the curvature of the pole, appearing to spiral for eternity, thanks to the equidistant holes woven into its grand design. Long story short, this was going to take a while. Briefly turning towards the sky, he again noticed another fact which should have been obvious: It was nearly sundown. "Mum is so not gonna be happy," he solemnly murmured as he started to descend the stairway.

Luckily for Izuku, the way down was surprisingly quick. Unfortunately, it was not quick enough as the sky had changed from its usual blue hue to a chaotic mixture of reds, oranges and yellows. Any other person would choose to wait a little longer and bask in the objective beauty broadcast in the air above, but for him, it was a signal that he was most definitely running late. If he did not arrive soon, then trouble would inevitably follow, however, it would not be in the way one would usually expect; Midoriya Inko was not a strict mother by any means, She was just really, really, really overbearing. Sometimes she would call the cops when he was away for too long, other times, the apartment would flood with her tears, causing untold problems for those poor unfortunate souls who happened to live below or adjacent to the Midoriya household. Honestly, Izuku was incredibly thankful for Miss Fukukado (or Aunt Emi as she would often insist to be called), his mom's younger sister who would frequently visit if just to check up on her, always succeeding to make her laugh, although whether that was because of her quirk or not, no one knew. He swore if there was anyone that could calm his mother down, it was her.

But as he approached the neighbouring apartment block, Midoriya could not help but feel something was off, and not in the good way. It was the kind of overwhelming dread that looms overhead and seeps into your very core, almost as if preparing for what was to come. It was then that he first smelled the ash clogging up the bright sunset. Something was on fire. Wearily, his eyes traced the stream of smoke, eventually landing on the building that was generating the fumes. And there it stood, his apartment very quickly becoming the eye of the blaze. His mother was inside. His mother was inside. His mother was inside-

He had to do something!

Without the faintest hint of hesitation, he ran forward, haphazardly chucking his belongings aside. It didn't matter. He could not afford to lose her. Not now, not ever. He reached the staircase that lead up to the apartment, only to find it blocked off by fiery debris. "No, no no no!" Izuku yelled, rushing around in a feeble attempt to find another way up. Suddenly, he found the remains of the charcoal safety ladder, laid upright against the wall. His mum was on the second floor, 2 levels upward, so all he needed to do was to climb up to the first floor and use the ladder again to get to the second. Midoriya did exactly that, escalating the building (much to the chagrin and worry of the heroes present) to the point where he was a mere half-metre from rescuing his mum. He saw her eyes and how they softened slightly upon seeing her son, safe and well. He saw her scared expression calm as she seemed to reassure herself that she was going to be alright. Her son was nearly here to rescue her-

Heat burst from each orpheus of the apartment block like bullets from a gun, doors ripped open and windows shattered. The smoke was temporarily cleared as a larger boom took its place, silencing the panic-stricken occupants, possibly forever. Izuku himself violently thrown away from the building as it exploded, his body slamming and rolling against the cold, hard concrete. Those medical officers at the scene, who were not either held captive by the flames or enthralled by the sheer destruction at hand, rushed over to the boy, checking his pulse. He was still alive, for now, but unconscious. Meanwhile, the mother he had so desperately tried to save, lay there still, her breathing having been ceased when the fire ensnared her being, roasting her from inside out.

----------

"Hello, Miss Fukukado speaking,"
"This is Mustafau General hospital, I'm calling about Mrs. Midoriya, I'm afraid I have some sad news."
"What do you mean?"
"I'm sorry to tell you that Mrs. Midoriya died last night in an arson attack."
"..."
"Her son, Izuku Midoriya is also currently in a comatose state. Since you are now his closest living relative, the duty of care will befall onto you. we ask that you come in to sort out any further details."
"... I'll be on my way, thank you."

She hung up immediately thereafter. Painful raindrops fell from her eyes and blurred her vision. Sniffles suffocated her speech and confusion slowed her mind. Frankly, she didn't care that she was currently on duty, the tears soaking into and staining her bright hero costume and that people were looking at her weird . Inko, her big, loveable sis, was dead for goodness sake! If she wanted to cry her eyes out, then she was gonna do it. Emi would recall the laughter they shared whenever she would describe a particularly hilarious villain run-in, the times where Inko would nearly always give her romantic advice after initially hearing about a certain introverted, raven-haired colleague that the younger Fukukado apparently fancied, and all the other experiences they shared, but now cannot share them again. The only living reminder of her now was in the form of her son, and Emi was damned sure that this time, she would keep them safe. She had failed Inko once, she would not fail her again.