What a Tragedy

Chapter 10: A Road to Recovery

Izuku walked behind Aizawa-san closely, not leaving a six feet radius of him as they walked down the halls. This had been a regular routine for the two of them for the past few days. Izuku wore an oversized black hoodie with loose fitting jeans and a new pair of red sneakers, as he didn't have a school uniform yet. Recovery girl had given him a hair tie to pull his hair out of the way. It wasn't a very long ponytail, but he thought it looked okay.

Internships were still going on, but Iida has gone back home. Todoroki has returned to his internship with his father the next morning after their night in the hospital. Izuku remembered how when he'd been set up in their room, both boys looked relieved, but nervous. There had been a question in the back of his mind ever since he woke up and calmed down. It had to do with Todoroki.

"Do you mind if I ask you a question, Todoroki?" He had written on the paper notepad that he'd been given and showed it to the duel haired boy.

"Go ahead," Was the response.

"I couldn't help but notice something during our fight with that guy. You only use ice when to me it appears you have both fire and ice. I was wondering if there was a reason why?" The notepad read. Izuku watched his face as he read it. The way his body stiffened and eyes became guarded. He recognized it.

"I don't know what you're talking about," He huffed.

Izuku's brow furrowed and he took the notepad back and wrote a new message on a blank page. "Alright, you don't want to tell me, that's fine. I won't force you. But judging from your reaction, I can make a pretty good guess on why. And I understand."

Iida sat on his bed not knowing what to do or say as Izuku presented his silent advice. Todoroki read the message and the crease of his brow loosened as he looked up at Izuku in a silent understanding.

He took the pad and continued. "I know what it feels like to be used for others own selfish purposes. It's the truth of my entire life. And I can tell that it was yours too. I don't want to make assumptions on what your past as been like, so I won't. But I can tell you resent your father. I know that he's Endeavor judging from facial structure and your surname. And I'm sorry for that, I can't even begin to imagine what you must have been through."

Todoroki's face morphed into shock as he read his note and he lowered his gaze when he finished with a scowl. "I hate him. I'll resent him until I die. I'll become a hero just by using my mother's Quirk and I'll reject him. I won't use his Quirk."

The sound of pen scratching paper filled the room and Iida pulled his phone out (The hospital staff decided to give it back, despite the cracked screen) and mess with that while they talked.

Izuku held the notepad up again. "Can your mother control your ice?"

The hot-and-cold boy looked at him confused. "No?" He said. He waited for Izuku to finish writing his note.

"Can your father control your fire?"

"No," He grumbled lowly.

Izuku wrote quickly and once he was done he looked Todoroki in the eyes resolutely while hesitantly putting his hand on Todoroki's left one while holding up the notepad.

"Your heritage does not define who you are as a person. You are neither your mother nor your father. You are who you want to be because you are your own person, your Quirk is the same. You control it so it is up to you to decide how you want to use it. You have an amazing Quirk, Todoroki. It's a Quirk that I would kill to have. But you fail to realize how close we were to dying today because you refused to use it to it's potential. How much longer until your ice isn't enough? The way your thinking will only hurt you in the end, and I hope you realize that by doing this, your letting your father win. Your letting him win by showing him he has control over you. It's your Quirk, not his. Don't let anyone convince you otherwise."

Todoroki's eyes went wide and something in them sparked, like a flame that had been put out was now roaring again with determination and the will to move on. He smiled and looked down at their hands.

"Thank you Midoriya."

He nodded softly and went back to his own bed, pulling the IV stand with him.

The night went on and Izuku slept soundly for the first time in what felt like his entire life. The next morning he'd met with UA's principal, who, for some unfathomable reason, had taken an extreme liking to him. The mouse had asked him to do an analysis on one of the heroes working at UA, Snipe, and showed in one video of him fighting.

That had been enough for Izuku to do a five page detailed analysis on his Quirk and fighting style, along with side information. He and Nezu shared a long talk together about quantum physics and Quirk theory. That had been fun.

And now Izuku walked down the halls of UA with his new caretaker, shadowing behind him. The halls were empty aside from the occasional hero that walked by. Apparently they had contacted his mother, who he didn't even know was still alive, and told her of his situation. She still didn't want to take him. She'd found a new man and was newly married again with a daughter.

Izuku truly hoped that she was happy.

But that had left Izuku to the foster system to which Aizawa had been so kind as to take him in. Izuku could swear that it was Nezu's doing but he didn't say anything. He would never tell the man, but he felt guilty every time he looked at his face. A scar ran across his right cheek under his eye, right where Izuku had cut him.

It was his fault.

He clutched the notebook in his arms tighter to his chest with a mechanical pencil in his pocket for when he wanted to write something. So far he still had a long way to go before he could speak normally, but after a few days of physical therapy with Recovery Girl, he could whisper words faintly. Just not for too long though.

Izuku almost ran into Aizawa after not noticing him stopping, but caught himself before he could. "You okay?"

He looked up and nodded to him.

Aizawa opened the door to reveal the rest of the heroes that worked at UA behind their desks doing paperwork. Izuku felt very uncomfortable in this room as he looked around to see heroes that he might've given information about them to villains.

It made him dizzy with guilt.

Two people noticed as the walked into the room and looked up with happy smiles and warm welcomes.

Izuku didn't deserve that.

"Heya kiddo, how are you today?" Midnight asked him.

He took the mechanical pencil out of his pocket and flipped the notepad to a fresh page. "I'm fine, how are you?"

She smiled warmly, "I'm doing quite alright."

"Heya Little listener! How's your day been?" Present Mic said as quietly as he could. He was trying to tone it down a bit due to Izuku's easy startling, which was greatly appreciated by both him and Aizawa.

"Good," He wrote.

"Problem child, remember you need to go to Recovery girl's office for another physical therapy appointment and Hound dog's for an actual therapy appointment," Aizawa said as he sat down at his own desk and started on paperwork.

Izuku frowned. He didn't like that he had to go to therapy appointments. He was fine the way he was, he didn't need to change.

"You'll be alright, kiddo. It's just therapy," Midnight said softly.

He looked to them and nodded, then walked out the door towards Recovery girl's office.

Hello.
Short chapter, yeah, I know.
But I like the way it was ended and it's length, so suck on that!
So I hope you guys liked this chapter for what it is, and how it's written. I have a basic idea down. Izuku never smiles. Kinda like Eri, he never had a reason to after he got kidnapped, so he's forgotten how.
The next chapter will take place after internships are over. Then the class will get to meet Izuku.
And before you guys ask, no, Bakugo does not remember who Izuku is. He may have vague memories, but remember that he was four when Izuku went missing. Most of what he knows about him is what his parents have told him.
So I'm just stopping you here before you start asking.
Anyway I hope you have a good week.
Thanks for reading!
Bye!
~Ace-chan