Lost and Found (DISCONTINUED)

Chapter 11

Quick note: Ack! I'm sorry! I uploaded the wrong chapter here! Please reread this!

"Hey Irō, I was just checking if- What are you doing?" Todoroki walked into the blunette's quiet dorm room to see Akio tucking a few objects into his backpack: a knife, a bottle of water, and a spare set of clothes among other things.

"Sh-it." Akio whispered, trying to hide the backpack by covering it with a blanket using his air manipulation.

Worry crossed the other's normally unreadable expression. "What's going on?" He asked, hands on his hips.

Akio's glowing eyes averted, focusing instead on a few random items in the room before answering. "If I were complete, I'd be perfect. I'd be happy." He signed shakily, the burn of the acid drops rolling down his face was felt as he sniffled softly.

It took a moment for the other to read the sign, as it was shaky and difficult to understand compared to Akio's normal movements.

Once he did, he shook his head. "You're not going back there. You're going to be a hero. I don't care what your mind is saying, but if it has anything to do with you going back to that hellhole, then I'll..." He was cut off by the blunette pulling him into a tight hug, strange considering his aversion to touch. "Wha...?"

"Ri-ght... I'm s-o stu-pid..." Akio sobbed quietly into the hero student's chest, the acid in his tears burning small holes in the other's sweater. After speaking those words, he coughed a little blood up onto the sweater. "So-rry."

Todoroki was unsure what to do, so he kept his arms at his sides. "You're not stupid, and it's fine." He said softly. He understood that feeling all too well.

The two stayed like that for a moment, before Akio pulled away, sitting on his bed and sighing, looking away from the icy-hot hero. "You probably think I'm crazy, wanting to go back." He signed, still shaky but less so than before.

He shook his head, sitting next to the teenage nomu. "Not really. I understand, in a way, wanting to be perfect. But that would make you lose everything that makes you, you." He said tiredly, looking at the floor.

"How would you know? These experiments ruined my life." Akio signed angrily.

Todoroki shook his head. "I just mean the perfection part. I had to go through hellish training all because of my father's jealousy. I was scared of messing up because if I did, I didn't know what might happen. My father was awful, and my mother hasn't been around in years." He answered softly.

The blunette looked at the other this time, nodding in understanding. "I wished I had more time with my family."

"What do you mean?"

He sighed softly. "My momma was killed in front of me when I was five. Just before my quirk manifested. My daddy was never around. He was always at work. He doesn't even Akio for me."

"What does he use?"

His hands shook too much at the name to sign it. "Hika-ri." He whispered, coughing again.

The teen didn't know the origin of the name, or why his father would use a girl's name for somebody who was clearly a boy.

Akio pulled his blanket over himself. "I wished he even acknowledged me."

"I get that, Akio."

A few weeks had passed, the two were facing the redo of the practical portion of the entrance exam, just the two of them. Their goal was to reach or surpass their previous score they got in the first exam, Akio needing 20 more as his original practical test didn't get him into the hero course. Rescue points were calculated differently as well, with them being the only two in the facility.

Akio stretched, readying himself for the upcoming exam and practicing the use of his quirks, aside from phantom. That would only be used in a pinch. He didn't want to lose any article of clothing; be it a shoe or a shirt, he wouldn't if he could help it.

He needed at least 57 points to return to the hero course, and he wasn't losing his seat in that class.

The gates to the facility opened, and Akio was off like a shot, leaping to get the high ground. He looked around, spotting a one-pointer and grinned. He jumped down, launching a blast of air at the faux villain. He hummed, landing, freezing the foe, and disabling it.

He noticed Izuku not far behind him, flickering in and out of view. He bolted off, picking up and getting a robotic civilian out of the way from a two-pointer's range before taking it out with a combo attack. He heard a loud crash from a block down, assuming it to be his friend taking out another villain. It was such a rush running with the wind and taking down foes.

It felt like hardly any time had passed when the alarm signalled the end of the practical exam.

Akio took a deep breath, walking back to the entrance. He was too tired to utilize any of his quirks that would allow increased mobility.

Surō stood outside the facility with a grin, Recovery Girl next to him. "You two did great out there. We'll have your scores by tomorrow. For now, you two should rest, you look like you need it." He wasn't wrong. Izuku had a few bruises and a broken arm while Akio had a handful of bruises, a sprained wrist, and was completely exhausted.

After Recovery Girl healed the larger injuries, the two walked back to the dorms. Akio flopped on the couch in exhaustion, Izuku flickering onto the couch to join him.

Monday morning. Nine a.m. Akio and Izuku stood before their teachers and their classmates.

"Izuku Midoriya: 65 points! And, Akio Irō: 59 points!" Hizashi announced, a grin on his face as he looked at the duo.

Akio let out a sigh of relief, looking at Izuku, who had a smile on his face. He moved to the empty desk next to Todoroki's with a small smile while Izuku sat next to Sero. It felt strange, seeing as the seating arrangements were changed from before. Akio and Mina used to be seated together, with Izuku and Bakugou next to each other in the back. That rarely went well when it was like that, though, so maybe this would be an improvement.

Akio smiled to himself, putting his bag on the floor next to his chair.

He was going to be a hero.