Team-up

9 years ago

Midoriya Inko sighed while pacing back and forth. They had been at it for an hour, now! What was she waiting for exactly? Izuku and Hisashi's break. Her husband had a training room he originally set up for himself once he obtained good pay from his hero work. He used it for himself before, but now that his son fully developed his quirk, he had been training him for over a year.

Her husband had changed ever since she gave birth to Izuku; he was more violent and easy to anger. He also had much higher expectations for their son. That was why she told him that they must have had regular breaks during their training session. During those breaks, Inko would inspect Izuku and check for any severe injuries. She simply didn't trust that man enough anymore to allow him to do as he pleased. Hisashi allowed it, but only on the condition that Inko would be prohibited from watching them train. His reasoning was that she was too sensitive to witness their training.

Naturally, she personally believed he didn't want her to stop them from going too far, which he was bound to do eventually. Until then, she was glad to see that Izuku always came out with minimal injuries.

"Alright! You can take a five-minute break, Izuku. But no more than that!" Hisashi's voice resounded near the door. A second later, the horned boy came out and closed the door behind him, immediately walking up to his mother, who simply couldn't help but run up to him.

"Are you okay, Izuku?" She questioned him, putting her hands on his shoulders, and checking him over.

"I'm fine," The boy simply nodded, not showing any sign of pain.

Just because he didn't seem in pain didn't mean he didn't have any injuries. Inko knew her son, and she was aware that he tended to hide when he was wounded or feeling ill. Perhaps he wanted to act tough to impress his father. Personally, she liked to believe he was doing it because he didn't want her to worry. She thought it would be cute if that was the reason.

"He didn't do anything too harsh, did he?" She asked as the boy looked up in thought, then shrugged.

"I don't think so," He responded. It was no surprise. If everything Hisashi told her was true, then Izuku wouldn't have the same concept of harshness because of his natural strength. Still, he should have been able to answer, which only made Inko wonder if Hisashi ordered him not to say anything.

"You know you can talk to me, Izuku," Inko said as she checked his face. It was a little bruised, but nothing serious. It was the same for his arms, although they seemed in poorer condition than his face. Narrowing her eyes, she lifted his shirt, which the horned boy didn't seem to mind as if he had nothing to hide. She was glad to see that there wasn't anything out of the ordinary, but he was still red in some places. There was also a strange line across his chest as if a cat claw had scratched him. It wasn't anything too deep, but still strange. They were supposed to train in hand-to-hand combat.

"Hey, Mom," Izuku's voice pulled her out of her thoughts. "Do you hate Dad?" He asked, bluntly.

"It's… Complicated," Inko replied, looking away. Did she hate him? Perhaps. She… Wasn't sure. Not totally. She was getting there, though. The fact that her own son asked this was devastating, though. A child shouldn't have to wonder if their parents hated each other. "He isn't like the man I married anymore,"

"But you're mad at him, aren't you?" He asked confidently.

"Yes, I am. Of course, I am. He shouldn't be hitting me, and he shouldn't be hitting you, either. Even if it's for training, it doesn't need to be harsh," She retorted a little hesitantly.

"I just don't get it," Izuku shook his head. "Isn't he a hero? And if he shouldn't be doing that, then why isn't he arrested?"

"I…" Inko stopped herself. He was still a kid, so he couldn't understand, it was natural. However, wasn't this her duty to educate him on these things? To tell him the truth of the world? Even if she didn't want to, she felt like she would regret it if she didn't respond honestly. "Heroes aren't like the ones in comic books, Izuku. It's not just your father, either… Most of them are just… selfish bastards who only think of themselves. Status alone gives them protection from the police force, but I don't expect you to understand yet…" She wanted to end it here and there, that there was no point in talking about it. Yet, she felt inclined to add something else. "I-I don't want you to be a tool for the commission. I won't let it happen, I promise. You deserve better, Izuku," She said in a comforting tone.

However, before she could add anything more or hear her son's response, her husband stormed out of the training room and grabbed the horned boy's arm.

"Break time's over," He simply said before pulling him away.

"Hey! I was talking," Izuku lightly protested as his mother swiftly stood up.

"Wait, Hisashi! Can't you see I was talking to my son?!" She yelled, only to be promptly ignored. The green-haired mother huffed, then ran after them. "He had enough training for today!" She shouted as she came in.

"The training will be over when I say it's over. And I told you you're not welcome here! Get out!" He ordered, ready to push her out of the room.

"Oh, and why? You don't have anything to hide, do you?" She challenged him with a glare and hands on her hips.

"I also don't have to tell you anything, so get the fuck out before I get mad. I don't wanna deal with your bullshit, today," Hisashi shoved her out, keeping her from going in.

"I have the right to see how my son is treated! Now let me in!" Inko insisted. Unfortunately, her husband didn't relent.

"Oh for…" Hisashi pinched the bridge of his nose before turning to his son. "See, Izuku? If you ever think of marrying the sweet innocent girl in your class, don't. They all turn fucking crazy with age," He chuckled, unamused, which only served to make Inko fume.

"Out of the way, already!" She pushed him aside. The man, unsurprisingly immediately glared her way, but she couldn't care less when she had to protect her son. The room was spacious, and there were a few burn marks here and there. However, what made her freeze was the metal pipe on the floor, bent as if it was hit against something. "Hisashi… What is that? Where did you get it? What did you do with it?!" She demanded an answer while the man sighed in annoyance.

"A metal pipe. I borrowed it from a construction site nearby," He answered nonchalantly. "Since you're so invested in my son's training all of a sudden, then you might as well tell you! I hit him with it. Got a problem with that?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Got a… Of course, I do! What kind of training is this?! Are you trying to kill him?!" She shouted, standing protectively in front of Izuku.

"Do I have to explain everything? You know he's tough! We've seen it! He never got an accidental scratch in his life! No matter how many times he tripped and fell or had some kind of accident, he came out unscathed. Even when he was a baby! Obviously, he's even tougher now. So it's not exactly training… But I'm testing how much his body can take," He explained, which didn't alleviate Inko's worries at all.

"And that's your solution?!" She pointed at the pipe as Hisashi shrugged.

"I'm a pro-hero, I know how injuries work, and I'm not stupid. If I tested him with that, it's because I knew he would receive minimal injuries at worst. Having a good analysis of his abilities and overall physical prowess will be even better once we show him to the HPSC," He argued, seemingly growing angrier by the second.

Izuku simply watched, unsure of how he was supposed to act in this situation. Seeing his parents fight was a regular occurrence, so it didn't surprise him anymore. There was one thing he knew, though. His father was the one to instigate the fights most of the time. He understood a little better what Inko had told him. Even if, in theory, she could beat him if he was caught off guard (and he would deserve it), she would suffer all the consequences simply because he was the pro-hero. He held a different kind of power, one that made him freer to do as he pleased than a normal citizen. He… Didn't want to be the tool of one of them. He wanted to do as live as he wished…

"Well, I'm a nurse! So I'll decide what kind of tests you can or can't do!" Inko snapped, ready to scream at him some more until she noticed something from the corner of her eyes. There, at the nearby bench, lied a knife. "W-What… What are you doing with that knife?" She asked, her blood freezing.

"Another test," He replied before picking it up, firmly holding it until his knuckles turned white. Inko grabbed a hold of her boy, holding him close. "Why the hell are you acting as if I'm gonna hurt him? I. Told. You… I know what I'm doing, and I'm tired of you acting like I'm an idiot!" He stomped on the floor.

"Don't come any closer," Inko raised her hand in defense. Naturally, she also tried to pull the knife to her with her quirk, but it couldn't escape Hisashi's hold.

"I already tested it, damn it! You really think a stupid knife will hurt him?! All I want is to show you that I'm right. Then you can go back in the kitchen and do whatever the hell you want, knowing he's perfectly safe in my hands," He argued again. Inko shook her head, refusing to comply.

It was getting more and more heated, and Izuku honestly began to think that they would actually start fighting. Unfortunately, his father had a clear advantage because of his superior quirk and physique as well as the weapon he was holding. Still, if it came down to it, he supposed he intervene and help his mother.

"Let go of the knife, Hisashi. Please," Inko ordered calmly in a shaky voice. This seemed to set the man off as he clenched his teeth.

"You… Bitch! Talking to me like I'm stupid again, aren't you?!" He shouted before backhanding her, which was enough to throw her off their son. Before she could do anything, he wildly thrust the blade toward Izuku's face, who could do nothing but widen his eyes at the approaching blade. "I'll prove you wrong, watch!"

The last thing the boy heard as he lost consciousness was the sound of something metallic snapping in half.

Present time

Izuku rubbed his forehead as he looked down, flabbergasted. This was a joke, right? It must have been a joke! Giran had called him because he found him a potential new member. Of course, he couldn't come right away because he was in school, so he was forced to skip his last classes.

"This is the person you were talking about?" He asked again, just to be sure.

"Yep! Found out about her only recently, but I can tell she's pretty good at what she does, so I'm sure she'll be a good asset," The older man replied, grinning as he gestured to the girl standing beside him.

"Hi, happy to see you again! The name's Himiko Toga! But you can call me Himiko, or Himiko-chan, or even Himi-chan, or better yet…" The blonde began introducing herself with a wide smile, showing her sharp canines, only for the tall boy to scoff.

"I thought I told you not to waste your life after I spared you? Are you going to try something stupid again so soon?" He glared her way while the girl innocently fiddled with her fingers.

"Uhm? No… Not at all!" She responded cheerfully.

"Did I miss something? You two already know each other?" Giran inquired, his eyes wandering back and forth from one to the other.

"She tried to kill me," Izuku simply answered. The information broker arched an eyebrow before looking at the young girl.

"Well, I don't want that anymore! I wanna team up with you!" She exclaimed confidently.

"I don't know what your plan is and I don't care, we're not teaming up. I need strong and valuable guys, not some stupid crazy brats, Giran. Next time, be careful who you show me," Izuku huffed, then turned around and walked away without even waiting for a reply.

"Hey! Wait for me! You don't even know what I can do yet!" Himiko Toga chased after him, leaving Giran alone in the cabaret.

"I'm definitely not getting enough paid to deal with those ungrateful shits," He deadpanned, taking a puff of his cigarette.

Izuku did his best to ignore the annoying girl following him around, hoping that she would just give up and quit. He could kill her, but he would rather avoid getting caught in the act since they were outside. Now that he thought about it, it would have been smarter to do it in the cabaret.

"Come on, please! Give me a chance!" The girl pleaded as she walked to his side. "I'm sure we'll have so much fun working together!" She argued, putting her hands on her blushing cheeks.

She was attractive, but he had a feeling she was absolutely not talking about the same thing he was currently thinking. It didn't matter either way.

"As I said, I don't waste time with petty serial killers. I need people I can count on," He denied her as the girl growled like a wild animal.

"But I'm telling you, you don't even know what I'm capable of!" She shouted before planting herself in front of him, which really began to irritate him.

"Except for that little disappearing trick, you showed me nothing impressive when you tried to kill me. Now out of my way!" He grunted before shoving her out of the way and walking ahead.

The blonde yelped, nearly falling to the ground before regaining her balance. She glared at his back, almost willing to take her knife and stab him as hard as she could, only to remember it was futile. Instead, she just looked down and sighed.

"I should have figured. Even other villains want nothing to do with me," She muttered with a shaky voice. She wouldn't cry here. Absolutely not. It would be pathetic if she did, especially after everything she had done. She sat on the floor, her back on the wall and her knees against her chest as she hid her face between them.

Hearing her words through his enhanced hearing, Izuku paused. The green-haired boy sighed, realizing what he was about to do as he walked back to her. Without saying anything, he sat beside her and remained silent for a few seconds before finally speaking.

"What's wrong?" He asked. Unlike his harsh tone earlier, this time he sounded much calmer, but not heartwarming or anything.

"Why do you care? I'm just a crazy brat, right?" The ashen blonde retorted, her head still hiding behind her legs.

"Huh?" Izuku cocked an eyebrow. "Did that offend you? Why? Everyone's a little bit crazy, anyway," He argued, which Himiko scoffed at.

"Wouldn't it bother you if everyone always called you crazy all the time?" She replied. "It's not like I chose to be this way,"

"To be what way? You don't look out of the ordinary to me," Izuku remarked as the girl snickered humorlessly.

"I need blood for my quirk. It makes me crave it, so you can guess how well regular life went for me," She responded, glaring at the wall. Yes, the memories of everyone around her, including her parents, looking at her like she was a monster. The fact that even her smile was considered creepy and deranged made her blood boil. "When I saw your eyes, I knew you were a killer," She revealed, which didn't seem to surprise the taller boy. "Because of your appearance, I thought you were discriminated against or something… So I thought we could relate… Be friends 'cause we're the same. Guess I was wrong,"

"That's why you went to Giran?" Izuku questioned while the girl nodded in response. "The fact I killed has nothing to do with that. Sure, a ton of people see me in the street and think I'm a villain, but why would I give a shit? These maggots aren't worth the trouble if they can't even say it to my face," He added as the girl's interest suddenly perked up. "Besides, I saw how you fight. Even if you can't do anything to me, there's no doubt you're much stronger than the average guy. You shouldn't care about the opinion of someone you could easily kill," Himiko looked up in surprise at his words.

"You really think I'm strong?" She inquired. She wasn't often complimented, after all. Actually, she mostly never was.

"I don't lie about these things. Your ability to erase your presence was impressive. Was that your quirk?" He asked. The blonde froze, still surprised, for a few seconds before regaining her senses to answer.

"Uhm, no. That's just something I learned. My quirk is to turn into other people when I drink their blood," She explained as Izuku hummed.

The fact that erasing her presence wasn't a quirk was impressive. The boy had to admit that. She clearly killed several people already and knew how to fight. Her quirk was also immensely useful. It could be even more so if she worked for him. But those factors weren't enough to convince him to actually recruit her.

"That's a pretty good quirk. If the only drawback is a craving for blood, then the ones who rejected you for that are morons," He commented, to Himiko's surprise.

"T-Thank you…" She stuttered. Again, she was not used to the praise, and she certainly wasn't expecting it from him considering how he behaved until now. It made her so much happier than expected as if she had waited for words like these for years. In a way… She did. As long as she could remember, no one ever said anything positive about her quirk. "My parents would say otherwise. They always hated it," The way she said made it clear that it wasn't just the quirk they hated.

"They sound like assholes," Izuku commented, making the girl giggle.

"Yeah, they are," She agreed while the boy glanced at her from the corner of his eye.

"I get why you started killin', but what's your end goal?" He suddenly asked. The blonde arched an eyebrow in confusion.

"My end goal?" She repeated.

"Yeah, what's the purpose? What do you want to accomplish? Or are you just planning on killing until a pro-hero does the same to you?" He elaborated as Himiko widened her eyes.

"They would do that?!" She exclaimed. She was aware some heroes killed, but it was accidental most of the time, wasn't it? They wouldn't actually kill her, would they?

"Why wouldn't they?" Izuku scoffed while shaking his head.

"They… Don't sound like good heroes," Himiko scratched the top of her head.

"Welcome to reality. Most of them aren't," He grumbled. It seemed he was speaking from experience. "You still didn't answer my question,"

"I don't know…" She looked down, uncertain. It was the first time someone even asked her something like this. "I never thought about it before. All I want… Is to live the way I want to. I guess," She shrugged. The boy was silent. For a second she thought he was disappointed. That was until he began chuckling before exploding into full-blown laughter. The blonde flinched in surprise.

"Well, that's obvious! Every living creature wants to do whatever they want! To live any way they wish!" He laughed as if she had told a joke. Himiko simply blushed in embarrassment. Was she being ridiculed? She couldn't tell. As if he had sensed her feelings, the boy continued. "But it's something I can understand. Humans are the only animals who have established so many rules to follow. In nature, only might matters. It was frustrating to repress yourself because of those rules, wasn't it?" He asked with a grin.

Himiko simply stared at him, speechless. Yes. Yes, it was. That was all she wanted. Just one. Just one person to get it. One person who actually understood her. She was aware killing may have been… Wrong, but it didn't matter. She wanted to be happy and do as she pleased. She was tired of being hated for something she couldn't control. She was tired of seeing people's disgusted looks… Her parents' disgusted looks every time they laid their eyes on her. Perhaps, her first assessment wasn't wrong after all. Izuku may have lived a similar life?

"You're talking as if you aren't human. You're funny, you know," She giggled with her cardigan's sleeves in front of her mouth.

"You're in luck," Izuku stated, ignoring her statement. "I'm going to change things," He said, stopping Toga's giggle. The girl tilted her head in confusion. "There will be no rules anymore. There won't be things such as heroes and villains either. The only thing that would matter would be the individual's capabilities. Like in nature, your freedom extends to the power you possess," He clarified. In a world like that… Wouldn't everyone start out equal?

Himiko knew one thing for sure, no one would discriminate against her anymore if she just killed everyone who was disgusted by her.

"The way you're talking sounds like you want to change all of Japan," Himiko snickered nervously. Izuku simply scoffed in amusement.

"Try the whole world," He retorted, making her widen her eyes in shock.

"What? I-Is that even possible?! Changing the whole world…" Toga began mumbling, barely able to conceive something like it.

"I'm the only one who can," He smirked confidently.

The blonde widened her eyes, her heart nearly stopping as a breath was caught in her throat. Was he bragging or overconfident? No. She could see it in his eyes. He completely believed he could do it. That no matter what got in his way, he would accomplish his goal successfully. Her hands lightly shook, slowly expelling sweat from them. Something made her heart beat faster as she watched him. She also wondered what a world like that would look like. She already lived alone for a whole year in this world, so she was confident she would survive.

"What do you think?" Izuku asked, pulling the girl out of her thoughts. "Wanna help me with that?" He offered.

"Wait… Does that mean… You're taking me on your team?" She asked with a hope-filled voice.

"Yeah. You're not that bad. You'll have to prove your worth, though," He warned her, to which she cheerfully nodded, deeply blushing along the way.

"Of course! You won't regret it!" She jumped up excitedly. "What are our next plans? Huh? Who are we killing?! What government institution are we blowing up?!" She questioned with a mischievous grin. It seemed she already had the idea in her head to become a terrorist.

"Now slow down a second. I appreciate the enthusiasm, but we have to take it slow. I already have a lot of plans in mind. The biggest part of the operation could really kick off in 9 months or something," He responded. Himiko gave him an inquisitive look, about to ask him what those plans were exactly and why to wait for 9 months. However, he talked without pausing. "We'll have to work in the evening most of the time. If I skip too many classes, people will get suspicious, so I would rather avoid it," He explained.

"Classes? Are you in college?" Himiko inquired in surprise.

"College? What the hell are you talking about? I'm in the last year of middle school," He answered as if it was obvious, leaving a pregnant pause during which the ashen blonde stared at him, bewildered.

"Wait…" She shook her head in disbelief. "You're in the middle school? Then that means… I'm older than you?!" She yelled in shock, making the tall boy tilt his head, partly confused and partly annoyed.

"Why do you sound surprised? Wasn't it obvious?" He asked with a frown.

"Obv… You look like you're in your thirties!" She snapped at him, gesturing to him.

"Huh? No, I don't," He stubbornly replied, acting like he was actually offended by the assumption.

"You even called me a brat! Why would you do that? Of course, I'll think you're a middle-aged man!" She crossed her arms with furrowed brows. The horned boy clicked his tongue, still looking offended. She liked that. He didn't look as scary. Nonetheless, she realized something else. "That means I'm your elder, doesn't it? You could call me, Big Sis!" She suggested, embracing one of his arms. "Or Himiko-Onee-Chan! Wouldn't it be cute?"

"I'm not calling you that," He impassively answered while she clung to his arm.

"Are you sure you don't want? Not even for me?" She asked, fluttering her eyelashes at him with slightly red cheeks. "You can ask me to do something in return if you call me that…" Suddenly, the boy used his other hand to lift the back of her skirt, immediately making her let go of his arm. "Kya!" She grabbed the back of her skirt out of surprise. Fortunately, the horned boy also removed his hand. "What are you doing?!" She blushed while looking around, making sure no one saw her panties.

"Don't try seducing someone so daringly if you can't even handle that," He scoffed arrogantly, seemingly unaffected by her attempt. Oh, it wasn't like he didn't find her attractive. He simply knew better than to turn into a pathetic drooling dog the instant a woman looked at him. If she ever noticed something such as this worked on him, she would always do it.

"Oh…" She uttered before narrowing her eyes, her blush deepening. "You're naughty…" She smirked, then blinked. She was about to call him by his name, but she just realized she didn't even know it yet.

"If you're done here. Let's go. We can talk more about our future plans at my place," Izuku notified her, already walking away. "My mother's probably cooking katsudon,"

"A-Already inviting me over? I don't even know your name!" She giggled as she skipped after him. Maybe there was still hope for her, after all, wasn't there?

"Oh, right. I'm Midoriya Izuku," He replied, making the girl's grin wider.

"I'll call you Izu-kun!" Himiko bravely stated. Now that she knew his name, it also made her desire for his blood more powerful. It was as if she could smell his bloodstream and hear his heartbeat from where she stood.

"Don't call me that," The green-haired boy grumbled in annoyance.

"Do you like Midoriya-chan more? Oh, oh! Maybe Horns-kun! Zuzu?" She suggested, making the tall boy sigh.

"Just shut up and follow me,"

"Izu-kun, it is!" She laughed.

"I said, no,"

Naturally, he was promptly ignored. Even though the girl had planned on being recruited today, she didn't actually think she would be accepted. Nevertheless, she had a feeling this would only get better as time went on. She hadn't felt this in quite some time, but… This was a new person she wanted to become.