Chapter 25: The Weight Of It All
The exhaustion was real, a living, strangling presence that wrapped around them like a second skin. It rested on their shoulders, a burden that increased with each new day. The battles had been constant, an endless string of battles and close calls. Sleepless nights had become the rule, their nightmares filled with the black figures of the Order of Aether. The Order was ever present, hanging at the back of their minds, their existence a shadow that could not be erased. But for them, quitting was not possible. Not when their family hung in the balance. Not when everything they loved was in jeopardy.
Izuku stretched out on the hammock in his bedroom, his bright red hair flowing over the sides like burning lava. The room was alight with the golden, dying light of the sun as it dipped below the horizon, its rose and amber tones casting long, dancing shadows on the walls. A dreamcatcher suspended from the ceiling, its elaborate pattern composed of fine vines dancing in the air from the open window. The soft thrum of music filled the air, a fine effort at hiding the madness that destroyed the world beyond.
In his pocket was the reliable notebook No. 25, its pages crammed with scribbled notes, ideas half-begun, and flashes of insight. His pen cut across the page, the ink flowing as uninhibited as his mind. Yet no matter how he worked at it, one question would not be quieted, festering at the borders of his mind like an itch that wouldn't go away.
It doesn't make sense, Izuku muttered, scowling in exasperation. If they're really after us, then why attack our parents first? Why not attack us directly?
His pen hovering above the sentence, the ink coagulating into a small bead of paper. He thumbed through the notebook, scanning the careful lists mapping out each member of the family. Each high point, each low point, each idiosyncrasy—everything was recorded in exquisite detail. And yet, something was lacking. Something he couldn't quite place.
A flood of determination ran through him. With one swift motion, he swung his legs out of the hammock and gently placed them on the wood floor. He walked across the room, tracing the backs of dozens of notebooks until he came to the one he sought: No. 23, the Family Edition.
This notebook was different. It was a chronicle of his family—their quirks, their habits, their secrets. Nothing escaped Izuku's keen eye, and this notebook was proof of that. He flipped through the pages, his eyes darting from one entry to the next. Katsuki's raw, explosive power. Minoru's calm, calculated precision. Shoto's icy control. Fumikage's mastery of shadows.
And then, it clicked.
---
Fumikage Aizawa-Yamada
Fumikage's quirk, Shadow Manipulation, allowed him to command darkness with remarkable precision. He could shape shadows into weapons, barriers, and even merge with them to move unseen. In low-light environments, his abilities peaked, making him a master of stealth and ambush. His power thrived in the darkness, turning him into a formidable force in both offense and defense.
---
Izuku's breath hitched as realization struck. It wasn't just Fumikage's quirk—it was the pattern. Each member of their family possessed a rare, powerful ability. Katsuki's Hecate, Minoru's Hecate, Shoto's Cryo-Telekinesis, Yuuga's Soul Gems. Each ability was an asset, a weapon.
The Order of Aether knew this. They weren't after just Izuku, Katsuki, and Minoru. They wanted the entire family.
"They don't want us by ourselves," Izuku gasped, his grip on the notebook constricting. "They want us all. They want our quirks."
Shiver ran down his spine as it all became too real. The Order wasn't attempting to murder their parents so that they could finally have a shot at them—no, the Order was battling their parents because they came as part of the package deal. The Aizawa-Yamada clan wasn't so much a target but a treasure trove of energy. And the Order desired it all.
---
The family was in the living room, the atmosphere heavy with tension. Shouta and Hizashi sat together on the loveseat, Eri sleeping between them. Yuuga and Minoru sat cross-legged on the floor, their faces serene but their minds racing. Shoto and Denki sat against a bean bag, bowls of untouched soba in their laps. Katsuki and Fumikage stood behind the counter, watching Izuku pace and gesticulate with a notebook in his hand.
"It didn't add up," Izuku started, his voice ringing through the silence. He halted pacing and turned to his family, green eyes burning with conviction. "Why would the Order attack you guys if they only cared about us?
Shouta massaged his temples, his fatigue apparent. "Izuku, come on. You're giving me a headache."
Izuku opened the notebook, holding it up for all to view. "I sat down and read it all. Our powers, our weaknesses. And then I got it."
He passed the notebook to Shouta, who read through the pages with a frown. Hizashi hunched in as well to read, eyes growing wide with comprehension. The notebook went around the room, each member of the family reading the whole of the entries regarding their quirks and talents.
"Where in the world did you get all this?" Yuuga asked skeptically.
Izuku shrugged. "I observe."
Shoto arched an eyebrow. "That is not an exaggeration."
Izuku nodded his head and went back to Fumikage's page. "You don't get it. We're not only powerful. We're something to be feared. A group of abilities so rare, so lethal, that the Order is attempting to close us down. They're after us because of our chaos powers, but not only because of our chaos powers. They're after us for all that we possess. Our quirks, our ability—our family."
The room fell silent, the gravity of his words suspended in the air. Katsuki laughed then, a grin spreading across his face. "They want to own us?"
Izuku nodded. "And if we don't do anything, they'll take it all."
Katsuki grinned further. "Then they've made a mistake."
Minoru grinned, his familiars trilling in otherworldly harmony. "They won't even notice what's become of them."
A ripple of laughter broke the tension, cracking through the fear. Even Shouta smirked, shaking his head. "You're all idiots," he murmured, "but you're my idiots."
Resolve settled over the room, a quiet but unshakable determination. The road ahead would be brutal, the battles unrelenting, but they would face it together. No Order, no force in the world, could break the Aizawa-Yamada family.
They would fight.
And they would win.