Lamentations of a War Machine

Into Tomorrow

5 Years Ago...

"Kacchan! Kacchan, where'd you go?!" A ten year old Izuku cries, looking through the darkened forest of the park, his face worried, as tears stream down his cheeks.

It's been hours since they were separated. Izuku has to find Kacchan and get him home!

"Kacchan!" Izuku continues to cry, before something rustled behind him. An animal? Or maybe Kacchan?!

No...

A man, in a terrifying mask and a suit, steps forth from the bush, making his presence. "Abandoned by your friend?" He asks, and every bone in Izuku's body is telling him to run, run, RUN. But he's frozen in place, watching the man get closer and closer. "Worry not, my boy. You will be safe. I will make it all better."

Darkness covers everything, as black tendrils sprout from the man's arms, wrapping all of Izuku's sight.

"I will make you better."

Present Day...

"So, is there any specific reason you chose katsudon? Like were you just craving it or...?" Jirou asks, as Izuku pokes at his bowl with chopsticks.

"Oh, uh, it's just my favorite." Izuku says, a small smile on his face. "I remember, when I was a kid, I'd always have a bowl when I had a bad day, or it was a special occasion. It's been a long time since then, so I just wanted to have one. I don't think I'll get it everyday though."

"A fine enough thing to do. Too much of a good thing is bad, as they say." Iida comments, nodding sagely. "Though, speaking of home life, it does raise an interesting question."

Uraraka slides forward, leaning across the table. "Is Mr. Aizawa, your dad?" She asks, cutting Iida off from asking the same question.

Izuku shakes his head. "Not biologically at least. It's pretty confusing, but due to circumstances, I'm in his care. I don't have much connection left to my original family name anyways, so I'm happy he lets me use his."

"What is your family name then?" Jirou asks, and Izuku lowers his head a little. "You don't have to answer. We haven't been friends for super long, so don't feel the need to go beyond what you're comfortable with."

"I appreciate that." Izuku says, looking back at his food bowl. "I do think I'll take you up on your offer though."

The three other teens look at him with somber smiles, before they all move on to cherrier topics.

On the other side of the booth divider though, Bakugou has been paying close attention.

The break between lunch and the next class was actually quite long, so Izuku had decided that going to see Shouta about what they were going to do for dinner wouldn't hurt anything. The teacher's office wasn't that far from the cafeteria after all, and slipping away was easy, so it was just a quick walk over.

He wasn't expecting to see a familiar face though.

"Mr. Yagi?" He asks, the blonde man turning around to face him.

"Young Midoriya!" The man let out in a squeak of surprise, blood pouring from his mouth. He quickly attempted to wipe away what remained by his lips, but Izuku was quickly handing him tissues from his pocket. "How are you so quick to hand me these every time?"

"I just finished lunch, so I had some on me." Izuku smiles, before realizing the man had said his old family name. "Um, if you don't mind, while we're here at UA, my family name is Aizawa. There's some complicated stuff going on, but it's for safety purposes."