Life Within a Tarot Deck

Relighting the Fire

Izuku was currently pacing back and forth in the waiting room, muttering dark thoughts of what-ifs and what-nots, becoming even darker when Aizawa, who was sitting on a couch across from him, was looking at the greenette with eye twitches of concern.

This kid is 14 years old, how the living hell is he so negative? He had been through a lot according to Murdock. Man, this is depressing.

"Kid."

"Eeep!" Izuku jolted and turned right at the man, looking like a deer in headlights. "H-hai!?"

"I heard that you mentioned becoming a Pro Hero, is that still your dream?" Aizawa asked, not only to keep the kid's mind off of things but to see if he still had intentions.

Izuku then gave a light smile and sat down in a chair across from the Underground Hero. "Yes, I still would like to become a Pro Hero. At first, it may have been a fool's dream, but maybe now I can make it a reality."

"You are Quirkless, correct?" He questioned, noticing the verdanette tense at the question and growling. "If you are planning to go that route, you will have to think outside the box."

Izuku blinked at the phrases he just said, as those weren't the ones he was expecting to hear. He looked at the dark brunette. "Do you approve of the Quirkless becoming Heroes?"

"If they know what they are doing, and if they have the drive. I am not going to deny that."

Izuku looked at him with newfound respect. He then chuckled. "I am registered as Quirkless, however, my flame Quirk just activated about a week ago so it's just not registered yet."

Aizawa looked at him in surprise. "You are a late bloomer?"

Izuku nodded, but then scrunched his face. "What Recovery Girl told me was, I had the Quirk the entire time. It just did not take form until that attack from that Sludge Villain a week ago. She called it a Conditional Quirk. It did not heal my injuries due to my mother restricting my diet."

The Underground Hero flinched at that. Conditional Quirks are unusual and require certain stress or life-threatening situations. Rarest are ones required by death. "How did yours trigger?"

Izuku's face tightened, trying to remember the events. "I-I don't know, it may have been when Kacchan blasted us away from the villain and from there it became foggy. What I do remember is that the villain had broken my arm, and when I came to it had healed."

"A recovery flame? Kind of like a phoenix?"

"Yeah, then they also told me that I had...u-ummm..." Izuku looked down in massive guilt, tears were forming in his eyes. "I had m-m-murdered the Sludge Villain without my knowledge."

Aizawa's heart gripped in sorrow. The boy had killed, and was so young too. "You did what you had to do to survive. No one is going to fault you for that."

"B-but the fact I killed someone..."

"That is the life of a Pro Hero," He said gruffly and saw the greenette looking at him in confusion. "The job is not always going to be Unicorns and Rainbows, and we usually try to reduce casualties. Sometimes we don't have a choice and have to face tough decisions. There will be a decision where you have to remove one to save thousands. You have only a taste of the reality we Heroes go through."

Izuku then looks down in thought, contemplating what the Underground Hero said. He is right, even if Izuku was conscious the villain went berserk and tried to kill the Bakugous, Death Arms, Kamui Woods, and Backdraft would have been a casualty too. He had little choice.

Aizawa saw a firm change in the greenette's face of resolve, and that made him smile internally. "After knowing that, do you still want to be a Hero?"

The teen looked back into the eyes of the Pro Hero across from him. "If I back down now, then who will protect those in need?"

Now that made Aizawa smile wickedly. "Now that is the resolve of a true hero, if you ever get into UA I will be glad to be your teacher."

Izuku smiled as well and gripped his fist's determination. "I will be a better hero than the current no. 1."

Now that made Aizawa raise his eyebrow in confusion.

—

Katsuki sat right next to the toilet in a complete daze.

He still could not believe that the Nerd suffered such torture for 10 fucking years, and still smiled until he eventually lost the mask. How could Inko, the woman he originally thought was sweet as syrup, cause even more pain to Izuku? His heart broke in a way that he could only feel regret, as he did not realize until a week ago that his friend needed help.

That is if Izuku still considers him a friend.

"I am such a dick, some friend I am. I just made his life even more miserable." Katsuki whispered as fresh tears fell down his cheeks. "I deserve to go to Tartarus just as much as that fat whale."

How am I a true friend when I did not know his personal life?

You should have listened to your instincts. You should have suffered with him.

Society would have made life hell for you too if they knew you are a Quirkless Supporter.

Why not take your own advice and jump off the fucking building, maybe then you will reincarnate as a better person!

Katsuki flinched at that last thought, stabbing another blade of guilt at what he said to Izuku. It sounded tempting, but he knew that it was a coward's way out instead of facing the music.

That and the Nerd would then blame himself for it. I refuse to bring him even more pain.

He then looked at himself with self-loathing in the window before punching the despicable face glaring back at him.

I will protect Izuku if the Divine Being gives me this chance of redemption, whether with his knowledge or not. No one in this Goddamn society will hurt him without getting their fucking dicks blown off.

"NOOOOO, LET ME GO!"

Katsuki got snapped out of his musings when he heard ungodly screams from outside the bathroom, getting even louder.

"PLEASE MITSUKI, HAVE MERCY!!"

Then it dawned on him, it was the fat whale. Getting up suddenly and yanking the door open he came face to face with the female greenette.

"You! You and your mom will pay for this!! You will never be able to go to UA, you will never be a Hero now that they know you were also that Choad's assailant! Your career is ruined!"

Katsuki stomped on the woman's head, causing her to kiss the floor with a bloody nose. The officers looked at him in shock, hands slightly drawn in case things escalated. He gave her a look reminiscent of an Oni.

"If that is the case, then I will become a Vigilante." The blonde said with a growl, pressing his foot further down, and the woman underneath him whimpered in pain. "And if I do get arrested, then I will take the crime proudly. Unlike you, I did it to keep Izuku safe from the vultures at school. Should have done the same to you, fatfuck."

He then removed his foot and watched the officers continue to drag the greenette away, her blood blemishing the marble floors in a beautiful yet gruesome display. Smirking, he went back to the courtroom knowing that the broken nose is the least of that whale's worries.