He was so, so tired.
So over a summer holiday break, on a day none would miss him, the boy nicknamed as "Error" for his awful stutter and black-boned medical anomaly climbed the mountain that none return from.
And to never return was apt, for a time. For that child was gone not only from society, but from the very confines of that universe, for four long years. In that time, he had seen and done things none sane could think of, lived and loved things no mortal could survive.
But now, it was time.
"Are you ready for this, Izuku?" Nightmare asked, tilting his head. "You have not returned there in years."
The not-monster nodded, Determination burning in his gaze. "I'm ready." He hummed, static fizzling under his words. "I've wanted this for so long. I think, after all of this time, all these experiences, despite everything, I still want to be a Hero."
His fellow glitch hummed. "tHat'S aN ADmiRaBlE GOaL, aNd shOwS tHe StrEnGTh Of yOur DETermInAtiON." (That's an admirable goal, and shows the strength of your determination.) He smiled up at Error. "To quOtE TAlE - DesPItE EvErYThINg, IT's StILl yOu." (To quote Tale - Despite everything, it's still you.)
"Control that static, glitch kid." Dust waved him off casually. "And don't stab anyone. Yet."
With that final send off, Izuku stepped through the portal, and returned.
~~~
"Surface worlds." Was the first thing he muttered to himself as he took in the sights around him, once familiar, now as alien as his home would be to the other denizens of this AU. "They're always so...impressive, in a way."
Izuku spent just a moment to stand on the building's roof, and breathe in the Surface air. Readjust himself to the sight of blue skies and high-rise buildings. How humans and only humans, ran around the city, each with their own journeys and jobs to get to.
"This is what I'm striving to protect." Looking down upon it all, it was all so grand. So giant compared to the Undergrounds he had run through time and time again. "All of them. One day, I can..." The hiss of static in his voice rose, and he quickly focused, feeling the aura of magic and the stifled one of quirks all around him. The static fizzled to a stop, and he spoke again. "One day I can protect them. Save them."
Was this what a typical Final Fallen Child felt? The knowledge, that they could protect these people? It was a giddy feeling, yet also so daunting. These lives, one day, would be his responsibility.
Determination.
The glitch-child set his sights on a distant building, snapped his fingers, and disappeared.
~~~
The testing grounds for the UA entrance exams were on-campus, but off the main building. It was for security reasons.
So Izuku had warped a few streets away from the gates, in an alleyway to be sure that he wouldn't be seen teleporting. After a brief glance around to ensure none saw, the glitch child stepped out of the alleyway, and started walking to UA.
~~~
"Hey, take a moment. Breathe. It's going to be okay, there are always other ways to be a Hero." Izuku assured the nervous human girl who's rosy cheeks reminded him of a Chara. "There are other places. And I'm sure you can do this."
At his words, she visibly brightened, and clenched her fists in Determination with a bright smile. "You're right! I can do this! And I'm sure you can too. I'm Uraraka Ochako."
The Guardian smiled back, cotton-soft and fuzzy. "Miscalculation-Joku Izuku. You can just call me Joku."
~~~
His strings weren't as effective as he'd like against the robots, but he tried, tripping them up and throwing the lighter One-pointers into robots with higher point values. It still wasn't enough, and he kept being distracted by the hazards that the other examinees seemed to keep getting into.
Izuku grabbed a bit of falling rubble about to hit a purple-haired human, and swung it with his strings into another bot.
In his struggle to keep gaining points, he didn't see the person he saved suddenly light up with realisation.
~~~
"That thing is dangerous as hell what is wrong with UA-" The immortal hissed under his breath as he started charging recklessly towards the gargantuan robot. This was stupid, but Uraraka was pinned under some rubble, and he could see blood.
"Urara- Uraraka!" He called, wincing as his static fizzled through.
"Jo...ku...?" The girl lifted her head and squinted at him. "Why...are you..."
"A hero saves those in need." Izuku cut her off, letting loose more string from his eyes, even as it stung from overuse. "I think I can lift the debris off of you. Just stay still, and keep breathing steady. I'm going to Save you."
"Alrigh...t..." Carefully, he tore a string off, ignoring the slight twinge and what definitely was blood started dripping from his face, and fed it carefully under the main piece Uraraka was trapped under. Then, with a tug, he ripped the concrete off of her, wrapping her up in his strings and heading to run with her strapped to his back in the same movement.
Izuku didn't think he could be fast enough. He shot another string around a nearby lamppost, and starting tugging himself forward with it. The ground shuddered with every step the Zero-Pointer took, and with it, his eyes kept darting upwards in a fear of falling debris.
Then, it all stopped.
"The Exam has ended." A robotic voice rang out. "Please, head to the infirmary if you are injured, or proceed to leave your exam site if you aren't. Trapped people shall be freed by the Hero staff on-site shortly. Thank you for your patience."
Izuku slumped in relief, pulling the strings off of Uraraka, and setting her down.
"Are you alright? Can you walk?" He tilted his head in questioning.
Relief glittered in her brown eyes as she looked up at him with a smile. "I think I can, thanks to you. I'm just a little sick from Quirk overuse." He frowned a little, and focused on her aura, sensing the tell-tale ripples of slight Mana poisoning. Nothing deadly yet, but he was worried for her.
"Okay, if you're sure. I hope to see you when we're in UA then!"
~~~
"dId yOU mAKe AnY fRIEndS?" (Did you make any friends?)
"....yeah. I think I did."
~~~
"In the written exam, you scored 79%, which is passing." The Underground Hero hummed. "In the practical, you gained 36 villain points, which isn't enough to pass, but it would be illogical if we didn't reward heroic gestures. So, as decided by the examiners on-site, you received 30 Hero points as well, which together, is enough to qualify. Welcome to UA, kid."
~~~~~~
(1097 words)
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Erring From The Path Of Heroism (UT x BNHA Crossover Rewrite)
FanfictionAfter his fall into the Underground, and subsequent flee from his universe, Izuku "Error" Miscalculation-Joku had erred from his dreamed path of heroism. Dust and blood stained his hands, and for one so human yet not, that was literal in a sense. Mo...
