The King of Heroes: Null/Virtue

Rivals

A/N: For those confused about the power-level of Quirks, most Quirks start out pretty weak, at least in comparison to power-houses like the Onyx or other Lords. But they can all become pretty powerful based on the upgrades. All Quirks are useful, even without upgrades, just not to the extent that they could turn the tides in a battle against a sufficiently strong opponent. Sorry if that was unclear.

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[One For All Boost: 25%]

Izuku hesitated to call his life boring. He spent each and every day learning and training. He pushed his body to the limits, and was constantly expanding his knowledge of the world. But after five years, he was starting to grow restless. He was unsure if it was just because of the monotony, or because he had just turned 14, and went through puberty not long before that.

He didn't resent being kept inside. He knew just how dangerous the world could be. It wasn't like he wanted to risk his life for excitement. Not only that, but he'd be putting others, like Kaina, at risk by doing so.

Even so, he'd gotten pretty strong over the last 5 years. His Eclipse Breath had not only grown stronger and easier to use, but Izuku found more than just one use for it. The only thing he was truly struggling with was his Dragon Form. Each and every Onyx could manifest a secondary form of some kind, and Izuku should've been able to transform into two given his Quirk's upgrade. But he'd yet to transform once. Being a Shifter made it hard for him to grasp some of the Onyx instincts and reflexes that everyone around him utilized with no problem.

Anything that wasn't at the level of a Lord was unlikely to be able to injure him, a fact he learned throughout the years, as the assassination attempts trickled in. Most were foiled before they could even reach him. But occasionally, something would slip through the cracks thanks to unexpected Magic or Quirk utilization, and Izuku would be in harm's way. Unfortunately for the assassin's, they were extremely outclassed.

Just because they could get past some of the guards or protections set in place didn't mean they'd be able to hurt anyone at all. They were often so weak in comparison to Izuku that he could stand there and let them hit him without injury. But he refused to outright kill them, since they were of no threat to him. The Onyx dungeons were becoming quite full with failed assassins, including the very first assassin Izuku ever took down, still missing his arm of course. No one felt like they should heal those injuries given the intentions of the criminal.

The most exciting days for Izuku were the ones he got to spend with Himiko. Whether it was a result of the NULL Lord's biology or just genuine friendship, Izuku had grown pretty close to her, but he wasn't sure if the opposite was true for Himiko herself.

She was never unfriendly. They had a lot of fun together, just playing board games, messing around, and generally being kids. And yet, something was off. She always seemed a little anxious around him.

Izuku chalked it up to society's expectations of them. They were supposed to marry and rule Draxia together. And given the etiquette training Izuku received, she was probably nervous about screwing something up. Izuku had no idea what her parents were teaching her, but for all he knew, they were teaching her to be a "good" wife. That sort of sexism could be really hard on a young girl like Himiko, if it was even the case.

As a result, Izuku always did his best to be casual around her, treating her like a friend and nothing more.

"Don't assume the worst," Fuwa cautioned him as she set out his wardrobe for the day, having heard his concerns about Himiko. "It could be something really simple, and needlessly complicating things never helps."

Over the years, the girls became more and more comfortable around Izuku, adopting the identity of his sisters. Of course, nothing had been fixed. Eri was still pretty meek, and Fuwa was incredibly uncomfortable around men that weren't Izuku. Haneyama was the only one who didn't have any outward signs of trauma, but Izuku knew it still affected her. She just preferred not to talk about it.