Cross the Divide

Searching for Answers

The days passed in a blur after his conversation with Uraraka. Izuku had thrown himself into training and helping out with missions, trying to shake the ever-present weight that clung to him in this unfamiliar world. His classmates—no, his friends—had done their best to include him, to make him feel like he belonged, but Izuku couldn't help but feel like he was still just an echo.

Hawks had been the first to mention it, during a quiet moment after a mission. "You know we're going to have to figure out how to get you back, right?"

Izuku had looked up, startled, from where he'd been studying the scattered wreckage of another villain hideout. "Back... to my world?"

Hawks nodded, his expression unreadable beneath his visor. "You're not supposed to be here, Midoriya. And as much as we've all been trying to act like things are normal, they're not. You're not the Izuku Midoriya we lost."

The words had hit hard, even though Hawks had delivered them with as much care as possible. But Izuku knew he was right. There was a strange feeling of wrongness that hung over everything—like he was walking through someone else's life. His world needed him, and this one... this one already had a hero who had made the ultimate sacrifice.

Now, standing in front of the massive gates of U.A. alongside Hawks, Shinso, and Iida, Izuku felt the weight of those words pressing down on him. They had called an emergency meeting with the faculty to figure out their next steps. It was time to address the situation, even if Izuku wasn't ready for the conversation.

He glanced over at Shinso, who had been unusually quiet since their last talk. There was something in his eyes—concern, maybe? Or was it fear? Whatever it was, it made Izuku's chest tighten. Shinso had quickly become his closest ally in this strange world, and the thought of leaving him behind hurt more than he was willing to admit.

"Ready?" Hawks asked, breaking the silence.

Izuku nodded, even though he wasn't sure he was.

They stepped into the main building, the familiar hallways of U.A. stretching out before them. Everything looked the same, but it wasn't. Every corner, every classroom felt like a ghost of the life he had once known. The thought sent a shiver down his spine.

The teachers were gathered in the staff lounge when they arrived—Aizawa, All Might, Present Mic, and Nezu all looked up as the group entered. All Might's eyes softened when they landed on Izuku, but there was still an unspoken sadness there, a reminder of what had been lost.

"We've gathered to discuss your situation, Midoriya," Nezu began, ever the calm voice of reason. "It's clear that while you've been able to adjust to this world, your presence here is... an anomaly."

Izuku swallowed, his heart pounding in his chest. He wasn't sure he wanted to hear this, but he knew it was inevitable.

"All Might," Nezu continued, turning to the former Symbol of Peace, "you and Aizawa have both been working on theories as to how Midoriya ended up here. What have you found?"

All Might glanced at Aizawa before speaking. "We believe it has something to do with the child Midoriya saved. Her quirk may have caused the rift between worlds. However, since the girl herself isn't here, we need to search for someone else with a similar quirk or a doppelgänger."

Izuku's mind flashed back to that moment—the panic, the chaos, the swirling energy that had pulled him away from everything he knew. It all made sense now. The quirk. It had to be.

"Have you been able to locate anyone with a similar quirk?" Iida asked, his voice filled with determination.

"We've been searching," Aizawa answered, his tone flat but focused. "The process is difficult because we don't have many leads. We're looking for someone who might have a quirk related to dimensional manipulation or similar abilities."

Izuku felt a pang of guilt. It wasn't the girl's fault. She had been scared, just like he had been. But now, finding her—her doppelgänger or someone with a similar quirk—was their only hope.

"Then... what do we do?" Izuku asked, his voice quieter than he intended.

There was a long silence. No one seemed to have a definitive answer.

"We continue to search," Nezu said at last, his tone reassuring but cautious. "But in the meantime, Midoriya, you should be prepared for the possibility that this may take time. We may not find a solution immediately."

Izuku nodded, though his heart sank at the thought. How long would he be stuck here, living in the shadow of the hero he never got to be? How long before they could send him back to his world, back to the people who needed him?

As the meeting began to wind down, Hawks stepped forward, placing a hand on Izuku's shoulder. "We'll figure this out, kid. Just hang in there."

Izuku offered a small, tight-lipped smile, but his mind was already racing with thoughts of what lay ahead. If they didn't find someone with a similar quirk soon, if they didn't find a way to reverse this situation... how much longer would he have to stay in this world that wasn't his?

The weight of uncertainty settled over him as they left the staff room and headed back toward the dorms. The thought of leaving this world, of leaving the people he'd started to bond with, made his heart ache. But more than that, the fear of never returning home gnawed at him.

As they walked, Shinso fell into step beside him, silent as ever but offering a comforting presence.

"Don't worry, Midoriya," Shinso said, his voice low but steady. "We'll figure this out. And when we do... I'll miss you."

Izuku's chest tightened at the words. He glanced over at Shinso, his throat constricting. "I'll miss you too," he whispered, feeling the weight of those words more than he expected.

But he couldn't think about that right now. Right now, they needed answers.