Come Back to Me (Izuocha)

Chapter 14: Memories

*1 week later

**Unknown POV**

I walked through the nighttime city with my head down and my hood was drawn up to conceal myself and avoid any interaction. As I walked down the street all I saw is talk about Heroes. I saw stores selling hero merchandise, I saw news reports talking about them, I saw people discussing them.

It made me sick. Made me sick that these people couldn't even run on their own. It angered me to see our world like this.

Every man and woman should be able to take care of themselves. Everyone should be their own hero rather than have to rely on these people.

Don't they realize how much this is slowing us down? People don't learn to defend and care for themselves because they are convinced that the heroes will save them, should any harm come their way.

Well, news flash people, life isn't a fairytale, not everything goes your way which is why these heroes make my skin crawl.

Heroes portray themselves as the bringers of good, that nothing bad can happen whilst they are around but that's not true. Accidents happen and they can't always save everyone.

Some people die and it's all because they choose to rely on heroes rather than learn to be independent.

I wasn't always this way.

I didn't always despise heroes as much as I do.

When I first learned about quirks and what a hero was that was all I wanted to be. I wanted to be a hero more than anything so that I could help people.

For my entire childhood that was my mindset. I wanted nothing more than to be one of them.

Then the accident happened.

I felt the memory rushing into my mind. Although I tried to fight it I was powerless as it overtook me.

I was 10 years old again. Looking on in horror as I saw flames licking up the walls of my home. I was in my room too scared to move.

Just then my mom and dad rushed into my room. Neither of them said a word as my mom scooped me up and carried me out of the apartment running the whole time with my dad right behind her.

We ran down the stairs and I could hear the building supports groan as the weight of the building was becoming too much for their weakened state.

We ran to the exit just as the first bits of debris started to rain down.

My mom and I got out before it came down.

My dad didn't.

My mom fell and hurt her leg really badly when getting out. She told me to go find help and although I was scared, I did what she asked.

I ran.

It was then that I saw him.

All Might. He could save my dad. He could help.

I ran towards him. "All Might!" I shouted. But he didn't hear me. And before I could reach him he jumped off to who knows where.

I snapped out of the memory with tears on my face. I wiped them away and continued walking.

My dad died that day. My dad died because neither me, my mom, or my dad knew how to defend and take care of ourselves.

We expected heroes to help us but in the end, even the greatest hero couldn't save my dad. Even though that moment was vexing for me. I still wanted to become a hero if anything so that something like that would never happen again.

I still wanted to be a hero but now there was a bitter part in the back of my mind telling me that if we knew to defend ourselves, my dad would still be alive.

There was still one big problem with trying to be a hero though.

Even though the majority of the population has a quirk, luck was not on my side. I was quirkless.

I was a freak, useless, defenseless.

Despite all that I still tried. I tried with everything I had to become a hero.

Another memory began to creep up on me and before I could react I was once again drawn into the past.

I was 14 this time. I had just met All Might in person.

I felt a little bit of anger towards him for my father's death but he was still my biggest inspiration.

"Can I become a hero without a quirk?" I asked him with my eyes closed.

After a whole ordeal with the reveal of All Might's weak form, he ended up saying no. Even when he was weak and vulnerable in front of me. He still told me that I couldn't be a hero.

He still wanted me to rely on him or other heroes rather than become my own hero.

This was the thing that finally drove me over the edge. He was the one that flipped the switch with those words.

Anger consumed me after that. But I hid it. I hid it behind my regular facade.

Later that day I found myself trying to save someone. I don't know why I did it but apparently, All Might had been watching. He later talked to me saying he had changed his mind and I could be a hero.

It took every ounce of strength in my body to keep my anger contained at that moment. I was angry he could think that he could just change his mind like it was nothing. But I'm glad I kept my resolve then because after that he told me about his power.

His power, and how I could gain it.

Those next 10 months were the most painful of my life. Not just physically but also emotionally.

I had to contain my anger towards him and all heroes for 10 months as I trained for his power.

I didn't hate everything during this time. I only hated the heroes and how much of a crutch they were for us.

I just needed to contain my anger long enough to gain his power. I needed his power to take action towards what I now wanted to achieve.

A world where we don't need heroes, where everyone is their own. I told him I wanted to go to UA and he helped prepare me for the exam.

But as soon as I got his power, I disappeared. I went off the grid.

I did this so that I could master my power and finally begin to reform our world.

The day I disappeared I decided I would never again rely on the help of anyone to achieve what I needed to do. When I was a quirkless kid I was given a nickname.

Deku, the name given to me to tell me how useless and defenseless I was

Well, I wasn't defenseless anymore I thought as I turned into an alley. No, now I had real power. Power I could use to pursue my goal.

I would no longer be useless Deku. Because now I could do something. From that day forward, I was Dekiru.