One by One

Tell Me That I'm Not Lost

Two references to the same song... Can you guess where they are, or what the song is? I'll give you a hint: the title is one!

Izuku Midoriya should have expected it. With his father's eyes for power, he should have known that he would do something to make up for the lack of power Midoriya possessed. Even if Midoriya wasn't revealed to be quirkless yet, Midoriya should have known that some sort of contingency plan was in full swing by his second birthday. Midoriya knew everything he needed to know about his father, and like Endeavor, Hisashi was willing to bring forth an offspring that only served to quench his thirst for power and dominance.

With that being said, Midoriya was genuinely surprised that Aka showed her face. Midoriya didn't expect Aka to be like Hisashi, despite physical similarities, but he didn't think that she would run away from America only to see him. With a chance at anywhere in the world, why come to the one place that Hisashi was currently in jail at? It couldn't only be a desire to see Midoriya... Could it? But why would that be?

While Aka looked like Hisashi, her habits were reminiscent of Midoriya. She talked with her hands, was constantly nervous and therefore awkward, and muttered a lot, probably more so than Midoriya. The greenette noticed that although she didn't flinch at contact, she genuinely didn't understand a lot of concepts that the other kids used to keep her preoccupied or to make her crack, some believing her presence was a trick from Hisashi. She was confused about the hug Midoriya tried to give her, she didn't know any of the American dishes Sato offered to make, when Mina went off about relationships, she squinted in confusion about what friendship, love, and marriage was. Aka didn't know how to play card games, board games, operate a TV, or any appliance for that matter. She was lost but either too nervous or too stubborn to ask for help.

When asked about why she came, she looked at Midoriya instead of the asker, Aizawa. "I don't know how you grew up, and I'm sure it was horrible, but I didn't see him that much either. He was always busy with hero work, or as I later discovered, going to bars and casinos. At home, we didn't have much of anything. He spent so much time gambling, we could barely afford the apartment, let alone any necessities. I was home schooled, and the only time I got outdoors was for training. Dad wasn't there for either. I guess you could say I lived a sheltered life. In all honesty, it was probably closer to neglect, but that didn't matter. Like I said out there, Dad never spoke highly of you in his own way, but he called you kind, and generous, and almost too good. I thought that one day I would meet you, and you and whoever you're family was would take me in, teaching me all the things Dad never did. I held onto that childish dream for so long, I came here. It's irrational, and stupid, and I-I really shouldn't have come but... A part of me, that stupid, optimistic part, wanted to believe that you would love me. It never once crossed my mind that you wouldn't know me. I suppose I am a failure-"

Midoriya gave her another hug. Aka gasped, eyebrows burrowing as she hesitantly wrapped her own arms around her older brother. The greenette rubbed her hair, his finger untangling the knots in the strands. Aka buried her face in his neck, almost embarrassed by what all she said. She hadn't meant to start rambling, to say so much, but old habits die hard. Midoriya could relate on that front, at least. He could also relate to the feelings of being a failure, to his father and others, of reacting to the realization that you're stupid or toxically optimistic.

"Don't worry, he wasn't any kinder on this side of the ocean either. I guess you were both mistakes that can't do anything for anyone without messing up!" Midoriya laughed dryly, the hollow noise becoming disassociated with the whirlwind of pain that rained down behind his emerald eyes to everyone in the room with the red head and greenette. Midoriya breathed in softly, continuing, "But... A least he gave me something good for once. I may not know that much about you, but you seem like a kind person, and I wouldn't be opposed to calling you my sister. If you'd have it be, we can be siblings."

"Really? I'd like that!" Aka cried even harder, a new feeling springing in her chest. Years of neglect led to the sorrowful moments of utter loneliness, a type of being alone that isn't quite right. Aka knew that she wasn't treated correctly. Aka was well aware that other kids her age were showered with love, some more than others, and that some people in the world wanted a daughter. So, why was she cursed with the one man that couldn't love? How come she was left asking the raven to sing her a happy song?

"We should go to sleep soon, but we need information now since we'll contact Nezu tomorrow. What's your quirk?" Aizawa asked, raising an eyebrow at the girl, her intentions unclear and his trust not yet distributed.

"Like Hisashi, I can breathe fire. Mine's more precise than his, however, given how my mother could manipulate air molecules. As a bonus, I can also only release smoke, but that hurts my throat," Aka said, rubbing her neck. For a demonstration, Aka took a deep breath before slowly blowing, a fine stream of orange flames hitting the air. Narrowing her eyebrows, the flames started to change color, growing from orange to blue to gold to even green. Gasping for breath, the flames disappeared, leaving a slightly smoky filter in the room. "This may trigger onii-san (Midoriya), so I didn't do it, but I can do a huge burst of fire... It doesn't hurt my throat as it makes it dry. There's not really a name for it... If there is, I was never told."

"You seem pretty adept at utilizing your quirk," Aizawa said, with growing suspension. He didn't have any solid proof of her being more than what she claimed, nor did he even have a gut feeling about the situation, but years of being a hero had led him down the path of not trusting anyone, not completely anyways. He even had his concerns about Nezu, Present Mic, and his students.

"I thought about following in his footsteps as a hero. Even take his name and basic costume design. I wanted to spite him with it. Prove I wasn't a failure, prove that I was powerful, even if he couldn't see it," Aka shook her head. Midoriya and Aizawa simultaneously decided that was the opposite of Todoroki's beginning motivation, even though their situations were similar. "I suppose that's still my plan. I was hoping to get into a hero school in America."

"We should start training you for UA! Your quirk seems a good fit for that stupidly biased entrance exam, and we can find a way to boost your rescue skills!" Midoriya piped up, getting excited over training someone. After All Might took Midoriya under his wing, Midoriya had wanted to be like that. Sure, Midoriya thought he would be older, and his kid would be Kota or Katsuma, but he would take what he could get when he could get it.

"Midoriya-" Aizawa started before he saw Aka's eyes. Something about the hope in her eyes, the sheer excitement, reminded him of Oboro. The grin that stretched on her face was like his, eerily so. The two went off on some tangent about training schedules and hero costumes, but that remnant of Oboro hadn't gone away. His old friend was still hiding in the bright eyes of the little girl before him. Aizawa swallowed, running off to sleep, trying to ignore the guilt that racked his mind.

***

1) have you guys noticed yet that when I write in third person, I usually switch main focuses. This started with Midoriya, and ended with Aizawa.

2) WHY ARE YOU STILL READING THIS? I have no planned plot (except Aka), and this story has changed. It started as just one shots (sorta) about Aizawa handling all the different problems of the kids. It was meant to end on Midoriya, but I goofed that up. Now, it's sort of all about Midoriya (which isn't bad for me, but Idk about any of you). I might go back to Aizawa handling problems while Midoriya trains Aka, but would you guys want that? I write all my stories for my audience, so I want your opinion! Don't be afraid to share your thoughts, theories, and criticism!