The Hero Beyond the Gears of Time (Izuku x Kendo)

Ch 22: Moving into Dorms!

Izuku's POV:

School has been fairly uneventful after the announcements made by Aizawa. Now that Itsuka and Jotaro are in my class, it's been much better. I'm still pretty new to this whole dating thing too, so I'm not really sure how I'm doing, but it's going great. I'm in my dream school, All Might is my mentor, and I have an amazing girlfriend... how can life get any better than that?

My thoughts lately haven't been on school though. Ever since me and Itsuka joined UA, there's been nothing but perilous events. The attack on the USJ, and now the one during the sleepover. If Giorno hadn't come for that brief moment, I would've been done for. It's scary knowing that such villains even exist, ones who are so powerful they can rival and exceed past All Might. I feel like the worst is yet to come however... this lingering feeling, it radiates my body as if what happened wasn't even a snippet of what's to occur. I have one thing on my mind though... I will without a doubt fight to protect those I love, and save everyone that I possibly can, because that is the essence of being a hero. A true hero.

On that subject, the concept of being a hero has been on my mind for a good while. I feel like our hero society today is forgetting what the term signifies, all of them seemingly dwindling in morals. I can somewhat feel where this rising infamous hero killer Stain is coming from. Of course, the way he goes about in carrying out his ideals is wrong in every single way possible. Slaughtering heroes you think stray away from the crux of being a pro should never be a solution, no matter how far they wander. But still... most heroes you witness in action today are after their own selfish goals; Money and fame. Greed has become a major flaw in the profession, and it's really easy to spot who has this sin and who doesn't. Good thing a person like All Might was given One For All. He is the symbol of peace for a reason... not because of his power alone, but his principles... what he lives and fights for. He shows the people that he wants a better world, where you don't need to be afraid of whatever goes on in the large sphere of life, because he is there. All Might is the realest hero of them all, and that's why he's number one.

I've heard and read articles about this Stain guy and his convictions. He believes the same things that I do, maybe not as radical or extreme like he does, but I still believe in them nonetheless. After Iida's brother Ingenium was struck down and paralyzed by Stain, I couldn't help but wonder why he was spared. Maybe he saw that Ingenium wasn't as fake as he thought, one who didn't care much about fame or fortune. Maybe Ingenium just had luck on his side, thankfully for Iida because that would've been completely shattering for him. I think it's door number one though, since Stain is ruthless from what I've seen. He won't let his prey go until they are murdered, no matter the circumstance. It's honestly preposterous how persistent the guy is, almost like Kacchan's persistence in trying to beat me. Stain is a deranged lunatic, everyone can agree on that... but oddly enough, his beliefs are righteous, at least to some degree. There's one thing about this Stain business that's bothering me however... and it's not even Stain himself.

Iida. He's been worryingly quiet ever since we've come back to school. It's really concerning seeing him go from his usual stern, friendly self, to someone who's just putting up a facade of his usual personality to hide what he's truly feeling. I can see right through it... it's clearly visible in his eyes... they are empty. Completely empty, with nothing but the dense black cloud of maliciousness known as revenge. I've felt like that before, where I didn't want anything but to carry out vengeance on someone who did me or my loved ones wrong.

It's a horrible feeling to have. Retribution sounds like it would be satisfying... right? Well... It's not. Especially if you are an aspiring hero. After finally carrying out such an act, what would you feel? Do you feel good?

Of course not. It never feels good. The principle that was widely used in ancient times, an eye for an eye... it was found to be morally correct by the multitude back then. What's so virtuous about it though? I was taught that two wrongs don't make a right, so why are people so consumed by their desire to act on the anger that rises up within them? I've felt it so many times... whenever I lose myself to my rage and let it consume me. When I finally regain my senses... I feel guilt. Nothing but the cold, dark feeling of self condemnation engrossing me. It's so... filthy... it makes me feel disgusting, as if I committed something so atrocious I can't call myself a sane human being anymore. That's what I felt, maybe a little over exaggerated because my heart only wants my actions to be pure. It conflicts inside of me, yet keeps my balance, like the yin and yang I learned in school. Two sides, light and darkness balancing each other out. The rage I feel in those moments are necessary to my well being... they release all my pent up anger and frustration in a short amount of time. They are liberated, and all I desire in those moments is to act upon it and complete my vengeance... it makes me feel empty, a shell of my true self. The completion of revenge is supposed to make you fill that empty void right? However... you can't help but feel even more unsatisfied when it's over and done with.