Puppet Master

The Distant Star

I...

Izuku sat up, covers falling off of him. He looked down at his hands.

I'm alive...

He pressed his fists against his eyes. "Dang it."

He shook his head. What happened? The last thing he remembered was letting go and then a crash of what sounded like glass.

"Izuku?"

The greenette looked up to the door where Yami was standing. "How are you feeling?" Izuku followed the man with his eyes as he came to sit beside Izuku. Izuku hung his head. He probably stopped me. Yami is probably disappointed in me. Not only am I too weak to live, I'm too stupid to die correctly too...

"Izu, can you please look up at me?" Unwillingly, Izuku glanced up, meeting the hero's eyes. Yami smiled. "Glad to have you back." Izuku lifted his head, furrowing his eyebrows. "You were out for quite a bit." He ruffled Izuku's hair. Yami's smile faltered slightly. The boy's eyes widened when he was pulled into a hug.

"You really scared me last night, kiddo... I was so scared that I had lost you." Tears filled Izuku's eyes.

"Sorrae..." Yami's grip tightened. "Don't apologize for that reason." Izuku blinked. "You were apologizing for messing up, weren't you?" The greenette stiffened. Yami leaned back and looked him in the eyes. "Don't apologize for what the world has pushed you to just... please, if you ever feel like trying that again, call me?" Izuku bit his lip.

"W- why did y- you save me?" he asked hesitantly. Yami smiled. "Because I would be very sad if you died." Izuku furrowed his eyebrows. Yami pat his shoulder and stood up.

"Believe it or not, there are people who are happier to have you alive than to have you dead."

Izuku shook his head. No. That's not right. I know it isn't right. Yami crouched before him. "Izuku, I know it is hard to believe that but if you trust me then trust me when I tell you that last night, when you almost fell, I cried." Izuku whipped his head up. "I would be very sad if you died. Not only me, but Sho and Hitoshi too." Izuku averted his eyes. Not true, not true, not true! "Even the Kirishima's, your family." Don't believe him. You made up your mind. You know it's not true! "What about our words can you not believe, Izu?" Izuku looked up at the man.

"I- I just... I c- can'..."

"Izuku? Can you speak English?" Izuku tilted his head? "You can't," Yami stated. "You know Japanese though. This is just like learning a new language. Right now, it is second nature to you to be afraid and to not accept the kindness of others because it is foreign to you but it can always become familiar. You could always learn."

No... I've tried! But every time I let my guard down it all falls apart!

"But you also need to learn that people make mistakes. I am not going to say that what Kirishima did was okay but I will say that he never meant to hurt you. Right now, Kirishima feels really bad about what he did because he knows how much it hurt you." Izuku held his tongue. Yami didn't see his eyes. When he took it his eyes... they were just like... "You always think back to her." Izuku flinched. "I don't blame you but what you need to realize now is that Kirishima is not Inko Midoriya." Izuku's heart stopped. "Neither is Mr. Kirishima, Mrs. Kirishima, me, Sho, or Hitoshi. No one in this world is Inko Midoriya besides Inko Midoriya and she is in jail currently for what she did to you."

The walls were closing in. Izuku couldn't meet Yami in the eyes.

"Do you want to see her?" Izuku's head snapped up. "Would it help you to believe if you saw her actually behind bars?" The sounds of the world faded out, colors swirled in his head. See her? See... HER?! "No? Then stop projecting her onto us." Yami placed a hand on his own chest. "We aren't her, Izuku!" Izuku lowered his eyes. "I- I know that... I k- know that b- but..."