Midoriya's eyes snap open. Chest heaving, he peers at his surroundings. Sweat coating his neck, he finds himself in a somewhat familiar setting. A long, narrow alley stretches out on either side of him. He stands, facing a wall. A poster of his school is nailed to it, featuring the school's Big Three of his generation. Midoriya, hands placed on his hips. A smile spread wide on his face. Todorki, hair shoulder length, bangs covering his eyes. He stands heroically, gaze fixed on the viewer of the poster. Shinso crouched, his scarf extending towards the camera, his voicebox over his mouth.
Suddenly, Midoriya snaps back to reality. Footsteps approach him from behind, the clacking of high heels echoing through the alley. He tenses, his mind itching with familiarity. A hand grasps his shoulder gently. Midoriya's nose flares as the smell of her perfume infiltrates. The hand moves from his shoulder, sliding to his face from over his shoulder. It pulls his head gently, turning his gaze. A woman enters his view. Pink cheeks. Brown hair and eyes. Her...
His mind floods as the memory return to him. Midoriya knew where they were now. Mie, Japan. Uraraka's hometown. But...this already happened. His mouth opens, his intention to question the scenario. Instead, the words he'd said that day flow out smoothly.
Midoriya: Bae! You can't just disappear like that.
Uraraka's eyes widen in surprise as she absorbs his nervous energy. She speaks, a teasing tone coating her words like caramel over an apple.
Uraraka: Aww... Was the widdle hewo scared without his big, strong lady to protect him?
Midoriya's cheeks involuntarily light up, burning bright pink. A crooked smile grows wide on his face. He speaks, chuckling.
Midoriya: If I say yes, will you promise not to leave like that again? What if something had happened?!
The cheery girl's happy demeanor diminished as his voice raised in volume. Her cheeks grew unusually pink as well, and her eyes move to the ground in embarrassment.
Midoriya: Ah! Sorry, I didn't mean to offend you. Ugh...I was still like this back then. This was in our 2nd year if I remember correctly.
Uraraka: Dummy...
Midoriya sighs, placing his hand on Uraraka's head to comfort her. She hugs him. He accepted the apology. Suddenly, Uraraka's face upturned.
Uraraka: No more yelling.
Midoriya's eyes close as a smile shines brightly on his face, just like the poster behind him.
Midoriya: Of course.
His eyes open to find Uraraka, inches from his face. Lips puckered, she is going for the kiss. I lost this the moment I walked into that bedroom. Don't get too attached, past me.
As Uraraka's face is about 2 inches from his, the world turns grey, and everything freezes, unmoving. Her once warm, soft arms around his neck turn cold and rigid, her body following suit. This is new! What's happening?! His movements once again his own, he looks around, searching for a cause. The world, the buildings around him, dip into the landscape, it seems. They don't crumble, just fall. Confused, Midoriya peers at the ground, only to see a pitch-black void. The grey apartments, grey restaurants, everything. The entire grey city is falling into the void, one building at a time. It has no end, the city falling into oblivion and out of his sight. Yet, he stands still, Uraraka's arms holding him, trapping him in place.
At last, they stand alone in an empty world of blackness. As he stands, he is as petrified as the stone woman against him. Finally, Uraraka creaks...and snaps at the waist. He yelps, reaching for her arm. She crumbles, her arm flaking away. As he watches her fall, no longer connected to him, she dusts away. No... It's...that quirk again.
At last, Midoriya stands alone in blackness. His chin drips as tears fall from his eyes. Several minutes pass, and Midoriya's eyes are firmly closed in a futile attempt to restrain all of his emotions. A strangely dim light emerges. His eyelids are lit by a glow from the outside world. Hesitant to explore, his eyes open slowly.
An apartment building stands, crooked and crumbling. The world is still grey, but it was there. Midoriya's face, dripping with sweat and tears, dried as he wiped it with his shirt. A tear falls, the last of them. His eyes glance at his surrounding, watching for spectators. His gaze falls on the building, yet another familiar memory buried away under the last 2 years burning in the back of his mind. His childhood home was abandoned and decrepit.
Midoriya, so absorbed by the memories in that place, did not notice the being peering from the shadows of an open doorway. Until the pair of eyes glowed blinding white. The grass grazing his ankles and shins, Midoriya's eyes snapped to one doorway, somewhere on the 2nd floor. The bright white eyes, gazing back intensely, moved fluidly. They angled upwards, almost as if a smile lingered beneath them. Finally, they settled. A voice rang out, power oozing from every syllable. Midoriya's spine shivered profusely as the voice reached him.
Being: Ah...Izuku. It's about time we meet. I've been trying to find you, y'know.
Midoriya shuddered again, his confidence wavering in the presence of such an imposing figure. I...I can't. I just can't. What is this thing....?
Being: It's very irritating that I cannot reach you now. However, I have an important message. Listen carefully. I want you to focus on one thing. You must become stronger. For we will duel when I arrive, and I enjoy a good challenge. When we clash, it should shake the very earth.
Midoriya, speechless, was terrified at the very idea of fighting this...thing. Sweat poured from the back of his neck in buckets. He stared at the doorway. At the two eyes. Finally, they disappeared, fading into blackness. The overwhelming presence went with them. Color springs back into the world as the being retreats. Holy shit... Midoriya straightens his back, unhunching. The sweat now cold on his neck, he wipes it. Finally, he turns away. Sprinting towards the door, his feet fly. He must get away from here, away from that thing.
BANG!
Unknown Woman: AH! Fuck!
Midoriya recognizes the voice immediately. His feet stop dead as it rings out, the same as it was 2 years back. He spins, eyes tearing from the doorway of the strange being, to the doorway he had walked through every day for so long. His mother crouched in front of the closed door, clutching her arm as blood dripped from the red cloth wrapped around it. Her face beheld horror and great sadness. She crouched on one knee, sobbing loudly. Midoriya's mind was clouded, ignorant of the familiarity of the scene. He activated his quirk, One For All at 45%. Midoriya leaped towards the doorway, moving as fast as possible.
Everything below happens in about 5 seconds.
His feet planted on the railing of the platform, he reaches for his mother desperately. To grab her. To save her. To protect her this time. His arms swipe through the air, passing through it quickly. His arms tingle as he grabs her...passing directly through her. Face-planting silently on the walkway, Midoriya yelps in alarm as he realizes that this was a memory. Midoriya stands, terror yet again striking him deep. He glances around quickly, searching for a way to intervene because he knew what was coming.
Regular time again.
Soon, however, it was too late. Midoriya heard the small click of the door behind him unlocking. The door opens with a creak. A boy steps out, green hair rugged from sleep. Freckles stand out against pale skin. Muscular frame rigid as the door opens. The boy's eyes widen as he glimpses the woman outside the door.
Switch to Mini Midoriya
Mini Midoriya: Mom! What happened?!
Inko: Don't come outside! It's too dangerous.
Mini Midoriya: What- Mom! Tell me what's going on!
The younger boy's eyes caught a slight glean from the roof opposite their doorway. Recognizing it from a teacher at U.A, he dove to the floor. (Yes. This Midoriya is in year 1 of U.A during summer break at this time.) A loud gunshot rang out loudly, the bullet striking the doorway. Mini Midoriya looks into his mother's eyes. Her eyes... So calm and comforting. As he watches, the glean reappears over his mother's shoulder. The shooter, having reloaded, aims toward the duo. Mini Midoriya's eyes return to his mother's. She mouths 3 words.
Inko: I love you.
Mini Midoriya watches in absolute, blood-freezing terror as his mother dives into him. The blast rings out again, the bullet flying through the air. Inko hugs her son, effectively shielding him. Mini Midoriya's eyes close as his head is tucked into her bust to protect him. The bullet strikes, piercing through Inko's head cleanly. Mini Midoriya, tucked into her chest, feels her body shudder and cease moving as Inko's brain matter splatters the wall behind him. Inko falls to the floor, and Mini Midoriya is left there, shocked. No...no...no no no...
Standing, green lightning flooded the area, emanating from Mini Midoriya. His vision tinting green, he watched the rooftop opposite him, watched for that glean to appear again. He was using One For All at 50% effectively due only to his momentary adrenaline. The glean reappeared from the rooftop. Mini Midoriya rushed, sprinting and jumping from his location to the gunshot. He arrived in about 2 seconds, surprising the gunman. On the rooftop was a stranger, seemingly oblivious to who Midoriya was. He had never seen this man before in his life. A random shooter incident.
The man eyed the catwalk, searching for the boy. To no avail. Mini Midoriya killed him, breaking his neck and spine using Detroit Smash.
Now the switch back to Real Midoriya
Midoriya watched as the man fell from the roof, slamming into the concrete below. The loud cracks and crunches as he hit the ground still disturbed Midoriya. The sirens of emergency services whirled in the distance. Until the world once again froze, regaining the shade of grey from before. Midoriya's blood runs cold yet again at the thought of the world falling. He glances around, yet nothing seems to move. The silence is so complete, it even disoriented him. He wasn't used to such intense sensory deprivation. Midoriya watched every floor intently, observing for that strange thing from before. No sign appeared anywhere.
Finally, after what seemed like decades, a voice sprang forth from the darkness. Not the being, or from this memory. The voice rang out, screaming at him. Rising and falling in volume, tone, and focus, several voices arrived, almost unintelligible. Izuku only caught some phrases.
The Voices: WAKE U- E can't... -or fucK's SA- EVERYBODY OUT!
Izuku focuses on the voices, tracking their location. It takes him a while, as each new voice seems to originate somewhere differently because of the area's echo. New words, warnings, or even curses sprang forth every few seconds. Finally, he pinpoints it. The same door the being had spoken from. Izuku thoroughly investigated the air, searching for signs of the being's presence. He found none. No scent, no visible signs, not even air movement. Satisfied, he walked stealthily to the door, searching for the origin. Finally, he walked through the door, darkness residing over everything else.
As Midoriya walked through the doorway, he noticed the absolute lack of light first, and the sense of loneliness second. Whipping around, he turns back the way he had come, only to find more blackness in the place of the door. The voices grew louder and louder, drowning out thought and reason. He wanted only to die, to cease the incessant whispers and shouts, curses and praise, the speaking. Finally, he fell to his knees, eyes shut tight. Hands clamped over his ears, the voices got louder and louder until he thought he could withstand no more. His eyes clamped so hard from the pain, he thought they might burst.
And burst they did. They busted open, revealing a face. The face of Eri Midoriya, as she was made his adopted daughter for Christmas the year before. She lay, draped over him on the hospital bed. She had cried herself to sleep the night before, the wet stain on his shirt made that obvious. He grunted, patting her head with his arm. Her eyes clenched, squinting open. As she peered into her father's eyes, they filled with tears again.