inheritance | IC Inbox

Yeah. [Just the thought of him brings a small smile to his face, even if it's just a bit wistful. This is the longest he's ever been separated from All Might since he took Izuku under his wing.]

The Symbol of Peace. The hero who single-handedly lowered the crime rate around the country. He's held the number one spot for so long. [Izuku chews nervously on his bottom lip for a moment before he continues on hesitantly.]

There was this villain... All For One. He was the mastermind behind the League of Villains, and really powerful. When...when All Might and some other pros were on a rescue mission a few months ago, they ran into him when they weren't expecting to, and in the end it came down to just All Might and him.

A good part of the Kamino ward was destroyed in that fight. [Izuku shudders, voice low.] There was so much screaming, and buildings just destroyed in a few seconds--it was awful.

[Wh.... what? Minato supposes that in a place with almighty heroes, it's to be expected there would still be villains, but... it makes him sad, too.

Why would they want to be a villain, if they have a power they could make use of to help everyone out? He really will never understand it, but...

... That sounds terrible in every single way, but if this is Izuku's worst memory, then--]

... What... what happened? [Was All Might okay?]

[And...oh... now that he's actually gotten this far into the story, he's hitting a snag that he clearly hadn't thought hard enough about.

Izuku stays silent for a second or two, shoulders tense, and expression strained as he considers how much he's actually allowed to tell. Even if Minato is trustworthy, a lot of this is tied into All Might's secrets, and Izuku can't bring himself to tell them even for this. Not yet. ]

It turns out, All Might had this... other form. Um. It's a lot thinner and weaker than his normal form, and that's the form he's stuck in now. [He rushes through that part, not wanting to explain because he doesn't actually know what to say when All Might technically hasn't gone public to explain it either.]

A-anyway, this whole fight was being broadcasted live, and when All For One hit All Might with a really powerful attack...A-All Might...he didn't move out of the way because he was trying to protect the civilians that would've gotten injured if he had. So... he ended up showing that form to everyone who was watching the broadcast.

[Izuku's hands curl into fists, and his eyes begin to well up with tears as he remembers how it had felt to see All Might in his true form right there on the screen, when All Might had tried so hard to keep that secret.]

[There's a lot he doesn't understand about this story, but that doesn't matter, he thinks. It's not about what he does or doesn't understand. It's about Izuku getting it off his chest, about Izuku having someone else to talk about it with if it's really necessary...

It's about Izuku knowing that he's here for him if the memory, or the knowledge, ever gets overwhelming.

So Minato just nods quietly, brow furrowing a little.]

... So a really important secret to All Might was...revealed because he had to protect everyone.

[Is that about the long and short of it? Minato can imagine just how bad...a hero who everyone is counting on revealing a weaker form might be.]

Y-yeah. [Izuku rubs furiously at his eyes with his sleeve.]

He really didn't want anyone to know what that form looked like, or that it existed in the first place. All Might... he was worried about how that would affect the people relying on him, because he thought it would change their perception of him as their strongest hero. [There's a somewhat distant look on his face now as he says all this, quietly. And how odd, that it sounds like Izuku isn't at all surprised about the other form. And how odd, that Izuku seems to know more than just what was broadcasted on that night. He doesn't realize what he's giving away, though, too caught up in reliving that memory.]

I...guess I'd consider it my worst memory because I was scared for him. It cost him so much to win that fight, and we didn't know what would happen afterward.

[That's without even going into the message All Might had delivered to him, that had made stronger both his determination and his worry that he isn't good enough to follow in All Might's footsteps.]

[... ah.

It...makes him sad to hear. That's so much but in the end... in the end it hurt Izuku, and it hurt so many other people, and it hurt All Might too, right?

And in the end, of course Izuku's worst memory is someone else's pain.]

... I guess... I'm not really surprised at all that for you, it's something like that.

I'm sorry though. To hear that something like that had to happen to him. He really does sound like a great hero to me.

[Protecting others at the cost of his own well-being... isn't that the definition right there?]

What do you mean? [The tears have dried at least, though Izuku's eyes are still red from his bout of crying.]

Y-yeah... All Might's everything you'd want in a hero. [There's a hint of his usual smile now, though it's dampened by the odd wistfulness that seems to linger now.] It's no wonder that he inspired so many people.

[More quietly--] I don't know if there'll be anyone like him again.

I mean that...you're a really caring person. So it's fitting, in a way, that your worst memories are where someone else was suffering.

[It's very Izuku!!]

But you know... even though I think you're right, and that All Might's an amazing hero...that doesn't mean that someone else can't be an inspiration like him too--just in their own way, instead. Not just like him, because I'm sure nobody could ever be like him, but...

In a different way.

O-oh. [Izuku's shoulders hunch in a little when Minato points it out.] All Might is ....special. He's my hero. Seeing him like that... [His throat works for a moment.] Of course it would leave a impression on me.

[Minato's words leave an impression, too, leaving Izuku looking pensive.] Maybe you're right. [Somehow, he manages to say it with just the slightest wobble in his smile. "Just in their own way." He knows that All Might believes in him, expects him to become the next Symbol of Peace. While Izuku is grateful for all of his support, most days, his worries get the better of him. Not for the first time, Izuku wonders if he really was the right one to inherit One for all.]

I think that's all for me. [There's something tight in his chest that makes Izuku all too happy to pass the baton onto Minato now.]

[...Well. He'll leave it alone at that. With a memory like that, Minato can only imagine just how much Izuku has on his shoulders.

He won't press, not right now. Instead, he'll tuck that information away, to examine later. For now...? He nods quietly.]

Right... My turn, then.

[He wasn't lying when he said it wasn't that big of a deal to him; it hasn't come up yet only because nobody really asked.

But Minato just nods quietly, expression more contemplative than anything. He's experienced a lot over the past year, but he always had SEES with him for that, and that helped. It's being alone that resonates most with him, so it's probably no surprise that when he finally speaks, it's just to quietly offer:]

When I was six... there was an accident. My parents were driving, and something went wrong. [Of course, he knows now what went wrong, but...it's not relevant right now.]

... I was the only one who survived it.

[Izuku's almost thankful when it's Minato's turn. It's like he said earlier, it's always easier for him to focus on someone else's feelings than his own--a leftover from his growing up the way that he did. There was no point to focusing on his hurt feelings when no one really cared. Except for his mom, of course, but Izuku couldn't put more on her shoulders when she already worried so much.

He shakes away that line of thought, concentrating on what Minato's telling him instead. Immediately, sympathy wells up in him. Six...that's so young to lose your parents.]

Arisato-kun... [Izuku reaches across the table to place a hand on Minato's, just a simple touch as a show of support.] I'm sorry about what happened to your parents... but I'm also glad that you survived.

[Oh... he smiles a little at that touch, offering Izuku a softly peaceful expression. It may be one of his worst memories, especially knowing what came after, but...he's had a lot of time to come to terms with it, too.]

...Yeah, I am too. I was confused about it for a long time. I saw my mother there, when she was...

[dying....]

And I remember she was smiling.

[...]

I couldn't figure out why, not for a long time, but now... I think it's because she was just happy I was alive.

[Even when she was dying... that was her first thought.]

[At first, Izuku didn't think it could get worse, but it definitely just did. It was bad enough without Minato having seen his mom in that state as well. Just thinking about it, if it were him in that situation, he knows that memory would have bothere him, too.

Izuku keeps his hand there, squeezing Minato's just a little as he gathers his thoughts. I'm here for you, that gesture says. And it's just as well that Izuku's eyes are already red from crying earlier because he knows the tears will come again.]

It must've been awful, remembering something like that. [Then, he adds fierceley--] I'm glad you figured it out, Arisato-kun.

[It's true that at the time, it was awful. And even now, it's a lot for Minato to process. But he's grown a lot since then. He understands even better than he did back then, and with every day, he feels as though he understands a bit better.

If he had a regret (and he doesn't), it would just be that he wasn't able to do what his mother had been so happy to see--that he wasn't able to live longer for her.

But he made his choices, and he doesn't regret that.

So, quietly:]

I'm okay now--but thank you, Midoriya-kun. I do feel a bit better now that I've shared... I hope that you do too, even if just a little.

That's good. [He smiles at Minato now--it's genuine, even if it's not as bright as it usually is.] I...feel a little better, too. What happened at Kamino ward that night... people don't like to talk about it a lot, you know?

[Izuku doesn't blame them. They'd lost their Symbol of Peace that night, after all.]

And since it was showed everywhere...it just seemed like people didn't feel a need to bring it up either, aside from the change in rankings.

Of course... it makes sense.

[A hugely terrible thing had happened, a hero that everyone had looked up to had suffered like that while also having a big secret revealed...]

... But I'm glad you don't have to carry it all on your own, either. That's definitely the sort of burden that should be shared.

[Izuku nods slowly. What had happened to All Might had hit them all hard--the only person he's ever talked to about this before was Bakugou. And that wasn't his choice at all.]

Arisato-kun, have you ever talked to anyone before about... what happened to you?

About my parents, you mean...?

[Minato just shrugs a little, tilting his head.]

I don't know that there was ever really a need to. A lot of people have been through a lot of painful things in their lives, so I guess there was never any real reason to bring it up.

[He's pretty okay with it, though, despite that.]

Yeah. [He's quiet, turning Minato's words over in his head.] I guess that makes sense. And it's not something you can bring up casually, either.

Either way...I'm glad you were willing to share it with me, Arisato-kun.

Yeah... I'm glad you were able to share with me, too.

[It...does feel a little lighter, doesn't it? He feels like he does, anyway.]

I guess I'll head off now. [He's sure they both have plenty to think about.]

But... I really am glad we did this.

I'm glad we did, too, Arisato-kun. [He smiles at him from across the table.]

It feels like I know you a little better now.

I feel the same way about you, Midoriya-kun.

[A nod, and:]

I'll talk to you later.

[SOCIAL LINK RANK UP!!

bye izuku.]

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