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[inheritance]

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[inheritance]

[He knows and he's totally fine with that tbh.]

If you want, we could try? We could definitely make sure you get something!

[messianic]

[Hmmm!!]

That's not what I was asking. Are you not comfortable talking about any of your painful memories, Midoriya-kun?

[inheritance]

I'm not really used to sharing them. I'm better at listening, I think.

Besides, everyone else had something much more urgent to get off their chest!

[messianic]

That doesn't surprise me. You're a really caring person, Midoriya-kun. But I guess that's why I wanted to ask.

If you wanted to share to complete the quest, I'm willing to listen. If not, that's okay too.

[inheritance]

[HMMM!! He knows how this goes, having done the deflecting thing a million times himself, so he's not gonna let Minato get away with it either.]

Does that mean you're willing to share something, too?

[messianic]

[Well...]

If you want me to, I don't mine. Mine's not that big of a deal, so it's okay.

[But only if Izuku shares too!]

We can both share, then, and each get the reward.

[inheritance]

[The reply takes way longer for him to write than it should.]

Okay. I guess I don't mind if it's you.

[Oddly, it's easier to talk about these things with someone from a different world, because otherwise there'd be a lot of questions that he can't bring himself to answer just yet. And he trusts Minato, too.]

[messianic]

[...Well.]

Only if you're sure. But I'll come by then.

[inheritance]

I'm sure! The door should be open.

[Izuku has to admit, though talking about himself has little appeal, he is interested in hearing more about Minato. Especially considering how little Minato tended to talk about himself, too.]

[messianic]

[And so off he goes...!!

On to Izuku's place. At which point he just casually knocks, and lets himself in after, offering a polite:]

I'm here...

[inheritance]

Hey. [Izuku smiles at him and sets out two glasses and a pitcher of water, if they want it. He pauses as does so, and then gives a little chuckle.]

If we do this quest, maybe we'll have something else to drink next time.

[messianic]

That sounds nice, right?

[Minato flashes a bit of a small smile at Izuku, nodding contentedly.]

I wouldn't mind having something warm to drink. Anyway... where do you want to start?

[inheritance]

[Wow, right to it, then. Izuku squirms a little on the spot, but...he's committed! He's going to do this.]

I...can probably go first. [He stares down at the table, casting around for a place to start.] I've...told you about All Might, right?

[messianic]

[They're never going to get anywhere if they don't talk about it now, Izuku!! They can chill and small talk after.]

... Yeah. Your mentor, right? He's the hero you look up to the most.

[inheritance]

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.

[messianic]

[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?]

[inheritance]

[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.]

[messianic]

[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.]

[inheritance]

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.]

[messianic]

[... 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?]

[inheritance]

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.

[messianic]

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.

[inheritance]

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.]

[messianic]

[...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.

[inheritance]

[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.