Chapter Text
(Kayda Midoriya)
“That doesn't look up to code,” quipped the ninja I was carrying. His reaction, an understatement to say the least, was nearly lost in the wind rushing past us as we flew toward the passenger jet. The plane left smoke in its wake as it fell from the sky, one of its engines ablaze.
“What’s our approach?” he asked.
We got the call on our internships. A pair of first year hero students should not be attempting to stop a hijacked plane. But the situation had gotten worse – and violent – when a passenger with super strength tried to throw the hijackers’ bomb out of a window. Right into one of the engines.
“I can try and lift it.”
“Are you kidding? You’ll tire yourself out, fall, and then I'll have two problems that are way out of my league.”
Will’s continued attempts to make light of the situation were mainly for other people’s nerves – something I quite appreciated.
“Right, if Jack were here, he could-”
“Your brother isn’t here. You are. Like it or not, you’re the best these people have got.” he interrupted.
“Right!” Renewed in my determination, I kept going. These are people having the worst day of their lives – I can't afford to drag baggage onto the plane.
DANG IT NATSU! Your puns are infectious!
I shook myself. The bright emerald fire around me roared and intensified as I cracked the sound barrier, something I had been avoiding so we could still communicate.
I rocketed for the door as the aircraft descended.
Bracing myself, I hit it with enough force to bust the airlock open and rolled inside. I kicked a burst of fire into the frame, welding the door shut again and cutting the brief wind of escaped pressure short. Will sprang off my back and onto his feet.
The first hijacker was right next to us. As soon as he regained his balance and realised what was going on, he took a swing at me.
I put my knee in his stomach and flipped him onto his back – a relatively gentle put-down.
Two more of them with handguns grabbed a passenger each and started yelling at us in a language I didn’t understand.
“Uh, Will?”
“They're telling you to leave.”
“What kind are they?”
“Eco,” he said with the air of someone discussing the weather, “something about an African rainforest.”
“So they hijacked a plane bound for Japan?”
“I know being able to understand anything is my whole deal, but the logic – or lack thereof – of terrorists is beyond even me.”
“Okay, but Eco is good right? They can be reasoned with.”
“Sliding scale,” he shrugged, “no guarantee.”
They started yelling and waving their guns around again.
“Leave now or we kill everyone,” Will translated. Then he said something back, which caught them off guard. They lowered the guns slightly.
“What did you tell them?”
“They don’t have enough bullets. I counted.”
You’ve got to be kidding me. “Why? Of all things?”
“Everybody is willing to fight an ideological battle, few are prepared to fight a practical one.”
He spoke to them again, presumably something along the lines of put down your weapons, you’re outmatched and have lost your leverage.
They hesitated.
“Son of a bitch,” he muttered, which didn’t seem the appropriate response.
“What?” I asked, failing to keep the worry out of my voice.
“They killed the pilots,” he said grimly, “apparently they stopped cooperating after these idiots lost the bomb. So now their plan is to be martyrs rather than using the passengers as hostages.”
“Can you fly a plane?”
“Not this specific model – but I’ll figure it out.”
“Go.”
He turned without a word and ran for the pilots' cabin. He reached it, and as he did, unsheathed and replaced one of his swords in a flash of blue light that cleaved the door in two.
The hijackers started yelling again – they pointed the guns at me instead of the passengers – all the opening I needed.
In a green flash I was on top of them. I knocked the civilians into the rows of seats on either side with my hands and swung my leg round to clock one in the face. He hit the deck. The other managed to duck and level his gun again, but I caught it before he could squeeze the trigger.
His eyes widened as the catch mechanism melted and the weapon fell apart.
One punch later the fight was over.
I tried for a reassuring smile.
“Everyone okay?” I asked. I was met with a mix of nervous affirmatives.
“Right, organise yourselves, children closest to the door. Anyone who can glide or fly?”
A few people raised their hands.
“Good. If we can’t keep this plane in the air, I'll need you to carry as many people as you can on your way down.”
I don’t know where the confidence comes from in a crisis. But I'm glad of it.
“Why the children?” someone asked.
“They’re lighter, genius.” Will responded as he returned.
“Can we keep this thing in the air?”
“Maybe, but if we try, we’ll lose the chance to evacuate anyone. It’s all or nothing.”
“What’s the plan?”
“I’ve told the people on the ground what's happening. They're clearing the nearest emergency runway. But I can only get there if you act as a replacement for the lost engine.”
“Where’s that runway?”
“Kagoshima, southern Kyushu.”
I tried the maths in my head and hesitated, “I’ll… try.”
“Kayda, you can do it. I know you can. I trust you.”
At this point, you’re probably wondering a few things. Who am I? How did I get myself into this mess? Who’s my friend?
I’m Kayda Midoriya, youngest of the three Midoriya children, daughter of the world's greatest hero; Deku, and the widely celebrated rescue hero Uravity.
I’m the spark, I'm a hero-in-training – and don’t you ever forget it.
How I got here? Now that is a long story.
As for my friend, that will have to wait a while.
I’m probably not doing a great job selling this to you, but if you’ll hear me out, I'd like to tell you a story.
The long one I mentioned earlier – right, you probably didn’t need reminding of that! And now I'm rambling! I need to stop doing that! How do I stop? And now I’ve lost you completely haven't I?!
Ah dang it, now the tone is ruined. Right where was I, oh yeah, my hero academia.
So, if any of you are still here, I was about to tell you a story.
So how does this story begin? Well...
“If you don’t stop hurting him, I’ll stop you myself.”
The three girls turned. The poor kid slid down the corridor's corner wall and lay there. The tallest spoke, “Can’t help but interfere, can you Kayda? You broccoli headed nerd.”
“I don’t understand how you can say that and still want to be a hero!”
Her eyes flashed with rage.
“Shinji, please, don’t-”
Too late, the one on the right had attacked. In an instant my brain switched modes. Ducking I swept her legs out from underneath her. Then the second charged as well, and the first was already getting up. Sidestepping her, I grabbed the wrist and the base of her neck, swinging her around and into her cohort, slamming them both into the wall. The pair of them toppled over in a heap.
“You’re out of lackeys. Let Him Go.”
“I don’t need them to knock you down a peg.”
“I don’t care what you say about me. But I won’t stand by while innocent people get hurt – and don’t you ever forget it.”
Shinji growled and began to advance, I backed up, swift kicks keeping her at bay, she dodged sideways, up the wall and kicked off it. Leaping into a roll, she leapt back upward an inch away from me, her fist blew right through my guard, striking squarely into the centre of my face. I stumbled backward – tasting blood.
She made to follow through. But I had already recovered my balance, I spun, ducking, as I grabbed her by the wrist, and, pushing back upward, threw her over my shoulder and onto her back.
Stepping back, I wiped the blood from my face. “Why won’t you stop already?”
Shinji was already back on her feet, black lightning curling around her fingers. “Because this is far from over, and you’ve got this coming.”
My hand ignited, a familiar emerald flame – it was a bluff, neither of us could use them, not here, especially with the crowd that was gathering.
Her shadowy energy dissipated, the flame in my palm died.
She sprang into a tackle, knocking me to the floor. Kicking her off, I managed to wrap my legs round her throat in a headlock. But she threw that off in turn.
We scrambled onto our feet, a table's distance between us. Gritting her teeth Shinji charged again. But this time I was ready. Planting myself on my left foot, I threw a high kick, catching her straight under the jaw.
She faltered stumbling backward, breathing like an enraged rhino, more lightning crackled threateningly. But it was no bluff this time – she thrust her hand forward, right for my face. Ducking back – my hand ablaze once more – I dodged left and punched full force into her abdomen.
She flew the length of the corridor and smashed into the opposite wall.
“DETENTION, BOTH OF YOU!”
My name is Kayda Midoriya, and this is the story of how I became a hero.
“They were picking on a Quirkless kid!” I protested.
The principal just sighed, “That doesn’t change the fact that someone could have been seriously hurt.”
“And how much more ‘seriously hurt’ would that kid have gotten if I hadn’t intervened?”
“Kayda, it’s not that simple.” My mother implored.
“I-” my resolve cracked, “okay… I’m sorry.”
“Alright,” the principal continued “Midoriya, you’re an exceptional student so I’m going to let you off the hook,” “can’t have the number one hero’s daughter stuck in detention, can we?”
I had to resist the urge to roll my eyes.
“Well thank you for your time, Uravity, ahem, Misses Midoriya.”
I was sorry for what I had done. But I didn’t regret it. I had been expecting consequences, almost hoping for them. Once again however – special treatment. They always acted like it was something I had done, but I knew it never was. It wasn’t dad's fault, but I was never Kayda, I was always ‘Deku’s daughter.’ Alas all I got for knocking two classmates out and throwing a third the length of a corridor was a slap on the wrist.
Mum was quiet all the way home, it wasn’t the first time something like this had happened. I knew I shouldn’t. But I can’t watch people get hurt – I don’t know how anyone can.
“Kayda?”
“Yes?”
“Look, I know why you do this, and your hearts in the right place. You want to help people any way you can. And I couldn’t be more proud of that. But the world isn’t made of good people and super villains. So you can’t solve problems like it is. The world’s messy and complicated and confusing – but that’s why the world needs heroes right?”
Dejectedly, I nodded.
“I know being told to sit tight, and that you’re not ready yet is frustrating. But when you are. They’ll always be a world that needs saving – and that worlds going to need you.
“Always remember why you took that responsibility. Always remember why you wanted to be a hero.”
I looked out the window, I suppose everyone had always assumed. It wasn’t exactly an unpredictable career path, mum, dad, my older brother. I had always wanted to be one, but the moment I knew what I wanted to be, who I wanted to be?
We were walking home, mum, my two siblings, and me.
I can’t even remember where from or why. But mum was carrying me on her shoulders, Jack was clinging to mum’s hand, and Yumiko – the oldest of the three of us – was walking beside her.
I was five at the time, the streets of Tokyo were as busy as ever, but I could see over everyone’s heads. I was laughing as Jack tried to jump up to reach me.
Then something changed.
It only lasted a moment, less than a second but in that moment, everything went silent, an invisible tension had come over the whole street, like cracks forming in sheets of ice, then-
BOOM!!
In an instant that tension turned to panic. The sound shook the ground beneath us and the building across the street was ablaze, rubble covered the roads, screaming was echoing from every direction.
Mum put me down between my siblings. “I’ve got to go and help. Yumiko keep your brother and sister safe.” I remember the sudden urgency and authority in her voice, it was jarring.
I watched as she ran toward the carnage that was unfolding in front of us.
BOOM!!
A second blast rocked the street, a piece of rubble went flying right towards us, I closed my eyes and-
CRUNCH!
I opened my eyes, the boulder that had nearly killed us had been knocked aside, “It’ll be okay-”
“-I Am Here.”
The figure turned, “You three alright?” It was dad, still with his usual smile, as soon as he appeared the screaming became cheering, the panic subsided as if his mere presence had ended the crisis. The feeling of certainty and safety he instilled, bringing everyone hope, and all with a reassuring smile.
That was a hero,
That is what I wanted to be.