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Izuku had always seemed a tad bit small for a boy his age. Even when he had trained under Toshinori and gained muscle he was surprisingly lean. Izuku was tiny compared to Toshinori when he was All Might. So why did the boy feel so heavy in the hero’s arms? Where was the light in Izuku’s eyes? They had no business looking so glassy or so afraid.
“Midoriya, my boy, wake up…” All Might gently shook Izuku, trying to rouse the boy from of his limp state. “It’s okay now, I am here…”
The slight quake in the hero’s voice as he spoke was the give away that he knew. All Might knew Izuku wasn’t going to wake up. Still, part of him just wouldn’t accept this fact and he tried again, this time shaking the boy more firmly. Seeing the boy’s lifeless body roughly being jerked about to the point it looked painful made All Might freeze.
It wasn’t supposed to be like this. Izuku Midoriya was strong and startlingly smart. He held so much potential and promise. He was going to be a better hero than All Might could ever be! He…
Was a child.
Izuku was still a child struggling with a power that he was just learning how to use properly. A child that was basically thrown to the wolves by the very hero he loved so much.
“I-Izuku…?” All Might’s voice trembled, his usual heroic tone gone. It was Toshinori’s voice, his real voice, that spoke. “Izuku! Come on my boy, you have to wake up!”
Izuku’s gaze continued to look straight through All Might. A disturbing amount of blood trailed from the poor boy’s nose and mouth. It must have been caused by the impact of the attack Izuku took. When the boy’s body was shaken or moved All Might could hear disgusting cracking noises coming from within. The part of him that didn’t want to accept the reality of the situation tuned out the noise. But now each crack of bone struck the hero like a punch.
All Might didn’t mean to hit Izuku. The villain, that monster, had led him there. Just as the fiend was about to meet the business end of a Texas Smash he moved aside with surprising speed. All Might was then greeted with the view of Izuku’s back and not enough time to stop himself.
That was probably what broke Toshinori’s heart the most. This entire situation was his own damn fault. He was the one that told the boy that he could be a hero. He was the one that didn’t give Izuku proper guidance because he didn’t know how to be a better mentor. Toshinori Yagi killed the boy that he grew to love as a son with his own hands. The only blessing in all this was that Izuku hadn’t turned around to see just who was ending his life.
Toshinori hugged Izuku’s lifeless body firmly, his eyes aching as hot tears leaked free. His voice shook as grief and horror gripped his heart like a vice. “I’m sorry…please wake up…I’m so sorry…Please! Please wake up!”
Toshinori could feel the presence of the enemy approaching from behind. He could hear the sound of their attack beginning to charge up. He didn’t care anymore. If it all ended here then perhaps, just maybe, he could meet Izuku again in their next life.
-The End-