-Last Time-

"The name's Scarecrow, you sorry excuse for a hero!" The man kicked him, then turned to the goons. "Great! Now I have to wake them up!" The man grumbled.

-Now – Izuku-

Izuku groaned as he slowly got up. His head was pounding, his tongue felt overly large, and he felt like he had been run over by a truck. "Wha…what happened?" He asked as he looked around. 'Play it again, mommy!' a younger voice demanded nearby. "Alright, Izuku-kun." A soft voice replied, making Izuku shiver. He inspected the room around him to discover he was back in his childhood home, in his own room. It was dark, the only light source coming from a small computer monitor in the room. There, a child version of Izuku sat. The young child was fascinated by what was displayed on the screen, an older video of All Might rescuing dozens of civilians from a catastrophe.

The boy watched with glee, unaware of his present self's sorrow. "This can't be… This is in the past!" Izuku told himself, but was stopped as a presence walked into the room. He turned to see his mother walk into the room, smiling with the same kind smile she used to wear. "Play it again, mommy!" The young Izuku urged as he banged his head back and forth in excitement. His mother gave a short laugh and replayed the video for him, then went on about her business. No one had acknowledged the older Izuku in the room yet; but as she walked away, her head turned to his position, all kindness gone from it. "This is all your fault!" The apparition spat venomously, then left the room.

Izuku ran after his mother, but was stopped as the scenery around him changed. They were now in a doctor's office, the same one where he was told that he would never have a quirk. His mother was looking down in shame as she explained to the doctor what her quirk was. As the doctor told the younger Izuku about his condition, his mother got up and began storming towards the older Izuku. As the approached him, she backhanded him with a surprising amount of force, sending him flying into a nearby wall. "This is all your fault!" The woman screamed at him, obviously pissed.

"I blamed myself when I found out you didn't have a quirk!" The woman continued, choking out sobs through her speech. "I thought it was my fault! I thought that maybe, if I didn't have such a weak quirk, if I had been a better mother, that maybe I could have changed things!"The apparition continued, stomping into Izuku's abdomen. Izuku let out a groan as he was pummeled, but he couldn't bring himself to stop her. He couldn't bring himself to raise a fist to her. "Now, I see things so clearly. I wasn't the problem."The woman stated a sinister smile on her face. "You were. You are the problem." The woman continued.

"You were always a pathetic child. Getting into fights you couldn't win, trying to befriend other kids who would bully or belittle you. And for what?"The woman asked as she stooped down. "For some idiotic notion that you could make a difference? That you would rise up above the odds and make a change? Don't make me laugh."The woman sneered. "You were a mistake. A mistake I would undo, if given the chance."She finished coldly and began walking away. Izuku felt a sharp pain in his side, but his attention was focused on the woman now walking away.

As he raised his hand, the scene changed again. They were back in his childhood room, with a crying Izuku watching the All Might rescue video for the hundredth time. His mother had walked into the room, the same evil sneer on her face as before. Behind her back was a large kitchen knife, hidden from the younger Izuku. As she approached the small boy, the younger Izuku turned to her. "Can..Can I be a hero, mommy?" He asked. The woman looked at him and began sobbing, but steeled her resolve. "I'm afraid you can't be a hero, Izuku." The woman stated firmly."You're too pathetic and weak!" She continued as she kicked the smaller Izuku in the chest, sending him flying. As the younger Izuku hit the floor, his mother approached his side and knelt beside him.

The younger boy was now crying, his entire body shaking in fear. His mother sighed as she laid his head on her lap, slowly running her fingers through his hair. "You'll never be a hero, Izuku."She sated calmly, ignoring the heartbroken sobs of the young child on her lap. "But I can give you a gift."She continued, getting Izuku to look up. "I can make it so you can fly. And so you never feel pain again."The woman stated with glee in her voice, the knife still sitting beside her. "Would you like that, dear?"She asked, getting an enthusiastic nod from Izuku. She closed her eyes and picked up her knife, holding it over the young child's body.

"This will sting a bit. But then, you'll have everything I promised." The woman stated as the younger Izuku closed his eyes. The older Izuku threw a shuriken at the knife, but couldn't make it in time. He watched as his younger self was stabbed with a large kitchen knife. He quickly got up and launched a harsh kick to his mother's face. As the boot connected, she disappeared, like a mirage. He quickly turned to the younger Izuku and tried to wake him up. "Wake up, brat!" He demanded, watching carefully as his younger version opened his eyes. "Who are you, mister?" The younger version of himself asked as everything began to fade.

Izuku looked around himself, senses on the edge as he looked around. He was in an all too familiar alley as he heard two gunshots go off. He turned to see himself crying over the body of his mother, the life quickly leaving her eyes. She finished talking to the younger Izuku, but as she saw the older one, she leapt to attack. "This was all your fault!"The woman repeated as she threw a hook, making Izuku duck. "If you hadn't been so weak, I would be alive today! All of this was to please you and get your mind off of your bad news, and what do I get for it?! Shot! I got shot!" She continued sending kicks and punches to him, but none connected.

Izuku quickly jumped at her and pinned her to the ground, one arm on her torso and another pinning both hands above her head. "You're a disappointment. You're a weak, stupid child who should have never been born! I'm ashamed to call you my son!" The woman continued. "My blood is on your hands. And it always will be."The woman finished as she disappeared, the younger Izuku now standing before him. "How could you?!" The child demanded of him. "She was all I had, and no she's gone because of you!" The child screamed as he charged the older Izuku and threw weak punches at him. Izuku sighed as the soft punches landed.

He tried to grab the apparition, but it faded as soon as he touched it. He looked at his hands to see them stained a deep crimson.

-Real world – Izuku-

Izuku's heart rate was elevated as he woke up. He looked around to see he was still in the same warehouse as last night. He was running a fever and hallucinating badly, sweat pouring from the helmet. "Al..Alfred?" Izuku asked. "Yes, Master Bruce?" The AI asked. "Contact Lucius/ Let him know I got tagged with the toxin and I need that serum now." Izuku stated as he tried to get up. A sharp pain in his torso let him know something was wrong. He looked down to see a small switchblade sticking out of him; judging by the lack of blood, it had a corkscrew effect on the wound, keeping all of the blood inside of himself. He grunted as he got up and made his way outside.

"Master Bruce, Master Lucius will await you with the serum at Ishibu station." Alfred's voice rang. "Understood." Izuku replied as he used his grappling gun to get there quicker.

-Ishibu Station-Lucius-

Lucius was awaiting Bruce in front of the Ishibu station. It had been half an hour since he got the message that he had been exposed to the toxin, and he knew that meant he was in trouble. As he waited, he heard a loud crash and clanking from a nearby alley. He approached to see Izuku's downed form slowly trying to get up. He quickly approached the boy and helped him up. "Where have you been? I haven't heard from you in two days!" Lucius demanded. "Two days? Shit, I've been out longer than I thought" Izuku stated, then looked at Lucius.

"I was injected with a triple dose of Crane's fear toxin. That leads to vivid hallucinations and a horrible time." Izuku stated, getting a concerned look from Lucius as he dug around the bag he had with him. He produced a small needle and injected Izuku. Izuku felt his heart rate slowly stabilizing. "Thank you." Izuku stated, but was stopped as he felt a sharp jerk on his side. Lucius had yanked the blade out and was currently inserting what seemed to be a bullet into his wound. With a click, the wound was filled with micro sponges that stopped the bleeding.

"That should hold up until you get medical attention." Lucius stated, then looked at Izuku. "You look like hell." He stated. "You're no prize either." Izuku shot back, getting a grin in return. "So, have you figured out Crane's next move?" Lucius asked as he handed a duffle bag with various injections of the serum to Izuku. "He's going after the University in Shibuya. He's still sore about them firing him; I need to figure out when." Izuku stated, but stopped as he saw the worried look on Lucius' face. "What's wrong?" Izuku asked. "The only university in Shibuya is Odegawa University, and they're hosting a fundraiser with various donors starting in about an hour." Lucius stated. "How do you know this?" Izuku asked.

"It's all they've been talking about on the news. If Crane wanted to get back at them, hurting their reputation at this event would certainly fit the bill." Lucius stated, getting a worried nod from Izuku. "I'm on it." Izuku stated as he shot his grappling gun into a nearby building and zipped away.

-Shibuya University-

The evening had started off well for the Shibuya University Fundraiser. Old alumni had come out to support the institution and donate as much as they could; unfortunately, that's when trouble struck. A tall, lanky man dressed in a scarecrow costume had stormed in and demanded they all bow before him. He had brought various goons that had disabled the campus security and he was currently sitting next to the Dean of the university, laughing like a maniac. "You made fun of me for my research! You called my experiments in fear immoral, unethical, and illegal! Well, who's laughing now?!" Scarecrow demanded. "Crane?" an elderly professor asked, but was quickly stuck by crane's gauntlet. The man fell to the floor, terrified as large amounts of spiders swarmed him and began stinging for all their worth.

Everyone else in the room watched as the man fell to the ground, swiping at his clothes in an attempt to get some invisible foe off of him. "The name's Scarecrow, my friend!" The man stated with an arrogant tone. "Don't you forget it!" He demanded. Izuku was currently on top of the roof, watching everything that was happening from a skylight. "Everyone in this room is responsible for me becoming a laughing stock and being run out of the scientific community. As such, everyone here will pay!" The man stated as he unveiled a large cart the goons had brought in. A large container full of his fear toxin was currently sitting connected to a large aerosol diffuser with a timer.

"In just 10 minutes, this entire room will become a feasting ground for everyone's worst nightmares!" The scarecrow laughed maniacally. "And there's no one to stop me!" The man finished. An older man was sitting in the back, fiddling with the gun in his hands. The man had grey hair in a military buzz cut, a mustache, and rectangular glasses. He was currently wearing a brown overcoat, a white dress shirt, and grey slacks. This was Captain Gordon of the Shibuya Police Department, and he was currently in a tough situation. A large part of him wanted to stop the bad guy, but he couldn't risk so many civilian casualties. Adding the unknown toxin to the mix was not making things any better. "I'll just have to wait for one of the heroes to make an appearance." The officer thought to himself as he steadied his breathing.

A loud crash drew everyone's attention to the ceiling. A lone figure dressed in all black was currently falling in with a wire protruding from his back. As he fell, the wire slowed Izuku's fall. He maneuvered himself to kick Scarecrow's face as he landed, getting a yell from the man. "Get him!" The man screamed, and the henchmen began surrounding Izuku. Izuku quickly threw some dull shuriken at an incoming man's legs, making him stumble. Another tried to tackle him from the side, but Izuku easily jumped over the man and pushed him to the floor. Another goon started firing at Izuku, but was stopped as a shuriken buried itself into his hand, making the man let go.

Two others rushed him and Izuku engaged in hand to hand. Ducking under a wide swing, he swiftly uppercut one of the men and blocked a strike coming from his side. HE quickly closed the distance between them both and delivered a palm strike directly to his stomach. The man was launched backwards, bile spilling from his mouth as he finally fell to the floor. One of the goons managed to strike Izuku in the torso, making his wound burn. Izuku quickly grabbed the offending man and launched a swift kick into the man's torso, making him scream. "You idiots can't do anything right!" A voice behind him yelled.

Izuku knew what was coming and shifted his head, seeing a needled hand flying next to him. He quickly grabbed the arm and bent it, making it point back towards Scarecrow. "NO!" The man yelled, but couldn't overpower Izuku. Crane yelled as the needles sunk into his neck, making his vision blur. "What..What are you?!" The man demanded as Izuku's form shifted. A large cape appeared behind him and his eyes began glowing. Izuku's hands became large, sharpened claws. "I'm your worst nightmare!" Izuku yelled as he punched the man, making him fall. As the scarecrow fell, Izuku rushed to the bomb and checked the timer. It still had three minutes.

Izuku quickly disconnected the tank of toxin from the diffuser and left the diffuser by itself. Without the payload, it was about as useful as an air freshener. He withdrew a syringe and took a large sample of the toxin, but was stopped as a clicking sound was heard behind him. HE turned to see a man in a brown overcoat with a gun pointed at him. "Halt! State your name and your agency!" The man demanded, a police badge in his hand. Izuku turned and looked directly at him. "Scarecrow injected that man with his fear toxin." He began, pointing to the large tank in his hand. "He's injected another. The caretaker from Genkai Orphanage. I'll get the cure to her; here's another in case something happens." Izuku finished as he handed the man before him a syringe.

"That man will also need a dose." Izuku stated as he approached the man attempting to get the spiders off himself. The man tried to crawl away, but was stopped as Izuku slipped a needle into his neck and injected the serum. The man's screams stopped and he went limp. Gordon quickly checked the man to make sure he was still alive. As he confirmed the pulse, he turned to the vigilante. "Again, State your name and agency!" The man demanded.

Izuku glared. "I just saved the lives of everyone in this room and you point a gun at me. Figures." Izuku spat out and handed the toxin to him. "I'm the vigilante." Izuku stated as he fired his grappling gun into the air. As it hooked onto something in the roof, it began pulling him up. Gordon began to line up a shot, but looked at the tank in his hand. The vigilante had a chance to make off with a biochemical weapon, a chance to kill a criminal, and a chance to let a room full of innocents die, but he didn't. "Don't make me regret this." Gordon thought to himself as he turned to the room full of civilians and tried to calm them.

-Shibuya General-

Izuku was exhausted, but his night still wasn't over. He used his grappling gun to gain access to the nurse's station in Shibuya general via a window. He quickly looked up Mina's name and room number, then made his way there. As he approached the heavily sedated Mina, he sighed. "Two people have told me I'm a disappointment and a shame… Maybe they're right." He spoke out loud, not really directing it to anyone. He approached the downed woman and injected the serum into her neck. As he backed away, he heard a few people approaching the room. He quickly made his way to the window and jumped out as the police officer from the university entered.

The police officer walked towards Mina, but stopped as he noticed an empty syringe next to her bedside. "He's already been here!" The man spoke, then turned to the others. "Find him!" Gordon exclaimed, but was stopped as he saw a dark figure standing on a nearby rooftop. Izuku gave him a nod and continued on his way home.

-With Izuku-

Izuku got home and tore his gloves off, exposing his hands to the chilly air. He proceeded to take off his shirt, his hands staining from the copious amount of blood matted on it. He looked down to his hands, the same color of crimson from his hallucinations now staining them. He proceeded to the bathroom and turned on the shower, a choked sob escaping his mouth as he closed the door behind him.

-With Talia-

'Maybe he's finally home.' Talia thought to herself as she let herself into Izuku's apartment. The apartment was dark except for a dim light coming from the bathroom. Talia quickly approached the door and knocked hard on it. "Alright, Izuku! You better have a damn good reason for ditching me!" She exclaimed, even using his childhood nickname. But no answer came. She backed up and her foot sloshed into something. She picked up a piece of crumpled clothing and the smell of iron hit her nose. 'Blood.' She thought to herself as she threw the shirt.

She quickly kicked the door in to find Izuku in the shower area. He was still wearing his pants and shoes, and was scrubbing his hands furiously. His hands had gained a red hue at this point from the harsh scrubbing he was doing. She stuck her hand in but pulled it back when the freezing water hit her hands. She turned to the water knobs and found only the hot knob was on. "Izuku, are you ok?" She asked, concern evident in her voice. "There's blood…" Izuku stated, staring at his clean hands. She looked at him and noticed the cut through in his chest. "Come on, you've been hurt." She stated as she tried to pick him up.

He pushed her to the side as kept scrubbing his hands. "It won't come off." He stated in a low, raspy voice. "Izuku, your hands are clean, there is no blood." She stated, trying to get his attention. He was crying, the tears flowing from his eyes freely. "It's still there!" he yelled at her, and she grabbed his hands. "Whose blood?" she asked, deeply concerned for Izuku's mental state. "My mother's… My mother's blood is on my hands." Izuku stated, collapsing into her. She held him in a hug and wrapped her arms around him. "I'm a disappointment. I should have never been born." Izuku muttered, his voice hollow. "Maybe then, she'd be alive." He finished.

"Don't say that." Talia stated, almost crying at the display before her. She had seen Izuku rise above worse situations and come out on top. She had seen him at his lowest, and he never cried. "What happened to you?" She asked. Izuku told her everything he had seen, from his own mother mentally destroying him to her stabbing through his younger self. Talia stayed quiet as she listened. Once Izuku was done, she grabbed his hands into her own. With a delicate touch, she intertwined her fingers into his and kissed the top of his hand. She took a finger into her mouth and licked it clean, showing it to Izuku.

She then shot him an affectionate smile. "There. Both our hands are dirty, but now yours is a bit clean." She stated, getting a hesitant nod from Izuku. "We've both done things we're not proud of. We've both lied, stolen, and killed; But none of it was senseless. I think…your mother would be proud of what you did today. You saved those people. You achieved your goal of being a hero." Talia continued. "Your mother would never regret saving you. To a mother, their child is the most important person in the universe." Talia reassured him.

"As long as you need me, I'll be here for you, Izuku. You're not alone and you're not worthless. You're worth more to me than you realize." She finished, holding Izuku close. Izuku oddly took one of her fingers and licked it clean, the same way she had done his. "Thank you for being here." He muttered as she lifted him from the cold and laid him in the bed. She quickly removed the micro sponges from his wound sterilized it. Afterwards, she began sewing it up, looking at Izuku's face. 'I'll always be here, Izuku-kun.' She mentally promised as she finished patching him up. As she climbed into bed besides him, she 'eeped' as his arms found her and brought her close to him.

Izuku wasn't one to initiate physical contact; this was a rare occasion. Talia smiled as she closed her eyes and enjoyed the feeling of being wrapped in the arms of the man she loves.

A/N: Alright, I know I'm going to get a lot of crap for this, so let me make this clear. Yes, Izuku suffered something horribly traumatizing. Yes, he broke down. Why? Because he's human. One of batman's greatest advantages is him being just a man. It's also one of his greatest disadvantages. I think him facing his fear is a huge milestone to him being the complete Batman, and it helps develop him as a character. I didn't want him to be this stoic, 2D character who never changes. I want him to face adversity and overcome it. I want him to be different. And I want to showcase the fact that the thing that makes him special is the fact that he's normal.

Anyway, I see as of the publish of this date, the previous chapter had 150+ readers and only 3 reviews. The next chapter will be posted once I hit an undisclosed number of reviews! So, the rest is up to you. And duplicate reviews don't count.

Now, hit that review button!