My first story! Constructive Criticism and Feedback is welcome!

There will be a Poll to decide Izuka's pairing: All members of Class 1-A, as well as Mei Hatsume and Hitoshi Shinso are eligible. Simply message me or leave a comment with your choice. Each person gets one vote per character per chapter.

It can be male or female and the winner will be decided in the School Trip Arc and revealed in the following Arc.

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MY HERO ACADEMIA: YOKAI HERO DEKIRU!

Chapter 01: Enter! Izuka Midoriya!

Izuka Midoriya was to most of the world; Quirkless. Anyone who looked at her would see a shorter than average girl with curly dark green hair that reached between her shoulder blades, big shiny green eyes and a cute and freckled face. Some saw her as a weakling and pathetic for being Quirkless while others saw her as a smart girl that was too innocent and needed protecting, even from her own dangerous dreams. Almost no one believed she could be a Hero without a Quirk, not her teachers or neighbours… but they didn't matter. The people who mattered; Izuka's mother, her Uncle Toshinori and her only true friend, Katsuki Bakugou knew the truth… Izuka DID have a Quirk, one she kept hidden since she was 9 years old…

It had happened in the middle of summer break, not long after Izuka had turned 9. She, desperate for some companionship, trailed behind Katsuki, endearingly called Kacchan while he tried to ditch her for her quirkless nature, all while insulting her and calling her Deku. Had Izuka been a boy, he might have simply beaten her up and left her, but while Kacchan didn't care about her gender, others no doubt would and it could interfere with him becoming Number One Hero if something like that were to end up on his record. He couldn't exactly use the "Boys being boys" excuse.

And so, Izuka dutifully followed Kacchan, smiling weakly at his insults with the occasional whimpered complaint of "That's mean, Kacchan..." while his other friends laughed at her. Most boys didn't want to play with her because she was a girl and the girls didn't want to play with her because she was too tomboyish with the way she dressed and acted, and of course neither boys or girls would play with a Quirkless girl. The only reason she still tried to be friends with Kacchan (aside from her fear of loneliness) was that he'd been her only friend BEFORE they learnt she was quirkless. But that all changed on that warm summer day…

Kacchan's roving pack of kids ended up in the woods on the outskirts of Endor Ward, where they had established a secret base. Izuka had naturally followed but wasn't allowed into the base itself (which was an abandoned shack), so she just sat on the little bench outside while watching Kacchan play-fighting with a boy with a forcefield quirk. The rest of the boys were in the shack, playing on their portable gaming systems, but Kacchan preferred practicing his Explosion Quirk on the only kid that could reasonably defend against it.

"That's awesome, Kacchan!" Izuka cheered as Katsuki smashed the forcefield like glass and sent the other boy rolling backwards in surprise.

"Shut up Deku! I know I'm awesome! That's why I'll be Number One!" Katsuki boasted, puffing his chest out proudly.

The other boy, wanting to recover his damaged pride by insulting the only person he could, sneered at Izuka, "Yeah, Katsuki actually has the ability to become a Hero! I bet I could too, but you'd be lucky to even get into our fan clubs!"

Izuka wilted at the comment and looked down, mumbling "I can be a Hero if I try really hard..."

Katsuki rolled his eyes and gestured to Forcefield boy to put up another barrier so that they could continue practicing. Izuka watched them for a bit more, when she suddenly saw a flash of red from a top one of the trees. She tilted her head in confusion, wondering what she'd seen, when the red flashed before her again, but this time she clearly saw it, as it had stopped directly on top of Kacchan.

It was a man, wearing a blood red hoodie and a white hockey mask with the mouth holes arranged to look like the teeth of a skull. A large meat cleaver hung from the man's left hip and a smaller butcher's knife hung from his right. Several scalpels were slotted into what looked like a bandolier on his chest and what could only be blood was staining each and every blade on his person. The man had landed right on top of Katsuki, knocking the boy down and putting a knee on his back while he deftly pulled both the boy's hands together behind his back and held them with just one of his own massive hands.

"What the hell!? Get the hell off me you freak!" Katsuki demanded.

"Ohoho, not a chance boy! You've got a pretty nice quirk and I want it! But to take it, I'll be needing your heart." the man grinned, his voice nasally and distorted. No doubt he had some sort of voice changer beneath his mask.

Izuka gasped, she knew who this person was! He was Jack of Hearts, a villain that could copy people's quirks if he had flesh to flesh contact with them. The News had reported that he had murdered several people and taken their hearts, which was the only piece of the victims that would work with his quirk after the person had died. The Forcefield Boy must have recognised him too, or simply given into terror as he shrieked "VILLAIN!" at the top of his lungs before fleeing.

The boys in the shack peeked out to see what the commotion was, and upon spotting Jack of Hearts, they all screamed and ran too. Katsuki yelled after them, calling them cowards while Jack chuckled, "Aw, did all your little friends run away? It's too bad. Sorry Brat, but I've got that Blond Smily Freak chasing me and your Quirk is exactly what I need to finally finish him!" He said, slowly drawing one of his scalpels and twirling it, making sure Katsuki could see every movement.

"S-Stop!" Izuka yelled, surprising both Jack and Katsuki. The little girl ran at Jack, intent on saving her friend, when the Villain threw the scalpel at her. Izuka screamed as the blade stabbed into her upper arm and the pain suddenly shot threw the entire limb.

"You idiot! Run Deku!" Katsuki screamed, know looking even more terrified.

"Aww, your little girlfriend wants to save you! She's got more of a spine than those others. Tell you what..." Jack opened his hoodie, revealing his bare (and near emaciated) chest and dozens of hearts that were sown to his skin in such a way as to make him look muscular while clothed, "...once I cut out your heart, I'll take hers and sow it on right next to yours!"

"Don't! She's Quirkless! She can't do anything!" Katsuki yelled. Izuka was doing her best to stem the tears in her eyes as she pulled out the scalpel. The blade was short and thin and had missed any important blood vessels so there was no danger of bleeding to death. She looked up at Jack, whom was reaching for the butcher's knife… if that hit her, she'd die for sure, but the villain wasn't looking at her; his eyes were filled with a manic desire and fixed on Kacchan.

"Too bad, I guess you'll heart will be all on it's own then." Jack laughed before pulling back the knife for the plunge. Katsuki's eyes shut tight in fear, but Izuka's widened.

She wanted to be a Hero, but that thought didn't even enter her mind as she launched herself at the villain. She wasn't afraid of being hurt or dying, she wasn't concerned with her dreams or feelings… all she saw before her was the gleam of a knife and the death it held for another person. Her legs moved on their own.

Jack recoiled as Izuka slammed into his side and grabbed his arm in both of her small hands and pulled desperately. She had only the strength of a child against an adult, so her pulling was in vain but she needed to get the knife out of the villain's hands. Thinking quickly, she sank her teeth into the man's hand and bit down as heard as she could. The taste of blood filled her mouth as Jack screamed and the knife fell to the ground beside Kacchan's head, allowing him to grab it with his own teeth and chuck it away with a swing of his head.

"Damn bitch!" Jack roared, slamming his arm (and Izuka) into the ground. The impact made Izuka gasp and release her hold on Jack while bile crept up her throat to join the blood in her mouth. She rolled onto her front and vomited, but Jack slammed down on her back with his now bleeding hand. Both children were in the same position know; face down on the ground of the Woods, Jack holding them down. Katsuki's wrists were trapped in his right hand while Izuka was simply held down with his left hand on the small of her back.

"You know, you're a really annoying brat! That Blond Prick is hot on my ass, so I don't have time to make this really fun, so here's a little taste of your own friend's quirk." Jack said with a sneer. Both children's eyes widened.

"B-But I thought you needed my heart to use my quirk!" Katsuki yelled, hoping to stall the villain long enough for his pursuer to catch up.

"I only need your heart if you're dead. Since you're alive, skin contact is enough. Let me demonstrate!" Jack grinned cruelly beneath his mask, though the look in his eyes portrayed his sadistic pleasure.

"WAIT!"

Katsuki's yell was cut off by the sound of an explosion and an ear splitting scream. The boy looked horrified as he saw the flames and smoke of the explosion emanating from Izuka's back. The little girl was in horrendous pain; her entire back felt like every inch of skin had been scorched off to the point that the pain was too intense to even describe. The sickening smell of cooking flesh filled the air and Katsuki retched as blood and smoke poured from the massive wound on the girl's back.

Izuka's scream slowly turned silent as all air was gone from her lungs, leaving her face contorted in a silent cry of pain. She tried to take a breath only for her head to slump to the ground and her eyes to dull. She couldn't breath or feel her thumping heart beat… slowly, all colour faded from her vision until only blackness remained. Sound faded next as Katsuki's cries became quieter until they were silent. The smell of her own cooking flesh grew weaker as all sense of smell left her. The taste of blood and bile on her tongue followed as another sense disappeared. Lastly, the feel of the ground beneath her body and the pain in her back died out, leaving Izuka without sense at all. Only her thoughts remained.

'I died...' she thought, feeling oddly calm considering what just happened. She stayed like that for a while, not really able to decide if this new situation was bad or not; on the one side, she felt no pain but on the other, she was, well, dead. Her thoughts drifted to Kacchan, 'He's still with the villain! That monster will kill him if help doesn't get there!'

But she was dead, so what could she do?

Her thoughts moved to her mother next, 'Mom will cry… she cries when I skin my knee or cut myself, how will she react when she finds out about this? I hope Uncle Toshi looks after her.'

But she was dead, so what could she do?

Her thoughts continued to drift, this time to her father; the man that had abandoned her and her mother when it became clear she was Quirkless, 'I wish that man had never met Mom. Then she wouldn't have been stuck with a Quirkless child… then she wouldn't have to bury her child… I don't know if I hate him… is this what hate feels like?'

But she was dead, so what could she do?

Uncle Toshinori entered her mind next, "Uncle Toshi… I'm sorry I have to leave Mom to you. Please take care of her! I hope you heal from that wound." she thought, remembering how only a few months ago, he'd been badly hurt by a villain which had restricted his ability to use his Hero form.

But she was dead, so what could she do?

She didn't want to be dead…

She needed to help Kacchan! She needed to go back to Mom! She needed to help Uncle Toshi!

She needed to live!

"So live."

The deep voice startled Izuka and suddenly, all her sense returned in a flash. She wasn't in the forest any more; instead she was floating high above the clouds, the sun bathing the sky in gold. She could smell flowers and hear the call of birds. The clouds beneath her felt like cotton as she passed her hand through them. "This can't be real… clouds are just water." she frowned.

"It is as real as anything, it is simply another kind of reality." the voice came again, though this time Izuka could see the source. Sitting on a cloud just a few feet away from her was a strange man wrapped in an off-white kimono. His skin was a faded red and his canine teeth were long and curved, which combined with his terrifying face and long horns made him look like some kind of Oni. In the being's lap was a kusarigama; a short scythe with a long chain on the end.

"A-Are you the Shinigami?" Izuka asked, remembering the stories about the Death God coming to lead the dead to the next life.

"Indeed I am. I am Lord Shinigami, Keeper of the Gate!" the man said, nodding proudly.

"Keeper of the Gate?" Izuka repeated, still too dazed to fully realise the gravity of the situation.

"Yes. The Gate to the Beyond. Through the gate lies the path to the Great Wheel, where souls are judged and reincarnated. But fear not, the Gate is closed to you. All others must pass through when faced with the Keeper, but you bare the Gift of the Scales, so only you can decide when to pass through the Gate." Lord Shinigami said, his deep voice taking on a sagely tone.

Izuka nodded and began mumbling to herself, "So I definitely died, but I can't move on unless I chose to. Does this mean I'm stuck here like a ghost? And Gift of the Scales? It must be some sort of balance power but why me and for what purpose? Perhaps-"

"It would be best if I explained." Shinigami interrupted, his features twisting into what looked like an amused expression, "It call begins with your gift. Humans are simultaneously the most intelligent and the most foolish in how they interpret and quantify their gifts, for they decided that such a thing as a bone in the toe can declare one as ungifted."

Izuka tilted her head, trying to get her head around the Death God's strange way of speaking. "You're talking about Quirks? Wait, so the Gift of the Scales is my Quirk!?"

Shinigami nodded, "Indeed. Humans have named their gifts "Quirks". The Logic is not lost on me, though I feel the word is… unsuitable. Gifts are exactly what they are; abilities bestowed upon the living by the spirits of the World. I will explain, for this is also within your gift."

"Please do, Shinigami-Sensei!" the girl smiled, sitting comfortably on the cloud beside the Death God and eagerly listening now that she was learning about Quirks.

Shinigami took a deep breath and began; "The World you know is only half of the true world; one side of the coin. The other side, overlapping with yours, is the Spirit Realm where Ghosts, Spirits, Kami and Yokai reside. We are currently in a part of the Spirit Realm now. When a Living Being dies, they pass through the Gate and are placed upon the Wheel, where their soul is directed to where it belongs. Sometimes this soul is stripped clean and reincarnated, other times the soul is destroyed due to immense evil that has rotted it beyond repair and some souls are left to wander free of the Wheel, either due to powerful grudges, desires or some form of unfinished business which forms a connection that defies the power of the Wheel. None can predict the Wheel, for it is a force, much like Gravity and we have only just begun to understand it's laws."

"So Gods or Kami are real? And what does that have to do with Quirks?" Izuka asked.

"Patience Young One. All will be explained, time in both worlds will cease for as long as you are in this place. As I said, the Spirit Realm is inhabited by Ghosts, Spirits, Kami and Yokai. Ghosts are the Souls of humans that have failed to be reincarnated or destroyed by the Wheel. Spirits are Souls that have been judged by the Wheel to be worthy of acting as Guardian of a specific piece of the Human World, with the size of this piece varying from single objects like Ink Brushes or Knives up to entire continents. Kami are Spirits that have been raised even higher and govern aspects of existence. For example, I am Shinigami and I govern the Aspect of Death. Lastly, there are Yokai, Ghosts and Spirits that have grown in power and can now act without direction from the Great Wheel. Essentially, they are Rogue Spirits that exist in the gap between the Spirit World and Human World and frequently cause mischief in both."

Izuka nodded along, her hands fidgeting like she was trying to write in a Notebook that wasn't there. "Continuing from there, we get to Gifts or Quirks. You see, about 200 years ago, a certain Spirit somehow regained the memories it held as a Human and defied the Wheel by latching onto a soul being sent back to Earth for Reincarnation. The Spirit was absorbed into the Blank Soul and the first of the Gifted; the Luminous Baby, was born. Other Spirits were used to possess other Humans to separate the Wayward Spirit from the Baby and drag it back to the Spirit Realm, but when the Rogue Spirit and the ones sent after it left the bodies of the Humans, the powers they held remained. Not only that, but the Spirits that had possessed those humans had grown greatly in power. The bonding of Spirit and Human had created Humans with Gifts or Quirks and Spirits with immense power. Other Spirits quickly joined in the craze, creating more Gifted Humans until the entire population was Gifted. Following this, we observed that the Gifts had manifested in the DNA of Humans, allowing new Gifted to be born without ever being connected to a Spirit, hence the Age of Quirks began."

"Amazing! So Humans gained their Quirks from these Spirits. What about the Quirkless though? If Spirits want to be powerful, shouldn't it be a race for them to get to a Quirkless before others?" Izuka asked.

"And there you have hit upon the crux of why you are here. You see, Spirits weren't the only ones to learn this trick; the Yokai learnt too. Yokai began possessing Humans to get the power increase, but their grudges, desires and connections would corrupt the Human, nearly tripling the chances of them becoming Evil. Spirits began hunting and destroying Yokai which lead to a War. Humans experienced this as Natural Disasters as Spirits that governed large portions of land used it against the Yokai, and many serial killers as Yokai-possessed Humans murdered anyone they believed was possessed by a Spirit. It lasted for Seven Years and it was a black spot on our History."

Izuka paled, "That was the Sinner's Seven, wasn't it? A Seven Year Period with countless disasters and murder rates higher than ever. Almost every religious leader declared it a punishment from God. I guess they weren't far off..."

Shinigami raised an eyebrow, "I'm surprised a young one such as you knows of it, the war ended 50 years ago."

"W-well that period is what lead to the Hero Movement in the first place. People were so scared and the Emergency Services were stretched thin, so Heroes were born to save people and fight villains others couldn't." Izuka admitted with a small blush.

"Heroes hmm? Interesting. Regardless, the War was only ended when the Kami decided that NO ONE could possess a Human. The Wheel acted accordingly and began stripping power from Spirits that continued to do so and the Yokai quickly forgot about it once they had no war to fight and no Spirits to remind them of the ability. Yokai are rather fixated on their grudges and obsessions so they returned to normal with ease. Still, Yokai are not a natural part of the World and need to be dealt with, as do Rogue Spirits that risk another War by ignoring the Wheel and the Law. This leads us to you and your Gift; the Gift of the Scales."

Izuka perked up, "I'm guessing I have to deal with Yokai and Rogue Spirits right?"

"Correct. Your Gift was created by several Kami, including myself and bestowed upon you by a Guardian Spirit after we judged you to be worthy. We believe you are the best one for the job, based on your keen mind and heroic spirit. The Gift grants you several abilities. One is the Key to the Gate; a power which will prevent you from passing on without actually wanting to; essentially you can die like any other Human, but you have to choose to STAY dead. If you don't pass through by the time that your Guardian Spirit had restored your body to a functioning state, you'll be shot back to your body."

The Green Haired Girl gaped at the Death God; "S-So I can come back to life as much as I want!?"

"Indeed, but that is not the true purpose of your Gift, it is simply a way of ensuring you don't fail in your task by dying. The true purpose of your Gift is in the other two abilities; Eye of the Spirit and Soul Tether. Eye of the Spirit will allow you to see and hear that which is beyond the sight of Humans, enabling you to see Spirits and Yokai in your world. Soul Tether is the most important ability though; it allows you to bind Spirits and Yokai to yourself. Your task would be to find Spirits and Yokai that are causing trouble and either appease them to remove their attachments or destroy them. Once their attachments are removed, you can bind them to yourself and the next time you die, those Spirits bound to you will be returned to the Great Wheel. In addition, any Spirit bound to you will provide you with their Gifts, though the unwilling will make it a painful experience to use them."

Izuka nodded, "So my job is to find Troublesome spirits, remove their attachments, bind them to me and then die to send them on? And each Spirit I'm bound to will give me a new Quirk?"

"Correct, you catch on quickly. When you return to life, I will provide you with a weapon that can end your life quickly and painlessly without injury, so as to make delivering those spirits easier. All that we of the Spirit Realm ask is for you to do for us what you would do for the Humans; become our Hero, our Symbol of Peace. The Balance between us all must be maintained, or calamity will befall us all, living and dead." Shinigami explained, looking at Izuka with a mix of hope and apprehension, as if waiting for her to refuse.

Izuka merely smiled wide, her chest feeling tight with the pride and happiness she felt, "Don't worry Lord Shinigami! I'll do it! I'll be your Hero!"

Shinigami smiled sincerely and reached out one clawed hand to gently pet the girl's head. "And now I know we made the right choice. To return to the Human World from the Spirit Realm, simply dive beneath the clouds. You'll appear as a Ghost, so simply enter your own body. Your Guardian Spirit will have healed your body to a sustainable level but be warned, his healing ability is limited and he will not stop you from being scarred."

Izuka nodded, "Okay! But Kacchan and I are still being held by Jack of Hearts and I can't fight him! Please, I want to save Kacchan!"

"It is fine. Your Guardian Spirit, a Nekomata named Chaika, will allow you to use his Gift once you are aware of him. His Gift is the creation of Blue Spirit Flames which can protect you from all forms of fire and the blue fire will make for an effective weapon. Go now, become a Hero to both Human and Spirit!" Shinigami ordered, using the blade of his kusarigama to slice open the clouds.

Izuka took a deep breath and leapt into the gap between the clouds; determination burning in her green eyes. She felt herself falling towards the Earth below, her Home City fast approaching, followed by Endor Ward and then the woods. She slammed down right next to her own corpse, with Kacchan frozen with terror on his face and Jack of Hearts grinning madly, both completely still and unmoving. The fall had been painless, since she was a Spirit now, but the girl still felt a bit silly falling face first into the dirt. Izuka looked to her body and found the massive wound on her back was now mostly healed, leaving only a massive patch of skin missing. Her entire back would be dominated by the scar of the explosion that killed her, but Izuka couldn't bring herself to care.

Sitting beside her body was a large cat, about twice the size of a normal house cat with glowing, translucent pink fur and two swishing tails that each ended in a ball of blue flame. The Cat's eyes were the same sapphire hue as the flames and fixed themselves on Izuka's spirit body. "So you return. It is good to finally meet you Lady Izuka. I have watched over you since you were very young. My name is Chaika; your Guardian Spirit. I have restored your body as best I can but I fear it will still be painful when you return." the Nekomata spoke, her voice sounding like a younger version of Izuka's mother; Inko Midoriya. "Do not fear for the boy. Time stopped the instant you died and will resume when you breath again."

"Chaika, thank you! I'm going to need to borrow your Gift to save him, will you help me?" Izuka asked, stretching her hand out to the Cat Spirit. Chaika gave a feline smile and placed her paw on Izuka's palm.

"Of course My Lady. Now that you are aware of your gift, the bound between us will allow you to use my Gift. It will be as simple as breathing for you." Chaika explained.

Izuka smiled warmly, "Then let's go!" she cheered, before walking to her physical body and touching it to bond with it and once again return to life.

Her enthusiasm and determination was dampened slightly as her senses returned to her body and she felt the roaring pain that engulfed her back. It took all of her willpower not to scream, instead biting her tongue hard enough to draw blood. Even with a Quirk now, she was still at a disadvantage against Jack of Hearts, so the element of surprise was all she had. She could here Kacchan crying and screaming at her, begging her to wake up intermingled with rabid cursing at Jack while the villain laughed. Jack had removed his hand from her, so she was no longer being held to the ground. Her plain white t-shirt was stained with blood and badly scorched, with only the collar and hem of the shirt still in tact and holding the front of the shirt to her body. The entire back of it was gone but at least she'd be able to move without the whole thing falling off; she'd never live it down if she had to fight a villain whilst naked from the waist up.

'Can you hear me?' Chaika's voice echoed in her mind, 'Spirits bound to you can communicate telepathically; just think at me!'

'I can hear you. We need a plan; someone is chasing Jack so we need to stall him and keep him from killing Kacchan.' Izuka thought, trying desperately to ignore the pain. Thinking fast, she came up with a plan; she had no idea what other Quirks Jack gained from his stolen hearts but based from his arrival earlier she guessed he had some kind of rapid movement ability. The first step was to get him away from Kacchan to stop him exploding her again.

'My Gift will protect you from the heat and fire of the explosions, but the concussive force can still hurt you.' Chaika warned. Izuka smiled in her head. Now was the time to put her plan into action.

With as much speed as she could muster, Izuka leapt to her feet, startling both Kacchan and Jack as she sprang towards the hand holding Kacchan down. Feeling the warmth of Chaika's flames coming to her hand, she conjured a blue fireball and struck Jack's arm, setting his hoodie sleeve alight and making him recoil in pain. "AGHH! Bitch! Why are you alive!?" the Villain growled. He let go of Kacchan's arms, giving the boy a chance to slip away and stand beside Izuka.

"Run!" he commanded, grabbing Izuka and running away from the villain whilst using his free hand to create explosions and propel the two forward. Izuka, mimicking Katsuki, put her own free hand behind her and create a stream of blue flames to propel her too.

"That brat said she was quirkless… Good news Boy! I guess you'll get to have her heart as company after all! RIGHT AFTER I RIP IT OUT IN FRONT OF YOU!" Jack roared, activating his rapid movement quirk and catching up with the fleeing children.

"Kacchan! Swing me at him!" Izuka ordered.

"What!?" the boy yelled back.

"No time to argue! Just do it! Please!"

Kacchan frowned but obeyed, spinning on his heel and using all his strength to swing the small girl around and back at the villain. Izuka summoned up as much fire as she could and blasted it all at the villain's chest, aiming for the stolen hearts he had sown to his body. In that instant, Izuka saw dozens of strange black shapes, monochrome people and even bizarre looking animals all surrounding Jack. 'The Spirits of his victims...' she thought as Jack screamed in pain from the flames.

One by one, the spirits vanished in bursts of golden light as the hearts were destroyed by the flames, until only a single spirit (a glowing green sparrow) remained. Izuka stopped the stream of fire, fearing that if she continued, Jack would die. Katsuki and Izuka stood there, a few feet from where Jack crumpled to the floor. The Villain's hoodie was a mess of ash and loose fabric, his right arm and chest were covered in blistered red skin from the flames and every single one of the hearts he had stolen was gone; reduced to ash on the forest floor.

"Y-You fucking bitch… It t-took months to gather all those h-hearts!" he spat threw pained whimpers. "I'm going to make this hurt… I'M GOING TO MAKE YOU SCREAM!"

Kacchan pulled Izuka behind him as Jack lunged at them, but the Villain never got near them. Instead, he was sent crashing through the trees by a red, white, blue and yellow blur. "It's alright now! Why? Because I am here!"

"All Might!"

"Uncle Toshi!"

The Number One Hero turned and grinned down at the two children before his smile faltered at Izuka's tattered state. Kacchan (puzzled by Izuka calling this guy Uncle Toshi) was ignored as the man rushed to the girl and gently turned her around, his smile vanishing completely as she looked at the horrid burns on the girl's back. It was only adrenaline and willpower that was keeping the girl conscious through the pain.

"It was Jack of Hearts. He caught us and used Kacchan's quirk to hurt me." Izuka quickly explained so that her Uncle wouldn't believe it was Kacchan who willingly hurt her.

With a furious look, All Might turned towards the Villain, but he was unconscious against a tree. Since All Might couldn't fight him, he turned back to Izuka and Katsuki. "Young Bakugou, I see you took out the Villain's stolen hearts! That was very good! Now let's get you both to a Hospital. The Police will be along in a moment to arrest the Villain." All Might spat the last word like it was poison.

The large hero gently lifted Izuka and Katsuki into his arms, depositing Katsuki on his shoulders while he cradled Izuka, careful to avoid touching her wounds. Izuka smiled and the gentle embrace and felt her consciousness began to slip as the adrenaline wore off. 'You did well My Lady,' Chaika said, 'By destroying those hearts and defeating that Villain, the spirits that were held to Earth by their grudge against him have been able to return to the Wheel on their own. Rest now.'

Izuka's smile widened and she happily fell asleep.

All Might continued to run towards the hospital, keeping quiet and moving as quickly as he dared not wanting to potentially irritate Izuka's injury. As Izuka's quiet breathing settled into purr-like snores, the Hero grinned wider. "It seems the little lady is quite tuckered out from her ordeal! Young Boy, would you kindly fill me in on what happened? If you feel up to it that is."

"You're Toshinori, right?" Katsuki said, ignoring All Might's question.

The Pro-Hero almost tripped in surprise, "W-What are you talking about?"

Bakugou scowled, "I'm not stupid. Deku- I mean Izuka, called you Uncle Toshi when you arrived, and you called me "Young Bakugou" even though Izuka called me Kacchan."

The now exposed Toshinori sighed and nodded (jostling Bakugou in the process), "I had hoped that in the excitement you would have missed those slips. I hope you understand why such a thing is a secret and why it must remain such."

Katsuki nodded, "Yeah, I get it. I won't tell anyone." he said, thinking back to his previous meetings with Toshinori Yagi. The man was a childhood friend of Inko Midoriya and had been like a big brother to her. He'd originally been buff (not All Might buff but Katsuki guessed it was part of his Quirk) and had popped up now and again to visit Inko and Izuka, but a few months ago he'd been hurt badly and was left as a near skeletal man with a horrid wound on his side. After that, he'd moved in with the Midoriya family at Inko's insistence. "Was it a villain that hurt you and made you all bony and crap?"

All Might chuckled, "Indeed it was, though I came out better than the Villain! Unfortunately I can only maintain my muscular form for roughly six hours a day, but that's more than enough for me to save people! Now, can you tell me what happened?"

Katsuki obediently reported everything that had happened from the beginning of Jack's attack to All Might's arrival. The Hero had been proud when he heard of Izuka's attempt at rescuing the boy, furious at the villain using Katsuki to hurt her and immensely happy when Katsuki spoke of her Quirk manifested (and he didn't miss the happiness in Katsuki's voice as he reported that her Quirk was similar to his). All Might looked proudly at his sleeping niece as he reached the edge of Coruso Ward (home of the best Hospital in the city) but frowned as he felt Katsuki's fingers dig into his shoulders.

"Is everything alright my boy? Are you hiding an injury?" All Might asked.

"No. It's Dek- Izuka." the boy said, his voice wavering in a way All Might would never have expected from the boy. "When… When my Quirk hurt her, I watched her. She didn't pass out. I saw it… the life left her eyes. I'm sure of it, for a moment, I'm sure she died."

All Might nearly froze, "Young Bakugou, are you certain? This could change what I say to the Doctors. Could you be mistaken?"

"I'm sure. S-She screamed a-and I could smell smoke and burning… burning flesh." Bakugou swallowed the bile creeping up his throat at the memory, "There was so much blood… and for a moment, Izuka just slumped over and… and died. The Wound on her back wasn't just a bad burn; there was a hole! But then suddenly, the wound healed to what it is now and she sprang up and used that Quirk like she'd always known about it. It was like she was a different person and she wasn't afraid at all!"

All-Might gently repositioned Izuka so she was settled on one arm so that he could use the other to reach up and gently pat Katsuki's head. The boy grumbled a bit, but leaned into the touch regardless. "Thank you for telling me this Young Bakugou."

Katsuki blushed a bit, "Don't thank me. I was real crappy to Izuka. I treated her bad because she didn't have a Quirk, but even before her Quirk came out, she was the only one to try and help. All my other friends ran away… If I have to go home before she wakes up, can you tell her I'm sorry. And that I was wrong."

Toshinori nodded, "I will. I don't approve of how you acted, but it takes courage to admit what you did wrong and apologise, though I recommend telling her yourself; it will mean more." he said, walking through the doors of the hospital. Almost instantly, doctors and nurses were taking the two children, with Izuka being rushed to surgery. While the Chief Physician quickly examined Katsuki, All-Might asked the boy a question.

"What is it that you were wrong about?"

Katsuki's face turned tomato red and he swallowed, "That she couldn't be a Hero… if she can do that stuff for me, then she definitely can… but I'll still be Number One, so she'll have to settle for Number Two!" the boy yelled, trying to recover his pride. All-Might laughed uproariously and gave the boy a thumbs up as the doctors led the child to another room for examination.

Once the boy was out of sight, All-Might retreated to a bathroom to change back to his civilian form. His smile faded a bit as he pulled out his phone; he needed to call Inko, and if his suspicions about what Katsuki said was correct then he'd need to call Nezu at U.A and Agent Necropolis from the Government…

[THREE DAYS LATER]

When Izuka finally regained consciousness, she found herself staring down at her own body. She yelped in surprise before the memories of the fight with Jack of Hearts came back to her. Looking around, she saw Chaika resting on the pillow beside Izuka's head and the green bird that had followed Jack was sitting on the IV Stand beside Izuka's hospital bed.

"Um, Why am I not in my body? Did I die again?" Izuka asked, feeling odd as she hovered around and took in her surroundings. She was in a private hospital room and her body was lying on it's front so as not to bother her burn. Izuka's mother was sitting quietly beside Izuka, watching her sleep. It was then that Izuka noticed two important factors; time was still moving, unlike when she'd died against Jack and the heart monitor connected to her body was still beeping along, proving she was in fact alive.

Chaika stretched and looked up, "No, you're not dead My Lady. When you are on the verge of waking up, you can leave your body and experience life as a spirit for a while. This can be useful to speak with spirits that aren't bound to you and you can even possess humans! Though you won't be able to control them; it's more like a mutual exchange of emotions. You can do this after dying too if you don't enter your body straight away."

Izuka nodded, "I see. Um, would you mind just calling me Izuka? It feels weird to be called "My Lady" all the time."

Chaika looked scandalised (at least as much as a cat CAN look scandalised…), "But that would be terribly disrespectful! I am your Guardian Spirit and Servant!"

"I'd rather we be friends, if you want to that is..." Izuka replied, poking her fingers together shyly. She was never good at making friends.

"If it would please you, I can try. Please don't be upset if I slip though." Chaika conceded.

The Green Sparrow tweeted in a way that sounded like laughter, "I'd like to be your friend too!" it said in a surprisingly masculine voice, "You kicked that bastard's ass and freed my sister's soul from him! I owe you a lot! My name is Taka."

Izuka giggled, "Like a Hawk?"

The newly named Taka puffed out his cheeks, "I know right! I was called Taka as a human and when I died and my spirit became a Yokai, I became a freaking sparrow! It's not fair. But seriously though, you did me a great favour by destroying my sister's stolen heart."

"What is your story, Taka?" Chaika asked imperiously.

"Oh, my story isn't anything special. I died when I was 19 from cancer. Sucks, but I had a good life for as long as it lasted. But the specific type I had runs in my family, so I lingered on Earth to watch my 7 year old sister and see if she got it too. Her Quirk was this really cool rapid movement ability that let her nearly teleport short distances… but it caught that bastard Jack's attention. He murdered her and stole her heart, which forced her poor spirit to follow him. Eventually I noticed the other spirits around the bastard warp and change and the same happened to my Chisa… she wasn't even human any more by the time you freed her. But still, thanks to you she was able to move on to the next life and I figured I could either follow her and hope to be reincarnated alongside her, or I could follow you and repay the debt I owe you." Taka explained.

Chaika looked to Izuka, "It seems that Taka's perceived debt has bound him to you in the same way as your "Quirk". He is of no threat as he is now, but you can force him to move on if you wish. Keeping him would allow you to use his Gift, which would be whatever "Quirk" he had in life."

"I could fly! It was pretty neat, but unlike other quirks that give flight, it was JUST flight, not like wind manipulation or anything." Taka explained.

Izuka entered her "Analysis/Mumble mode", "So he could fly? Makes sense with the similarities to his sister's quirk. Is the flight caused by Wing-type mutations or a psychic ability? Perhaps low-level wind or momentum generation from the feet? And as a Yokai he became a bird… perhaps there's a correlation between a person's quirk and the form they take as a Yokai? Chaika is a Nekomata that are associated with blue fire in mythology so it makes sense that a flight quirk would have a Bird-based Yokai form….

Taka turned to Chaika, "Does she usually do this?"

"I've observed her for much of her life… yes, she does this a lot. But it least it means she finds you interesting." Chaika commented with a cat smirk. "Lady Izuka, you are correct about the link between a Yokai and the Gift they bestow. Yokai from before the Age of Gifts would often give Gifts that resembled their own abilities, and Humans with Gifts that become Yokai take forms resembling their Gift."

Izuka snapped back to normal, "I see! I'm going to need to start a "Yokai Analysis" series of notebooks… But anyway, Taka! Are you sure you're okay with sticking with me? I can release you anytime you want me to and I won't be offended or anything! I don't really think you owe me, I was just doing what I needed to to survive."

"I'm sure. I ain't leaving you 'til you decide to get rid of me or move on yourself!" Taka said, flying over and landing on Izuka's palm, puffing up his chest in the process.

Izuka giggled and brought the sparrow to her face and rubbed him against her cheek, "Okay! Let's work together and help a lot of people!" Taka chirped his pleasure while Chaika smiled and swished her twin tails happily.

Turning back to her mother, Izuka decided that it was going to be hard to explain all this to her mother and Uncle Toshi, but she owed them explanations, and probably Kacchan too. Looking to the clock, she saw that it was 11AM and decided that it was best to wake up now and save her mother some worry. With that, Izuka floated into her own body while Chaika and Taka made themselves scarce to give Izuka privacy (though they couldn't wander more than a kilometre away).

When Izuka regained consciousness in her own body, she felt like her head was fuzzy and her back felt tight and sore. Twisting as slowly as she could, she moved to a seated position as her mother snapped to attention. "Izuka! You're awake! I was so worried about you! Are you in any pain? Should I call the Doctor? Oh, of course I should! I'll get him, just hold tight!"

"Mom, wait!" Izuka said, almost laughing at her mother's extreme worry, "I'm okay. It doesn't really hurt any more, it's just sore."

Inko sighed, "Thank goodness… I don't want to worry you dear, but Katsuki told Toshinori about what happened when that monster hurt you. Your Uncle Toshi has called some people to talk to you, and Katsuki and his parents are here too."

Izuka grimaced a bit; she'd hoped to have a little longer to get her story straight but it seemed that the choice was taken from her. "Right, I guess they're all really worried too… I'm really okay Mom, so you can tell them I'm awake. I'd rather get this over with."

"Alright Honey, if you're sure..." Inko replied, not looking very convinced, "But the Doctor is going to look at you first." she said as she got up to collect Izuka's guests.

The Doctor was just finishing her examination as Izuka's guests came in; there was Uncle Toshi in his civilian form, Katsuki and his parents; Mitsuki and Masaru, and a strange pair of people that Izuka had never seen before. One was a short white mouse (or bear or dog) in a suit with a scarred eye, while the other was a very gaunt looking man in a white suit with deep black bags under his drooping eyes. As they entered, the Doctor turned to Inko and Toshi;

"More than 50% of her back will be permanently scarred, but aside from that she has bounced back incredibly well. Thanks to Healing Quirks and her own hardiness, Little Izuka will be able to leave today and she'll only need an anti-infection cream and bandages for a few days until the skin fully heals." the Doctor said with a smile as she patted Izuka's head after disconnecting her IV and all the various machines that were no longer needed.

Kacchan winced at the idea of the scar while Inko and Toshi thanked the Doctor. Once the Doctor left, Toshinori cleared his throat, "Right, Izuka, I hate to do this so soon after you've woken up after your ordeal, but Young Bakugou told me some worrying things, including that you manifested a Quirk!"

Izuka nodded, "I did but it's kind of a long story. I was hoping to keep most of it secret… It's kind of hard to believe." she said, looking warily at the Mouse and the Gaunt Man.

"Ah! Please don't worry about these two! This is Principal Nezu, Principal of U.A High, and Agent Necropolis, a Government man that deals with the registration of … certain Quirks." Toshinori explained.

The Gaunt Man; Agent Necropolis stepped forward and spoke in a surprisingly upbeat fashion; "My Quirk and the types of Quirks I deal with are the kind t hat allow a person to resurrect from the dead. My own Quirk is called Necropolis, hence my Codename, and it allows me to return to life if I die as a result of trauma and also allows me to instantly tell if a person is dead so long as I know their real name."

Izuka couldn't help herself; "So there are other Quirks that allow you to come back to life?"

The Adults looked surprised while Agent Necropolis smiled slightly, "So Bakugou's assumption was right; you were killed by Jack of Hearts."

Inko gave a whimpered cry and almost collapsed, though Mitsuki Bakugou caught her and eased her into a chair. "This is some pretty messed up shit… to think a little girl like Izuka was murdered and came back." Mitsuki commented with a frown.

Izuka tightened her fists; "I wasn't the first little girl he killed, nor the youngest."

"You're correct about that; Chisa Hado was 7 years old when she was murdered." Necropolis said. "But that knowledge is actually not known by the public. It was kept silent on the request of the Hado Family, who'd previously lost a son to cancer and didn't want the media to disturb them. So somehow, you not only returned to life after dying, but also obtained knowledge that should have been impossible. Please tell us everything you can, Miss Midoriya."

Midoriya nodded and took a deep breath before telling the group everything that had happened from the moment they entered the Woods of Endor Ward to the moment she passed out in All-Might's arms and then the brief exchange with Taka when she first woke up. She was careful to omit nothing (though she did leave out the bullying by Kacchan and his friends, which made the boy feel guilty). The groups' expressions flitted rapidly between fury at Jack, shock, horror and amazement. At one point, Chaika piped up and told Izuka that she could make her bonded Yokai visible if she concentrated (though they couldn't be heard or touched, only seen), which she promptly did to show both Chaika and Taka to her listeners.

When she was done, Necropolis pulled out his notebook, "Well, I can confirm that everything she said is accurate. All people that experience a kind of afterlife after dying and before resurrecting report the same scene; the clouds, the golden sky and the exact description of the Shinigami. I myself have witnessed this scene."

"So what does this mean? You aren't going to try and take her away are you?" Inko asked fearfully, placing herself between the man and her daughter.

"Of course not! All my office does is keep her true quirk classified while having the public classification altered to either Quirkless or a reflection of some other aspect of their quirk. We also use it to keep track of people with similar quirks that turn to villainy; can't exactly put a Villain on Death Row if they just revive after execution. Speaking of which, Jack of Hearts had been placed on Death Row himself for the murders of 12 Individuals including 7 year old Chisa Hado. Technically speaking, he was charged with 13 murders, since he did kill you Izuka. His unlucky thirteenth, you could say." Necropolis told her. Izuka and Katsuki gulped while the Adults looked torn between being surprised and satisfied; the Death Penalty was exceedingly rare in the modern day and couldn't be used regardless of crime if the criminal was judged to feel remorse.

Toshinori nodded grimly, "The Courts are usually pretty slow with Villains since it takes time to tabulate all their crimes and many try and hold up the process in hopes of getting lesser sentences or the statute of limitations running out on certain crimes, but Jack was proud and boastful and happily confessed, even giving explicit details in a joyful voice at his hearing. The Judge moved for immediate sentencing and it was granted. Thanks to you, Izuka, that monster won't be able to hurt anyone ever again."

"W-Well that's good at least. But can maybe find a way to stall his e-execution for a while? If he dies with a grudge or obsession, he could become a Yokai and I'd rather not deal with him again until I've got more used to this." Izuka said in a shaky voice, the confidence she'd built up beginning to wear out.

Necropolis nodded, "I'll do what I can. Speaking of the job you've been given by Shinigami, since it benefits our world too, I'll see about getting you a Quirk License to let you use your Quirks in public without getting in trouble. Unfortunately, I'm going to need to ask you to write up reports of any Yokai or Spirit Encounters for us, just give them to Toshinori and he'll pass them along to me. The Government may also call on you for help if we run into a situation we believe is otherworldly in nature."

Inko looked like she wanted to object, but considering the potential dangers facing her daughter, she decided to keep quiet. Toshinori would never let anything bad happen to her Izuka and if he trusted Necropolis then so would she. It was at that moment that Masaru Bakugou spoke up.

"Not to be rude, but why exactly is my family here? If this is supposed to be a secret, why tell us at all? Inko and Mr Yagi make sense, but why us?" he asked.

"Ah, well you see, it seems your son was able to piece together Young Izuka's resurrection ability by himself after witnessing it which means my office would need to keep tabs on him. With that in mind, we thought it best if Izuka had someone her own age "in the know" as it were, so she could confide in them. As for yourself and your wife, it's standard procedure to inform the parents of any underage child of any secrets they've become privy to, both for the sake of disclosure and so that someone can take responsibility in the event of the child being untrustworthy." Necropolis explained.

Mitsuki scowled; "So basically you're telling us so that we can be held accountable if our kid spills the beans."

Necropolis smirked, "Essentially. Needless to say, everyone in this room will need to sign Non-Disclosure agreements."

Izuka giggled at the exasperated expressions of the Bakugou family, and the cheerful sound seemed to perk them up with Mitsuki ruffling the girl's hair, "Well it's fine. After all, you were the only one of my brat's dirt bag friends not to ditch him! Did you know that none of them called the police or anything? They all just ran home! Little brats..."

"I'm sure they were just really scared." Izuka defended half-heartedly. Mitsuki just smirked and gently hugged her.

"You are too innocent for this world. How did my brat manage to make friends with a girl like you?"

Katsuki growled, "Shut up you Hag! And until that crap went down, we weren't friends! I was an Asshole 'cause she didn't have a Quirk! I called her Deku and said mean stuff to her!" he admitted, losing a bit of his angry steam as he spoke. He turned to the girl in question and his face became an inscrutable blend of anger, jealousy and shame; "Izuka, I'm only saying this once so listen! I'm sorry for being an Asshole! And I was wrong; you can be a Hero if you want and I ain't saying that 'cause you've got a Quirk, but 'cause you saved my ass even though I picked on you! But I'm still going to be Number One so don't try to beat me!"

Mitsuki groaned while Masaru bowed apologetically to Inko (whom was actually surprisingly okay with Katsuki's confession and subsequent apology). "Only you could make an apology sound like you're scolding her! Show some humility you little brat!" Mitsuki yelled as he smacked her son on the head, though her eyes shone with pride.

Izuka smiled so wide she felt her cheeks begin to hurt and happy tears formed in her eyes. Using Taka's power, she floated up (not noticing the florescent green feathers that appeared in her wake and then vanished again) and flew at Kacchan, hugging him tightly. The boy stiffened and moved to push her off when he suddenly caught sight of the bandages on her back, exposed by the open back of her hospital gown.

That was the wound she gotten from HIS quirk after she risked her life to save HIM. Izuka, Quirkless little Deku had literally DIED for him.

Katsuki couldn't bring himself to push her away and instead returned the hug as gently as he could.

The Bakugou family left soon after so that the Midoriyas could have some time for themselves before heading home, and after a short lunch brought in by some friendly nurses (complete with extra servings of Ice Cream for Izuka), Necropolis also excused himself, leaving just Inko, Izuka, Toshinori and Nezu. At one point, Toshi and Nezu disappeared for a few minutes only to return with determined expressions.

Nezu cleared his throat; "Now, I was originally called here by Toshinori after he learnt of your Fire Quirk, but since we now know you'll likely have multiple quirks, my reason for being here has expanded. Essentially, I am offering you an open invitation to come to U.A anytime you want to use our facilities to train your Quirks in private. If you accept Toshinori's offer and prove yourself worthy, I'll even expand this invitation to a full recommendation to U.A when you reach High School."

"R-Really!?" Izuka half-screamed, almost jumping with excitement.

"Of course!" Nezu smiled, "I think you have the potential to be a fine hero! So does Toshinori, which is why he has an offer for you."

Inko looked to Toshinori, the man that had been like an older brother to her for years; "Toshi, are you sure? I know we've discussed it but why now? Why after this whole ordeal?"

Toshinori stroked his chin; "I was waiting to see if Izuka truly had a heroic spirit. I knew she loved heroes and wanted to help people but all that means nothing if you fold in the face of villains and suffering. Izuka proved herself against Jack, saving Young Bakugou and holding off the Villain long enough for me to get there. Izuka! Tell me, what went through your mind when you moved to save Young Bakugou!? What did you think or feel!?"

Izuka, startled by the sudden question almost hid behind Nezu, "I don't know! My body just moved on it's own!"

Toshinori grinned; "And that proves you have the Spirit of a Hero! That makes you worthy to be my successor; the new Symbol of Peace and the holder of One for All!"

Izuka listened with rapt attention as Toshinori explained his Quirk; One for All and how it was passed on. It would give her the power of All-Might and when combined with the Gifts of her Yokai and her ability to return from the Dead, it would make Izuka into the Ultimate Hero; one that really could save everyone; Human, Spirit or Yokai.

After a quick check with Chaika that One for All would not interfere with her other Quirk (named Spirit Scales by Necropolis earlier), she had eagerly accepted.

From that moment until it was time for High School Entrance Exams, Izuka would train her body, use her Yokai Quirks to help Spirits and Yokai and work towards becoming a great hero, all so that the day would come where she shout to both Heaven and Earth: "It's okay now! Why? Because Izuka Midoriya is here!"

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