The ramen hit the spot. My body had been screaming for calories and I'd demolished nine large bowls while the others watched in amazement. Even Katsuki, never one to back down from a challenge, stopped after six.
"Slow down before you choke," Mom had said, though her eyes sparkled with pride as she watched me eat.
Now, an hour and a half later, we walked back to our apartment building, stomachs full and spirits high. The night air carried just enough chill to feel refreshing against my skin, still warm from the restaurant's steam and the hot food.
Mom, Mitsuki, and Camie walked ahead of us, their laughter drifting back as Mitsuki recounted some embarrassing story from our childhood. Camie's delighted gasps told me it was probably at my expense, but I couldn't bring myself to care. The sound of her laughter was worth it.
"—and then Izuku tried to jump off the slide with a cape made from his All Might blanket!" Mitsuki's voice carried back to us.
"Aunt Mitsuki!" I called forward, "That was Katsuki's idea!"
"Snitch," Katsuki muttered beside me, hands shoved deep in his pockets.
We'd fallen back naturally, neither of us suggesting it but both somehow understanding we needed this moment.
Katsuki walked with his usual aggressive posture, shoulders squared and chin slightly raised, but something had shifted. The constant rage that once radiated from him like heat from pavement had cooled to something more controlled. Focused.
"Your match against Half-and-Half was impressive," he said suddenly, eyes fixed straight ahead. "That counter in the second minute. Where'd you learn that?"
"Gramps showed me the base technique, but I modified it for Strong Style."
He nodded once. "Smart."
We walked another half block in silence. Ahead, the women had stopped at a corner store, Mom gesturing about picking up some dessert. Camie caught my eye through the window and flashed a peace sign. I smiled back.
"You've grown, Katsuki," I said quietly.
His steps faltered for just a moment before resuming. Red eyes slid toward me, narrowed slightly. "The fuck does that mean?"
"Exactly what I said." I wasn't deterred by his tone. I knew him too well for that. "A year ago, you wouldn't have acknowledged my match, let alone complimented it."
He scoffed, but didn't deny it. "Yeah, well. A year ago you were still Deku."
He hadn't called me that since after the talk. Something about hearing it now, spoken almost thoughtfully rather than spat as a slur, unlocked memories I'd pushed aside.
"Remember that summer when we were seven?" I asked. "The one with the abandoned construction site behind the convenience store?"
Katsuki's expression shifted, surprise flickering across his features before settling into something more guarded. "Yeah. What about it?"
"That was the first time I realized you were actually trying to protect me, in your own fucked-up way."
He stopped walking entirely, turning to face me. The streetlight caught the sharp angles of his face, shadows deepening the permanent furrow between his brows. "The hell are you talking about?"
I stopped too, meeting his gaze directly. "You found that site first. Spent three days exploring it alone before the other kids found out. But instead of bragging about it like you did with everything else, you told everyone it was dangerous, boring, not worth checking out."
His jaw tightened. "It was boring."
"It was filled with rusty metal and unstable concrete slabs," I corrected. "Perfect playground for kids with quirks who could handle themselves if something went wrong. Terrible deathtrap for a quirkless kid."
The memory crystallized between us—Katsuki at seven years old, already learning to channel his explosive personality into actual explosions, standing in front of the other neighborhood kids declaring the construction site "lame" while shooting warning glances my way.
"You didn't want me following you there," I continued. "Not because you didn't want me around, though that's what I thought at the time. But because you knew if something collapsed, everyone else stood a chance. Tsubasa could fly away. Yasuo could harden his skin. But me?"
Katsuki's expression darkened. "Drop it, Izuku."
"No." I shook my head. "I need you to hear this. I thought you just decided I wasn't worth your time anymore. But looking back, I think that was when you started seeing my quirklessness as a death sentence."
He looked away, jaw working. "Your point?"
"My point is, I get it now. You pushed me away because you thought you were saving me from myself. From my own stupid dreams." I took a breath. "And in your own twisted way, you thought you were doing me a favor."
"Fuck off with your psychoanalysis," he growled.
"Am I wrong?"
The question hung between us. Ahead, the women emerged from the store, shopping bags in hand, but something in our posture must have signaled this wasn't the time to interrupt. They resumed walking, giving us space.
Katsuki ran a hand through his spiky hair. "I don't know what you want me to say."
"The truth would be nice."
His red eyes narrowed. "Fine. Yeah, that place was a deathtrap. And yeah, I knew your quirkless ass would get crushed if you followed us there." A muscle in his jaw twitched. "But that doesn't excuse the other shit."
"No," I agreed. "It doesn't."
"Then why bring it up?"
"Because I'm trying to understand how we got here. How the kid who used to be my brother turned into someone who told me to jump off a roof."
He flinched visibly. "Low blow, Midoriya."
"Just stating facts." I kept my voice even.
Katsuki stared at me for a long moment, his expression unreadable. Then he turned, resuming our walk at a slower pace. I fell in step beside him.
"I was a shitty person," he said finally, voice rough. "Thought the world revolved around me because of my quirk. Thought being strong meant never backing down, never showing weakness." He glanced at me. "You were a walking reminder of everything I was afraid of becoming."
I frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Weak. Useless. Left behind." He shrugged. "Watching you chase after a dream everyone knew was impossible... it pissed me off. But not because I hated you."
"Because you were afraid," I realized. "Afraid I'd prove everyone wrong."
His silence was confirmation enough.
"And now I have," I added quietly.
Katsuki snorted. "Yeah. Fucking quirkless wonder, top of Class 1-A, Sports Festival champion." His mouth twisted into something between a smirk and a grimace. "The universe has a shit sense of humor."
"It's not too late, you know."
"For what?"
I gestured between us. "This. Whatever this is. We don't have to be friends again. But rivals? Classmates who push each other to be better? That I could work with."
He studied me, something calculating in his gaze. "You're different."
"So are you."
"No, I mean..." He struggled visibly with the words. "The old you would've been begging for us to be friends again. Following me around like a lost puppy despite all the shit I pulled."
I laughed. "Yeah, well. Nearly dying will change your perspective."
His expression darkened. "That USJ shit."
"Among other things." I thought of the void, of Toshiro, of the second chance I'd never expected to get. "Let's just say I've learned what matters."
We walked in silence for another block, the gap between us and the women ahead growing smaller as we approached our building.
"I don't do the friendship bracelet bullshit," Katsuki said abruptly. "But true rivals?" He glanced at me. "I can work with that."
"Deal." I didn't offer my hand to shake. I knew him better than that.
"One condition," he added as we reached the building entrance. "I'm taking the number one spot."
I grinned. "You'll have to go through me first."
"Planning on it."
The women waited for us at the entrance, their conversation pausing as we approached. Camie's sharp eyes darted between us, assessing.
"Everything cool?" she asked, directing the question at me while somehow including Katsuki in her gaze.
"Yeah," I said. "Just catching up."
Mom looked between us, her motherly intuition clearly picking up on the shift in dynamics. "Well, we got ice cream for everyone. Shall we head up?"
"I need to hit the gym," Katsuki announced suddenly. "Burn off the ramen."
Mitsuki rolled her eyes. "It's almost ten, Katsuki."
"Gyms are open 24/7," he countered. "Besides, some of us have to work twice as hard now."
"I'll walk you," his mother sighed. "Let me just drop these bags with Inko first."
"Don't bother. I'm not five."
"No, you're my stubborn teenage son who just fought in four high-intensity matches today. I'm walking you."
Their bickering continued as we entered the building and climbed the stairs to our floor.
At our apartment door, Katsuki paused. "Izuku."
I turned, raising an eyebrow in question.
"That last move against Todoroki." His eyes narrowed. "Teach me that sometime."
"Sure. Whenever you want."
He nodded once, then followed his mother back toward the stairs, their voices fading as they descended.
Inside the apartment, Camie immediately claimed the couch, sprawling across it dramatically. "Feet officially dead. Carrying the weight of all this awesomeness is exhausting."
Mom laughed, heading to the kitchen. "I'll get bowls for the ice cream."
I glanced at my phone. 8:37 PM.
Camie noticed my attention shift. "Something up, Izu?" She twirled a strand of blonde hair between her fingers, her eyes half-lidded with contentment from the meal.
"Just realized I need to head out for a bit." I pocketed my phone and stood, stretching my arms above my head. "Promised myself I'd visit the beach tonight."
Mom looked up from the kitchen counter where she was scooping ice cream. "The beach? Takoba?"
"Yeah." I smiled at her. "Just want to see it again. You know, remind myself where it all started."
"Don't stay out too late," she said, but her tone carried no real concern. We both knew I could handle myself.
"I'll save your ice cream in the freezer," Camie called as I headed toward my room. "But fair warning – might tax it for quality control purposes."
"Taxation without representation is theft," I called back, hearing her laugh as I closed my bedroom door.
I changed quickly, pulling on a black tank top that showed off the results of hellish training and matching sweatpants. My fingers brushed against the gold medal as I pulled it from my table. I weighed it in my hand for a moment before slipping it around my neck. It felt right to wear it for this meeting.
All Might had given me three weeks to consider his offer. Three weeks to decide whether I would accept One For All. Three weeks of weighing pros and cons, of imagining futures both with and without his power.
I'd gone back and forth countless times. Some days, the answer seemed obvious – of course I should accept. This was All Might himself offering me his quirk, the culmination of generations of power and heroism. What kind of fool would say no?
Other days, doubts crept in. I'd proven myself without a quirk. Taking One For All now might feel like admitting I couldn't make it on my own after all. And then there were the philosophical questions – would I still be me with someone else's power flowing through my veins?
"Headed out," I called as I passed through the living room.
Camie lifted her spoon in salute. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do."
"That leaves a disturbing amount of options open."
She grinned. "Exactly."
Mom pressed a quick kiss to my cheek as I passed. "Stay safe."
The jog to Takoba Beach took fifteen minutes. The night had grown cooler, but not uncomfortably so. The rhythm of my footsteps on pavement gave way to the soft crunch of sand as I reached my destination, taking off my shoes and socks.
Hard to believe that less than a year ago, this place had been a junkyard, buried under mountains of trash. Now the waves lapped gently at clean sand, reflecting the stars overhead.
I closed my eyes and let the memories wash over me. That first day on the beach, staring at mountains of garbage that seemed impossible to clear. The ache in my muscles as I dragged refrigerators across the sand. The countless mornings watching the sunrise while my body screamed in protest. Bang's gruff encouragement. Mom joining my training, our relationship transforming as we both grew stronger.
To Camie. To UA. To Momo. To Hitomi. To Katsuki. To everyone else.
Every moment had led here. To this beach. To this decision.
And suddenly, I knew. The answer had been there all along, buried beneath my doubts and fears.
"Hello, Young Midoriya."
I turned at the familiar voice, smiling as I faced the skeletal form of the world's greatest hero. All Might stood a few paces away, hands in the pockets of his oversized white hoodie, his sunken blue eyes somehow still bright in the darkness.
"Hey, All Might."
End of volume 2