Takeru woke with a sharp inhale, the world returning in fragments of sterile light, quiet machinery, and the faint scent of antiseptic. The first thing he registered was hunger—deep, clawing hunger that hollowed him out from the inside. The second was the soft weight resting beside his arm. Neijire had fallen asleep in the chair, her face gently pressed against the mattress, her fingers still curled as if she had been holding his hand before exhaustion claimed her.
He lifted his left hand and brushed her hair aside. The movement roused her instantly. Her eyes fluttered open, softened with relief, and she leaned forward so quickly he barely had time to sit up before she wrapped her arms around him.
"Takeru-kun… you scared me so much," she whispered, her voice thin from holding in fear for too long.
He kissed the top of her head. "Sorry. I didn't mean to make you worry."
She pulled back only enough to search his face. "You were unconscious for an entire day. Hawks came right after they brought you here, but once the doctors said you'd regenerate, he left. He said he would return when you were awake." She puffed her cheeks slightly. "He didn't stay long."
Takeru exhaled through his nose. Hawks leaving so quickly annoyed him more than he wanted to admit, but he let the irritation fade. "What about Kendo?"
"She went home to rest. She'll come right after class." Neijire squeezed his hand. "I didn't let anyone else in. I knew you wouldn't want classmates staring at you like this."
Takeru smiled and pressed his forehead to hers. "You were right. Thank you."
But the next moment, his stomach growled so violently the bed rattled. Neijire blinked, then giggled, like all her worry vanished. "Hungry?"
"Starving. I need… a lot. Ten servings of ramen. Three buckets of fried chicken. Maybe more."
She sprang up immediately. "I'll get everything. Stay put."
When she rushed out, Takeru finally looked down at his body. His abdomen was wrapped, but beneath the bandages he could feel and itch over the injured areas and a dull pain , tissue sealing. His right arm ended just below the elbow, yet small white nubs of bone had already begun to push through the skin as new structures formed. His missing eye itched in a way that suggested regeneration had already started as well.
Faster than he expected. Much faster.
He leaned back, stunned by the implications. His quirk had always been described as "smart atoms," but the Commission scientists had never been certain how far regeneration could go. Now he had the answer.
He could grow back limbs and organs, albeit not instantly like that infernal monster he had fought.
The memory of the fight played in his mind: the shock on his classmates' faces, the punch from Midoriya that had taken him by surprise. It was stronger than any punch he had ever taken. It took everything in him to stay conscious. He remembered the sharp crack of his jaw as it snapped from the force. Even the Nomu had not hit him that hard. Combined with All Might's unusual investment in the boy, the late quirk registration, and Shun's earlier speculation, he felt more convinced than ever.
Midoriya must be All Might's son.
The door slid open and Shun entered, posture crisp, gaze sweeping over Takeru with a quick clinical assessment. "Good. You're awake earlier than projected. We are happy to see you recovering, Takeru-kun."
Takeru gestured to his arm stump. "Regeneration's faster than expected."
"Yes," Shun said, stepping closer. "Our scientists are revising their models. Your recovery suggests your quirk is evolving with stress responses. The limb should return entirely within a week, and your eye even before that."
Takeru nodded, though the truth unsettled him. "The Nomu—it was unlike anything I have ever seen or thought possible, based on what I know about quirks and biology for that matter."
Shun's expression tightened, and he nodded, gesturing for Takeru to keep going.
"Multiple quirks. Some form of engineered fusion. Shock absorption, regeneration, super strength. Possibly others. And it obeyed commands without hesitation, like it was more a robot than a living being. It was driven by the instinct to obey unconditionally. It lacked skill and finesse, relying purely on its considerable physical capabilities—thank God for small mercies, I suppose, or I would not have survived."
Shun looked stunned. "Multiple quirks… That is indeed a disturbing development. A bioengineered monster built to kill All Might. The creature was found unresponsive and docile ten miles from USJ. It has just shut down, it seems. It only attacks when ordered. All Might apprehended the villains, but they escaped—some kind of black sludge teleportation quirk we have no record of."
Takeru growled, the glass of water in his hand shattering. "Bastards…"
Shun lowered his voice. "Your frustration is understandable. This new League of Villains—there is no such group in our records. It seems to be a new one, but they have tremendous resources at their disposal for such a young organization."
Takeru looked away. "New one, or maybe an old evil resurfacing. Something all of you dismissed has returned."
Shun sighed. "It might be that this All For One was not just an urban legend. We will widen our search and look for him. If they can create more of these Nomu and warp them anywhere, Japan will never be safe."
"We will talk later, Takeru-kun," Shun said as footsteps echoed in the hallway. "Your food is here."
On cue, Neijire burst into the room, pushing a cart loaded with steaming bowls and stacked containers. Shun stepped aside and gave her a polite nod.
"I wish you a swift recovery, Takeru-kun. The U.A. Sports Festival is in two weeks. If you continue to heal at this rate, you will be ready in time. It is time the people of Japan are introduced to you," he told Takeru with a smile.
As he left, Takeru felt another wave of itching in his arm and eye, signaling fresh growth. He pulled a bowl toward him and then realized his right arm was still a stump. He sighed.
"I will feed you," Neijire said resolutely.
Takeru smiled. "I have such a beautiful and caring girlfriend. I am truly blessed."
Neijire pouted as she opened the container with ramen. "I am still angry at you, but I will wait until you're healed," she said as she took out the chopsticks and lifted the noodles.
Takeru kissed her forehead before he began to eat.
He was grateful to be alive and to have people who cared about him. But still, guilt gnawed at him from within. Looking at Neijire's beautiful face, he wondered if she would still love him if she knew the things he had done. He brushed such thoughts aside and decided to focus on filling his roiling stomach.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Next Day
The doctors had confirmed what the HSPC scientists already suspected: by tomorrow morning, Takeru would be stable enough to finish the rest of his regeneration at home. He would do the rest of his healing in the comfort of his own penthouse.
The door slid open just as Neijire and Kendo finished helping him into a clean shirt, save for his arm and his eye, which were still regenerating. He felt fine—better than fine. He felt stronger. There was a scar on his abdomen, but it was growing fainter. The scientists had said that in a couple of days, he would not have that either. Neijire and Kendo's constant mother-henning was beginning to get to him, but after what he had put them through, he decided to suffer through it.
Hawks leaned in with a lazy grin, wings half-folded as if he had only stopped by because he had nothing better to do.
"Yo, sleeping beauty," Hawks drawled. "Heard you're finally being kicked out. Guess they need the bed for people who actually stay injured."
Takeru glared lightly. "Oh, the number three hero finally deigned to honor us with his presence."
Hawks shrugged with dramatic innocence. "That's right! You're welcome. I can sign your cast if you want."
Takeru just glared.
"Oh, come on. Don't be so melodramatic," Hawks continued. "I came, saw that you were alive, and the doctors told me you would heal, so I left."
Neijire puffed her cheeks. "You left after five minutes!"
Kendo crossed her arms. "And didn't visit again."
Hawks lifted both hands. "Whoa, whoa. I showed up. I confirmed he wasn't dying. That's a full visit in hero-hours. Besides, the people of Japan need to see their angel in action to bring peace to their hearts. You know, all those muscles—you're still such a diva."
Takeru sighed, but a faint smile tugged at his mouth. "Piece of shit," he mumbled.
"And yet," Hawks said, winking at Neijire and Kendo, "you all keep me around."
The two girls exchanged looks—equal parts exasperated and fond. Takeru ran a hand through his hair.
"Pack my things for tomorrow," he told them gently. "I'll be discharged in the morning."
Neijire nodded immediately. Kendo tightened a bag strap. Both of them watched with quiet worry as Hawks stepped beside the bed and jerked his head toward the window.
Takeru pushed off the floor and hovered, the night wind drifting in as Hawks slid the window open. Kendo put her hand on his chest to try and stop him.
"I'm fine, Kendo. I need some air," he said, kissing her forehead.
"Won't be long," Takeru told the girls.
Neijire bit her lip. "Come back."
Kendo nodded. "We'll finish packing."
When they were high above the city, alone above it all, Hawks finally spoke.
"Alright," he said, the lazy humor draining from his voice. "Talk to me. The League is being hunted by every top ten hero. The HPSC is throwing everything it has at them. I wish I could say this won't happen again, but—"
"It's not that," Takeru cut in. His voice lacked its usual authority. "Gamma. The mission before the USJ attack."
Hawks didn't interrupt. He waited, concern plain on his face.
"He was a kid," Takeru said quietly. "A terrified kid locked in a lead container. Shaking. Skin burned raw by his own power. When I opened it, he asked if I'd come to help him." His throat tightened. "He looked at me like I was a hero. Like I was there to save him."
He swallowed hard. "And then I killed him. Because the mission said he was a threat. Because the risk was too high. The radiation leaking from him alone would've killed anyone nearby. He could've lost control again—killed tens of thousands." His voice cracked. "No matter how I justify it, I took the easy way out."
The city lights blurred below as tears slipped free.
"I was never a hero," he whispered. "I told myself I was a soldier. But after Gamma… I'm just a murderer. Someone who killed a child." He laughed bitterly. "And then the USJ happens, and everyone praises me like I'm their savior. I don't even want to look at my classmates. What a joke—being called a hero."
Hawks exhaled slowly, wings beating through the cold air.
"You want to quit," he said.
Takeru nodded.
"Yeah," Hawks muttered. "Figured." He drifted closer, forcing eye contact. "But you're wrong."
Takeru bristled. "About what?"
"All of it."
"You didn't see his face," Takeru snapped. "You didn't see the hope in his eyes before I shut them forever."
"No," Hawks said evenly. "But I know what happens if you weren't there. Tens of thousands dead. Maybe hundreds of thousands poisoned by radiation. The Liberation Front using a kid as a bomb until he burned out." His gaze didn't waver. "You didn't kill Gamma. The world did. You just made sure he didn't die screaming in a crowd."
Takeru clenched his jaw.
"And here's the part you're really missing," Hawks continued. "You're not All Might. You're not holding together a broken system with a smile and duct tape. You can actually change it."
He gestured at the city below. "The system that failed Gamma. That fails mutants. That crushes people who fall through the cracks. The same system that creates the villains it pretends to fight."
Hawks jabbed a finger into Takeru's chest. "The scientists say you could live forever. With your strength, your regeneration, your mind—do you know what that means?"
Takeru said nothing.
"You could be Number One," Hawks said. "And after that? Prime Minister. Use your popularity like All Might did—but don't stop at symbolism. If All Might was the Symbol of Peace, you could be the Symbol of Change. Climb to the top and tear out what's rotten."
His voice hardened. "What does quitting fix? Nothing. But staying? You could make sure Gamma never happens again. Build a society that gives second chances. That doesn't discriminate against heteromorphic mutants. That has room for people without quirks."
Takeru stared at him, stunned.
"All Might preserves the status quo," Hawks went on. "You can rebuild it. Make it better."
"That's… beyond heroics," Takeru said quietly.
"Exactly," Hawks replied. "Be more than a hero. Be a leader. You're going to live a long time, Takeru. Long enough to build something that serves everyone. Build a world that does not need Heroes."
Takeru looked down at his healing arm, the itching beneath the bandages, then back at the endless city below through his one good eye.
"If I don't quit," he said slowly, "then I need a direction."
Hawks smiled—serious, for once. "Then decide now. Become Number One. Become untouchable. Then fix what All Might never could."
"…Alright," Takeru said at last taking deep breath, quitting was the cowards way out . Takeru was many things but not a coward. "I'll do it. I'll aim for Number One. And then I'll change everything."
Hawks clapped him on the back. "Good. Also, the wind's lifting your hospital gown. If anyone looks up, they'll see two moons."
Takeru didn't hit him. But he seriously considered it.