Chapter Text
Izuku was thought to be quirkless. His friends left him and his father went overseas, ostensibly to send him and his mother money. It never came.
Everyone wrote him off. Except his mother.
But then, they were kidnapped, captured by a villain who planned to use their multitude of hostages against the hero. And Inko was chosen. Not to go free, no, to be used as an example to the heroes, to the kidnapped people, to civilians, to the world.
And they slit her throat.
Eight-year-old Izuku watched the light drain from his mother's eyes as the blood drained from her body, something no kid should ever see, and he snapped. He snapped and he roared. He roared and his nails turned into talons, his skin became iridescent green scales, and his mouth turned into a maw that swallowed the villain whole.
And then he knew that there was no going back.
That there were none who would accept him now.
He was not any kind of hero.
He was a murderer.
A monster.
A demon.
He was...
A dragon.
And so he raised his wings and let instinct guide him. He spread them and flew as fast and as far as he could. He flew for minutes, hours, days. He flew as long as he could, only stopping to eat, drink, and relieve himself. And just when his wings were about to give out, he found the perfect place.
A large mountain in the middle of nowhere, with a large cave system that was, to his knowledge, only accessible via caves that were too cold and high for any others to easily reach.
And it was nice, for a time.
But Izuku grew lonely in his cave, for it was palatial but empty of any other beings.
And so, he decided to return. To return to the city where he lost everything; his father, his mother, his friends, and even his humanity. To return in the hopes of finding a purpose, a hoard, friends, and himself. To return in the pursuit of justice, of atonement, of wisdom and bravery.
But the boy who returned was different from the naive child he had once been. He was confident, sure of himself, and knew his own worth. Not only that, but he had also changed physically, becoming taller, stronger, and with evidence of his quirk all over his body in the form of scales. His eyes were green with gold flecks and slit pupils. His hair was a paler, iridescent green. And he was beautiful.
And so, Izuku Midoriya had fled the city and in his place was now Izuya Midoriku, a boy unrecognizable to all who had once known him. A boy overflowing with a thirst for knowledge and a fire that raged in his heart.
A fire that begged for justice. A fire that demanded redemption. A fire that required vengeance upon all who had hurt him.
A fire that could burn down the world.
A fire that was built on the ashes of dreams.