Puppet Master

Taking Hold Of One's Own Strings

"Looky here," she said. "You aren't trying to reach out to yourself. That is how it is activated by others. These strings, I am assuming, are made of your own life energy, if how you transferred it is anyway to tell. They are a part of you. What you need to be doing is not reaching out to you but to be trying to activate the life force in you. You need to feel it active in you. Feel the shape of your strings and how they connect to you as a whole."

Feel my life force? What the heck does that mean?!

"Hey, boy-"

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'Heya, boy!'

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"-put these on."

Izuku looked up. Recovery Girl held out a pair of headphones that looked similar to the ones that Mr.... Dad gave him for his panic attacks.

He took them.

"Ever heard of meditation?" He nodded. "Good. Those are high-quality noise-canceling headphones. I want you to sit down, put those on, and take your time in silence to really focus on this, alright?"

Izuku narrowed his eyes. That means he wouldn't be able to hear anything. Anyone could sneak up on him, trap him, use, him, kill him, do whatever they want and he wouldn't be able to stop them because he wouldn't even know it was happening before it was too late.

*tap tap tap*

Izuku was shaken from his musings when the old lady tapped her cane on the ground.

"Sonny, you are at UA, the safest place in Japan. We are swelling with heroes. Nothing will happen." Izuku averted his eyes.

"And just to be safe," the door slid open, "he will be here to watch over you."

Izuku's eyes widened.

"Y- Yami." He couldn't help the name slipping from his lips even in front of the older woman.

The man, in full hero gear, grinned. "HEY!!!!!" Izuku threw himself off of the cot. Yami knelt down and embraced him in a tight hug.

"How are ya, little listener?" Izuku looked at him and gave a thumbs up.

Then it hit: What was Yami to him?

"That's good to hear! Me too!" I'll ask later. He pats Izuku's shoulder. "I've been informed of what you are trying. I think that's really cool!" Izuku blushed slightly. "I'm right here so don't you worry one bit, okay?" Izuku nodded.

Not that he didn't trust Recovery Girl, well, he didn't but that was another matter, he just trusted Yami more.

Izuku looked at the headphones in his hands. Izuku steeled himself. He boldly walked back over to the cot and sat down in a criss-cross sitting. Izuku took a deep breath and slid them over his ears. Almost instantly, the white-noise of the world cut off. Izuku felt his blood pressure spike so fast he got dizzy.

Vulnerable. Too vulnerable.

The world washed in red, everything his eyes fell upon labeled threat. Threat. THREAT! He couldn't breathe. His body shook. His green eyes flew to and fro.

Yami closed the door and leaned against it facing Izuku. He lowered his sunglasses and met Izuku's eyes from across the room.

'I'm here.'

Izuku read the man's lips. Izuku nodded shakily. Right. Yami is here. Everything is okay. No, it isn't. He will protect me. Hurt you. I'm safe. Not safe. Vulnerable.