Unit 001 speaking: "It will look like this..."
Unit 001 thinking: It will look like this.
Others who are NOT Unit 001 thinking: 'It will look like this.'
Unit 001's mainframe/AI: [It will look like this.]
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Due to the stress-filled situation that was that memory, the adults thought it best not to overwhelm the child with their obvious questions the moment he woke up. They were patient as they asked him how he was feeling, letting him wrap his head around the things that he'd seen and remembered.
"I'm... sorry, about what you had to see." Kioku voiced, "All that was there was heartache in the end. I'm so sorry, dear."
The others in the room felt the same. Sure, they had a bit more information to go on thanks to what they'd seen, but they were left with double the questions too.
What exactly did they see?
Who had wrecked that world that was so different from their own?
Where even was that, to begin with?
Who was this kid's mother?
Who was this kid?
"Yes. If you have any wandering thoughts you need to sort, you can ask any of us, lad." Dr. Silvan added.
For a long while, the child was silent. They didn't mind this and patiently waited for him to sort through things. They couldn't blame him for needing time. What they'd seen... it was traumatic even for them. Imagine what this little guy was going through.
"I have to get back. I have a lot of work to do." Naomasa said, rubbing his temples to ease his growing headache. With this information, a lot of these questions had been answered, yes. But it left a lot more questions in his wake. Though, with the information and his own authority, there was a lot he could do and get started on.
Such as legal documents, establishing a legal identity for the child, and making sure no one could touch them from a legal standpoint. He wouldn't let it happen, and with the subtle gazes he exchanged with the other adults in the room, they understood what he was going to do as well.
"I'll head out as well. I hope to see you again, young one." Small Might said, a genuine smile on his face. He could see the tiny bot's eyes whirling, recalling their small interactions. After a moment, he nodded, noticing how Toshinori's smile got that much larger at the small movement.
With that, the former number one hero and his best friend said their goodbyes, leaving the room. They looked to the remaining hero in the room, and he could feel the question in their eyes.
"I was going to visit her today with one of my problem kids."
"Ah, Midoriya?" Dr. Silvan asked, receiving a nod from the shaggy-haired male. "Yes, he and the other youth Mirio, were visiting my unofficial granddaughter today. The moment her condition stabilized they practically ran here. Good boys, those two."
At that, the little bot perked up. "This unit wishes to see Eri."
"Hm?" Kioku met his eyes, "You want to visit her, too? Are you sure you don't want to rest a bit more? The memory session was—"
"Success."
His lights seemed to brighten as he addressed the adults still in the room. When the adults realized what he was saying, their eyes became the size of saucers.
"T-Then the session... it wasn't just heartache for you. Y-You got something back?"
"Yes. Designation."
He pointed to each of them. "Dr. Leo Silvan. Kioku Silvan. Pro Hero: Eraserhead."
Then he pointed to himself, his eyes widening in silent elation. "This unit's designation is confirmed. This unit wants to see Bakugou Katsuki and Eri."
Kioku burst into tears on the spot. Her husband wasn't much better. Aizawa was stoic, masking his feelings like the expert that he was.
His name. He finally knew his name. He was not just a 'something'. He had a name, something that was his own and for him alone.
"Bakugou Katsuki is currently at the establishment known as 'dorms'. He will not be able to see this unit until tomorrow. So, this unit will go to Eri now."
He wanted to tell them first.
Without giving the adults any more warnings, he hopped his way off of the still massive hospital bed. They wanted to stop him, but the determined and elated look in his whirling blue eyes told them to simply follow him instead. So, making sure to keep up with his expertly executed waddles, they followed him to Eri's room.
It surprised them how he remembered exactly where it was. But it really shouldn't have. Our robotic baby had a memory like no other, even if it was currently damaged. While he was running from them, he made sure to record the layout in his mainframe. This entire floor? Making an intricate map for it was simple for him.
He got to the door and was faced with his first problem: He was too short to reach the handle.
"Need some help, kid?" Aizawa asked knowingly. He had the urge to call him 'problem child', but he refrained.
"...This unit is too short to reach the handle."
Aizawa could have sworn he saw the little bot pouting about being too small to reach it, but said nothing about it. The moment he opened it for him, the small being rushed into the room to find a surprised yet delighted girl sitting on the bed, speaking with two strangers.
Well, one stranger, and the other familiar.
That is the green-haired human who helped save Bakugou Katsuki. Who is the other human?
Even if the humans around him weren't going to hurt him, remembering the incidents prior to that didn't sit well with him still. He had minimal trust in the adult humans behind him and a lot more trust in Eri and Bakugou.
These two weren't included in that, unfortunately (not really). So, with great skill, he made his way to the other side of the bed away from them. He was just a tad bit taller now thanks to his growing energy reserves, so at least the top of his head peeked from the other side of the mattress.
The teenage humans were surprised by his presence, greatly so, especially the green-haired one we know as Midoriya.
"It's you..." Our broccoli baby whispered.
The small unit did not respond to him. He still had trouble trusting humans.
Eri noticed this and tried to soothe him. "It's okay," she whispered, expertly helping him onto the bed. Because she'd done it before, she was a lot better at it than the first time. "These are some of the people who saved me. Though... I don't even know their names."
At this, Unit 001 perked up. These humans saved Eri from her hostile human captors. Hm. If that is the truth, then they deserved a bit of his trust. Eri is good. Eri deserves happiness. Thanks to them, he was able to meet her here.
So, he held her hand tightly, scooting closer to her and in doing so, a bit closer to them. He still didn't speak, though.
"I'm Mirio Togata!" Mirio exclaimed, trying to ease the child's caution with his positivity. "Hero Name: Lemillion! It's nice to meet you!"
Unit 001 answered him with silence. One could even hear crickets chirping if they listened hard enough. Mirio wasn't deterred by it though. He was willing to be patient with the little ones. One day, he shall be able to be greeted by this child with a smile!
Izuku remained silent as took in Unit 001's appearance. Emotions he'd been trying to keep bottled up started to resurface again, a guilt that rivaled when he let go of Eri that first and only time.
He had also been there at Kamino. He'd seen him protect Katsuki. He'd heard his childhood best friend's pleas for him to save himself, something he never thought he'd ever hear the ash-blond exclaim with any amount of sorrow.
When he could actually see the state that Unit 001 had been in, he felt even worse. He didn't look much older than them, no, he was definitely younger than them by at least one or two years. But someone like that, who should have been someplace safe with family, friends, or anything else, was a bloodied, tortured mess on a horrific battlefield.
As Unit 001 tossed Katsuki in the air toward them, there was a smile on his face. There was relief, resignation, and pain they could have never explained in words. As someone who dreamed of being a hero his entire life, one that could save people and ease their hearts... this expression was the most agonizing thing he'd ever seen.
It was the expression of someone who was sure they would not be saved.
Everyone who had seen that expression felt inexplicable guilt. Todoroki and Yaoyorozu, who had fled the scene after their part only to witness the aftermath of that scene, also felt it. They'd wanted to apologize for not being strong enough, for not being fast enough...
For not being enough.
It wasn't rare for the group to have nightmares about it, seeing that expression and feeling the dread that came from the possibility that he hadn't miraculously made it. Honestly, they'd wanted to ask Katsuki about his wellbeing, as the ash-blond went to the hospital faithfully to visit him.
But... they just couldn't muster up the courage to ask such a question, as he was the most haunted out of all of them.
And now, that being was in front of him. What was he supposed to say now that he had a chance to? Eventually, he took a shaky breath. "I'm Izuku. My hero name is "Deku". I..."
There was so much that he wanted to say. But he held himself back, held back his tears, and gave his gentlest smile, "I'm glad you're doing okay."
He truly was glad that he was okay.
And he was so sorry that he couldn't have done more for him back then.
Unit 001 did not respond to him either, only studying both of them silently. The name rang a bell for him.
Bakugou Katsuki spoke of this human.
He did what he usually did: he scanned them. It was something that he instinctually did for every new human he encountered. The readings he got from them, however, were unusual.
[Designation: Mirio Togata. Alias: Lemillion.]
[Species: Human. Notice: This being's genetic code varies from those previously encountered. The genetic strand known as 'Quirk' has been suppressed to an infantile stage.]
[Emotional Reading: Relieved, Sad, Happy, Hopeful.]
[Caution: Humans are a species that have been violent towards this unit in previous settings.]
Aside from the genetic anomaly, this human was relatively normal. He could see that there were injuries that were recently healed, but he was not going to point this out. He was not Bakugou Katsuki, Eri, or a human he had questions for. This was a stranger he did not know or trust fully.
So he simply moved on, studying the readings from the other he found absolutely strange.
[Designation: Izuku Midoriya. Alias: Deku.]
[Species: Human (?). Anomaly Detected.]
[Emotional Reading: Relieved, Guilty, Sad, Hopeful.]
[Scanning Anomaly...]
[Scan Confirmed: Multiple Soul Flow Fluctuations reside in this host. The previous encounters with these souls include the individual "Toshinori". A piece of his soul flow is also detected. Status: Dormant.]
After a long moment, Unit 001 finally spoke. The confusion on his face was clear. "Are you human?"
"...Huh?"
"Why do you have the eight pieces of soul previously within the individual 'Toshinori'?"
"HUH?!"
Not even two minutes after their meeting, and his secret was already outed? What? How? Why? When?
Izuku.exe crashed.
Unit 001 did not understand why this human was gaping at him or why the blond beside him was so shocked. Aizawa, who had taken a back seat to their meeting, seemed to find the entire situation amusing.
He turned to Eri, even more confused, "...Is he broken?"
Eri was just as confused as he was, not sure about whatever it was he'd just said. "I hope not..."
Unit 001 saved it into his files. The human known as "Izuku Midoriya" was the strangest existence he'd seen.
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Hi guys. Thank you for your patience. While healing is slow, my grandfather is getting better. I've been keeping my grandmother company over these past few weeks as emotional support, so my hiatus is still very much still in effect. But, as things have been getting better, I've had more chances to write.
Finally, we are starting to get into the next arc of "ɆⱤⱤØⱤ". I can't wait!
Your Author,
-Jenna
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The next chapter is available on my Patreon: www.patreon.com/Jhstories101