Chapter Text
The world rocks gently back and forth beneath Izuku Midoriya as he slowly rouses from a deep sleep. As the finer details of his surroundings sharpen, he notes with some surprise that he’s floating on a tiny wooden boat in the middle of a serene lake with a black one-eyed cat purring at his feet. He doesn’t remember how he got here or who the cat belongs to, though the feline seems to like his presence which is nice. Izuku tries to remember what he was doing last but he just can't seem to summon the memories; only dissonant whispers remain.
As he sits upright in the boat, a bright ball of light appears before him, temporarily blinding him as the ball flashes then morphs into the shape of a regal lion. Startled at the sudden change, Izuku staggers backwards on the tiny boat, nearly toppling over the side and into the water but a big paw of the lion grabs his hand just in time, pulling him to safety. It grins at him in such a familiar way that the boy can’t help but be comforted.
“Young Midoriya,” The lion rumbles in a deep, gentle voice, “My time as Spiritfarer has come to an end. Now it is your turn to bear the mantle and guide spirits to the Everdoor. With your unfailing kindness and boundless empathy for others, there could be no better person suited for the task.”
“What do you mean? What is the Everdoor? How am I supposed to guide spirits? Where even am I?” As Izuku asked question after question, the black cat hopped up onto his lap and rubbed its head under his chin affectionately. It was like the cat knew he was overwhelmed.
“The power of the Everlight will guide you.”
“Thats… extremely vague.” He grumbled.
“Once my spirit returns through the Everdoor, this boat will take you to the chimera Nezu, who will have a ship prepared for you. Then you can sail to the surrounding islands, find wayward spirits and ferry them through the Sanzu River to the Everdoor.”
The name Nezu sounded vaguely familiar, much in the same way the lion’s smile reminded Izuku of someone important in his life… but he couldn’t remember who.
“Not all spirits will be ready right away to go through the Everdoor. Give them time, love, nourishment, whatever they need to put themselves at ease. Soon enough they shall be ready to let go and move on to the afterlife.”
A somber silence fell over them as the boat continued to float towards a semi-circle archway, its reflection in the still waters made it look like a perfect circle; The Everdoor.
“It is time, young Midoriya. Do not feel sad for me. This is as it should be.” The golden lion reached forward and pulled Midoriya into a strong hug, “And remember, if you ever need me,” The lion pulled back and placed a paw over Midoriya’s heart, “I am here.”
Inextricable grief washed over Izuku as the lion floated upwards before slowly turning into stardust, sudden wind whisking it off through the Everdoor. One ball of light remained behind and melded with the boy’s belt buckle. The thrum of energy radiated a feeling of ease, of safety, of home; the power of the Everlight.
An impatient meow from the one-eyed cat jolted Izuku out of his stupor. Picking it up as he sat back down, Izuku gave the cat a cuddle and was relieved to note the cat welcomed the affection, even returning it as best it could. Without any input from Izuku or cat, the boat began to move on its own, eventually floating down stream towards a serene bay with a small rudy ship anchored in the centre. The closer they drifted to the vessel, the stronger the Everlight on Izuku’s belt buckle thrummed.
Standing at the bow of the ship was a stout little rat-like creature. Or was it a miniature bear? Either way, he looked familiar. But no matter how hard Izuku stared at him, he couldn’t recall where from. He couldn’t remember much of anything. Was that by design? A way to force him to acquiesce to this role suddenly thrust upon him? Or was something larger at play?
“Spiritfarer!” The chimera chirped cheerfully as Izuku’s dinghy slowly sailed by, “Welcome to your new home! It’s not much… yet… but we can always upgrade as your need arises. Whenever you have the resources, come see me and I shall take care of everything, yes? Yes!”
Like it knew exactly where to go (which it probably did) the tiny boat slid right up next to the ship and stayed still below the built-in wooden ladder on the side of the ship so Izuku and his cat would have an easy exit. Once aboard, Nezu gave them a very quick tour, which was essentially just the chimera pointing from the empty deck to the stern, which housed the only structure so far - a tiny office for navigation and an even tinier bedroom with a hammock for a bed.
“As I mentioned, it isn’t much yet. When you find Spirits in need of passage, they will need rooms to sleep in, food to eat and possibly make other requests of you before they’re at peace enough to go through the Everdoor. I recommend getting supplies to build a kitchen and a garden. A common room for your guests would go a long way too. They’ll want their own space eventually but you need to house them somewhere until you can need their needs, yes? Yes!”
“But how am I supposed to get this ship moving? It doesn’t even have sails!” Izuku looked around the bare bones ship, hoping he’d missed something. Maybe there was an engine below deck?
“The Everlight.” Nezu pointed to his belt, “It’s power runs this ship, helps grow the food, guides you and even transforms into useful tools. Trust that it knows its job and will respond with what you need in the moment.”
Frowning, Izuku looked down at his glowing belt, dubious about a ball of light’s ability to do much of anything but illuminate darkness. The cat at his feet brushed up against his leg, a gentle reminder that he wasn’t alone in this odd new reality.
“Well…” Izuku sighed as he picked up the black one-eyed cat, “If I’m going to do this, then I’m going to do it properly. Plus Ultra.”
Plus Ultra? Where had that come from? It tingles at the back of his mind, almost within grasp but not quite tangible enough to hold onto.
“Excellent! Here are a few blueprints for upgrades, on the house! Come see me when you’re ready and my assistant Mei shall be thrilled to get started.” With a polite bow, Nezu exited the ship, leaving on his own little boat that Izuku hadn’t even noticed was there until now.
“Guess it’s just you and me, Zawa.” Izuku gave the cat a little scratch behind the ears as they went inside the navigation room, “Huh. Where did I even get the name Zawa from? Do you like the name, kitty? I can call you something else if you prefer…” One onyx eye held Izuku’s gaze before meowing apathetically, “Zawa it is then.”
They opened up the map provided with the several building blueprints. The spirit realm was a lot of open ocean with islands scattered throughout the region. All that was clear on the map was everything within a 200 mile radius of the ship; anything further out than that was oddly hazy - like the map would only fill out the details as they explored further. So much of this world confused Izuku but once he found his ‘sea legs’ so to speak, he was sure he’d adapt. He had to. The kind lion had trusted him with such an important charge.
Their first full day aboard the spirit faring vessel passed quickly enough and thankfully without incident. Just like Nezu had said, the Everlight knew what to do and where to go, automatically selecting a nearby island for their first destination. Once the ship was in motion, Izuku unrolled the blueprint scrolls and made a list of what materials they had versus what they would need to find on their journeys. The ship did have some raw materials already, just enough to build a kitchen, a tiny garden and common room for future spirit guests.
It was like the ship knew what would be needed before Izuku did.
Or maybe the chimera had shown pity and thrown in some extras for free.
A bell rang out as the ship pulled into the docks of the island. Izuku’s belt shimmered in anticipation, pulsing as he got closer to the dinghy boat that was now dangling on the starboard side of the ship, waiting to be lowered into the water and bring them to shore. Once Izuku took his seat and Zawa perched himself near the front of the little boat, it magically lowered on its own before the Everlight morphed into an oar for Izuku to paddle with.
“Wow… he wasn’t kidding…” He said a little breathlessly. Shooting a warm smile at his one-eyed cat, Izuku paddled them to shore. Each stroke felt effortless, like the Everlight was doing all the work and not him. He could get used to this.
Mooring the dinghy to the wooden dock, Izuku glanced around the tiny island. He could see the other side of it from where he was standing, it was that small. Even so, there were several wispy shapes floating about the area. None gave off any creepy or threatening vibes like ghost stories of his childhood. Rather, they were peaceful, if a bit melancholic. Lost without purpose.
“So how are we supposed to know which spirit to ferry to the Everdoor?” Izuku muttered to himself; Zawa heard him and meowed in a huff as though to say he agreed with him.
Walking towards the only structure on the island, a dilapidated radio station, they spotted a larger, much louder spirit whose silhouette didn’t look humanoid like the others but more… avian. The closer they got to it, the stronger Izuku’s belt pulsed.
“YOOOOOOOOoooo, little listeners! Looks like we’ve got companyyyy!” The shrill voice rang out, almost deafening them and Zawa let out an annoyed hiss before his one good eye glowed red in anger, “Hahaha! Sorry, my man. It’s just been so long since I’ve seen you and the green bean, ya dig! You let me on board your rockin’ ship and I’ll behave. Promise!”
“You… know us?” Izuku was stunned. He didn’t recognise the spirit at all but apparently they knew him and his cat.
“Sure do, kiddo. I’ll gladly reminisce with you on board after we split this joint, yeah?”
“Follow me, then.”
It had been surprisingly easy to find and convince their first spirit to join them on the ship. Almost too easy. But maybe this was the Everlight’s way of easing him into his new role in this realm. Their first spirit was a chatty one, talking non-stop all the way back to the ship, without needing input from Izuku or Zawa. But it seemed friendly enough and happy to be there, which was a weight off Izuku’s shoulders. He wasn’t sure what he’d do if any spirits gave him a hard time about becoming a passenger.
Once aboard the ship, their new guest went directly to the bow, the glow of the Everlight getting stronger around them with every step. Then, right before their eyes, it transformed from a strange wispy silhouette to the corporal form of a giant cockatoo wearing pink glasses! Fluttering its wings with a flourish, the bird bowed and smiled cheekily at them.
“Ahhh… that’s much better! Feels like I’ve found myself again, being here with you two.”
“…Now that you’re onboard, will you share how you know us?” Izuku asked, both anxious and excited for details that might help him remember his own life and maybe explain how they ended up here.
“All in good time, kid! How about something to eat first?” The cockatoo strutted past him in search of the kitchen.
“Oh! We still need to build the garden, kitchen and common room…” Izuku looked at Zawa in a panic and the cat just shrugged right back, “We have the blueprints and materials but-“
“No worries, little listener! That’s all you need. Seems you might need my help getting you bearings, yo. Lucky for you, I’m an excellent teacher!” The bird crowed and Zawa scoffed, “Hey, at least some of us don’t need to threaten expulsion to get their students in line.”
“Huh?” Why did they think his cat was a teacher? And why did that feel… right?
“Story for another time!” The cockatoo chirped, “You said you had the materials and blueprints for a kitchen, yeah?”
“Mmhmm.” Picking up one of the blue sheets of paper, Izuku held it out for the bird spirit to see.
“Rock n Roll! This will be a cinch with your sweet belt. Just go to that table up there, on top of the roof of your office and put the blueprint on it. The Everlight will take it from there.” The spirit stretched its wings out and flew up, landing on the aforementioned roof and waited for Izuku to scramble up a ladder and meet them there. “Go on.”
“That’s all it takes? It seems too easy…” Izuku flattened the blueprint against the table and the Everlight’s power buzzed in the air as a projection of where the kitchen could go appeared like a 3D projection on the ship’s deck.
“See? Now, imagine it being somewhere else on the ship. Further down the deck or even higher in the sky!”
Izuku followed the cockatoo’s instructions and imagined the kitchen higher up. Not too high that he couldn’t reach it but a story or two above deck level. Just like that, the projection changed to show the kitchen on stilts, high up in the air. It looked odd, considering there were no other structures around or underneath it but it would be very helpful to be able to build up as more and more spirits needed places to stay.
“Nice work, little listener! Once you’ve found a spot you like, just confirm it in your mind’s eye and presto! That room will be built. The Everlight takes care of it all.”
“Amazing…” It was an awe-inspiring thing to witness the Everlight conjure so many things in the blink of an eye; Izuku had goosebumps as he watched the kitchen appear out of thin air. “How did you know how to do that… with this desk?” He asked the spirit.
“…I’m not sure.” The bird cocked its head to the side in a confused tilt, “It was just… there. Strange.”
“The word of the day.” Izuku said ruefully.
“Why question it? Just go with the flow, kiddo and you’ll be ferrying spirits to the Everdoor like a champ!” The cockatoo wrapped a wing around Izuku’s shoulder, like a side hug, “Now that you know how to work this thing, I have some plans of my own for a sweet little nest. And a bigger garden! Gotta grow your own food or you’ll be stuck buying ingredients from those greedy raccoons. Can you believe we have to deal with economics here? Better be different on the other side of the Everdoor or I’ll scream until everyone’s eardrums burst.”
Ingredients! How had that not even crossed Izuku’s mind? Thinking back on his busy day, he’d not been hungry once. Not even a little. Did he not need to eat? The cockatoo spirit seemed to want food but was that just some sort of ritualistic thing to check off the list before they would willing go through the Everdoor? Either way, Izuku would make sure this ship had everything they needed. Even if he never needed to eat again, this ship was about making the last leg of the spirits journey comfortable. So if they want food, they’ll get food.
With Zawa perched on his shoulders, purring contently as Izuku lay another scroll across the magical building table, the newly minted Spiritfarer built the common room and a garden, placing them one after the after along the deck. Unfortunately, he didn’t have one of the materials needed to build the nest their spirit guest had asked for. Hopefully they would be okay with staying in the common room for now. Setting a course for another island that promised the raw materials they needed, Izuku allowed the power of the Everlight to control the ship and went out in search of the cockatoo. It was loitering outside the kitchen, waiting for Izuku to do the cooking it would seem.
“…I’m not the best cook in the world,” Izuku apologised in advance, “And I honestly have no idea what supplies we have on board, if any.”
“That’s okay, little listener. I’m not a fussy eater.”
When Izuku took too long staring at the sparse supplies inside the kitchen’s pantry, Zawa leapt from his shoulders and started grabbing ingredients with surprising dexterity for a cat. Finding an ear of corn, a stick of butter and a small bag of salt, his little one-eyed cat managed to make popcorn of all things. Izuku just watched dumbfounded as his cat cooked, unaided.
“Are you even a real cat?” He asked in disbelief.
Zawa rolled his eye and huffed, like he was stupid for even asking that. And… maybe he was. This wasn’t the world Izuku knew. They were in the afterlife or at least the limbo between realms. He wasn’t exactly sure. So… that means all the spirits here were once humans. Including the cockatoo pacing his deck. And if the bird knew him somehow, then they must have known each other when they were alive. Did that mean he knew his cat before this too?
…Yes. That felt right. They were close but Izuku couldn’t put his finger on how or why.
Shaking his musing from his mind, Izuku gratefully took the bowl of fresh popcorn from Zawa, scratching behind his ears while he did so before handing the food over to their spirit friend.
“Popcorn? Rad, kid! That’ll tide me over until we can make something more substantial.” The cockatoo bowed in thanks and got stuck into their snack. “Mmmmm this popcorn is righteous! Zawa always was a good cook, not that many people knew about it.”
“…He cooked for you before?” Izuku tried not to look too eager that the cockatoo was finally sharing.
“A few times. Not as much as he did for you,” The bird winked at him, “But Zawa and I go way back. The three of us used to be called the three dumb-migos.”
“The three of us?” Izuku tilted his head in confusion.
“Sorry little listener! Not you! But... someone else and… well, only for a short while in school…” Grief swept across the usually jovial face of the cockatoo, “A story for another time, perhaps.”
“That’s okay. Share as much or as little as you want.” Izuku gave the bird a gentle pat on its wings, “Can I at least know your name?”
“Haven’t been able to place me yet, huh?” The bird chortled, “Name’s Yamada, little listener. But you used to call me Mic.”
“Mike? Short for Michael? That seems like a strange nickname…”
“HA!” The cockatoo screeched, “No, no, no. Mic as in Present Mic. That Mic is short for microphone… because of my quirk…”
“Quirk?!” Izuku felt lost, adrift at sea… which was fitting since he was literally adrift at sea, in a world he didn’t know, muddling his way through his new commission.
“Yo, don’t stress. It’ll come back to you in time, little listener.”
As the sun began to set, the ship slowed its pace even though they weren’t even in eyesight of their next destination.
“Bed time!” Mic declared through a yawn.
“…Why is the ship stopping?”
“There’s no light, of course. Without the Everlight, this ship can’t function. May as well get some rest, kiddo. I’ll see you when dawn breaks.” Mic the cockatoo strutted his way down the deck to the common room and made himself comfortable inside.
Even with all the answers the bird had given him, Izuku still felt like he had more questions. But it was something to ponder later. Fatigue washed over him as swiftly as the night sky lit up with stars. Gesturing to Zawa to follow, Izuku made his way back to the navigation room and climbed the ladder up to his little nook and collapsed onto his hammock. He’d never slept on a hammock before. At least, he thinks he hasn’t. How long would it take for his memories to return and why were they taken in the first place?
Would he wish to remain ignorant if and when he got them back?
Snuggling Zawa close, Izuku felt more at ease than he had all day. The comforting weight of his cat on his chest kept his worries at bay and for now, that was sufficient for him.