Chapter 61: The Wrath of a Gentle Soul
The moment the box cutter zipped through the air, several members of the Meta Liberation Army let out gasps of surprise. The meeting room had, as the hostage situation continued, filled with members who wanted to see what in the hell was going on. Rikiya, watching the scene play out, hadn't even bothered to tell all the people to leave. Hisashi hadn't noticed them at all. Too focused on the screen, and the woman he had been sure he'd never see again.
When the blood sprayed up into the air, people cheered, or screamed in shock.
"Holy shit, she got him!"
"Take that you upstart bastard!"
The video feed jerked as the crowd around Chitose shifted and pushed back in shock. But even as the camera jostled, they saw Tomura take a dive over the ledge. Then, chaos.
Explosions rang out, which sent the already backpedaling crowd into a full on panic. Chitose and the members on site, however, pushed to get closer; just in time to watch Inko's body fall into Himiko's arms.
Despite everything, not a single person in the room doubted she was dead.
The room was silent, but only for a moment. Rikiya slammed his hands down on his desk, cracking the wood under his palms, "Out! I want all personnel in that mall to leave now!"
"S-sir?" Someone besides Chitose sputtered as they came into the camera's view.
"That place is about to be swarming with heroes. Get out of there. Immediately!"
Everyone in the room took several steps back, away from Rikiya. His body was starting to bulk up, and no one wanted to be anywhere near him if he suddenly snapped in anger. Only Hisashi stayed still. Watching the screen twist away, getting one last look at Inko's fallen form.
Around the two men, no one really seemed to know exactly what to do. Should they offer words of sympathy to the man that just lost his wife? Or stay absolutely quiet in case their leader had orders?
Hisashi seemed to have his own ideas.
Clearing his throat, he turned to address Rikiya, "Sir, I'll begin working on steps immediately."
There was a coldness to Hisashi's voice that caught the room off guard. Hisashi didn't sound like a man that was grieving the loss of his wife.
"Steps?" Rikiya observed Hisashi closely.
"To ensure the quick and immediate transfer of custody of Izuku into my care." Hisashi didn't sound like a grieving husband, but a strategist calmly moving from one plan to another, "That way we can have Izuku removed from U.A. within the week, and into a more secure and controlled facility."
"Hmm," Rikiya nodded slowly, "It seems our hand is forced. Unfortunate. Having your son stay at U.A. could have led to us spreading our influence to many in the hero community through him, but the risk of keeping the boy there is too great now." He turned back to the screen, "It's good you're able to keep yourself calm in this situation. Many would be overcome by their emotions. A good leader must always put the mission first."
Hisashi bowed, "I follow your example, ReDestro sir."
When the echo of an explosion rang out over the large crowd in the mall, Izuku's head snapped up in alarm while Ochako froze in shock. They both whipped around with wide eyes as they looked down the long corridor of the mall. The echo, while strong, had the distinct off note of a noise that had bounced around a long ways before reaching their ears. Meaning it must have come from the other end of the large mall.
While people around them started to question, freeze, or run, Izuku felt his stomach drop. "Kacchan?"
"He used his Quirk in public?" Ochako wasn't sure her mind was wrapping around that. She had seen him do it before, but this and that were different. At school he was some big shit that everyone pretty much knew was going to pop off. This? This was a public mall filled with so many people that would panic at the sound of an explosion. Ochako hated Katsuki, but even she knew he wasn't dumb. "Why would he…?"
More noises now were following the explosive echo. Screams and panic. Sounds that brought back memories of Hosu City to the pair. Horror and terror. Even from far down the corridor, Izuku and Ochako could see people pushing to get away from the source of the blast.
"A villain attack?" The words, the question felt like ash leaving Izuku's mouth.
"M-maybe?" Ochako wanted to say something like she was sure it was just Katsuki being his normal out of control self. She couldn't. She was a survivor of two previous villain attacks that shouldn't have been possible. So she couldn't deny the possibility that now, they were attacking the mall, "But Toga's with him. So… if someone was dumb enough to try… they're walking into a blender."
Ochako's reassuring words felt twisted. Because despite their personal psychopath's multiple reassurances that she can take care of herself no matter what. They were always going to worry about her.
The crowd was starting to get pushed back as more people rushed to get away. Pretty soon the two would be swept away by the onslaught of people. Safely away from the danger that was lurking—
"Eri was with them."
No other words were spoken. No looks shared. The moment those words left Izuku's mouth, both he and Ochako were making a mad dash towards the explosion. Pushing through the crowd as they hurried forward.
It was hard going, but they kept at it. Determined. But as they got closer, more and more people they passed by were in ever greater states of shock. And every so often, they could hear their panicked voices. Talking about that poor woman.
And all that blood.
Blood dripped, gore and viscera clung to the walls. A man, hands dripping, face obscured pushed her into the room.
Her head hurt so much.
He didn't yell. But his words cut as deep as his knife. It was a test. He had let the pain build and build and now, it was time for a test.
It hurt.
She didn't want to be here.
It hurt.
A hand grabbed her head, pushing her forward into the pile of flesh.
It hurt.
Some pieces of flesh, twitched. Some didn't. The bad man's hand squeezed down and she screamed.
It hurt.
Fingers pressed down around the the source of the pain. Pressed against her long overgrown horn.
It hurt, it hurt it hurt it hurt ithurthurthurt—
There was light.
There was screaming.
The bodies were people.
The bodies were still hunks of flesh.
Then, Kai made Eri's head splatter.
When Eri was pulled out of the room, her horn didn't hurt anymore.
There was still so much blood.
Eri knew what blood looked like. She knew the smell and the way it lingered in her mouth when she breathed. She knew what all the blood on the floor meant, even if she had made herself forget. Her own mind pushing back the horrors she had experienced. But she knew. She knew what blood was. She knew. And she knew that blood was Inko's.
The cuts. The breaking and remaking. The screams. The pain. The look of dispassion. It bubbled and seeped up. Threatening to break past the poor girl's only defense. She forgot because she had to forget. She forgot because it hurt too much.
It hurt.
Then she felt hands grab her.
And she screamed.
Katsuki forced himself not to look. For the first time, in a long long time, Katsuki felt completely helpless. When he got his Quirk, he no longer needed anyone to help him with anything. But for all his boasting, all his bravado, all his threats and power, he hadn't been able to do anything to save Inko. Just a few feet away, he had failed. Failed and as a result, someone was dead. The guilt twisted up against his pride. His pride rejected that anything was his fault.
The brutal bar brawl between the two feelings made Katsuki's body sluggish. Like he was moving through molasses. Reaching Eri, felt like a fight all on its own. So he was not prepared, when he grabbed her arm to pull her away, that suddenly she would freak out, and fight against him.
When his fingers locked around her arm, she flipped. She clawed at his hand with hers. Fingernails leaving deep welts and scrapes. She shrieked as he tugged her. When he reached down with his other hand to try and get a better hold of her, he yanked it back when teeth damn near took a finger.
"Damn it kid!" Katsuki hissed, trying not to let any of the fucked up shit going on inside him get redirected at Eri, "Come on we need to get out of…" Eri seized up, her scream going silent but her mouth kept making the motions. There was no way to miss that she was suddenly in incredible pain. Her eyes were tearing up but she wasn't focused on anything.
Katsuki started to panic. He hadn't grabbed her hard. He hadn't—
All thoughts stopped, when he saw the first spark come from Eri's horn. Then came the second, then third. Suddenly Eri's horn was glowing and sparking off. Katsuki immediately let go and took a step back. Every instinct in his body was flaring up. Fight or flight was kicking in, and unlike so many times before, it was flight that was winning. Katsuki's Quirk was Explosion, so he knew a bomb that was about to go off when he saw one. Something was about to happen. Something throwing off some terrifying jolts and bolts of energy that was causing Eri a lot of anguish and agony.
"Oh fuck."
Those bolts were stretching out far. Crackling around like a violent lightning storm. Bolts of yellow energy that were reaching past him, and well over the distracted and distraught Himiko. She was screaming over Inko's still body. So she had no idea what was happening.
"Fuck! Fuck fuck fuck!"
They were in the blast radius of whatever was about to come out from Eri.
Katsuki twisted, eyes scanning around while he sprinted for Himiko. He didn't see his mother. It looked like she had been pushed back by the fleeing crowd. Everyone was scrambling to get away from the initial attack, no one saw what was coming. So it was only himself and Himiko in range.
Diving down, Katsuki wrapped his arms around Himiko and hauled her up. Struggling to keep on his feet as she also started fighting against him. Though hers was at suddenly and violently getting ripped away from Inko. She screamed, maybe thinking she was getting attacked. Maybe just in a blind rage. Katsuki didn't know or care. He just needed to get the both of them away, now.
His feet slipped out from underneath him, and the two tumbled along the floor. Rolling herself up, Himiko slammed a hand over Katsuki's neck, rage bubbling over in her eye. If at the last moment she hadn't recognized him, Katsuki was pretty sure she would have tried to kill him. But she did, and only got a "Wha—" before the power sparking from Eri finally burst.
The area around her flooded in light as her horn expelled yellow bolts of lighting and energy. Encompassing everything around her, but thanks to Katsuki's quick work, that didn't include himself or Himiko.
"Eri?! What?!" Himiko, mind still cloudy and confused by everything, dove to try and reach her but Katsuki pulled her back.
"Are you nuts! You got no idea what all that shit is!"
Survival instincts kicked in and Himiko slumped against Katsuki. Eye wide, she knew he was right. But god it didn't matter at all. At that moment, she had no reason to believe she wasn't about to watch Eri die too. Because past the bolts and crackling of raw power, was screaming. Eri was screaming, sounding like she was in horrendous pain.
Then.
Just as quickly as it came.
The great storm of energy suddenly sputtered.
Then stopped.
And there was Eri, her screams dying out as her body gave one last spamming convulsion before going rigid. Her horn, noticeably smaller, no longer sparked or glowed. And the little girl, pale and weak, fell unconscious. Her body relaxed and tumbled down.
Himiko and Katsuki both tried to reach her before she hit, but neither was close enough or fast enough.
So Eri fell, but not onto the cold, hard floor, but into the stretched out arms of Inko. She cradled the little girl, holding her close and softly humming and whispering to her that everything was alright. Offering whatever comfort she could for her. And, held tight, Eri at least seemed to pass from just being unconscious, to resting peacefully in Inko's arms.
Sighing, Inko looked up from Eri, and at the shocked faces of Himiko and Katsuki. Neither believing what they were seeing. Their looks were reflected back at them by Inko who, since now that Eri was safe, seemed to realize she had no idea what was going on either. Slowly, while keeping Eri held tight with one arm, Inko reached up towards her neck, her fingers tentatively stretching for where she knew Tonura had decayed away. Her fingers touched unblemished skin. Then Inko pressed her whole hand against her neck, running it up, then over her throat.
She was fine. No rotting hole. No anything to indicate she had been mortally wounded. Except for the blood pooling the floor and staining her clothes, there had been no sign Shigaraki had done anything at all. Despite everything, "I'm… okay?"
Death will come for Midoriya then, four times then once again.
Inko closed her eyes, and went back to holding Eri with both arms. It seemed, her story wasn't over after all.
The sudden bright light had people gasping. Many started screaming that there was another attack. The crowd that had pushed to get away from the scene was now on the verge of becoming a stampede.
Loyal members of the MLA worked to try to get Chitose out of the scene as quickly as possible. But there was only so much they could do, while trying to keep a low profile.
A job made considerably harder when the person they were trying to escort suddenly pulled away so she could get a better look at the sudden light show; let her curiosity get the better of her and bolt in the opposite direction: back to the scene of the crime.
"Ma'am! Curious! Ma'am!"
Chitose had very bad habits. Once she latched onto a story, she had a very hard time letting go. Even if it ended in problems for her. The cluster that was her interest with Himiko was one key example. And now, her interest in Inko was about to be another. She could hear people in her ear, calling her to return to the group. That ReDestro had ordered everyone out. She was pretty sure someone was getting her put in contact with their leader. Which meant she was probably going to get yelled at.
Curiosity killed the cat. That's the old saying.
But Chitose, like the cat, didn't care. Not when there was a story to follow. A little risk of punishment wasn't enough. Inko had piqued her curiosity and right now, even if she was dead, there was something still happening. The story wasn't over and she would be damned if she learned about it from some two-bit news broadcast when she was on site and able to see for herself.
She was back on the walkway a little after the light had vanished and just in time for Rikiya to bark in her ear, asking what she was doing. He gave her an order and she was not going to blatantly disobey him.
Yeah, Chitose could tell he was pissed. But not as pissed as he was after the Himiko clusterfuck, so she was fine. Probably. Not that she was actually thinking that. No, there weren't many thoughts in her head at all. Because she was seeing something that made anything else just seem trivial.
She was back far enough away such that she wasn't attracting attention, but more than close enough to see something impossible had happened. Ripping her phone out, she immediately started a video call and spoke over the many voices telling her to leave.
"She's alive!"
How? Who the fuck are you Inko?
The room was dead quiet. No one was saying anything. No one on any of the lines were saying anything either. Inko Midoriya was dead to rights one moment and now, she was fine.
Hisashi looked at the screen, and could only get out a strained, "How?"
Rikiya, after a moment to collect himself, reiterated his previous order. Get the hell out before the heroes showed up. But after that, he asked if anyone had seen what the hell had happened. No one had.
Hisashi stood and watched the feed, and then. A moment before Chitose turned away for the final time. Inko turned her head, and looked towards them. Even while Himiko, Katsuki and Mitsuki fretted over her and Eri, Inko's eyes caught the camera.
And he felt a shiver of fear run up his back.
Then the camera turned, just in time to catch a green streak of light bolt by, and the horrified scream of 'Mom!' Was the last thing the room heard before the feed ended.
"All that blood."
"That poor woman."
"Oh god he killed her."
"Why would she try to fight?"
"Was she protecting that little girl?"
"Those were 1-A students, couldn't they have done something?"
"Her head was off!"
"Where were the heroes?"
"Isn't that the guy that attacked U.A.?"
"Yeah he's working with Stain right?"
Each time Izuku heard someone say something, terror gripped him. He started to push through the crowd more frantically, panic driving him more than anything else.
Pushing through the crowd, Izuku and Ochako could hear a certain dogged Police Chief reminding them that as students, using their Quirks in public was against the law. They had gotten lucky before. There was no guarantee they'd get lucky again—
"God, didn't that woman look like the kid that won the sports festival?"
In an instant, Izuku stopped giving any fucks about any of that. Green lighting arced over his body as he jumped over the crowd and threw himself forward. Kicking off walls and posts as he rocketed overhead. Behind him, Ochako floated and threw herself after him, likewise of the mindset, consequences be damned. But Izuku was so much faster than her.
He was close to the walkway where the scene was. Izuku felt himself getting ready for a fight. If this was an attack, if the League of Villains was here, he had to be ready.
The lack of more explosions should have calmed him down, but it was the strange silence that unnerved him. Katsuki wasn't one to just stop.
God, didn't that woman look like the kid that won the sports festival?
He had to have heard that wrong. Izuku was convinced he had.
Kicking off the ground, over the last of the fleeing crowd, Izuku's shoes hit a wall. The plan was simple. Jump off here and it was a straight shot to the walkway.
He looked up.
And saw his mother, on the ground. In a pool of blood.
In the back of his mind, there was a soft, mournful gasp. A feminine whisper of shocked horror, Not again.
But Izuku didn't hear it. Didn't hear anything. The world around him went dark as his mind rejected it. All he saw was his mother. And all that blood.
"MOM!"
His scream was guttural. His voice broke while his throat tore from the violence of the terrified scream. When he kicked off the wall, the drywall and glass shattered. Cratering from the force. He rocketed through the air.
His thoughts were broken. His mind not able to put together the full picture. Fragmented terror drove him.
Villain attack!
Mom on the ground!
Blood!
Blood!
Blood!
People?
Villains!
Get them away!
Kid wait!
Get them away from her!
Izuku pulled back his arm, One for All making jagged red marks burn under his skin. There was no notion of holding back. He was going to get those villains away from his mother!
"Deku no!"
"Shit!"
"Hag get down!"
Screams. He didn't care. He didn't—
Inko twisted around, and held out her hand to stop him, "Izuku I'm okay!"
At the last possible second, all the power and violence was sapped from Izuku's body. He hit the floor and tumbled into his mothers arms. Immediately he wrapped her up. Relief and anguish twisted him up as he began to look her over. Blood was everywhere, her clothes were stained. Every indication that something horrible had happened, but when she reached out to him. Held his face in her hand and kept repeating that she was okay, Izuku just froze.
The darkness at the edge of his vision faded. He could finally see what the scene was. There was blood, and his mother was on the ground, but she was sitting up. Alert and while stained, completely unharmed. Eri was lying in her lap. Pale, but looking like she was resting. The villains around his mother? Not villains. Katsuki, Himiko and Mitsuki. All looked stressed, confused and alarmed, but no one looked hurt. If Izuku wasn't so focused on other things, he'd immediately apologize for almost attacking them. But his priorities were to wrap his mother in a hug, and hold onto her for dear life.
At some point, after the hugs and then the tears, Izuku slowly pulled away from Inko, "Mom?" He was pretty sure with how weak he was feeling he would have collapsed onto the floor, but Ochako was there, keeping him steady, "What happened?"
Himiko and Katsuki exchanged looks. Their faces grim. Something Izuku, back to having his wits about him, noticed.
"Shigaraki was here," Himiko answered slowly, "He—"
Inko gently, but firmly, cut in. "He grabbed me and I had the brilliant idea to try to fight him off. So… I got roughed up a little before Toga and Bakugou were able to scare him off."
Himiko and Katsuki turned to look at her, startled at her extremely undersold summary of events. Mitsuki looked incredulous, and was about to say something but stopped. She could see what Inko was trying to do. She could see she was trying to protect Izuku from the truth. Himiko and Katsuki also got the picture and kept quiet. But the three could also see, with the way Izuku's eyes darted to look over everything, that despite how Inko was trying to sell it, he knew it was much, much worse than that. Izuku had had too many run-ins now with villains, and seen some horrific scenes. He knew what 'roughed up' meant here, even if he hadn't seen the injuries himself.
His eyes hardened. His teeth ground and the muscles in his neck strained as a sneer pulled his face taught, "Shigaraki."
Something dark bubbled up from Izuku when he seethed that name. Black smoke began to waft from the corners of his mouth. For a split second, something other than Izuku was left. Inside him, something dark stirred. Twisted, malformed and grotesque.
Inko quickly reached out to pull Izuku back into her arms, holding him next to Eri while she repeated she was alright. He didn't need to worry, she was alright. And Izuku just kept his face pressed against her, arms holding her tight.
It was Ochako, still wiping away tears, who asked the question, "How?"
Inko looked up at her, and wished she had another arm to hold her too. The poor girl looked like she needed it, "Eri."
Ochako blinked, then looked down at the sleeping girl, "Eri?"
"After the…" Katsuki paused when he saw Inko give him a stern look, "After Shigaraki escaped after hurting Deku's mom, the kid… she freaked out and her horn started glowing. Then it started going off."
It took a second but Ochako's eyes went wide, "That lightning storm? That was Eri?!"
Himiko nodded, "Whatever was coming out of her horn. It healed Mrs. Midoriya, but it seemed… like it really hurt Eri."
Ochako looked down at the little girl, eyes going over her before she looked at her horn, "Smaller…"
Inko nodded, "We noticed it too. It looks like it was back when we first took her in."
Ochako reached down, and gently caressed Eri's hair. The mysteries around the little girl just kept mounting. A healing type Quirk was exceptionally rare. Even most doctors don't actually have Quirks that are relevant to their field. But by some miracle, Eri did. Maybe it had something to do with the person that she had run away from, the bad man. If Ochako had to guess, it probably did. That her Quirk hurt to use was extremely alarming. And as Ochako thought back to the chaotic lights she had seen, she knew they would need to find out why, and help make sure it didn't happen again.
But for the moment, even if they didn't understand how, everyone took some comfort in the fact that everything ended up alright.
Over the course of several minutes, the chaos of the crowd began to wane, and more of 1-A began to filter onto the scene. Quickly, calls to the police and emergency services were made while everyone worked to make sure no one was still hurt. Soon, officers and heroes finally arrived at the scene as well.
Eri woke, and everyone worked to make sure she was alright. She was confused, tired and recalled that Inko was hurt. Fortunately Inko was able to quell any of the girl's worries. Hugging her and making her feel safe. She looked confused when asked if she remembered anything. Simply shaking her head. She said her head had hurt, but not anymore.
Izuku stayed silent and close to Inko who didn't let Eri go.
When paramedics moved to take Inko with them, Izuku didn't move from her side. When one medic and officer made the unfortunate mistake of trying to separate them, they were strongly rebuffed by Himiko. Her message was clear. Try to separate them, and get fucked up.
When Tomura stumbled through Kurogiri's portal, with Beros right on his heels, he wasn't expecting to immediately get grabbed by the neck and slammed up against the nearest wall by a very unhappy Chimera.
"What in the fuck were you thinking?!"
"Oi, oi, oi. I just escaped a dangerous situation, how about not manhandling me."
Around the bar, the various members of the League of Villains were on edge. Beros had drawn more arrows and had them aimed at Chimera's head.
Spinner had his hands up, urging everyone to calm down.
Kaina just reached behind the bar to pour herself, and the newest arrival to the club—some charred up emo bastard named Dabi—some drinks.
"So is this normal or…?"
Kaina downed a shot, "Only on days of the week that end with Y." Kaina paused and pointed back at someone, "Kid, put the gun down before you hurt yourself."
Kurogiri reformed and put an arm between the large monster and their skinny leader, "Please. There is no need for this."
Chimera growled dangerously, "We're keeping a low profile so we can rebuild this band of yours into an actual threat. What we don't need is you going off and causing a scene in public."
Dabi leaned forward, "Damn. Looks like he got messed up. All that blood on him."
The villains in the bar shifted their eyes. Confirming that Tomura did indeed have some blood splatter on him. It was just hard to tell, with the black hoodie he wore. Speaking of which, "Damn, she almost gutted me."
Tomura, not really paying attention to the blood, reached up and, ignoring the low warning growl from Chimera as his hands got close, plucked at the long cut in his top. From navel almost to the start of of hood, "Fuck she really tried to kill me."
When is was clear Tomura really didn't seem to care that Chimera was ready to wring his neck, he dropped the pale fuck and proceeded to pull out a cigar and chain smoke it in a huff while grabbing a shot from Kaina, "Who's blood is that? The person who cut you?"
Beros put her arrows away, "There were two 1-A students. Bakugou Katsuki and Toga Himiko."
"You dusted Toga?!"
Kaina groaned, "Kid, put the gun down or I'm fucking taking it."
Tomura looked down at his hands, and finally noticed the blood, "Oh. Oh I killed her didn't I. Damn, I actually feel kinda bad about that." The chuckle made it hard to tell if he was serious or not.
Spinner frowned, "The crazy girl?"
"Huh? Nah not that bitch. Midoriya's mom." Tomura reached around for some paper towels and cleaned off his hand, "Wasn't planning on it, but damn lady went all mama bear on me and pulled one of the crazy bitch's knives. Didn't like hearing I was gonna kill her kid. Huh, guess my hand slipped when I moved out of the way. He he he whoops."
Dabi chuckled, "Killed a kid's mom, that's like, what? A step or two above stealing candy from a baby?"
Tomura eyed the man, that was the whole reason he had to go for a walk in the first place, "You're annoying." Dabi just smirked.
"But Toga's still alive right?"
Spinner frowned, "Huh, if she decided to get involved then her fate is her own responsibility. The weak will be purged too, at least that's what Stain said."
While the least experienced members present seemed to make light of the situation or simply didn't care, the more experienced members were giving each other looks. Chimera, Kaina and Beros were beginning to suspect they might have a very bad situation on their hands.
Kaina rubbed her brow, "Let me get this straight. You killed the mother of the kid that apparently has the attention of the fucking number one himself." Tomura just looked at her, "Does the term 'nuclear option' mean anything to you?"
Tomura shrugged, "I attacked a school and sicced a bunch of goons on the kids. Pretty sure I stopped playing by your kiddy grade 'no touching family or kids' rules then. I'd expect someone with your reputation not to be so squeamish."
Kaina's eyes narrowed, "Don't try and mix caution with cowardice when talking to me. And don't mix up initiative to being a dumbass either. You threw a tantrum because you didn't like that we got another Stain groupie and now you just shone a huge fucking spotlight on yourself."
Tomura waved her off, "I didn't shine a spotlight on us. If the heroes had any idea where we were, they would have made a move after I attacked a fucking city. Me killing some lady at a mall isn't going to make them look for us any harder."
Tomura was done and was going to go change, when Spinner called out to him, "Hey, did this whole thing go down at a mall?"
"Yeah?"
Spinner pointed towards the tv with his remote, boosting up the audio, "Then they're talking about you."
"—al reports indicate that the attack was carried out by the leader of the League of Villains. Shigaraki Tomura." Tomura gave a sarcastic cheer, mocking that in order to get his name in the press all he had to do was kill a— "Fortunately, with heroes on the scene, it appears that all parties involved in the attack escaped with only minor injuries."
"Say what?"
Heads went from the tv, to Tomura and the blood, to back to the tv.
"Scrapes and bruises are what is being reported as the worst that the escaping crowd suffered, while the individual who was directly attacked only suffered minor injuries that, according to one eyewitness, looked much worse than it really was."
"Yes, apparently the victim used a sharp object to fight off the villain and appears to have cut herself."
"Interesting, while not a direct attack, this would mark the third time a League of Villains incident involved members of U.A.'s student body. Students Bakugou Katsuki and… Toga Himiko are being credited with scaring the villain off."
"The victim herself was in fact one Midoriya Inko." Kaina blinked. "Our viewers might recognize that name. She is the mother of the sports festival winner Midoriya Izuku."
The screen changed and briefly showed a group of people getting loaded up into an ambulance. While not everyone could get made out due to the medics and police circling around. Inko was pointed out, showing she was very much alive and that she was well enough to get into the back of the ambulance under her own power. The reporters then began to go over upcoming news they would be covering, clearly no one at the station felt this incident was worth anything more than the small update.
"…What the fuck?" There was something to be said, that Tomura wasn't raging at the reporters assuming that he had gotten scared off, but was solely focused on the fact that Inko wasn't dead.
Chimera of all people was giving Tomura another look over, "That's a lot of fucking blood for a cut."
"A mystery to be sure."
The new voice of All for One coming through the sound only monitor got everyone's attention. Even Tomura, despite going over everything in those final seconds before he was pulled out of the mall, paid attention.
"Tomura, I believe that until you have your forces ready, it would be best if you take Chinera's advice and continue to keep a low profile. I understand you didn't go there to commit an attack. Taking advantage of an opportunity should be praised. But given the League's goals, I would advise you don't take any more actions that could draw attention to you."
Tomura started scratching his neck, but gave an affirmative grunt. Which was enough for All for One. Tomura ripped the remote out of Spinner's hand and changed the channel. Just before he did, Kaina got one last look at Inko's face on the screen, and felt eerily that she was someone she had met before.
Leaving Katsuki's room, the trio of teachers prepared themselves. Katsuki's statement had been taken without much issue. The officers were keen to point out the dangers of using his Quirk in a public setting but Nezu had countered that the boy had been attacked, and by the letter of the law, was allowed to defend himself.
But now that his was done, and from the reports they were getting, it had quickly become apparent that taking Himiko's statement was going to be their job alone. No officer wanted to be anywhere near the room Himiko was holed up in.
Walking into the hospital's meeting room, Midnight hissed at damage. Ceiling tiles were scattered across the floor. Chairs were torn apart. Walls had gashes. It was a complete mess. And then there was Himiko, sitting on the large conference room table, huffing and puffing after working herself to exhaustion.
After word had gotten to the U.A. teachers about the incident, and who had been involved and who had been hurt, they had all hurried to the hospital as fast as they could.
All Might was with the police, looking after Inko, Eri and an apparently extremely subdued Izuku. Which left others to look after and handle the others involved in the attack.
Aizawa had a hand on his capture cloth, just in case. Nezu examined the room, noting that the amount of damage was very similar to what Himiko had done to rooms in U.A. in her very early feral days.
Midnight clutched the change of clothes she had brought for the teen as she approached her. Even with her back turned to the heroes, they could tell she was a mess. Bloodstained clothes, hair more of a mess than ever. She looked bad.
"Toga?" Midnight began slowly.
"I told you," Himiko started, voice raspy and strained, "I told you we should move the family to U.A." Himiko's hand was wrapped tight around the handle of a scalpel, the blade carving a deep gash into the wood as she dragged it across the surface.
It fully hit the three that they may be in actual danger at the moment.
"Yes," Midnight said gently as she sat down next to her, "You did."
"If they all lived on campus, this wouldn't have happened." Himiko hissed.
Nezu shook his head, "Unfortunately there's no guarantee that would be the case." Himiko bared her teeth, "You're using your living conditions as the example. But, the Midoriya family wouldn't be barred from coming and going as they please. So even if the family was living on campus, it wouldn't have prevented this chance encounter. They still would have left to go to the mall."
Thunk!
Himiko drove the scalpel into the table with a growl, "Fuck!"
But the fact she didn't argue the point spoke volumes. Aizawa, took his hand off his capture cloth, "We are taking this attack seriously and are looking at all our options."
"Shigaraki wants Izuku dead," Himiko hissed, "That's not debatable anymore."
Nezu agreed, "That much is clear."
"We're going to figure this out okay," Midnight offered to reassure Himiko, "This isn't something you need to worry about. All you have to do is be there for Midoriya. We'll handle the rest."
Himiko's face twisted, "Be there for him," her voice dripped with anger, "I was with his fucking mom and couldn't do shit!"
"What happened today wasn't your fault." Himiko's scowl made it pretty clear she didn't buy what Midnight was selling, "Toga, this was a hostage situation with god knows how many unknown factors. At the same time, you were also trying to get Eri away, weren't you?"
Himiko glanced at her. Wondering how she knew that, but then recalled that by now, Katsuki must have already given his statement to the officers.
Himiko recalled trying to focus on Eri and Inko. That feeling she was having at that single moment, "I couldn't keep an eye on both. Was splitting my concentration between the kid and looking for an opening to…" Himiko reached up, and picked at her eye patch, "Fuck."
Carefully, Midnight reached up, and slowly put her arm around Himiko. The girl went stiff, jerked, but didn't pull away. Or stop Midnight as she pulled her into a hug.
After some more tense moments, the teachers were finally able to comfortably get Himiko to summarize the events as she had seen them. She grumbled that she didn't want to be patronized when they said it was telling that her statement lined up very well with the one taken from Katsuki. Showed they were both handling the situation extremely professionally.
When Midnight hesitated to leave afterwards, Himiko reassured her that the crazy was mostly out of her system and that she would go find Ochako to stay with Izuku until it was time to leave. After a shower. She then let Midnight know she appreciated the change of clothes.
Once again alone, Himiko sat in silence before she pulled out her phone and dialed a private number only people in the squad had.
"Hello? Toga?"
Melissa's voice sounded strained. So Himiko didn't have to wonder if the news had reached her. Himiko hadn't checked their chats but it made sense. Melissa asked for updates, if there were any to give. Last she had heard was that everyone was transported to a hospital to get checked out.
"Yeah, that's pretty much it. She's fine. Probably won't even be held overnight."
"I see. They're really just going to let her go so soon huh."
"It was only a 'minor' attack after all."
"… PR bull crap," Melissa muttered.
"Listen, I got a question for you. Well, more of a favor."
"Name it."
Himiko ran her fingers through her hair, "I-Island is supposed to have some insane tech right?"
"Uh huh."
"And what's that popular conspiracy theory, about the United States military, that they have tech that's like twenty years ahead of everyone else."
Melissa was quiet on the other end of the line for a few seconds, "No comment."
"So here's the deal. I don't care how, but you've got the Shield name for I-Island and the other name for the good old red white and blue. I need you to use one or both, and get me a new fucking eye."
When the door to Inko's room opened and Ochako, with her arms wrapped around Izuku, keeping the dazed young man close, came out, they almost bumped into Detective Tsukauchi and All Might. Who was shrunk down into his Toshinori persona.
"Ah, Midoriya. Uraraka. I'm sorry we're having to meet again like this." The detective bowed, "If you two wouldn't mind staying, we're gotten comments from Bakugou and your teachers are… dealing with Toga. If you two would like to—"
"Uraraka, please. You two go ahead and get some air. I'll answer any questions." Inko said, giving Ochako a shooing motion.
The detective cleared his throat, "Ma'am. All…"
Inko frowned, "My son and Uraraka weren't at the scene so I don't think they need to be bothered hearing about it. My son hasn't been well since finding me so, I'd rather he not hear me recount it."
Ochako bowed and led Izuku away. Detective Tsukauchi looked unsure but a hand on his shoulder and a small shake of the head from All Might had him drop it. Low enough so no one could hear, he added that he would speak with the pair later when they were in better shape.
All Might was extremely sympathetic towards Izuku in this situation. While it seemed like Inko had dodged a bullet, the poor boy had come across his mother in a pool of blood. All Might hated that it was a scene he was familiar with.
When both men stepped into the room, Inko's demeanor changed. She gave All Might a tired but genuine smile, "I wasn't expecting to see you here."
All Might walked over and sat down at the end of Inko's hospital bed, "When I heard about the attack I immediately volunteered to come here. All Might is part of the team investigating things, but he also wanted you to know that if your family needs anything from him, let me know and I'll make sure it gets taken care of."
Detective Tsukauchi pulled out his notebook, "Before we get started…" and glanced over at the dozed off form of Eri, lying in one of the room's chairs. Her blanket was starting to fall off, "I assume her check up went well?"
Inko nodded, "Doctors can't explain how her Quirk works, but now that they know they needed to look for something, they said there's an energy build up inside of Eri's horn. Or something. I was more concerned with getting her back with me. The doctors here were not as… considerate as the group we've been taking her to that the police and All Might have been providing."
"To think that Little Eri has a healing Quirk. And an extremely powerful one at that."
Detective Tsukauchi nodded, "It's possible it may have some reason for the… abuse she was put through."
As if knowing she was getting talked about, and that the subject was not a good one, Eri stirred. Her face scrunched up as her blanket fell off.
"I think we can discuss Eri later. When everyone is more calm and not jumping at the bit to get answers. The poor girl is shaken up bad enough. She saved me, she has a wonderful gift. She also just went through something horrible."
"Ma'am I'm sure you can understand that we need information. According to Bakugou the way her Quirk went off was viewed as danger…" Detective Tsukauchi trailed off when Inko gave him a very pointed look as she got out of her bed, and walked over to Eri sleeping in one of the room's chairs. She was extremely careful as she adjusted the girl, sliding one of her bed's pillows under her head and making sure the blanket was wrapped around her. Once she was satisfied Eri was comfy and absolutely sound asleep, she strolled back to her bed and grabbed a seat.
All Might pulled at the over loose collar of his suit, the tension in the room was thick. Inko had been acting nice to him, but now that Detective Tsukauchi was asking questions, it became clear to him and the detective that Inko had been putting on some niceties. Possibly for Izuku and Ochako's sake. Now Inko seemed more on edge. And for the life of him, All Might wasn't sure why. Maybe the stress of it all had her nerves frayed. But looking at her, he wasn't sure that was the reason.
"You were asking about the attack," Inko motioned for Detective Tsukauchi to get on with it.
"Yes. Can you give us any details about your encounter? Was this a planned attack or…"
Inko subconsciously rubbed her neck, "No. It didn't seem like it was. Shigaraki was… Honestly the best way to describe it is, it seems like we ran into each other while he was out for a walk."
All Might frowned, "A walk? You make it sound like he was just out for a stoll."
"More like he was getting some air. He was agitated. Apparently the news reports on the Hero Killer and the League of Villains isn't exactly accurate. Plus… it's pretty clear that Shigaraki hated the man. A difference in ideology."
Detective Tsukauchi paused with his note, "Ideology? Are you saying Shigaraki has one?"
"Kill everything. He seemed to have a certain grudge against the way the world pretends to be. And he saw All Might as the main thing holding the world's illusion of justice and peace up. So he had wanted to kill him."
All Might cleared his throat, "'Had wanted.' Something changed?"
Detective Tsukauchi also noted the strange use of past tense from Inko.
Inko shrugged, "Well he's dead. So it's not like what his beliefs were matters now. Though I suppose if he had other members in his league they might… What?"
"Dead?" Detective Tsukauchi asked slowly. Sharing a not so subtle look with All Might.
Inko looked between the two, "Yes? I'm assuming this interview is all so the police can determine if I'm getting charged or not." She didn't like the shocked looks, though now some things made sense to All Might. "I used my Quick to gut that monster. I'm sure, even with self defense laws and Quirk laws as they are, some would want me to face charges."
It suddenly dawned on the two, that in all the chaos. All the insanity of the last few hours, no one had told Inko. All Might now fully suspected the reason for her cold behavior as that Inko was expecting to get punished for her perceived actions. One's she must have felt she was justified to make. Righteous fury can give people one hell of a backbone and chip on their shoulder. That's why she was keeping Detective Tsukauchi at arms length. She must think he had some cuffs waiting for her. Maybe that was also why she made sure Ochako had taken Izuku away. All Might doubted the boy would take kindly to anyone doing something as crazy as arresting his mother after the day's events.
"Mrs. Midoriya," Detective Tsukauchi began very carefully, "Shigaraki… from the eyewitness reports we have from Bakugou Katsuki, escaped unharmed."
All Might watched as Inko absorbed that. Then, he watched as a very alarming look crossed her face. Anger. Raw hate twisted her features into something damn near unrecognizable, "I missed?" She hissed.
Both men nodded.
Inko folded her hands together, and pressed her fingers against her forehead. Her hands were shaking from the pressure, "I had the boxcutter in my hand. I…" Inko's teeth ground together, "I had that monster right there and he…I missed?!" Inko's voice cracked as she fought to keep her voice down, so as not to wake Eri up. "Damn it. Damn it, fucking damn it!"
All Might had expected Inko to be relieved. Taking a life was a big deal, and a woman like her, it should have weighed heavily on her, but instead she was angry she hadn't killed Tomura. He was not expecting this at all.
"Ma'am… I would think you'd be relieved not to have his life on your conscience."
Inko looked up at the detective, "It's my son's life I'm worried about." Inko took a moment to steady herself, her hands clenching the hospital gown she was wearing, "He said he was going to kill my son. He told me he wasn't going to stop." She looked down as she turned one hand up, the one that had been holding the box cutter, "He was right there. I had everything I needed to keep him from ever touching my son… and I missed."
Detective Tsukauchi frowned deeply, "Ma'am. Despite your feelings for wanting to protect your son, it is not a civilian's job to deal with villains."
All Might felt the room get colder. Tsukauchi was a good friend. Someone he trusted with his secrets and life. That doesn't mean he didn't think his friend had flaws. His unwavering view of law and justice was his greatest strength. But it was also his Achilles heel. It had caused friction between himself and his sister. His handling of past vigilante situations were also the topic of some harsh criticisms. This felt like one of those times where the man's moral compass was about to make some trouble. For himself and All Might.
When Inko looked up, it really hit All Might that of all the things his friend could have said, he had picked the worst possible thing. Being right, was way at the back of important things to say.
"Clearly, it's also not your job, since that man can just walk into a crowded mall without raising any alarms."
"Ma'am I can assure you that the police and heroes are doing everything in our power to track down these villains and bring them to justice."
"He's right." All Might added gently, "Unfortunately with Shigaraki being a complete unknown, and having an accomplice with a portal Quirk, it's made attempting to track their movements extremely difficult."
"I've seen what a mass manhunt by your people looks like." Inko countered harshly, "You pulled out all the stops with Stain in the end. I haven't seen anything to say you're doing the same with Shigaraki."
Detective Tsukauchi sighed, "I'm telling you the truth of the matter. We are trying to locate him, there just aren't enough leads to do it at the scale you seem to think we're capable of. Sending out mass search parties when you didn't even know where to start looking isn't productive."
If he expected this to placate Inko, Detective Tsukauchi was in for a rude awakening. And All Might was about to learn where Izuku got his defiant attitude when someone tried to tell them something they don't agree with. Inko looked at the man with such obvious disbelief and with each word, more and more distrust, "There are cameras everywhere. And you're telling me that man is still free to walk around?" Detective Tsukauchi opened his mouth to speak but Inko sure didn't feel like letting him as she drove a knife into the whole conversation, "You all are either incompetent, or the HPSC wants this lunatic around."
That accusation nearly made the detective drop his notepad while All Might openly gawked at the very idea. Both men, so used to dealing with the more sedated but still capable Midoriya were caught completely flat footed as the reawakened Nenshouki dung in her heels and defiantly called out the bullshit as she saw it.
"No, no that's not true at all!" All Might waved his hands, almost like he was trying to catch his balance while motioning for things to calm down. That was a shockingly damning accusation to suddenly have hurled and the hero was desperately trying to figure out what the hell was going on.
Nenshouki was not about to let off the gas, and Inko let a lot of old, paranoid, feelings just bubble out, "Oh please. With Stain gone, they need someone to keep the eyes of the public off them, don't they? A boogie man keeps everything running smoothly and the trains on time."
"Ma'am…" Detective Tsukauchi began slowly. He could see that this incident had shaken Inko's faith in the very society they lived in. The amount of disdain she was expressing was alarming, "Please, you must trust in the system to keep you all safe. Viewing it like this won't help anyone."
Inko motioned to the room, "Keep me safe? By some miracle, Shigaraki ran into me today and not my son. And it's thanks to Eri's gift that I'm alive and my son didn't find me with a chunk of my neck missing and lying in a pool of my own blood." Inko pointed at the man accusingly, "Tell me to my face that the moment Toga told you all what Stain was able to do, you immediately used that knowledge to stop him."
Detective Tsukauchi couldn't say anything because Inko knew he couldn't. She wasn't dumb. After hearing from the school how Himiko had come to be in their care, Inko had always wondered how Stain had been able to continue to prowl the streets for the months before his capture. Inko might not have been able or willing to put the pieces together, but Nenshouki could and did.
Things might not line up perfectly, but mash them together hard enough and you could make pieces fit.
Inko leaned over, and ran her fingers through her hair. Anger and paranoia were exhausting. Given she was already pretty much at her wits end after the day of examinations from her miraculous recovery, those harsh snaps drained her. And let Inko push Nenshouki back in her head.
But not bury her.
Inko had pulled her out, and she wasn't about to be put back so simply.
A look from All Might to his friend was enough to get a message across. Before things get exceptionally nasty, and to keep from exhausting Inko further, it might be best to take Inko's statement at another time. As things were, it didn't seem like they were going to get any further information, and it would be best to end things now. As far as the two were concerned, this hostility could just be from the fact that Inko had been attacked by a man no one had been able to catch yet. Someone who was a clear and present danger to her son. She was lashing out. Better to let this pass or else risk damaging relations between the group.
Detective Tsukauchi gave a muted but respectful bow and left. At the very least, Inko returned the farewell without more hostility. All Might hung back. While he thought it best that the interview ended early, he wasn't content to let such negativity fester. Plus he was just plain worried for the woman.
The two sat in silence for a few minutes. All Might not wanting to do anything to distress her anymore than she already was. He was kicking himself for not pushing back more and giving Inko time to recover at home before Tsukauchi or any officer came for her statement.
"Sorry," Inko said with a sigh, "I said a lot there."
"All things considered, you're handling this situation…" That didn't sit right on his conscience, "… this disaster very well."
Inko huffed, "Snapping at officers isn't exactly what I'd call handling things well."
Another short awkward pause.
"You don't… actually believe the things you said, do you?"
Inko frowned and All Might suddenly worried he'd just asked the wrong question. But Inko didn't snap at him like she had with Detective Tsukauchi. She just sounded tired, "About me being upset I let that monster get away? Or accusing everyone of letting him run free?"
All Might scratched his neck, "The second one." When Inko blinked, All Might answered sheepishly, "I remember how you were when we first met. I… don't like the idea of it but I know you're a woman that would do anything for her son."
It wasn't approval but understanding. Inko could accept that, "I'm glad you're here." Leaning back in her chair, Inko looked up at the ceiling, "I love Izuku so much. He's my world. And I would do anything for him. Even supporting his dreams with everything I have." All Might felt there was a catch, "But… while my son loves the world All Might and all the other heroes represent… it's not a love I share." Inko turned and All Might saw a very tired woman, "My darling boy… he's mesmerized by the bright colors the world of heroes casts on the world. But… I'm old enough to have seen the shades of gray… and the dark."
Inko gently reached down and caressed Eri's hair, "It's twisted but… I'm grateful that Toga came into Izuku's life when she did. She… everything about her let him see it's not all colors and brightness. But at the same time it tempered him to want the world to be like how he sees it for everyone."
"Do you… not trust heroes?"
"I know the real world well enough to be wary."
"What about All Might?… And the school?" All Might winced. This felt scummy, asking how Inko viewed his other persona.
Inko's reply took some time. Like she was searching for the right words. All Might had hoped she would have said he had her full support, but that didn't seem to be the case. "Hisashi…" Inko frowned, "Said some things at that parent teacher conference that… I hate to admit that I do agree with. I'm not at the same distrust he was that night but… in regards to All Might… he failed at the USJ to protect my son, and then he failed at Hosu. If Shigaraki had run into my son instead of me today, that would have been the third time. It's not fair, I know it's not, but I can't sit here and pretend to be fair when it comes to my son." Inko looked at All Might apologetically, "I'm sure he's trying. He's a goodman. I don't doubt that for a second. I just…. I just want my son to be safe."
All Might couldn't think of a time where he wished he could reveal his identity to someone more than right then. To take on his heroic form and swear that no harm would come to Izuku. To proudly proclaim 'I am here' and put her worries to rest. But all he could do was say, "I can promise you, your son's wellbeing is All Might's greatest priority. He won't let the League of Villains hurt him again."
Inko smiled sadly, "After I failed today, I pray you're right."
With most statements taken, and the potential fires put out, the teachers and Detective Tsukauchi were able to borrow a room to have a quick meeting on how they wanted to move forward.
After a quick summary of his brief interaction with Inko, the other teachers now all seemed to feel they were in a pickle.
"There was some talk about moving the Midoriya family on campus," Nezu explained, "At least for the short term while this League of Villains situation is taken care of. However… after hearing your description of Mrs. Midoriya's mindset…hmm."
"Honestly sir, I'm not sure how she would take the idea. Given her apparent mistrust of the authorities at this time."
All Might quickly added, "She's worried about her son. The whole situation has had her on edge and today just made things worse."
"She might just be in shock over everything. Victims of attacks like this can take days, weeks even, to fully recover." Midnight offered, "We shouldn't take anything said too seriously or personally."
"She wasn't lying," Detective Tsukauchi said with a frown, "She truly believed we might just be letting Shigaraki roam free because it's convenient."
Nezu sighed, "And she had reason to make that assumption. The Hero Public Safety Commission's inaction with Stain is damning when looked through Mrs. Midoriya's lens."
Aizawa grunted, "Midoriya's father made the threat of pulling him out of school due to these issues. We may have a situation now where she may be more agreeable to the idea." That was not a fun thought. "Detective, your expert opinion. If we brought this solution to her. Would she agree or not?"
Detective Tsukauchi gave the question some time to digest. Unfortunately he couldn't come up with a definitive answer. "I can't say she'd rule that idea out. Her faith in the system, in us, just got shaken to its core." He paused to glance at his friend, "She doesn't even seem to trust All Might fully."
"Unfortunately it's true. She doesn't mistrust us but… we are the group that haven't come close to catching Shigaraki. When the victim of the attack came closer to stopping the villain than us heroes have, well…"
Midnight crossed her arms, "Crap."
Nezu pressed his paws together, taking his time to mull over the situation. He glanced at All Might and the other teacher knew that he was taking all factors into account as he thought this through. Izuku having One for All was being considered.
"We need to tread carefully now. Things have already been set in motion due to these repeated attacks by the League of Villains. The Hero Public Safety Commission is getting antsy and the police force is on edge. Now we add this incident and the blatant declaration from Shigaraki himself of his intent to harm Midoriya… We are dealing with a situation that could end badly for a lot of people, for a variety of reasons." Nezu sighed. Clearly not exactly happy with where his train of thought was leading him, "Midoriya's father has no love for us already. If his mother joins him, it's very possible we'll have to go against the parents' wishes to ensure Midoriya stays under our watchful eye."
All Might hissed. Nezu had just put the extreme case on the table. Around the room, no one seemed happy with that. Though some were more openly opposed than others, while some seemed to be open to the idea.
Midnight looked at Nezu with shock, "We are not actually considering this? Tell me this isn't an option."
Nezu folded his paws, "We have a responsibility to consider all options."
Aizawa leaned forward, "Considering the steps we took with Toga this shouldn't—"
Midnight snapped, "You're the last person I want to hear anything about this. Toga, Midoriya and their relationships with their parents are completely different issues. One were actively abusing their child. The other has a parent that doesn't like us. You don't have the slightest clue how close this is to a nuclear option do you?"
Aizawa waved a dismissive hand, "If you're worried about our public image I think you should realize there are more important—"
"Fuck. You." Midnight was out of her seat, finger pointed at Aizawa, "Don't you fucking dare try to play off my points like I'm some PR stooge. I'm talking about us making a choice that will have a profound effect on Midoriya Izuku when he's in an extremely fragile state. A move that could easily turn him against us. That could shatter his faith and trust in us. Do you not understand that the moment that happens, we all are going to lose so much, the only course we'll have is, at best, to resign from U.A. in disgrace."
All Might urged Midnight to calm down, "That's an extreme conclusion. Come on."
"If we lose Midoriya. What do you think that will do to Uraraka? Toga? Asui? To anyone in his circle of friends? In one swoop we could lose half the class. And with the way they've formed connections, by the end of the week, all of 1-A could be lost to us."
"A forced separation isn't ideal but—"
"Let me spell this out for you. Can you imagine if we do this, and we cement any negative feelings Mrs. Midoriya has for us, and she goes public and shames us in interviews over how we've stolen her son from her after failing to protect him already? How we've treated and mishandled her son?"
"How we've treated?"
"God forbid if some of the stuff we actually did gets out to the public. Our exam tapes are technically public domain. Imagine if a news station sympathetic to Inko gets hold of the tapes of Midoriya getting beat up by you and goes public with it. It wouldn't take much to spin that."
All Might winced. It was true his exam with Izuku and Katsuki had been intense. From a skewed outside perspective… it probably wouldn't look very good.
Aizawa crossed his arms and didn't look convinced by the argument, but before the argument could start going around in circles, Nezu stepped in, "We are envisioning a worst case scenario. Before we fully embrace doomsday prepping, I say we give everyone a chance to recover, and then move on from there. We are basing everything on the state of mind of people only a few hours after this attack."
Aizawa nodded, "Speaking of recovery. Mrs Midoriya and Eri have been cleared to leave, but how is Midoriya?" His features softened with noticeable sympathy, "Has he recovered from the scene?"
All Might shook his head, "Last I saw he was still…"
It was too dark. The lights, too bright. The walls felt slanted in, and the floor inclined. The room was so small it was claustrophobic but everyone inside was too far away for Izuku to hear. Colors seemed and dripping red. It was cold but Izuku was sweating. Muggy but his lips felt chapped and his throat dry.
His mother's blood was still everywhere. The stain was burned into his vision.
People were talking. Izuku wasn't sure about what. He didn't care. Their voices no more than echos as far as he was concerned. All Might and Detective Tsukauchi going back and forth. Ochako next to him, but he couldn't feel her touch. Himiko and Katsuki, going out of their way not to look at him, but he could hear their whispers louder than anything. Record scratches in his ears.
However, any sounds were drowned out by the voices in Izuku's head. Dark, haunting and deep.
What was all the lying for?
Wasn't lying supposed to keep her safe?
If she doesn't know about One for All, she should have never been in danger.
All Might said this was supposed to protect her.
He lied.
He lied!
The fog clouding Izuku's mind lifted, but the stench of rot remained. The chair Izuku had been sitting on cracked as he bolted up from it, "You lied." He had been numb to the world, now, it was an exposed nerve.
Izuku only saw phantoms, but the largest of the bunch looked at him, in alarm, "Young Midoriya?"
The other phantoms moved as Izuku advanced towards All Might. His anger bubbling over him like overheated tar. Black and grotesque, "You told me that keeping One for All a secret would help keep Mom safe! You told me that! So explain what happened! Why was my mom attacked!? WHY DID I FIND HER COVERED IN BLOOD?!"
A hand reached out, cutting off Izuku's advance toward the man he thought was his hero. Katsuki frowned, glowering at Izuku, "Calm the hell down. Don't go blaming All Might for shit he's not responsible for."
"Shigaraki attacks us and he gets away. He attacks a city, and he gets away. He hurt my mom and he gets away?! How?! How does this keep happening?!"
"Stop pretending like there was shit anyone could do." Katsuki growled.
He was there.
He was there and didn't do anything.
Izuku turned, eyes red and puffy, and glared at Katsuki, "Nothing anyone could do? You expect me to believe that?' What about you? You let him get away!"
Katsuki scowled back. Izuku guessed he might have been handling everything with kids gloves with him for the moment, but there were limits apparently, "What'd you expect me to do? Start throwing explosions with a crowd of people around him?"
Izuku stepped into Katsuki's face, not caring that Himiko and Ochako were trying to pull him away, "So now you care about not hurting people with your Quirk? Now you don't want to hit people with your explosions?! You pick now, after my mom is attacked, to pretend you're a good person?!"
Everyone around Izuku was shocked at that accusation. Katsuki even flinched back.
"H-hey," Himiko's voice sounded hollow. The usual sweetness drained away, "I was there too. What happened was—"
Himiko snapped her mouth shut when Izuku glared at her, "I thought you were supposed to be good at killing people." The room was cold. Smothering, "The one time I needed you to be a monster."
He sees Himiko's face break, knowing he hurt her.
Good.
She deserves it.
She failed.
Izuku hears Ochako, pleading with him to calm down. Her hands pulling him desperately. He angrily shucks her off. The voices telling him to calm down, the phantoms trying to hold him back. Izuku rages against them. They were all content to just sit in this horrid room and feel sorry about themselves. No one was doing anything. No one ever did anything. It wasn't the heroes that stopped the sludge villain from killing Katsuki, it was him. It wasn't the heroes that saved All Might at the USJ when his time was up, it was him. It wasn't the heroes that stopped Stain, it was him. It wasn't the heroes that burned that Nomu strangling Ochako, it was him! It wasn't Melissa that found a way to keep her secret identity, it was him!
Always, always him.
They can't find Shigaraki.
Izuku knew it was going to be him.
The room faded as Izuku ran without a word, ignoring screams and calls to stop. Izuku ran into the darkness, and didn't look back.
Maybe they thought he was going to a room to vent and rage. Maybe they thought he was going out for some air. Regardless, Izuku was long gone by the time anyone would have realized he had left the hospital. Alleys, warehouses, underpasses, Izuku was a bolt of enraged green lighting as he crisscrossed the city. Convinced that where others had failed or not even tried, he would succeed.
Izuku was on the hunt, and he was going to find Tomura Shigaraki.
If he'd had the time or presence of mind to think, he'd realize he was acting exactly like Tenya did after Stain had attacked his brother.
But Izuku didn't have either of those things. His own righteous fury had put him on the warpath.
Time seemed to crawl while the world around him raced by. The world was a twisted mess, and Izuku was a battering ram breaking through it all. The city melted around him as he kept moving deeper and deeper. Away from the washed watercolor painting of neon lights and towards the black pit ahead of him. Every step, deeper into solitude hell.
Seething and roaring, Izuku blocked out all the city's sounds. Cars, trains, people. The ungodly commotion of a world insane but pretending it was all okay. It was only when, after how much time Izuku would never know, that soft wet crunch of sand under his feet pulled Izuku out of the back fog of hate, and he found himself standing at a beach. While before everything had been a haze, this place was crystal clear. Behind him, the city just vanished. There was only the star lit sky, the tan sandy beach, and the soft constant sound of the ocean.
This place was so much like when he had started his journey.
Izuku stood, and for a moment, just existed in the now. But only for a moment. His hands reached up, grabbing his head as he fell to his knees screaming rage and fire. Blasts of green flame sizzled along the wet sand, before Izuku lifted his head up, and the plume of fire reached up into the sky, "SHIGARAKI!"
Izuku screamed into the silence, "I'M RIGHT HERE! IF YOU WANT TO KILL ME THEN COME HERE AND FIGHT ME YOU COWARD!"
Izuku's scream faded into the darkness. And the answer to his challenge?
Silence.
Knees in the sand, Izuku bent forward until his hands sunk into the black sand. He stayed like that, wheezing and letting himself choke back his sobs. Knowing that like so many times before, the world would hear him, and its answer would be the same as it had always had been. Nothing. The world would do nothing, and just let Izuku suffer alone.
But while the world would do nothing, Izuku's call would not go unanswered.
It wasn't a sound or feeling in the breeze that made Izuku lift his head. It was a deep and primal urge that pulled his attention. Instinct.
Izuku raised his head and turned to his side. Several yards away, the night's darkness had turned into a lightless black. A twisting cloud of darkness that led to the darkest of voids. A portal, created by Kurogiri, now swirled and spread out. And someone was walking out.
Izuku was on his feet fast, wiping tears away as he got ready to fight the man responsible for hurting his mother so badly. But immediately Izuku could tell that the man stepping onto the beach wasn't the monster he wanted.
This man was tall, and wore a clean, expensive, black suit. Izuku couldn't tell what he looked like, due to a black domed mask covering his face. The mask was part of a whole apparatus that covered the man's head. Around where his neck should be, the mask had a high collar and Izuku noted many small tubes connecting from the front of the collar, to the back of the domed helmet.
The man took a few casual steps so he was clear of the portal and then stood, facing Izuku. Izuku glared back at the man, a snarl curling his lips, "I'm not interested in any of Shigaraki's League of Villains flunkies. You can either go get him, or I'll go through there myself and drag him out."
"Ha," The sound that came through that strange mask took Izuku a second to figure out, "Ha ha ha ha ha."
"Do you think I'm joking?"
"Oh, oh no I believe you are quite serious." The man spread out his hands, almost apologetically, and Izuku noted the holes in his palms, "But I'm afraid Young Tomura won't be joining us tonight."
The man clearly didn't see Izuku as a threat, a mistake he was all too happy to make him regret. Green lighting arced over his skin as he began to move towards the man. Imagining how many pieces he was going to shatter that black mask into, "You're standing between me and Shigaraki. You only have yourself to blame for this."
"Hmm, so fast to resort to violence. Though I suppose your fury is justifiable. What happened to your mother? Regrettable. She wasn't a target, just another unfortunate casualty caught in the crossfire of our war."
Izuku paused. Our?
"I've been meaning to introduce myself. I've been keeping tabs on you for some time now. Learning about who you really are." The man sounded confident and calm. Yeah, Izuku really wanted to smash that helmet into his face.
"Keep tabs? How?"
The way he answered, Izuku could tell he was grinning, "Oh, I have someone inside."
Inside? Huh?
Izuku felt something. At the back of his mind. Something, someone. A silent scream. A warning drowned out. It had his instincts twitching. A feeling deep in his gut, like he was back in the alley with Stain staring him down.
"You said you've been meaning to introduce yourself? Why?" Something was off. This man wasn't acting like a lackey to Tomura. He was different. Those silent screams were getting more intense. Muted so he couldn't hear but he felt them.
"Well you are the newest vessel for One for All, it's only right we meet." The man bowed, and the world around Izuku turned black, "Allow me to introduce myself. You may call me All for One."