There are other Dimensions?!

Chapter Nine: Explosions and Flashbacks

Izuku ran swiftly and silently, taking as many confusing and sharp turns as he could. His heart was pounding in his throat as he swore he felt the hot breath of the Nomu on the back of his neck. He didn't dare turn to look as a fresh wave of adrenaline hit his system, giving his exhausted muscles a renewed energy. He recognized the broken-down music store on the corner and immediately whipped into an alleyway, praying it was still there.

"Huh?" Kaminari looked confused. He wasn't alone in that. 

He let out a mental cheer as he jumped for the fire escape. He started climbing before he even got a proper grip, and the sound of claws against the brick wall made him shudder. It was so close he could feel the ghost of the claws on his leg. Too close. He made record time clambering up onto the rooftop. Most of them were shit climbers, but that didn't really matter when they could topple the entire building.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?" Bakugo shouted. For once, Uraraka agreed with him. 

It was just his luck that he'd managed to run into a white Nomu. They were wicked fast and had ungodly sharp hearing. Luckily, this one had some kind of permanent injury, so it wasn't quite as fast as it should've been. Izuku made quick time jumping from rooftop to rooftop. He winced as he jostled his injured arm. He had it tied with a strip of fabric he'd lucked upon off some guy's remains. Sure, it wasn't the most sanitary option, but it was certainly better than leaving a blood trail that'd lead them straight to his group.

He zigzagged as much as he dared across the rooftops, unsure if the sounds he was hearing on street level was the Nomu or his imagination. When he felt relatively confident enough, he stopped on a rooftop, bunkering down and hiding behind some old rubbish.

His heart was pounding. He could feel the blood in his entire body, from fingertips to the crest of his head. He took several long quiet breaths to calm his heart as much as he dared as he listened for the Nomu.

"Is he having a flashback?" 

It was twenty minutes before he felt safe enough—nothing was safe anymore. Safety was false—to leave his hiding spot and head back.

He thanked his lucky stars when he managed to roof hop back to base safely. The adrenaline was quickly leaving his system by that point, and he'd nearly fallen off a rooftop twice as he made his way back. He even had a scraped chin for his efforts.

He carefully picked the lock and let himself in. The room was dark and dank and covered in years of dust. He was careful to disturb as little of it as possible, holding his old weathered backpack close to his chest.

He only relaxed minutely when he stumbled his way down into the basement. "Sho? Zashi? I'm back." His whisper sounded like a scream in the quiet. A moment later, he heard a small knock. Just as quickly, he lightly tapped out a specific pattern. A near silent sigh of relief sounded as the door quietly swung open, allowing Izuku access.

"I think this is the past." 

"Took ya long enough, Little Listener." Hizashi smiled as he ruffled the tangled green locks, closing and locking the door tightly behind him.

"I look old." Present Mic commented. 

"Well sorry... The place was crawling with Nomu." He shuddered lightly. "I saw two White Nomu, too. We should stay hidden for a bit."

"White Nomu?" Shouta tilted his head, gesturing for Izuku to come forward so he could treat his injuries. He collapsed into a chair, letting his screaming muscles rest at last. Hizashi took pity on him and handed him a bottle of water. Izuku idly noted that they'd need to boil more water soon.