The Shadows I Hide

Chapter 10: Awakening

"Deku!" his teammate hissed into his ear. He recovered from his shock quickly and turned on his microphone.

"What is it Uraraka? Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine. Listen, I got their flag, I'm carrying it right now. But I may have gotten a little lost." she said sheepishly. Deku immediately began to search the streets around him, trying to pinpoint her location.

"Do you see any landmarks that might help me find out where you are?" he asked. This would be the easiest way to try and locate her without drawing any unnecessary attention to themselves. The last thing they wanted was to lead Bakugo right to their flag carrier.

"Yeah, I think so, I'm next to the office building with the large pyramid-shaped top. Does that help?" Deku spotted the building in seconds. Located only 5 blocks away the building was impossible to miss. What was also impossible to miss for Deku was Kacchan's menacing gait as he crossed the street that would take him closer to Uraraka's position.

"Uraraka, you need to hide, NOW!" Don't reply, Kacchan getting close to your position. Just sit tight I'll come and distract him."

Deku's heart pounded harder and harder as he approached the building. five blocks, four blocks, three... What was he doing? This was insane! No way would he be able to hold his own against Bakugou.

'I don't have to stand against him though,' he reminded himself. 'Just buy a little time,' two blocks... One. He could hear him now. The heavy breathing of his old childhood friend, filled with pent up rage.

"Uraraka," he whispered into his earpiece. "This is probably going to be loud. When you hear it, I need to take the left street from the front entrance of the building, our hideout will be about five blocks down that street. Get ready." Izuku stepped around the corner onto the street he previously saw Bakugo and froze. There he was standing with his back to him, completely immobile. Then he swiveled around until their eyes met. Bakugo's usual scowl deepened into a snarl.

"You've got a lot of nerve coming this close to me Deku," he hissed through clenched teeth. "You're going to regret having done that." Izuku had just enough time to think, 'Oh crap!' before Bekugo sprang into action and charged him.

"GO TO HELL!" Bakugo yelled at the top of his lungs followed by a powerful explosion blast that sent Deku flying across the street until he collided with another building. Deku felt the air get pushed out of his lungs from the impact and was just taking in a deep breath before his eyes widened and he jumped to one side, barely avoiding Kacchans follow up attack. Deku quickly tried to orient himself and threw a kick at his opponent's exposed gut but he caught his foot at the last moment and pushed him back.

"You're not going to beat me Deku, You will never be better than me!" Despite his fear though Izuku's mind remained clear. It was working. From the corner of his eye, he could see his teammate making her way over to their base. He just had to keep Bakugou occupied for a bit longer.

"You think I don't know what you're your trying to do!" Izuku's thoughts were interrupted by Kacchan's furious shouting. "You think I don't know you're trying to outshine me by getting into UA without a quirk?! Well, you can't take the top spot from me, you useless nerd! I've always been better than you!"

Izuku was stunned for a moment but quickly filled with something else. He was surprised to find that that something else that was beginning to fill every portion of his body, was anger.

"Do you think I'm THAT stupid!" he began to shout. "Of course you're better than me! Did you actually think I was trying to outshine you?! A useless quirkless kid trying to upstand the best student in the UA hero course?! How dumb can you be!" The rational part of Deku's mind was telling him that he should probably calm down and stop what he was saying. But there was also another part of him that knew he needed to say these things and was astonished at the truth he felt of them.

"I had to work harder than anyone has ever worked to drag myself to this position, and even though I made it to UA I'm still the weakest one here! And you're telling me that I'm a threat to you! Pathetic! If you're threatened by someone like me then you can't say that you haven't worked to get here too! That you haven't trained your body and mind to reach the level you're at now! IF YOU CAN'T TAKE ME BEING HERE, YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO CALL YOURSELF A HERO!!!"

Deku could pinpoint the exact moment his words registered in Bakugo's head. He roared and closed the distance between them with almost inhuman speed, grabbing Izuku by the front of his costume and lifting him into the air.

"How dare you look down on me!!!" he shouted. Deku felt the anger inside him swell up and with it, he felt a rush of something new. It felt foreign but also familiar, a rush that filled his whole body and began to warm up the inside of his gut.

"I've never looked down on you! I've always looked up to you! Which is why I can't let my team lose this!" Deku felt the heat in his gut rage hotter and hotter, he felt the heat spread to every corner of his body. Kacchan suddenly looked appalled and Deku knew that he could feel it too. He felt a rush in his body as suddenly all the heat in his body began to pack together and work it's way up to his throat. As the heat nearly reached his mouth Deku spoke.

"I won't let you stop me Kacchan! Not ever again. So don't let me stop you either,"

The searing heat reached his mouth now, Deku opened his jaw, and a jet of orange flame burst from it with enough force to nearly propelled Izuku in the opposite direction. Bakugo on the other hand immediately let go of Deku's shirt, but he was too late. That blast from the flames sent him careening into the side of a building where he lay there with shock traced onto every inch of his face. A loud voice suddenly cut into their earpieces.

"Read team wins!!!" Deku began to smile. She had done it. Suddenly though he felt the opposite of what had filled him with energy and he felt as if he were moving through syrup. He felt his legs tremble and the last thing he remembered was seeing the ground coming up to reach his face.