The Broken Hero, Jashi

Part 26~Strings

Whimpering, I scuttered around my room. Everything ached and groaned from the hard surfaces I kept sleeping on. My fingers were covered in dirt and grime from the floor, my nails broken and sharp. I could feel the pain ache in my ears from where I had been scratching them. Dabi told me they were infected and I should let him treat them but I wouldn't let him touch me. I didn't let anyone touch me- a fear I picked up from the many screaming Nomus they surrounded my cage.

I wonder how long I've been here. A week? A month? Heck, I could have only been here a few hours as the only way I knew what time it was was from the meals I was given and there was no guarantee they came at consistent times.

I want Toshi...

"Izu-chan! Food!"

Scamping over to the slot in my cage, I started to eat the mouldy bread. At the start I refused to eat but now I couldn't care less. I didn't eat the broth though- one Nomu, the Horned Nomu, had a fear of accidentally becoming a cannibal through eating cooked meat in a broth, it was one of the many fears that stuck with me.

Toga-chan- as she made me call her- reached out to take my hand, hoping to get some of the grime off but I jumped and hissed, running off with my bread to the middle of the cage. I continued to nibble on it as I placed my hands over my ears to block out the screams.

"Oh, I'm sorry Izu-chan, I was just going to clean you up. Come here and I'll protect you from the mean screams." Toga-chan pushed a weirdly clean glass of water that I gulped down greedily. "Carefully Izu-chan! You don't want to waste it!"

Licking around my lips and chin I giggled. "Toga-chan, can you tell me about Kakashi and Charlie?"

"Of course Izu-chan! So, Kakashi and Charlie were these two students in my original school. They were very strong and very pretty and handsome. I couldn't wait to watch them bleed. I remember the knife I brought out, it was a kitchen knife from the school kitchen. Simple black handle with a sparkly silver blade. The blood glistened off it perfectly. I remember how Kakashi panicked himself into fainting and Charlie tried to attack me- breaking her own nose in the process. Oh, she had this wonderful silver hair that was perfect when mixed with the red!"

I leaned against the bars as I nibbled onto the bread. Toga talked about weird things but it was better than the screams.

"Izuku, Boss wants to see you." We both turned to see Dabi enter, he brought the key into the lock and stopped to the side. "He wants me to clean you up."

I felt myself shaking as Dabi led me through the corridors, he brought me into a tiled room with a bath and toilet. He gently filled the bath half way up before motioning me to get in. I didn't like this but I trusted Dabi and Toga. I yelped away when he tried to take my shirt, making Dabi sigh. "How about you wash yourself and I'll get your clothes."

I nodded hesitantly as I watched him leave. I gently removed my shirt and systematically removed the dirt and grime from my skin and hair. I could hear Dabi knocking on the door as he brought me an oversized fluffy jumper and trousers. He let me change before attempting to clip my nails but the second he touched me, I swiped out and cut his cheek.

I instantly felt bad as I felt tears welling in my eyes. "I'm sorry Dabi! I'm so sorry!"

"Its alright Izu. You can clip your nails while I go clean this." Dabi was so patient with me. Why was I fighting him? I brought the metal clippers to my nails and slowly evened them out, when I was sure they wouldn't hurt anyone, I placed them down and walked out. I smiled up at Dabi and Toga who was waiting for me.

Toga linked our arms- but I pulled mine back- as we walked through the corridors and towards a large metal door. "We're not allowed in Izu-chan. But don't worry, he's really nice and he won't hurt you."

Nodding, I let Dabi guide me inside before he closed the door. It was dark here too, I didn't like the dark.

"It's alright Izu." No! I know that voice! I didn't want to see him! "I am not going to hurt you, Izuku Midoriya. You don't like the noise do you, the noise in your room. I can teach you to control the Nomus. I can teach you to make them quiet."

Tilting my head to the side, I looked at this man with new hope. Why was I afraid of him again? "Can you make them be quiet?"

"No Izu, you can make them be quiet." AFO walked across the room to open a red curtain, showing me a Nomu inside a glass tube. He drained the fluid in the tube and the Nomu came alive. I yelped in fear and hid behind AFO, gripping onto his jacket for dear life. "It's alright Izu. He can't hurt you."

He gently placed a hand on my head, giving me a sense of comfort I haven't had in a long time. For some reason, it wasn't scary like when the others touched me, it was almost... fatherly?

"Now, here is what you are going to do." He kneeled down to my height and held out his hands. "I want you to focus, there are strings connecting us all. Find the ones that connect you and this Nomu."

I copied him and closed my eyes. I could feel a gentle power spread through my fingertips. It was different from when I would use my eye, this one was warm and tingly while my eyes was raw and powerful. I could feel the strings connecting me to the rest of the world. There were hundreds of strings in this world, and I could find the ones that connected us.

"Good, now pull the ones that connect to their vocals. You should be able to feel it vibrating against your fingertips, like when you place your fingers against the throat of a man who is humming."

Understanding what he said, I found it easy to find the strongs. I gently pulled them- just in case I was wrong- and slowly, their voice quietened down. When they were silent, I opened my eyes again.

"That was amazing Izu! I'm proud of you."

I felt myself getting dizzy as I tipped to the side. AFO caught me in his arms as he lifted me up and let me lean into his chest.

"You have an amazing gift Izuku. The Quirk I gave you, the ability to control Nomus, will make you powerful because any human can become a Nomu and soon you'll learn how to make them."

I didn't really hear what he said but I was warm and safe.

"Maybe we should get you to your new room."

Why was I trying to leave again?