Four years ago (Service year #4)
The icy water hits his face with a stinging force. The cold makes his whole body shiver, the outside world disappearing as his head gets shoved into the basin. Arms flailing uselessly at his sides as he tries to fight the hold of his commanding officer. His struggles were just as useless though. He learned that the first five times the man had done this to him. His lungs scream in protest, wanting desperately the reprieve, yearning for the breath they're getting deprived of.
His ten-year-old body, already weak from exertion and lack of oxygen, doesn't stand a chance against the white-knuckled grip of the burly man behind him. Fingers digging into sensitive flesh, head aching as his hair gets pulled, his mouths opening to accommodate a desperate lungful of air as the man finally takes pity on him. Taking him out of the deep end, a sickening laugh erupting from his throat as he looks down at the boy kneeling at his feet.
The cold water dribbles down his neck, making it hard for his body to stop quivering, feeling the cold down to his very core. A mix of tears and water drip onto his pants, staining the fabric with droplets of murky liquid. His entire body heaves as he tries to draw in as much air as he can. For he knows it's not over yet, it can't be. Not until Axel got what he wanted. Not until Izuku gave in to the man's orders.
His chest feels uncomfortably tight, every breath he takes is heavy and harsh against his abused lungs. It makes it even harder for him to think clearly. Mind foggy with oxygen deprivation.
"You ready to do it now, brat?" The man snarls, his hand embedding itself in his dark green curls once more. Pulling his neck back until his eyes meet the officer's red orbs. His other hand holds out the rifle he wanted Izuku to use.
His irritation only skyrockets when Izuku doesn't make a move to retrieve the weapon. Eyes narrowing dangerously as he stands up, dropping his hold on Izuku's hair abruptly, sending the boy sprawling on the ground, hands scraping against the asphalt painfully.
Izuku can only stare helplessly as the officer's gaze drifts toward the dog chained to the pole a few meters ahead of them. The man's grin widens ominously as his head turns back to stare at the boy. A devilish smirk forming on his features as he looks at him, then back at the rifle in his grip.
His heart drops as the man takes a position behind him, taking another gun out of his holster. This time, he aims it at Izuku himself.
"Do it or you'll get what's coming for you." The threat makes his heart thunder faster in his chest, threatening to break through the barriers protecting it, the thick layers of flesh and bones keeping it hidden away. The world dims until his gaze focuses only on the rifle, now resting innocently on the ground in front of him.
"P-please, Sir. I d-don't want to d-do this." Izuku whispers hoarsely. Voice raw as he wishes desperately for all of this to end. Maybe if the man shoots him it could.
"Follow my orders, PRIVATE!" The man's voice echoes through the field, giving his tone an even more commanding air to it. Making Izuku's body move even when his mind screams at him not to. Hands stretching to take hold of the discarded weapon, fingers trembling against its hard surface.
"N-no. Please s-stop." He can't do this. He won't. What did that dog ever do to him? When did that poor creature ever do anything wrong! It didn't deserve to be killed! "Stop!"
"THREE!" The horror he feels increases as the man starts counting down, his heartbeat rings loudly in his ears, making it hard for him to focus on anything else. His vision narrowing as the world spins around him, the panic catching up to his addled senses. "TWO!" The rifle cocks threateningly behind him, but he can't get himself to care. His fingers quiver against the cold steel in his grip, reminding him of what he had to do, but couldn't.
He doesn't hear the man say it, he can't. Mind focused instead on the sound that follows.
"One."
Boom.
The only thing he concentrates on is the deafening gunshot that resonates in his ears as pure agony explodes in his leg. Excruciating pain erupting from the bleeding wound before his mind can even wrap itself around the implications.
His mouth opens in a soundless scream as he falls down onto his side. The pressure on his leg increasing as the officer stomps down on it. Pure agony overtaking him and exploding from the appendage anew.
Spots form on the edge of his vision and he feels strangely detached from the situation. Mind vaguely registering the barking coming from a place near him. Loud and panicked, mimicking his racing heart.
He can barely register the second gunshot that rings through the air as his vision darkens even more. The last thing he hears before unconsciousness overtakes him is whimpering howls of pain followed by an eerie silence.
"Guess you'll think twice next time before disobeying a direct order."
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Walking through the halls of UA, Izuku makes sure to avoid bumping into anyone. Weaving between the waves of students swiftly and efficiently. Although, some of them part for him almost naturally, his posture probably reminds them of a teacher, walking through the halls with confidence and sureness in each and every step he takes.
A pair of footsteps follow closely behind him, the owner a familiar purple-haired teen. The boy's attention has been trained on him since the morning. Almost suspiciously invested in watching Izuku's every move.
The cafeteria's doors come into view and he steps into the room, surveying the space for any empty tables for him to use.
It seems he's lucky, since he finds one on the far end of the room, save for one sole resident, a tall boy with half white, half red hair. The aesthetic gives him away almost instantly, Izuku has gone through extensive recon and search missions before coming here. After all. He knew almost every student in his year, no matter the course.
Todoroki Shouto sits quietly in the seat closest to the exit, back straight, posture attentively relaxed.
"May I sit here?" He asks as soon as he's within hearing range. Although the other teen doesn't seem too bothered to respond any time soon. The only answer he gets is a cordial nod, firm, and nonchalant.
Taking a seat, he feels the chair on the opposite side of the table move and sure enough, Shinsou Hitoshi takes a seat in front of him. Nodding to both him and Todoroki as he does so.
They eat in silence for the most part of the lunch hour, barely glancing at one another as each of them finishes their respective bowls of food.
However, just as he takes a last mouthful of rice, Shinsou speaks up. His voice soft, tone almost hesitant, despite his previous bold actions. Following Izuku to lunch and sitting with him.
"Hey, Akatani, I wanted to say thanks for, you know, what you did during the entrance exam..." The boy starts, eyes trained on Izuku's hands, more accurately, Izuku's bandaged hand. Todoroki's attention is on them then.
"-I mean, you didn't have to go back for me, and you didn't have to get hurt just so you could help so... yeah, I just wanted to say thank you." The boy finishes, his head now turned away from Izuku's gaze, eyes trained on the grey tiles of the cafeteria floor.
"You're wrong, my objective will always be to help people, no matter what." Izuku finds himself responding without actually meaning to, the words spilling unbidden from his mouth.
However, it seems to be the right answer, for not only Shinsou nods, but Todoroki too. Each one of them hold his stare for a few seconds, making sure to convey their mutual feelings.
It looks like the school year was going to be an interesting one.
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Four years ago (Service year 4)
"Do you think you have a choice Private? Do you think this is some kind of game?" Axel snarls, spit spraying with every word he yells out. His voice rising dangerously with each step he took toward the young boy currently tied to the medical bed. Leg wrapped after having taken care of the wound. His mind vaguely registers the bandages adorning his neck, despite not remembering acquiring any wounds there. "The general put three years of training and experimentation on this! Do you think you can just throw it all away on your pathetic whims and feelings?"
"Lieutenant Commander." The call interrupted the man's tirade, making his whole body tense, stopping mid-step, form rigid as he turned to salute the general. "Orders were to spare the subject any serious damage." Subject... that's all he was, wasn't he? A guinea pig for their science project. The icy words were sharp despite the quiet utterance. "I believe a bullet wound doesn't fit in that description, do you disagree Major?"
"No, sir. Of course not." The man responded almost immediately, his nervousness hidden by the words spat through gritted teeth. "I believed, however, that the subject needed a stronger incentive."
The general only hummed at that. "I suppose you're allegations are somewhat justified on that front, Axel." The words were directed at Izuku despite the general's eyes never meeting his once. "I was hesitant to go down that road, but given the recent circumstances, I may not have a choice but to do it." It being absolutely lost on Izuku.
"I expect a completed disposition list to be waiting for me in my office tomorrow if you want to avoid any unnecessary insurances, Private." With that, the general took his leave, sweeping out of the room with an additional air of command, leaving Izuku alone with a relatively pissed off commander and new threats looming over his head.
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"Alright, 1-C I expect you to be on time for this class every single time." Is the first thing the Foundational heroics teacher says as the students trickle into the room after lunch.
The man is practically slumped against the surface of his desk, a dark mop of hair covers the better part of his face, making it hard to make out his features. The scarfs wrapped snuggly around his shoulders give his identity away though, the stark yellow goggles sticking out only serve to further Izuku's theory.
"Tardiness of any kind will not be tolerated in my class." He drawls lazily, leveling the students with a heated glare. As if on cue, Izuku watches as all of them straighten under the hero's steady, yet stern gaze. "My name is Aizawa Shouta and I'll be your foundational Heroics and law studies teacher for the year." He continues evenly, eyes raking over the rows of teenagers seated before him. "Now, open your books to page--"Izuku tunes out most of the man's words after that, having already read and studied every textbook thoroughly before even applying to the school. He doubts there's anything new the man has to teach him. Especially not in the first class of the year.
He elects instead to watch the underground hero. Going through all the information he has on the man and adding any new analyses he can siphon out of the impromptu inspection. Eraserhead was the homeroom teacher for one of the hero course classes this year. Which, therefore, made him one of the people Izuku was sent to protect.
"Mr. Akatani." The call drills through the thoughts going through his mind, pulling the undercover soldier out of his reverie. "Am I boring you?" Aizawa's voice remains apathetic, despite the new edge it holds now. A barely concealed warning hidden behind the nonchalant inquiry.
"No sir," Izuku replies evenly, eyes never straying from the man's piercing dark orbs.
"Then you wouldn't mind telling me the laws set for public quirk usage?"
"The law states that the usage of a quirk in public is strictly prohibited unless the individual in question is either in immediate danger as self-defense or in the possession of a hero license. This may also include interns if given the distinct permission from their mentors or any present hero willing to take responsibility. This also brings us to the vigilante movement laws put into place, given the illegal quirk usage to either fight or save. This law, however, overlooks the involvement of non-powered individuals who can nonetheless inflict harm on said villains or exercise their individual quirkless skills to save whoever is in the need of saving."
Silence follows his tirade and he wonders if it would have been wiser to keep his knowledge to himself, feign ignorance and face whatever repercussions the underground hero had in store for him. His classmate's stares don't make it any easier for him either.
"Very accurate Akatani. Who can tell me what the vigilante laws—"The smirk adorning the man's features, barely hidden by the hero's capture weapon, is entirely unexpected. "-Oh and Akatani," Meeting his gaze once more, the hero's grin widens as he says. "It's Sensei, not Sir"
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Four years ago (Service year #4)
The memories of the exact moment are hazy. The events blur together, the pain, the blood, the noise, it's almost indistinguishable in his mind.
He remembers the dull aching in his leg as he stood there, rifle in hand, fingers trembling against the cold metal. Legs threatening to give out underneath him as he gazed straight ahead. Eyes looking numbly at the target chained before him.
He remembers the tight grip on his shoulder just before the shot. Remembers Axel's shrill voice ringing in his ears right before the resounding bang that echoed through the field.
He doesn't recall pulling the trigger though, doesn't even remember cocking the weapon.
He does remember the blood though. So much blood. Remembers the shades of crimson painting the asphalt, spreading sluggishly until it reached his feet, sticking to his soles and seeping into his black military-grade shoes.
He'll have to clean them later, but he can't get himself to think about it at the moment. Mind too focused on the wailing of the creature wheezing at his feet. Breath coming in and out in pained pants as it took its last puffs of air. Eyes boring into Izuku's own, sad and confused.
He remembers the ache in his heart as he wished to take its place.
The bile rising and spilling from his throat as his legs finally gave out. Knees hitting the ground painfully, splashing into the small puddle of red that had gathered beneath him.
The color soon becoming the only thing he'll remember for the days to come. That is when the animal's howling wasn't plaguing his dreams.
A second gunshot makes him jump, head swiveling to look at his forgotten commander, head swimming with the sudden motion, world tilting with the movement.
"Make sure to aim for the head next time." Axel sneers cruelly. "People tend to scream louder."
Next time... Izuku doesn't think he'll survive that long.
He doesn't think he wants to either.