Kacchan!
...
...
...What are you doing, Izu...?
Y-you're bleeding!
And what the hell makes you think that I need your help?!
...!
What?! You don't think I can handle it?!
That's not—!
If I'm ever going to be the future number one hero, I don't need help!
But, Kacchan, you need to understand that you don't have to be embarrassed to ask for help!
Well—I— Screw you, Izu!
...
...
...I'm sorry...
Hey, what the hell are you sorry for?!
I'm sorry, Kacchan...
Hey, hey, can you quit crying for like five minutes?
...
Hey, Izu, you also want to be the number one hero right?
...mhm...
Then what the hell are you crying for?!
...?
Once we get our quirks, we'll see which one of us is more fitting to be called "The Strongest"! And the one who is considered "The Strongest" doesn't cry! Ever!
Kacchan...
So, just stop crying Izu...
...
Plus, we both have to be either number one or two! We can't go any lower!
What do you mean?
Well, this way we can always compete on trying to surpass each other! So, you think you can handle it?
...
What do you say, Izu?
I'll surpass you one day, Kacchan! You'll see!
Ha! Let's just see which one of us gets a better quirk!
Yeah!
Until then, let's just have fun!
------------
Heights Alliance Dormitories. 2-A Dorms.
May 7, 2XX1. 6:43 P.M.
Izuku Midoriya is known for being an analytical young man, and this was due to being so interested in something what other people had that he didn't. A quirk. He took the time analyzing any quirk, regardless of whether it can be used in hero work or not, and jotted down every possible way the quirk could be exploited and how it can be improved upon, of course he accounted if the person's emotion have any effect on the quirk itself, taking time to also note what the person was feeling once the quirk activated. He took note how a quirk would go in a certain fighting style, or if the person had developed one he would jot down the habits the person does in preparation of activating the quirk.
He was raised by a single mother who taught him right things from the wrong things. All his good mannerisms, these were all the work of his, sometimes, overprotective mother. He didn't care much if she was, his mother was probably the only person in his life who cared for him. A father who had disappeared from all of his childhood life, he didn't know what to feel about him, he didn't know his father that well nor did he even know his face. All he knew was that the man was abroad on a business trip and was sending money to support him and his mother. It was at least noble.
Then All Might came into the picture, and gave him the words he had always wanted to hear ever since he had been denied of his dream. His idol, the number one hero, had deemed him worthy to inherit a powerful quirk which had been secretly passed down in generations through a handful of heroes and villains. He had been deemed worthy to be the ninth inheritor. He had a shot at his dream now, because he has been given a quirk. Although as the old saying goes, 'with great power, comes great responsibility', and he knew full well what this quirk entails the moment All Might gave it to him. When his idol retired it had only confirmed what he had thought, and that he is to continue carrying the mantle as the Symbol of Peace.
He was to be counted on by people, to save all of them with a smile.
He was happy.
Or did he convince himself that he was?
Deep inside this analytical, good boy façade of his, was a plethora of emotions dying to be let out and slowly breaking the cracking shell of a man that he is. Unbeknownst to the people around him— his friends, his family, and his mentor— was a fire raging deep within the center of all of these emotions, a fire that is the reason for all of his cracks in the mask he calls his personality.
In truth, he was angry—no, he was enraged— at every people who associated themselves with him and this hatred that he has, has grown to the point of hating himself.
He hates All Might.
All Might had the audacity to say that he can't become a hero for the reason that he is quirkless alone, when his idol had been quirkless once.
Not only did the former 'Symbol of Peace' not believe that the boy was capable of becoming even close to a hero who saves everyone with a smile, much less an adequate superhero, but the man had the gall to decide that he was capable of becoming a hero, but only because he had the heart to become one, he doesn't have the tools nor the capabilities to even become one. To put it simply, his mentor doesn't believe that even if a quirkless person with a heart of a hero, can be one without a quirk.
The man had left him to try and control a quirk that could potentially kill him once he starts using the damn thing.
He should've just refused to accept it that day, and yet he could no longer imagine a future in which he could've been a hero without a quirk.
Deep down, Izuku always felt like his mentor is the biggest hypocrite that he has ever met in his life.
All bark and no bite.
He hates his own family.
He hates his own mother for not only not believing that he could ever accomplish his dream, but for also constantly finding something to pity him for no matter how small. Izuku was frail, but he was not made out of glass, he couldn't care if people keep berating him with insults about not having a quirk, he had already accepted it, but what he couldn't accept was the fact that his mother had rarely given him the time to go out of his own apartment, instead he was locked up inside is room as if he was being quarantined.
He hates his own father for leaving him and his mother. He sends money from abroad and that was about all they get, not even a single letter ever since he had been born up until his 16th birthday. Not even a single gift wrap for Christmas just so he could know how he was doing. Izuku had tried sending letters of his own, to see if he can even get a semblance of what it would be like to have a father and son conversation. He didn't care if he didn't get to play catch with him once in his whole life, all Izuku ever cares about is to know what his father was like as a person. He was angry that he hadn't received any letters back from him.
Izuku lost all respect for the man when he didn't even bother coming back home for his mother's funeral.
He hoped until the end of the day that he'll somehow be there, standing in front of her tombstone, with him and his hand on his shoulder, giving him comfort.
But no.
And not a letter back from him.
He hates himself.
His good boy attitude had become something of a trademark of him. He had the chance to prove to everyone that he was just more than that at the Cultural Festival last year, but everyone just seemed to ignore him for it and gave all of their attention to Jiro. He hates the fact that he had the power in his hands and yet he could not save the people that he loves. He hates the fact that it seemed like he had not change from being a weak child, he tried so hard to overcome.
And most of all, he hates Katsuki Bakugo.
Why? You ask.
Everything.
He went from being the only person in the world to treat him as a normal person, to becoming a being sent by the Devil himself.
Izuku could not recall the time where he did not use his teeth to bite into his forearm to the point where it bled with all the other injuries he got from the ash-blonde asshole. His time in middle school were the times he had been at his very low.
It was as if the world itself wanted him to suffer some more, it had his former best friend and his unrequited crush be a couple.
The person that he held deep within his heart, the only person that prevented him from going overboard.
Gone.
That was his breaking point.
He just can't keep this up any longer.
So here he was in the kitchen, in front of Katsuki Bakugo and staring at him straight into his eyes all the while giving him a blank and an unreadable expression. He knows that his former best friend has zero to no respect for him, if he did he would give his insatiable ego a quick kick in the ass and said sorry. Maybe in a different universe that must have happened. But not in this universe.
He knows he can't reason with him, so why bother.
He cares more about action than the words spoken straight onto his face.
Tonight, Izuku Midoriya would end it all.
"Come with me to the training grounds." He said in a monotone voice.
To which Bakugo returned with a grunt and opened the fridge to take out a carton of orange juice and drank straight out of the carton. Total animal. "No."
"I wasn't asking, dickhead."
Bakugo's eyes widen at the first insult the green-haired boy had thrown at him for the first time in Izuku Midoriya's worthless life. To which Bakugo slammed the carton of juice straight into the counter, the carton crumpling due to the impact, and gritted his teeth, trying so hard not to slam the boy's freckled face into the television. "You have some balls—!"
In a swift movement the green-haired teen gripped the ash blonde's face using one of his hands and brought him slightly down to his level, gripping the blonde's cheeks with his fingers and thumb tightly. He kept on glaring at Bakugo with a scowl on his face. "And clearly I have more than you do, so if you ever want to retain your sensitive ego..."
Bakugo felt his quirk activate and sparks came flying out of his palm. Never in his life had this green-haired Deku had the audacity to insult him the way he is now.
"...I would suggest complying." Izuku gave a sarcastic smile and made his way towards the door, making sure not to bump into Uraraka. Once he made his way to the door, he opened it and looked back to the ash-blonde who was still scowling at him.
Bakugo should be angry at him and he should be shooting him straight to Mars at this point, but somehow he can't.
He knows that there's something more to this.
His eyes lingered towards Ochako, then they went back to the green-haired boy who was still giving him a blank facial expression.
He has a hint.
But he had nothing to prove, especially to Deku.
And yet he went with him outside. His footsteps towards the green-haired boy were heavy, either that or he felt some sort of weird pressure enveloping him and the only thing that could be heard for him were his own footsteps. Whatever was going to happen, he can already tell that it wasn't going to lead to something good.
"This had better be good, Deku." Bakugo let out a gruff complain to the boy holding the door open for him.
The boy only gave him a small smile, before closing the door and leading the way to their destination. Bakugo let a few seconds and stared at the green-haired boy's back for a few seconds and the way he was walking. Straight back, shoulders levelled, chin upwards, Bakugo felt sick seeing how this boy still has a weird confident aura even after a few seconds of insulting him. Bakugo saw his fists and how they were clenched to the point where his knuckles had turned pale white, he then he saw him turned around looking at him straight into his eyes.
Bakugo could have sworn he saw Deku's eyes flicker between green and red.
"Coming?" Deku had asked him again, with that stupid smile.
"...Yeah." Bakugo felt that pressure envelop him once more, and honestly this one was scaring him. Not a lot of things can do that to him, he couldn't give a rat's ass if it were villains, but this was something else entirely.
He then put his hands inside his pockets, he didn't even felt them shake inside or how the hair in the back of his neck were standing.
No, he did not like this, not even a bit.
-------------
Training Ground Beta. 7:00 P.M.
Once the two childhood friends had found themselves in front of the towering gates of a familiar barren and broken Ground Beta, they had stopped in their tracks. Bakugo sense of familiarity kicked in and his eyes led him to looking up to the tip of the gates, which were as tall as the collection of skyscrapers inside those gates, he looked up to the point where he almost bent his neck to a full ninety degrees. He then looked back on the boy with him, he couldn't get a view of his eyes as it had been obscured by his curly bangs, but if he had to make a guess he could say that they weren't looking anywhere near the gates.
Bakugo had found it in himself to open his mouth and voice his opinion, "What the hell are we doing here, Deku? You know what'll happen if we get caught again, and I swear, you're going to be the one to clean that ball-headed midget's room this time!"
The green-haired boy turned his head to look at the ash-blonde, one of his eyes was fully shadowed by his bangs while the other could be barely seen through all the hair. He gave Bakugo a small smile. "Don't worry about it, Kacchan."
"How that hell could I not worry about it?!" He put his hands out his pockets and raised his arms from his sides. "The fucking robots are everywhere in this school." He was uncharacteristically flustered and for once he felt like he was making an excuse as to not participate in an impending danger.
"Kacchan, are you getting cold feet?"
For the first time in his life, he saw a corner of the green-haired boy's lips curl upwards and his eyes looked like they were finding joy in what he just stated. For the first time ever, he saw the green-haired boy smirk and taunt him.
This struck a chord inside of Bakugo, as he immediately snarled at the boy and clenched his fist in great anger. He quickly took a step forward, tightly gripped the green-haired boy's blazer and raised him slightly in the air. Izuku kept on looking straight into Bakugo's eyes with that playful look in them. Every second the green-haired boy looked at him with those eyes only served to strengthen the fire burning inside of Bakugo's eyes. He slowly brought the boy down to his level.
"Who the fuck do you think you are to talk to me like that?" Bakugo growled, his face scowling all the while his narrowed eyes piercing straight into the boy's green eyes. Never had he ever seen this weak Deku look at him this way and never had he ever heard these words leave this boy's mouth, he doubts that he could even say a decent curse word. And yet here he is, scowling because of the trash that was leaving the green-haired boy's mouth.
Izuku retaliated with a slight grip on Bakugo's wrist— which Bakugo only responded with the widening of his eyes and a slight twitch of his mouth— and slowly brought it away from the collar of his gray blazer. "I said, not to worry about it, Kacchan."
The green-haired boy let go of the ash-blonde's wrist— leaving a pale red imprint of Izuku's hand around said wrist— and made his way to the two towering gates. Bakugo could only incredulously look at how the green-haired boy had suddenly changed his usual demeanor, while he slowly rubbed his red wrist. He didn't want to imagine the possibility of having his wrist broken if he hadn't let go of his shirt, just having the thought of his wrist cracking in the green-haired boy's grip, made him wince a little. He looked at his back and contemplated on his choices, he could just stop following the boy and turn back— although that didn't seem like an option to him, he knows just how much the boy had surpassed All Might in the past year, and as much as he hates to admit it, it would put a big dent on his pride if he backed down without a fight— he could tell the teachers, although that would mean that he got scared of Deku, no matter how many times he tries to convince himself. The green-haired boy seemed so confident that they wouldn't get caught wandering the forbidden areas of the campus grounds, just how confident though and why he seemed confident in the first place, are the questions.
Dilly dallying won't get him the answers to his questions, and it certainly won't convince the green-haired boy to turn on his heels and walk away. So the ash-blonde continued on, behind the boy.
Whatever the green-haired student wanted with him, he could only speculate that none of it had any good intentions.
-------------
As the two teenagers walk the moonlit and barren streets of the familiar Training Ground Beta, one teenager felt himself going more and more wary as they went deeper into the desolate wasteland of broken buildings, they saw around them. While one was cautious of the possibility that one mobile surveillance robot would immediately contact their homeroom teacher, the other was lax and kept on leading the way, keeping the pace of his walk slow as the buildings around them fly by their vision only to be replaced with another the next millisecond. He could see the damaged guardrails placed just above the curb.
Then out of the corner of Bakugo's eye he saw something flicker in an alleyway and he slowly turned his head to reveal the horror of seeing a pile of broken and dented metal with sparks coming out of its popped intricate circuitry, and multi-colored wires. He saw something round and black— attached to its polygonal head— dilate and contract in a feral-like manner, in front of it was a broken glass lens, missing a few shards of glass. It almost spooked him when this indescribable pieces of metal suddenly flinched and its metallic shell clanging against one another, sparks were almost spraying out of it, its polygonal head suddenly raised itself showing its pipe-like neck, turning and looking around its surroundings.
W̵A̶R̵N̸I̸N̸G̵! W̵A̶R̵N̸I̸N̸G̵!
And came out its distorted robotic voice, its constant change of pitch made it almost incomprehensible to understand, but for Bakugo, he could make out some of the words.
S̶T̴U̶D̶E̸N̷T̴ F̸O̴U̸N̴D̶ L̸O̵I̸T̴E̵R̴I̶N̶G̸ I̸N̵ G̶R̸O̵U̷N̸D̷ B̴E̵T̵A̸
S̸T̸U̵D̴E̷N̸T̷ ̷I̴D̵E̶N̶T̵I̵T̴Y̸ ̵C̸O̵N̷F̶I̸R̷M̷E̴D̵
C̴O̶N̷T̷A̷C̶T̴I̶N̴G̵ ̵S̸T̷U̸D̷E̵N̴T̵ ̵T̷E̴A̷C̴H̷--
E̸R̴R̷O̸R̸! E̸R̴R̷O̸R̸! E̸R̴R̷O̸R̸!
S̵U̶R̶V̴E̸I̶L̴L̶A̵N̵C̵E̶ ̴U̷N̸I̷T̵ ̷#̸0̴0̶9̴1̶8̶2̵3̸7̶0̴ M̸A̵L̷F̷U̷N̶C̴T̷I̶O̷N̶I̸N̶G̸
C̴O̷M̷M̶U̸N̵I̸C̸A̵T̸I̴O̷N̷. ̴N̵O̵T ̷P̶O̵S̷S̵I̷B̸L̶E̸
Bakugo almost panicked when the robot almost contacted their R-rated homeroom teacher, but his fidgety status slowly dissipated when he found out that the robot could no longer contact their teacher in such a state. But he kept his quirk prepared in case the situation called for it.
W̵A̶R̵N̸I̸N̸G̵! W̵A̶R̵N̸I̸N̸G̵!
P̶O̵S̷S̴I̴B̸L̶E̵ ̷V̸I̴L̷L̴A̵I̸N̸ ̵A̴T̵T̸A̶C̵K̴
C̶O̶N̸T̴A̷C̸T̴I̶N̸G̸ ̴P̴R̸I̴N̶C̵I̶P̸A--
Bakugo now activated his quirk, his hand slowly being enveloped in an orange and yellow glow.
E̸R̴R̷O̸R̸! E̸R̴R̷O̸R̸! E̸R̴R̷O̸R̸!
E̸X̶E̷C̸U̸T̴I̸N̸G̵ ̸E̴M̵E̴R̵G̸E̵N̶C̸Y̸ ̷D̵R̵I̶L̷L̸ ̴#6̵6̵
S̶E̸L̶F̶-D̸E̸S̷T̴R̴U̶C̶T̴ ̷I̶N̴:
3̶̜͉̿̽̈́-̶̢̥̥̗́̄͂̍̀̿-̵̤͔͖͍͗͝
The second it started its self-destruct countdown, the robotic voice distorted away and its dented head went limp alongside its pipe-like neck. All that remained in the air is the silence and the tension.
Bakugo kept his guard up as he walked closer towards the robot, he saw how the robot was not focused on him at all when it activated. Heck, it wasn't even looking at his general direction when it started to go haywire. It took him a second before he now realized that the robot was seeing a footage before he even came here.
The robot wasn't talking about him.
I said, not to worry about it, Kacchan.
No.
The robot saw someone else come here.
Bakugo wouldn't have considered the possibility of him doing this, if it were a few minutes ago, but sadly the possibility of him doing this is very likely, which would only explain his sudden confidence about the both of them not getting caught.
Bakugo slowly turned his head to the green-haired boy in front of him and looked deeply into his green and faded eyes. Shock was still fresh in Bakugo's system as the words he wanted to say were all stuck in his throat, he then grit his teeth feeling the rage deep inside control him, and giving him strength to say the words he wanted to say.
"The hell did you do..?" Bakugo growled and accused the boy looking at him with a neutral expression.
"..."
Bakugo kept on scowling at the boy and he received no answer from him, the green-haired boy was really keen on testing the ash-blonde's patience, and every second he wastes that patience is a second near the hell Bakugo is about to rain down on the boy.
With a brisk movement, Bakugo walked towards the other boy and threw his hands to grip the boy's blazer collar and slammed him to the wall as hard as he can and slowly dragged him up the wall. Bakugo can't keep the explosion that he was about to let out of his mouth.
"ARE YOU FUCKING DEAF?!" Bakugo briefly pulled the boy away from the wall to slam him onto said wall once more, the boy not showing any hint of pain nor annoyance. Just a blank expression.
And it was frustrating the hell out of Bakugo.
"I SAID, 'THE FUCK DID YOU DO?!'"
"..."
Bakugo frustratingly shook his head, and looked down on the ground for a second, then he bit his lip and sucking in a breath he reared one of his hands backwards and balling it into a fist.
"I destroyed the surveillance robot." The boy suddenly spoke. Almost receiving a punch from the ash-blonde.
Bakugo's suspicions had been true, which stopped him from bringing his knuckles any closer to the boy's freckled face, instead he just threw the boy across the road his body got on all fours. "The damn thing caught you." Bakugo snarled at him. Even if he did manage to destroy it, there was one flaw in attempting to do that.
The boy took his time getting up and patting his clothes to rid itself from any dirt that may have found itself attached to his attire. He slightly frowned when he found that his white high-tops were stained with dirt, he remembered how his red ones were still fine even after all the things he dealt with.
Until it didn't held up anymore.
It wasn't really the time to be remember those iconic article of clothing so he pushed it to the back of his mind and turned around to face the ash-blonde. "It did. But the footage that's showing in the surveillance room is an older footage and is set on repeat."
"How the fuck do you even know that?"
"When you've lived my life, you learn to be more than just observant." This sprout a tick on the ash-blonde's head.
Bakugo clenched his fist into a ball, unconsciously letting his quirk activate, as a faint light shone and blackish smoke passed through the gaps between his fingers. He could feel that green-haired bastard smile so smugly on the inside, which only served to enrage the fire burning inside of him. The more time they waste inside this abandoned cityscape, the higher the chance Bakugo would actually lunge at the boy in front of him.
No more games.
Bakugo took in a deep breath through his mouth and exhaled out of his nostrils to calm his nerves, because God forbid that he starts thrashing around and give them another reason to be punished. His hands unclenched and he relaxed his shoulders, his eyes doesn't seem to pierce at Izuku's green ones that much, and his face wasn't as scrunched up as it is. Internally, he smacked himself on the head and scolded himself for almost losing control and going ballistic on the green-haired boy.
Katsuki Bakugo has changed so much in the past year, albeit his usual temper remained true and short, but in the past months he learned to control that temper. He was convinced by a certain someone that there would always be other ways to settle a conflict other than just talking with your fists, and at the same time prove to the other that he would come out as the better person in the end.
Unless the other person doesn't accept that.
"Look..." He pinched the bridge of his nose and put a hand on his waist. "What the hell are we doing here?"
Bakugo could have sworn he saw the green-haired boy smirk for a moment. "You know why."
Fire ignited, Bakugo let out a growl. "No, I fucking don't."
Izuku looked a bit incredulous at the classmate in front of him, questioning if this boy is really the same boy who had challenged him to fights whenever he had the chance, personal or not.
Then again, the second time they had fought, it had been very personal.
His eyes shone in the moonlight as he gazes into Bakugo's crimson ones.
He breathed in.
"Let's finish it."
Fire enraging, "What the fuck are you on about, Deku?" Although, deep down he knows why they were back in this city excluded of any life, besides the two of them. Deep down, he doesn't want to have another one of these kinds of conflicts with him.
Sadly, one of them always wants this.
"Our fight."
And surprisingly, Bakugo wasn't the one who wanted it this time.
Now knowing what Midoriya's goal was, the fire inside Bakugo merely dissipated into nothing, and all that was left was a feeling of total disbelief and confusion. If Bakugo were to give a sliver of his attention to his inner thoughts, then he wouldn't be confused as to why the green-haired boy wants to challenge him to a bout.
He didn't want to believe that the reason for this mess was his own girlfriend.
No.
No, he did not want to believe even an ounce of it.
The green-haired boy's voice cut Bakugo out of his own thoughts, "Come on, Kacchan. This is what you want, isn't it?" It was almost as if the moonlight was contributing to the eerie effect the green-haired boy was giving off— by shining just above him, most of the green-haired boy's face was shadowed and all that could be seen was the small grin he was giving to the ash-blonde. "To finally determine, which of us is stronger."
Bakugo gritted his teeth.
How dare he?
How dare he use this trait of him to try and bait him into what is obviously a losing battle. It was at this point that Katsuki Bakugo had found himself giving more excuses as to not fight the green-haired boy. Everything about this fight just seemed wrong.
Izuku Midoriya seemed wrong.
He was never one to take the bait of something he knows he will lose.
Or maybe something he knows that can take his life.
"I have nothing to prove to you, Deku."
With that statement said, the green-haired boy's eyes widened in disbelief as the ash-blonde turned on his heel and started walking away.
It was as if all other sound had been cut off for Midoriya, and all that he could hear is the dreadful and fading footsteps of Bakugo as he went farther and farther from the road and the farther he gets the tinier he seemed. The green-haired boy could feel his eye twitch, he felt his hand shaking, suddenly felt something cold inside of him, something that he had only felt twice his whole life.
A feeling like his heart shut down...
Like he couldn't feel any air coming inside his lungs, nor could he feel anything exiting from it...
He felt numb...
This feeling of being...
Denied.
Was he going to be denied of what he desperately wants, once again?
No.
Was he going to do nothing about it again? Was he okay with letting it go again?
No. No!
Was he going to spare another second, knowing full well that he can end all of his pain, by taking his tormentor's life?
No.
No!
NO!
NO! NO!
NO! NONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONO--!!!!!!
NOOOOOOOO!!!!!
Crackle!
In an instant Bakugo felt his instincts go haywire, all of it telling him to weave out of the way of something. Not even questioning it, he immediately side-stepped to his left and saw a flash of black zoom across his face, in a state of shock he didn't even feel it cut his cheek. He could see the few drops of blood flying through his view.
This black thing took the form of some sort of tendril, with a violent red glow surrounding it.
It soon started to twitch and dance in erratic movements, making it look like a bolt of lightning that struck from the sky, before dissipating and turning into nothingness.
Still reeling from the unexpected attack on his person, he could only gape at where the black tendril had been before carefully using his fingers to feel the right side of his face. Moving it away, he saw the familiar watery substance of crimson red that covered the pad of his finger.
He could suddenly feel something inside him, wanting to be let out.
His pent up anger.
He felt something click, before turning around and giving the boy his feral gaze.
He brought his hand to his palm and pressed it against his knuckles until it let out some satisfying pops, making sure to do the same with his other hand.
He opened his palm and small explosions were seen crackling literally on the palm of his hand.
"You just fucking signed your death warrant."
He kept on staring down the green-haired boy in front of him, as he too held his gaze and black lighting with a red glow emanated from his entire physique.
He had his fist pumped towards Bakugo, as he could only stare at him with his glowing red eyes.
Bakugo has had enough.
If this was going to be his retribution for all the wrong doings that he has ever done, then he would gladly accept.
But not in the hands of Deku.
"You want a fight so bad?"
He brought his palms facing backwards, preparing to let out a huge explosion to propel himself to the boy.
Whatever happens tonight, this buffoonery will end...
One way or another...
YOU FUCKING GOT ONE!!
------------
10 Minutes Earlier...
She can hear herself pant heavily, desperately gasping for air like there's no tomorrow...
Her legs feel like they were about to break, and each step she took sent a shockwave going everywhere in her body desperately trying to bring her down to the ground...
Her hair dripping wet as if she just got out of the shower...
She can feel her clothes, even her gray blazer, clinging onto her sweaty skin like cling wrap...
Her elongated earlobes flaying all over the air with every heavy step that she took....
She can barely see anything with her blurry vision...
She knows that her vision would soon display nothing but darkness...
But she would rather die than let him wait any longer...
After all, she was never one to abandon a friend in need...
Especially someone who she knows she's the only one who can help...
It didn't take long for her to find herself on her dorm's doorstep, panting, buckled up to the point where she felt like there was an anvil that dropped itself onto her head and her hands firmly placed on her knee and one was laid on the intricately carved surface of her dorm's door. She can feel her eyes tearing up and she furiously wiped them away using the sleeve of her blazer, soaking it some more than it already is.
With a shaky grip, she painfully twisted the intricately crafted doorknob and opened it once the click was heard. What met her was the usual brightly lit living room with most of her friends chatting with each other or doing something to rid themselves out of boredom. It didn't take her even a single step before her legs gave out on her and her knees dropped onto the floor with a loud thud and abruptly cutting off all noise that her friends and classmates may be making. Just as quick as her hand planted itself on the wall, her friends had all reached out to her all worried and carrying the same expression matching all of their statements. She could barely see any of them due to her blurry vision, all that entered her ears were the muffled and jumbled mess of noises that seemed to be coming out of Yaoyorozu and Iida's mouths, she could hear herself take in shallow breaths and it did no good in lessening her feeling of blacking out.
Suddenly, everything was spinning and she can feel herself slipping from her consciousness with every second, and with every second darkness is slowly taking over her vision of her blurry classmates. She tried shaking her head to grip even a sliver of consciousness she had left, just so she could see the green-haired boy again.
Midoriya...
She called out his name.
And in a brief moment she regained a bit of her vision and she couldn't be more happy to see her friends more clearly, like watching a video that has high resolution, it was the most pleasant view that she had yet, and it was a bit nauseating due to her vision still spinning a bit. But steeling herself, she quickly placed her hand on Ochako's shoulder and gripped on the cloth of the shirt, pushing away the fact that she startled the rest of her classmates, she quickly turned her head to look at her brunette friend.
"Midoriya..." Even with bated breath she pushed on, and she suppressed a gag by covering her mouth, she doesn't have a clue why she couldn't just have taken a taxi. She blames her hasty decision-making blob that she calls her brain. "Where...?"
"Izuku-kun?" It took Ochako a moment to know what she was taking about, and when she did she responded immediately by holding the purple-headed girl's shoulders, "I don't know, maybe he's in his room."
"Take me..." Kyoka brought the brunette closer to her. "...there."
Kyoka can sense the hesitation in Ochako's eyes, while she brought the purple-headed girl on her feet. "Kyoka-chan, maybe you should rest for a moment. Whatever it is that you have to ask Izuku-kun, I'm sure it can wait until tomorrow."
You have no idea.
Kyoka's legs wobbled to keep herself balanced as she kept on gripping the brunette's shirt. Yaoyorozu pushed past her classmates that crowded themselves around the tired purple-haired musician, a glass of water tightly cupped in her hands. Jiro spared no time as she snatched the glass from her, startling her friends in the process, with a silent apology she brought the rim to her lips and downed the liquid with big and audible gulps, a few drops found themselves not entering her mouth but she was way too dehydrated to even care.
The glass and her lips parted, and with a few relieved sighs and deep breaths her vision hadn't been more clear than it was a few minutes ago. Just to reiterate, she wanted to smack whatever it was inside that brain of hers that decided that she should run the rest of the way to her dorm. A few seconds passed, and her classmates decided that it was a good idea to give the purplette some much needed space and oxygen, one by one they slowly dissipated and went back to doing whatever they were once doing, sans the usual enthusiasm.
Uraraka took it upon herself to help her purple-haired classmate walk around, and hopefully get her a change of clothes before the rocker catches a cold. "C'mon, Kyoka-chan, we need to get you to your room. You'll catch a cold at this rate." Uraraka was about to put her Kyoka's arm around her shoulder, only for the latter to snatch her arm back and looked at the brunette.
"Not until I see Midoriya." Her voice was surprisingly stern, even when she is literally bathing in her own sweat.
"Kyoka-chan—"
Before the brunette could protest, Kyoka cut her off.
She was looking at the brunette and showing such an unfamiliar expression in her eyes, her hands clutching her slightly damp skirt, and biting her lip. What she said next was what gave the brunette a scare, for she had never heard the girl before her say this word, the whole time that they had been friends.
"Please."
Uraraka could not remember the last time her friend had pleaded, and she definitely didn't expect her to start now. Then her thoughts dangerously roamed to a certain green-haired boy and what he means to her friend, how the boy had changed her friend's demeanor.
Why?
Why would she go so far, as to beg, just so she could see the green-haired boy?
Truth be told, there had been a couple of misunderstandings about feelings in their class, more specifically the majority of the girls. Most of them had felt their feelings confusingly bloom for the green-haired boy. Though these were understandable, after all, their resident cinnamon roll had shown them what it takes to be a great hero at heart, to be unselfish and caring, and he had either saved them from an incident, like Uraraka's case, or he had shown them that deep inside the stuttering, stammering and blundering person that he has been known for, that he was a genuine hero.
Although these confused feeling were fortunately temporary, it didn't stop the brunette from getting jealous at some of her friends and how the boy keeps on paying attention to them.
But with Kyoka...
She couldn't see that in her...
It wasn't her feelings for him that caused her to beg...
It was just pure determination.
And nothing more.
That's what Uraraka had thought at first, but that had changed when she saw a familiar glimmer in the purple-haired girl's eyes for a split second.
Uraraka can tell that the girl doesn't even have a sliver of knowledge of what she feels for the boy...
Because, she had been the same once...
It was funny, she is currently in a relationship with the boy's blonde friend and yet...
Deep down Uraraka felt like she never did move on...
Another pang of guilt struck her, it had always struck her whenever she was with her ash blonde boyfriend and whenever she would sneak glances at the green-haired boy.
But what was she guilty of?
Guilty because she had chosen Bakugo over him?
Guilty because she couldn't help but yearn for his attention ever so often?
Guilty because she feels like she was lying to her own boyfriend?!
Guilty because she feels like some two-timing backstabbing bitch?!
...
...
...Guilty because she feels responsible for her friend's isolation...?
Maybe she's guilty of all of it.
Looking back at her friend, who kept her ground—probably because of her inability to walk in the first place—and kept her determined gaze back at her.
She found herself looking at the floor, she wanted to make this right for the both of them. Somehow.
Then she looked back at the purple-haired girl.
Maybe it starts with just telling the truth, and being honest.
It wasn't a good plan. She knows she's risking her friendship with Midoriya and her relationship with Bakugo, and every part of her body keeps on screaming that she shouldn't even attempt to do it.
But there's always that nagging feeling that gets her to do it anyways.
With a final internal battle with herself, she straightens her posture and gave her cheeks an audible smack with both her hands, feeling the long stinging pain leave her after a few seconds, and inevitably startling the purple-haired girl.
Puffing out her chest she looked at the aghast girl in front of her and put her arm around her shoulder. She gave her a big grin, mostly to convince herself that she wasn't going to go crazy with her half-assed plan.
"Then, let's go to Izuku-kun's room."
The things that you do for the people you love.
As for Kyoka, she was just baffled at by the few seconds of witnessing her friend smack her own face, so hard to the point where she can still see the red in her round cheeks, but whatever it was, it got her what she wanted and she wasn't about to complain.
A step before the entrance and they nearly bumped into Kaminari—who got so startled by the two girls that he almost dropped the can of soda, and for a split second Kyoka swore that the blonde almost short-circuited—with widened eyes they looked at the blonde boy as he regained his posture. He tried playing it cool as if he was leaning on the wall and raising an eyebrow and an overly exaggerated indifferent expression.
He coughs.
"Hey."
He deliberately made his voice deeper and smoother just to spare the embarrassment of being startled.
Both girls just can't help but be the embarrassed ones at the blonde's idiotic façade.
"Uh... yeah..." Kyoka mumbled. "See ya, Jamming." And the two of them made their way forward.
That is until the blonde cut them off. "Hey, wait up! Where you two headed anyways?" He scratched the back of his neck all the while drinking from the can.
Both girls quirked an eyebrow, questioning the blonde's interest. "Why do you need to know?" Kyoka had been the one to ask.
"Well—uh—y-you know—it's—um..." He was turning red and stammering and with every second wasted, the purple haired girl gets irritated.
It didn't take long for her to crack. "Just going to see Midoriya." She tried not to snarl at him, but she just keeps on failing whenever he does something annoying.
This caught his attention. "Midoriya? I just saw him go outside."
"'Outside'?" Uraraka interjected, rather quickly.
"Yeah. Saw him and Bakugo go outside, actually."
And just like thunder, the two girls' hearts sank as quickly as a rock would when thrown in the ocean. Their eyes widened, their breathing hitched, and they could feel their hearts beating against their chest.
"Where?!" Both of them demanded from the blonde.
"H-huh?!" Kaminari was startled at their simultaneous shout. "I-I don't know!" He threw his hands up defensively against the two girls. "I just saw them go out, that's all!"
With that the two girls briefly looked at each other before rushing together at the door and simultaneously planting their shoes on the school's pavement. Looking frantically at the possible locations the two students might've gone.
With a bit of finding, Kyoka heard a faint sound coming from the right.
It was familiar...
The sound of...
...Explosions...
...and screaming...
This is bad...
"The training grounds!"
------------
Might+U
By Makayla Phillips
*Instructions (if you want some background music):
When it's around the 4-ish minute mark, cut-off the song as that is where the fight ends. Just relax, and enjoy the experience*
------------
Both boys found themselves in the destructive battlefield that they have left in a span of a few minutes, out of breath, bruised beyond compare, with injuries that normally wouldn't be inflicted on each other in their other quarrels.
But this can no longer be compared to those tame debates.
If Bakugo's explosions didn't make such humungous patches of smoke and brimstone, there wouldn't even be such a big wall of smoke between the two teenagers, allowing them to take a breather and use it to take their time and lick their wounds.
A gash on his head, bruised up, a possible broken rib, and bated breath, Bakugo took this time to try and catch his breathing and regain his composure.
Unfortunately, his opponent didn't share his enthusiasm in using the cover as a breather.
Before Bakugo could even touch his wound, out from the smoke came the green-haired boy—black lightning still emanating from his own body, with sort of an animalistic expression on his face, not showing even a hint of bother with his searing shoulder—trails of the stray black gas followed his direction before resuming their upward direction.
The quirk inheritor uses his momentum to propel himself upward and lifted his right leg above his head, aiming for the blonde's face. It was a moment of shock for the blonde, before he regained his composure and fortunately saw the incoming attack on him.
Gritting his teeth, he prepares to twist his torso and aimed his right palm in the direction of the Midoriya's middle, sparks and smoke coming from his hand.
He never did stop using those wide kicks of his! His attack is predictable as shit!
In an unforeseen move by the green-haired boy, he swung his right leg downward too early, taking Bakugo by surprise. Using that momentum, he swung his other leg upwards, hitting the surprised blonde's hand. With the impact of the kick, the blonde's hand flew upwards and setting off the explosion in the air, and with that Bakugo was now wide open for an attack. As soon as Midoriya planted his feet to the ground, he wasted no time taking advantage of Bakugo's temporary daze.
You never did stop underestimating me, Kacchan!
Wrapping around the blonde's torso is a black whip that came directly from Midoriya's palm, to which he gripped on tight with both hands twisted his upper body to swing the blonde onto a building, with a force of a thousand bricks meeting him head on. Bits and pieces of concrete and dust erupted from his impact, with a huge hole on the building's front stuck out permanently.
We were friends once! You were once my hero! But now, you're nothing more than just someone I've come to hate, Kacchan!
Midoriya ran up towards the hole that the blonde left and jumped inside the building, what met him inside was his opponent, lying on his back—hair and body covered in gray dust—with his hand directly pointed at him with a face pure of hate, the palm glowed bright orange and yellow before letting out a bright and massive explosion. With the force of the explosion, the green-haired boy flew from the hole and his wounded shoulder landed hard on the asphalt, his body leaving trails of dark smoke from the explosion.
You've always been the nuisance in my life! Always finding some way to blame me! Thinking that you and I are equal! I've always been better than you! Don't blame me for your incompetence!
Out from the deteriorating building was the blonde as he painfully pushed himself to his feet, with each second his adrenaline fades so does his energy and will to fight. But the second he saw his opponent push himself from the ground, he was strangely hit with a newfound strength of anger and hatred to fight and to endure all the excruciating screams his injuries are projecting to his mind, as well as his rapidly blurring vision.
I can barely make a simple spark! Even attempting to move my arms makes me wanna scream! Shit! I need to move now and finish this!
The green-haired boy was not one to be bested by something like an attack the blonde had given him—which normally would make him lose consciousness—even with an aching pain in his head and the stars in his eyes, he refuses to lose again to him. His lightning dissipated. His gaze looked at the scorch marks on the blonde's gray sleeves, and how his hands are shaking.
If I can just get an opening, I can push my quirk to a 100% and finish this!
Finish him!
Both teenagers knew that this was no longer concerning the gravity defying hero that they had come to care for deeply.
This was now a fight long overdue, with bottled up feelings of jealousy, hatred, and rage. Both of them never did knew how they came to hate each other, both were convinced that they had one of the strongest friendships ever seen in children in the early days of their childhood. Until everything changed.
Simple teasing became full bullying.
Complex analyzing became exploitation.
These changes turned into weapons they could now use against each other out of spite.
And now they find themselves here, building so much bigger and stronger walls, the gap between them becoming more and more of a canyon.
As soon as their fight started they had come to accept the consequences of this...
They've come to accept the risk of getting them kicked out of the school...
They've come to accept the loss of their friendship and respect for each other...
They've come to accept that...
...they could no longer return the bond that they have built.
Then...
...They charged...
DEEEEEEEKKUUUUUUU!!!!!
KAAAAACHAAAAAAAN!!!!!
Both boys didn't waste time, and took their first swing, simultaneously hitting each other's face with their hand, sweat glistened across their faces.
Being the first to regain his composure, Midoriya stood his ground and went in for another right hook.
Bakugo thought fast and grabbed the boy's arm and swung him upwards in the air then slamming the freckled-boy back into the asphalt, the impact caused the boy to cough blood.
Straddling Midoriya, Bakugo put gripped the boy's neck and reared his fist backwards, fully intending to knock the boy's lights out.
Gritting his teeth, Midoriya grabbed onto the blonde's arm and gave it a tight squeeze to the point of almost breaking, causing the blonde to let go of his neck, and giving him an opening. To which he used to headbutt his tormentor with so much force, that the blonde was reared back until his back hit the pavement.
This was it...
He straddled the blonde, who retaliated with a desperate attempt of an explosion with his uncracked arm, to which he reacted quickly forcing the arm upwards.
This is it...
Using his foot to plant the blonde's uncracked arm to the pavement, using his hand to grip the blonde's neck and using his other to slam his fist to the blonde's face.
This is his retribution!
He kept on hitting the blonde's face over and over...
And over...
And over...
And over...
And over...
And over...
And over...
He could no longer recognize his face beyond all the bruise and blood...
And he was not planning on looking at that face again...
He reared his fist once again...
For a moment, he thought he saw fear in the blonde's crimson eyes...
But he could no longer care...
The blonde never showed mercy, so why should he?
He clenched his fist tighter and he could barely sense the blonde resisting his hold on him...
He had him beat...
But that was not enough...
With this he could end it all...
His hatred goes farther than just a loss...
He's prepared to...
Kill
That was all the thought in his mind...
Kill.
Kill. KILL. KILL. KILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILL—
He activated his quirk...
And he brought his fist down and—
MIDORIYAAAA!!!!!
He whipped his head to the direction of the voice, across the distant road.
Uraraka-san... and... Jirou-san...
They saw him.
Suddenly a black tendril came from his arm and hooked itself on a street lamp, then he felt something pull him towards it...
It didn't take long before he came flying off of Bakugo and dragged on the street lamp, his back hitting the metal pole with so much force, then he was suddenly wrapped around his own tendril, unable to move from the pole.
He resisted to untangle himself from his binds.
He kept on resisting until his vision was overcome with darkness and he stood in the endless space of that darkness.
He spotted a fire in the distance...
With seven people in front of that fire...
He recognized them immediately...
The bald villain...
The pony-tailed beauty of a hero...
The black haired stoic man...
The scarred white-haired man...
The spiky haired man...
The pony-tailed stoic man...
...And the blazing sight of his roughly shaped mentor...
...All Might...
"W-what's happening...?" He blurted out, in a sort of whimper.
They had all said nothing, nor did their blank expressions change.
All that they had done, was turn around and walked towards the fire and disappeared from sight.
"Wait!" The boy screamed.
It didn't take long for the first user to appear beside him and looked at him through those bangs, with eyes looking at him with disappointment.
It wasn't long before he too started walking towards the fire.
"Wait! Don't go!" He cried out to the man. Fortunately he stopped.
He hears himself sob, and tears protrude from his eyes, he kept on looking at his back. "Please..."
"...I'm nothing without you..."
The man slowly looked at him with slight widened eyes.
He opened his mouth and finally said something to the boy.
"This quirk was not intended for you to use in hatred..." He finally said to the boy. "Nor did it make you a hero."
He turned back around and started walking back the blazing fire.
"Wait! NO!"
And the man stepped in the fire...
Soon after, the fire...
...Extinguished.
In a split second he was now brought back to reality and his binds dissipated into nothingness.
His knees fell to the ground but he kept on staring a thousand miles ahead, tears falling from his eyes.
His eye color returned to green, but immediately turned to an even darker shade than it used to...
Eventually turning black...
He looked down and he stared at his hands...
His bloodied hands...
The blood of his bully, his tormentor...
His friend...
Gone...
It was gone...
He couldn't feel it anymore.
He was...
...He was...
...Quirkless...
He brought his head up to see, the purple-haired classmate of his looking down at him, biting her own lip and no doubt gritting her teeth.
Tears erupted from her eyes.
And in a second, the boy felt his face sting and his ear ring...
He brought his hand up his cheek and immediately felt the searing pain of the girl's slap...
He looked up to her once again.
She fell to her knees.
Then she pulled him in her arms.
He can feel her tears drenching his shoulder...
And her sobs muffled by his own shoulder as well...
He couldn't bring himself to wrap his arms around her...
He just stared ahead...
Not aware that the ash blonde had no longer been on the pavement, as well as the brunette...
He was completely devoid of everything...
He felt alone...
But in that space of loneliness he heard something...
A voice...
A familiar voice...
It was shaky, due to her sobs but he can hear her well...
He couldn't help but cry, and he pressed his head to her shoulder as she kept on spouting the same words.
Sorry...
She was wrong.
He should be the one saying that...
And yet he couldn't...
Both of them just leaned on each other that night, clinging to each other for support.
The next few days had passed, and he waited for the punishment that he deserved.
But the message for expulsion never came.
But he was alone.
The brunette had stopped paying attention to him, only giving him an occasional blank stare.
The ash blonde, was temporarily sent home to recover.
His quirk was still gone, forcing him to not participate in most activities.
He had spent most of his days coped up in his room, the purple-haired rocker frequently visiting him to try and get him to eat.
But that was all about she could do.
Maybe this was his punishment.
Living with the guilt.
Things will never be the same.
------------
A/n: OH MAN! This is probably one of my most ambitious chapters ever, mostly because I kept going back and listening to Might+U and hoped that I get the timing of the right. So yeah, there were definitely a lot of rewrites.
I pulled out an all-nighter just so I could finish the chapter in its last few words. Was it worth it? Fuck yeah.
Was it worth doing a series of repetitive rewrites so it can be incorporated with a song? Maybe not.
I just hoped you guys got the timing of the song right, because I know people read at different speed and I hoped the song helped the pacing. I don't know if it affected mine, I'm usually a fast reader, but I hoped it worked out in your favor.
Hopefully the next chapter won't take as long, because in my opinion it is one of the best chapters. But don't take my word for it.
With that said, See you guys next time!