『I think... I think this means I'm dying. But it's okay I'll be by your side no matter what.』
Day fifteen: deterioration
Izuku is very sick.
Much more than he had been. Every day Izuku seems closer and closer to fading away completely. The boy can barely sit up and Aizawa can't take his struggles anymore. He let the boy delay help for too many days now.
If he doesn't act Aizawa is scared to watch as this boy slips through his fingers, never to return. He can't have that. He has a connection to this boy now. He will not let him go.
"This has to stop zuku." The man says looming in the doorway. It's early morning and Izuku just woke up after having a nightmare. He screamed so loud and broken that he jolted up right. This made Aizawa rush in, abandoning his coffee in the process.
Izuku feeling as guilty as ever fort back. "No please I'm fine. I'm sorry! I'm fine. You know I can't-"
"Yeah yeah you can't die I get it kid but honestly look at yourself will ya. You look like the reincarnation of death."
Izuku winces at that and Aizawa frowns. Honestly this boy would be the death of him. "Have you seen yourself kid?" Aizawa asks more gently. Izuku slowly shakes his head no. The last time he saw himself was when he brushed his hair the morning of the attack. Just before he said I love you to his mother.
He'd left for school as normal that day. Bright red shoes. Yellow backpack. He went through school the same as every day. The teacher told everyone that he and Kacchan were aiming for ua. Kacchan was swarmed with compliments. Izuku was not. Izuku was laughed at then ignored. A normal day.
It was when he was walking back that he got separated from Kacchan. The next thing he knew he was trapped on the side line watching his friend die. No one was doing anything. So he helped. Izuku helped. Kacchan was alive because izuku helped. Then he was taken. But it was okay because Kacchan was alive. Then a stranger started manipulating him. It was fine tho because Kacchan was safe. Then the was commotion and... his memory is fuzzy. Wait who was Kacchan again?
What did he look like before then too? He has a memory of his mom ruffling his hair. It was so soothing she was singing to him as well. It was so pretty. The tune was so soft and his mother sang so perfectly. But Izuku can't make out the melody.
"Zuku?" Aizawa asks coming closer. "Yes?" Izuku smiles completely lost on what they were talking about. Aizawa sighs but smiles. "I asked if you wanted to see yourself problem child."
"Problem child..." Izuku whispers. The hero grins. "Yeah 'cause you're a child with problems. And you cause problems. Do you know how many lights I have to buy since you blow them every time you scream?" He asks jokingly. "I'm sorry." Izuku laughs. "I'm a good screamer?" Then remember the question. "But I-I want to see. If that's okay..." Aizawa hums before turning around, and into the hall way.
He re enters with a mirror in his hand a few moments later. He's about to hand it over when he pauses. "Are you sure about this?" Its said with genuine sincerity. Everything this man does he makes sure it's in Izuku's best interest. It's a debt Izuku feels he could never repay.
Izuku's hand also faulted, before building up courage and taking the mirror. He can't feel the handle in his hand. Can't feel if it's a cool metal or a smooth wood.
Aizawa watches as Izuku grips it as tight as he can scared it will fall through like so many things do. "Is it gonna be bad?" The boy whispers turning to face the black haired man.
"I won't lie zuku. You look...rough. Don't be too upset okay." Izuku expected that response and turned his attention back onto the mirror. He goes over the points building up courage. He hasn't seen himself since he died and he's very curious. He takes a deep mental breath before holding the mirror up.
Not a second later does the small mirror fall to the floor. Clean out of the boys hand that still stays shaking in mid air. Aizawa rushes over calling out the boys name.
"Zuku? hay deku! What's wrong?" He asks carefully rubbing the boys shoulders. Izuku looks up to the man with petrified eyes. "That's not me." He says quietly.
Aizawa's eyebrow raise up. "That's not you?" The pro repeats. Izuku nods tugging at his hair pulling his bangs down trying to see it. He twists and pulls it down trying to make it longer into his sight range. It's too short, ghosts hair doesn't grow.
When he gives up he starts clawing at his face instead. "Whoa calm down kid what wrong, what do you mean that's not you?" The man says holding down the boys arms. "M-my hair and my e-eyes! Even my face!" He shouts squirming around in the heroes hold. "That's not me!"
"It's not right! It's not right!" Izuku keeps repeating. Aizawa tries to calm the boy down and get some answers out of him. "Okay. it's okay. What's wrong with them?" He presses. Loosening his grip trying to bring comfort to the small boy.
"It's not right it shouldn't be that colour. M-my face shouldn't look like that! It's all...it's all wrong." Izuku mumbles. Aizawa finally sees the fuss now. "What colour should it be?" He questions again. Izuku stays quiet deep in thought. Aizawa sits on the bed and waits patiently for a reply.
"I don't know. Maybe Green, at least I think it should be green, but I can't remember. I just- I know that's not me. I've never had gray eyes. I never had white hair. My face use to have freckles it wasn't that pale. It didn't have those scars. It's just wrong I know it. I feel it!" He says working himself back into a fit.
"It's okay," he reassured. "Your eyes did just to have milky green flex in them but your hair and face have always been pale. I've never seen you any other way." Izuku makes a distressed noise before turning to the man. "Am I covered in scars?" He asks. "Like the ones on my face?" Izuku whines then falls still. "Is it because... is it because of the way I- the fire? Was it fire? Are they burns?"
Aizawa hushes, calming the boy a second time. Once Izuku is back to laying in bed Aizawa stands up. He soon noticed the grey eyes on him and smiles a little. "I'll be back okay. Just need to make a quick call." With that the taller man left closing the door quietly behind him.
After that display Aizawa had called another friend of his to check on Izuku. The panic and fear that were evident in his eyes and the fact he'd been getting sicker only made him worry more. Aizawa hasn't know the boy long but he never saw him with any other colour hair or eyes. His face had always been scared and it was normal to him. It's always been gray and white. That's why he's so ghost like. All pale and spooky.
Once the phone call was finished he walked back in to tell the boy. "A friend of mine is coming to check on you. She's a doctor so don't worry. I'm just concerned about you okay?"
Izuku looks sceptical and wriggles in bed. "It will be fine you've met her before. Not when you were conscious but still you've met her."
Izuku sighs nodding. He pauses and opens his mouth about to speak when he second guesses and closes it again.
"Aizawa sit down okay." The man looks confused but does as told. "I'm going to tell you a story okay. I have a strange feeling that you'll have heard it tho. Even so I bet you haven't heard this version."
"Kid what are you on about?" The hero questions. "You want to tell me a story?"
Izuku laughs a little. "I've left you with too many questions for a long time now. It's unfair especially since now you most likely think I'm dying. I promise I'm not, but you'll want to hear this story. It should clear up everything."
"Kid seriously don't worry just relax. You can tell me later okay?" Izuku shakes his head. "Later will be too late. Something big and bad is about to happen and as much as I hate it I can't keep lying to you. I can't just disappear on you and I can't disappoint you anymore-"
"You've never disappointed me problem child. Not once."
"Just wait. And please when I finish don't hate me."
"I would never." Aizawa says firmly making eye contact with the boy. Izuku feels like crying but he holds back incase the blood tears are back. "Okay but you haven't hear this yet."
Aizawa relaxes back and looks to Izuku to start. He knows exactly what's about to be said and he's not too ready to hear it. He's known for a while but still...
"Okay then, I'll start at the beginning."
If this is what Izuku wants Aizawa will listen.
"Around two weeks ago maybe? Time passes weirdly for me now, there was an attack down town. A villain had taken a hostage and was slowly killing them. A passer by that had some kind of connection to the hostage ran past the police barrier and searched for a hero. They couldn't fight the villain them selves since they had no quirk. They were weak.
Extremely weak and pathetic, useless to the world, a wast of air, a wast of space, a freak, a stupid, annoying, good for nothing-" "Hay! Snap out of it! What are you talking about?" Aizawa says harshly.
Izuku snaps out of his trance and shakes his head. "Oh um sorry. Anyway The boy found the heroes gathered together standing around since they said non of them could help. The boy got angry at this since heroes are supposed to save people or at least try to. After he heard about the heroes he went searching for another person, someone that could help.
Sadly for the boy he was found. It was a different villain who found him. The new villain offered to help and promised the hostage would be saved. Without thinking the boy agreed not caring about the price that would come. He just wanted to save his friend and keep him safe. He saw the terror the hostages eyes held and the boy couldn't stand by.
As promised the villain saved the hostage and took the other villain down. It just so happened that at the same time a hero was about to fight. Since the villain was already immobile the hero won quickly and took all the credit. Over come by happiness the boy who made the deal ran to his friend making sure that he was okay.
The heroes praised the hostage for his strong quirk while the other boy was scolded for being reckless and clumsy. Once the lecture was over the villain that he made a deal with taped the boys shoulder. He reminded him there was still a price to pay and that price was the boy himself. The boy was cornered and trapped, not knowing how to escape. The boy couldn't escape.
So the boy was dragged away while the hostage and heroes stayed still in shocked. Soon the other boy started shouting and trying to help but the heroes held him back. They let the boy be taken just like they let the villain take a hostage.
The boy was taken to the villains hideout and kept there for a few days, many things happened in that time and the boy would never be physically harmed. But a scary man would talk to the trapped boy. He would tell him stories and tell him specific things. The man was manipulative and was confusing the boy. He was double guessing everything that happened around him.
The villains has succeeded in their plan and were showing no signs of retreat, until finally the heroes showed up. At this point tho it was much too late.
The boy was split up from the villains and was trying to get away not knowing what was going on. He was scared. As he moved to reach the villains a hero stoped him in his tracks.
He threatened the boy and used his power to intimidate him. The boy didn't know what the hero was trying to do but after trying to answer the questions being thrown at him the hero-" Izuku bursts out into a huge coughing fit. He grabs and claws at his neck in distress. As blood starts to pool.
The older man who had been listening rushed over trying to help. The young boy pushes him away wiping blood on his hand. "N-no I have to tell you!" He states making gurgling noises. "The only reason I can't is because I'm scared!" The white haired boy confesses.
"Izuku it's not worth it!" Aizawa shouts keeping the boy steady. "No eraserhead I have to tell you what he did!"
"Kid please, I know what happened!" the tired man begs again not wanting to stress the teen out. "I'm sorry but it's about to get ugly stand back. I don't want to hurt you." Izuku shouts letting go of all he's been holding back. His final form starts seeping through.
"Shota this is the real me. The one who died two weeks ago. The boy that used to be Inko Midoriya's son. The boy who was murdered in cold blood by a pro hero that stopped at nothing to destroy me. I used to be a kid. Now I'm dead! I may not be able to tell you how but I can show you!"
As soon as the words leave the boys mouth his form starts flickering.
Aizawa stands back unsure of what's happening. He watches the boy closely seeing how places on his skin starts opening up. Scars rip open and reveal large wounds. Burns cover the remaining skin his hair goes from white to green to black and singed. A smell of burnt flesh starts wafting around.
The boy gives out a terrible scream. Clutching at his arms. The room starts to heat up and the painful display in front of Aizawa changes again. "IZUKU STOP!" He calls yet but it's too late.
Izuku is flickering again and there in the bed sits a boy with burnt hair, burnt bloody skin and bright green eyes that stare back at him. His face is red black and bloody but not as bad as it was moments ago. His skin has more colour to it as cuts deep and old cross over most of his arms and legs. "You see before I died Aizawa, someone tried to stop me." It's quiet and sounds unfamiliar to the man. He has no idea what's happening or what Izuku is implying.
"That man used his quirk on me. I don't know why, but it was A healing quirk. It kept me in a loop of agony, healing then being burnt, healing then being burnt. It stoped me from leaving to the clouds." He raises his hand up grasping at air. "It didn't hurt after a while, I was floating higher and higher I was peaceful, then It happened, the heroes damaged faded until it finally falls away and it let me pass out.
Now I'm not so sure how dead I may be." He looks down flicking his form to the original young boy look. "You called me Izuku earlier." He says still head down. "You knew all along." He states.
"I'm sorry Izuku midoriya. But I still don't hate you. I've known it was you from the start. I knew you were abused and tortured by a man who hides behind a heroes name, I know the villains still have possession of your body."
Izuku laughs dryly. "Par for the corse." He says looking up. The man frowns walking towards he boy. "Yet Izuku I have news for you." The boy looks up. "You're not dead."
"Might as well be." Comes the shaky response. "No you have a pulse. No heart beat, No big vitals but a pulse. It's small and weak but not gone."
Izuku clutches at himself trying to find comfort. "I-it's not possible. I saw myself- I died, Aizawa this isn't right." Izuku chokes. "I don't want to be here!" He finally wails out. Aizawa's heart sinks. He refrains from telling the boy why or how it's possible. Instead going to hug the boy that latches on to him like a life line. The man can only bring comfort.