Todoroki was floating, drifting into the cosmos - the vast expanse of space. Meteors and comets flew past his head, close enough for him to feel the warmth radiating off of them. He saw stars excitedly flit around from left to right. They nudged him playfully and spun around his waist,They were teasing him, jostling his body around, all trying to push him upwards. their giggles high-pitched and grating.

Todoroki opened his mouth to speak to tell them to 'shut the fuck up', but nothing came out but a high whistle, similar to a kettle in sound. Bemused, he looked beneath him to see a barely visible, nearly microscopic orb. It was covered in blue and with splotched of dark green. Earth. Or was it Midoriya's head? He couldn't really tell. Looking up he saw the blinding light of the sun. Where did that come from?

Is this how I am going to go? Todoroki thought, surprised by how calm he was. Seemed pretty anticlimactic to die like this, you know, wit-

Much to his grievance, Todoroki felt the beginnings of consciousness overtake him. It was as if a cool pail of water was poured on his head; a frigid feeling travelling around his neck. He was jolted out of his comfortable state of buoyancy, and was now, feeling the rigid reality of lucidity. Being alive sucks. With a weary sigh, he lifted his heavy eyelids open.

White.

He blinked. Then blinked again. The normal - familiar sight of the dorms, his bedroom, the stupid All-Might posters he got as a joke, were replaced by a sheer white. A blindfold, Todoroki noted, feeling the light weight of silk pressed flush against his eyes. The cloth was opaque near the edges, however, in the center of his vision, he could make out the vague silhouette of a slouched man.

On reflex, Todoroki reached to slip the blindfold, only to be constricted by a tight, thin rope. He had not realized how hard it had dug into the wrist, nor had he felt the chair he was pressed against. I don't recall getting kidnapped… Either way, he flicked his wrist, sending a small flame that turned the rope into a fine ash, mitigating the harsh sting of his rope burn.

Todoroki ripped the silk of his face and stumbled upright. His vision was blurry, but soon enough he could make out each detail of the room. Each, grimy wall was only a foot away from him, inciting a feeling of claustrophobia he'd never felt before. The dull gray color did nothing to quench his fears, more so because it was littered with dubious-looking splotches. A dimly-lit lamp was placed on a small, weathered table. It was the only source of light, and produced a bright halo around it.

He wasn't the only one there. Todoroki tiptoed cautiously to the sleeping figure who was sprawled haphazardly over a small, fold-able chair. My kidnapper. Long, dark, shaggy hair. Unhealthy pale skin, and what looked like deep, dark eye-bag adorned his face. This was - undeniably - Aizawa-sensei.

What the everlasting fuck.

He stood stock still, like one of those All Might figurines. Immobile, his mouth gaping, he could only stare at his teacher. He attempted to trigger his quirk to attack, yet he couldn't bring himself to do it, as if he was paralyzed. Almost as if he was on que, Aizawa snapped his head up and smirked. Todoroki was equal parts confused and horrified at the possible implications of such a facial expression.

"I see you're awake, Shouto." Aizawa's voice was deep and monotonous, the quirk of his lip falling back to its usual straight line. He managed to sound even more disinterested than his behavior at homeroom, and did he just roll his eyes? The dichotomy between the situation at hand and his tone made Todoroki's head spin.

"Aizawa-sensei...Did you- did you kidnap me?" Todoroki stammered, his voice muted and a pitch higher than usual.

"Depends on how you look at it. I'd like to say it was a 'non-consensual field trip', but - you know- that's just me."

While Todoroki was reserved and downright asocial, he had never truly been speechless - the type of speechless were all you can muster is a blank stare. He prided himself for always being calm and collected during moments of stress. No matter the fight or conflict he was effectively imperturbable, and often the first to take control of the situation.

However, he was certainly not calm and certainly not collected as he gaped at Aizawa.

"Why did you… exactly kidnap me, Sensei?"

Aizawa nodded, a thoughtful expression rising on his face. Or maybe it was a fatigued expression. Todoroki couldn't quite discern the difference.

"Ah, the elephant in the room. I knew I had to tell you eventually," Aizawa sighed, "I brought you here for a very important reason. You know Midoriya Izuku? Your 'beloved' classmate?"

"Yes..."

"Well, lately, he's been getting on my nerves. Something about his face just makes me want to knock him out. Rumor has it he's Quirkless, or some shit - so, I want you to," Aizawa paused. The devious glint in his eyes made Todoroki's arms quiver ever so lightly. That look meant nothing good.

"Get rid of him," Aizawa finished. He leaned back into his chair, a satisfied smile on his lips. There was a beat of silence.

"You want me to...get rid of him," Todoroki repeated, "like getting him expelled or like getting rid of him-"

Aizawa raised a poised eyebrow, offended at Todoroki's words. He massaged his forehead with his lithe fingers.

"Do you really think I would go through all this trouble to have him get expelled?" The inflection on Aizawa's voice was dangerous, his voice sharp enough to cut deeply into Todoroki's skin. He looked like a shark who scented a drop of blood, volatile and hungry; ready to strike.

Todoroki's eyes widened. He subconsciously raised his right arm to spawn a flame, but, with Aizawa's eyes trained so carefully on him, it was ultimately futile. Dropping his arm, he opened his mouth to speak, but also found himself lost for words. After all, it was not everyday one of your respected teachers tries to persuade you to kill one of your classmates.

"I'm not going to kill Midoriya, Sensei! I'm not a murderer, what the- what the fuck is wrong with you!" Todoroki couldn't believe in was saying these words, in this context. He didn't come to U.A to try to dissuade teachers from murdering acquaintances!

The pale man merely rolled his eyes, his facial expression showing great exasperation.

"Shouto, Shouto… I spent too much time on this brilliant plan to simply not go with it. I even gave it a name! Operation: Roasted Broccoli. Has a nice ring to it, huh?" Aizawa leered, licking his front teeth in a single swipe.

Aizawa continued. "And, you're the perfect candidate for my plan. Having Midoriya's blood on my hands would definitely get me fired," Aizawa paused and feigned an innocent look, "I would say conscience too, but that would be lying. Hitman are too expensive these days, so, you, with your chronic daddy issues, have nothing to lose! I'm a kind soul, after all."

The tall man cornered Todoroki, feral in demeanor and intent. "Try to defy me and you'll face the consequences," Aizawa stepped back and shrugged, "or whatever."

Todoroki felt bile rise up into his throat. Maybe - maybe this is just a fever dream! Or a hallucination. Or maybe, some person is in a costume pretending to be Aizawa-sensei. My teacher would never do something like this! Todoroki mulled all the other possibilities in his head, almost feeling lightheaded.

Aizawa, sensing the young hero's vulnerability, pulled himself slowly out of his chair, and reached his right arm into his back pocket. The slim man advanced towards Todoroki, and placed a broad hand on Todoroki's shoulder. He put only a little pressure, but Todoroki felt like he was going to collapse.

With a pull of his arms, Aizawa pulled out a syringe, filled with a substance similar to watery ink. He shoved Todoroki's back and pinned him against the wall. Todoroki writhed and thrust his body around, yet the pale man's grip was steady. Finding the opportunity, Aizawa shoved the needle into his forearm, and injected it harshly. He pulled pullet it out once the liquid depleted. It left a pale pink mark- much like the color of his scar.

Todoroki let out a pained whimper, clawing at Aizawa's unruly hair. He felt how his legs buckled and wobbled, and how his hands violently shook. The world span around him in circles, dizzying him. All he could hear was a painfully loud ringing noise from every corner of the cramped room.

"What-what- what's in that?" Todoroki slurred as his eyelids dropped. He got no response. Todoroki repeated himself quietly. Whether Aizawa replied that time was inconsequential, as Todoroki fell limp onto the floor.

Thump

'Aizawa' groaned as he hauled Todoroki's lifeless body up each step from his basement, hands tight around the boy's ankles. I think I might have put too much sedative in the mixture… Aizawa took a quick glance back. Todoroki looked alive...enough. Alive enough to be of use, of course.

Aizawa stepped out of the steep stairs and pulled Todoroki inside his disheveled bedroom. Why is this kid so fucking heavy… thought Aizawa, feeling his arms muscles strain. What do they even feed to these little shits? Iron? With a huff, he found a convenient spot against his mahogany closet to prop Todoroki's body. He plopped the unconscious teenager down with a heavy thud.

Aizawa yawned and stretched his pale arms. I really use a nap right now. Aizawa rubbed his eyes before throwing himself onto his ratty bed. He gave one last glance at Todoroki, who was still inert. His eyelids drooped and felt sleep finally consume him. But, as always, his dreams were haunted by acorns and the grating bark of mutts.

Uraraka babbled ardently as she bounced throw the hallways of U. A. She gesticulating wildly while she narrated a story to Midoriya - it almost looked like karate. Her large dark brown eyes were wide with enthusiasm, almost as if she was surprised by what she - herself - was saying. Midoriya face looked much the same; he nodded fervently at her every word.

"- then, the dog jumped over him! Like really, really high! I'm not sure if it's true, but do you think animals can have Quirks?" Uraraka looked at the green haired boy expectantly. Midoriya hummed.

"I mean, from what we know about Quirks now, that's probably not that likely. But, that would actually be really cool, though! Imagine like a flying shark, or like a giraffe with telekinesis! Wait, actually, a flying shark would be more scary than cool..." Midoriya responded. Their animated conversation continued until they entered the classroom and sat in their respective seats.

"Todoroki-kun doesn't seem to be here today!" Midoriya noted, not seeing the expected sight of their aloof classmate. Uraraka span her head around in surprise. The designated desk where Todoroki sat, was, in fact, empty. Todoroki was usually one of the first to enter…

"Aizawa-sensei doesn't seem to be here either!" She furrowed her bushy eyebrows. He was usually here by now…

"I wonder where they are..."

Before they could speculate any further, a familiar click of a boot drew the attention of the class. Instead of their homeroom teacher, was Midnight. She rocked her hips with every step, drawing attention to her long, slender legs. She ran her hand through her violet hair, and bit her lip. Almost compulsively, she winked

"Due- uh - to unforeseen and unspecified circumstances, Aizawa-sensei will not be able to teach today," announced Midnight, her voice deep and smooth, "I will take his place today, If you wouldn't mind…"

Uraraka frowned, wrinkling her nose. She could not recall the last time Aizawa-sensei did not come to class. Despite his constant somnolence, he was regularly present. Same for Todoroki. She knew she was being anxious, but she had a bad feeling about his absence. It was an innate feeling. Not quite comparable to nausea, but still an uncomfortable stirring in her stomach that just told her 'something was wrong'.

I'm just being paranoid, Uraraka thought, shaking her suspicions away. She pushed chestnut-colored strands behind her ear and tried to focused on what Midnight-sensei was saying.

Midoriya slouched into his seat at the lunch table, his shoulders hunched and a dour expression. He simply stared at his tray, like he was going to memorize every detail of it. Midoriya sighed, and leaned his head against his palm.

"Midoriya! Is everything okay?" Iida asked worriedly from the other side of the table. His eyes were wide in comical concern, and tore into Midoriya's very soul.

"Yeah, it's just that… I don't have much of an appetite." Midoriya paused, eyes downcast. He pushed the tray into the middle of the table. "With Aizawa-sensei being absent, I really just have a - kind of- bad feeling about it.."

"Bad?" Uraraka piped in, sitting next to the green-haired boy with nothing but a tall bottle of strawberry milk.

"Yeah… I don't know how to explain it. It's just that… I have a bad feeling. Like a really bad feeling. But I don't know why I feel this way. I must just be overthinking this."

In the midst of drinking her milk, Uraraka choked. She coughed harshly and hastily floated the pale pink liquid back inside its container. She quickly inspected her sleeves and sighed in relief to not find any stains.

"I thought I was the only one who felt that!" Uraraka exclaimed while she wiped her mouth, "there's something going on - I know there is!" She turned her head towards Iida who merely raised an eyebrow.

"Let's not jump to conclusions, now! Just because you two have a mutual 'bad' feeling doesn't mean anything. The chance that something actually happened is very low. Probably a flu going around. There's no point in worryin-" Iida was cut off by a loud crash.

Every head in the cafeteria whipped around to see the source of the sound. A man emerged from a small pile of rubble that was once a chunk of the wall. He was masked by the thick dust that surrounded him. From what Midoriya could see, he was slim, and very pale. To his concern, the man's bony hand wrapped around a large drill. The man looked uncomfortable, almost as if he didn't want to be here. He swiped his red and white hair up, which was truly the catalyst for a plethora of questions, which, summarized sounded something like this:

Why the fuck did Todoroki drill through that wall!?

Todoroki frowned. "Midoriya!" He called, eyes squinted. The curly-haired boy looked tentatively at from left to right. He noted uncomfortably how every eye was plastered on his hesitant face. Some gave him sympathetic glances, but most just murmured among themselves. Uraraka pursed her lips, and placed a comforting hand on his back. Midoriya took a deep breath before approaching Todoroki.

While it was only several feet, the journey from his table to his teacher felt like miles. Why am I so nervous? Even if Todoroki drilled through the walls and he looks really angry... Midoriya thought as he tried to even out his rapid heartbeat. It's going to be fine, you're just being anxious for no good reason…was the mantra is his head as he finally meet face to face with Todoroki. Midoriya gulped.

The quiet boy leaned into his ear and whispered.

"Meet me after school, in the front entrance," Todoroki muttered, something oddly melancholic about his voice. "By yourself - don't tell anyone about this unless you want to get hurt," he added, even quieter. Midoriya felt his skin crawl and his breath shorten. Goosebumps formed on his arms as he struggled to respond.

Why does he want me to go there? And why would I get hurt? Midoriya wondered. Why would be want to meet me now of all times? Todoroki's never felt so... intimidating before... Did I do something to him?

Despite his qualms and despite his worries, Midoriya simply nodded - a harsh jerk of his head. Todoroki somehow didn't seem to be pleased at his actions. The corner of his lips slid down into a painful grimace. Midoriya could only stare blankly as Todoroki tiptoed out of the hole in the wall. He turned around slowly, and tilted his head. Todoroki eyes were red, and were shiny with unshed tears.

"I'll be expecting you, Midoriya…"

Midoriya stood, frozen. He watched as Todoroki's figure became smaller and smaller in the distance. The cafeteria was silent, every student trading suspicious glances with each other. He felt a hand pressing into his shoulder. Midoriya turned around to see Uraraka's wide eyes.

"What did he say to you?" she questioned. Midoriya observed the way she gnawed on her bottom lip. He wanted nothing more than to tell the truth - to repeat verbatim the ominous words that were spoken to him. Don't tell anyone about this unless you want to get hurt. Midoriya pulled a stray curl back, and gave Uraraka a sheepish smile.

"I-I couldn't really make out what he said," he chuckled nervously, "I'm sure it was nothing important!" His eyes were trained on his feet. He had never been so intrigued by the tiles of the floor before. Uraraka made a low noise in her throat - something between a grunt and a growl. Midoriya slowly met her blazing eyes.

"Midoriya! Do you really thing I would believe that!" she exclaimed. Midoriya noted with fear her tightly clenched fists and her hostile posture. "I know he said something to you! I'm not stupid, who do you think I am!"

Her face slowly softened, and she pulled Midoriya in a tight hug. "But I trust you, Midoriya," she pulled herself out of the embrace and looked him straight in the eye, "I'll believe you for now. But, you know you can ask me for help whenever you want, right?"

Midoriya never felt so guilty while nodding.

Midoriya's heart raced, and he was sure every single inhabitant of this world could hear the beating. Todoroki isn't here yet…Midoriya glanced from left to right. He looked really… sad when he said to come here. What does he have to say? Midoriya ran a hand through his curly hair.

"Midoriya!" called a voice. He turned to the left to see Todoroki, whose chest was heaving. He must have run here. "Midoriya, just- just follow me…" The dual hair-colored boy seized his wrist before he could have responded.

Midoriya was pulled to a white van, that was parked (illegally) on the sidewalk. It was grimy and smeared with dirt, and was surrounded with a pungent odor. The front window slowly winded down to reveal a lanky, long-haired man. Aizawa. Aizawa. Aizawa?

"Get in, Bitch," Aizawa grunted, before making a high-pitched screaming sound.