A couple of you mentioned that I skipped Aizawa's test. I didn't include that because I don't want to rewrite ever single episode...that would be boring! Plus the outcome of the test didn't change anything in this AU sooooooo :P
I'm currently working on writing a novel so I don't have to much going for this AU, unlike my last one. So I applogize if it's not up to the same caliber as some of my previous works.
Chapter 7
"That was amazing, Deku-kun!" Uraraka said as they returned from the test.
"Deku?" Izuku said, surprised.
A look of confusion crossed Uraraka's face. "That's what Bakugou called you right?"
Izuku averted his gaze. "Well, my real name's 'Izuku' but 'Deku' is what Kacchan always called me to make fun of me," he said, trying to explain the mix-up in his name.
"An insult?" Iida said. He was returning as well and overheard them. "That's very unheroic of him.
"Oh, I'm sorry!" Uraraka apologized quickly. "I didn't know! But you know, 'Deku' sounds like the Japanese for 'you can do it,' so I kind of like it."
"It's okay. You can call me Deku if you want." He blushed, slightly embarrassed. He had never properly talked to a girl like this.
"Midoriya-kun?" Iida said, shocked. "You're accepting that too easily! Wasn't it an insult?"
"I've gotten pretty used to it," Izuku admitted. "It doesn't bother me that much. Besides, I like the new meaning she gave it."
Uraraka grinned. "That aside, your plan worked perfectly! You were right, Bakugou-kun didn't even pay any attention to me and I could slip past with no problems."
"I've known him a long time, so I knew he'd set his sights on me instead."
"I have to admit, your strategy was well thought out and skillfully executed," Iida said bitterly. "I wish our teamwork had gone better, like you and Uraraka-kun. We might have stood a fighting chance."
Izuku laughed. "Thanks."
"And your Quirk is pretty amazing too!" Uraraka bounced on the balls of her feet as she spoke. "You have amazing strength, like All Might!"
He merely smiled. He had been very careful not to use his real Quirk in front of his classmates. All they had seen was his enhanced strength and had assumed that was his Quirk. It felt nice to talk to others his age like this. It was like having actual friends. But he couldn't afford to get close to others. He had already set the ball in motions, and if he got attached to them now, it would be too difficult to execute Sensei's plans when the time came. He would have to create a distance between them. But he had to do it in a way that wasn't obvious. The last thing he needed was for them to become suspicious.
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It was vexing. Humiliating. Unthinkable! Deku…the quirkless, nobody. He had beaten him, in front of the entire class! And what was worse, was he had played him. The bastard with the glasses and the round-faced girl had apparently seen Deku's Quirk during the entrance exam. But Quirks were supposed to manifest by the age of four. There were no documented instances of a late-blooming Quirk. Just how did Deku manage it? From the way those two losers talked about it, it had to be crazy strong. He had beaten up the villain designed to be an obstacle, which was downright ridiculous. Bakugou couldn't wrap his mind around it. He couldn't figure out what had triggered in Deku after the accident to change him so drastically.
As he was heading home, the sun sinking lower, he trudged toward the school gates. The shadows cast by the setting sun stretched across the ground. But as Katsuki was walking, he noticed something strange about the shadow. There was an odd shape at the top if the building. Almost…almost like a person. He turned around, squinting against the sunlight. Gazing up at the enormous school building, he could just barely make out the figure of someone standing on the roof. Memories of Deku jumping from the roof of their middle school flashed through his mind. Before he had time to think, he shot off toward the school. He threw open the doors and raced up the stairs. Using his explosions, he boosted his speed. The doors to the rooftop should be locked, so who could be up there? And why? He slammed open the roof access door, the metal clanging loudly as it hit the side of the building.
Ghosted against the sunlight was a familiar silhouette—short with a mess of green hair. His fingers were curled around the cold metal of the high chain-link fence. Deku turned slowly, glancing over his shoulder at the intruder. For a moment, Bakugou could have sworn one of Deku's eyes looked red. He rubbed his eyes and looked again. It must have been a trick of the light. They were green, like always.
"What the hell are you doing up here?" Bakugou asked.
Deku turned away from him, staring out at the school grounds below them.
He stalked closer. Snatching Deku's shoulder, he spun him around. "I asked what you were doing here!" he shouted.
"Why?" Deku frowned. "Afraid I'm going to jump?"
"I—"
Deku shook Bakugou's hand off. "Having a sudden change of heart, Kacchan?"
"What the hell is wrong with you?" Bakugou shouted, shoving him against the fence. "Just what happened to make you change like this?"
"You really don't know?" Deku shouted back. "You haven't changed at all! Ever since we were kids you've been the best, thinking of no one but yourself. Did you ever stop to think that the things you say could actually affect someone?"
The anger and pain reflected in Deku's eyes made Bakugou hesitate. It felt like his throat was closing up. He didn't mean for it to happen. He didn't want Deku to do it. And though he tried to suppress those feelings, the more he thought about it, he knew Deku was right. It was his fault.
"Don't look at me like that! You damn nerd!"
"Like what?" Deku shoved him back. "Why do you hate me so much? Why are you so cruel? What the hell did I ever do to you?"
This isn't how he wanted things to happen. Why was it turning into an argument? All he wanted was to make sure Deku didn't jump again, to know he was okay. Why was it that every time he was with the nerd, things turned out this way? Their relationship had been strained ever since elementary school. He had been the one trailing behind him, chasing after him. Since when had they become like this, like enemies. Why couldn't he say what was really on his mind?
Deku shouldered past him, trudging toward the stairs. "Have it your way, Kacchan."
He slammed the door behind him, leaving Bakugou alone on the roof. "Damn it! Damn…damn." Why couldn't he say it? Why was it so hard? "…I'm sorry…."
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It felt like he was burning up from the inside. He clutched at his T-shirt, fingers curling into the fabric. He felt hot! Izuku stumbled into his bedroom, slamming the door behind him. Sensei had said it would take time for his body to adjust to his new Quirk, that it would take time to learn how to control it. But he didn't think it would be like this. It felt like his body was on fire. He leaned against the desk, chest heaving. There was a sharp sting in his left eye. He winced, covering it with his hand. He hurried to the full-length mirror that hung on the side of his armoire. But what he saw staring back at him…it wasn't him. He hesitantly reached out, his fingers touching the cold surface of the mirror. His left eye…it was red. The usually green iris was a shade of deep crimson.
"What…what's happening?"
The burning intensified. Black flames leaped from his hand, licking his fingers. Sparks caught one of his old hero notebooks on fire. Frantically, Izuku tossed it on the ground and stamped on it, trying to put it out before the fire alarm sounded. He cursed under his breath as the fire finally went out.
"Izuku?" His mother knocked on the door. "Is everything alright in there? I thought I heard something."
"Yeah, I'm fine!" He hurried to the door, holding it shut. He couldn't let her see him like this. "I just dropped one of my textbooks. That's all."
"Okay." She sounded hesitant. "Dinner will be ready soon."
"I'll be there in a minute." He listened for her footsteps to fade before heaving a sigh of relief. He had to get a grip on his newfound power. He couldn't afford to let his Quirk activate on its own. He had to get it under control—quickly.
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Shigaraki looked up from his drink when Izuku opened the door. The bar, which was in the basement of an abandoned building, was just as desolate as ever. As usual, Kurogiri and Shigaraki were the only ones there. Izuku hadn't been back to the villain's base since Sensei had first offered his help. After getting into UA, the villains had requested information on All Might and his schedule with the students. He had come to deliver his syllabus. He sat down at the bar, an empty stool between him and the pale-haired boy. He slid the paper syllabus across the countertop.
"As promised," Izuku said.
Taking the paper from him, Tomura glanced over the contents. "All Might really became a teacher, huh?"
"He teaches Hero Basic Training."
"And he'll be at the Rescue Training next week," Shigaraki muttered.
"A week to prepare. That should be enough time," Kurogiri said. "We have enough people waiting for their opportunity."
"I've been wondering, what is your end goal?"
"I want to kill All Might," Shigaraki grumbled.
"We all have our separate reasons, but we—the outcasts of society—can all agree that All Might has stood in our way for far too long. He is a source of suppression," Kurogiri said.
"Kill him?" Izuku asked. "But why? He saves people—"
"Have you ever wondered what happened to the people that man didn't save?" The hate mirrored in Shigaraki's eyes sent a chill through Izuku's body. The animosity dripped from his words like poison. "Where was this hero when you needed him? You know he's not a natural born hero, right? Sensei told me his Quirk is something he got from someone else. So what does that make him? A fake!He's nothing but a hypocrite, saying he will 'save everyone.' Scum like him deserve to rot!"
All Might was…Quirkless? Someone as strong and brave as him wasn't born with a Quirk? The words were an icy sting. He remembered what All Might had told him that day on the rooftop. He had told Izuku that he couldn't be a hero without power. He should give up that dream—be something else, like a policeman. Izuku didn't want to kill anyone, but hearing Shigaraki's justification, he could see why the man craved it so desperately. All Might was a fake. He had been idolizing a liar. He would cast aside those dreamer's eyes and worshipful thoughts. He didn't want to kill All Might, but he would help them defeat him. He had agreed to it.
"He won't be easy to take down," Izuku said. "He's the strongest hero after all…."
"We have ways to ensure our success," Kurogiri responded.
"All thanks to Sensei's experiments."
The tone in Shigaraki's voice made him shudder.
"If that's the case, you'll have to be very careful," Izuku said. "UA has always had tight security, but with All Might on staff, things have gotten tighter. The media are always hanging around the front gates. If you used them as a diversion to slip someone in to hijack the transmission system, you should be able to go unnoticed. If you have someone who can jam transmission signals and turn off the intruder sensors, it would be possible to isolate All Might and the rest of the class so that they can't call for backup."
"You've really thought this out," Kurogiri said.
Izuku shook his head. "I agreed to join you. It's like a game of chess. You need to think several moves ahead if you want to win."
"Midoriya-kun," Kurogiri said cautiously. "Will you be joining the raid?"
"No. It was one of my conditions. I don't want to be involved in large fights. Besides, we can't afford to blow my cover." He folded his arms, leaning against the rough bar-top. "I've been thinking…. I probably shouldn't use my real name when I'm with you guys. I need an alias, like the way pros have Hero Names."
"Then what should we call you?" Shigaraki asked, glancing sideways at him.
The more he thought about it, there only seemed to be one name that came to mind. Kacchan had always used it as an insult, but he would not see it that way anymore. Kacchan had always meant it to mean "useless," but he would change that meaning.
"Deku," he finally said.
Remember to leave a review and check back on Monday for Chapter 8!
