It felt like sandpaper going down his throat, scraping up his esophagus, with little wooden splinters that grinded against his teeth, causing shivers to rack his spine. The juices were as thick as sludge, akin to oil, or that Slime Villain from a year ago. The smell reminded him of that beach on the edge of the city, piled high with all sorts of trash, made worse by the sea breeze. As for the taste… That was better left unsaid.

A slight pain emerged in his lower back as the skin ripped open, and suddenly he found that his arms were free. It made eating a little easier.

So… Damned… Hungry...


Did Midoriya-kun always have pitch-black sclera? Were his irises always crimson red? Were the four tentacles protruding from his back, holding down the Villain's limbs, normal?

...Did he always eat human flesh?

Momo's mind was racing with questions, but the majority of her brain had shut down due to the horror of the scene before her. She knew, in that instant, that she would be haunted by this. For how long, she had no clue, but Momo idly theorised that the rest of her life was a pretty good answer.

The Nomu was screeching in pain, thrashing desperately in an attempt to escape, but the deep-red, pulsing appendages attached to Midoriya-kun's back were wrapped tightly around its wrists and ankles, preventing it from moving an inch.

Meanwhile, Midoriya-kun himself was tearing into the beast, jaws stained with black blood, the same black blood that was pooling on the ground, slowly creeping its way over to her. She ignored that, however, in favor of watching the green-haired teen. It was slightly fascinating, in a disgusting way, how he ate; he bit and bit and bit, but never seemed to stop to chew, no matter how much he tore off the purple Villain. It was almost like he swallowed the chunks of meat, the size of her fist, whole.

Another interesting thing, was how he could rip away at the same general area, without going deeper into the Nomu's chest cavity. It seemed to be regenerating just as fast, if not faster, than Midoriya-kun was eating.

Still, Momo could not ignore how disturbing this was. She was still sprawled out on the ground, staring on as Midoriya-kun ate for the first time in- apparently- four months. Maybe that was why he appeared so ravenous.

Nearby, she vaguely heard the blue-haired Villain shouting, "Kurogiri, we have to go!"

Somewhere else, she hear the sounds of somebody throwing up. Probably Mineta, since he was the only one close enough to see this. Momo was slightly surprised she wasn't throwing up, herself. Then again, that was probably because most of what she ate went into her energy storages, to be used by her Quirk.

Finally, after what seemed like ages, Midoriya-kun stopped biting into the monster. It had stopped moving a long time ago, seemingly falling unconscious from the pain. He raised his head of green hair, eyes shifting back to white and emerald. The extra appendages were withdrawn, and he shook his head, as if snapping out of a daze.

The teen shakily crawled off the Nomu, head turning to reorient himself. Finally, he noticed her, on the ground, locked in place. He walked over, and reached a hand down.

So much blood.


Ah. She flinched.

At first, Izuku couldn't understand what was going on. Momo was shying away from him, shivering in fear. Why, though? The Villains were all either gone or unconscious- even the Nomu, the most dangerous thing in the entire event. Why was she still scared? Did she maybe not recognize him for some reason, and hadn't realized he wasn't a Villain?

Momo looked up at him, eyes locking onto his own, shivering like a leaf in a tornado. He went to reach down again, but she flinched once more.

Oh.

She had looked him in the eyes. She knew who he was. It was because of him that she was acting this way.

She's scared of me.

Izuku looked down. He was covered in black blood, the horrendous taste of it still in his mouth. He glanced at the Nomu, which was lying in a puddle of the stuff.

She's disgusted by me.

Momo refused to look at him, eyes clenched shut.

She knows I'm a monster.

That realization jarred him, and he almost fell backwards. He managed to steady himself, somehow. His outstretched hand dropped back to his side, and he turned around, stumbling toward the broken stairs. Asui had gone this way with Aizawa-sensei, right? Maybe he'd go check up on them. They wouldn't be scared of him… Right?

They just haven't realized what I am. Yet.


The main entrance of the U.S.J exploded inwards, the doors ripped clear off their hinges. All Might burst in an instant later, coming to a stop at the top of the stairs.

"I AM HERE!" Toshinori shouted, hoping to set his students at ease. Even if he himself was angry, even if his perpetual smile had evaporated once he'd heard the news from Iida-shounen, he had a duty to comfort these children in a time of need.

Unfortunately, it seemed he was too late. The crisis was over, the Villains defeated, and…

"Midoriya-shounen!?" Toshinori cried, staring at the boy staggering up the stairs. His eyes were blank, unseeing. His face was covered in a shiny black liquid, which also drenched his white, slightly ripped t-shirt. He looked as if he was wandering aimlessly.

Toshinori rushed down the steps, coming to a stop next to the boy, and putting his hands on his student's shoulders.

"Midoriya-shounen! What happened!?" he asked, shaking him slightly. The young man looked up at him, eyes still dead.

"Oh. All MIght-sensei. You're here," he muttered quietly. Then, the boy collapsed.


Izuku woke up to a stark-white ceiling. He was in a bed, the sheets pulled halfway up his chest. He blinked blearily, slowly rising into a sitting position. Observing the rest of his surroundings, he figured he was in a hospital, or maybe U.A's infirmary. They probably had the money to make their Nurse's office identical to a well-equipped hospital.

An I.V was stuck into his arm, which was promptly ripped out, along with all the heartbeat sensors and other monitors. Izuku was slightly surprised they had managed to stick a needle in him, but U.A definitely had access to materials hard enough to do that.

Izuku climbed to his feet, then noticed his state of dress. He was shirtless, but still wearing the sweatpants of his Hero Costume. So, definitely not the hospital, or he would've been wearing one of those stupid gowns.

His phone was on the nightstand beside his bed, so he pocketed it, and exited the infirmary. Said device began ringing moments later, so he pulled it back out with a sigh. Caller I.D identified this obnoxious person as Renji. Okay, so maybe not so annoying, but still a pain in the ass this soon after waking up.

"What's up, Renji?"

"Izuku, I heard what happened at U.A yesterday. Are you alright?" Renji asked in his flat tone.

"Yeah… What do you mean, yesterday? Did I really sleep that long…?" Izuku checked the time, finding that it was Saturday afternoon. The attack had taken place Friday afternoon.

"What the hell…?"

"Yeah, that's what we were wondering. We tried calling once we heard the news, but you didn't pick up. Anyways, come down to Anteiku when you get the chance. We need to talk." Renji hung up without another word, and Izuku sighed.

"Bastard. Didn't even get to ask about Hinami-chan... Now, how do I get outta here?"


Walking around with no clue where he was didn't seem like a good idea at the time, but now that he'd ran into All Might, it was a horrible one.

"O-oh. Hey, sensei," Izuku said, trying to go for a casual approach, despite his lack of a shirt.

All Might dropped the small stack of papers he was carrying, then power-walked at him.

"Midoriya-shounen! What are you doing? You should be resting in the infirmary!"

"I'm fine, seriously. More importantly, how the heck do I get out of here? I've been walking around for the past ten minutes, and I don't know where I am."

"Unfortunately, young man, I will have to lead you back to the infirmary for now so that Recovery Girl can assess your health. Only then will you be allowed to leave."

"I literally just said I'm fine."

"Yes, but considering the state you were in when I found you yesterday, your reassurances have a bit less weight than you would like. Come, Midoriya-shounen, and perhaps you can tell me what happened down in the plaza. Yaoyorozu-shoujo and Minoru-shounen did not have much information to offer, though they claimed you were the one to ask."


"That is… Most disturbing, young man. You are sure they said that the Nomu was engineered to kill me?" All Might asked warily.

Izuku nodded. "Yeah. And even if they didn't say anything, it was kinda obvious. The thing hit like a train, and definitely ran faster than one." The teen rubbed at his stomach, the phantom pain of being punched by the monster resurfacing.

"You were hit by it!?" All Might shouted, leaping to his feet in shock.

"Yeah, a few times. Don't worry, I'm stronger than I look."

All Might appraised him with a keen eye. "Yes, I can see that," the Pro Hero muttered, dropping back into his seat. It creaked dangerously, but managed to hold together.

"Anyways, are we done?" Izuku asked the old lady next to him. "I've gotta be somewhere."

"I suppose we are," Recovery GIrl said. "It's odd, though. You say were hit by something with the strength of this blond buffoon," she gestured at All Might, who hunched his shoulders in embarrassment, "And yet, by the time we got you to the infirmary, there were no visible signs of damage, external or internal."

"Oh, right. My Quirk is listed as a General Enhancement Quirk, because it enhances more than my strength and speed. It also helps my durability, and I have an insane regeneration factor."

Recovery Girl nodded, satisfied with the answer. "Well, I suppose that's good. However!" she suddenly shouted, brandishing her cane in front of the teen's face. "Don't think that just because you can heal fast means you can take hits whenever you want. One day, you'll get hit by something that regeneration can't save you from- it's what happens to nearly every Hero with a similar Quirk. Be careful."

"Right, right. So, you said school's canceled on Monday, right?" Izuku asked the Symbol of Peace, rising to his feet. The man nodded, also standing up.

"Good. See you on Tuesday, Sensei."


Train rides on the weekend were peaceful, despite the loud rumbling of the heavy cars on the tracks, and the screeches when the conductor hit the brakes. It wasn't packed full of people going to school or work, so there were plenty of seats. He could have even laid down and taken a nap, if he wasn't so scared of missing his stop. He still would have liked to lay down, though.

Unfortunately, with Shigaraki Tomura sitting right next to him, that didn't seem to be a possibility.

"What're you doin' here, Shigaraki?" Izuku asked tiredly, glaring balefully at the Villain.

"Same thing as you, I'd guess; going somewhere by train."

"Can't Kurogiri just Warp you there?"

"Nah. His Quirk works based on coordinates, so if he doesn't know where the place is, he can't go to it. Plus, it's nice to take the train sometimes."

Izuku sighed, and they descended into silence.

"What, not even gonna threaten to call the cops on me?" Shigaraki asked, sounding amused.

"No."

The Villain blinked, not expecting such a blunt response. "Well, you're no fun." Was he pouting?


Why did they get off at the same stop? Why were they strolling in the same direction? Why was Shigaraki Tomura walking into Anteiku?

"Oi." Izuku finally broke the silence, which had lasted for past half-hour. Shigaraki paused in the doorway, glancing back.

"Oh? Finally got something to say?"

"Yeah. What the fuck are you doing here?"

"Same thing as you, I'd guess; going to meet someone." The smug bastard was smirking.

Izuku grabbed the man by the front of his hoodie, balling the fabric up in his fist. He dragged the Villain away from the door, and slammed him against the wall next to it.

"Don't fuck with me, Shigaraki," the teen growled, "You saw what I did to that Nomu thing- you think I won't do it to you!?"

"Oh, I'm scared!" Shigaraki cried, hands up in mock-surrender. Izuku's eyes turned black with rage.

"Ahem. If you two gentlemen would please refrain from being violent outside of my shop, that would be appreciated."

Izuku dropped Shigaraki, turning to the old man that spoke.

"Kuzen," he greeted coldly, eyes still in their kakugan mode.

"Still with that name, Izuku-kun?" he asked, smiling genially. Izuku said nothing, just slipping past him into the café. The old man turned to Shigaraki.

"Tomura-kun, she is waiting for you upstairs."

"Thanks, Yoshimura-san."


"What'd you call me for, Renji?"

"Did anybody find you out?"

Izuku's silence was telling.

"Call your mom and arrange-"

"No."

Renji's eyes narrowed at the boy, a silent demand to explain himself.

"I like U.A. I don't wanna leave."

Renji set down the glass he was polishing, staring at Izuku the whole time. "Kid, you realize they'll kill you, right?"

"No, they won't. It's not like everybody knows, only two other kids."

"And you think they won't tell anyone?"

Izuku remembered Momo's fear of him, and Mineta… Well, that kid would probably say anything to get attention, which includes revealing Izuku's secrets.

"...No. But!" he cried, cutting Renji off. "But, even if they do tell everyone, they won't try to hunt me or anything. U.A is really tolerant, and I've been passing this stuff off as my Quirk- they know that some Quirks are nasty, so they'll think mine is just nastier."

Renji stared at him for a long moment, before finally picking up another glass. "Fine. When everything goes to hell-"

"Don't come crying to you. Yeah, I get it. Besides, I don't even do that anymore!"

"Right. You just go crying to your mom, instead."

"Rude."

"But true."

Izuku pouted.


The funeral was on Monday. Only the usuals at Anteiku attended, along with Izuku. He stood between Hinami and Touka, staring as an empty casket was lowered into the ground. The former was sobbing silently, while Touka's fists were clenched tight enough to draw blood, her kakugan burning in her eye sockets.

In a corner of Izuku's mind, he was impressed that they had managed to set this up so quickly, even if there so few people. Then again, they didn't really have to pay anyone, or jump through legal hoops, so that probably sped the process up a fair bit.

Fueguchi Asaki had been killed on Friday morning, his corpse devoured down to the bones.

Oomori Yakumo would pay in blood.


Tuesday, Izuku was subdued. He didn't fall asleep during the day, only resting his head on the desk as he shuffled through his thoughts. He didn't speak to Momo, since the girl would lower her eyes every time he looked in her direction. He hadn't even attempted to get the promised coffee. Katsuki seemed angrier than normal, so he also didn't poke that ticking time bomb.

Uraraka was still shaken up over the U.S.J incident, along with Iida and the rest of the class. Even Kirishima's fiery spirit and Aoyama's glittering sparkles were downtrodden. Mineta didn't show up to classes that day.

As such, Izuku said less than ten words after homeroom. As Class Representative, he had to take care of that period, since Aizawa couldn't move properly due to his leg injury. Izuku explained the upcoming Sports Festival, which was well-received, as well as informed the class of where they could go if they wished for extra training after school. Like always, the Quirk Counselors were available, even if nobody really went to them.

During Foundational Hero Training, All Might took them to one of U.A's incredibly well-equipped gyms. Izuku spent the two hours continuously bench pressing increasingly heavy weights, starting at five-hundred kilos, and adding five every ten minutes. By the end, he had added sixty more kilograms, for a total of five-sixty, much to the awe of the class. He completely abused his regeneration, which was faster than normal since he'd recently eaten. Between every rep, his muscle fibers repaired themselves, slightly stronger than before, allowing him to quickly build up muscle.

For the rest of the week, along with the next, he would keep up this intense regime, but using a different machine every day, continuing long after classes had ended. He would only leave when it was time for the last train stop of the day, since he didn't particularly feel like walking home. At his level, it was more a nuisance than exercise.


Wednesday. English had ended, and Present Mic just left the room. The students were making idle chatter as they packed their bags, ready to head to the cafeteria. Izuku, who began packing a bit before the bell rang, was already at the door. He was planning on going to the gym again, to squeeze in every bit of training he could get. His technique was still heads and shoulders above everyone in the First Year, so he didn't have to worry about that, but some extra strength probably couldn't hurt. Today was squats, starting with one-thousand kilos, since the combination of his legs and back was stronger than just his arms.

Of course, that was only if he could get to the gym, considering the swarm of people blocking the door of Class 1A.

"What…?" Izuku muttered, but the shock of the situation had rendered the majority of people on both sides mute, so everyone heard. Someone shoved their way to the front of the crowd; a purple-haired boy, a little bit shorter than Izuku, and with impressive bags under his eyes. Izuku's own bags had faded- now that he'd gotten something to eat, he was able to sleep without hunger pains.

"I came to see what the famous Class 1A is like. I'm Shinsou Hitoshi; nice to meet ya."

Izuku loosely shook the boy's hand. "Midoriya Izuku. Likewise. What're you talking about, famous?"

Shinsou raised an eyebrow at him. "Weren't you there on Friday? I'm talking about the Villains at the U.S.J."

Izuku's eyes narrowed slightly, that this boy was making that mess sound so casual. "Let's not talk about. Anyways, I need you guys to move a bit. I gotta go to the gym and get in some reps before lunch ends."

Thankfully, the crowd parted, even if they did close behind him when he was gone. Oh well. He might be Class Representative, but that didn't mean he had to hold their hands. 1A could handle this one themselves. The weights were waiting for him.