Chapter 10


It had been agony when Nine awoke, pure, unbridled agony. Having awakened in the middle of an operation tended to have that effect, but it did little in stopping Nine from tearing himself away from every wire and tube, ripping the lodged tool from his skull, and breaking out of the containment room with a combination of Chi, Streak, and Shield. That had proved to be a stupendously stupidly defective decision, one fueled by desperation as he had nearly blacked out from the sheer pain alone; he was fortunate that the enemy hadn't tampered deeper. Against the odds however, Nine managed to stay more or less coherent enough to focus all his energy into his healing factor. It had taken some time -no doubt due to his damaged inner systems- and led to more horribly excruciating pain, but the subject had finally managed to regenerate the missing bone and repair the damaged outer brain tissue.

However, his relief had been short lived as the halls flushed red with a blaring alarm sounding off. The workers who had operated on him burst out of the room, panickedly trying to subdue him or hold him down.

A pathetically futile attempt.

So after putting the scum underneath his foot and knocking the loud hero away, he ran as fast as he could, his legs pumping with the speed of Streak and his fists with the power of Chi as he sped through the halls of the unfamiliar building.

He couldn't let them capture him, he wouldn't let them capture him. Not again.

Shota was the first to arrive at the scene.

He had been in the middle of a training session before being interrupted by a phone call by Hisashi. He had ignored it at first, in favor of not having to deal with whatever nonsense the louder of the two might spew out, but that had been before the sleep-deprived hero remembered that the loudmouth had the kid with him. So at the second call, Shota answered.

"Shota! Get your ass here now! The kid's gone ballistic and-!"

Shota didn't even wait for Hisashi to finish. He immediately dropped everything he had been doing and rushed out the door, not even bothering to grab his hero costume. He did grab his capture weapon though; it would have been irrational to depend solely on Erasure in this situation, especially when the kid knew over 6 forms of hand to hand combat alone.

So with a sweaty black tank top and pink sweatpants (go ahead and make fun, he dares you) he hopped into his car and sped off towards the Commission, gathering a fleet of pursuing police forces for breaking multiple speeding regulations on the way.

Eh, he would just show them his hero permit later, they would serve a better purpose once he got to the damn Commission too.

But just what irrational decision had those pompous asses done to make the kid go nuts? Shota knew him far too well to think that the boy would go off for any miniscule reason. He had proved to be more rational than even some older teens. And if there was a risk to whatever test they had planned to do, then the obvious decision would be to bring in someone who could ensure the Quirks and the boy didn't go haywire. But they didn't, so here they were.

~-*-~

EraserHead burst through the doors of the security room, meeting with a battered Hisashi and a slightly bloodied Shira, along with a few other workers. "What the hell happened," he demanded.

Hisashi didn't smile comfortingly at the workers or tried to calm Shota down, he barely spared them a semi-spiteful glance as he focused on the screens. "Ask them, Shota. Go ahead, you'll love this."

Shota did, but received no response from the workers at his glare and scowl. He rubbed the bridge of his nose, "Since none of you grown adults have the nerve to tell me, I'm going to go ahead and infer. You lot performed a test, one that was high-risk no doubt, without consulting with me or Nemuri Kayama -his primary finders and custody holders- for direct permission. This test backfired, since you practically have no understanding of Izuku Kayama's organismal build, which led to our current situation."

Their guilty faces were enough of an answer.

A light cough from Shira drew his attention. "Please understand that it wasn't our intention to hurt him… it's just, we were only following orders. He is something of a mystery, especially in his cerebral composition-"

"You can yammer all you want after this is resolved, woman. And another thing, aren't you the Head of Science for the Commission?" Shota interrupted.

"...Yes."

"Then you of all people could have put in your professional opinion and urged more caution and rationality with the Commission's decision. You and the Commission neglected to inform us of your true intentions, regardless of your so-called innocence. We'll discuss this later, once Nemuri gets here herself," The Underground Hero turned towards the blonde DJ, "Hisashi, have you contacted her yet?"

Hisashi shook his head, "Sorry, the little listener busted my phone when he attacked. For an air wall, that stuff sure knocks the wind out of you."

Shota reached into his pocket and took out his own, handing it to his friend before looking at the camera screens. "Last known location?"

"Sector 4, Hall 172," replied a nurse, "But what can you-?"

Shota didn't bother with them any longer, only wrapping his capture weapon at the ready and running towards the designated location.

Hisashi sighed in frustration as he began to call Nemuri. Izuku was still in there somewhere, he knew it. The boy didn't hesitate in attacking him when they made first eye contact for no reason, and when he did fight, it had been purely defensive. He couldn't say the same for the others though. 'This is really going to put a dent on Nemuri's custody battle,' he sighed frustratedly, turning from the screens and at Shira. The woman was intently watching the footage with rapt attention, her forehead slick with sweat. And with good reason, for on the computer screens, many guards and workers were strewn about. Some bloodied, others stunned and battered like he was, but not dead.

Probably.

Hopefully.

'C'mon Nemuri, pick up…'

There, on the screen, movement.

A heavily armored guard -fully equipped with a riot shield and stun gun- stomped into the hall, demanding an incoming figure to stop. They aimed their rifle, and prepared to fire. The guard never got the chance to pull the trigger as the figure's own shield all but slammed into the riot guard, causing them to stumble back quite the distance before the subject leaped, wrapped their legs around their neck, and swung themselves down, flipping and slamming the guard backwards onto the floor. The subject unlocked himself and brought his fiery-blue foot crashing onto the guards helmet.

The guard didn't move after that.

'Izuku, I hope you haven't killed anyone. Or you'll never be free now.'


"What. are. my. coordinates. This is the 5th time, and I won't ask again you vile pig." growled Nine from his position atop a Commission worker, foot pressed firmly against her throat.

"I… can't… breathe…" gasped the woman.

"And the sooner you comply, the sooner you will be able to," he pressed harder, eliciting another choked gasp. This wasn't working, the filth wasn't complying, and he was talking far too much. Just what had those scientists done to him? Whatever, it didn't matter, the Supreme Leader would know what to do with him once he was found. Nine removed his foot from the woman's throat, who gasped as the denied air rushed into her lungs.

Her relief was cut short as a fiery-blue foot slammed into her temple, knocking her out.

Activating Scan, Nine scanned for the woman's Quirk.

[Context]

[Allows the user to conduct thorough examinations.]

Not needed, his Scan and Eidetic Memory were far superior. With blue lighting flaring to life, Nine took off once more.

Only for his leg to be pulled from under him by an unidentified cloth.

The subject managed to catch himself in a front handspring before stomping on the cloth and grabbing the leash. Yanking it towards himself, he pulled his attempting captor towards him in order to deliver a punch. It was caught by his enemy's hand and thrown to the side before the boy received a quick chop to the head and a sweep to his feet. Unable to activate any of his Quirks as he fell, Nine grit his teeth and let himself hit the floor before kicking his bandaged foot at his enemy. A grunt of pain from a hit to the knee was his recompense, and Nine was able to pick himself up and leap at his attacker. It was dodged, but Nine's continued holding of the cloth allowed his target to be pulled off balance, and with his above-average strength, Nine was able to make the man stumble.

His Quirk flared to life once again, but were deactivated as fast as they activated. 'I know this feeling, but… how? Only the Erasure Hero: EraserHead can pull this off.'

Taking a turn, Nine's suspicions were confirmed correct as he stood a distance away from the Underground Hero himself. Eyeing his attempting captor, Nine took stock of any potential weak points. The eyes were obvious, but so were his knees and liver. With the subject's current height, the eyes would be harder to reach, but well-timed attacks to his lower areas should be able to destabilize his position and allow Nine to successfully hit… home… base.

'What in the world is hitting home base?'

"Izuku, calm down."

Nine whirled around. Still without his Quirks, he prepared to engage whatever scum was attempting to flank him. But… there was no one there.

"Izuku."

Nine faced EraserHead, who despite his glowing red eyes, primed telekinetic cloth, and his levitating hair, hadn't moved an inch. He was looking straight at him, "Izuku Kayama, do you remember me?"

Izuku? Who the hell…? Nine rose a brow amidst his scowl. "What are you talking about? Who is Izuku Kayama, there is no one here but us. And yes, you are EraserHead."

"How do you know me?"

Where was this man going with this? Was he stalling? Awaiting reinforcements, questioning for more information over Apotheosis? What was his game… plan. Where had he heard that term before? "You are a target set up for execution."

If the man was bothered by these words, he didn't show it, only continuing to stare him down. "Tell me, Izuku. Do you know my civilian name?"

"...No. Why should I care? And Izuku? You're defective, my assigned alias is Subject Nine."

EraserHead raised a brow, "You recognize me though, don't you Subject Nine?" he asked, seemingly playing along with the boy's behavior.

"...Yes -no… I don't know. But if you are from Apotheosis, then I suggest you state your name and rank along with my coordinates, otherwise I will use force to move on. I need to get back to the Supreme Leader, he is expecting me."

Talking. too. damn. much!

"Apotheosis was shut down three months ago, Subject Nine. Every scientist, worker, enforcer, and prisoner was secured by the Heroes in our raid."

W-what?

…What?!

WHAT?!

~-*-~

To EraserHead, the view in front of him was as conflicting as it was heart-breaking. The confident posture of the boy slowly eroding away the longer he kept eye contact, his snarl losing its edge and his mouth beginning to gape in disbelief, his breathing becoming more and more labored as he entered a fit of panic, his hands beginning to tremble, his words becoming mumbled incoherency. Even with his starting-to-sting eyes, EraserHead knew that the persona that the boy he believed he was was starting to crumble. He saw the look of doubt, the need to be reassured that the Hero in front of him was lying, but everytime the boy looked at him, it was obvious that a grim realization was setting in.

A realization that a biological superweapon, in the form of a 10-year-old child, was beginning to realize that his creators, the ones who trained him, the ones who assigned him a purpose, his entire reason for existing… were gone. Taken down by heroes, their facility shut down, their mission failed.

~-*-~

As for Nine, he was at a loss. What was he to do now? There were no records of contingency for this event, so… what would he do? Self-terminate? Attempt to continue the mission on his own? Surrender and be subject that whatever these wretched pigs had in plan for him? The mumblings, his earlier recklessness, his current state of panic… he was already defective enough as it was… maybe… this really was the end.

~-*-~

EraserHead, seeing the conflict swirl in the boy, began to take slow, tentative steps towards him. Never blinking, capture weapon ready to strike at the slightest provocation, but carefully trying to approach the winter-head, he spoke. "We freed you, you aren't Subject Nine. You aren't a weapon anymore, you are a person."

"..N-no."

"You have a choice now, as a child, to choose what you want to become."

"Stop it."

"Because you... are Izuku Kayama."

Izuku. Meaning an amazing person, adorable, long time… nine. Only one of those damned meanings was right, and Izuk- Nine knew which one truly belonged to him. This… this hero scum, trying to reinvent who he was, how… how dare he?! Attempting to discredit what Apotheosis had created, trying to downplay a superior being to his lowly standards?! With his sweaty and absurd clothing, his disheveled hair, his downtrodden appearance resembling that of a homeless dirtbag?! The… the... the piece of filth?!

The look of hate and utter disgust EraserHead received from the boy was so intense, he had to consciously remind himself that it was coming from a ten-year-old.

Damn it all, if Nine was to fall today, then he would ensure he wouldn't be the only one. With almost inhuman speed, the subject sped straight towards the Underground Hero, a vicious gleam in his eyes all the way. "MY NAME IS NINE!! AND I'LL DESTROY YOU AND THIS BLASPHEMOUS BUILDING IF IT'S THE LAST THING I DO!! FOR APOTHEOSIS!!!!"

EraserHead growled in frustration as his eyes refused to stay open any longer, and blinked. 'Damn it!'

His capture weapon burst forward, but the boy had been too quick. With blue lightning sparking to life once again, he dodged and grabbed the cloth. Predicting what was to happen, EraserHead loosened more of his capture weapon, avoiding being thrown off balance as the subject pulled harshly. Rushing in, EraserHead rationalized that while he didn't want to hurt Izuku, he could not afford to hold back. The boy had been trained to kill, his earlier words proved that. But the Underground Hero could see that the emotions Izuku had been raised without were now a liability.

EraserHead would take full advantage of that.

"For Apotheosis? Didn't you hear my words earlier? Apotheosis is dead. Erased. Each one of your masters is gone, they'll never be part of any society ever again!" he taunted.

"SHUT UP!" exclaimed Nine, fiery blue mist and lightning trailing behind his furious flurry of fists and feet. They were far from uncoordinated, even in his state of anger, but they weren't as precise as the Hero had seen before. The emotions were taking their toll.

"You are not Subject Nine! Not anymore!"

A lunge, followed by a sweeping kick, one that EraserHead jumped over. "I AM!! THAT IS ALL THAT I AM!!"

EraserHead gave an open-palm strike to the boy's back. "No! You are Izuku Kayama! Son of Nemuri Kayama! The Pro Hero Midnight!"

The subject whirled around, fist at the ready. "I WILL NOT BE SON TO THAT SHAMEFUL WHORE! I'LL KILL HER AFTER I'M FINISHED WITH-!"

Not allowing the boy to get a breather, EraserHead slammed a fist into Nine's nose; the latter's enhanced structure being the only thing preventing it from breaking under the impact. It did leave him plenty stunned though, giving the Underground Hero another chance to spin and land a backwards kick across his cheek.

'Apotheosis created him practically without emotions,' thought EraserHead to himself, 'A quality fit for a puppet. But he's been with us for just over three months, and the emotions stuck. Now that he's been supposedly 'reset', he doesn't know how to manage them… I'll just have to keep goading him, and wait for an opportunity.'

"You're one of us now, Izuku! No longer a tool for those fanatics to use! Don't you remember your words, 'I want to become a hero', to your mother?" He jumped over a speeding clothesline attack, evaded a backhand fist, slapped away a flurry of Lin Wan Kuen punches, and landed a knee on the boy's temple. Everytime EraserHead went in for a hit, he activated Erasure, allowing Izuku's damage to stick without the further enhanced durability of his Quirks. "I said it once, I'll say it again, Problem Child! You-"

"ENOUGH!"

With the most furious snarl he had mustered, Nine launched himself straight at the hero. The fist was flaring with power, humming as… oh no.

[Chi: 100% Power Output]

[Danger: Injury Imminent]

It was now or never. EraserHead ignored the stinging in his eyes, activating Erasure with all his effort.

The look of regretful shock that flashed through the boy's eyes as he sailed towards him was enough confirmation Nine had been blinded by his emotions, and had finally been caught off-guard.

'Sorry Problem Child, but holding back against you could prove fatal to everyone in this building, this is going to hurt.'

EraserHead lifted his leg, and swung with all his might. His shin made contact with Nine's neck, eliciting a choked gasp from the child. Child, now that left a sour taste in EraserHead's mouth. Nine flew back, impacting the wall harshly, drawing another grunt of pain as he bounced from the impact.

That stalled moment in the air was exactly what EraserHead had been waiting for. Grabbing the entirety of his capture weapon, the Underground Hero flung the cloth straight towards the boy, but kept the end tip in his hand. Expanding like a spiderweb as it flew, it soon draped over the stunned boy loosely like a lasso, but not for long. Held by EraserHead, the tip he had grasped in his hand held a small button, a taser disk.

With the press of his thumb, the disk let out an electric current, which flowed through the capture weapon like a river. As soon as the current passed through the bindings holding the boy, the net around him stiffened firmly, tightening around his small figure and holding him in place. With Erasure still on, and the reinforced cloth hardened, there was little chance of escape.

Especially with the subject making no more attempts to resist.

The fight was over.

Shota let out a breath he hadn't known to be holding. Eyeing his now restrained Problem Child, the scruffy man walked slowly to him, keeping a firm hold on the current and the cloth. The boy made no move, not even appearing to breathe with how still he was. Shota kneeled down to eye level. "Izuku..."

"What are you waiting for? Finish it."

The man rose a brow. "And why would I do that? I'm a Hero, not a mercenary," Lowering himself further, he sighed at the cold look of defeat expressed through Nine's emerald eyes. "Nine… look at me."

Nine obeyed, his submission a far cry from his previous rage. Big, wide green eyes peered at the man; despite their blankness, they truly held a sense of loss, of defeat, of hopelessness. It hurt to see a child so young -artificially bred or not- in such a state. Shota put a hand on the boy's shaved head, "Look into my eyes, study my features, search your memory. Do you remember me?"

The subject blinked once, twice, three, four times. It would be considered rather cute if it weren't for the tears welling up at their corners. "It hurts, everything hurts. I… I don't know what to search for."

Shota decided to go slower on the boy, no need to aggravate whatever injuries he held further. "There was an explosion, you were injured. You hid yourself away in a room, where we found you. More specifically, where Midnight; Nemuri Kayama, and I found you. Do you remember that?"

"Explosion… pain… blood…" the boy winced as he attempted to clutch at his head, his features grimacing in pain.

"Do you remember the pair of heroes who found you?" repeated Shota. The boy's eyes searched the Hero's features, desperately trying to find something, anything, to let him know who this man might be to him. Shota rubbed Izuku's head comfortingly, "Relax, stop straining yourself. Don't think of anything, just close your eyes, and focus on my voice. Let your subconscious do the rest."

Nine's eyes fluttered shut, his breathing returning to normal as his body relaxed under his bindings. As per his captor's orders, he began to shut everything else off, his ears honing onto the strong and tired voice of EraserHead.

Shota rubbed at Nine's bald head, petting it gently like one of his many cats. Not the most appropriate thing to do at the moment perhaps, but it seemed to soothe the boy's nerves, so he continued. "My name is Shota Aizawa. Do you recognize the name?"

Nine focused on the name. Shota… Aizawa... yes, it was familiar, as if it had been spoken from the subject's own lips before. He gave a small nod.

"Nemuri Kayama, Pro Hero Midnight. Do you recognize that name, and not from your target list, no, this is more personal. You call her Mother, how about that?"

Mother… yes, yes he had heard -no, spoken that word before. Another nod.

"Hizashi Yamada, Present Mic. You've recently taken to calling him Uncle Mic, correct?"

"Y-yes?"

"And Superior Nezu? The creature whose obsession with Chess would be -in your words- his downfall? All Might? The smiling buffoon you admire greatly?"

"...Yes," Good, Nine's answers were starting to become solid.

"You have been living with your Mother for almost over three months. You have shopped with her, chatted with her, fought alongside her, protected her."

"Yes," Nine's answers were more confident now. More sure of themselves.

"But most importantly, you've protected others, you proved that you are willing to abandon who Apotheosis wanted you to be. You've shown that anyone, no matter their origins, can change for the better…"

A commotion could be heard approaching from the far halls. Great, the security guards were coming, just his luck. What were they planning to do, punish the kid? If it weren't for- no, wait, hold on. That's Hizashi's voice! And were those heels sounding against the floor? That meant…

'Finally Nemuri, about time you got here.'

Deciding to use whatever time was left for their little one-on-one to finish what the irrational Commission had started, Shota softly touched his forehead with the boy's. The latter flinched harshly, thicker tears beginning to trickle out like raindrops from a swollen cloud, and a small... so utterly vulnerable whine leaving his lips.

Shota only brought the boy closer; he had gotten this far, he wouldn't stop now. "You're not some tool to be used for anyone's leisure. You're a person, child; one that has expressed his desire to make a choice. A choice to return the kindness given to him by strangers, kindness given by the enemy that that boy was born to destroy."

"Little Listener's this way! Shota's got him calmed down I think!"

"Izuku! Sweetie!"

Shota brought Nine into his arms, the cloth now loosened and falling from his figure. "You, Izuku Kayama, are a hero in the making. And no one, no one, will make us think otherwise."

Nine gasped.

~-*-~

When Nemuri Kayama, Hizashi Yamada, Shira Shindai, and fifteen armored guards finally rounded the corner, they were met with a sight that would never fail to leave their minds.

Shota Aizawa, hugging a weeping Izuku Kayama as he rocked back and forth amid a hallway of destruction. The younger of the two apologizing profusely as he bawled.

"...I'm sorry Uncle, I'm so, so sorry."


End of Chapter 10