Captain Blues: And this is it. The SECOND encounter with the Sludge Villian and a significant issue with this Quirk will release some darker aspects to Izuku.

My Hero Academia: Two Minds, One Body
Chapter Three

[Aldera Junior High (Afternoon)
POV: Mirā Ukuzi]

After the explosive confrontation between Uzuki and Bakugou, Uzuki and Izuku found themselves in the middle of the school's rumor mill.

"T-This is strange," Izuku muttered as Uzuki walked down the halls, ignore the appraising looks from the various students. "Everyone is p-paying more a-attention to us, Uzu-kun. I-I do not like it," Izuku said, the white mist shrinking around Uzuki, causing the various students to gasp.

Uzuki frowned and replied, 'I know Izu. I just don't think they were expecting us to face down Bakugou the way we did. I'm sure it'll die down by tomorrow.'

'I-I hope so,' Izuku murmured.

"Midoriya-san!" A voice shouted from behind Uzuki. Uzuki turned around to see a 6'ft humanoid fox girl with long blonde hair, emerald-green eyes, and two tails swaying behind her.

'U-um….S-She's really tall…' Uzuki stammered.

Uzuki heard Izuku giggle before he asked, "I've n-never heard you s-stammer before."

'I wasn't expecting to talk to her a girl today,' Uzuki replied.

"H-Hey," Uzuki said.

"I know this is out of the blue, but the school is buzzing about you standing up to Bakugou, and I wanted to say see you," the girl happily said. "Bakugou has been such a jerk since school started. It was nice to see someone stand up to him and take him down a peg, especially you."

"He bullied me for many years. It took a while to summon up the courage. But now that I have, I hope everyone finds the courage to stand up to their bully or bullies," Uzuki replied.

The girl nodded, her expression becoming thoughtful before a smile graced her muzzle. "You're right. Maybe It's time I stand up to my bullies too. Thank you, Midoriya-san."

Uzuki gave her a small smile and said, "Glad to have inspired you."

Flustered, The foxy girl let out a shy giggle then said, "W-Well, that's all I wanted to tell you. U-um, you have a good day, Midoriya-san!"

The girl quickly ran off, leaving the befuddled Uzuki behind.

"You s-sure did inspire her," Izuku murmured. "But I w-wish she knew that it w-wasn't me that i-inspired her…It was you."

'Let's stop that,' Uzuki said. 'We're two halves of the same coin, Izu. Your accomplishments are mine and vice versa. Besides, I wouldn't have been able to inspire her if you hadn't done the brave thing and accepted the dark truths about yourself. We both inspired that girl. Not me. Got it?'

"H-How can you be confident with m-me, b-but be shy with that girl?" Izuku questioned.

Uzuki grumbled, 'Shuddap…'

Izuku giggled again and said, "T-Thank you, Uzu-kun…"

'Anytime, Izu,' Uzuki replied as he continued to walk outside.

"N-Now, we should go over our Quirk. J-Just to make sure I have it right," Izuku began. "Quirk: Gemini. Description: Gemini is a Quirk that allows the user to combine with their Shadow. A Shadow is the true self suppressed by the user or, the Shadow is a semi-mirror version of the user. "

'Semi-Mirror?' Uzuki asked as he sat down on a bench outside, focusing on Izuku instead of the various noises and sounds of all the other kids at recess.

"Y-Yes," Izuku said. "I-If you were a complete mirror version of me, you would be pure evil. Our personalities are different, but the core of us remains the same. We both want to help people and become heroes. You're prone to anger, confident, sarcastic, and laid back while I…."

'While you are Humble, kind, selfless, caring, and timd,' Uzuki said.

"R-Right. There is a lot of overlap between us, but we are two sides of the same coin. That is why I say "Semi-mirror" instead of a complete one," Izuku said with a happy tone. "W-Where was I? Oh yes. Once the user accepts the Shadow, the Shadow becomes one with them, granting them not only their "mind" as a council to the user but grants them special abilities that suit each "mind.""

"Main Ability: Switch," Izuku continued. "It allows the two personalities or "minds" to switch control over their singular body. Side Ability One: Healing Bullet. Healing Bullet is the unique ability of the Midoriya Izuku "mind." It allows Izuku to-"

'D-Did you just refer to yourself in the third person?' Uzuki asked.

"S-Shush," Izuku said. "It allows Izuku to fire a shard of healing energy from his fingertips. There is a second ability, potentially a passive ability, but it is unknown at this time. For the unique ability of the Mirā Ukuzi "mind," he possesses Side Ability Two: Necrotic Edge."

"Necrotic Edge grants Uzuki the ability to harness a blade made of poisonous energy that can not only damage the physical body but harm the spirit of that body as well. He also possesses the passive ability: Shadow's Will. Anyone who holds a will weaker than his will succumb to a fear effect," Izuku explained.

"End Note: The ceiling of this Quirk is unknown, as the Shadow only knows its beginning but not how far it can go, but I hypothesize that it has a vast amount of hidden potential and that it can evolve," Izuku finished.

'Very good,' Uzuki proudly said. 'But that's not all. There is one crucial thing you need to know regarding Healing Bullet and Necrotic Edge.'

"T-There is?" Izuku asked.

'Yeah. I was hoping you could think about the two things for me. One: What were the emotions we had when using the abilities, and Two: What type of pain were we feeling?' Uzuki asked.

Izuku was silent for a moment before he said, "You were very angry with Kaccha….Bakugou," Izuku corrected. "And you seemed to hurt your palm…And as for me, I was feeling distraught about the bird being in pain. It wanted to be the one in pain instead of the bird…"

Uzuki felt a feeling of realization come from Izuku.

"Pain and emotion…." Izuku muttered.

'That is the crucial piece of our Quirk. When I first appeared, you were at your lowest. Your confidence was destroyed, your self-worth was crushed, and you despised who you were for so many years. You shaped how this Quirk works,' Uzuki explained.

'You're over-emotional, so our power works on that emotion. The stronger we feel it, the stronger our ability is. The anger and bitterness that built up from all these years are what fuels me. The guilt and sorrow you feel are what fuels you. And it is those emotions that fuel the Healing Bullet and Necrotic Edge,' Uzuki finished.

"O-Oh…" Izuku murmured.

'As for the pain, We need the pain to release our respective abilities. You, emotional pain because that is what you dealt with all of your life. For me, physical pain is what helps,' Uzuki said.

"Why?" Izuku asked.

'I am your Shadow, Izu. We both know why I need the physical pain…' Uzuki answered with a soft chuckle.

"I-I'm sorry…." Izuku whispered as Uzuki felt both guilt and sorrow coming from Izuku. "I-I'm messed up, aren't I-I?"

'We better get back inside. Recess is over,' Uzuki replied softly.

"Uzu-kun! A-Answer me!" Izuku yelled.

Uzuki sighed.

'Izuku…This is who we are. Yeah, what happened to you shaped how our Quirk works, and yes, it's fucked up, but we can change,' Uzuki told him.

Uzuki stood up from the bench at the sounds of the ringing bell and said, 'Remember, I can see where our Quirk comes from, but you will determine where it goes from here.'

[Tatooine Shopping District (Afternoon)
POV: Mirā Ukuzi]

'If I am in control anytime we go into a grocery store, I'm switching back,' an annoyed Uzuki muttered while Izuku giggled in amusement.

Despite the dark spot earlier in the day, things had gone relatively smooth for the rest of the school day. Afterward was a different story.

Midoriya Inko, aka their mother, asked them to go to the store to grab a few items for dinner that night. Izuku thought it would be a glorious idea due to breaking the news that Izuku did have a Quirk and introduce Uzuki to her.

After school let out, Uzuki had rushed over to the Tatooine Shopping District to grab some items from the grocery store at their mother's behest.

It didn't go well.

"Y-You were so mad when that person cut you twice in two separate lines. I-I thought y-you were going to release Necrotic Edge on him," Izuku laughed.

'Never. Again,' Uzuki muttered.

As they walked past a television store, an image of All-Might battling some villain was seen on several screens, which caused Uzuki to pause and watch them.

"L-Looks like this happened just a few h-hours ago," Izuki stated.

Uzuki frowned.

All-Might was their hero, but Uzuki couldn't help but be bitter about the man after their revealing conversation yesterday.

"You're a-angry," Izuku noted.

'Not angry. Just disappointed…' Uzuki replied. 'I mean, All-Might is the best. I know that, and in a way, he's like us. I just can't stop replaying how bad you felt after your conversation with him.'

"I do t-too," Izuku whispered. "I understand what he was trying to say, but….it hurt all the same…More than he'll ever know…"

Suddenly, an explosion was heard a few streets down from where Uzuki stood. Uzuki turned his head sharply to the left to see a large cloud of black smoke in the distance. "Uzu-kun!" Izuku yelled.

'I know!' Uzuki said as he dropped the bags of groceries and began to run towards the area.

When Uzuki got close to the area, he came upon a warzone.

There were flames everywhere; several stores were on fire, and Pro-Heroes kept the growing crowd in line.

But through the flames and the chaos, Uzuki saw it.

The Sludge Villain and he had Bakugou ensnared by its slimy tendrils.

'Hey, isn't that the villain All-Might took down yesterday?' Uzuki asked.

"It is," Izuku confirmed. "How can that be? How did it get away from All-Might?" Izuku questioned. "H-He had trapped in a soda bottle and…"

Uzuki felt horror come from Izuku.

"I struggled against him yesterday….He m-must dropped it somehow. T-This is my fault," Izuku whimpered. "I did this. This is my fault. I latched onto All-Might and then struggled in the air. Now Ka-Bakugou has been captured."

'And looks like All-Might is MIA,' Uzuki muttered with narrowed eyes. 'From that news report we saw a bit ago, he was in battle. He must be at his limit now….'

"We have to do something!" Izuku yelled. "I know what it's like to be in that thing's grasp. It's dreadful. We can't allow anyone else to go through with that! Not even Bakugou!"

'You don't want to wait for a hero?' Uzuki questioned.

"….No. There are Pro-Heroes around but listen to them. They are all screaming for a more suitable hero to save him, and there are none around! This is my fault, and I need to set it right!" Izuku said.

'That's exactly what I wanted you to say!' Uzuki said with a smirk as he raised his left palm and sliced it with his thumb, activating Necrotic Edge.

Uzuki dashed through the crowd then vaulted over the makeshift barricade, much to the horror of the Pro-Heroes and public alike, and ran through the flames towards Sludge Villain.

"Kid! What are you doing! It's suicide!" A Pro-Hero shouted after him.

Uzuki looked back and shouted, "That blond idiot is an asshole, but he's an asshole who doesn't deserve to die!" Uzuki looked forward and maneuvered around falling debris as he got closer to his objective.

As Uzuki ran closer, he could see Bakugou's fearful eyes as Sludge Villain continued to force himself upon Bakugou. "From struggling and clawing at him yesterday, he seemed resistant to physical abilities," Izuku told Uzuki, who smirked.

'Good thing Necrotic Edge slices then,' Uzuki said as he drew closer, lifting his left arm in preparation.

"We need to make an opening and then use that to attack. Reference Page 25!" Izuku shouted.

'I got just the thing to do that!' Uzuki yelled.

The singular eye of Sludge Villain turned to look at Uzuki and shouted, "You're the kid! Get lost; I already have a new body!" as he swung his arm at Uzuki.

Uzuki took his book bag and swung it at the villain, causing its contents to fly out and nail the villain in its large eye, which startled it enough to free Bakugou's head.

"W-What the hell?!" Bakugou coughed out as he looked at the oncoming Uzuki. "W-Why are you here?!"

"I came to save your dumb ass!" Uzuki yelled as he swiped the edge of the blade down the sludge's body.

"That hurt! That actually hurt!" The villain screamed out in both alarm and pain as the sludge ripped open to reveal Bakugo's chest and left arm. Uzuki reached forward and grabbed Bakugou's arm, and began to pull on it to free the bully.

Uzuki was suddenly hit in his side by a tendril, which sent him flying to the right and rolling against the ground in pain. "Fuck!" Uzuki screamed.

"Ow! We need to be more careful!" Izuku exclaimed as Uzuki got back to his feet and charged forward.

"Fuck off! This kid is mine!" Sludge Villain screamed as he swung another tendril at Uzuki.

With zero hesitation, Uzuki jumped into the air as hard as he could and shouted, "Let that piece of shit go!" as he swung Necrotic Edge at the oncoming tendril, causing it to go limp and fall off as Sludge villain wailed in pain.

"You caused that pain!" The villain yelled as Uzuki landed with a skid. Another Tendril shot out and collided with Uzuki's chest, sending the teen soaring back into a brick wall, which cracked beneath the impact.

White-hot pain-filled both Uzuki and Izuku to the point of nearly falling unconscious at the blow, but like before, Uzuki swung Necrotic Edge and sliced through the tendril, causing the villain to wail in agony once again, allowing Uzuki to fall to the ground in pain.

Uzuki looked at Necrotic Edge and saw the blade increase in size, but the pain was too severe. He could hardly move.

"T-This hurts so much," Izuku whimpered in agony as Uzuki stabbed the ground with his weapon and lifted himself to his feet.

'Fuck, that really hurt. I can hardly stand….' Uzuki said.

"Did he b-break a rib?" Izuku questioned as Sludge Villain's eye bulged as red veins grew more pronounced.

"You fucking brat! I'm going to kill you!" the villain screamed as it lunged a gigantic tendril at Uzuki.

'It's too many to dodge!' Uzuki thought as a blue hue appeared on his face.

"Uzu-kun!" Izuku screamed.

Suddenly, a white blur appeared in front of Uzuki, and the tendrils struck him, causing a massive explosion to shake the area.

When the smoke cleared, both Uzuki and Izuku looked ahead to see a familiar sight.

"A-All-Might?" Uzuki stammered in alarm.

"I AM TRULY A HYPOCRITE," All-Might chuckled out as Uzuki trembled in both surprise and pain, the Number 1 Hero holding the tendril back with his right forearm.

All-Might smiled at Uzuki and said, "EVEN THOUGH I TOLD YOU ALL THE TRAITS THAT MADE A CHAMPION OF JUSTICE, I WASN'T PUTTING WHAT I SAID INTO PRACTICE!" All-Might ripped his bulging arm from the tendrils that had trapped him.

Uzuki watched as All-Might, with blood spurting from his mouth, grabbed the arms of Bakugou as he shouted, "PROS ARE ALWAYS RISKING THEIR LIVES…THAT IS THE TRUE TEST OF A HERO!"

"Damn you, All-Might!" Sludge Villain screamed as he raised another large tendril at All-Might.

"DETRIOT…SMASH!" All-Might screamed as he delivered a hard-hitting jab at the Sludge Villain while pulling Bakugou free, causing a gust of wild wind that morphed into a typhoon to instantly evaporate Sludge Villain and the flames that surrounded the area.

Without warning, the clear blue sky was filled with storm clouds, and it began to rain while All-Might knelt there, wisps of smoke flowing from his arm.

All-Might stood up and faced Uzuki and winded his right arm with a large grin. "NOTHING LIKE A LITTLE BIT OF EXERCISE TO CLOSE OUT THE DAY!"

"Holy-" Izuku started

"-Shit," Uzuki finished.

All-Might laughed.

[Streets of Musutafu, Japan (Evening)
POV: Mirā Ukuzi]

"I cannot believe it!" Izuku excitedly yelled, the white mist around Uzuki warbling around him. "We helped save Bakugou! We had our first fight! We helped All-Might! We saw the Detroit Smash! Wow!"

'I'm just glad we were healed. That shit hurt,' Uzuki groaned as he walked down the street towards his apartment building, his hands filled with groceries. 'Too bad we didn't get to apologize to All-Might as you wanted to.'

"I'm sure w-we'll get another chance. I'm just happy everything worked o-out," Izuku said.

"NERD!" A voice screamed from behind him.

"Fuck me," Uzuki groaned as he turned around to see Bakugou walking up to him, a scowl on his face. "Well, well. What do I owe the pleasure, asshole?" Uzuki asked as Bakugou caught his breath.

"I never asked you to help me, driftwood," Bakugou hissed out. "You didn't help me! Got it, Deku!"

"I know you didn't. Your ego would permit it. But I'll just say, "You're welcome," and continue with my life," Uzuki replied as he turned away and began to walk.

"Don't look down on me!" Bakugou yelled from behind.

"Uzu-kun….Switch with me," Izuku whispered.

Uzuki wanted to ask if he was sure, but he felt resolution coming from Izuku, and that alone gave him his answer. 'Gemini: Switch,' Uzuki murmured.

The moment Uzuki thought those words, Uzuki felt a hard tug in the back of his skull, which caused him to fly back, his vision brightening temporarily, only to return through a black fog.

[Streets of Musutafu, Japan (Evening)
POV: Midoriya Izuku]

Izuki slowly turned his head as he repeated, "Look down on you?"

Izuku turned around completely to look at Bakugou and felt both resentment and sorrow at the sight of the scowling teen

With tears in his eyes, Izuku said, "You looked down on me for years. You bullied me, humiliated me, and hurt me up so bad I couldn't face another day. And now I save your life, at the risk of my own just to make sure that you, the person that has tormented me, the person who told me to kill myself just a day ago, the person who betrayed our friendship, stayed alive, and you ask me not to look down on you?!"

The road was silent as Bakugou's scowl lessened, and for a moment, Izuku could see something in Bakugou's eyes.

Was it remorse?

Was it fear?

No, it didn't matter.

Not anymore.

"I saved you because somewhere in my twisted heart, despite it all, I didn't want you to die because no matter how I might feel about you, a Hero never walks away from someone in need. With that said, whatever history, whatever feelings, whatever friendship we had is gone. Please stay out of my life," Izuku told him before he turned around and walked away.

"D-Deku!" Bakugou exclaimed.

Izuku paused and looked back at Bakugou and said, "I wish you the best, Bakugou Katsuki," Izuku turned around and continued to walk away.

'Wow….I wasn't expecting that….' Uzuki said.

'He wanted to be free of me for so long. It felt right to grant his wish. As a last token of our past, 'Izuku replied. 'Now, we can think of the fu-"

"I AM HERE!"

Captain Blues: And that is it. The next chapter will have All-Might and Deku talk. Until then, catch you later!