Izuku
It's at moments like this that I think back to the future that never was. Where Reborn took me aside and explained in a low calm voice what was going on. I remember it clearly, because it's one of the few times I can remember Reborn even coming close to gentle, it's what made me realize he cared about me more than he wanted to admit. He told me what war was. Told me that by the end of this, I'd most likely have blood on my hands, that my friends may die.
He was right on both accounts.
Yuni and Gamma sacrificed themselves to bring back the Arcobaleno.
And I killed Byakuran in retaliation.
I was ill prepared for the realities of what had happened, and after wounds were treated and the adrenaline worked its way out of my system, Reborn took me aside again.
I'll always remember what he told me that day, hidden from the others in a remote part of the base. "Don't let them see you're human Tsuna. Not your family, and certainly not your enemy. You can break down all you want when it's over, when it's just your family watching. But when you're out there, facing down the enemy with your family at your back, if they see you're as human as the rest of them your enemies will use that to destroy you."
I asked if that's what happened to the Tsuna from that time.
Reborn didn't have an answer for me.
So here I am again. Facing down an enemy I can only hope to beat, with the people I care about behind me. Now's not the time to get caught up in emotions, to scream and rage at the abomination they created at how they hurt what's mine. Now is the time to lock those parts that make me human away. To become cold and calculating. To let that apathy encroach just that little bit more.
I don't need to win this time. I only need to buy time. Not that I won't do my level best to destroy this abomination. If for nothing else, but to make the screaming stop.
"You won't get away with this." I flatly inform him.
The blue haired man laughs hysterically. "And what can a NPC like you do about it?"
"This." I move behind him faster than he can react and kick him clear across the plaza. He bounces a few times before finally coming to a skidding halt. He shakily pushes himself back up glaring daggers at me. My flames purr in satisfaction at the look of out rage on his face.
He notices the hand covering his face had been dislodged and he just loses it, "How dare you! How dare a NPC like you!" He can't seem to think past his anger. He points at me and commands, "Nomu! Kill him!"
The abomination is fast, it appears before me and I only just react fast enough to dodge. I can barely stay ahead of it even with my intuition. I try to keep to the air as much as possible. The Nomu may be able to still reach me, but it doesn't have the same maneuverability I do in the air.
However, it's also thankfully stupid. It only seems to be able to follow orders in the most straightforward fashion. Probably because they shoved a bunch of people together. And whoever made this atrocity clearly didn't think what multiple minds in one body would do. It's foul and disgusting, and I'm sure as hell going to track this asshole down to beat his face in. But right now I'm resentfully thankful for their lack of forethought. As this gives me a bit of an edge. But not enough to really matter. I get the sinking feeling I'll need every advantage I can get. I was already exhausted before this.
We chase each other across the plaza, leaving craters and scorch marks in our wake, neither of us making contact. This changes I get thrown to the ground when a punch clips my ribs, I hadn't dodged quick enough. My side explodes in agony, I'm absolutely certain they are broken. Spitting a mouthful of blood on the ground I launched myself out of the crater and back into the air hitting it with a fireball to cover my retreat.
Only for it to do absolutely nothing. Great. That's just perfect. Guess I'll just have to hit it harder.
A few moments later I catch a needed opening. "Big Bang Axel!"
The huge ball of fire slams the Nomu directly into the pavement, and for a split second I think I finally got it until it stands the damaged flesh knitting itself together until it doesn't look like it was ever injured in the first place. I groan in frustration. Impact absorption and super regeneration. Seriously?! On top of it's super strength!? How many people did they smash together? Actually no, I really don't want to know. And the continued screaming at the back of my mind is really not helping. I lament dodging yet another punch.
Well. This thing was made to defeat All Might, I guess it makes sense that it's such a pain in the ass to fight. Not that I'm any less bitter about it.
There's no way I'll be able to form a X-burner with it so close on my trail, and I doubt that it will be able to do any meaningful damage. Even if it did, I'd probably have to hit it multiple times, to overwhelm its damned super regeneration. And I just don't have the reserves for that right now. I realize I won't be able to keep this up for very long when I barely manage to dodge a punch only to be slammed into the ground by the air pressure.
I grit my teeth and force myself to my feet. Shiragaki is mocking me in the background. Proudly proclaiming that there's nothing I could do to it. And I would really like to wipe that grin off his face if I wasn't already occupied with the Nomu.
Brute force isn't going to work. And at the rate I'm tiring, I won't be able to avoid it until All Might gets here. It's time to try a different approach.
An idea suddenly comes to me. It's an incredibly stupid and risky idea, but it's the only one I have. Bringing my hands in front of me, I zone out everything else. My flames flicker in and out in preparation. Hardening my resolve I stare down the Nomu, I'll only have one shot at this.
As I expected the Nomu charges straight at me.
My legs tense, leaning hard into my intuition I wait until the last possible moment. Now!
I leap flipping over the Nomu just barely clearing its punch. My hands pointed straight down at it's head.
"Zero point breakthrough! First edition." The jagged ice shoots out from my hands and encases the Nomu's head. I land roughly on the other side, breathing heavily and just barely holding on to hyper mode.
It immediately drops to the ground with a loud thud, and not even Shiragaki screaming his head off makes it even twitch.
In the ice, time is perfectly frozen. According to Xanxus when he was frozen he hadn't felt anything. When he was later released it was as if no time had passed. He hadn't aged a day, in the eight years he had been imprisoned. The only evidence left were the frostbite scars.
Since it was the brain I went after, the nerves to the body can no longer transmit signals to the rest of the body. It can no longer hear, move or follow orders. It's now just an ugly lump of flesh. As an added bonus, the screaming has also stopped.
"What did you do!" Shiagaki screeches enraged. "How could you have broken my ultimate weapon! What are you!"
"Why should I tell you?" There are many possible answers to that question.
Monster, hero- it doesn't really matter what they call me. It all boils down to one thing in the end. The all encompassing sky. Someone like him wouldn't understand, Couldn't possibly know what that actually means. So I don't bother answering his demands. There is no answer I could give that would mean anything to him.
I force myself to stay upright through sheer force of will, I won't be able to hold out for much longer. I've used up way more flames than I should have. I may have had no choice, but my body is suffering for it. I nearly sag in relief when I feel Byakuran's flames above me.
"We need to leave." Kurogiri orders, cutting off another tantrum. "Reinforcements will be here soon." Shiragaki glares knives at him, but surprisingly doesn't argue.
"This isn't over." He hisses glare promising retribution and stomps through the portal followed closely by Kurogiri.
"No, it's not." I agree letting myself fall to my knees gasping for breath when I'm sure they're gone. I grimace at the blood dripping down my nose. I've overdone it. I slowly let go of hyper mode, it nearly knocks me out when the pain fully hits me. God everything hurts. I took more damage than I thought I had.
Groaning in pain I lower myself to my good side before I end up collapsing on my face.
Byakuran's flames softly caress mine as he lands in front of me, "You always get in the worst messes Tsunayoshi."
I weakly glare up at him. He isn't smiling, he's watching me with a serious face that doesn't suit him at all.
"Smile. That face just makes you look constipated."
He finches as if I struck him. "You remember."
"Mmn" I hum my agreement and slur. "Not 'oing anywhere."
My eyelids are getting harder to keep open.
"Of course not." He gives a rare gentle smile stroking my hair. "What would I do without my favorite toy?"
"''estroy the 'orld?" I let my eyes close. Basking in the warmth of my fellow sky.
"Ha! You tell me the sweetest things Tsu-kun." He pushes flames through our bond. "Rest I'll take care of the rest."
" 'K" reveling in the warmth that seeks to pull me into unconsciousness.
"I AM HERE!"
I huff a laugh, he's awfully late to the party, finally I let my stubborn hold on consciousness go. Content in the knowledge everything is over.