My mother's worried and frantic scolding seemed distant in the hospital bed. Bandages had been applied to my face, and I would end up with scars from this, but I couldn't bring myself to care. All Might had been right, and that woman...
Something in me had broken from the things she had said. Even after I was discharged and back to school it was like I wasn't even there. Bakugo hadn't even stopped me, no one even spoke to me, the scar above my eye and the cold indifference that had found its home in my eyes pushed them away without me having to do anything. Even my mother looked at me with sad and frightened eyes. I couldn't stand it, so I started staying after school, heading to the roof to watch the city through the afternoon. I only got home around sunset each day, barely saying a word to my mother. I would go to my room, read the news, write a few notes, then go to bed.
It was peaceful, and became my routine over the next few weeks. Peaceful in a melancholy sort of way. I hadn't even been thinking about high school entry exams, nor would I get the chance to.
It happened on a particularly bad day, when I was by the ledge, thinking. The school year was almost over, and the ever familiar voice of my childhood friend turned tormentor rang in my mind as I looked down at the pavement below.
And take a swan dive off the roof
"Thinking about taking my advice, Deku!?" that harsh voice made me flinch. I didn't even turn around. "Hey, I'm talkin' to you!" I sighed, and turned to face him, my eyes locking on his.
"What do you want, Kacchan?" I asked him.
"Just wanted to say my goodbyes, we probably won't ever see each other again." he said, cracking his knuckles. "I won't ever be able to give you another beating." I didn't care, not one bit. He lunged to grab my shirt, and I didn't care at all, but my body moved on its own. I sidestepped and he stumbled, keeping his balance with an explosion from his palm. He was angry now, swinging with a left hook, and again, I avoided it, stepping back. He grabbed with his right again, I turned and his hand slipped past me. Then, and explosion from his palm and the back of his hand swung like a baseball bat into my cheek. I fell, the taste of blood in my mouth. He straddled my waist, left hand balled into a fist with my shirt in it, and the right hand beating me senseless. After I felt myself slipping, I threw up an arm, my left arm, to stop his. He kept beating, and I just took it.
Bakugo was getting more and more irritated. I didn't cry, I didn't plead or cower, I didn't even make a noise, I just took it. It didn't matter anymore. He stopped, panting slightly. Furry burned in his eyes, then he glanced at the spot where I had been a moment before. He grinned, sadistic and evil. This was really the kind of guy that could become a top hero? The kind of guy who could get into the most prestigious hero school in the world? For the first time in a while I felt something. I was too weak for rage, but I felt a fire burning, I felt despair at what this world had become.
Bakugo dragged me to the edge and held me by my shirt. My toes barely touched the side as he leaned me over. I involuntarily squeaked, to my tormentor's delight.
"That's better, feeling how pathetic you really are, finally." He sneered. My hands clutched at his wrist and forearm.
"You're the pathetic one." He murmured, tears pricking at the corner of my eyes. It hurt, the injustice of it all hurt. I squeezed, feeling that despair enveloping me, I was drowning. Bakugo's face was still hard, but it was blank now, as if my words had surprised him. That was when something inside me snapped. I smiled, briefly thinking about All Might. However, I didn't smile to trick my fear, I smiled because I had none. It was gone, and now I was smiling at my tormentor with a wicked grin, one that hinted at something similar to insanity. Now Bakugo started to look a little scared, frozen in place.
"I want you to remember this, Bakugo." I said, that smile still on my face. I clenched my fist and punched him in the face. It felt great. The pressure was gone from my shirt, and I was falling now. It felt freeing, my eyes closed as I plummeted backwards, that same eerie smile curling my lips. I was something else now, and for a few seconds, I was free.
Then I hit the pavement and felt a crunch, my arm, my back, it was painful, but dull in a way. My body went still, my vision was blurry. I heard footsteps, someone screamed. I caught the glimpse of blonde hair, and a high school uniform, and a smile, like a fanged monster. Compounding that odd sort of smile was flushed cheeks, an image of a strange, wild looking girl crouching over me before I passed out.