My Hero Academia: Katsuki's Secret
Rated M for cursing, trauma, blood, and adult themes.
**Didn't honestly mean to get philosophical and deep but it did**
Chapter 10
Students and teachers alike were crowded in front of the jumbo screen that showcased a breaking news story. The members of Class 1-A who watched with knowing gazes kept to the far corner where they could converse lowly amongst each other. Words incoherently filled the air, a mess of conversations here and there, but silence fell as the opening chime of the channel's broadcast sounded.
"We interrupt your regularly scheduled programming to bring you this breaking story." A red haired anchorwoman dressed in a pinstripe suit appeared on screen, her eyes and tone serious as she stared through the camera to the viewers she couldn't see. "Viewer discretion is advised for those who are the faint of hearted. Please be aware that we cannot stress enough the violence and blood warning that is about to be shown."
A collective murmur rose as a shaky video appeared in a small window beside her, cries and high pitched screams faintly audible from the sounds of explosions coming from somewhere off in the background. Absolute destruction of whatever building that it had been originally surrounded the videographer. Concrete was cracked and broken off in large chunks, windows that weren't shattered beginning to show signs they were close to their limit, lights flickering from within the interior, dust rising from inside with each impact that sounded.
The anchorwoman's voice overtook the video's audio. "Goehrner Medical Hospital, a facility whose mission is to care for civilians and pro heroes alike, was attacked earlier today. It is unsure of motive or who is behind this yet it is clear to see that those who have responded to the crises will have their hands full for the time being."
Just as the video window was shrinking, those in the heroes course felt their breaths catch when in the background a group of familiar figures scattered to reveal a young woman whose lips fell still just before it faded into the background. Duo colored eyes locked on the person behind the camera, as if she could sense that they had been watching her.
"Anyone know what she was saying?" Kaminari asked as the studio's interior returned along with the red haired anchor.
Jirou gestured for them to come closer and held up a finger. "My lip reading is a bit rusty but this is what I got: 'want to help'," She looked to the right, where Todoroki had been standing. " then she said 'shield' so I'm guessing she wanted him to make an ice barrier," to the left where Kirishima would be, "something like 'assist evacuation' probably going to have him go inside to help people," finally ahead to where Deku would be. "I'm not sure about this one but 'take me to him'."
"That makes little sense. She's talking to them as if she knows them!" The electricity user stroked his chin. "Not only that but it looked like they sort of high-fived her there at the end. What's that about?"
"The raid." All eyes turned to Tokoyami. "That must have been where she witnessed their quirks."
Ida nodded vigorously. "That must be it! Shrew deduction!"
"As for the high-five thing, didn't they say something about how her quirk works about touching or visionary connection?" Momo shared a glance with a few of the other classmates who had been included on the private training sessions. "That would explain the physical contact they shared."
"What kind of quirk would that be though?"
The very air itself seemed to hold its breath as a flashing notification for coming "LIVE" footage was about to be shown. For a moment all thought the pro hero Endeavor, father to their ice and fire classmate, had come across the scene judging from the mass of flames that was currently standing at odds against a man wielding a dual-ended trident. Class 1-A though knew instantly of who it was despite the near unrecognizable grin lifting the person's lips.
They were each rendered speechless as what several others within the room called a demon overpowered the other man, his ruby eyes flashing with visible bloodlust when his opponent flinched. Blonde hair was becoming pitch black from the roots that reached towards the tips, leaving a few streaks here and there that were bright red, visible skin peeling off then disappearing into ash that spoke of the immense heat that was coming off of his being. Explosions went off like firecrackers within the space around them, their features illuminated for brief seconds due to the bursts of light.
It was Katsuki Bakugo.
"W-what happened to him?" Mina gasped, unable to speak any louder than a whisper as her trembling hands rose to cover her mouth.
Ida, who had been watching the scene with a glare over his glasses, cleared his throat. "I've heard of similar natured quirks but I didn't think it was possible." The gazes of his classmates remained upon the screen above their heads but he continued anyway knowing full well that they were still listening. "Everyone knows how quirks can become stronger with emotion. There are rumored to be some that are manifestation of the human mind and its various states."
Momo's wide eyes shifted to meet his. "He's always been a loose cannon but are you suggesting that the explosions were the opening act to the true quirk he has?"
"It's not unheard of. Serval cases arise every year of people discovering the full extent of their quirk."
"So what kind of quirk does he have?" Mineral was the shortest but his voiced question caused each to feel a chill down their spine. "What kind of quirk would do something like this to a person?"
"Madness comes in many forms; a thirst for knowledge, power, even truths of reality could be considered a level." One of his hands rose to adjust his glasses, the glare upon their lenses clearing away to reveal wide eyes. "I think what we are seeing is madness in the form of combined chaos and destruction because of recent events." His voice grew heavy. "Our personal definitions of right and wrong differ just as much as what separates hero from villain. Bakugo's definition of evil is not the same as Midoriya's or even my own. He is facing what he truly believes to be evil because it has directly affected someone close to him. It has thrown everything he knows under the microscope to be reevaluated and its manifesting itself in the only way he knows how: unadulterated power filled rage." The flesh of his lower lip caught on his teeth as the figure engulfed in flames roared, wild hair and charring skin darkening farther when the man within its grasp writhed. "I want to believe that our fellow classmate won't go so far but surely pro heroes will be capable of stopping him before that man's blood stains his hands."
. . . .
"Listen to him, kid, are you really prepared to throw your life for some girl?"
A dark laughter bubbled up his throat, lips lifting into a grin as he forced the prongs to dig into Black Trident's throat. Fire was slowly engulfing his vision on all sides until only the villain's face was within his focus. "It's my fucking life, ain't it?" Sizzling and crackling filled the air as the hand Bakugo still had on the trident's handle flared with pain but it only spurred on that racing blood in his veins. The ground was caved beneath their feet by several inches, probably on the verge of caving in completely through to the level below. "You should be more concerned about your own, fucker!"
Ice hued eyes widened when the umpteenth attempt he'd made on taking over the teen failed. "It's not possible! No one's been capable of holding me off for this long, not even her!" Fear filled his features as the demon across from him cackled. "I know what you are, what this is!" He grunted, attempting to bring the opposite end of the trident upwards but it snapped clean off courtesy of the hand that lashed out to block it. "This whole time you have also possessed a second quirk but until I came along it was slumbering deep inside you biding it's time until you reached your mental and physical breaking points!"
The flame covered being paused, as if waiting for him to continue.
"Chaos is one of the most prominent forms of madness with absolutely no form of structural stability to hold the world in place. All things in the universe are thrown completely out of balance. From the way you've been fighting it's as if you are using nothing but pure instinct and whim!" He grunted, tightening his hold on the weapon. "When I first took over your body and severed the connect between it and your mind left it to act solely of its own accord. Though you weren't consciously aware of your actions even I couldn't help but be in awe of the sheer power that you were capable of wielding! Your destruction was unlike any I have ever seen! An unruly and truly unbound attribute that craves to feed itself constantly and indiscriminately. It consumes, it debases, and eventually you'll lose yourself to those ruinous thoughts for you to become them! Only the fabled Dark Messiah of biblical stories was deemed worthy of this quirk yet here I find that you have it! How is it that you have 'Retribution'?!"
. . . .
"Did he just say what I think he did?"
Classmates of 1-A broke their eyes away from the recent footage that had just begun in time for them to catch what the villain had said and found their shadow beast user's beak nearly paler than the wall behind him. Momo lightly patted his shoulder, hoping to gain his attention, but it remained upon the screen. She met each person's gaze in turn. "By dictionary definition, 'Retribution is punishment inflicted on someone as vengeance for wrongs or criminal act'."
"Those flames surrounding them, the way his appearance has changed, I am ashamed to say that I did not realize it sooner." Tokoyami stepped forward to stand beside Ida once shaking himself free of the initial shock. "In many religions, a Dark Messiah is an unforgiving force who can wield unrivaled power whose only equal is said to be a god. They are the manifestation of vengeful karma in some areas of the world where the apocalypse will be ushered in at the appearance of this figure." He stiffened slightly when feeling the gazes of his classmates as the footage cutoff to return to the studio image. "I took a slight interest in studying various ancient and religious lore not too long ago."
"Never took you for the type." Mina tilted her head.
He shook his head. "I'm really not, it was a brief interest. That is all."
"That's quite a mouthful though. You sure he's capable of something so complex like that?" Kaminari asked then smacked his forehead. "Right, sorry, forgot about the late night trainings."
Several gazes of those who had been included in the private trainings locked on him. His regime had been rough, vigorous, testing both mental and physical boundaries. They had quickly learned that even when they didn't expect his attention or detailed focus to be in play it was proven that Bakugo Katsuki was much more observant than he appeared to be.
The curvy pink skinned girl poked Tokoyami's shoulder. "C'mon, don't hold us in suspense, what else do you know about this Dark Messiah?"
"From the way those flames and the changes to his appearance, I would guess that he has a hidden taste for heavy rock or metal music. There are several compositions where Dark Messiah's are featured or mentioned." Tokoyami nodded in Jirou's direction. "You were listening to one just the other day."
She blinked then dug out her phone to show an image of a cloak wearing individual. "Oh, yeah, you're talking about 'The Vengeful One' that I just downloaded. I love the band and they finally came back after a long hiatus so of course I bought it the moment it was available."
"There are various beliefs that such figures rise to rule the world, destroy it, or save their own definition of culture, race, faction, or people while dooming those they care nothing for. Basically they are the reverse idealism of a 'Savior' but not to be mistaken by some religion's 'Antichrist'. From what we've seen of this fight it would be more fair to call him a 'Fallen Hero', one who has suffered so much that he has recused his belief system. Bakugo has always been the explosive type, in personality and quirk, but it's possible that facing an enemy such as this one has caused his inner foundations to become shaken." His voice deepened. "It could also be that his quirk is manifesting in the way to alter his appearance to resemble that of a demon, which would be appropriate. Who better to judge and issue punishment for one's sins or crimes than a demon?"
Mina looked to screen. She had wanted to come along, to be a part of whatever secret that Midoriya and Kirishima were keeping for their blonde comrade, but now the pink hued hero-in-training was carrying a heavy heart when recalling how Bakugo had done everything he could to separate the mystery girl from everyone else during the raid. Her eyes lit up as realization filled her in the form of a high pitched squeal that earned several disgruntled and surprised glances from the rest of her class.
"Mind telling us why you just busted our eardrums?" Jirou whined, rubbing hers gingerly while others fixed expectant looks on the pink haired female.
"There's only one reason why he would be going all out against this guy!"
Kaminari shrugged, shaking a glance with Ida. "He's a villain?"
Tokoyami's head tilted. "They are acquaintances?"
"He feels responsible for what happened when they were younger?"
"What?!" A collective exclamation rose, all eyes locking on Kaminari who held up his hands.
"We'll come back to that cause I want to hear all about it." Mina's brows furrowed as the electricity quirk user became reserved and withdrawn. Just how much was being kept from her and the rest of the class?
Tsu blinked. "It's what a hero would do?"
"Oh, yeah, our senior year is starting in a few months, right? It would make sense that he would be showing off a bit to get more possible contracts-"
"No, no, no!" She waved her hands, practically jumping on the balls of her feet. "Come on, its so painful for me to have to spell it out!" Each fellow aspiring hero she looked to shook their head, earning a frustrated sigh then a wide grin. "Oh my gawd, you guys, Bakugo actually likes a girl!"
Silence as each person present slowly donned an expression of shock.
. . . .
A crack sounded as his head tilted to the left. Bits and pieces of what Black Trident was saying slowly penetrated the smoky fog that had filled his mind, briefly relieving Bakugo of the repetitive record that demanded he attack until his opponent was unconscious. His quirk was "Explosion" though…wasn't it? His gaze was about to drift across himself, away from the villain's for the first time since they had been locked in this position, but froze as something within him rushed to the forefront of his mind. As if an animal or beast had woken from a deep slumber somewhere within the confines of his mind that had stirred at first when realizing that the man masquerading as Aurora's family member was in fact their enemy had taken over now.
He hurt her.
Veins popped across his being, rising to form ridges and mounds across his skin.
He took everything away from her.
Teeth gnashed as his jaw grew taunt.
How many others has this man harmed?
The vision of her tear filled eyes while being forced to fight against him even when her bones were breaking flooded his mind as Ezekiel's voice rang loudly of other experiments. Aurora was just one victim. That's all he needed though.
He must pay…he must pay…he must pay with his life!
Adrenaline pounded like a drug through his being as for a moment, deep within the icy hued gaze of the man borderline cowering before him, doom settled like a cloud within their depths. "Retribution, huh? I like the sound of that." Ruby infernos flared brilliantly as his deep rough voice intermixed with that of cracking fire surrounding them. "Cause only the Devil himself would be able to stop me now and I don't think he fucking wants to!"
The villain felt the brush of fear as the grin widened. "Your sense of justice was changed when you found out, kid. You thought you knew what evil was and now you have used me to redefine it! No matter what you do though you can't erase what has happened in the past! She will go her whole life living with the fact that I was the one who honed and gifted her those amazing quirks! I gave her everything when you nearly took her life!" His blood stalled when a roar nearly rendered him deaf. "That hatred you have can't be all be in sole response to what I've done! You are no saint either! Killing me will not correct the wrong you did that day! Your sins and mine will forever taint that girl!" Black Trident's lips lifted into a smirk. "You think you're so high and mighty with that 'I'm the main character' shit when you know deep down that you are meant to be nothing more than someone's stepping stone but you can't bring yourself to acknowledge it!"
The hand that had been wrapped around the trident's handle lashed upwards, fingers nearly charred from the chemicals secreting from the metal and fire taking firm hold of his throat. A sound, almost too soft for him to hear, came from somewhere off in the distance but he paid it no mind as the man's knees buckled. "Say your fucking prayers!" He could no longer hear pounding blood in his ears, no longer feel the flames liking greedily at his skin, ringing loudly between them as the pulse beneath his fingers stuttered and the fragile windpipe that was his enemy's source of oxygen began to cave. "Die!"
"Katsuki!"
Shattering filled his being as a scream pierced every cell within Bakugo. Pounding of blood flooded his ears as the crimson that had slowly taken over his vision freezing before it could swallow the blue that was Black Trident's gaze. Where had he heard that voice before? It didn't belong to any of his classmates so who was it?
"Katsuki!"
There it was again, making a dull bell ring in the back of his head as it echoed hauntingly within the air. It was so familiar yet he couldn't place where he'd heard it before. Flashes of a playground in ruins took the place of the now ruined garden surrounding them. Small hands were shaking his chest, something solid and craggy pressing against his spine, the taste of blood lingering upon his tongue as another scream was cutoff by a gurgle as the motions stopped.
Seeing the confusion across the teen's face, Black Trident welcomed the open opportunity of speaking as the fingers around his throat twitched just enough to allow him to take a deep breath. He wasn't sure why the wielder of "Retribution" was hesitating but it was his chance to talk his way out of this! "The woman is still alive, the mother!" The fingers loosened their hold just slightly enough that he could speak without choking. "I can reunite them but only I know of her location! Kill me and they will never be reunited!"
Silence fell between them, neither speaking as word as the blazing flames around them dimmed, blonde hair slowly returning. Demonic features morphed back to human ones as he spat a wad of saliva at Black Trident's feet. "Tch." The infernos within his gaze simmered to a low flame but they were full of more ferocity than before. "You just sealed your fucking fate, psychopath, cause I'm not gonna let you go until you tell me!"
Shouts came from somewhere but the roaring of flames that erupted in his ears like a dragon prevented him from hearing what was being said. Up his throat came a roar of fury as something touched his back, his arms slowly being forced backwards until he completely lost hold over the now mangled trident, and then his gaze was filled with the billowing clouds of darkness that obscured the sun as he fought against the one who held him. Heat built within his core, growing with each passing second as his being trembled…
Then he was flying. Air whooshed past him, filling his ears with pressure until they popped, but the cool wind was soothing the abused patches of his being that felt rawer than sushi platters that someone had once bought to share with the class. Moisture filled his eyes, blurring his vision as something large and blue came into view. Familiar gravity suddenly yanked him downwards until he was met with a surface that quickly surrounded him like a blanket attempting to suffocate him by stealing the oxygen from his lungs as pain erupted across his body from the impact.
Crimson stained liquid that he was now capable of identifying as water surrounded him on all sides. That couldn't be right though, water wasn't like this. It was so thick that it prevented from sinking below where much darker and sinister depths were, hovering between the shades of bright burning vermillion and the much darker cerise that rivaled the color of blood. Wasn't he just fighting? With difficulty, he maneuvered himself to scan his surroundings but there was no sign of villain. A hand rose to his hair when he discovered that there was a blank space in his memory.
Was this another trick of Black Trident's? No, this felt completely different. He had felt the times when his mental consciousness had been brushed by the villain's but it had been child's play on preventing the Enslavement user from entering.
Why was it so hard to move? What was this stuff anyway? And why was it so hot? The heart in his chest stalled. He'd never been hot to this degree. A glance downwards at himself revealed that his clothing was near nonexistent; shirt completely gone, pants now rendered to mid-thigh length shorts, skin blotchy with several large chunks missing. Never had his explosion quirk ever taken off his skin like this before. If he wasn't surrounded by liquid he was sure that sweat would be pouring like open faucets.
Immense pressure suddenly closed in around him, as if trying to squeeze out the breath left in his lungs, several bones in his body straining then protesting loudly when they were forced in positions or angles that weren't normally possible. His flexibility was a huge asset in battles but even Bakugo felt his limit was about to be breached as the invisible force twisted his spinal cord far enough for the heel of his left bare foot met his naval.
A hazy figure appeared as if from nowhere within his peripheral vision, the pressure vanishing so quickly that it caused him to slowly become spreadeagled from lack of support and the strange liquid allowing his limbs to extend fully. They were headed straight for him as if attacking yet no part of his body responded when he commanded it to brace or lash out first. Bubbles slipped from between his lips as they parted in surprise when hands slapped his face.
The force behind each hand caused his face to become squished but it was the resounding slap of her palms against his cheeks that resounded like a bell that caused him to startle. He'd never seen her look so angry but underneath the bright sheen in her gaze was a hint of desperation. "Idiot!" Somehow, through the murky liquid, Aurora's shout still somehow reached his ears.
His brows twitched as her clenched fist met his chest, ruby eyes flashing brilliantly as they met duo. The blonde blinked as she broke into a smile, the red hue of whatever surrounded them lighting until it matched that of a robin's egg. Hands latched themselves upon their beings, hauling them upwards until their heads broke through a surface and fell into coughing fits as he wrestled himself free with a roar. Once freed though his gaze instantly honed in on the navy haired girl who was being helped onto dry land and swam until he was effectively forcing her back to meet the ground so that she was staring up at him. "Did you just call me a idiot?!"
A bright pink tongue made an appearance from between her lips as her chest rose with quick breaths.
Blond brows twitched but the smile teasing the corners of her mouth caused a chuckle to catch in his chest. He covered it with a growl though and forced his features to contort into what he hoped was a menacing glower. "I dare you to say it again!"
Her hand rose, lightly flicking his nose. "Idiot."
"You wanna go?!" Ruby blinked as her hand fell to the ground with a heavy impact, noting how her being radiated with exhaustion. Not only was she breathing harder than what was normal but she was completely soaked to the point where her clothing stuck like a second skin. Heat threatened to rise in his cheeks when noticing how the shirt that had once been lose fitting was now rendered to a similar state that the black hospital gown had been during the raid and it became an afterthought when he noticed how she shivered violently. "The hell is your problem? Why you look like a half drowned rat?"
"You're one to *gasp* talk." She shook her head slowly. "Look in a *gasp* fucking mirror, idiot."
"One more time, don't think I heard you right." He shifted his weight to the balls of his feet so as to free his hands, wiggling them menacingly, then blinked when his quirk didn't activate. "The hell?!" The tip of her finger met his nose, her lips lifting into an apologetic smile, tingling sensations flooding him that made his blood race with adrenaline. His cheeks that threatened to burn earlier were surely now as she followed him while sitting up and bristled as her arms wrapped around his being. "O-oi oi oi!" Strength he didn't know she had prevented him from pulling away, although he really didn't try, as her head fell to rest on his shoulder. What he had thought was shivers wracking her body from the water's cooler temperature were in fact suppressed sobs as heated droplets met his skin. "Tch, you're acting like I almost died or some shit."
A teen with forest hair and eyes plopped down beside them, along with several other familiar classmates that made the blonde's brow quirk but it was Hawks who rested a hand atop of her head. "Takes more than that to kill 'em, little birdy, there's no reason for you to cry."
"Why the hell are you calling her by a nickname?! You hardly fucking know each other!" Bakugo hissed, narrowing his eyes while protectively swinging an arm over her shoulders when she made to withdraw. The curl of his upper lip warded off those whose mouths opened. "One word and I'll blow you all to fucking hell."
Chao! See you next time!