Disclaimer: I'm not the amazing Horikoshi Kohei, so I don't own the amazing BNHA or its amazing characters.
AN: Once again, it starts out a little boring, but it's an important chapter for understanding Izuki's background. I should warn you that it gets quite depressing near the end. So here's a TRIGGER WARNING before you enjoy.
Chapter 4: Dawn, Dusk
Her fingers bent back in an unnecessarily long stretch. She yawned a satisfying length and slid her legs over the side of her bed. Yesterday's events had taxed her body more than she knew.
Yawning again, she clasped her hands together in a praying motion to thank the gods that it was the weekend. With the sun shining brightly, her mom working, and her schedule free, it was an absolutely amazing day to meet her favorite hero.
She let her mind wonder into a jumble of imaginative ideas about her new training regimen. What would a fantastic hero such as Midnight have her do? Her face turned ghostly white as all of Midnight's fights filtered through her brain. That hero was R rated for a reason.
Shaking herself to suppress the shivers, she quickly threw on her workout attire. Lastly, she tightened her mess of hair into a ponytail that splayed across her left shoulder. Slipping on a pair of black tennis shoes, Izuki abandoned her house.
She came to a stop in front of a large white building with two expansive windows that showed the interior. Unfortunately for her curiosity, the lights were dimmed, so the only thing to be seen was ominous shadow. Sitting neatly above the creepy windows were the words,
"Dawn to Dusk: Training Gymnasium for those in need of an Ego!" Eying the name skeptically, Izuki ran through Midnight's instructions mentally. She confirmed that this dingy location was the right place. Nodding to herself, she hesitantly stepped through the mysterious threshold.
….….….….…
The inside revealed only dark and haunting stillness. It stretched over a long floor that led to an even longer wall outlined in dim light. Izuki instinctively tensed in the darkness. A surprise could be lurking anywhere within the shadowy calm.
The smooth snap of a whip made her turn in fright. She stood face-to-face with the maniacal, grinning woman she most admired. Midnight's eyes examined her from top to bottom. Her smile impossibly grew in approval of Izuki's currently accentuated curves. A durable costume immediately came to mind within her mind's creative storage. No doubt, the middle-aged model would have fun.
Finally done with her assessment, the hero slid her free hand under Izuki's chin. She lifted it to tease the girl and lightly brushed her fingers over the nerves leading to Izuki's neck and shoulders.
"What's your name darling?" Izuki shifted away uncomfortably. A small, modest blush formed on her cheeks as she realized her lifetime idol was asking for her name. Her words, of course, came out in shy stutters.
"My n-name's M-Midoriya ma'am." Midnight's slightly creepy smile stayed plastered on her face as she began circling Izuki like a hawk surveying its prey. Izuki's eyes followed each movement suspiciously. Her legs shook subtly in mounting anxiety.
Midnight halted her eclipse and stood inclined over Izuki's back. She carefully placed her hands on the girl's shoulders and leaned forward. Her whispering voice tickled the hairs on Izuki's neck.
"I'm going to have lots of fun training you." Izuki provided her with a shaky smile.
"W-what should I c-call you?" Midnight let go of Izuki and laughed at the un-phased teen. Midoriya wasn't shy because of Midnight's strong personality or sexual teasing, but the fact that she was a superhero somehow left Izuki frazzled? Now that's a true fangirl.
"Well, my name's Kayama Nemuri, but I also go by my more commonly used name Midnight. Of course, you can call me whatever you like." Izuki's eyes sparkled with enthusiasm.
"R-really?" Those cute, puppy-like green spheres were soaking in every detail. They were the only thing preventing Midnight from going all out with her sadistic personality. She nodded to the teen, which sent Izuki's fangirl flames into a further blaze. Izuki tried to restrain from blurting out her thoughts, but to no avail.
"M-Ms. Kayama, what could you possibly teach me?" A spark of enjoyment lit Midnight's expression. Her smug features failed to change as she replied,
"I was waiting for you to ask that."
….….….….…
As days passed Izuki learned all kinds of things from her mentor, but everything could be placed into six categories: confidence building, strategy, fighting, strength, endurance, and originality. These individual skills were ultimately how Midnight, and many other heroes, had become popular and able people.
Izuki's favorite was strategy because sometimes she could just sit, scribbling in her Hero Analysis Notebook, for hours. Midnight had asked her a quick question about it on one occurrence.
"How much do you know about my quirk?" Izuki perked up and began flipping to the front three pages, which were dedicated to Midnight. She sat up straighter and began rambling passionately about her mentor's quirk.
"Your quirk's name is Somnambulist and it causes anyone you wish to fall asleep. Although, it usually requires you to touch them. That's probably why you use a whip to expand your range. It has the ability to revert to a cloud-like form and paralyze several enemies at once, but that makes it last a shorter period. I also noticed that it's more effective during the night, which is where I originally concluded you got your name from, but later found out it was from a porn movie…"
While Izuki murmured, Midnight compared the girl to the one she'd met just a few days prior. That girl had been shy and uncertain, but it now seemed as if the teen had a sort of personality issue. If Midnight could somehow isolate Izuki's confident and enthusiastic side, it would be far easier to covert her into the second sexy hero. A dreamy smile fell over Midnight's lips as she imagined the things this girl could pull off with her alternating cute-sexy personality.
Midnight tapped the still going Izuki on the shoulder. Izuki stopped instantly and gave a pitiful apologetic expression. Izuki was sorry for being brilliant?
"How do you do that?" Midnight's curiosity warped her face into a genuine and almost dorky grin. Izuki took a step back.
"Do what?" The hero paused to think up a good answer.
"You get so passionate when you talk about heroes and other people's quirks. How do you switch from being modest to outgoing?" A sheepish look overtook Izuki.
"Well, that's what I used to act like all the time, but...let's just say it's my quirk's fault." Midnight gave a sidelong glance. The reluctant answer only deepened her need for information.
"Is that why you don't have yourself in there?" She pointed lazily to Izuki's notebook. The teen's eyes shimmered hatefully as if she'd been reminded of her worst enemy.
"My quirk will not be put with those of heroes, for if I could chose to, I'd rather be rid of it." She spat the sentence aggressively at Midnight. A hint of a warning was layered in her voice. This was an empty subject for Izuki; one that was forbidden to speak of. That's the exact reason Midnight pushed onwards.
"Why do you want to be a hero if you hate your quirk, how are you going to be?" Izuki's anger turned to sadness instantaneously. She choked out her reply with solemn features.
"I need to atone for my past." Her regret filled words reached the hero's ears in a depressing whisper. Midnight's own expression changed to guarded curiosity.
"What do you need to atone for?" Izuki took in a deep breath of air. She had to do this; everyone would eventually find out anyway. Her burning green eyes reflected her pain as she spoke.
"I-I-I...I'm a murderer." Her throat constricted as the truth came out and tears spilled down her cheeks in glimmering waterfalls. It was Midnight's turn to take a step back. Her shock was displayed clearly on her face.
"What are you talking about! What happened?" She placed a hand reassuringly on Izuki's shoulder. The green-eyed teenager swept her fingers through her hair to calm her nerves.. This would be the first person, other than her mom, that knew the whole of her quirk's history. She began the story.
….….….….…
Izuki's eyes were swollen from crying all week. Being quirkless wasn't as easy as she thought. She'd been required to cover up her quirk's faults by wearing gloves as well. The slick green leather only provided another outlet for Kacchan's tormenting.
Her mother came into the room and silently sat down next to her,
"What's wrong honey?" Izuki licked her lips. They were covered in salty tears.
"What's wrong with me mom? There must be something wrong." The toddler looked at her with emerald pools of uncertainty. Inko had to restrain from crying too.
"Nothing's wrong with you. You're my perfect little girl." She hugged her daughter tightly, and let the tiny human exfoliate all of her doubts from within. Without breaking from her mother's protective hold, Izuki asked another important question.
"Mom, will papa be home soon?" Inko's eyebrows furrowed as she caught a glimpse of her daughter's need.
"Yes sweetheart, he's visiting tomorrow." The little girl perked up and hastily wiped away the water attached to her face. She seemed to believe that her father would come bursting through the door at that very moment. Inko kissed her gently on the forehead.
"You should go to sleep honey. You have a big day tomorrow." Inko gave a restricted smile and bopped her playfully on the nose.
"I'll call in to your school. I think you deserve a day off with your father." Izuki's grief vaporized so quickly that it left Inko dazed. She'd forgotten how speedily a child's mood could swing.
….….….….…
Midday sunlight filtered through the window, shining straight onto Izuki's rainbow crayons. Her dad wouldn't come home until after lunch, so she took it upon herself to make the best welcome home present ever.
On the paper, shone a glossy green peony. Sure, it was a little lopsided, but it satisfied her immensely. A peony was her dad's favorite flower, and green was her entire family's favorite color. As she started cutting out the flower's form, the front door slammed shut. It signaled the arrival of her father.
Izuki snipped the last piece and ran to the door. Her face was lit by a brilliant smile. Her father wore a huge grin on his face too. He opened his arms wide enough for Izuki to run straight into them. Izuki happily hugged her father while her two parents shared in their silent contentment.
Hisashi looked down fondly at his child. She took the chance to hand him her "expertly" cut flower. His face crinkled and happiness filled his soul to the maximum. He lightly played with Izuki's hair and whispered to her sincerely,
"So beautiful, I love it." Izuki shyly hid her face beneath his giant coat. Hisashi admired the flower a bit longer and then placed it firmly in his chest pocket with the top sticking out. As he shifted back to squeeze his daughter once more, a soft green glove had him frowning
"What's this for?" He grabbed Izuki's hand and set it on his. "Why are you wearing gloves?" Izuki frowned and began to back away. Panicking, she looked to her mother for help.
"It's for her quirk dear." A proud expression overtook Hisashi's face; he appeared completely satisfied.
"My little girl got her quirk eh? Can you show me?" Izuki shook her head and hung it in shame. Inko whispered into her husband's ear.
"That's not a good idea. You see…" Before she could finish, Hisashi picked up Izuki and swung her around pridefully.
"Nonsense, she can't hurt anybody!" He set her down and slyly removed the gloves from her tiny fingers. He gave her a little handshake to show her it was safe.
"You see, nobody's hurt." Inko grimaced internally, but made no effort to stop the man. He had successfully reverted Izuki back to her joyful self. Izuki was so overjoyed and oblivious that she gladly gave in to her father's wishes. He lifted her up until she sat firmly in his arms. Her hands were wrapped securely around the base of his neck. Hisashi smiled and tossed a camera to Inko. She was smiling now too; nothing seemed to be amiss.
The camera lense clicked and Inko busied herself by blowing on the printed picture. With a satisfactory grin, she pivoted to give the photo to Hisashi. Instead, a terrifying sight beheld her.
Silent tendrils of black creeped slowly from Izuki's veins and into Hisashi's throat. Inko dropped the picture and her face morphed into the representation of fear. Afraid to touch her spouse and offspring, she could only observe the traumatic scene.
Hisashi's nerves were all black now, and the skin of his face was dyed an ashen grey. The appalling color spread exactly as the tendrils had, but it was much worse. The ash left his features cracked like a vase upon the ground. Finally, the man's body became fully enmeshed in the greyness. He stood there silently for a few moments. Then, his body swayed and he crumpled to the floor.
Izuki, whom he had been holding, fell onto the pile of bony shards. They were the only remnant of her father.
Mother and daughter stared at the pile in shocked unison. Inko's panic ended when she saw blood splattered over Izuki's skin. She hurriedly picked up the phone and dialed the emergency line. Her eyes were dead with pain, desensitized to everything. She could speak, but didn't know what she was saying.
"M-my husband, you have to save him. My daughter she's..." Tears spilled from her eyes and her heart pounded loudly.
"Ma'am, what's your name? Where are you?" Inko sucked in air desperately while sobbing and giving a slow answer.
"Midoriya Inko, my husband...It's too late...too late."
"Ma'am, I noticed that your daughter is under observation. Does this have anything to do with her?" Inko almost choked on her sadness.
"Y-yes, s-she...lost control and she's bleeding, but that….that VILLAIN killed him! My husband, she killed him!" Pain broke her apart from the inside. Izuki felt the same. Both females were burning inside.
"Ma'am, please calm down. We're on our way." The person on the phone seemed to hesitate for a while.
"Ms. Midoriya, would you like to give consent for your daughter to undergo Quirk Dormancy Surgery?" Inko, unlike the questioner, didn't hesitate.
"Yes, I give my full consent."
….….….….
Izuki's face scrunched in sadness at the memory. Midnight wore an utterly shocked look, but pity filled her eyes.
"So, only you and your mom knew this?" Izuki nodded in confirmation.
"Yeah, but I know I'll eventually have to tell everyone." Izuki gave a disheartened chuckle, "The more I do it, the easier it will become." Midnight shook her head solemnly.
"That isn't always true, but the people you care about shouldn't be lied to." She gave the teen a few minutes to let that sink it. Then, she clapped her hands together and effectively broke the tension.
"Alright, Let's get back to training! I bet that passion of yours can easily be converted into confidence." Izuki thanked her teacher mentally, and the two of them went to work. Their goal was to turn a certain shy, green-haired girl into a hero.
AN: That was rough. I warned you, didn't I? Hope this is a tragic enough backstory for all the critics out there. If you notice, I thought it was so depressing that I tried lightening it up a little with the end dialogue. Sorry if you're still sad or traumatized, but this is a mature fanfiction. Thanks for reading! bababababa