Soul Marked
Chapter Thirty-Two
Darkness on the Horizon
Here's the next chapter! I hope you guys enjoy it! Once again not much of a change from canon but soon I promise we are going to start seeing some differences! I wanted to stop at a different spot this chapter but I hit 10,000 words and knew that I had to change my stopping point. Otherwise it may have gotten up to 15,000 or longer!
I want to thank everyone for the amazing response I got for the last chapter! I was so excited to finally get to that kissing scene and I was happy to find you all enjoyed it! :)
Please review and tell me what you think!
The day had passed by, Izuka's muscles were screaming at her, but she felt like she had made progress. The time spent here at camp, she was sure it would push her past her limits and help her grow. A smile was spread across her face, the nightmare long forgotten as she stood next to her best friend Kaminari. The class was set with the task to make their own food, Izuka having been tasked with the job of starting a fire.
"Yo!" Kaminari called out toward Todoroki. "Todoroki, do you mind lighting our fire?"
The boy in question nodded, moving toward the small group, only to be intercepted by Bakugo. "I fucking got it, Pikachu." Todoroki stopped; his eyebrows raised before shrugging and going over to help Mina and Uraraka.
Izuka looked a bit worried about the idea of Bakugo making the fire "A-A-Are you sure about this Kacchan?" That got her a glare from the blond boy as his eyes twitched that she doubted him.
"I said I fucking got it!" He crouched down and sparks ignited from his palm but unfortunately, his anger got the better of him, causing a huge explosion that destroyed the whole stove.
"Too much!" exclaimed Tokoyami.
'I knew this would happen' thought Izuka as she gave a nervous smile towards the angry blond. "K-Kacchan how about you get us some water and we'll take care of the rest." She could feel the bond react to his rage which caused a feeling like a pinch.
"Whatever!" He grumped before standing up to go get some water. A short while later the food was made, and everyone immediately began to chow down. Izuka smiled down at her plate, the food that was made by her classmates, her friends, and herself made her feel pretty proud of everyone. It may not be a high-quality curry, but after the training they had today, it was the best curry they had ever eaten. Turning to go find a seat next to Bakugo she hesitated mid-step, a flash of red appeared out of the corner of her vision. Spinning around Izuka watched as Kota turned around and began moving away from the camp and towards the forest. The smile fell from her lips and with one last glance toward Kacchan, she spun on her heel and began to follow after the small boy.
That nagging feeling of wanting to help was back refusing to be ignored. Chewing on her bottom lip she followed the footsteps that were left behind in the dirt, it was clear to the greenette that this hadn't been his first trip alone. A small part of her felt worried that something could happen to him while he was up here, but she didn't turn back around and get his aunt. It was obvious the kid needed alone time away from people whose occupation he clearly despised. So, she was going to push back the need to get an adult and take in the knowledge that she would at least know where this place was. She would just check up on him and then return right back.
The stars were shining bright above them and idly Izuka could feel the pull on her bond informing her of Katsuki's growing worry. Feeling a moment of guilt at having not taken the time to inform him where she was going, Midoriya still pushed on. She would explain to him later, but right now the small boy deserved her attention, and her help more.
There sitting on the ground was Kota, his face still pinched in anger as he glared out over the treetops. Izuka finally made it to the top and she heard the sounds of grumbling that was coming from the boy's stomach "I thought you might be hungry." The boy spun around, his eyes wide, showing panic, before narrowing back in hot anger towards her.
"It's curry, and probably won't taste as good as yesterday's meal, but I'm sure it's still good." Said Izuka offering the food to him.
"You!" He yelled out, gritting his teeth. His fingers curled into one another forming a fist. She flinched slightly at the glare thrown her way. "How did you-." His voice fell away sounding frustrated.
"I'm sorry," she said softly as she came to a stop several steps away. "I followed your footsteps up. I noticed you hadn't eaten, and well I got worried." The hand that wasn't holding the food came up to rub at the back of her head as she sent the small boy a sorry smile. "I know you'd prefer to be on your own right now, but I wanted to make sure you ate something before it all disappeared."
Kota lowered his head clouding his gaze from her own. "How many times do I have to say I'm fine?! What part of 'I'm not fucking around with you scrubs' do you not understand? This is my secret base; you're not welcome here!"
Izuka couldn't help but show a small smile on her lips. He reminded her so much of Kacchan, that feeling of not wanting anyone to help, thinking of him as a cute firecracker flooded her mind. She did, however, know enough not to show this to the boy, she didn't need to anger him farther than she already had. Instead, she forced it off her face and turned it back into a neutral expression. "Secret base, huh," she said while nodding her head. "It's a pretty good one."
Kota turned half away from her, his body shaking with his anger. Another rush of wanting to help washed over her steeling her resolve. "Getting all hyped up about stretching your 'quirks,' it's pathetic really. You really want to go that far just to brag about your corny ass 'powers'?" Taking another hesitant step forward Izuka decided she would just do it. It was pointless trying to hold herself back.
Helping people was in her blood, it ran through her veins, and trying to pretend that wasn't something she lived and breathe for was stupid. Instead, she was going to do what she did best.
"Your parents," she started, thinking carefully over her words, trying to pick the perfect ones. "Were they the water-type quirk users, the Water-Horses?" This she knew would be a sensitive subject for the boy, but pretending it didn't exist, that it wasn't hurting him wouldn't help either. It made sense if he didn't want to open up to his aunt, but she was a stranger, and sometimes that made it easier for others.
The boy spun around, his face was red from anger and sadness. "Mandelei opened her big mouth, huh?!" he yelled out.
"She never came out and told me. I just put the pieces together, I heard about what happened to them, and then with everything else that's been said I came to that conclusion" Taking a deep breath, she stared down at the plate idly wondering how she got herself into these types of awkward situations. With one wrong word she could destroy the remaining belief, this child has in heroes, if he had any. It was an off chance that she was gambling on, the one where she could spark hope back inside of him, or crush his soul even more. "It was a terrible tragedy, I remember it," she said pushing on as she clutched at the plate.
"Screw you," he hissed. "You've all got a couple of screws loose. Calling yourselves heroes, and villains, killing each other, like idiots! Bragging about your quirks… that's why you end up like that… fucking idiots. Not just heroes, quirks, the superhero society itself." He paused glancing up at her with eyes like ice, but she could see the sadness that they were trying to hold back. Her heart reached out, but she stayed silent letting him get all the harsh words out.
The bond between Katsuki and herself spiked once more and she tried sending calming emotions through it, not sure if it worked or not but she hoped that it would reassure the ash-blond teen that she was fine and had no reason to freak out. Her eyes never left the small boy as she did this and she felt him lash out before hearing it. The emotions covered his face, filled the space between them, dousing her in the cold reality of this kid's life.
"What!? Cat got your tongue. That's what I thought, now get the hell out!" Kota was decidedly much like a hedgehog in her mind, spiky, and at first painful, but there was something soft and cuddly inside. She pushed forward as the boy fell silent daring her to speak up.
'Hmm, no, how should I begin?'
She needed something to open his eyes, to say something that would make him realize that holding onto this would only hurt him in the long run. Like normal it flowed from her mouth, spilling out before she could even stop it. "My parents weren't able to pass on their quirks to me." Kota stared at her in confusion, too surprised by what she was saying now to interrupt her. "It's a rare genetic occurrence, but it's been known to happen. I admire heroes so much that I dreamt of becoming one, but nowadays that's hard without a quirk. I couldn't accept that reality for an awfully long time. So instead, I did everything that I could, pushing myself to make it possible. I tried to move things with my mind, tried to breathe fire. But nothing worked" Izuka remembered when her mother held her and cried, telling her how sorry she was. "There's a lot of stigma regarding quirks and I can't say this without sounding bias, but if you reject it harshly, the only person getting hurt is yourself."
She was aware that his face was changing shades of red, that her words had only caused him more anger, and wasn't surprised when his arm flashed out in an arc in front of him.
"Fuck off! Get your ass outta here before I make you!" shouted Kota.
Sighing, Izuka took a step forward, never breaking eye contact with him, then placed the plate carefully on the ground and straightened up. "I'm sorry I couldn't be of much help, but I want you to know I'll be here if you need to talk. I get told a lot that I meddle too much where I don't belong, but it's a trait that runs deeply within myself. I can't change that part of me, but just know that I'm not saying this to gain anything. All I wish to do is to help you."
Turning she began to walk away before a harsh child voice stopped her in her tracks. "Why the hell would you want to help me if it wasn't to gain something? Wouldn't it just look good for you as a hero?"
Izuka froze, a sad smile formed that he couldn't see across her face. "No, I don't care if my actions were never acknowledged by someone other than you."
"Just shut your mouth! Go away!" He yelled out.
Feeling like she had overstayed her welcome, Izuka began to make her way back down the hill, but her mind was still stuck with the image of the sad boy.
After walking for a while she found herself back at camp, Izuka sought out Bakugo but still felt frustrated with herself. Wishing more than anything to be able to help Kota in some way before the end of the week was up.
Not needing to look very long she found the angry blonde stomping out of the building, with the usual furious look on his face. "There the hell you are! What the fuck Koneko? Disappearing like that, where the hell did you go?"
Making her way closer Izuka buried herself into his side as she stared back at the way she came from. Startled Katsuki glared down at her as he studied her expressions, it caused him slight discomfort having her so close, obviously seeking out comfort, especially after last night. He was out of his league, not knowing what it was he was supposed to do in this situation. His arms hung awkwardly at his side, but this didn't seem to bother Izuka.
"I just followed Kota to give him some food," she said sadly "He left before grabbing a plate."
"The fucking kid?" He asked, remembering the brat that had punched her on the first day of training. This didn't have him feeling warm and fuzzy feelings over the kid, instead got him to have a frown on his face. "Let the snot nose starve if that's what he wants."
Izuka snorted then huddled closer pressing into his side as she shook her head at him. Now that night had fallen there was a slight chill in the summer air. "Those are some great paternal instincts you got there, Kacchan."
"What the hell am I supposed to say? He's a brat, and if he wants to wander off into the woods without eating that's his choice." Though he said this with the usual snarl in his voice Katsuki was actually worried over Izuka. He hated her thinking of any negative way about him, but this really bothered him.
"He's hurting," she said softly while laying her head against his shoulder. "I wanted to help him, but I can't force my help onto him. He doesn't want it." With a sigh, Katsuki raised his hand and placed it on the top of her head and caressed her hair. He knew that this kid had gotten to her, she was far too helpful and too good to leave it alone.
"If the kid doesn't want your help, then he doesn't know what's fucking good for him." He said.
She let out a small chuckle as she tilted her head up to look at him. "I feel like you've said something similar like this to me before."
"I meant it back then as well. Your dad's a fucking jerk if he doesn't want to take the time out of his life for you."
Not wishing to add to that Izuka instead turned to stare back up at the stars. "I'm sorry for worrying you." A low growl vibrated through his chest, Izuka being able to feel it rather than hear.
He made a fist with his hand and bonked her on the head slightly "I wasn't worried. Don't be stupid." A small smile tugged at the girl's lips as she pulled away from the blond boy and entered the building with him following right behind her. Tomorrow would be a new day, and with it, Izuka could only hope that she would be able to get through to Kota.
Off in the distance where neither hero to be seen or to be noticed, was a small group of people who overlooked their camp.
"These heroes riddled with holes… will fall to the earth. All for the sake of a brighter future."
子猫
The next morning hadn't started well for Izuka, two nights; worth of nightmares felt like a bad sign to her and she wasn't able to shake it from her mind as quickly as the day before. The details of the dream were hazy, but the feeling of fear, of blankness, clutched tightly to her, drifting around her mind like the smell of smoke that lingered behind. Kacchan drifted close to her during breaks only ever leaving her side when they were practicing. Now that her and his emotions drifted between the bonds, she knew it was useless trying to ignore the fact that she was having them.
No matter how much she wished she weren't burdening him with them it also brought her comfort to know that he knew about them, and he spent the effort to make sure she was fine.
Biting her lip, she had already shoved the mention of tonight's activities from her mind, her aching muscles were not looking forward to them, but her mind still drifted over a way to help Kota. Bakugo had moved to grab more vegetables to dice, and Izuka had been left at the table. It suited her just fine as she knew she wasn't being helpful at that moment. The nightmare had left her frazzled, the training left her tired, and her mind wouldn't stop working every minute about helping the boy. She was a mess, and she knew it.
It didn't surprise her that she failed to notice when Todoroki stopped to stand right at her side. He studied her expression noticing the bags under her eyes, and the tired way she held herself.
"Bad night?" He asked suddenly, causing Midoriya to flinch.
"Ah! Todoroki!?" squeaked Izuka.
Todoroki looked away and said, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. I just noticed you seemed distant."
Slumping forward Izuka was upset that she was such an open book. She had worried him, and that bothered her. "Oh, yeah, sorry if I'm not being much help today. That's not really fair to everyone."
"That's not what I meant." He took a step forward placing the pot he was holding down on the table before taking a seat next to her. "I didn't come over here to tell you that you were doing a bad job in doing your portion of the work. Even if you kind of are."
Izuka felt the weight of his words causing her to bury her face in her hands. "Sorry!"
"I came over because you look tired. Many of us are tired after today's training and lack of sleep, but you look far worse. Is this what friends do? Come over to show support by offering to listen?" He wondered with much thought.
A laugh broke free from Izuka's tired lips as she nodded her head. "Yeah, that's what they do."
Todoroki nodded "Then I'm offering."
Dropping her hands from her face Midoriya allowed her head to fall toward her two-toned friend. "I've been having more nightmares." She said this quietly not wishing for anyone else to know. He and Kacchan were more than enough. Izuka wasn't sure if she could handle it if Kaminari heard about it, but she was sure that it would overwhelm him. "It's just not good timing for them, and they had been getting better. It's almost like a bad sign or something." She heard him hum next to her, showing that he was listening, but stayed quiet knowing she had more to say. "Then there's Kota. I don't know how to help him, but he's so sad, and someone has to at least try. I figured it would be easier talking to a stranger rather than his aunt, but I could have miscalculated."
"Kota?" He frowned as he listened and followed along. He knew about the kid's foul mood but hadn't learned more about him.
"Yeah, that little boy. He doesn't like heroes, no, more than that, he doesn't like superhero society with quirks. I can't figure out what to say to him, to help him, but I just want to relieve some of that sadness that he holds on his shoulders." After a moment of silence, she turned to Todoroki. "What would you do, Todoro-kun?"
"It would depend," he said after thinking it over. He wanted to help her, so he carefully thought over his words. "You and I are complete strangers to him, and dumping our reasoning on his head, he would just find it pretentious. After all, if he could be swayed by words alone, they have to be powerful. But his problem runs skin deep. I believe that with words… come actions. What we've done, what we plan to do for humanity will come from our worth. If you really want to get through to him, you have to show him that your words are true".
"Yeah, I guess there isn't a whole lot that I could convince him with just saying it" She sighed as her hand came up to lightly brush over the scars on her hands. The knowledge had saddened her, and that feeling drifted over to him.
"I'm unsure of why exactly you're pushing yourself so hard for him, but sticking your nose into a delicate matter is, well, you know… but that being said you're the type that breaks down barriers without thinking twice." Her head snapped up at his words as she sent him a thankful smile. "I have nothing else to offer other than my perspective on this matter, and unfortunately with your nightmares I am even less helpful, but if you ever need someone to listen about them, I'm here."
Izuka gave a small smile, "Thanks Todoro-kun, you're a good friend."
"What the hell, Koneko," Bakugo huffed out as he placed the plate of vegetables onto the table with a loud thud. Grabbing the pot, he shoved it back into Todoroki's arms. "I leave you for one minute and you invite icy hot over here. We got this covered. So go be fucking useful somewhere else"
Todoroki stood to his feet sending Bakugo a blank look. "I'm confused on how Midoriya can stand your personality," he said as he took a step back. "She's far too kind to be around someone who's every sentence holds a curse word."
"Fuck you, half-and-half bastard!" Bakugo yelled, warning explosions releasing from his palms. "Your shit opinion wasn't asked for!"
Feeling a little livelier Izuka listened to Bakugo's grumble about Todoroki, with her every now and then throwing in words of comfort as she followed his example and began to dice the vegetables.
子猫
Stomach fuller, and though her muscles screamed at the idea that they were about to head out and do more activities, she was sure that even though it was classified as fun, it would actually be work. The Pussycats seemed to love dressing up for work as a fun option when in reality it would just lead them to be more tired.
She watched as Aizawa-sensei dragged away the remedial classmates, feeling sad when she realized that Kaminari was in that group. She felt for her best friend but only offered a look of disappointment and a wave toward him as he was wrapped up and dragged away. He sent her glances of torture and shouts of woe as he disappeared.
"I don't see why your friends with him," Bakugo grunted out as he stared after the darker blonde. "He's so damn loud."
"Kirishima is kind of the same, but your friends with him." Izuka pointed out.
Bakugo turned his head away " 'Tch' It's different."
She sent him a smirk as he offered no further explanation, knowing she had won.
Pixie Bob stood front and center as she began to explain to them how everything was going to work. Class-B would be the first up using their quirks to try to scare their class, and the leftover group of Class-A would be in teams of two that will walk around the trial that was set up for them and would try to avoid being scared. It seemed pretty simple to Izuka and all feelings of misfortune from earlier were dashed away as she felt this could really be fun.
"The winner will be the class that not only makes the most of their creativity but also makes the most people piss their pants with fright!" exclaimed Tiger.
Izuka was startled by this but her mind was wrapping around the fact that it was obvious someone would be left on their own. Five of their classmates had been sent away, which meant there wouldn't be enough pairs. "Someone's going to be left out," she said as it dawned on her that a poor soul would have to go through this alone.
"We're drawing lots, so yeah, someone definitely is going to be left with that fate," Ojiro said off to her right. It was clear in his voice he was hoping it was anyone other than himself, but Izuka felt that as well.
Pixie Bob was quick about handing out the student's partner and it didn't take long for Izuka to figure out that fate had picked her to be the solo one. Behind Midoriya she could hear the perverted Mineta begging Aoyama to trade partners so that he could be with Yaoyorozu. Naturally, the sparkling blonde kept shaking his head refusing to trade, making Momo feel very grateful to him. Izuka felt relieved that her friend was safe from the actual scariest thing in this camp, and so did Todoroki who was watching and made a reminder to thank his classmate later.
Bakugo glared down at the paper number that Koneko had, then turned towards the icy hot, he walked over to him upon finding out that they were paired up. "Hey!" He yelled at him. "Trade with her."
"I would, but that seems to be against the rules." Todoroki sent his friend a sorry glance that only made the girl staring pitifully down at her unlucky draw.
"It's okay," she grumbled. "It's only fair." Beside her, Bakugo had gone to fight with the blue cat dressed hero to try to get her to bend the rules. But Pixie bob expertly ignored him as she began to send people on their way. Eventually pushing Katsuki toward Todoroki as it was their turn to go. The teen looked unhappy but shut his mouth as he stomped off into the night.
Izuka was sure that no one would be scaring him tonight, but rather he would probably scare anyone who tried. She sent Pixie bob a look that said she was sorry, but the blonde looked to be having a lot of fun. "You're so cute, but I couldn't change the rules!" She exclaimed happily as she waved the next group through. "Froggy-kitty, and Uraraka-kitty, it's your turn!"
"It's okay," Izuka said as she watched them slowly make their way to the scary path. "Good luck!" Tsu gave a nod and Uraraka gave her a thumbs up, and then they slowly disappeared from her sight.
"Being by yourself is the best!" exclaimed Pixie bob loudly as she licked her lips. "It'll be the most fun to scare you."
Izuka gulp and then grab a band from her wrist, and put up her hair in a ponytail "I suddenly don't feel like I'm going to be looking forward to this as much as I thought"
Pixie bob only giggled as she turned to wave on the next group before freezing in place, she sniffed the air and caught a familiar scent "Is that a burning smell?" She asked.
Izuka noticed the smell as well but her gaze quickly went up as she saw a lot of smoke "You see that?"
"Black smoke," Mandelei said with a frown as she glances up as well. Then glowing red light flashed out of the corner of Izuka's eyes, she turned in surprise to see Pixie bob began to float in the air before being pulled back by a strong force. Next thing anyone could know, she crashed to the floor, a man using his rectangular weapon pushed it down against her head. Panic flashed through her mind, freezing her body as blood flowed freely from the heroes' head, her eyes closed, and she went unconscious.
Around her, Izuka's classmates erupted in questions of concern and confusion. Once again villains have arrived in the place that they shouldn't have known and were able to find. Izuka stayed silent, her eyes locked on Pixie bob and before she knew it her body moved on its own. Her feet carried her forward, not sure what she planned on doing besides the constant chant in her head that the woman needed help.
Her plans came to a screeching halt as Tiger shoved his arm out into her way, effectively causing the student to come to a stop. Mandelei moving closer caused Izuka to turn to her, realization dawning on her features, as her thoughts came to a crashing stop. She had forgotten about Kota, everyone believing it was safe, the thought to check in and make sure he was safe slipped from her mind. Now, here in the depths of evil, he was all alone. A new sense of urgency ripped through her veins.
"Kota!" She gasped out as her body spun around. The words being spoken around her were funneled listening to know what was going on, but she was worried over the completely defenseless boy. Plans were being made around her, she could hear as the small leftover group of their class was being ordered back, that she as the class rep was to be in charge of them. All of this was happening in seconds, but her own plan was taking over as she disregarded what was told to her. "Please, Iida take over in my absence. Mandelei! I know where Kota is!"
She could hear the shouts of refusal behind her from Iida, and the other's own worried tones. But her full focus was on the hero in front of her, and the villains she was careful not to lose track of.
"Please, I know where Kota is!" She said in determination. Her eyes were set and Izuka would accept nothing else. Mandelei only nodded looking frustrated with the lack of options, but her own fear and worry over her nephew had her agreeing to the girl's plan. Not even a second later Izuka had shot away, her body glowing green as she pushed herself to her limits toward the boy. Her heart pounded inside of her chest, her ponytail moved back and forth, she was sure she was sending much confusing, and worrying array of emotions toward Bakugo, but by now she was sure he had been made aware of the threat they all fell under. Silently she hoped he was safe, but pushed all thoughts aside, and focused on getting to Kota before anything bad could happen to him. If she wanted to make it safely through this she couldn't be worried about her soulmate, even though that went against her bond.
The trees whipped past her, she barely felt anything as the few lucky ones snapped against her skin until they cleared all together from her vision. The familiar rocky formation flooded her vision along with the sight of a mountain of a man standing in front of a shaking child. He lunged forward; her quirk reacted without conscious thought pushing her faster.
Green lit up the night, her arms wrapped around the small body.
Bam!
The air around them was flooded with debris, dust, the villain's fist contacted with the mountain. Izuka cradled the boy close as her quirk deactivated. She felt any sort of control leave her body as they were flung toward the ground. Grunting with the impact Izuka felt all the air escape her lungs as she curled herself around Kota in an attempt to take most of the impact. A wheezing sound slipped through her lips as she tried to catch her breath. Behind them, she heard a crack, and the once weight inside her pocket had disappeared, a clear, dreaded sound that her phone hadn't survived the fall. She winced as she uncurled herself from the boy.
"What are you doing?" asked a panicked Kota. His eyes were wide with fright, but also a little hope. Izuka could only cough as she raised to her knee's her eyes searching out for the villain, knowing that now was not the time to get distracted or let her guard down even while she couldn't breathe.
"Now you're someone I recognize," the giant man said, as his cloak billowed in the wind around him. Izuka dared a chance to look in the direction of where she had heard the crack only to find that her phone was indeed broken beyond functioning. On the way up here, she had hoped that she would find Kota alone, run back down to camp together, and avoid making any sort of contact with the villains. She internally cursed herself for not telling Mandelei or anyone else where she was going. All chances of back up were dashed away with her poor choices. All that stood between Kota, and the villain was herself. Wiping at her face she surveyed her options, knowing above all else that protecting Kota was her top priority, and she had to come up with a plan to do it.
Failure was not an option, but her chances were nonexistent, and she knew she was fucked. Glancing back toward Kota she watched his terrified expression, the hope he had drifted away as he realized the same thing as she did herself. Tears streamed down his face, and at that moment, she knew he also didn't believe they had much of a chance.
"I-It's gonna be alright, Kota, I promise," Izuka said, forcing her voice to stay calm, not letting anything out but confidence. She turned away as she stared determinedly back toward the villain. Her emerald eyes were set ablaze as she felt grim determination.
'There's no other choice, I'm going to have to deal with this all by myself.'
"I'm going to save you, no matter what," Izuka stated with all her might.
子猫
Bakugo coughed as he covered his mouth trying to breathe as little as possible from the purple fog that surrounded him. Ahead of him, Todoroki had a student from Class-B draped across his back. The teen boy had succumbed to the fog before they had reached him.
The ash-blond tried to focus his eyes on the icy hot bastard in front of him. He was aware that he would need to watch his back if a villain suddenly appeared especially with his movements hindered by the new load they had. It was made hard as the flooding of emotions he was receiving from Izuka. None of them he liked. The strengthened bond was still new, the perks that had appeared hadn't given him time to learn how to control it, so now they rolled over him harshly. He could feel her fear, the panic, hitting him like a ton of bricks. It wasn't until he felt a sea of calm determination before he knew fear himself. Whatever caused that whiplash of an emotion could only spell out danger for stupid Koneko and he had to force himself not to run off in search of her. He could only hope she wouldn't do something so like herself that he would have to worry about her life. They were heading back to the camp, and even though everything inside of him screamed not to, he hoped Izuka was doing the same herself.
"This gas must be a villains doing," Todoroki said. "I'm still worried about the others, but there's not much we can do. We just have to hope that Ragdoll will reach them all"
Katsuki opened his mouth to huff out a response when both he and Todoroki saw something ahead that made them stop in their tracks 'Crap. Who is that?'
A dark figure stood in the middle of the path that was blocking their way. The chained figure was kneeling on the ground and Bakugo felt his stomach roll. Waves of darkness clung to the area around them, and the words drifting from the unknown being in front of them put the boys on edge.
"Hey. Who was supposed to be ahead of us?!" Bakugo asked, feeling dread.
"Tokoyami, I think. And Shoji" replied Todoroki.
Bakugo's eyes drifted down the form of the man to land on crimson-stained dirt and a flash of flesh.
"So pretty… so beautiful… ah, no, I mustn't… I have work to do," cooed the stranger. The voice seemed to be talking about the hand in front of it. "But I just can't leave it alone… ahh… such beautiful flesh. Ahh… seduce me no longer. I have work to do." Rustling, a sigh of anguish, and the stranger was turning toward them. Revealing the bound face, the man's mouth being pried open by metal showing sparkling white teeth. His arms seemed to be bound by a straitjacket like contraption.
Katsuki shoved aside any worry he felt over Koneko, trusting her to stay safe, while he himself dealt with his own danger. "No fighting, is that the rule?" He asked as his hand fell from his face. "There's no way I'm not engaging this sick fuck."
子猫
Standing to her feet she had activated One for All once more. The green sparks flying off her skin in tune with her emotions.
"No matter what you'll save the brat, you say?" His laugh pierced the night air. "Excellent… as expected, the true feeling of a hero candidate. Ready to parade that face of justice anywhere, anytime."
Izuka fell into a defensive stance in front of Kota, her eyes tracking the man's every movement. She watched as he pulled back his arm, muscle like strings forming from his skin, wrapping thickly around his arm until it completely took over.
"You're the one called Midoriya, aren't you?" He stated, not asking. It was clear to her he knew exactly who she was. This prickled at the back of her mind, her brain already forming answers, knowing who had sent him. "What perfect timing! I had just been ordered to bring you in, by force if need be. Sorry, kid, but I do plan on torturing you before, I want to see you bleed! No hard feelings, huh! It's nothing personal, just business."
She could see now that Shigaraki had held true to his promise. He had come back for her with the intent of not letting her slip between his fingers. This monster was after her, but it was clear he had alternative motives, and letting Kota slip by while they fought didn't seem to be in his plans. No, he wanted to watch their blood coat the mountainside before he took her in. Forcing her racing heart to slow down she watched as his body shifted. Everything inside of her slowed down, focusing on him, knowing that mistakes cannot be made.
His body shifted; his foot left the ground. In sync her own began to react, watching him glide through the air, her arm raised to counterattack. He was faster than she thought he would be. Her torso twisted as his fist contacted her arm, cracking of cartilage filled the air, and pain erupted. For one second, she felt the impact move throughout her body like a shock wave, before she was flung into the air. The scenery raced around her; the color of the night sky muddled together before an abrupt stop shook her to her bones. A scream escaped her mouth without conscious thought. Her vision doubled but she watched as the man straightened out.
"Whoops," he said with a laugh. "I hit you a little harder than planned. You're tinier than I thought, with your attitude you seemed stronger. Oh well, this fight will be over with soon, but maybe you can help me out." He loomed over her; his lips curled back into a smirk that doubled sinisterly above her. Izuka hissed, her arms twisted awkwardly as she breathed deeply trying to push the rush of nausea away.
"Do you know where a kid named Bakugo might be?" He cracked his neck not noticing the ways her eyes widened. "After all, once you're taken care of I still got another job to do." Her mind cleared, the dizziness she had been feeling washed away as his words sunk in. They weren't just after herself, somehow Shigaraki had connected the dots that led back to Bakugo. She knew he had figured out who he was to her. Her blood ran cold. Her heart stopped.
"Kacchan?" She breathed out. The word too low, lost on the wind for the villain to hear. They were targeting her soulmate. Growing frustrated with her lack of response he rolled his shoulders.
"It's cool kid, you can just say 'I don't know'." He sprung forward. Her idled mind raced to move away as her thoughts could only focus on the single horrifying thought that they were also after Kacchan. She needed to focus. "Well, alright, if you don't know then that means all the more fun for me! Let's play!" His leg swung out; her movements were too slow, white-hot pain boiled over in her stomach. She was caught midair before her body crashed back down to earth.
'Focus! I need to focus. I've got to get Kota and myself out of here. Then I can protect Kacchan.'
A hiss of pain bubbled over inside her throat, blood spitting out speckling the dirt in front of her face. She could feel a gash on her head, the blood flowed freely, but any worry was shoved back at the absentminded thought of head wounds bleeding worse than what the wound actually was. His maniacal laugh pierced her thoughts as he stalked his way over to her. His eyes lit up happily at the sight of her blood.
"Blood! That's more like it! Now we're really having fun!" Playfulness turned to mocking as he made to kick at her crumpled form. "What did you promise? I'll save you no matter what? Look at you now, nothing more than a punching bag for me, you fucking crack me up, kid!" Frustration built up as she weakly dug her fingers into the dirt, her quirk activating as she steeled her nerves. Right now, wasn't the time to be worrying about Kacchan, it wouldn't do her any good. If she wanted to save him, then first she had to save Kota, and herself. Izuka fell back into an easy routine, her mind had kept track of the man as he kicked her around with his quirk. She had filed away every detail she could without even thinking about it.
His quirk dealt with his muscles, giving him incredible speed, and strength. Grunting she shoved herself up in one swift movement. Her legs wobbled underneath her, but she pushed past the temporary weakness. Propelling herself forward her fist swung. Flesh met muscle a feeling of horrifying realization as her attack came to a sudden stop. Her arm wavered as he pushed back forcing them into a standstill.
Smash!
"What's this?" He chuckled as he pushed with a little more force. An open mockery to what he thought of her power. "That's supposed to be your quirk? Seems like you were more talk than action huh! You've got decent speed, but it doesn't pack much of a punch!" His arm didn't waver as she pushed against it with all she might. Arm raising, he easily smacked her away like an annoying fly. Her body went toppling over itself. Each hit to her body felt like burning fire to her abused skin.
Above her, she could hear the stretching of muscle. The sickening sound caused her stomach to roll as she imagined a rubber ball covering an arm.
"My quirk is muscle augmentation," he said casually like he was giving her a lecture. Her body twitched. She felt weak. This couldn't be how it ended. Izuka wouldn't accept it, but she had never felt this much pain since USJ. Her mind was clouded, it was hard to think. His words about his quirk flew over her head, as her subconscious absorbed it, filing it away to be used against him later.
"What do you say to that!?" He yelled as he scoffed down at her. "Nothing! You're a complete inferior version of me, have you any idea how this feels? Seeing you squirm, powerless, I can only laugh! It's a wonder what the boss sees in you, I have no idea why you're so important. To think that he said you would put up more of a fight. I'm disappointed. Here I thought it would take more to make you bleed. Ridiculous and you say you'll save him no matter what! Just spouting off words with hollow meaning just because they sound right! You should worry more about yourself and staying alive!"
His mouth opened, but words never came out. Izuka stared at him in shock; her mind still hadn't managed to sort itself out. She had taken one too many hits to the head, and everything was a jumbled mess. 'Why was it so hard to focus?'
The villain's attention was diverted away by a rock that hit him, an annoyed look causing his eye to twitch. He had almost forgotten about the other kid.
"Water-Horse… my mom… my dad… did you torment them like that before you killed them too?" Kota's voice joined the swarm of thoughts inside her mind, shocking her back into realizing she had someone to protect right now.
"Seriously, you're those heroes' kid? This must be fate. Those two gave me this artificial eye! I could have the whole set if I kill you right now!"
Kota shrunk into himself in fear, but his gaze full of tears held a fire within them. "It's all your fault! It's because of people like you that things turn out like this!" His fists clenched at his side, his breathing coming out ragged as his eyes shifted toward the fallen girl. The villain sighed, his face turning into grim determination. He shrugged as he stood taller than before.
"Little snot-nosed punks like you are always looking to pass the blame," he said gruffly. "That's no good. You see I'm not holding any grudges for this eye; I'm simply just wanting 'to kill'. Just so happened to be that your parents wanted to stop me. Our desires intersected and what happened was simply the result of all of us doing our best. The ones at fault are the ones who try to act even though they're incapable of doing anything. That pretty much sums up your pathetic mom and dad!"
With each word, he had taken a step closer to the boy. His arms raised as he towered over Kota, a dark aura drowning out any light from the stars above. Kota shrunk further into himself, his body shaking, as all he could do was watch as the figure rushed at him.
Izuka gained a moment of clarity as her body reacted in an instant. A whoosh of wind was the only announcement of her plan, but it was enough. His eye turned toward her assault.
"Isn't that right you little punching bag!?" He turned but she wasn't aiming to strike out an assault.
"The fault is all yours!" She screamed out. "You're the reason his life is in shambles!" Her arms screamed out in defiance, warning her not to use it, she was sure it was broken, but she lacked his strength, his speed. All that left her was to cut out what she could. His speed would be the easiest. The wind whistled through her skin, but she ignored everything as she jammed her arm through the fiber of his muscles. "I've got you now!"
Her mind was clear, her goal set, drowning out the pain that washed over her in waves. She blocked them out knowing that what she planned on next would need all of her focus. She had to make sure that she was still able to move after everything was done.
"What's next huh girl? You gonna hit me with that puny quirk of yours?" She took a deep breath, her arm falling back, green lightning sparking alive, as she flung her fist forward.
"It's not a matter of what you can or cannot do," she screamed out loud. Determination, desperation knocked around inside of her as she summoned all she had into the punch. "For a hero, it's risking our lives, and keeping our promises!" She could feel the power crackle through the air, it brought a rush of energy splurging through her body. The power tore through her sleeve and lower parts of her shirt, shredding it to pieces. The villain in front of her eyes widened in a flash of panic.
'One for All 100%!'
Her fist struck true, the force behind her hit throwing the man away from her. A scream ripped through the air, taking her a moment to realize it wasn't her own. A rush of fatigue drained her body, her arms useless, but she shoved herself off to the side.
'I've got to protect Kota.'
The words cut through the tiredness. Skin dug into the dirt as her emerald eyes locked onto the boy flying through the air, over the side of the cliff. Flinging herself after him she grunted as the rocked dug into her front, her teeth clamping around the boy's shirt. Relief that for now, he was safe caused her body to slump before she sent him a calculating gaze.
"Showee," she said as her mouth was full of cloth. "Dhin't mhean too shend you fhying!" Feeling her body protest she began to lift him over the side of the cliff. Her torso did most of the work, her arms hanging limp at her side.
"T-Thank you," he sobbed as he scrambled away from the drop-off. His body was shaking as he threw himself into her body. His head lay on her chest as he sobbed out. Curling herself over him she tried to portray the comfort that her body lacked the ability to give. Half her shirt was ripped to shred revealing the black sports bra she had on and her abdomen. Her breathing was ragged, and her heart threatened to break through her ribcage, but she pushed it all back to try to help the frightened kid in front of her. After a few moments of him holding tightly onto her, she finally broke the silence. It wasn't safe here and she knew it.
"Let's get back to camp," she said, her voice shaking. "It's not too far from here, and it'll be safer." Her voice broke off as the rocks behind them crumbled and shifted. Fear latched itself to her heart as she slowly twisted around. She kept her body protectively between Kota and the danger, but all she could do was look helplessly at the man who was pulling himself from the side of the mountain. A loud bang echoed as he pulled himself free. Muscle fibers retreated into his flesh as she slumped forward. A malicious smirk wound its way on his face as he turned to face her.
She stared at him in disbelief at the idea that the power of All Might, everything she had, had barely put a scratch on him. He didn't even seem worn out as he took a step toward them.
"Hahah fuck, starting off like a little weakling, not too bad Midoriya!" He stalked toward them. His eyes lit up with the excitement from the fight. Muscular's good eye roamed over where she was bleeding, bruised, tired, and a satisfied expression flooded his face.
"St-stay back!" She yelled. Despair flooded her as she took a step back into Kota. He latched onto what was left of her shirt, gripping the rags in his tiny hands.
"Now, now, that'd be no fun! You're mine! Screw what that guy wanted. You'll just have to be a little more broken than he wanted when I drag you back to him."
Her vision wavered; her head spun but she forced herself to stay focused. This didn't look good, she didn't have much left, and there was no time to plan. Izuka had to keep him talking, hoping that it would buy her time. All she needed was time.
"Why are you doing this?" She yelled out, her eyes focused on the way he stalked closer. "What does the League want with us?!" She knew Shigaraki's plans for herself, but she had to know what they wanted with Kacchan. The only thing she could think of was that he had found out who her soulmate was and plans to eliminate him.
"Fuck if I know," he said with a shrug. "I just tear shit apart. Don't you remember, I said it was time to play? All I care about is getting to use my quirk and cause chaos. It's too fucking bad for you two kids. The game's over, you're stronger than I thought so I gotta end it now." His hand lifted, changing out the fake eye. "Time for my serious face."
Izuka stiffened watching as his body shifted, preparing to strike. "Kota!" She snapped out. "Grab a hold of me. Now!" The boy loosened his grip and swiftly jumped onto her back, his legs wrapping around her waist, and arms around her neck. The extra weight almost had her toppling over but she righted herself just as Muscular sprang forward. Using her quirk, she shoved herself and Kota up into the air, off to the side over his shoulder and away from the attack.
Bam!
Debris flooded the air, causing her to cough as she felt the boy grab tighter onto her. The wind whipped forcing her forward faster. Landing at a safe distance away as she spun around. That attack was worse than before. She would have been decimated if it had hit. It was obvious he had been holding back before, just playing with them. This truly was just a game to him, that killing them would bring him a sick pleasure. The way his eyes lit up when he saw her, Izuka wasn't sure she would make it to Shigaraki alive if he caught them.
Fear flashed across her mind but she shoved it back just as quickly. He sprung forward once more, Izuka dodged, jumping off to the side. He recovered quickly aiming at her as she was still stuck in the air. Forcing her arms to work she used air force to blow them away.
Now was not the time to let herself slip into fear, she had to focus.
"Ah, shit, I overdid it." Rocks bounced off Izuka, but she ignored them as her mind raced. They crashed to the ground, Kota rolling away from her. Izuka struggled to her feet staring into the dirty covered surroundings. It was no good, they couldn't make it back to camp to where Aizawa-sensei was. The guy was too fast, even if she weren't hurt, and nearly incapacitated, she would be no match for him. There was no choice, it was obvious that she had to fight him here. She was forced to stand her ground, to remember where she started, and how far she had come. It was her job, she had to make sure Kota was safe!
Her emerald eyes darkened, narrowing as she pulled herself to her full height. 'I am here to save people,' she thought determinedly to herself. 'Don't forget why you became a hero!'
This sparked a new will inside of her. "Kota, get back," she said sternly. "Not too far or you'll become a target. Just seven steps back, that'll be enough. When I clash with him you run, you get that Kota, you run and get back to camp." Her eyes drooped. Her body swayed but her fists clenched at her side. It brought a rush of pain, but that woke her up.
Behind her Kota's eyes had widened, his head shaking. "What! You're not going to take him on, are you? Your attacks did nothing to him earlier! Both of your arms are broken! You'll get yourself killed!" She could hear the tears in his voice, the uncertainty. She had to wipe that away. Couldn't let him falter. Kota had to make it out of here.
"I'm okay!" She said as she watched Muscular dart forward, his muscle fibers having taken over his whole body. A storm in a sea of calm claimed her mind as she stared at him with eyes set firmly on her goal. Summoning One for All she met him in the middle.
'Detroit Smash!'
Muscle met flesh. The wind picked up and brushed past her face. Her leg dug into the ground as she forced her body to defend her ground. The rock underneath cracked and crumbled sending her an inch into the ground. She could feel him push back against her; her muscles wavered as she pushed more force into her attack.
"What's wrong?" He yelled out laughing. "This attempt was much weaker!" Tears sprung from her eyes as she gritted her teeth, the taste of blood on the tip of her tongue.
"I'll be okay!" She yelled out to the boy behind her. "I will not let him past me! Kota, run!" Hunkering forward she squared her shoulders using all her force to take a step forward. "Go! Now!"
"You're still looking after him?!" Muscular yelled, disapproval coating his voice. "Oh man, your something else aren't you!" Chunks of rock flew through the air, she felt him push back against her removing the ground she had gained. "This is so much fun!"
"Shut-." She grunted as he shoved against her. Digging her shoes into the ground once more she ducked her head. Her muscles strained. "Shut up dammit!"
Kota crouched on the ground, his eyes wide as his hair flew around his face. "Why?" He asked softly. He didn't understand why she would push herself like this. Just for him. Someone she barely knew.
The sound of ripping cloth filled the air. Muscle fibers dragged along his leg ripping his pants to shreds. His arms grew bigger, the fibers wrapping around the ones from before. He was pushing his limits. The strain was becoming too much for Izuka. She forced more of One for All into her limbs, the ground cracking underneath her, the cloth over her shirt and calves ripping.
"Show me… your blood!" He hissed as he grew bigger. She began to lose ground; her body slowly being pushed into the dirt and rocks. Izuka continued to push back, refusing to give in, even in a moment where she could feel herself lose.
All Might's words appeared in her mind's eye as she stared fiercely into her enemies.
'A real hero… will always find a way for justice to be served!'
'Please, forgive me, mom,' she thought as she kept trying to push back. She remembered the last words she had spoken to her mother. Promising that she would be safe, that nothing could happen where she was going. 'I tried my best.' Her mind flashed to Toshi. She had wanted to live up to his image, to be a proper successor to his power. It seemed she failed. 'I'm sorry, Toshi.'
"I'm going to crush you!" He screamed as he pushed her the rest of the way into the rocks. Her muscles strained, fighting him the whole way. Rocks kicked up into the air, a giant crash filling the surrounding air carrying the sounds of battle on it. She felt her body make an impact with the ground, the pain ripping through her mind, the night sky blocked out by the hulking form. All she could see was him.
'I'm sorry Kacchan.'
子猫
"We cannot engage!" Todoroki yelled out as he shot ice out, blocking the attack from the monster in front of them. "We've got to find a way around this guy!" Bakugo glared as all he could do was watch him block the oncoming attacks. His eyes kept trained on the enemy as they both jumped out of the way.
His mind was split into two, one focused on what was happening around him, and the other focused on the feelings that bombarded him from Koneko. They were heavy, stifling, fear, wave after wave of desperation. His muscles tensed part of him wishing to rush off to find her, but the emotions that were sent his way wasn't a map to find her and but staying here to help the half and half bastard. It was obvious that his hopes that Izuka had been back at camp safely were firmly dashed away.
"Fuck!" Bakugo yelled as he doubled over. The emotions hitting him were wild, uninhibited, forcing him to push against the feeling of falling to his knees. His worry for Izuka spiked to dangerous levels as he pinpointed the emotion that was running rampant through her. He felt the white-hot flash of pain, the regret, fear, but more importantly than the determination, and finality of her actions. Bakugo's body shook as he looked around him wildly.
"Todoroki!" He yelled out, a seriousness in his tone that had the other boy whipping his head around. He was never called him by his actual name by the ash blond, not even once. Shooting out another wall of ice he ran over to the pale looking teen.
"We need to stay focused. What's wrong?" Todoroki asked while keeping the unconscious classmate on his back steady.
Bakugo shook his head, his crimson eyes were wide open and wild. "We've got to get out of here. There's something wrong."
"Of course, there is, Bakugo," Todoroki said with a concerned look on his face. He shifted the boy on his back as his mismatched eyes followed the villain's teeth. It hadn't broken through the ice, but it would. "We can't assume this is the only villain in the area."
"Shit, that's not it! There's something majorly wrong out there. We've got to go find her." voiced Bakugo with urgency.
Todoroki stared firmly at the ash blond, his eyes sweeping over his expression, calculating what he was feeling. He had never seen Bakugo act like this before, the hot-head was always collected, and practical even when firing off.
"I didn't take you as one who would be worried about the class," Todoroki said but he narrowed on the fact that Bakugo had said she. He knew there was only one person Bakugo on his mind, the only one he ever spent regular time with outside of Kirishima. "I'm sure Midoriya is fine."
Bakugo quickly shook his head. He was drowning in the emotions that had taken over, and all that was left in his mind was the instinctual need to go protect her. To save his soulmate. His mark twisted tightly around his wrist, the thorns feeling as if they were piercing his skin, as the petals brushed urgently. The bond was telling him she was in danger. It pushed him to go to her.
"God damn it I know she's not," He said, no longer filtering what came out of his mouth. He was blind with panic, knowing that he was no longer completely in control.
"What-?" Todoroki fell silent. He observed him carefully before Bakugo suddenly flung to the side. Ice rained down around them, Todoroki was hit from the side, Katsuki having thrown them both to the side to safety. "She's your bonded? You can feel her emotions right now?"
"Shit," Bakugo raised his hand to fire off an explosion, but Todoroki knocked his hand away. His own ice instead of fighting back.
"We can't use your quirk," he said. "We can't risk a fire starting here."
"Fuck I know," he grunted "But I gotta get this fucker out of my hair and get to her."
"I understand what you're feeling," Todoroki said. "I stopped feeling anything coming from my bonded a short while ago. The only reason I know she still lives is because my mark hasn't disappeared. I don't know what is being sent to you, but Midoriya is strong. She's going to be alright. Right now, we must focus on ourselves, we'll be no help to them if we end up dead."
Katsuki glared but knew the half and half boy was right. He turned putting his all into making sure Todoroki was covered as they looked for a way out of this fight. The itching need to fight slowly, taking over his body. He grabbed the guy from Todoroki's back allowing the ice-user free movement as he flung him onto his own back.
They dodged again, another shot of ice. They made to move into the trees away from the enemy only to be cut off by the man's quirk. Katsuki tripped up, stumbling over his feet trying to regain balance as Izuka's resolve punched him in the gut. He could feel the change in her mind, the pain had faded away, and all that was left was reckless abandon. Her emotions were so strong it was like he was being dragged into her mind, that he was feeling what she was. Bakugo regained clarity as the sharp tooth material of the enemy flashed in front of him. He jumped back, dodging, but the sharp blade cut through the skin on his arm.
Another wave of emotion, this time stronger, as his mind slipped away. A flash of darkness, another of a deformed eye, and a muscular form hovering threateningly over him. His body hurt, he could hear a cry of a child and the vicious laugh of the demon that crushed him into the dirt.
"Give me your blood!"
Shaking his head, his eyes came back into focus, the trees surrounding him appeared abruptly, taking over the vision that had washed over him. Todoroki grabbed him from behind pulling him from being impaled by the tooth sword that hurled toward him.
Katsuki's eyes were wide. What had he just witnessed? His eyes flashed off over the trees, what the hell had Koneko gotten herself into?