Soul Marked
Chapter Thirty-Three
What it means to be a hero PT. 1
Sorry guys! I'm a few days late updating. This chapter has been ready but my wifi wasn't cooperating due to the snow we got. Anyway! Next chapter is what I've been waiting for! I'm so excited!
This is where the song I'll be good by Jaymes Young comes in. For the next couple chapters actually.
I'm going to start diverging away from canon for a little bit and the rating M becomes needed. So look out for that next chapter!
I hope you all enjoy this!
Darkness had taken over. Her muscles shook at the strain she felt from locking her arms, still battling him in her half-conscious state. Tears traced down on her cheeks. Every breath was painful. They came out in short rapid bursts. Her fingers spasmed as she half-heartedly shoved against him. He was suffocating her, his massive form pushed against her, her face shoved into one of his muscle fibers. Izuka's hold on him faltered, she grew weak, her will to go on was burning out by the second.
Above her was just the hulking form shrouded in darkness. He blocked out all light. Her mind whirled at the thought that this man would be the last thing she would see before she died. Her vision wavered but then suddenly, eight black silhouettes with glowing eyes appeared before her.
"Hold on" came whispers that whirled around inside her mind. She gasped; the image being ripped away as she stared blurrily eyed up at the monster above her. He was pressing down on her; she could hear the creak from the ground underneath her. It seemed he wanted to push her through the earth itself.
A choking noise escaped her lips as she could feel a numbness spreading through her arms. "I-I c-can't stop here," she croaked out, but it was useless. He was too strong. Izuka tried curling her fingers, only to have them stay locked in place. Her body was refusing to obey, working on pure adrenaline and the need to survive.
The darkness around her shimmered, the image of muscle and shadows faded away to reveal a dark wasteland. The area around her was an empty battlefield long ago abandoned by the destructive forces. She could breathe easier here, her lungs filling with air, but the pain in her body faintly lingered.
"Hold on," whispered a voice. She remembered the strange figures from moments ago. The hair on the back of her neck prickled, as the faint hum of pain slowly leaked in.
"We'll help you," came another.
"You must keep going," whispered a third.
They joined together rising around her body, forming eight shadowy figures who circled the area around Izuka. The whispers grew louder. Gusts of wind whipped her hair at her face blowing the figures away as she stared helplessly out at them. The pain rushed back in full force, but her finger twitched. Her elbows bent as water trickled down over her face. The force above her flinched, the muscles shifted, and she could just make out the confusion in his voice.
"Leave her alone!" came a childish voice. Hazily her mind realized that Kota must have used his quirk, a water one if the droplets falling onto her face gave her any hint. "Let her go!" Her eyes opened, the emerald sparking alive as her gaze fell on the small shaking boy, with both hands still raised.
"Ko-ta," she gasped out. Energy began to build up inside of her, her body hummed as the familiar green sparks of her quirk surrounded her.
"Hey, kid, be patient," Muscular said, not realizing what was happening underneath him. "I'll kill you after I'm done with-"
Izuka felt the power reemerge inside of herself, her shirt completely tore itself apart, leaving her sports bra the only fabric hanging on by flimsy intact on her shoulders. Her hair broke free from the band and began to move like a wave in the wind. Her arms stopped shaking, the pain fading to the back of her mind as she felt the full power of One for All turn her insides into an electrifying green current. In the back of her mind, she heard the distinct sound of a chime, metal clattering against a rock but pushed it back as she forced the Muscular villain away from her. The hulking mass slowly began to move back as her body raised.
"I won't let you hurt, Kota!" Her voice was garbled, but it rang strong in the air. Muscular stared wide-eyed as he tried pushing her down only to feel as if he hit a wall. The wind whipped around them; he could sense the power that filled the area.
"Dammit! How the hell are you getting stronger!"
Izuka urged herself to stand on her feet, sensing the power of One for All helping her go forward.
"I won't let you lay a hand on him!" She screamed. A flash of bright light in her mind's eye has her feeling a new rush of power, this one filling from within her body. She imagined it growing brighter as it passed along endlessly until finally, it settled inside of herself. 'One for All, 1,000,000 percent! Delaware…' Her emerald eyes brightened as she pushed him back with her right arm, causing his fibbers to release her hand as she opened it and he stumbled. Closing it into a fist she pulled it back, before slamming it forward right to his face 'Detroit Smash!' She watched as the muscle fibers rippled, time seemed to suspend before everything came crashing back. She was pushed back a step, as a loud bang echoed through the air, a puff of smoke hanging between them before Muscular was blown back. His body was limp as he ricocheted before crashing into the mountainside with full force.
A crater formed. He did not move again. Leaving Izuka the only one standing.
Behind her Kota could only look with shock as his knees went numb and fell back on his butt, the fear and energy escaping from his body.
"Why?" He questioned softly. As he stared at the teen girl in front of him, who swayed but stood there looking victorious. His mind suddenly began to remember the words that his Aunt had told him some time ago.
"Kota, your mom, and dad, the Water Horse heroes. It's true they ended up leaving you behind in this world. But they saved so many lives through their sacrifice, you'll see that someday."
All he could do at that moment was simply gaze at her as the tears built up in his brown color eyes. He didn't bother to even wipe them away this time. "Why did you risk your life?" He asked, hoping to hear the answer that will never come.
"You'll meet someone, and then you'll understand why we do this."
Izuka let her head hang, blood dripped down from her face, but she didn't care, her eyes refused to move from the monster she had just fought. She pushed the strange people she had seen from her mind, and firmly placed herself at this moment, making sure they were both safe.
"Even though… you don't know me at all," He continued. His fists clenched. "Why did you try to save me?"
"Someone who will risk their life. Someone who'll be-"
Izuka let out a scream as the pain crashed back down all around her, her knees locking to keep her in place, not wanting to back down.
'A hero' Kota let his tears fall as the memory from that time finally made him understand what his Aunt meant. His eyes were still filled with tears, but he still looked up in amazement, a new sense of hope grew from his heart as he stared at Izuka "My Hero" he voiced.
He immediately got up and raced forward, his small hands coming up to wrap around her waist, to keep her from shaking and falling over.
"Ah, Kota," she said, glancing down at him. Her eyes were out of focus, but she successfully sent him a smile. Her good arm raised to wrap around him only to stop at the lack of metal glinting back at her. Slowly the dazed look gave way to confusion, and then panic. Kota sensing the change tightened his grip as she began to furiously glance around the demolished terrain.
"What's wrong?" He asked as he forced her to stay where she was. He could see the damage that her body took and was worried about what would happen if she kept moving. "What are you looking for?"
"My bracelet," she gasped as her body crumpled on itself. Kota grunted as he locked his arms and attempted to keep Izuka from crashing onto the ground. Instead, muscles shaking, he carefully lowered her so she could sit down. Seeing her eyes still searching for the bracelet, he sensed that it was important to her.
"I don't think you should be moving right now," Kota stated and offered to search for it while she rested. He wanted to take care of her now that she had saved him. The new feelings of hero worship still running through his veins. Making sure she wouldn't be getting up again he quickly began to actively search the rocks for the bracelet she mentioned. Several minutes later, part of him was saddened at the knowledge that he may never find what seemed to be precious to her until he finally spotted glittering metal nestled in the dirt. Feeling triumphant, knowing this would lighten her mood, Kota quickly scooped it up into his hand but noticed the broken piece. What was probably the cause of it falling from her wrist in the first place, the part that connected both ends came undone.
A wave of sadness came over the boy as he knew that the teen girl would be disappointed that her bracelet was broken. Kota walked over to her and showed her the jewelry "I'm sorry. It's broken" he said, feeling guilty even though he wasn't the one who broke it.
"It's alright, Kota," said Izuka, looking up at the boy and gave a bright smile "It can easily be fixed. So, thank you for finding it for me"
Kota felt super relief to hear that, and that he didn't let her down.
"I've rested enough," Midoriya stared down at the bracelet, her worry over Kacchan fluttered back in her stomach at the sight of the gift "I need to get you back to safety, and then there's something I need to do." No longer needing to focus on survival, her battle ridden mind had time to fret over the information Muscular had given her. It wasn't just her life that was in danger, they planned on taking Katsuki as well. If they got their hands on him there wasn't anything Izuka wouldn't do to ensure his safety. If they somehow didn't manage to snatch her up tonight as well, she knew Shigaraki would use Bakugo as bait. She'd willingly fall prey to it as well. It frustrated her to no end.
"But you're still hurt!" Kota yelled out, startled by her decision. He had hoped they would find their way back to safety and then she would stay put. After all, she had just saved his life, got hurt in the process, and deserves to rest and heal "What more could you have to do now?"
"He was stronger than I originally expected," Izuka began as she stared out over the trees that glowed an unnatural blue "It's why I had to try to defeat him here".
Fire. She could smell the smoke in the air, something before she hadn't had the ability to focus on.
"It took way more of my power than I thought it would. If all the villains out here are on the same level as him, then all our lives are at stake. Even if that wasn't the problem, they are after some of us, students. I must let sensei, and the pussycats know that that's the reason they are here. I'm injured, yes, but I'm not defeated yet. I can still save more people."
'I can still save Kacchan.'
"We will leave him here," she said as her eyes bounced back toward Muscular. "He should be out for a while. Even with my injuries making my attack weaker than it would have been, he should still be out for a few hours. And if he ever wakes up, chances are he'll be too weak to do anything" Her mind drifted back to One for All, and the mysterious black silhouettes, she didn't know how but whatever she saw and felt at that time, it truly helped her. It made her power crackle alive with energy. A part of her doubted what she just said, her attack hadn't been weakened, but she shook those thoughts from her mind. Her eyes wandered back over to the flames.
"You should still take it easy," he said with a choking sob. Stepping forward she forced her arm up, her hand landing on his head. Lightly she patted his head as she smiled down at him. Izuka pushed all the calm and ease she could into the gesture.
"Right now, I want to make sure you're safe Kota," she said. "You see those flames. Your quirk could be helpful. I don't know if my friends are trapped out there right now or not, but we both could save a few lives tonight. Don't worry about me. It looks a lot worse than it is."
This was a total lie. Izuka knew that once her adrenaline wore off, she would be in a lot of pain. At the moment she happily took in the fact that her body was forcing the effects back and allowing her to keep moving. It had been a while since she used her arms at full force like that since she had started to use her legs more.
"We need you, Kota. That is if you'd be willing to help." She was aware of his dislike for quirks, how he hated to use it. She wouldn't force the boy to do something he was uncomfortable with regardless of how helpful it would be. But his teary eyes stared up at her in shock, but she could faintly see the tip of his head in a nod. Beaming a proud look his way she turned around and bent her knees. "For now, we need to get to camp. So, get on."
The boy hesitated before he jumped onto her back as carefully and humanly possible. The position caused her to grunt out in pain but gritting her teeth, the pain quickly faded to the back of her mind.
"Are you sure this is fine?" He asked, hearing her grunt.
Nodding Izuka lifted him higher "Hang on tight," she said before she called forth One for All. Running forward she flung them off the side of the cliff having figured out the most direct path back toward camp. Once she got Kota safely, Izuka would then find Mandalay to tell her what the villains were after.
Then she could go protect Bakugo. Her stomach rolled. She had to protect Bakugo.
The farther she ran the less she felt the pain that had overtaken her body. The chill of the night eased the soreness of her muscle, the adrenaline rushing through her kept her from feeling anything but the warmth coming from her quirk as it spread throughout her whole body. Behind her, she listened to Kota whispered words of encouragement as well as check in on how she was feeling, while also relaxing on her back as he felt her soft curly hair caress his face. He kept her spirit up as she searched the woods ahead of her. They did not need to run into any more trouble.
Kota's grip tightened on her shoulders tugging at them to gather her attention. "Over there!" He yelled into her ear as she swung her head around. Sighing in relief Izuka changed her course heading toward her sensei that was running through the forest himself. She watched as her sensei dodged rocks, tree's, and jumped over bushes before he came to a screeching halt at seeing her and Kota.
"Aizawa-Sensei!" She called out as she came to a skidding stop in front of her teacher.
"Midoriya," he said, as his eyes swept over her broken form. Worry rode up inside of him as he calculated how badly hurt she had gotten. The girl had been working hard on her quirk, having no major bruising or breaks in a while. That told him enough of what kind of trouble she had run into. "Are you alright?"
"Thank god we ran into you," she said feeling relieved. Her plan could be moved forward faster. Carefully she began to move Kota from her back. The boy's arms initially locked, not wanting to be taken from her but eventually conceded as he allowed his body to drop to the ground. "There are things I've learned about the villains, but I don't have time to tell you everything. I need to get to Mandalay and tell her, so she can let everyone know."
"Hold on," He said, raising his hand into the air, in an act to grab her.
"Please, take care of Kota while I'm gone!" She was about to turn and go off on her own, but Aizawa had already grabbed her and was careful where he touched there wasn't any obvious bruising.
"Midoriya, focus!" He said trying to send a calm aura toward her. She twisted her body to face him, impatience causing her to twitch, as the urge to find Katsuki overwhelmed her. The bond whirled uncomfortably underneath her skin causing an itchy sensation.
"Those injuries," he said in concern, but his eyes narrowed "How bad are they? You've had to run into trouble, didn't you? Have you forgotten about Hosu?"
Her mind shot back to the incident. Words of how uncertified users were not allowed to use their quirks to cause damage to hit her. It was clear to her she had once again broken the rules, but she didn't have much of a choice. Running hadn't been an option, and not fighting would have led to Kota's death, and in her case capture.
"I'm fine," she said automatically. "I haven't forgotten." The look Izuka sent him was one of understanding, but grim determination. There hadn't been any other choice.
Aizawa sighed as he released her from his hold "Go. But tell Mandalay something for me as well."
After hearing what her sensei had told her, Izuka nodded but before she left, she turned towards the small boy "Kota, could you keep that bracelet safe, until I come back? It's really important to me."
A part of Kota didn't want her to go but knew that he couldn't stop her. So, he nodded and would gladly keep her bracelet safe for her.
Izuka gave him one last smile and then took off in the direction she had last seen the heroes in question. Her heart was pounding in her chest. The feeling of urgency only growing the longer she was away from her soulmate. Izuka raced through the forest, her legs taking her faster than before, her hair moving fiercely in the air and the sweat streak down all over her body. The next step of her plan would be executed and then she could go after the part she was most worried about. Brushing past the leaves of the tree's she broke through them, and into the clearing where the pussycats were still fighting the villains from earlier. She felt relieved that Ilda and the others are no longer there, meaning that they were safe at the camp.
The teen girl sees that Mandalay was fighting a lizard looking man who seemed to be dressed in a way that caused her to think he idolized Stain. She watched as he pulled out a sword that was made up of a hundred sharp-looking weapons. It glinted dangerously as the mutant man swung the sword up into the sky.
As the weapon swung down toward the cat hero, Izuka shot herself up into the air and pointed her feet forward. She drove herself towards the Lizard's sword and was able to break through it, carefully avoiding being cut. She then maneuvered herself to land and skidded across the ground until she stopped. Izuka made eye contact with Mandalay and spoke out loud for her to hear "I found Kota! He's safe!" Mandalay stared horrified at the sight the young girl presented herself in. It was obvious by her lack of shirt and torn pants that she had gotten herself into a battle. This knowledge caused the woman to grow fearful at the high prospect that Kota had been involved.
"You found him?" She asked, fearful but hopeful. Izuka nodded before hurrying on to the next task she was asked to tell the cat lady.
"And I've got a message from Aizawa-sensei" Izuka gave a determined look and yelled out "We need you to tell everyone in Class A and Class B, that Eraserhead is granting them permission to engage in combat with the villains!"
Mandalay was surprised for a second but quickly understood by nodding and used her quirk.
"Everyone in class A and class B! In the name of the pro hero Eraserhead, you are granted permission to engage in combat! I repeat, use your training, you may fight these Villains!"
After giving the announcement Mandalay quickly dodged the villain's attack and looked towards the girl "Get back to camp right now! Those injuries need to be taken care of." She turned her attention back at the lizard guy and attacked him with her kick, but he blocked it with his arms and pushed her back.
Taking deep breaths Izuka tried calming her racing heart. Shaking her head, Izuka's features morphed into sorrow as she knew once again, she'd be denying the orders of this hero, not for the first time tonight.
"I can't!" She called out. The power around her increased as she began to stand to her feet. "I'm sorry, Mandalay, but I've got one more person I need to protect. There's one more thing you must send out to everyone. I know one of the reasons the villains are here!" This part caused Midoriya to internally wince, she was going to partly lie. It felt wrong, doing this to a hero, especially one she had begun to look up to, but there was no way she would be telling them that the villains were after her as well. They would never allow her to go after Kacchan if they knew she was a target as well.
"What are you talking about?" Mandalay asked as she struck out at the villain.
"They're after Kacchan!" She said, before beginning to dash over toward the forest. Her voice carried back to the worried hero. "Please, tell the others! But I'm sorry, I can't just leave him."
"Kacchan?" Mandalay asked in confusion, but it didn't matter to Izuka whether she recognized the name. The girl knew everyone else would, and more importantly, Bakugo would recognize it and know that it came from her. "Wait! Where are you doing?! Stop!" The hero's words grew frightened as she watched the girl run away.
The villain with brunette hair harshly turned to stare where Midoriya was running, after hearing her yell out to the cat hero. Eyes narrowing Magne couldn't help but be stunned at the fact that the teen girl knew that much. It meant someone had squealed, and earlier when she felt the ground shaking, there was no doubt in her mind that it had been Muscular that talk. She couldn't believe the scrawny kid could have defeated him, more importantly, she realized who exactly the green-haired girl was. As the young hero to be ran past her, Magne left her fight with Tiger and moved straight towards the girl to apprehend her, only to be stopped by Spinner as he threw a knife but she quickly dodged it.
"What the hell, spinner!" Magne yelled out she swung back around. "That girl was on the priority capture list!"
"Shigaraki is the one that wants her," he said, watching her disappear into the trees.
"Uh, yeah! And she's the reason we're here!"
"That girl is someone Stain wished to save. Which means she was deemed worthy of being called a true hero. If Stained spared her then-" Mandalay swept in and hit him on the side of his face with her foot. And Tiger gave a good punch on Magne's head, knocking both villains down.
"About time I got a solid hit in!" Mandalay panted as her eyes widened when she had listened in to what they just said. It would seem she had just allowed one of the targets that the villains were after, to leave her protection. She was breathing hard as her mind began to whirl.
There was no stopping the girl now, but she would relay her message, and with it make sure she also got protection from someone else.
子猫
Aizawa kept on running fast towards the campground so that he could leave the kid there safely and go back to find the rest of his students.
'I forgot to tell that girl to come back right away. This is bad' He thought 'The only reason she's still moving despite her injuries is because of the endorphins pumping through her body. It's temporary, once she accomplished her goals, and calms down a little, she won't be able to move for hours'.
Kota looked at the forest seeing nothing but darkness. He was hoping that the greenette girl would come back but knew that she wouldn't, she was out there trying to save her classmates. He couldn't stop worrying about her.
"Mister, is she going to be okay?" Kota asked the man in black "I sorta punched her before, and she got beat into a pulp just so she could protect me"
Aizawa could feel the boy's hand grip his binding wraps and could hear him start to cry.
"I never apologize! Or even thanked her!" Kota felt useless, wanting to see her so badly but couldn't, and was afraid that something even worse could happen to her "Please tell me. She's not going to get more hurt, right!"
"Don't worry, she's sustained those injuries because she has no intention of dying" replied Aizawa realizing how much the girl has influenced the child "But as her teacher, when this is over, I'll have to scold her for acting without my permission."
Kota was surprised to hear that "Really?"
"Anyway, you'll get your chance to talk to her again. For now, just keep that bracelet safe, and put more emphasis on the 'thank you' part"
Kota looked to his left hand that held the bracelet, and he held it firmly and kept it close to his chest.
子猫
"Listen, we discovered the villain's targets. It's the students Midoriya Izuka and Kacchan. Midoriya gets back to one of the hero's, I don't know what you ran off to do, but I plead for you to get back to protection. And Kacchan, you should try to avoid combat as well, and stick with a group. I hope you two can hear me!"
Avoiding another slash of teeth Bakugo gritted his own from anger. "Damn Koneko!" He yelled out as he shifted the unconscious boy on his back. Ice sprung forward creating another barrier between him and the villain. "She's in the middle of this I fucking knew it! There's no way that damn hero would have said Kacchan otherwise."
Todoroki also looked worried as they both dodged to the right to hide behind a previous barrier of ice. "It seems that she has run away from the heroes. That is worrisome."
"Probably to fucking come and save me. Goddammit. Why can't she just sit somewhere safe for once." His heart was pounding inside of his chest at the knowledge that they were after her.
"She will be coming to find you then," Todoroki huffed as he stomped on the ground sending a wave of ice to hopefully encage the villain. It barely missed as the villain raised from the ground. His teeth carrying him into the air. The parts on the ground broke apart but only caused Moonfish to waver before carrying him away to safety.
"As long as she doesn't get herself fucking captured first." Carefully Bakugo raised his hand to send off a blast strong enough to break the blade that shot out for him but wouldn't catch the surrounding grass on fire. He was worried. The villains were after both of them, but he knew their true target was Koneko. It didn't take a genius to know that they have figured out who he was to her. "We need to finish this extra and get to her." The tug in his chest was insistent but had dimmed. It was obvious if she had found her way back to Mandalay, then her battle from before was finished, the danger decreasing, but wouldn't entirely go away until both of them got out of here safely.
Todoroki nodded in agreement. It was now his job to keep Bakugo from being captured and back to the heroes, but he knew that wouldn't happen until Midoriya was safe with them.
子猫
As she kept running Izuka flinched when she suddenly heard a shot that would come from a gun. Reacting by instinct she reached out with the bond searching for any pain or sign that it had been Kacchan who was shot at. She wasn't sure how she was going to find him, only going by his place in the test of courage. Her gut told her that he hadn't made his way back to camp and knew he would be around here. Her wrist itched where the mark seemed to heat and cool when she changed directions. Almost like a beacon to where she needed to go.
Hissing as a branch whipped at her face she turned to the left feeling as the explosions on her wrist grew a fraction hotter. Hope was springing inside of her as she made to leap over a boulder. Only in her distracted state she barely noticed the shadow claw that swiped at her. Gasping her body made to twist mid-air, to miss the punch, only to find that she had been moving too fast. The momentum pushing her on a crash course straight for who she had identified as dark shadow. Air was crushed from her lungs as a new force wrapped around her waist tugging her harshly away from the danger in front of them.
Her ribs screamed at the action as the earlier injury ripped through her body. Only an uncomfortable grunt escaped as whoever had saved her wrapped themselves around her as they crashed into the dirt, rolling into the safety of a bush. Before she could gain her baring's Izuka was shifted, carefully, as the person moving her realized the pain she was in. Her body was lifted before being placed safely on a solid back, her head nestled onto a cloth-covered neck, as pale grey hair tickled her forehead.
"Shoji," she gasped as her emerald eyes searched the area wildly. "What happened?!" Her eyes landed on his bleeding limb; the blood smeared across her stomach where it had once held onto her.
"Your injuries," Shoji huffed as his chest rapidly went up and down with each breath he took. "You shouldn't be able to move with them. You shouldn't be moving around at all." Exhaustion crashed over her now that her body was no longer moving. It caused her eyes to close, the motion of opening them was almost impossible. "It's obvious you're out here for Bakugo when you, yourself should be somewhere safe. No matter the cost, huh."
It took more energy than Izuka liked to admit, forcing her eyes open. Fatigue washed over her at the mere action. Her head rolled back onto his shoulder blades. "You're hurt as well," she simply said. The words fell from her lips like a whisper, coated with the non-existent energy she didn't feel "And that thing just now…"
"After Mandalay told us what was happening and that we shouldn't engage. We were both on high alert. Still one of the villains got the drop on us" Shoji says as he shifted her to be firmly in the middle of his back. Arms wrapped securely around her as he cocooned her in his protective embrace. "The attack triggered Dark Shadow even though he desperately tried to hold it back"
Tokoyami's words from before rang inside Izuka's head, a warning of how his quirk reacted to the dark. "You mean-"
"Yeah" They both look through the trees as their eyes landed on something that was straight out of a horror story "If we want to get through here, we'll have to face Dark Shadow first"
Dark Shadow was in an enormous state that was truly terrifying to see as it destroyed every tree that was in its path, and his roar sent shivers down their spine. And Tokoyami was engulfed in shadows that were forcing him unable to break free.
Her eyes connected with Tokoyami who stared fearfully at his classmates as he struggled for dominance. Things were not going to be easy for them, as they dodged and hid from their friend. Shoji took a step back when Dark Shadows claw grew far too close to where they were. This led to the sound of a branch snapping making Shoji tighten his hold around her as they dodged to the side.
Tokoyami stared horrified at them as they dodged another attack.
"Forget about me!" He yelled out, his voice sounding strangled with the force he used to try to regain control. "Go! Get Midoriya to safety! She and Bakugo are priorities right now! Leave me!" Izuka stared helplessly at her classmate, not wishing to leave him like this, but the pull toward Kacchan only grew stronger. "Stop this. Calm down, Dark Shadow!"
"His quirk is weak to light, if we can get him to a fire or back to camp, we can contain it," Shoji said, ignoring the other boys' pleas. "Midoriya, I know your safety is in question, but I can't just leave a suffering friend behind. You forced your broken body to get you here because you were worried about Bakugo. Please allow me to protect you while I ask for your help to save our friend, and in the process find Bakugo as well."
Izuka quickly followed along his line of thinking. Bakugo's explosions would cause enough light to help Tokoyami, and if Todoroki were still with him, his flames would help too.
"Okay," she said with a sigh as she forced her eyes to focus. Lifting her head took too much energy, it was leaning on Shoji's shoulder, as her mind raced with the plan to help everyone. "Here's the plan."
Using Shoji's quirk Izuka explained how they would use sound to draw Dark Shadow after them as they searched for Bakugo and Todoroki. He would use his arms off to the sides to keep him centered after them but as safe as they could be from being attacked themselves.
Taking off at a run Shoji did exactly as she had said while Midoriya kept an eye out for any signs of where the other two were. Nestled on his back her eyes tiredly bounced around as behind them came a roar from Dark Shadow. The trees shuddered as they ran past, sounds of limbs breaking keeping Shoji at a fast pace. He kept his arms protectively around her as a whooshing sound rang in his ears. Twisting his body around he narrowly avoided the claw that was aimed for Midoriya. Jumping around he made a new mouth using it to scream out at Dark Shadow, effectively gaining his attention away from them.
"This will not be an easy trip," Shoji said as he felt her wince at the harsh movement.
"It's okay," she promised. "I'm fine." Tense minutes of running and dodging finally gave way to a flash of ice that lit up the sky. The mood glistened off a dangerous attack that hit the ice telling her that Todoroki was fighting a villain himself. "Over there! I see ice!" Shoji corrected his course following her directions as they moved into thicker woods to cut across the path between them. As they broke free onto the path Shoji dodged yet again this time rolling as the claw hit his side forcing him down. Midoriya's world around them went dark as the arms embracing her formed a protective barrier between the ground and herself.
"Bakugo!" She heard Shoji yell. "Todoroki! One of you, give us some light!" Hope blossomed in her chest at the realization that she had found Kacchan. He was in front of her, he was safe, they could finally escape back to Aizawa and avoid being captured by the villains. Her will to fight was slowly diminishing as the adrenaline slowly drained from her body. The pain was creeping up but held back with the remaining energy still left.
"More flesh!" The villain screamed out as he rose higher into the air, the blades from his teeth shot forward. The arms cutting off her sight had lowered to back around her waist only keeping her secured to him once more. This gave her front row seats to the attack coming their way. Automatically her quirk powered up ready to defend them when Dark Shadow roared slamming the villain to the ground. One for All flickered out as Shoji jumped backward avoiding the debris flung into the air.
Izuka could hear the scream from the villain, but her eyes had begun to search out for Kacchan. The tension in her body released when green eyes landed on the ash blonde. He, himself, was carrying someone who hadn't regained consciousness. The surprised looks on their faces quickly morphed into ones of worry as they realized what was going on.
"We need some light! He's out of control!" Shoji yelled once again as he danced around the attacks from Dark Shadow.
Bakugo narrowed his eyes on Koneko as he took in her battered form. The arms wrapped around her kept him from getting a clear look, but his expression read how unhappy he was about her current predicament.
"He's attacking blindly, I'll use my fire," Todoroki said, moving to stand in front of Bakugo. But the blonde in question raised a hand to stop him from reacting.
"Not so fast," he said, keeping an eye on Izuka and the villain as well.
"Flesh," Moonfish said as he slowly began to rise from the ground. The teeth dug into the dirt; his body shook. "Slabs of meat." The blades grew higher and thicker than before, solidifying as his emotions twisted to anger. "No good. Can't allow it. I'm the one who gets to slice them open." The teeth turned into spider-like legs as they gained in size now holding the man. "Don't steal from me! It's mine!"
Carefully Bakugo placed the unconscious Class-B student on the ground and watched for the upcoming end. Dark Shadow swung around, his eyes glowing red, as his claw wrapped around the defenseless villain. It began to squeeze hard. The creaking of bone sighing throughout the clearing. The groan grew louder until there was an audible snap. The quirk broke under the force of Dark Shadow, flinging shards into the air as his body was flung straight into a tree.
Ahead of them, Dark shadow began to screech loudly.
Bakugo acted on instinct as he watched the being's attention turn back toward Shoji, and more importantly Koneko. His quirk lit up the night air as he dashed forward. On the other side, Todoroki had reacted at the same moment. Blazing light pushed back the darkness causing Tokoyami to drop to the dirt on his hands and knees. He was panting but was back in control. In front of him, Bakugo and Todoroki were holding a smaller version of their quirks making sure Tokoyami had gained full control over Dark Shadow. When they see that Dark Shadow disappeared, they deactivated their quirks relieved that the danger was over. Tokoyami then began to thank and apologize to his classmates for letting his anger get the best of him and unintentionally attacking them. But Shoji quickly reassured him that he understood, and to worry about it later. And Midoriya simply gave a smile, feeling glad that he was fine.
As soon as they stopped talking Bakugo strode over to Shoji and Izuka, the boy still had a firm grip around her and was using his tentacles to search for any more dangers.
"Let me see her" Bakugo snarled as he tenses the closer he gets to her. His vision from earlier flashed in his mind. The parts of her skin that showed from where the boy wasn't hiding her was riddled in bruises. Her face looked exhausted, the bags under her eyes causing her face to look sunken. "Put her down."
Shoji shifted away from the hot head as a protective gleam appeared on his face. His arms wrapped securely around her as he placed his body in a way that only her face showed to the three boys.
"I don't believe that will be the best in this situation," he said diplomatically. "Midoriya isn't in the most decent state. I'd like to preserve her innocence, and I feel as if she will be uncomfortable around everyone in her current state."
"What the fuck are you talking about?" Bakugo hissed as his eyes flashed to the exhausted girl. Shoji shifted again, a flash of bare skin on Midoriya's shoulder with a single slim strap of cloth still holding on was shown to Katsuki.
"Is Midoriya okay?" Todoroki asked in curiosity as his worry and confusion shown. Izuka mumbled under her breath as her cheeks warmed. Gratefulness spread over her at the actions of Shoji. Adrenaline had kept her from truly realizing how she looked, and the fact that she was pretty indecent at the moment was due to her fight.
Katsuki stalked around ignoring the actions of the now agitated hero in training. He clicked his tongue as it became clear to him that the only thing keeping her somewhat modest was the sports bra she wore. Something she wore in training often, but always with a shirt or jacket over it. He bit his lip as he realized he had left his jacket back at camp, not bothering with it with how warm it still was that night. With no other real option, he was forced to allow Shoji to keep holding her, his arms keeping the others from seeing much of her.
Instead of snarling out at anyone he instead moved closer to Izuka so they would have a sense of privacy. It was unfortunate but he ignored how Shoji would be able to hear everything.
"What the hell did you get yourself into, Koneko," he grumbled as he peered up at her. The bond between them eased now that they were together. The danger was still there but he could properly look after her now. And protect her.
"Just ran into danger, Kacchan," she sighed but smiled in relief at him. "I'm just glad you didn't get hurt."
This caused Bakugo's own eyes to narrow at the condition she was in. "About that," he growled out. "You look fucking terrible. What the hell are you even doing running around looking like that?"
"I had to find you, Kacchan." This was not the answer Bakugo was looking for as it seemed to anger him. His features twisted into a snarl as he began to try to climb Shoji to get to the girl. But the boy used his arms to keep him at bay, but the blonde was pissed.
"That brings me to the other fucking thing, Koneko. Why the fuck would you leave the protection of the heroes knowing you were a fucking target! I swear to god-" He wasn't able to finish his sentence as Todoroki walked up to him, having positioned the unconscious guy on his back, and grabbed the ash-blond by the arm and forced him away from their two classmates. Growling lowly to himself Katsuki stalked off away from them as he tried to regain calm. His mixture of worry and fear had built up into the usual anger, but this time he felt it was justified.
"We shouldn't be yelling at one another out here," Todoroki said as he made sure Bakugo wouldn't try anything again. "The villains are after you the both of you"
"It's up to us to get you two safely back to camp," Shoji said, agreeing.
"It should be safe there with Aizawa-sensei, and Vlad king" Tokoyami interjected.
Taking a deep breath Izuka spoke up with a plan she just came up with "We should cut across through the trees. There is no clear way we could see if the pussycats are still fighting in that clearing. If they are, we would only draw the attention of the villains."
"It would be faster," Tokoyami said in agreement.
"There's still a chance we could come across some," Todoroki said with a frown.
"We could use Shoji's abilities to keep an ear out for them," Izuka said, her mind whirling with the possibilities. "And your ice, Todoroki. If Tokoyami is up with it, we could use Dark Shadow as well now that we can control it. Our chances together are high in being able to succeed if we work as a team."
"Shoji should stay in the middle with Midoriya, and Bakugo," Todoroki said, his eyes scanning over the girl in question before moving on. "Tokoyami and I will cover the back and front." Grumbling Bakugo did as told knowing it was the only way to keep Koneko safe.
A few minutes into the journey Izuka could feel the adrenaline leave her body. Her head spun. With a groan she slumped forward, her full weight pressing into Shoji who sent her a worried glance over his shoulder. Off to her side, she could hear Bakugo huff, but the bond clearly showed how worried he was.
Silence surrounded them until the sounds of a scuffle broke out ahead of them. The group broke through the foliage onto another path. Here they witnessed as a schoolgirl was being pinned by Ochaco, a syringe stabbed into the girl's leg slowly sucking up her blood. Surprise littered the villain's face before it faded away to one of shocked excitement. Her eyes bled away to what Izuka could only identify as infatuation when her eyes locked onto Bakugo. This caused the greenette to itch with jealousy.
Deciding no longer to play around Toga reversed Ochako and her position. Not needing to keep her pinned down as the girl swung herself up to her feet.
"Such a shame I can't stick around, but there are too many people now. I don't want to die tonight, but I won't forget you." Her cheeks were littered with a blush as her voice changed from hard to a soft gushing tone. "How could I when I found a new playmate!" The girl ran off without another word, leaving what she said to bounce around inside of Izuka's mind.
"Who the fuck was that?" Bakugo asked, sounding disturbed. Ochaco and Tsu jumped into an explanation of what had happened.
The hair on the back of Izuka's neck stood on end as her tired mind began to send waves of alarm throughout her system. Something didn't feel right. Her heartbeat sped up and she was no longer focusing on the conversation flowing around her. Lifting her head, she could feel the adrenaline building back up in her veins again at the sign of danger lurking nearby. It was why when the air shifted behind her that Izuka was already moving. Her body screamed out in pain, Izuka gritted her teeth forcing the feeling of fatigue from her bones as she raised her hand. The normal green glow settled softly over her arm as she swiped the air in front of her.
A shock wave she sent out followed the arc of her arm sweeping the villain that had appeared away from her. Shoji and Bakugo were the first to react, both twisting around to come face to face with the masked villain.
He bowed to them from his perch on a nearby tree limb. "I'm sorry but it seems you hold two of my subjects," he grandly said in a showbiz kind of way. "I'm going to have to kindly ask that you release them into my custody."
"The fuck we would come willingly with you," Bakugo hissed as he raised his hands threateningly.
The villain in front of them sighed dramatically before gesturing his arms widely. "It would seem I'll lead today with a show. My best act yet!" He swung his cane around before seemingly disappearing into thin air. Everyone on their guard began to carefully search the area around them with their eyes wide open. Bakugo and Midoriya were placed back in the middle, leaving the others to keep themselves between them and the enemy.
"We need to get the two of them to safety now," Todoroki said uneasily. They had no idea what quirk this guy had. Stuck in the dark the best option would be to get to where the heroes were. Shoji tightened his grip while Katsuki stepped closer to the two. Sparks lit up his palm as the soft sound of crackling was the only noise that broke the silence of the night.
"We'll help," Ochaco said, sounding determined. Not willing to hang around and see what the show would be they began to form another circle around the two. Adding on the two new additions increased their ability to properly watch from all sides. Finding that no one attacked them outright and finding it off-putting the group quickly began to move once again. The danger was rising leaving them no longer safe to be out without help.
"Keep your eyes open," Todoroki said. "We have no idea what to expect from this villain. Stay in formation around Bakugo and Midoriya."
The unease grew inside of Izuka as her eyes danced from the shadows of the trees back to her group of friends. Something didn't feel right again. She couldn't wrap her head around the fact that the villain had just disappeared without doing anything. It had been long enough without an attack she couldn't help but feel as if they were walking right into a trap. Her eyes flickered over to Kacchan who was already staring at her.
Overwhelming emotions of fear and uneasiness had assaulted him. They engulfed him, threatening to overtake his mind like before. She was projecting them too loudly, he couldn't focus. The need to reach out and bring her peace tugged harshly at his mind. The mark around his wrist reacted to the emotions, seemingly scratching at his skin. Anger built inside of his chest, the pull to allow it to break free tempting, but it wasn't the right time. When the villain appeared again, he would take it out on him. The idea that this guy thought that he could just take Koneko away from him bothered Katsuki to a new level of irritation. He couldn't wait to explode to pieces until he was dust.
That feeling of being watched never went away. It tickled at the back of her head. All her senses were going haywire. Her instinct screaming at her that this wasn't right. It built inside until it spilled over, tumbling from her mind, and escaped through her lips "Guys… This doesn't feel-."
Heat.
It was the first thing she felt. Blazing against her face as blue flames erupted through the area they were walking. Walls of it sprung up from nowhere, blocking each of the young heroes from the others.
"Koneko!" shouted Katsuki as he jumped backward, nearly being burnt. His mouth opened again only to clamp shut as his body reacted on instinct. Sparks ignited from his palm as his hand raised to let out an explosion toward the sound that alerted him, he wasn't alone on this side of the flames.
Izuka's eyes widened as Shoji shielded them from the flames. Her gut had been right. They were in danger.
"Can you hear anything?" She asked only to be cut off by another line of fire shooting at them.
Shoji managed to dodge it, but then another line of fire came, he quickly used his tentacle, flinging himself and Midoriya into the air.
It worked as they dodge the flames except neither saw the villain from before appeared in mid-air along with them. He seemed to bow while upside down before he reached out towards the girl and before Izuka knew what was happening she saw a bright light and was paralyzed.
In her place was a small blue marble-like object. While still in the air Shoji attempted to close his tentacle around it, but the villain was faster.
"Thank you for all of your help tonight. I shall take my bounty and head back." Landing on a branch he made a grand gesture of placing the marble in his pocket before dodging a wave of ice sent his way.
子猫
All Izuka had time to feel was a moment of panic before nothing but the sensation of floating was left. Time seemed suspended and all her brain was able to accomplish was a pleasant silence.
All that crashed down when in a second she was flung back into reality. Time seemed to speed up, the pounding of her heart slammed back into existence. Chaos had broken out around her as she realized her location had moved. Flames and ice fought in the area between her and where her classmates were fighting. Panic set in at the realization that she had reappeared on the villain's side of things telling the green-haired girl that they indeed had captured her.
"Koneko!" A familiar voice screamed as a portal appeared directly behind her. Her head swerved toward where Kacchan had shouted, her neck cracking with the intensity before instincts had her turning away from his panicked gaze. A sense of dread filled her bones as déjà vu overcame her. Exhaustion lagged her efforts as she crouched to avoid the hand that reached out to grab at her neck. From the edge of her vision, she could see Katsuki and the others running toward her, but Izuka didn't have the freedom to pay attention to their actions.
Not when her nightmare stared her in the eyes.
"It's so good to see you again, Midoriya," he purred as the corners of a sick smile peeked out from behind the hand covering his face. "I always keep my promises." Her body stumbled as she tried to get away from him. Her limbs failed to properly react; legs wavered as she was sent tumbling straight to the ground.
She could hear her heartbeat drum loudly inside her ears. The sound of static canceling out the utter mayhem that broke out around her.
Heat burned her back. Her rescuers cut off by the one she would soon find was called Dabi. Nausea gripped her stomach as light blue hair fell forward as a pale hand reached out for her. The adrenaline that had kept her going the whole time was no longer aiding her body, instead, it was the root of her failure as it drained her of any energy.
Shigaraki's grip was far too soft. No shirt for him to grab at and tug Izuka to her feet, he was forced to wrap the slender digits around her arm. Careful not to touch the girl with all five fingers he yanked her to a standing position. Legs instantly collapsed underneath her, but the lead villain only hooked his other arm underneath her legs. Resting the other under her back he kept his hand palms up as he pulled her into his arms.
One last attempt Izuka activated her quirk only for a rush of lethargy crashed around her. Green fizzled out as everything doubled above her. An explosion lit up the air behind them, a shout falling closely behind. Hope stirred inside of her as she fell limp in her captor's arms. Flesh met flesh in a sickening smack. A twisted chuckle rumbled throughout her body as Shigaraki laughed. Taking a step forward he didn't bother glancing back.
"Nothing against you personally," Mr. Compress said right before he disappeared into the portal. "It's just business."
"Weak attempt," Dabi sighed as the sound of a body slamming into dirt echoed in Izuka's ears. "Admit it. Your way out of your league."
"I can't wait until we meet again!" Toga called out watching the crumpled form of Bakugo. "Are you sure we can't still bring him, Shigaraki?" Her voice spoke volumes of her hope but was crushed when the leader shook his head.
"I've got my prize," he said sinisterly. "Leave him. We'll do without him." Izuka's head spun as the edges of her vision darkened. She was weak and powerless. Her injuries from before becoming her downfall.
"Too bad!" Toga bounced toward the portal before skipping through to the other side. Dabi strode to Shigaraki's side, his eyes carefully watching the ones who were left. All down for the count or too far away to do anything.
"Koneko!"
The scream tore through Izuka's heart. Her eyes searched in one last attempt for Katsuki but were only met with the excited scarlet of her enemy, not her soulmate.
The portal swam around them swallowing their bodies into its embrace.
"Oh, my little mate," Shigaraki chuckled. "What plans I have in store for you. I finally have you, and I won't be letting go."
The air around them swirled, heat building up, as another explosion ripped through the air. A fist swiped through the air enclosing around what was left of Izuka that the portal hadn't taken. Scarlet eyes narrowed as his head tilted toward Dabi.
"Take care of him," he snarled, not happy with the thought that the boy would dare try to steal the girl back. Blue lit up the remainder of her vision. A scream tore from her lips at the yell of pain that flooded her ears. A body hitting the floor was the last she knew before they disappeared into the night.