Soul Marked

by Bakusatsou

Izuka Midoriya was quirkless and in being so Markless. All she wanted to become was a hero, to live her dream, and when given the opportunity it opens up a whole new world. One full of love, obsessions, and opportunity to save those closest to her. Except not everything is as she thought, and new bonds threaten to overcome her, but she's never been a quitter. Soulmate Au

35. RESET

Soul Marked

Chapter Thirty-Four

RESET

Alright, so first thing I want to address is that this chapter would never have happened without my friend's help, Niftyhope! She was a huge help in this chapter and even helping me solidify future events, and I just wanted to give her credit and let everyone know how amazing she is!

The next thing I just want to apologize for this chapter taking so long to make, but in hopes of making up for it, this chapter is just a little over 15,000 words! I hope you all like it.

And please read the Author's notes at the end of the chapter. Its got some important information for this story.

---

Beeping dragged her from slumber, the insistent noise causing a weak groan to pass from her lips. Her mind felt hazy, like it was being dragged through sludge, thick and unyielding. Shuffling from her bedside announced that Izuka wasn't alone. Her eyes cracked open revealing the florescent lights of a hospital room. Blinking memories rose from the fog, causing her head to ache, as confusion circled numbingly around her mind. Images began to rise from the muck, the monitor reading her pulse began to beep insistently, causing her visitor to become aware that she was conscious. A hand reached out gripping her hand tightly causing Izuka to flinch on instinct as she moved to tug her hand back to her side.

Her eyes were still hazy, the light blinding as they almost refused to grow accustomed to her surroundings. Panic began to build up in her throat as her mind whirled with the possibilities. After all, the last thing she had remembered was being in Shigaraki's clutches. It didn't even connect that if Shigaraki still had her, she wouldn't be in a hospital room.

"Shit, Koneko," came a muffled voice as he moved to block her hit. "What the hell. Chill out." Her other hand rose to strike out but fell to her side at the sound of his voice.

Blinking the first thing she noticed was his ash-blonde hair, then his face came into focus, the lighting not seeming so bright now. Tears built at her eyes, forming a new problem of not being able to see. He blurred in front of her as she threw herself into his arms. Grunting from the force Katsuki shifted her in his arms as he hugged her close. Patting her back he began to whisper words of comfort to her.

"We barely made it out of there with you," he mumbled. Izuka hiccupped as she rubbed her face against his neck, wanting to feel the familiar waves of comfort his touch normally brought on. Instead in its place was a sense of coldness, it felt no different than if someone else was holding her. "I thought that freak was going to get away with you for sure."

Her body froze as he continued to talk, his hand burying itself into her hair. Sniffles filled the air as her brows furrowed. Her mind began to whirl as she raised her fingers to brush against his cheek. Katsuki moved to nuzzle into her touch, seeking what he assumed was her giving him affection.

"You saved me?" she whispered, making to move her hand away from his cheek. His grip left her hair, grabbing at her retreating hand, and pulled it back to his face. "I thought I made it through the portal with him?" Izuka shivered, shaking in confusion, and fear, instinct tugging at the back of her mind. Her memories were solidifying the longer she was awake. The shaking of her form became stronger, the grip on her loosening.

"I dodged Dabi," he continued, even as she felt his embrace leave her. His voice had grown cold. "Grabbed you from that asshole." She was the only one still holding on. Her face pressed closer into his neck, searching, willing for the bond to raise from wherever it was hiding, and fill her with its warmth. Tears leaked from her eyes once more, falling at a faster rate as Izuka pried her fingers from where they had been gripping his shirt.

"Kacchan?" she sobbed. Her eyes were wide as she pulled back away from him. His oddness crashing over her in a sickening wave. Their bond was too new, only just forming right, he would have never cuddled into her so quickly, so eager for her touch. Not outwardly.

"Why don't I hurt?" She had been gravely injured, even with being healed she should have felt something. Emerald eyes fell to stare at her hands that were now in her lap, her back straight and stiff. She could see the bandages that were wrapped around her arm, a detail she had failed to notice upon first waking up. "I don't remember it that way."

An angry huff fell from his lips, Katsuki's face twisting into one of irritation. A look that was both familiar and not.

"Fuck, I missed a detail." Her breathing came out in gasps as she huddled into herself.

"W-what?"

"Guess I'll have to start over again." He let out a sigh, one that didn't belong to Kacchan. She squeaked as he stood up, her body moving to put distance between the two, as her vision began to grow dark. The corners dimming until Katsuki's face faded in detail.

She was thrown into darkness.

子猫

"What happened?" rasped a familiar voice. Scratching invaded her senses, the sound faded, as she floated in and out of consciousness.

"Missed…detail," came another male voice. "Again."

"Do-…. fuck…up." Footsteps carried over to her. Fingers brushed against her cheek. "Careful…. Right… time."

子猫

Izuka blinked as she turned to glance at her mother. Her body ached and her head whirled, she wasn't sure how she had gotten here. What had she been doing before this?

"Izuka, honey," her mother called out. A comforting touch laid on her shoulder forcing her gaze to focus. "Are you alright? I've been so worried about you." A smile forced its way onto her lips, stretching the skin, as she tried to seem fine.

"Yeah, sorry I must have just zoned out." She smiled seemingly buying the lie before moving back toward the kitchen.

"I'll make your favorite for dinner tonight," she said, as she bustled around the kitchen. "Maybe we should invite Katsuki? You really shouldn't be moving around; it'll be nice to have him around to help."

Something stirred inside her stomach, a feeling of dread, overwhelming her so fast she felt the sudden urge to hurl. A tugging at her memory caused her to close her eyes trying to call forth what was bothering her but to no avail. Instead, she tried to focus on what she knew had happened, wanting to know what felt missing from her memory. Waking up in the hospital was her first memory, talking to Katsuki, and being released from the hospital several days later. That's how she found herself back home, but there seemed to be a blank, she didn't remember waking up that morning.

Her head hurt.

Forcing her breathing to calm Izuka laid her head against the armrest of the couch.

"What do you think Izuka?" Forcing another calming breath, she tilted her head toward the kitchen.

"It would be nice to see Kacchan again."

Why did everything feel wrong?

"Go ahead and give him a call!"

The mere thought felt like it would cost her too much energy. It was hard to focus on anything with the way her mind felt like goo. Maybe if she just laid down for a bit everything would become clearer. Easier.

As her eyes closed, a piercing ring stampeded its way through her head, forming a worse headache than before. Snapping her eyes shut she hissed as her hands blindly reached for her cellphone, the cause of the horrible noise. Her thumb hit the answer button without glancing at who the caller was, all she wanted was for the noise to stop.

"H-hello," she gasped out, a frown tugging at her lips.

"Izuka?"

Air stuck in her throat, forcing a wheezing sound through her teeth, as she gripped the phone tightly in surprise. His voice sounded foreign to her ears; it had been a long time since the last time they had spoken. It held the same deepness from her childhood, a hint of something soothing, and warm.

"I was so worried when I received word of what happened to you. How are you doing, kiddo?" Her words caught in her throat, tears building in her eyes, as she curled into a ball. Her father was talking to her. "Sweetheart?" Pulling her phone closer to her ear she relished in the sound of her dad's voice, committing it to memory, Izuka had thought she forgot it. He continued to ramble off in worry, a bittersweet smile crossing her lips.

"I missed you so much," she choked out. Trying to keep her voice down so her mother couldn't hear Izuka shuffled closer to the back of the couch. Cocooning herself in. "You called."

"Of course, I called," he chuckled, sounding like he couldn't believe she would doubt him. "I was worried about my little hero."

Squeezing her eyes shut she bit her lip, forcing the sob back down her throat.

"You never call me that," she whispered. "You never believed in my d-dream to become a hero." Silence met her on the other end. "This isn't real is it?" No one answered. "My dad hasn't talked to me in over a year, not even when I got hurt at the USJ. We've sent him updates, but he seems unattainable."

"Screwed up again." The voice twisted, warping her father's voice. It sounded wrong. "Oh, man, he's going to be so upset."

"Who are you? W-what's going on?"

"Reset."

She faded, her mind went blank, as darkness stirred around her.

子猫

"You keep failing me," hissed someone venomously. "Why is this taking so long?"

"Her psyche's strong," came the unknown male. "I can't go forward with the plan until she completely believes this is real. Give me a couple of hours."

"You're proving worthless." The biting tone caused her to shiver as she felt her consciousness pull downward.

"I'll know all of her secrets soon. Just… a… little… more… time." She could hear what he was saying, but it took longer to process. Footsteps neared her once more. An unfamiliar face loomed above her. "Oh, you're awake…. Sleep."

His eyes twirled, a golden hue taking over them. She felt all need to struggle fade away, she couldn't remember why she would even want to. A darker shape within his eyes spun causing her to fall deeper into his spell.

子猫

The ocean sea breeze tugged at Izuka's hair as she sat on the beach. Sinking her fingers into the sand she allowed it to filter through her fingers as she gazed out into the water. She remembered the text that had led her to come here, the piece of beach she had cleaned up during Toshi's training. It was the spot they usually met up in, but part of Izuka was confused about how easily she had been allowed to leave and meet with him. Not long ago her mother had freaked after the mall incident and had not allowed her to leave the building, but it hadn't been that long since being kidnapped, yet she hadn't heard a word in objection. Instead, Inko Midoriya had seemed to hurry her out the door, stating how she shouldn't miss her meeting with the man.

Her mind had felt fuzzy for days, something always on the tip of her mind, an uneasy feeling that she just couldn't make go away. Her instincts were warning her of something, but Izuka pushed it away, worried that it was just left-over fear from her time being held captive. A time that was dangerously missing from her memories, like she had blocked them from her mind, a normal response toward trauma the doctors had assured her. It didn't feel like it.

Nothing had been feeling right.

Nerves shot, she flinched, falling back into the sand when a gust of wind blew by her, stronger than most ever were. A flash of yellow and white was the only thing she caught as she shuffled to her feet, the sand hindering her movements.

"I am here!" exclaimed a loud voice. Pushing herself from the sand once again Izuka stared up at the tall figure seeing All Might himself towering over her, his famous smile shining brightly down at her.

"Izu-girl, thank you for meeting me here." Tilting her head Izuka stared up at her favorite hero, and mentor, waiting for him to change into the familiar Skeletor image so they wouldn't be interrupted by fans. It was typically what he did for privacy reasons, and not to waste his limited time in his hero form. The feeling from before, the unnerving instinct telling her that she needed to figure out what was wrong. Wincing she opened her mouth to greet him, her hand coming up to rub at her head. Her mind screaming at her that something was wrong with Toshi. His smile still glowed brightly down at her, having made no move to continue the conversation.

The words caught in her throat as a blinding pain flashed through her mind, her hand now clutching at her head, as the image of All Might in front of her seemed to flicker. As quickly as it came, the image of Skeletor disappeared, as if it had never happened. It reminded her of when he would change forms but never before had it seemed to fail. She knew it should never have done that, if his form was flickering, he would have been forced to turn back. The not right feeling began to scream louder. His smile hesitated as he cocked his head to the side in worry.

"Hey, All Might," she said, greeting him by who was standing in front of her. Everything inside of her screamed not to call him by Toshi like she normally would have.

"Keep it a secret," whispered a voice in the back of her mind.

It felt like she was going crazy. This was abnormal. Her head felt split in two as she tried to make sense of what felt logical, and what her mind was showing her. The voice was familiar like she had heard it before, dragging out trust from within. She would listen to it. Taking a step back away from the hero she clutched at her head again. Another flash of pain as she gave him a strange glance.

"You look uneasy," All Might said. He took a step toward her, but she raised a hand. Shaking her head, she gave out a little gasp as the pain once more let up.

"Are you fine? You should take it easy after everything you went through." His voice was the same, everything about him screamed that it was All Might, everything except a small voice in the back of her mind. It whispered to her that he wasn't right. He should have changed to look like Toshi already. And yet, when she opened her mouth to bring it up, that same voice urged her not to.

"I'm fine," she gasped. "It's just a headache."

"If you're sure, Izu-chan. I'm glad you could meet up with me. There was something I must speak to you about."

"Yeah, what's that?" She paled his words not reaching her ears as he seemed to glitch once more. The image of him flickered. Moving so fast she could almost believe it hadn't happened.

"Wake up."

Her eyes darted around, the voice coming from nowhere, startling her.

"Young Midoriya."

"What's going on?" she whispered, cutting him off. "Why does nothing make sense?" The look on All Might's face darkened as he took another step toward her. Her body drowned within his shadow that towered over her. His image wavered again, and with it, her surroundings fading out. A startled scream escaped her mouth before darkness overtook her once more.

子猫

"Is this going to break her mind completely?" a scratchy voice asked. Light blue hair ducked as he stood over the prone form of the girl.

"It depends."

"On?" Scratching filled the air as ruby eyes glared at the new quirk user. He stayed standing bent over the green-haired girl, eyes of concern falling to her face. It was twisted with discomfort, causing an uneasy feeling to settle in Shigaraki's gut.

"On how far I have to push her to believe what I show her is real."

Standing Shigaraki's eyes darkened as he backed away from their captive. Reaching out he lightly brushed her cheek with his fingers until he couldn't reach.

"Then do your job correctly. I don't need her to be a mess by the time we're done with her. Just malleable." Pinching the bridge of his nose between his pointer finger and thumb he glared at the man. "If you fuck up..."

子猫

"Stupid Koneko." Kacchan was in front of her, his body arched to tower over her. His hands leaned against the wall on either side of her face. She cowered against the wall. Her mind playing a memory from a situation similar to the one she found herself in. Except for the idea of him ending up kissing her wasn't a scenario that she thought would play out.

His eyes were smoldering, the crimson bright with bloodlust.

They burned into her own forcing a whimper to escape her lips. Killing intent rolled off him in waves. Her body shook with the intensity of it. Emerald eyes were wide open. She was choking on his aura, her mind rushing to figure out what had happened, and how they had gotten to this point. She was frazzled, losing pieces of time.

"Kacchan." Her voice caught in her throat, the word barely a whisper. Her fingers curled into the brick behind her. He shouldn't be looking at her like that. "Why?" His eyes narrowed causing the beat of her heart to race wildly.

"This is who I am." Tears built in her eyes. Shaking her head, she refused to listen, to believe in what he was saying. He was lying.

"No." It was louder, far more confident than her last attempt. Closing her eyes, she gritted her teeth, her fingers curling into fists. "That's a lie."

"Shut up!" A small explosion went off in her face. Pain exploded, she could smell something awful, and the sense that her face felt far too tight.

"You fucking idiot." Her knees grew weak, but it made no difference, his hand came up to wrap around her throat. It closed off her air but kept her from collapsing. Nothing rushed forth from his touch, no feelings of warmth, or twisted disgust. Just a cold blankness. Choking noises escaped her lips as she helplessly kicked with her legs in hope of making contact. Hands raising, she grabbed at him, tugging, but to no use. Her fear of hurting Kacchan faded away when the rush of the bond didn't crash over her.

"Not him."

The words washed over her as she realized this wasn't her Kacchan. Finding it harder to breathe, her mind beginning to swim, Izuka raised her arm, sharply twisting her upper body as she brought her arm down. Her other hand came up, aiming her palm to connect with his chin as she forced it up and away from her. His grip faltered allowing her to use the hand from before to grab at his hand twisting his wrist. Tucking her chin toward her shoulder she broke his last hold that was still gripping her, allowing precious air to enter her lungs. Releasing his wrist, she brought her hand quickly down on his shoulder forcing his body down, as her knee came up. Hissing in a sharp breath Katsuki doubled over, cursing under his breath.

"You're not Kacchan!" While he was hunched over, Izuka struck back out, her leg contacting his crumpled form. "He wouldn't do this." Her breathing was ragged, finding it hard to take in air with her bruised neck.

Bakugo tensed his collapsed form removing all traces of pain that his figure held.

"Why the fuck can't you just give in already." He uncurled his body standing straight up as he sent a glare her way. "Go to sleep."

"We're here for you. Don't forget."

子猫

"This is taking too long," Shigaraki spoke, his fingers twitching as they made a move toward his neck. "It's been days."

"It's taking longer each time for her to realize," the man said, his brown eyes narrowing. "I've had to learn how these people act by trial and error. Her subconscious protects them greatly. It's hard for me to dig around in her memories to make them more accurate."

"I've told you before I'm growing tired of this."

"Bakugo, her bonded, it's harder for me to have him appear. She realizes too fast that it's fake. I'm not able to duplicate the feelings of their bond. I need to avoid him."

"Her believing that it's him for the finale is vital."

"I know. I just need a bit more time. Soon she will realize it's all real."

"Just hurry. I'm beginning to grow annoyed."

子猫

Izuka was breathing hard, her chest rising and falling at a rapid speed, as she stared down at the bleeding form of a stranger. Everything leading up to this moment had her head spinning. She felt sick, her stomach twisted as the smell of copper invaded her senses. Hands shaking, she dropped the knife as her feet began to carry her backward.

How had she gotten here?

It spiraled out of control so fast. This should have never happened. Tears built at the corner of her eyes as she thought back to escaping from the villains, being home, safe, returning to her life with trying to figure out where she and Bakugo stood, only for disaster to strike. It had led her back to the villains, asking for their help. Her heart stuttered, her stomach clenching, as she took several steps away from what she had just done, spilling out the contents of her stomach. Footsteps sounded behind her, a hand grazing against her back in a show of comfort before pulling away just as fast. Another, much lighter footsteps, moved to stand on her other side.

"It'll be okay," a girl's voice said. "The first time is always the hardest." Gagging, Izuka tilted her head to the side to stare at Toga. "It gets easier."

"Why am I doing this?" she asked, her mind fuzzy about what had led her to ask them for their help. She was a criminal now. What would have driven her to that? The answer evaded her, her mind blocking it from her thoughts. Turning she stared wide-eyed at Shigaraki who had joined her first in the alley. He carefully stared down at her, his hands in his pocket, the hand on his face blocking his expression from her view.

"You wanted this," Shigaraki said, his body leaning toward her. "You've got to work your way up before you can get that revenge."

"We're here to help you!" Toga said happily. "Help lead you on your new path!"

She stared down at her hands, the red staining her skin, fingers shaking. Izuka tried to deny what she had just done, wishing it to go away, for herself to wake up, or to logically figure out how she had gotten here. There was nothing. Just her actions.

It felt real.

She had done it.

What had she turned into?

子猫

Her mind wavered, the wet, warm sensation on her hands has become normal. It still caused her stomach to roll. Two sides pulling at her mind worries only being dashed away by the league, who quickly soothed away her doubt. Set her back on the path she had chosen for herself. No matter if the decision itself was clouded in a thick haze.

It still made no sense, but something, in the back of her mind urged her forward.

With a sickening squelch, Izuka pulled, the knife slicing through muscle, and skin until it was free once more. Unease rippled through her as once more her consciousness reacted violently at her actions. The image in front of her seemed to waver, reality-bending as the unknown stranger in front of her twisted and changed. Dark hair lightened, the length grew, unidentifiable eyes lightened, turning red, a scream built in her throat. Blood rushed from the open wound, her body shook, as blood spilled from a familiar mouth.

Horrified, Izuka began to mumble to herself, her feet retreated, carrying her away from the sight that caused a sudden urge to spill the contents from her stomach. The haze in her mind darkened, curling protectively around her frazzled thoughts.

"No, no, no," she whispered, as crimson eyes stared up at her in confusion. Denial flooded his gaze, a blink, and reality blossomed to acceptance. His fingers twitched, barely rising from the ground before falling back down.

"K-." Coughing wracked through his form, sending violent tremors that forced his body into a huddled position. Blood and spittle coated the ground around him, staining the cement into a gruesome sight. Izuka stood, staring, her eyes haunted, but a smile twisted its way on her lips, stretching them into a nightmare. A war raged inside of her. The weapon in her hand glinted in the moonlight, flashing across her mind's eye, a scream building in her throat.

A giggle fell from her parted lips.

Her body felt like it was floating, the image in front of her fading, replaced with the same vision of Kacchan, but she had moved across the alleyway. No longer was she standing over him. In her place was a mountain of a man. His fists were clenched at his side, blood dripping down from his hands. Izuka's stomach heaved, panic, fear, flooding hot through her veins. Taking a step forward she realized her body wouldn't move.

She was helpless.

Green lightning crackled across her skin, One For All activated with no way of using it.

He was going to die.

Kacchan was going to disappear again right in front of her.

A scream flooded the area, her throat burning, the only sign it had come from herself. Catching the attacker's attention, he turned, his face once flooded in shadow, brightly lit up by the artificial light coming from the opening of the alley. Another scream.

Hysteria built up inside her mind.

Toshi. No, All Might. The man blurred in front of her.

"Do not worry, young Izu," he spoke, his voice saturated with the smile that covered his deranged face. "I am here." Words once comforting sent chills down her spine as she watched him power up. His fist moved in slow motion, toward Kacchan. Her heart stopped. One For All lit up the night, brighter than before, but still, she didn't move.

Her mind broke.

A searing pain spread across her wrist.

Crimson eyes locked onto emerald. Twisting within their depths contained everything that had gone unsaid between the two. One brief moment of agony took hold, then nothing. Red washed out, lifeless. Screams surrounded her. Built inside her head, spilled over.

Broken pieces.

A chill swept over her skin. The green lighting up the alley snuffed out as she collapsed to her knees. The ground dug into her skin, but she paid it no mind. She was numb to the feeling.

Burning in her throat. Choking. Acid spilled onto the concrete.

Footsteps. Heavy. Her eyes bounced. Refusing to settle on the broken form across the way.

Fingers digging into flesh. Tugging at hair. Tortured screams vibrated from the walls.

"Stop. Make it stop. Stop torturing her." The words echoed inside her mind.

"Quiet now." A large hand settled on her head. The weight was unsettling. The screaming broke off. Gurgling replaced the noise. Chest heaved struggling to take in desperate gulps of air.

"Why?" A familiar haze clouded her mind. The words not registering as her own. She seemed separate from everything.

"To unleash your full potential." A giggle fell from her lips. Broken pieces began to reform. Anger swept away the daze. In its place was only vengeance.

"I'll kill you." A laugh erupted from All Might. The hand on her head moved, patting her, crushing the disarrayed curls.

"I only snuffed out what was holding you back."

Clarity.

It flooded her, gluing the remaining pieces of her fractured mind together. One clear understanding imprinted. Green dull eyes sparked back to life, a hollow imitation of what it once was.

The surroundings around her blurred, melting away, but she only had eyes for the man in front of her. The weight on top of her head disappeared, as he too began to melt away. There was only one clear goal left in her battered heart. All that was left for her to live for.

Her ties to him broke away.

Izuka would snuff the light out of the Symbol of Peace.

子猫

Tears cascaded down her cheeks, her eyes focusing on the figure in front of her. Vision blurred kept her from gaining a clear view of whom she was sure was a male. Sobs wracked through her chest causing her body to shake violently. Panic spreading through her mind as the memories washed over her. Reaching up, both hands were dragged through the air, as she tried wiping away the tears. Light blue hair fell in Izuka's line of sight as Tomura Shigaraki knelt in front of her. His expression clear of emotion, but his eyes held a deepness to them that she could not decipher.

Slowly he reached out, her body tensing, a reminder even in her broken mind that his hands were something to be wary over. Gently he laid a palm on her right shoulder, pinky up, as he snaked his other arm around her neck and shoulders, pulling her up slightly towards him, grounding her. Her body trembled at the comforting gesture, more sobs ripping through her body.

"Calm down." His voice was sharp but held no malice, no anger instead oozed with calm. "Nothing is going to happen. It's okay. Breathe."

Comfort.

He was offering her comfort.

Desperate, her mind latched onto the first to offer. Hands reaching out she grabbed at his shirt, pulling herself into a sitting position, clutching onto him as if her life depended on it. In a deep part of her operating mind, she realized that there were handcuffs enclosed around her wrists. A flash of pain from her bruised wrists was easy to ignore as she pressed her face into his shirt. Fear of glancing at them, of no longer seeing the mark keeping her from reacting physically toward it.

"Please," she begged, her voice scratchy, hoarse from the crying, and unuse. "Tomura! Please, no more. I-I can't take… anymore. Don't make me see that! Don't make me… remember… please!" Sobs wracked harsher through her body, his shirt stained with tears, as her fingers stretched the black material. Desperation leaked through her voice, tinting the air around them, causing a bitter taste in his mouth.

"I…I promise." His stomach twisted, his eyes narrowing, he hadn't wanted her mind to break this far. She looked like nothing but a fractured part of herself. Almost too broken to be used. "No more."

子猫

ONE WEEK EARLIER

Pain flashed through his mind, familiar, reminding him of the times his quirk would leave burns. It covered more of his body than he was used to, his mind struggled to keep up with what had caused them. Voices, rushed, worried, sounded around him. Vaguely he could feel himself being held up, his legs lazily dragging across the ground as he tried, and failed, to make them work. His vision blurred as one eye was forced open. Green flashed across his vision, on instinct he moved to reach out.

"Ko-ne-ko." The whisper was muffled, falling from lips refusing to move. Someone tripped, his body being dragged down, before getting jerked right back up.

"Careful," a female voice said.

"We need to get him back to camp," came a male. "Quickly now, but carefully." Frustration built up inside of him as he tried again to gain control over his body. His eyes slid closed as the strength escaped him. Darkness overtook his senses.

What seemed like only moments since he woke up last, Bakugo came to once again. His vision still blurred but blinking cleared it. A man knelt over him, black hair obstructing his face as he surveyed the damage Katsuki had taken.

"The fuck," Bakugo grumbled as he tried reorienting himself. Memories slowly leaked back into his mind, his hand coming up to swipe away at Aizawa.

"Hold still, Bakugo," Aizawa said. "You have several nasty burns." Groaning he felt his arms collapse onto the ground next to him. The world around him spun as he gritted his teeth. "Help is coming."

Standing to his feet Aizawa took a step back away from the teen, his eyes darkening as he took count of who was around him. More importantly, the lack of who he knew should have been with Bakugo. His focus, when the group of teens handed the injured boy over to him, had been entirely on helping the kid, but now the absence of an important figure broke through his attention. A building of unease grew in his mind when his eyes didn't land on her.

"Where is Midoriya?" he asked, his eyes landing on Todoroki, who had been walking over to him.

"The villains took her," he said, his mismatched eyes hard. Aizawa stiffened. His hands curling into fists as he cursed under his breath. Fingers snatched at his phone, ready to dial up everyone who needed to know. He had damage control, and a student to save.

A noise stopped his movements, a strangled sound of pain, and fear. Spinning on his heel Aizawa was met with the sight of Bakugo struggling to rise to his feet. His crimson eyes were wide with blind panic, mania swimming in the depths as his body refused to respond to his demands.

A popping noise filled the air, smoke streaming from the palm of his hands, as his feelings waged war within himself. Everything around him had faded away, his consciousness only surrounded by the mere thought that Izuka was gone. The memory played on repeat inside his mind. Shaking, panting with the exertion he shoved himself onto his knees, legs faltering as he pushed them further up. With a crash, he fell back to the ground into a crumpled heap.

Twitching another strangled sound left his lips.

"Bakugo, calm," Aizawa said, remaining calm. His first priority was getting the boy calm, knowing with their bond, if he didn't, the boy would end up hurting himself. "We will find her. Until then I need you to gain control." Leaning forward, his hand placed comfortingly onto his shoulder as he spoke quieter. "She would not want you hurting yourself."

"She's gone," he whispered, the sound jagged. "I need to get to her."

"In this state, you won't be helpful," his voice stern but calm. "We will get her back, but right now I need you to stay in a clear state of mind. I cannot be worried about you breaking, while I report what happened. We will keep you informed as we go forward."

Still shaking, Bakugo nodded, his mind only latching onto the thought that if Aizawa was distracted by him, he wouldn't be trying to find Izuka. Inside his mind stayed frazzled, forcing his thoughts to go blank, for if it didn't stay that way it would tip over. His thread of control constantly wavering.

Seeing the instability on Bakugo's face, Aizawa waved Kirishima over. "Keep watch over him." Stepping away he dialed the first number, needing to inform the one person who would be leading a group in rescuing Midoriya. Then, Aizawa himself would be managing the clean-up, talking with reporters, trying to keep everything orderly.

"All Might," he said, as the person on the other end picked up. "She's gone. They've got her."

子猫

Izuka was drifting, darkness surrounding her, leaving a comforting feeling of numbness. She had left behind the ache, the pain, all her worries, allowing it to fade away, drifting in the sea of black. It was peaceful, preferable, her mind shying away from the insistent knowledge of something bad. It spoke of the oddness of the place she was in, urged her to realize the importance of the situation she was in, of what brought her into the darkness. No matter how hard she ignored it the feeling chased after her, spiking her fear, overwhelming with the importance it held.

Her mind continued to shy away, protecting her from the pain, until a chorus of voices rose from the shadows.

"You're not alone."

"We'll stay with you through everything."

"You're strong, pure-hearted, that's why we've chosen you."

"You'll prevail."

The block on her mind eased, anxiety still threatened to overwhelm her, but she wasn't alone, the burden wasn't just hers to share alone. It gripped at the back of her mind refusing to budge its hold completely. A force seemed to hold it at bay allowing her peace of mind for a moment more. Her body twitched as her mind was torn between peace and utter chaos. She just wanted to go back to her blank darkness, this instead seemed to be close to her hell.

Before she could lose her hold a man seemed to materialize in front of her. He was young, with light fair hair, and a kind face. He gazed at her, a smile appearing on his face, one that was serene. It nudged away all the panic, unease, and chaos that threatened to push her over the edge. Stepping forward he moved to stand in front of her, a hand reaching out to cup her cheek affectionately. Parental love blossomed in her chest causing tears to build in her eyes. He felt safe. Like her mother was with her, keeping the nightmares and monsters at bay like she did when she was a child.

"Remember… whenever things seem to spiral downwards into despair," he spoke, his voice sounding like sunshine. It warmed her soul, easing her further into peace. "We'll always be here to guide you back to your path. You were never meant to carry this burden alone." Her body slumped forward into his hand as her tears dried. "There will be times where things don't seem straightforward or simple. Viewing things from a different perspective is healthy, never let it deter you from believing who you are, and what you stand for. We will be here for you; we'll stand behind you." He began to grow brighter, the area lighting behind him. His hand still cupped her cheek, the warmth keeping her grounded, she didn't want him to go. "Remember that never forget!"

The urge to reach up to him, to confirm for herself that he was real underneath her fingertip, was very strong, but her own body refused to listen to her demands. The light grew brighter, blinding, causing her to close her eyes, only to blink them back open when it vanished. In its place was a dimmer not as harsh light with a figure standing over her.

Blinking she tried to regain her eyesight. Coming to terms with what was going on around her. Something caressed her cheek, moving in an affectionate way up and down over her skin. Her mind wandered back to when another person had done the same. He had fair hair, a kind smile, but she didn't know his name. The next time she saw him she wanted to ask him what his name was, and something tugged at her soul, telling her she would be seeing him again.

Her thoughts focused, coming to terms with her being awake, as a pain over her whole body bared down over her mind. Memories of what had happened, the fight with Muscular, being captured, seeing Kacchan's fearful eyes, and then the portal. Her breathing became rapid, the realization of what happened to her crashed down, forcing her eyes to focus on the figure above her. Pale blue hair, a stark contrast to the man before, partially hid the man's face. Izuka knew who this was.

Tomura Shigaraki.

His finger fell from her cheek moving down to where he lightly tapped at her chest. His ruby eyes narrowed in what she thought was a mixture of worry and irritation. Confusion flooded her before Shigaraki tapped more forcefully. Her mind fell back to when he had done a similar action to her at the mall incident. It caused her mind to focus, enough to where her breathing slowed, averting the panic attack that had been rising fast.

"Breath," he said. The word came out sharply, sounding just as annoyed as the red in his eyes hinted at. He grabbed her hand, pinky raised, as he brought it to his chest. Under her palm, she could feel his heartbeat. Instinct had her tugging at her hand, only just realizing that both wrists were connected by handcuffs, and a chain seemingly connected to whatever she was laying on. This new realization had her heart picking up speed once again. Her eyes bounced around the room. They were alone, together, and somehow, he was once again walking her through a calming exercise. "Match your heartbeat to mine."

Seeing her eyes distracted around the room he reached out with his other hand, gripping her chin, before forcefully dragging her eyes to meet back with his own.

"I don't have all day, Izuka. Calm the fuck down before I force you."

The situation was odd, terrifying, her mind moving far too fast to be comfortable. Her chest rose and fell in anguish, her situation dawning on her, but instincts had her doing what Shigaraki asked. All of her deductions, her mind whirling at possibilities, calmed, only focusing on the beating under her fingers. Slowly, her own began to match it.

With the slowing of her racing heart, her mind began to grow clearer. Her situation fully set in as she realized Shigaraki had won. He got what he wanted. Her mind went back to what happened wondering if they had managed to grab Kacchan as well. Her heart fell into her stomach at the thought that it had happened, and he was stuck somewhere here along with her. She felt no comfort at the thought that Kacchan could be in the same building, worried of the danger he would be in if he were.

The mere thought that he could be here made Izuka want to find him and get them out. Her mind still wasn't working right, ignoring the fact that she was chained, and Shigaraki obviously wouldn't allow her to get away that easily. It didn't matter because she wasn't thinking clearly, only acting on instinct. With her hand still on his chest, she tried calling forth One for All, to get free, but she couldn't feel it. It was blocked and inaccessible to her. It scared Izuka, her breathing hitching as she tried it once more.

"Tch… It's pointless even trying," he said as he dropped her hand. His eyes had been gazing intently at her, the look of concentration, falling into frustration, told him exactly what she was trying.

"Those are quirk suppressant handcuffs. Didn't want to take any chances with you running away now that I finally have you." He reached out for her only for Izuka to flinch away. His hand dropped back to his side. The contemplative look tinging to something darker, annoyance. "You're not fully healed yet; you could get hurt. You shouldn't thrash around so much, hm."

Staring up at him with wide emerald eyes she slowly nodded, noticing something hidden within the annoyance, but she couldn't make out what it was. He was now kneeling next to her causing her to realize he had been watching her when she woke up. The thought caused her to feel uncomfortable inside. She wiggled a bit on the cot she had been placed in.

"Wh-where am I?" she squeaked out. Her eyes danced around the room once more. It was nondescript, nothing gave way to where it was, no windows, and plain. "H-how long have I been out for?" Her voice shook causing her to grind her teeth in irritation as she wrung her hands. As he continued to watch her the annoyance stayed, but before where his voice had been filled with something to soothe her it had now changed again.

"Just the night," he said in a bored tone. "You're at our hideout. When your body is up to it, you'll be allowed to leave this room, but only while you're with me."

Feeling surprised that she had gotten a straight answer, even one she wasn't entirely happy with, Izuka moved to try to sit up. It was awkward with her hands bound, and not being able to fully move. She struggled, her body screaming at her to stop, and flinched in surprise when hands gripped at her arms. Shigaraki had watched her struggle, leaning forward he invaded her personal space, as he pulled her up to lean against the wall. Her breathing hitched as she moved to pull away from him. Forgetting to be mindful of his fingers she thrashed against him.

"Relax!" he snapped as he let her go. She slid against the wall, now in a half-sitting position that wasn't comfortable. It caused her body to ache more, but she felt relief at not being touched by Shigaraki.

"I wasn't going to hurt you. You're not some random NPC." Her body was shaking as tears built up in her eyes. Everything was crashing down around her. The idea that the man who planned on twisting her mind and morals, breaking her until she couldn't recognize herself was standing in front of her, touching her, was pushing her mind past her breaking point. The tears had begun to spill over onto her cheeks as she stared up at him.

Her eyes were blinking rapidly but they weren't focusing on the man in front of her. Instead, she was imagining the horrors that she could possibly be put through. A careful touch to her cheek broke her out of it. A rough finger wiping away the tears from her cheek.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked shakily. Izuka wasn't sure what she was referring to, but it didn't matter. An answer was all she wanted, whether it be about why he wanted her to be his symbol, his obsession with her, or the almost caring action just now.

None of it made sense to her causing a headache to build behind her eyes.

"I… don't know. I've been having this urge to touch you; it's only gotten worse with your presence. I don't want the others here looking at you for long either. If you have to be hurt, I'd rather it was by me, and no one else." His tone grew twisted, his expression angered, as his hand fell to her neck where he caressed the scars he had left there.

Tears fell harder, the shaking of her body growing worse by the second, as she tried to keep still. Fear had engulfed her, but the usual flashbacks that accompanied someone touching her neck didn't surface. No, her nightmare was already with her. There was no reason to be dragged to the past when he was in front of her.

Moving on as if she wasn't on the verge of a breakdown Shigaraki continued to talk. "Who was it that put you in the state that you arrived in? I had been clear that no one was to get rough with you. You were supposed to be brought to me in one piece. Instead, I was informed that some of those injuries could have been fatal if they had not been handled."

His voice only caused her to shiver worse, it sounded calm but held a threatening undertone that had her feeling uncomfortable. His voice was wrapped with a promise of pain for whoever had done it.

"It pissed me off to find that my words had been ignored." His hands came up to scratch at his neck, the incessant noise filling her ears, and though she was glad his hands were no longer on her neck, the noise itself was haunting to her.

"I'll kill whoever it was!" The scratching became more insistent. His skin turned red with irritation. "Not immediately, no, first I'll play with them, make them wish they had gotten relief from their pathetic existence. Educate them on the true meaning of restraint! What a sorry excuse for an NPC! So come on. Tell me who it was."

Izuka grunted as she shimmied her way up the wall to sit more comfortably. His words were worrying but her tears had begun to slow. His penetrating gaze once more focused on her as his scratching had stopped to a mere single digit on his throat. Her eyes followed the action, words catching in her throat, as she calmed her racing heart. What he had just said only caused her more tension and stress.

"You can't do that!" The words popped out before she could stop them but once they spilled out the flow wouldn't stop. "Even if they did injure me the answer isn't just to kill them! Even if they managed to kill me." Her body shook and she could feel the beginning of hiccups forcing their way forward.

Shigaraki watched her, not saying a word as he gave her a deadpan look. He hadn't moved from his spot. A sound escaped his lips like a sigh but far gruffer than it should be. She watched as he plopped himself down on the ground, facing her, leaning up against the opposite wall, but in the small room, he was only as far away from her as his legs could spread out. His eyes stayed glued to her as he lifted one leg, placing his arm on it, and leaning his chin against his open palm. His pinky safely away from himself.

"You have such a noble heart," he began after a moment of silence. His eyes were hard sending her the feeling that though his voice had grown light, his emotions were anything but.

"It doesn't belong in this world where there is no justice. No help for those that truly need it. Sure, people preach that they are different from one another, that they have morals… ethics… but in the end when things get tough, and people get a glimpse of the real world, they will all fall back to their most primal instinct. To survive, mind their own business, and get revenge against those who wronged you, or the people who symbolize that false justice."

As his words came to an end, he leaned forward his hand moving to caress her hair, starting almost peacefully until she flinched, causing his touch to become more forceful. He gripped her hair tighter with a slight tug.

"Even with your pure heart, I wonder when the time comes, where you would stand on the spectrum, Izuka Midoriya." He had yanked her forward, causing her breath to leave her lungs in surprise at the abrupt action. His pinky had connected for a second with her hair, causing a few strands to fall in her face. He hadn't let her go, but his grip had changed to where one finger was safely away from her.

"You're wrong about that," she whispered, the words carrying to him easily enough. "People are different, they think and make choices based on their own experiences, and life choices. People are a combination of everything they had been put through and becoming more than that sum of parts! You can't just believe that everyone would ignore someone in need."

As the words tumbled from her mouth Shigaraki's grip loosened allowing her to move back, as he, moved to sit back against the wall once more.

"A choice you say?" The words seemed to fall from his lips in a single breath. "Tell me this, would-be-hero… what choice does a child on the street have, alone, abandoned, with a villainous quirk, who only ever got punished by the one who should have taken care of them, when anyone person who saw that child on the streets, and could have helped, stepped aside, because of the look in the child's eye. No one wants to step up because it isn't their problem. Putting their faith in the so-called heroes of society to rectify the situation. All the while no one came. What choice does that child have? That is what you preach. The celebration of the free choice of so-called decent people in society. What kind of justice is that? No… what kind of society is that?"

During his speech, he had moved forward once more. His hands gripped her chin forcing her to look him in the eye as he spoke. His voice had never gone past being calm, but it held an undertone of something strict, a kind of danger that couldn't be overlooked. The grip on her chin never moved past being delicate, of holding her as a lover would, his fingers almost caressing her. It sent shivers up her back, forcing herself not to move away from him, as she didn't want to irritate him. All it would take was connecting the last finger to hurt her.

His words caused a hint of doubt to enter her mind. He had said it with such conviction, that Izuka couldn't help but believe that this wasn't just a hypothetical situation, that it had happened.

"I… don't believe you," she said, but her words didn't hold the same conviction as his. She could hear it in her voice and know by the smirk he sent her way, that he had heard it as well. The look on his face caused her to feel uneasy, it was one of self-satisfaction, twisted with what she could only describe as something sinister. It rang out that he had gained some ground with her, even by just a small amount.

Score one for Shigaraki.

His smirk seemed to fade away being replaced by a softer smile, if not for the slightly crazy gaze that still shown in his eyes.

"Such heavy talk so early in the morning," he said, as his hand moved from her chin to her cheek. "Things are starting interesting doncha think girly?"

Her eyes closed at the sound of the nickname he had called her those months ago during their first meeting. When he had first proposed that she become a part of the League of Villains, and his plan to twist her mind, and morals. Her mind went blank and with it the ability to answer him. There were no words and instead she continued keeping her eyes closed, no longer wish to keep them open.

"I've been waiting for you to arrive for so long, without anything to do, besides putting my plans in motion. Mostly just a distraction, to show that I was to be taken seriously, all until you arrived."

Izuka shuddered as he spoke. It was almost like he was in a good mood, his tone of voice surrounded her, it was playful. Even his fingers at her cheek fluttered across her skin like butterfly kisses. "It's given me enough free time to plan what I was going to do when you finally decided to grace us with your presence."

At his words, her eyes fluttered open in shock. Her expression had twisted into worry and desperation, her teeth nibbling on her lower lip, as anxiety rolled off her in waves. He was talking about her like she was some kind of… honored guest, or trophy, and not a hostage being held against her will. A tear leaked from her cheek, a feat she had been able to hold in until that moment.

Without missing a beat Shigaraki swiped away the tear with his thumb and began to slowly run his fingers from her chin to her jaw, and back again. She could feel the shaking of her body grow worse at the sensation.

Her reaction, the fact that she didn't reply, didn't seem to deter Tomura. Seemingly the attention she was giving him, just being here and listening, was enough for him. Her mind seemed to go on autopilot. Her eyes refused to close back, and while she could see that he was speaking to her no sound made its way through her ears.

It was obvious she was in shock, but she couldn't seem to knock herself out of it. Even when he seemed to be waiting on her response. There was a ringing in her ears. It seemed to get louder as the seconds went by. Izuka could see above her that Shigaraki had leaned closer to her, their noses barely grazing against one another. The brushing against her cheek seemed to still before a sharp pain erupted through her senses. A gasp left her mouth as the ringing in her ears went from a deafening roar to silence. Blinking she raised her cuffed hands to her cheek, both hands forced to touch the irritated skin.

"Sorry," he said, the happy tone in his voice had given way to irritation once more.

"You were in shock, or something, whatever it was kept you from responding to me. From listening to me." His voice had changed to something selfish, a new mood swing, entirely because she hadn't been focusing on him. Tears built in her eyes, but she quickly blinked them away. It was better that he had slapped her and pulled her from the shock, Izuka couldn't allow herself to not be clear-headed.

"S-sorry," she pushed past the lump in her throat. "I didn't hear what you had to say. Can you repeat it?" Her voice shook as she hoped it would keep on rambling and get back into that happy mode, or just leave so she could finally be alone.

He was no longer touching her cheek, but his gaze had taken a harder edge, the idea that she hadn't been paying attention to him causing him anger. The ruby gaze burned into her emerald, the color seemingly turning molten with maliciousness. She flinched when he spoke again.

"Why of course…. Let me see if I can rephrase it in a more captivating way, that doesn't make you fall into a frozen state like a dumbass RPG noob." His tone had turned mocking, darkening with his emotions, as his fingers curled at his side. Their noses were still touching as he shoved his against hers until she felt breathing through her nose would be impossible.

"I was merely commenting on this broken society, with all of its broken rules, and its torn hero system that is supposedly 'oh so good' for each and every citizen. Do you have an opinion on that? On how this society is rotten to its core. Do you really think it's the best that it can be, and nothing could possibly be fixed? You seem so in love with anything hero-related. I'm just dying to know what you think."

His sentence ended on a bitter laugh. It surrounded her causing a hollow (did you mean hollow?) scared feeling to encompass her chest. It was hard for her to determine if he actually wanted to hear what she thought, but when he didn't continue to talk and stared expectantly at her, she took a deep breath. The clinking of her chains sounded as she tried readjusting herself. It was awkward but she managed after several moments.

"I- I don't know how to answer that." She took another deep breath. "Our society may not be perfect; however, nothing ever really is, but that doesn't mean it is fundamentally rotten either?"

Izuka winced when her statement ended as more of a question. It wasn't supposed to, but she couldn't help it. Her mind was turning in circles as she realized some of what he was saying had started to tinge with some sense, but she also didn't believe entirely what he was saying, knowing that the world wasn't as bad as he made it out to seem.

"If I try to forget a moment about you, and the League of Villains, and stuff, and just try to look at the way our society functions, then I can't see that something is entirely wrong with our society, and how it works. Sure, some things need to be fixed, or changed, but how everything functions give people the ability to live the way they want with reasonable limitations put on them, by society itself. I'm not saying there aren't things we need to change, to make better, to move forward to better ourselves, but I'm saying that it's not entirely bad."

As the words tumbled from her lips, she had watched Shigaraki. Watching for any sign that he was fed up with what she had to say, or that she had angered him again. Instead, he continued to stare at her with the same scowl from before, but within his eyes, something had begun to change. A calculating look was slowly taking over as he thought over what she had to say.

Izuka fidgeted, her fingers gripping one another tightly as she waited for him to answer. An almost nagging part of her brain, while she waited, couldn't help but once more think that he had a point. It bothered her to think that he was able to make her think about her views even if it was the tiniest amount. When he opened his mouth to speak Izuka almost felt herself fall forward in relief, knowing that whether it be good or bad, she was about to have him respond, and get it out of the way. She hated the wait. The not knowing which Shigaraki she was going to get in that moment.

"If we're so free to do as we choose, as you say, to the best of our ability, within the boundaries of what society deems 'acceptable', then why does organized villainy still exist? Why is that little mate? The general crime rate has gone down, but that has nothing to do with society as a whole, no it's because of that big blonde buffoon prancing around with his infuriating smile as if there wasn't anyone he couldn't save."

As he continued to talk, he had pushed her farther back until her back was flush against the wall. Leaving her no space to escape, and a dull aching in her nose from being crushed by his own. She was shaking from foot to toe, the shaking causing his nose to quake while touching her. The murderous aura that surrounded them seemed to grow heavier just by talking about her sensei.

"… but the crimes are never any less dangerous. What you would deem 'career villains' are on the rise if you know what to look for. It's not just the League of Villains, or that Hero-killer Stain, no, there are others out there, who are interested in our small group, and those who have been stepping more into the light. Why do you think that is?"

She was blinking rapidly, her cheeks red at the close proximity they were in but didn't dare to move and try to get away.

What was even worse, Izuka was believing more in his words. For all of his shortcomings, and faults, she had yet to experience Tomura Shigaraki being dishonest with her. He was always straightforward, telling her how it was going to be, never caring how she felt about it, but never uttering a lie. It was like a strange redeeming quality he had, and she wondered if it was just toward her, or everyone. His gaze was burning into her own. His closeness making her want to close her eyes as she answered, but his stare refused to allow her to do it. Instead, she forced how uncomfortable she was from her mind and instead focused on the question he expected an answer to. She mused over whether he had a point or not on whether there was something far more wrong with society than she thought, something that was turning out more, and worse villains than before. Upon noticing her carefully deliberating her answer, Shigaraki leaned back, enough to give her room to breathe, but still crowding her personal space.

He was still leaning over her, one arm carefully holding him up above her, but they were no longer touching, and that helped her racing mind focus.

"Assuming what you say is true," she began, sending him a pointed look, announcing that she still hadn't completely bought what he was saying. "It all depends on the motivation behind what these villains are doing, what's driving them to act the way they are. There are many different reasons for someone to fall into a life of crime. Money, greed, like drug or human trafficking. The groups of people who do this are only wanting those things in life and have no qualms about acquiring them in any sinister way they wish. Whatever pays."

She took a moment to pause here, to gain her breath, but she didn't miss the grimace, the look of disgust, and insult, that passed across his face, like he hadn't cared for the example she gave him. "If it's more or less ordinary people who have turned to villainy out of need or desperation with their situation, then we should, as a society, try to identify these problems, and fix, to rectify the problem."

"I stand by what I said, Shigaraki. It doesn't make society as a whole fundamentally rotten. Just that there are things we could do better, and we should do better." Her voice had grown stronger as she spoke, wholeheartedly believing in what she told him, but her body still shook. Whether it was the stress or the adrenaline, her body refused to still. Instead, all she could do was watch as he studied her, mulling over the words that she had spoken. The scowl not changing in the slightest, but it hadn't deepened either.

"I suppose it's hard for a little hero hatchling like yourself to truly be able to grasp the basic concept as to why 'ordinary' people turn toward villainy, what with you have never experienced it for yourself. So, allow me, for out of the two of us this would be considered my area of expertise."

He flashed her a deranged grin that caused her heart to speed in her chest, and a sick feeling to swim inside her stomach.

"Society is not as good as you'd like to believe in, dearie. Heroes are praised, and put on pedestals, allowing normal people to forget that they are not all-powerful. That they can't help everyone who needs their help. The mere idea that people put their entire combined faith into their precious heroes is what's wrong with this society. There are even those of the heroes who have this same belief. Something you have experienced, haven't you young hero." His tone had begun to turn more gleeful the longer he talked.

Against her will, Izuka's mind turned to the sludge incident when there had been heroes at the scene but none of them had stepped forward to help Kacchan. All of them had waited back for a hero better equipped to take care of the villain, instead of doing what they could. They had allowed Kacchan to fight by himself while putting their faith in the fact that someone else would help.

Her teeth gritted as the sick feeling in her stomach grew. It always caused her to feel horrible, queasy, whenever the incident was brought up. It caused her chest to squeeze at the thought that a quirkless girl had run ahead, protecting her friend, when no one else tried. Only to be reprimanded afterward for being careless. How was protecting someone a bad thing? It wasn't a good feeling and only made her attempt to curl into herself. Attempting to be the correct usage as her bindings refused to allow it in a comfortable position.

Shigaraki's smug smirk grew as he moved back to sit against the wall across from her. She was able to breathe easier now that there was space between them.

"I'll bet you're thinking of the incident with the sludge fella right now," he chuckled. "I can see it on your face. You're so easy to read, Izuka. Even a saint like you can't deny it. What I've been telling you. You believe there's some truth in what I'm saying."

He raised his leg once again, using his knee to rest his elbow on. "It just highlights what I'm saying. No one is willing to do something good for others unless they get something out of it for themselves. If the risk is too great even those heroes of yours won't raise a hand toward it. It's all around us, happening more often than you'd like to believe. You know that I'm right. People are categorized not only by what they do but by what quirk they have. It doesn't matter if you're a 'good' person. If you have an 'evil' quirk, no one is going to help you."

Biting her lip, abusing the skin, she still couldn't take everything at face value.

"It's all too black and white," Izuka said, as her gaze moved to the ceiling above them. "You have some points, but even with your example, you can't forget that someone did help. I ran out there even when there was nothing for me to gain from it, except everyone thinking I had been stupid to do so. People are not black and white, and their actions even less so. Trying to group everyone up with those who do wrong isn't logical." Her eyes fell back down toward his, connecting, with a challenging twinkle in them.

She noticed how he once again looked bored with what she was saying. Like she was some child who still didn't quite get what he was saying. It, however, surprised her when the look seemed to soften into one of fondness like he couldn't help but think she was some cute innocent kid who couldn't help but feel that way, and it was endearing to him.

"I suppose you make a point," he said, the fondness leaking into his voice. It had twisted it into an almost gentle kind of purr that sounded strange, and foreign coming from him. "However, that kind of mentality, of doing good whether you get something good from it or not, is found in less than one in a million, kid."

This only added to the feeling she was getting from him. It caused her to bristle in indignation. Her emotions easily readable across her face. Shigaraki found enjoyment in the flash of irritation that she showed and made him wonder what else he could do to cause him to see more.

"You can't say that!" she huffed as her eye twitched. The feeling of unease and fear had burned away, leaving her only an annoyed, but almost calm feeling to take over. It was strange, especially as she was sharing this moment with Shigaraki, but her mind hadn't caught up with how wrong this was yet. "That is perhaps the most generalizing statement I have ever heard, even coming from you, which is saying something."

Shigaraki smiled wider at seeing her body relax even further. He was finding it easier to lure her into a sense of ease with him than he thought it would be.

"Sure, sure," he said waving his hand toward her. A small chuckle escaped his lips, causing Izuka to note how, normal, it sounded. "Let yourself cling to that little fantasy a little longer. I have plenty of time to change your mind. It's almost amusing to watch your blind devotion to this hero ladled society of ours. It'll be satisfying when I show you the cold hard truth."

This caused her to feel like he had just doused her with cold water. He had all the time to convince her otherwise, and that didn't fill her with warm fuzzy feelings. This caused a hot feeling to overtake her chest as she glared at him. She pushed against the handcuffs in frustration as she turned a glare onto him.

"Oh, yeah, I can't forget about the whole reason you even brought me here. To turn me into that anti-symbol of yours." Her words were full of bitterness as she continued to glare at him with all the anger she could muster. The feeling of being at ease had fled just as quickly as it had overtaken her.

"You're wrong," he bit out. "That's not entirely why I want you." His words were hard like he couldn't believe she was only seeing that part of his plan. That she couldn't see his intentions that weren't even entirely clear to himself.

"Even if it were how does that make it any different from what would happen to me if I were captured?" He was still relaxed against the wall, his smile never leaving his face, but there was an edge to his words. Like he was trying to prove a point, and when their eyes connected once more the smile on his face widened. He knew he had caught her.

"You make me out to be the worst kind of scum for daring to twist your ideals, but you see NO problem doing the same to me. What's the difference between the two of us? Our ideals, morals, maybe? Because my ideas and actions are 'evil', that they should be classified as wrong, no matter the reason behind them. That they must be changed and conformed to the ideal of what is 'good' and 'right'."

His raspy voice had taken on a sweeter tone, one that compelled her to listen, refusing to allow her to look away.

"I hurt people, but little hero, my way is only the most obvious. I'm more upfront about it, not hiding it in a pile of shit and sweet words. The hero commission, the government, every single fucking institution dedicated to upholding the law will gladly lie to everyone and brainwash people into believing that they aren't hurting anyone at all when it couldn't be further from the truth. I'm not the only one dirtying my hands. I'm just far more vocal in the way I get things done."

Izuka, at that moment, could feel how much he believed in what he said. He became far more charismatic when he was speaking about what drove him. She was finding it hard not to listen, even if her mind struggled with what he was saying. Her own beliefs fighting against the logic in what he said. It felt like she was splitting into two, reality, and what she had built her ideas on.

There was no doubt that he would be subjected to what he just said if he was ever caught. It was also the truth that it would be the same concept of what he wanted to do to her, but she genuinely believed one was for the worst, and the other for the better. But even that felt bittersweet.

The sudden urge in wishing that things would be dealt with in a way that could show a change instead of total deniability. It was okay that he felt that way, anyone should be able to have their own opinions, but if there was something that could be changed to make it to where someone else in the future didn't have to walk down his path, then it should be. There should be someone out there that cared enough to prevent someone from becoming a villain, rather than taking care of them after they already had.

It sunk her heart that most people wouldn't care enough to do that. That they would much rather lock a villain away than fixing the problem that was causing them.

This realization made her feel uncomfortable. Her gaze fell from Shigaraki as he continued to calmly study her, a smirk tugging at his lips as if he could read her thoughts. She did need to be better at masking what appeared on her face. Instead of opening her mouth to argue against his point, she stayed silent. At this point, she wasn't sure if anything needed to be said. She wasn't even sure where she stood on the point anymore, not with her mind in a jumble, and the outright feel of needing to deny everything she was hearing kept swirling inside her mind.

Another chuckle sounded in front of her. Reminding Izuka that he was still watching her and being able to read her like a book. She bit her lower lip once more.

"Penny for your thoughts, dear?" he drawled out as his fingers began to tap at his knee. Izuka balked against giving him any more ammunition against her. He could see what she was feeling, but there was no need to vocalize it and cement the thought in his mind that he was getting to her. No, instead she grabbed onto the next line of thought that seemed to be at the back of her mind during their whole conversation. After all, she had found it worrisome that someone had very clearly changed her from her messed-up clothes. The one she wore now was a long-sleeved black shirt, rolled up several times to fit her arms right, that was eerily similar to the one he was currently wearing. The sweats she had on were one's that fit her better, only a bit too wide on her hips, and very clearly not one of his.

She cleared her throat as embarrassment flooded her face, and her mouth opened without meaning to, the words spilling before she could stop them.

"I… just... Uhm… what happened to my clothes?"

This wasn't any better she realized! It gave him whole new ammunition to use against her, and if the bindings allowed it, she would have turned around to hit her head against the wall. Instead, all she could do was allow her head to fall back into the wall behind her a couple of times.

It didn't surprise her when Shigaraki's smile seemed to widen as the red in her face deepened. He was enjoying this far too much for her liking. She was feeling jittery once again as she waited for his answer.

"Oh, you mean those rags you arrived in?" he asked innocently. "I had them burned. Not much left that they could cover, to be honest."

Her discomfort grew at his words because she knew exactly what state they had been in. Across from her, he seemed smug, enjoying the discomfort it brought her, only sweeter with herself being the one to bring it up.

She coughed again choking on her spit as she opened her mouth to speak. She allowed her head to fall forward trying to find some way to get through what she was going to say. Looking at him would have only made her discomfort worse.

"ugh… um…. I mean… that is… wh-whose are they?" she asked while choking on the words. "And…. Oh god… who dressed m-me?"

She could feel that what she was wearing underneath wasn't even her sports bra that she had on when passing out. Her face was so hot, she was sure it looked as red as his eyes. Perhaps she would just fall over and die, saving her from the embarrassment of this conversation. Fortunately, Shigaraki seemed to only take seconds to bask in the dark amusement he was gaining from this, before giving her the answer she sought.

"You're mostly wearing Toga's clothes," he said, his smile having darkened with an emotion she couldn't identify. "The shirt is mine. Toga's options were a bit… revealing… to say the least and I couldn't have those misfits out there ogling you." He leaned a bit forward as he spoke. "Be grateful, there's not much here that we have."

Nodding Izuka accepted the answer, but she couldn't help but feel awkward about how he had avoided who exactly was the one to change her. It had almost seemed like he was hinting at Toga being the one, but she needed the confirmation. Her skin crawled without the knowledge, and she knew out of everyone, she would much rather have this Toga person be the one. Even if she hadn't left a lasting impression with her from their brief meeting back when she was first captured. Taking a calming breath Izuka just plowed through her next question, not giving herself time to fret over what she was saying, or how it was going to be answered. She had to know.

"Did… did you… I mean were you there?" She gulped and then continued to make sure it was clear about what she meant. "When Toga dressed me?" Her voice shook, she couldn't seem to put any confidence in there. Never before had she ever been in a situation like this one, and she was finding it hard to gain her footing. Her gaze was firmly on the blanket that was still covering her legs, and she had managed to curl further into herself, ignoring the fact that the handcuffs gouged harshly into her wrists.

There was a shuffling sound in front of her causing her eyes to flash up at the noise only to find that Shigaraki had moved to sit against her cot.

"Yes," he said, his voice holding a softer note than before. "But I didn't see anything past what was visible when you were first brought through the portal. I wasn't exaggerating on what I said about how little it covered up, but I'm not a pervert. I'm not the type to ogle over wounded teenage girls while they're unconscious."

"Thank you," she whispered.

"Hn," he hummed out. "…. Don't mention it."

They fell into a comfortable silence. Izuka was happy and satisfied with his answer. She half-heartedly wondered once more if he would be on his way soon. He had been in here with her for a while, and though things had gone too strange, oddly peaceful, and fearful, she could use some time to straighten up her thoughts. She needed to be able to organize what she felt and begin compartmentalizing what was going on. Her body twitched the longer they stayed in silence. Wishing that something would happen, whether it be talking again, or being left alone. Occasionally her leg brushed against his arm causing her to jump, but she wasn't able to move further away, and instead had to try to keep herself still. With how jumpy she was it wasn't easy.

It wasn't until a sharp pain on her left wrist caused her to yelp in pain, and twitch in surprise. Her leg knocked back into his arm harsher than any of the other times. Shigaraki turned, his eyes narrowed as he glared at her, surveying what could have caused a reaction like that one. Izuka couldn't help it, she had tried to not keep looking at her wrist, but the pain flared up again. Her gaze fell to where the handcuffs hid her Mark.

A snarl ripped through the air as Shigaraki knelt on the cot, looming angrily above her, as he reached out for her hand. Startled, and scared, Izuka kicked out at him. It barely seemed to affect him as he shifted himself to lock her legs in place. Her body screamed for her to stop, but she continued to struggle against him.

A scream left her lips as she bucked against him when he gripped her wrist. Four fingers wrapped tightly around it as he pulled the metal back away from where the mark was dyed in her skin. His grip was firmly refusing to let her rip it back from him. He revealed the explosions encircling her wrist that ended with the torch nestled on her wrist under her palm. She continued to yell for him to stop, but Shigaraki ignored her pleas as his heated stare burned into the soul mark.

He was dominating her, she couldn't move, her words had turned into sobs. Sniffles escaped her mouth as she realized all feeling of endearment had evaporated into thin air, leaving only a need to control her behind. She started to quiet down as she allowed the situation to take hold.

"It's funny but I only caught a glimpse of this back at the USJ event," he said, his glare burning dangerously down at her wrist. "Even with only a glimpse the mark is distinguishable, but it wasn't until the sports festival that I had a solid lead on who could be your special someone. You can thank your school of special heroes for that. He's hard to miss, and that quirk of his stands out."

It was a low blow, Izuka knew that, but she couldn't focus on it. This man knew who her soulmate was, and even though she suspected as much, after all, he would have had to be stupid, and she was sure he had been following her. At some point, it would have been made clear, but she couldn't stand having that knowledge confirmed.

"It didn't make much sense. I watched you, and though you were seeing each other every day, neither of you acted like lovestruck little fools like most at your age who found their soulmates. It even seemed as if you hated one another. No, what made everything fall into place for me was the meeting at the mall. The way he came for you. Like he knew you wouldn't be meeting up with your boyfriend. Then irritatingly enough he was always with you after that, following you everywhere, making it so hard for me to get you alone."

As he spoke Izuka listened as his voice grew bitter, twisting with what she could only identify as jealousy. The knowledge that he would feel that way immediately caused her to come up with any other idea. She was sure that wasn't the deal here. Wasn't even sure if she could handle it even if it was the case.

"Even with a fleeting glimpse, those few encounters, and his quirk, I couldn't be 100 % sure. But it was a good enough guess that by the time we visited your training camp I thought it was still a good idea to bring him back with us. Even if I turned out wrong, I felt as if he would make a good addition to our group. It didn't turn out as much. We had to leave him behind."

Complete and total relief had her body sagging in relief. If Kacchan wasn't here, if he weren't in danger, she felt like she could almost breathe again. It caused her a rush of happiness that gave her hope. He wouldn't just let her be taken by the villains, and she was sure neither would Toshi. She had to have hope in being rescued if they could find her location. Her thoughts were broken apart as Shigaraki continued to talk. His eyes were still glued onto her mark. His finger was grazing over the top of it, his eyes contemplative, even as they shot daggers at it.

"Still, having him as a part of the group could be beneficial, perhaps I'll invite him at a later time." He chuckled darkly as his eyes peeled from her wrist to her eyes. "Wouldn't that be a motivational experience for you, dear? Maybe get him to conform to our ideals."

With his words, it was like Izuka had lost control. She had no filter, no way of stopping the words from leaving her mouth as she spat them out.

"Good luck with that," she said with conviction. "Kacchan would never conform to your will. I know him better than anyone else, and his, and my heart, beat with the same conviction, and faith in humanity. He's sure to become the greatest hero."

Tomura's gaze continued to burn into her own as they swept over her face. He seemed to be studying her again, looking for something, and it wasn't until he smiled that dark smirk that she knew he had found it. Pulling her hands up over her head he leaned closer into her.

"Oh? You mean how you showed your faith in humanity earlier?" She flinched violently away from him. Wanting only to be away from him, away from this situation, and his accusations. She was tired, sick, and weak. Her will to continue with the conversation was fading fast. She tried to turn her head away from him when he moved until his lips were right above her ear. She could feel his breath on her skin, and she closed her eyes as her fingers curled into fists.

"You'd be surprised what people will do," he whispered into her ear. "What conviction they would shed with the right motivation. Right, wrong, your perceptions of it are so fragile, that with the right push, it can all be broken apart." She could feel herself begin to hyperventilate once more. Her chest was heaving. Her fear over what he said was almost the breaking point for her, but she latched herself onto whatever piece of that she could and turned her head toward him. They were now mere centimeters apart.

"The opposite is also true. If you claim that we can shed our perceptions of what is right, then you could as well. Wouldn't you agree, Tomura Shigaraki?"

She could feel her body trembling, he was so close, almost flush against herself, that there was no way he couldn't also feel it. She tried to force herself to be calm, to not show the fear that she so vehemently felt, but it was of no use. Instead, all she could do was show that she would not bow to it, that he would have to fight her because she wasn't going to break without one. Izuka was stronger than that, and she would just have to show him. Her gut twisted with how close they were. She couldn't help but wish Katsuki was the one here with her instead, and that she wasn't in a terrifying situation, but instead, all she could do was hold onto the hope that sometime soon she would be.

Like the fighter that she was Izuka met his gaze head-on. Noting how it wasn't one of anger, or even calm. Instead, he held an intensity, almost like a challenging aura. His eyes continued to roam over her face before he nodded. His hands released her wrists allowing for her to pull them back against her chest. The metal clinging against one another like a song, one that signified her imprisonment. She was already tired of the noise.

"Hm… we shall see, my little mate." Sliding from the bed he left her lying there. Once at the door he stopped to turn toward her one last time. His gaze felt like it burned her. Her body reacting negatively toward the new nickname he had given her. Her mind, the bond she held with Bakugo, both balked against the idea of him being the one to call her that. She felt her stomach lurch once more.

"I'd suggest you get more rest," he said, his voice sliding into one of boredom. His eyes no longer held the intensity from the moment before. Only a sort of warning for what was yet to come. "You're still injured. You'll need your strength. Believe me."

The door opened with a loud groan before slamming shut. With the absence of his presence, she felt the air flood back into the room. Warmth seemed to settle over her bones. As best she could she squirmed until she was on her side. The blanket still annoyingly was stuck at her waist. The handcuffs and chain didn't give her enough room to reach down and pull it up. A sniffle broke the silence she was left in.

Then another.

And another.

Before a flood of tears streamed down her face. She cried silently. With no knowledge on if someone was stationed outside her door, Izuka didn't want them to know that she was breaking down. This moment of weakness was one for herself. She would be allowed it before her time to sober up and the plan would come.

Midoriya couldn't stay here. But without her quirk she was helpless.

Clarity would come with time to plan and observe her surroundings, and the people that stayed here. She promised herself that with enough time, if no one saved her, then she would save herself.

But for now, she was going to cry, and bury herself in a dream that she hadn't been kidnapped, and was safe in the presence of Kacchan. Where nothing could bring harm to her.

---

Hi guys! So I just want you all to know that its looking a little dark right now, but have hope! Things are looking down but this is an important time for Izuka and I promise they do get better, and we can start seeing some light again! I have a lot of plans for Izuka for the future with how she views things, and what kind of hero she's going to be but do not worry! For her dream to become a hero is still strong!