Chapter 7: Receding Powers
Eijirou stared at his friend and stuttered with disbelief. What does he mean by Dabi having Todoroki? He couldn't be serious, right? His heart raced as the different possibilities behind that flew through his head like a film reel. Before He realized it, he was practically shouting at the startled blond on the hospital bed.
"Kaminari," Aizawa spoke up. "What do you remember from when Todoroki was taken? We need to know all we can if we are going to try and rescue him." Kaminari sat for a moment thinking and then struggled to speak his mind.
Over the next hour or so, Kaminari explained to them as best he could how he and Todoroki had been fighting to survive after they had been separated from the rest of the guys. They were doing a decent job at defending themselves, even advancing at times, but the waves of Shigaraki's just kept coming. He said that even though they tried their hardest, the endless hordes of enemies eventually backed them into a wall. Just before a killing blow was landed on Todoroki, they had heard a cry from the crowd calling for the enemy to stop. To their utter disbelief, the Shigaraki's pulled back, and Dabi burst from the crowd, grabbed Todoroki, and started to retreat into the fray. Denki claimed that when Todoroki resisted, something happened to him, which made him fall unconscious. After Todoroki was taken, he tried to save himself by releasing an electric blast far past his limit. The next thing he remembers, he was waking up in the hospital a few hours ago.
"What happened when Todoroki passed out?" Momo asked.
"Looked. Like. Todo. Soul. Left." Kaminari got a distant look in his eyes as he finished his explanation. Before Aizawa could continue his questioning, Eijirou interjected.
"Wait, does that mean he could have Ida and Hagakure too? They've been missing since then too?" He said, placing his hands on the edge of the hospital bed and energetically leaning towards Kaminari. The blond began shaking his head from side to side quickly—a look of confusion on his face.
"No. Only. See. Todo." Eijirou stood away from the bed and ran his hand through his hair. He thought that maybe, maybe, his friends might be found. His hope wavered slightly but perked back up slightly when he remembered that there was at least still hope for Todoroki. Kaminari breathed in and out for a few seconds before trying to speak again.
"What. Mean. Missing?" Denki frowned and looked expectantly at the faces in the room. Oh no, I can't talk about this… I can barely hold myself together…. I can't lie to him either… That would be super not manly. Before Eijirou could come up with some plan of response, Midoriya spoke up.
"Well…" The green-haired boy began.
"No." Aizawa interrupted.
"But he has a right to know!" Midoriya said with an edge to his tone. He must be upset that we kept him in the dark.
"The child just woke up from being in a coma for two months and has severe brain damage. No." Aizawa sounded himself again. Cold and clinical with a touch of boredom. The energetic, nearly happy Aizawa which had driven them to the hospital was gone. Man, maybe Aizawa should have stayed with the car instead of Mic. Denki began to look more and more concerned as the conversation goes on. His head turns to follow each speaker as they say their part.
"I'm afraid that I'd have to agree with sensei," Momo said, looking from Denki to Aizawa.
"Of course, you fucking would." Bakugo snapped, crossing his arms. At the interjection, Denki flinched, eyes growing wide as he looked at the other boy.
"I'm not sure what you mean by that, but I'll have you know that I only have our classmate's best interests at heart."
"Oh yeah? Is that why you only visited Deku once in two months? Did you have his best interests at heart then?" Oh damn… he went there… I should speak up, right? Eijirou glanced at Izuku; the guy seemed to be having the same mental battle that he was right now. He looked baffled and kept looking between the two who were speaking. Denki looked increasingly concerned the conversation went on, his fingers twisting together and tangled in his bedsheets. Eijirou decided to say nothing and shifted his gaze between Bakugo and Momo. Katsuki and Momo had been at each other's throats for months. Eijirou thought they had buried the hatchet the other night when they watched old TV shows, but apparently not.
"That's not fair, and you know it. I've had a lot going on and didn't always have the time to stop by." Momo placed her hands on her hips, an air of incredulity about her.
"It's completely fair! You fucking abandoned him when he needed his shitty friends the most! And don't give me this 'I've got a lot going on' bullshit. You think we all don't? Fuck, Eij and I both essentially lost our parents and still found time to visit the nerd between planning for funerals and everything. But you? No, you had to fucking leave him alone so that you could help your father out with the fucking company." Veins popped on the blonde's forehead as he spoke. Aizawa shifted uncomfortably but said nothing. BAKUGO JUST CALLED ME EIJ! Wait, not the time. I mean… He's right, in any case. We were wondering what the hell happened to her. She came by to visit that one time, but it was only for a few minutes. She seemed like she'd almost rather be elsewhere.
"Bakugo, calm down, you don't know…" Momo's protest was cut short when Katsuki continued with a renewed bite to each word.
"How fucking dare you. No, you don't get to tell me to calm down." The blond pointed a now smoking finger at Momo. "You almost got Deku fucking KILLED, and you want ME? To fucking calm down? No, I don't think so. I have every right to sit here and yell at you till I turn fucking blue in the face." Katsuki took a deep breath to continue his rant.
"Kacchan… please stop," Izuku said, halting the blonds rant. Eijirou's brain paused as he realized tears were streaking down the electric blonde's cheeks, and his heart hurt when the freshly woken boy reached to Izuku for comfort, getting it in the form of a hug. "Look, Kacchan… Momo… I don't know what happened between you guys… I get that it involves me somehow. But I don't remember any of that, ok? All I know is that this just isn't the time to talk about that…. You both say you want what's best for Kaminari? I have a hard time believing that. Look what all your 'best intentions' did. He's crying because of both of you." Izuku hugs the crying blond tighter, who lets out a sob and hugs Izuku back.
"Umm… Sorry Nerd…" Katsuki said, rubbing his neck. He slowly walked across the room and sat in a chair by the door. He sat with his arms crossed, staring at his shoes. The room when silent. Eijirou stared at Momo and then at an equally surprised Izuku. What the hell just happened.
Katsuki didn't say another word for the remainder of their time at the hospital. What was there to say? The nerd was right. Damn, that felt weird to think. What felt even more bizarre was that he had actually apologized… God, what made him do that?
Not long after he sat down, Pikachu stopped crying, and Deku declared that Dunce Face had had enough for one day and needed some rest. Backed up by Sensei, the group had decided to leave the hospital so that Pikachu could get some sleep. The good mood from earlier thoroughly crushed, the five of them made their way back to the van in silence.
"Turn that down now," Sensei shouted upon releasing the wall of sound contained within the school van.
"Oh, come on, Sho! You can't seriously expect me to turn it down in the middle of Free Bird? It's like the greatest solo ever written! Back me up, little listeners?" Mic looked at us for some fucking reason, like we were gonna justify his loud ass music. Sensei glared back at their other teacher without repeating himself.
"Ok fine, I'll turn it down… Y'all are no fun at all." Dejectedly, Present Mic turned down the music to levels that would allow the human body to continue functioning. The students piled in, and they pulled away from the hospital.
Katsuki couldn't get his head out of the funk it had been in. Fucking Pony Tail should have known better than to lecture him. Deku would have backed him up, too, if he still remembered; he was sure of it. Either way, Katsuki knew one thing, all the progress he had made to lighten the nerd's mood was lost. And it was partially his fault, or, at least, the nerd thought it was. Katsuki felt an uncomfortable tightening in his chest when he thought back to how Deku looked at him as he scolded him and Momo for arguing. It hurt Katsuki. He wasn't sure why, but the disappointment on the nerd's face fucking made him hurt. He didn't like it. Not one fucking bit. Damnit, is this what being friends with the nerd was gonna do to him?
"Oi, Deku!" Katsuki had to do something to lighten the nerd's day. "Spar with me when we get back to campus!" Deku looked up from the battered All Might Figure he had been clutching to his chest. I don't know whether to be proud or embarrassed that he still likes that damn thing this much.
"Why…?"
"The fuck do you mean why? Why should I need a reason to want to beat your ass to a pulp?"
"When you put it like that," the nerd said in a mocking tone.
"Look. Fuck, it's been a long day. Hell, it's been a long week. If you feel half as high strung as I do, then I know you fucking need to let off some steam. Sides, I wanna show ya that even with all yer fancy fucking quirks, I'm still the best." Deku grinned wide, staring at him with his creepy-ass green eyes.
"You're on! Momo, Kirishima, you guys want to join us?"
"No, no, I… uh… I have some things I need to take care of," Momo said as she looked out the window.
"Tch," Before Katsuki could fully respond, Deku grabbed him firmly by the arm and gave him a stern look that said 'don't start anything.' Fucking fine, I'll let it slide he thought to himself and shifted his gaze out the window.
"What about you, Eiji-Kun?" The redhead shifted around in his seat.
"Ah, I don't think I can, Izuzu. I'm honestly just not feeling super pumped right now… You and Bakugo have fun, though! Don't kill yourselves."
"Yes… Please, we can't afford any more injuries. Please restrain from harming yourselves." Aizawa interjected, still looking forward at the road.
"Well, guess it's just you and me, nerd." Deku nodded. One step at a time. Progress is progress, I fuckin guess.
It took fucking forever, but they finally got back to the school. They pulled back up to the dorms and started to go their separate ways. Shitty Hair and Ponytail went back to the dorms, and Sensei said he would speak with All Might. I assume he's gonna tell him about Icy Hot.
Pushing past the dorms, Deku and Katsuki made their way to gym gamma, where they had practiced their special moves all those months ago. Fuck, had it been a year already? Katsuki shook his head as they pushed their way into the training grounds. This year had not gone as planned. Frankly, it had been fucking shit. Deku walked beside him, looking about the empty school grounds with an expression of sorrow on his face. Fuck, don't overthink it, nerd… I don't want to answer any damn questions about the lack of people here….
Thankfully, Deku kept to himself, fiddling with his thumbs occasionally as they made their way into the center of the massive gym complex. All right, Katsuki was starting to get pumped. It had been a while since he and Deku had a chance to go all out against each other. He was excited to see how he stacked up against the nerd. Honestly, given what he had seen during their fight against All For One, Katsuki knew that he had fallen behind the nerd. He knew that he was technically less powerful. He knew that he couldn't compete with the power of One For All. But he'd be fucked before he admits to himself that Deku is better than him! He would show that fucking nerd that power isn't everything to a hero. That he could beat the nerd with sheer skill any day of the week, no matter how powerful he got.
"So," Izuku began. "What are the rules? How do we want to do this?"
"Rules? There are no fucking rules, you fuckwit!" Katsuki crowed as he lunged into an attack, blasting himself into the air, flipping, and bringing his heel down towards the shocked Greenet's clavicle.
"Kacchan! Wait!"
"Not fucking likely!" Katsuki yelled as Deku moved out of the way in a blur of green lightning; Katsuki's foot crashed into the ground with a firm thud.
"Give me some warning next time!" Deku said, rounding on Katsuki with a flying kick. As Katsuki blocked the strike, he realized what a huge mistake he had made when he flew through the air from the force of Deku's blow. Fuck, that hurt.
Their conversation ceased except for the occasional shout or grunt as their fight transitioned from jagged movements into a dance. Each moving in sync with the other. Pulling back as one attacked or pushed forward in a counter. Deku flipped over Katsuki's shoulder to try and catch him off guard, but, in perfect sync, Katsuki ducked and rolled out of the way of the strike he anticipated.
As the battle continued, Katsuki noticed Deku starting to look increasingly frustrated. He also saw something much more important. Deku wasn't using his other fucking quirks. This bastard! He's taking it easy on me! Katsuki decided he'd make the nerd regret ever looking down on him. Katsuki shouted and lunged at Deku in a tight spiral.
"Howitzer Impact!" Deku's eyes widened, glints of orange fire reflecting on his green iris. The Greenet dodged the massive blast just barely. Katsuki figured that must have singed the nerd's ass a bit.
"Kacchan, what the hell! That was too far, and you know it!" Deku shouted back, waving his hands in front of him frantically.
"Then you shouldn't have been going so fucking easy on me! What the hell, Deku! Why aren't you using your fucking full power! Don't fucking look down on me!" Deku's expression suddenly grew concerned, and his face flushed red.
"Kacchan, for the last time, I'm not looking down on you!"
"Then why aren't you using your quirks against me! You're going easy!"
"I… I don't know. I was trying. I really was, Kacchan, believe me. I… I don't know what's going on… but something's up with my quirk. It was almost like it was fighting me? It felt like my power was just out of reach. I couldn't use anything other than my strength enhancement." Katsuki sized up the nerd. Deku couldn't lie to save his life; he was an open fucking book. Katsuki looked for his usual tells and found none. The nerd was being truthful.
"The fuck's goin on with ya then, huh?" Deku looked like he was gonna shit himself.
"I… I don't know. It's like my power is fighting me?" Tears start to run down Deku's cheeks as he starts to stutter his responses. Fuck… Why can't I do anything god damn right for fuckin once? I didn't want the fucking nerd to cry again! I wanted to spar to cheer him the fuck up. God, why am I such a fucking failure at this? Katsuki clenched his fist in anger at himself as Deku completely lost his composure and cried into the palms of his hands.
"Come on, nerd, let's go." Deku looked up, confusion in his eyes.
"What do y-you mean? G-go where?" He asked as he wiped tears from his eyes.
"Where do ya fuckin think? Were gonna go talk to the twig."
"Who?" Izuku tilted his head to the side.
"Fucking All Might. Who do you think? We're gonna talk to him about your quirk issue. That's what ya want to do, right?" Izuku nodded with a sniff.
"Well, let's fuckin go then." Katsuki turned and left. He calmly gestured with his arm for Deku to follow him before plunging both hands into his pockets.
"Are you sure that we won't be bothering him? He's seemed busy recently."
"What good is the bastard if we can't talk to him? Huh?"
"I mean… I guess?" Izuku shrugged and followed after him.
Izuku was completely freaking out. Why can't I use my quirk right? Did I do something? Is it because I got hurt? Maybe I'm still recovering, so One For All is limiting its power output so that I don't hurt myself? But, if that's the case, why does it feel like the power is missing? If it's just limited by itself, shouldn't I still be able to control it slightly? I wonder what implications this has? Is my strength quirk somehow less now than it was?
"Oi, nerd, you're mumbling again." Izuku's train of thought froze. Oops, I didn't realize any of that was out loud.
"Sorry, Kacchan… I was just… nervous, I guess? I'm just concerned about what's going on with my quirk, you know?"
"Figured, but still, wait till you talk to All Might before you assume the worst." Kacchan looked back over his shoulder and locked eyes with Izuku for a split second before the blond turned away. Without breaking step, they continued towards their principal's office. Kacchan leads the way, with Izuku stumbling a few steps behind.
Just like their walk to the gym, Izuku and Katsuki did not come across another student or professor on their journey to All Might's new office. Whereas his old office was closer to the teachers' lounge and the classrooms, his new office was at the center of the campus—Nezu's old office. After several minutes of walking, they approached the two large oak doors that barred All Might's office entrance.
"Wait," Izuku said, grabbing Kacchan's arm as he was reaching for the brass handle.
"The fuck for?" Katsuki shook off Izuku's hold and crossed his arms, glaring at him.
"We should knock first. He could be busy."
"You're insufferable, you know that?" Izuku shrugged with a smirk. "Fucking fine," Katsuki reached out and knocked once firmly on the wooden door. Several seconds passed before the door was opened in a swift movement by a familiar figure.
"What do you want? I thought you were off at the gym beating each other up?" Aizawa deadpanned, weight shifted slightly to the left as he clung to the door handle.
"We need to talk to All Might," Katsuki said bluntly, tapping his foot repeatedly.
"Why?" Aizawa asked, gaze shifting from the terse blond to Izuku.
"We… um... I noticed something about my…" Izuku fiddled with his thumbs and dug the tip of his foot into the carpeted ground as he fumbled with his words.
"His fucking quirk is acting screwy," Katsuki spat, pointing to Izuku with his thumb over his shoulder. Thaaaaannnnks Kacchan… I was getting to that… I guess I wasn't fast enough. Then again, when have I ever really been able to put together my thoughts in a concise manner when the time came to it? I usually end up trapped, looping around the sentences in my mind trying to figure out the perfect way to present my information to ensure that people under…
"Deku!" Izuku looked up to find Kacchan glaring at him, a smirk replacing his usual scowl.
"I'm doing it again, aren't I?" The Blond nodded, smirk still plastered on his face.
"What do you mean 'screwy'?" Aizawa asked, still staring at them blankly from the doorway.
"W-well. That's what we need to talk to all might about… It's almost like my quirk is… Resisting me? If that makes sense?" Izuku returned to digging his toe into the ground as he addressed his teacher. It's not like he knew what was going on himself. How could he explain to his teacher that it felt like half of his power had disappeared without sounding like a madman?
"May I be present during your discussion with the Principal?" Aizawa asked, ignoring the scowl that returned to Kacchan's face.
"The fuck? Why?" Kacchan said as he crossed his arms once more, eyes glaring daggers.
"Because I am your teacher, and I cannot teach you effectively if I do not know what is going on. And… because I care about you problem children and want to be of any help that I can." Kacchan's shoulders relaxed slightly as he pinched his temples together, one arm still braced across his chest. Before Izuku could protest or agree, Kacchan spoke up for him.
"Fucking fine; I guess this shit isn't much a secret anymore anyway. Come on, Deku." Kacchan waved his hand over his shoulder, indicating that he should follow, and walked into All Might's office. Izuku looked over at Aizawa and gave him an apologetic smile followed by a slight shrug as he followed the explosive blond into the room, his teacher falling in step behind.
Izuku, himself, had never been inside the principal's office. It was a large spacious room with white walls and an enormous glass window that stretched floor to ceiling on the far side. A desk and two couches lay in the center of the room. The skeletal figure of All Might sat hunched over at his desk, head in his hands. He looks so tired. I hope he's doing ok? Well… I mean… I guess no one is doing ok right now. He just looks so much more exhausted than I've ever seen him. The thin form of their teacher looked up as they entered the room; his eyes widened slightly before a small smile formed across his face as he sat up in his chair.
"Young Midoriya! Young Bakugo? What brings you two here today? Is there something I can do for you?" All Might looked expectantly between the two of them. Izuku began to bore a hole to America with his foot again.
"I'm um… I'm having some trouble with… with One For All? It's… It's acting kind of weird…" Izuku stared down at his feet, unable to meet his mentor's eye.
"What do you mean by 'weird'?" All Might's voice sounded concerned but caring. Izuku looked up to find his mentor staring at him intently; breath hitched, seemingly anxious for a response. Once again, Kacchan beat Izuku to an answer. Man, I must have really concerned Kacchan somehow… He's never taken an interest like this before. I hope I didn't upset him or something? Maybe I should apologize later. I didn't mean to seem like I was holding back or anything. I hope he doesn't still think I'm looking down on him or any...
"Nerd… seriously?" Kacchan stared at him with a sigh. That freaking smirk was back on his stupid face. Izuku felt his face grow hot as he scrunched his head into his shoulders slightly.
"Sorry," he said sheepishly.
"Anyway, Deku and I were sparring, and his fucking quirk wasn't working right. He couldn't use anything other than his power augmentation." All Might's eyes widened in concern.
"Do… do you have any i-idea why that is? It f-feels like my power is holding back. Gone even. I-I reach out to where I know the other quirks should be, and nothing is there." Izuku started to tear up. He had been so worried about how his mentor would react that he couldn't compose himself anymore. He felt like he had somehow done something to One For All to break it. It was his fault. Suddenly, Izuku felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up and saw Kacchan with a knowing look on his face. He… he couldn't know what I was thinking, right? But… he's trying to... comfort me? I… no, that can't be it. He's probably trying to keep me from mumbling again or something.
"When did you first notice this issue?" Aizawa spoke up from behind him.
"Just now while we were sparring."
"Interesting," All Might finally spoke up. "First, however, I would like to apologize to both of you. Midoriya, Bakugo, I have failed you both. Midoriya, I have failed you as a mentor. I have not been there for you when you needed me most. My new duties as principal have pulled me away from what I should have viewed as a more important task. Being there for you, my successor." Izuku stared in shock as his mentor spoke. All Might was… apologizing?
"I let myself get blinded by my work and failed to see that you children needed me." All Might started to tear up. "Young Bakugo, I have failed you as well. I was not there for you when your family… I abandoned you. I have failed both of you. I do not ask for forgiveness. I was scared and buried myself in my work rather than facing the consequences of my past actions."
"You don't need to apologize!" Izuku blurted out. He couldn't understand why he felt the need to apologize. He hadn't abandoned them, had he? Sure, All Might had been a bit distant, but that was to be expected, right? He was the new principal, after all.
"Yes, he does," Kacchan said in a matter-of-fact tone. His friend stared at All Might with his piercing red gaze, brow furrowed.
"Why is that?" Izuku asked, cocking his head as he shifted his weight to the other foot.
"Because he's an arrogant bastard who abandoned you when you needed him most." Kacchan's fists clenched, stifling small explosions. Izuku began to wave his hands frantically in front of him.
"He doesn't mean that All Might! Kacchan, don't say that about…" Izuku's protest was cut short by the older blond's interjection.
"No, Young Midoriya, he's right. I did abandon you." Izuku's tongue went dry as he stuttered for a response. Finding none, his mentor continued. "Whether it was conscious or not, I let other things get in the way of what should have been my priority." Kacchan let off a small explosion.
"Well, quit wallowing in self-pity and start making it up to the nerd. He's got a fucking problem, and unfortunately, you're the only asshat that might have the damn answers." Izuku opened and closed his mouth like a fish. He couldn't believe how Kacchan was acting towards All Might right now. What happened in the last two months? Aizawa walked across the room and sat down on the couch, a knowing glance cast at the principal.
"Yes, sorry, you're right. Can you please explain to me exactly what happened, young Midoriya?" All Might clasped his hands together under his chin and stared intently at Izuku.
"Umm… Well, Kacchan and I were sparring. I repeatedly tried to use my different quirks — Black whip, Float, Danger Sense, Fa Jin. Each seemed just out of reach. Almost as if they were missing and only a shadow of the power remained. It was… scary." Izuku rubbed the back of his neck. He shuddered, remembering the feeling he got when he tried to use the power. It felt cold. All Might furrowed his brows and hummed deeply.
"That is… concerning, to say the least. Is that all you remember?" Izuku nodded. "Well then, in all truthfulness, I don't know what exactly is going on. If I might hazard a guess, it could be that with All For One's defeat, One For All very well might view its work as complete. The vestiges may be withdrawing their aid now that it is no longer required," All Might said with a slight shrug of his shoulders. Concern still plastered on his face.
This made some semblance of sense to Izuku. He thought back to all of his dreams in the aftermath of the event. The darkness of One For All, once filled with the glowing light of the vestiges, now plunged into unending darkness. Since even the vestiges were gone from One For All, he assumed that what his Principal said was correct. One thing weighed heavily on his mind, however. The two dreams he could remember that had a familiar voice—the voice of someone who was supposed to be dead — Shigaraki.
However, Izuku chalked those specific events up to being actual dreams. Simply manifestations of his fear heightened by the effects of the painkillers he had been under. They really couldn't be anything else, right? It's not like Shigaraki was actually there. That's impossible. It felt so real, though… A new voice joined the conversation before he could bring any of these thoughts to his mentor's attention.
"How is that even possible?" Aizawa interjected. "I understand that One For All is essentially sentient, as far as quirks go, but even then, why would it withdraw its power? Especially now with the world in turmoil. I would surmise that his power is needed now more than ever." Their homeroom teacher leaned forward from his seat on the couch, eyes laser-focused on the Principal.
"I don't know, Shota. One For All has existed nearly since the dawn of quirks themselves. It has been grown, cultivated, and transferred for years with the express purpose of bringing down All For One. Now with that task complete? I imagine it feels like its mission is over. You said you still have access to your strength augmentation?" Izuku nodded.
"That's good. That was the original power of One For All." All Might stared directly into Izuku's eyes. "Now, I'm only guessing, but if the quirks of the other users have stopped functioning, there is an excellent chance the same goes for the quirk of the original user… Midoriya, you may be the last user of One For All."
"What?!" Izuku's mind raced. He began to pull at his hair as feelings of failure washed over him. How could I be the last user? Did I do something to break One For All somehow? What if the world needs this power later, and it's gone because I did something? What… What do I do? I… I'm not… I can't be the last one. Izuku's mind raced as he pondered all the possible consequences of what they had discussed. He thought he faintly heard the sound of All Might's voice followed by his teachers, but his frantic thoughts drowned them out. Only once he heard a voice so familiar to him that it sent his mind back to his earliest memories did he snap out of the vice-like grip of his mind.
"Deku, stay with me." Kacchan's voice was calm and reassuring. Izuku felt his friend's arm on his shoulder with a tight, comforting grip. There was no scowl or grin on his friend's face this time—only a look of caring concern. Izuku's mind calmed at last.
"I… I'm s-sorry. I didn't mean to start mumbling again, Kacchan." Katsuki shook his head slowly.
"It's not your fault that One For All has changed. Do ya hear me, nerd? That's not your fault." How did he.. how did he know what I was worried about.
"But… but what if I did something wrong?" Izuku fought back tears as his suppressed emotions began to seep out of the cracks in his defenses. Kacchan tightened his grip on his shoulder.
"You damn idiot. Deku, you didn't do anything wrong. I was there. You were fucking amazing." Kacchan's words rung through Izuku's troubled mind, parting his tumultuous thoughts like the prow of a ship. He was… amazing?
"B-but…" Izuku croaked. "I d-don't remember anything. I don't remember what happened. I don't remember what happened in the fight. I don't remember what happened to my friends. I don't know what happened to… to you? Everything is blank from the moment we got separated on. The next thing I knew, I was waking up in the infirmary, and you were sitting there covered head to toe in bandages looking like an angry hay bail. I… I'm just starting to lose my mind trying to understand how everything got to be how it is. You can't understand how frustrating it is to feel like the only person in the dark about something." Izuku started to pull at his hair again. "That's why it tore me up so much not to be able to tell Kaminari. He's in the same position I am, and it hurts Kacchan. It hurts me to see him like that. I… I just don't know what to do." Kacchan willingly pulled him into a hug for the first time in his life.
"You'll remember, nerd." Izuku began to cry into his shoulder, dampening Kacchan's shirt with his tears.
"What if I don't?" Izuku asked between labored breaths.
"You will. I'll help you remember, you damn nerd." Izuku's nerves calmed down instantly in the presence of his childhood friend.
"Midoriya," Aizawa spoke up, Kacchan releasing Izuku from his warm embrace. "If it makes you feel any better, we haven't been keeping you intentionally in the dark about anything. There is so much we just don't know." Kacchan shifted positions at the teacher's remarks. Does Kacchan know everything that happened? Is that why he said he'd help me?
"Um… Thank you, Sensei," Izuku needed to change the subject, or he'd start crying again. "How… how did… did you figure anything out about how to help Todoroki?" Izuku asked with a fake smile, receiving a red-eyed blond's glare.
"As it so happens, yes. The villain Dabi was spotted earlier today as an accomplice to a prison break. He and an unknown cloaked figure broke into Tartarus prison and escaped with Dr.Kyudai Garaki." Kacchan's hands started to smoke.
"The fucking quick doctor that worked with AFO? The fuck do they want with him? Can they even make more Nomu without the boss villain?" All Might Shrugged.
"We have no idea what Dabi's intentions are with the doctor. We can only assume that, whatever they are, they're counter to our intentions."
"How did they even break him out? I thought Tartarus was supposed to be near impossible to break into or out of?" Izuku asked, scratching his head.
"Without Cementos," Aizawa interjected. "The repairs to the prison Tartarus after All For One's breakout earlier this year took much longer than expected. That, coupled with how thin security forces have been stretched, I can only imagine how many cracks exist in our security right now."
"Thankfully," All Might adds, "due to the efforts of young Shinso, we have made great strides towards completely dismantling the networks created by All For One and the Paranormal Liberation Front." Izuku's breath caught. Shinso? He's… oh! I remember he visited me in the infirmary!
"Shinso? What the fuck is a Shinso?" Katsuki said; Izuku chuckled at Kacchan's remark.
"The kid with the Brainwashing quirk," All Might said. "Kinda tired looking. Purple hair that defies gravity."
"Oh, that fucker. Now that you mention it, where is that purple-haired bastard? I haven't seen him in over a month." Izuku looked between his friend and their teachers. He had never been too close to Shinso, probably having only spoken to him two or three times, but he waited on bated breath for news on one of his classmates. Aizawa provided the information.
"Your classmate was sent on an undercover mission to trail and interrogate the remaining known members of the League of Villains or Paranormal Liberation front, who survived the final conflict." So that's why I haven't seen him at all since then.
"Yes, it was his idea, too," the principal continued. "Aizawa and I were hesitant at first, but the boy made a compelling argument. He was right; after all, his quirk makes him uniquely suited for this mission. Since leaving on his assignment, he has already uncovered a plot to replace the Prime Minister with a PLF member. That was the meeting I left for that day we spoke, Young Midoriya." Izuku and Kacchan nodded in comprehension.
"Has he heard anything about Todoroki's location?" Izuku asked.
"Not as of yet, Young Midoriya. He was the one to figure out that Dabi broke the doctor out of prison. He has also been doing much digging into the source of the mass unconsciousness that is plaguing our country." All Might said solemnly with a slow shake of his head.
"Actually, I've been fucking thinking about that. Somethin Dunce Face said just didn't exactly add up."
"Dunce Face?" All Might asked with a cock of his head.
"He means Kaminari," Izuku corrected, shifting his gaze to his hot-headed friend. "What did he say?"
"The fucker said that Icy Hot passed out, and it looked like something left his body… his soul or whatever. What if…" Kacchan paused, raising an eyebrow as he looked at his teachers. "What if he was hit by the same quirk that put half of Japan in a coma."
"Does that mean Todoroki is in a coma too?" Izuku asked, drawing his hands into his chest.
"Don't think so. Think about it, Dabi is the loser's brother. He wouldn't have gone out of his way to kidnap him if he wanted him dead. I'd assume that whatever the fuck they did, they were able to reverse for him. Otherwise, what was the point of kidnapping him instead of just killing him."
"Then," All Might began, "odds are, if we find Dabi, we also find whoever is responsible for all of this mess." For the first time since their trip to the hospital that morning, Izuku felt hope for the future.
