Chapter 18: The Beginning of the End
The next morning came a lot faster than Midoriya would have wanted. He had spent almost the whole night tossing and turning. He had begun to steadily feel anxious, though he couldn't put his finger on why. He did know that this feeling intensified whenever Eveline was around, more specifically whenever she was around the other guys. Last night, however, it seemed to do something to Eveline instead of him.
When he held her arm, he felt the anxiety begin to boil within him, but when her eyes started to darken, it faded from his body. It was almost as if she was taking it from him. The idea of her taking any emotional turmoil from him was terrifying to him. His burdens were his alone. Heroes shouldn't burden others.
As he sluggishly began to dress for the day, a sudden ding from his phone alerted him of a text message. He picked up his phone, reading the message but not comprehending the words.
It took roughly a minute of staring for him to realize that the moment they had been waiting for had finally come.
All Might: We're ready. Bring Eveline to the infirmary as well as that bottle.
Midoriya felt a sudden rush of adrenaline as he quickly threw on his uniform, grabbing the bottle before bolting out of his room. Thankfully, it was still early, even for the students of UA. Everyone was still tucked in their beds, so no one would notice Eveline leaving the dorms.
Eveline, He called telepathically, Eveline, get up.
He could sense her reluctance to wake up but continued to press her until he got a response.
Izuku, what's going on?
It's time, He responded, Get dressed, we're heading for the infirmary.
Eveline tried to pry for more information but Midoriya wouldn't quite answer her questions. As he rode the elevator up to the top floor, he felt a multitude of dizzying emotions. He was eager to have this bottle situation dealt with, however, there is an underlying feeling of dread that haunted him. He wasn't sure if it was normal to feel this way or not.
As the doors opened, he felt his heart drop as Bakugo's build was revealed behind the metal doors. He and Bakugo had only seen each other in passing, something that didn't feel out of the ordinary to the green-haired teen. However, perhaps it was because he had trained himself to be acutely aware of Bakugo's mood swings for his own preservation, Midoriya knew that something was on his friend's mind and there was no way out of this situation.
"Kacchan..?" Midoriya asked softly, hoping that the implied question didn't get him thrown into a wall.
"Deku," Bakugo entered the elevator, his expression was mostly unreadable to Midoriya. He seemed lost in his head, perhaps maybe uncertain of himself which, if that is the case, would be a surprise to Midoriya. He knew Bakugo had always been methodical, but it never occurred to him that his childhood friend might have ever been unsure of himself.
"Where are you going?" Bakugo asked suddenly, Midoriya could see Eveline leaving her room in a new outfit just as the door closed. He caught a glimpse of a blue skirt and a dark knitted shirt or sweater.
"T-To the infirmary," Midoriya answered honestly.
Bakugo made a noise that Midoriya assumed was a response of acknowledgment. "To deal with that stupid bottle?"
Midoriya hummed in agreement, "Yeah, I guess All Might got everyone on board with it." He swallowed before adding, "so long as we're under supervision."
"I'm coming with."
Midoriya's body stiffened, he wasn't sure he heard Bakugo right. "Excuse me?"
"I'm coming with you two to the infirmary," His tone was laced with anger and Midoriya knew better than to argue. "Got a problem with that?"
Midoriya shook his head, "No, just confused."
Bakugo didn't grace Midoriya with an answer, not that any answer would suffice. Midoriya knew that there was something that Bakugo was hiding when it came to Eveline, though he couldn't imagine what it could be.
"You don't know what it's like," he heard Bakugo mumble softly to himself, "to just be completely forgotten."
Midoriya didn't respond, he had a feeling that what he heard was something Bakugo never intended to share. Also, the sentiment shared irked him slightly, but he couldn't deny that it was true. Midoriya didn't know what it was like because he didn't remember anything from the time. The person who bored the memory of their shared history was Bakugo and only Bakugo.
"You know," Midoriya said in a low voice, "this isn't going to remind us of anything, just tell us what happened."
Bakugo nodded, "Better than nothing."
The doors to the elevator opened, revealing the common room of the dorm. The two teens stepped out, allowing the elevator to return to the fourth floor to retrieve Eveline.
The walk to the infirmary was silent one. Eveline didn't ask any questions along the way, sensing that it would only add to the tension. However, once they made it to their destination, they found Zelda raising a ruckus.
"What's going on?" Midoriya asked as he peered through the door's window.
"Nothing good, I'd imagine." Bakugo followed suit, listening to the fit as best as he could.
"You can't be serious," they heard Zelda scream, "their memories were erased for a reason, this is completely counteractive to what we need to do!"
"Is it," They heard Bartra respond, equally outraged. "Surely you remember that Eveline was catatonic afterwards."
"It was for the best!"
"Who are you to say that," Aizawa argued, "are you Eveline? Or Midoriya for that matter?"
"This doesn't-"
"Yes it does," All Might stated firmly, "he is involved, whether anyone wants him to be is, unfortunately, not up for debate."
Zelda let out a restrained growl, Eveline felt her own anger rise as she listened in. How could Zelda treat her like this? How was any of this for the better? One thing was for sure, Zelda was going to try and stop them.
"Izuku," Eveline whispered, "give the bottle to Bakugo."
"What-?" Midoriya didn't even get the chance to finish his question before Eveline took the bottle from him and handed it to Bakugo.
"She probably thinks we have it," Eveline explained rather hurriedly, "better to be safe than sorry."
Bakugo, immediately catching on to what she was implying, shoved the bottle into his pocket and turned heel. "I'll be back then, you deal with her."
Midoriya was taken aback by Bakugo's willingness to leave them. He assumed that, from their previous exchange, the blonde would demand to be there at all time. Perhaps it went to show that he didn't know Bakugo as well as he had thought.
Midoriya and Eveline nodded as he left. They waited until the blonde was out of sight before daring to enter the room.
They hadn't gone further than the doorway before the two were met with the wrath of a vampire who was determined to hinder their progress. At first glance, Eveline was afraid that Zelda's demonic powers were about to react to her cousin's fury. However, as she felt the instinctual fear that stemmed from years of abuse, a small spark of oppressed anger took shape as well. In Eveline's mind, why should Zelda have any say on matters that didn't involve her?
"How could you do something so reckless!?" Zelda demanded, stomping toward the two. The sense of rage that filled the room would have suffocated anyone who didn't have the nerve to face it. In truth, it was taking an emotional toll on everyone present.
Midoriya wasn't sure what he should say, though he had several things he wanted to say to her. Some of these were abnormal thoughts, almost sickening thoughts, yet he managed to keep them at bay. Eveline happened to have a similar train of thought, but, unlike Midoriya, had no qualms speaking her mind.
"How is this reckless," Evelien asked, her tone was laced with rage but her demeanor was calm. "not only that, but where does this concern you?"
Zelda, and admittedly everyone else in the room, was taken back by Eveline's sudden behavior. She recovered as quickly as she could.
"Eveline…"
"No," the blonde took a step toward her cousin, all of the resentment she'd felt over the previous weeks began to surface. "You kept telling me to trust you, and I have, yet you've treated me like a glass doll."
"How I have done that," Zelda demanded, there was something about her posture that conveyed an air of defense. "I've done so much to help you escape Guinevere and-"
"Where's Bryan," Eveline shot back, "why, when I tried to talk to you, did you suddenly start pushing me away or avoiding me like the plague?"
Zelda's eyes narrowed, though she didn't grace Eveline with answer. It left Eveline feeling empty, like she was looking through a window, only to see a wall. Even now, Zelda wouldn't tell her anything.
"If this," Eveline extended her arm out to the room, "is what I have to do to get some answers, then so be it. Mistake or not."
Zelda's glare intensified. Eveline could sense the rage the brewed within her cousin's heart and she was a little surprised by it. She hoped, rather naively, that she might persuade Zelda to finally come forth and share what she knew. It was clear that no amount of arguing was going to get through to her. Sorrow and frustration filled Eveline's heart. Midoriya, on the other hand, had entirely different feeling toward Zelda.
It was taking a great deal of willpower to not suddenly assault the vampire. There was something about her attitude that just irked him. Like she turned on some sort of ticking time bomb in his mind and he knew that it was going to be a matter of time before he blew up on her. He hoped that they might get her out of the room before he had the opportunity to turn on her.
"I'm trying to protect you," Zelda said with a venomous tone, "I can't do that if you're going try and go off and cause problems."
Eveline hadn't a moment to feel hurt by Zelda's comment before Midoriya sent her cousin flying into the wall.
"Izuku?!" Eveline turned to scold Midoriya, but words failed her when her eyes took in Midoriya's form.
Midoriya's eyes were glazed over, fading to black. The normal green electric bolts that twinkled ad sparked against his scarred skin had altered in color, fading to a familiar reddish black. Eveline's blood went cold at the sight and her heart dropped as she felt the foreign power radiating from the young man. This could only mean one thing.
"Izuku!" Eveline reached for the teen, but he, in a blind rage, shoved her away. She had been caught off guard by the force and flew into the wall, back first. And she slid the floor, she felt something glide against her arm and a warm trail soon slithered its way down to her elbow.
Midoriya darted for Zelda, his intent was unknown even to him, but they could only imagine the worse possibilities. Aizawa moved quickly, hoping that his quirk could subdue the teen. His eyes glowed red, his scarf moved to apprehend the student. His efforts weren't necessarily in vain. Though the power that coursed through Midoriya was not like quirks, it was feeding off of his quirk, and without it, it had quelled the rampage to some extent. However, Eveline knew it wouldn't last long. She ignored the dull pain in her arm and turned toward the door. Bakugo had the bottle and she was positive that if she drank it, sudden rage would be extinguished.
By a stroke of luck, Bakugo arrived. He had been down the hall, waiting for Zelda to leave, but the loud banging that came from both Zelda and Eveline being thrown immediately alarmed him. He could feel the strange output of energy that radiated from Midoriya, despite not being near the room. It was expanding beyond the confines of the room which could spell trouble.
"Bakugo?" Eveline saw the blonde standing in the doorway, the bottle firmly in his grasp.
Bakugo quickly assessed the situation, realizing that Midoriya was in blind rage. He didn't know what happened or what was currently happening, but he knew, somehow, that he held the key to stopping the teen. He raced toward Eveline, who also made her way to him, and held out the bottle.
"Take it!" he ordered harshly as he turned back to see Midoriya fighting his way out of the constraints of Aizawa's scarf.
Eveline struggled to uncap the bottle, it's ornate design added to the tension of circumstances made the task difficult. Luckily, the lid popped off with a hard tug, and only a little of the liquid spilled out. She put the rim to her lips threw back the contents, much like her father would when drinking with Ban. The liquid did touch her tongue briefly, leaving a bitter and thick taste that nearly made her gag.
The effects of the bottle were swift. Eveline felt her body grow heavy, her vision blurred. She glanced Midoriya's way, his movement were becoming less violent. She was relieved for only a second before her world went black.
Draven watched the infirmary with the aid of Kasdeya. He was keenly invested in the opportunity this presented them, but also, he was perplexed by what was implied by Midoriya's behavior.
"He's certainly strong," Draven noted as he watched Midoriya's body go limp. "but that power, was it…?"
He turned to Kasdeya, hoping she might know what happened. What he found, however, was a demon who was deeply disturbed by the scene they just witnessed. It was the only answer he was going to get on the matter.
"We should attack now," Kasdeya said in a low tone, "this is likely to be the only time we'll have a chance."
Draven agreed, but he wasn't sure they should go without a plan. "It's still early in the morning, and I'm about positive that they'll be unconscious for the day given the circumstance."
"So?" the redhead asked with an annoyed growl.
"So," he continued, "let's make a quick plan for our getaway."
Kasdeya pouted, she hated planning, but she couldn't bring herself to really argue against it. Besides, they would need to go somewhere that wasn't the apartment if they planned to successfully getaway.
"It shouldn't be too hard," Draven added, "with your power, we can sneak in and out without triggering any alarm."
Kasdeya shrugged, "If you say so."
Bryan and Present mic were sitting on top of a building, their legs dangling off the edge as they shared their concerns about the mission they were on. Each time they thought they were making progress, they would inevitably end up with a dead end. They even tried to contact Zelda a few times using Present Mic's cell, but she'd only spout off some coordinates and hang up. It was becoming increasingly annoying.
"We've gotten nowhere," Bryan growled as he stared down at the city below. "she's sending us a wild goose chase."
Present Mic, equally unhappy, agreed with Bryan. However, years of hero work had taught him to have some patience with problems such as this. "Let's try to think like her for a moment, what use is it to her for us be gone?"
Bryan shrugged, unable to even put himself in Zelda's mindset. In their youth, she had fairly easy to understand. However, with everything gone wrong, it was understandable that she would become emotionally reclusive. For someone like him, it was difficult to know for sure what she might have in mind and that was without reading her heart.
"What about the woman we're looking for?" Present Mic asked, hoping that they might get somewhere with that instead.
"Lunete," Bryan sighed, "what about her?"
"If she were missing," he suggested softly, "and by her own choice, where do you think she'd go?"
Bryan was, at first, annoyed with the question, but he considered the idea. He thought about where would Lunete feel safe, even in this world. She liked flower fields and desserts, that much he could remember. But he didn't think those two things could help them. He told the loud blonde as much before sulking again.
"Flowers and desserts…" Present Mic mused softly to himself before standing up suddenly. "There might be a place like that, I think it's just outside of the city."
Bryan hadn't a moment to argue or question the pro-hero before he found himself being dragged away.
A/N: This is the last week before class begins again for me. I'm going to try to maintain the weekly submissions but, if I have to, I'll post every other week.
