Chapter 3: Katsuki

A soft twinkling noise seemed to follow Katsuki around as he hoisted his randoseru onto his back and started trekking through the puddles of water lining the courtyard. Several of his friends ran up to him as he left the gates of the elementary school, the twinkling getting louder and louder as they approached. Katsuki whipped his head around to see what was causing the incessant, annoying noise.

Midoriya Izuku was standing behind him, an expression of terror on his face at realization that he was in the direct path of Katsuki's anger.

"Hey, Deku, calm do-"

Katsuki couldn't finish his sentence before the twinkling noise became overwhelming, blocking out any source of sound, even his own voice.

Oh. My alarm.

Katsuki sat up in bed and rubbed the heels of his palms across his eyes, then rolled over and slapped the top of his alarm clock to disable the alarm.

"It was all just a dream. Of course. We were kids," he said as he rested his head on the pillow again and gazed up at the ceiling of his U.A. dorm room. Deku's child-aged face, fraught with horror, flashed before his eyes again. He groaned and flung his arms across his face, blocking out the early morning light streaming through his window. "So I treated him like shit when we were kids. Now I've somehow got a conscience about it because he's missing?"

Katsuki sighed, then threw off the covers and sat up, placing his feet lightly on the cold wooden floor. He couldn't shake the sensation that had accompanied his dream, nor could he really place what it was. Guilt? Regret? Fear? Was he actually concerned about Deku? Somehow, he couldn't just tell himself that Deku was fine, and somehow, that was really bothering him.

"AAAGGGHHHH!" He screamed into his hands, then slid his fingers into his hair and yanked, trying to pull himself back out of his thought spiral. He stood and began going through his morning routine in a reserved daze, then headed downstairs to meet up with Uraraka and Asui before the teachers arrived.

The girls were both waiting for him when he walked into the kitchen, sitting at the table and munching quietly on breakfast. Ochako had left a banana and a granola bar at the open seat next to her.

"Good morning, Bakugo!" Ochako smiled at him in between bites of her cereal. Despite her positive tone, she looked like she had been up for twenty-four hours straight. Dark circles ringed her eyes and her movements were slightly jittery. Asui, sitting across from her with a mug of coffee, didn't look much better.

Katsuki walked over and swiped the food off of the table, stuffing the granola bar into a pocket and proceeding to peel his banana as he continued walking towards the front door.

"Thanks," he muttered.

As he stepped out onto the porch, he could see All Might, Midnight, and Aizawa-sensei approaching from far in the distance. He sat down on the first porch step as he waited for them to come nearer, and the girls joined him not long after.

"Good morning, young Bakugo, Uraraka and Asui!" All Might shouted from dozens of feet away, an arm in the air in a firm gesture of greeting. He continued shouting as he jumped straight into conversation. "We've just checked in with the patrol team from last night, and unfortunately they were not able to find young Midoriya! The subway tunnel had indeed collapsed and the area where we predicted he would be was inaccessible even with the quirk of the hero who was with them! Perhaps we should have sent you with them after all." He winked at Uraraka.

His speech softened slightly as the group of teachers came closer, finally reaching proper conversational volume once they were a few paces away from the porch steps. Despite his distressing news, his smile was as grand as ever.

"Um, All Might-sensei, I have something to share. I don't know how helpful it will be." Katsuki turned to see Uraraka step down from behind him onto the last step. All Might paused and nodded for her to continue. "Well, last night I was able to locate Deku using the GPS on our phones, but he was on the opposite end of the city from where everything happened yesterday. I thought it was a glitch or something due to signal failure down in the tunnel, because that couldn't possibly be right, so I decided to check again after some time had passed to be sure. About half an hour later I checked again and he didn't show up on the map anywhere. I checked again this morning, too, and his location still didn't show up… but I guess what I'm saying is that I think Deku might have gotten away from the area where the tunnel collapsed somehow."

All Might and the other teachers looked at each other skeptically. Finally, Aizawa-sensei spoke up.

"Given your description of Deku's condition yesterday, I suppose it could be possible that he was up and moving around, but it is highly unlikely that he had enough strength left to safely move collapsed cement where the tunnel caved in or pull himself up to the mouth of the hole, especially given the incredible distance from street-level to the floor of the subway tunnel."

"He's right," Katsuki stood and faced Uraraka. "Deku was in no shape last night to be able to do that. His arms were so beat up that he couldn't even grab my hand when we were trying to pull him back onto the roof."

"So our best bet is still looking right where he fell," Uraraka sighed, a doubtful tone to her words. "Maybe I was just going crazy last night from anxiety, but seeing that on the map with no explanation is really bugging me."

"We'll be able to figure all of this out now, Ochako-chan." Asui said from the top of the steps.

"Exactly!" All Might said with an explosion of confidence, placing his hands solidly on his hips. "We'll find young Midoriya in no time at all! Now, let's get going."

The teachers began walking in the direction of the school's front gate and the girls quickly followed behind them. Katsuki began trudging along with his hands in his pockets, dream-Deku's terrified face again popping into his head, morphing together with his pale and torpid face from the last moment Katsuki had seen him alive.

Was Uraraka's concern valid? Had he managed to get himself out of there, or had something even more unexpected happened to Deku?

As Bakugo approached the corner where they had all met the previous day, before all of this crazy shit had happened, cracks in the ground began to appear almost like bread crumbs, leading him directly back to the last place he really wanted to be. He and the others quickly rounded the corner and were met with the devastation of the incident, a massive hole in the ground spanning almost the entire width of the street and running right up to the base of the building they had clung to for dear life the day before. Yellow-and-black striped fences lined the hole and small groups of police meandered around its edges holding harnesses and lengths of rope. None of which looked long enough to reach into the darkness below.

Katsuki kept his head down, however, not bothering to inform the police officers how truly unequipped they were to help in the situation. He didn't want to be told off and removed from the mission before he even had a chance to participate. Though he liked to state his opinion and have it be heard, he knew what his limits were and when to show due respect. He followed the teachers and other students as they approached a woman wearing a dark hat and a blazer, who looked to be the lead officer in charge.

"Hello!" She greeted them with a smile and extended a hand to All Might and the other teachers. "The officers here are happy to aid you in any way we can and we're willing to turn things over to you whenever you're ready."

"We'll split into three teams," offered Aizawa-sensei. "Two teams will enter the subway tunnel from two established access points at stations east and west of here, and search for Midoriya while they clear the debris where the tunnels have caved in. Those teams will be Alpha and Beta, to the east and west respectively. Asui and Midnight, you will be joining those local heroes standing over there on Team Alpha." He flicked a finger in the direction of about three heroes, all with large, muscular physiques, and a handful of police officers with various instruments that appeared similar to mining tools.

"Next, Uraraka will be joining team Beta. It is likely that if Midoriya was up and moving around at all last night, he would've followed the tunnel towards the west station, where you will be coming in from. Our scouting group from last night informed us that debris seems more dense and hard to maneuver leading towards the east. Uraraka, your quirk will be vital in moving debris, so please do your best and don't be afraid to direct the heroes you'll be working with."

Uraraka nodded and glanced towards where Team Beta was standing. Katsuki followed her gaze and noted that there were several more heroes than Team Alpha.

"As for Team Gamma," Aizawa-sensei continued, "Bakugo, All Might, and I will be accompanying that team. We will be heading directly inside this hole in the ground and fanning out towards both the east and west, so please prepare yourselves for a long trip down."

Katsuki stepped forward and glanced quickly into the hole, seeing nothing different than the blackness that had shrouded Deku the day before. A chill ran up his spine as his dream once again came back to him.

"Now! Let's all get moving!" All Might clapped his hands together and then slapped Katsuki on the back. "Young Bakugo, you and I will be working together today, heading to the west. Your quirk will do an excellent job of breaking debris down into manageable pieces and making the clearing process faster!"

Katsuki quickly darted his eyes away as he noticed All Might begin to blush, most likely ashamed that he could no longer be the strong and inspiring force that he had once been and must now rely on the powers of a high school student to help him contribute to hero work.

And it's basically my fault that he lost his powers in the first place, Katsuki grimaced and wrenched his shoulder out of All Might's grip, then followed Aizawa-sensei to join the others in the Gamma group. His own attitude was making him feel sick. First All Might, and now Deku. People that I've hurt are getting the short end of the stick and I can't even get out of my own head and show a little sympathy? What's wrong with me?

Katsuki tried desperately to turn his brain off and just go through the motions as the team went over protocol for working the harnesses and ropes that they would be using to climb down into the hole. "It's just like rock climbing, but maybe upside down for a little bit," he heard one of the police officers say jokingly, but his eyes just followed the officer's hands, motioning through how to use the equipment, and he tuned everything else out.

Once Katsuki had been strapped up to a harness and secured to an anchor at street level, with what he hoped to be ample rope in hand, he stood on the edge of the hole with his feet just inches from the drop-off. He watched as some officers sat down on the edge and scooted off, while others turned and pushed off of their stomachs.

There's only one way for me to do this if I'm gonna stop thinking so much and actually do my part to find Deku, Katsuki berated himself internally. I gotta fucking jump.

He let out a long burst of breath, then stepped back several paces and dropped the pile of rope behind him, making sure there was enough there to keep him from smacking into the ground at the bottom of the hole. Then he broke into a slow run, pushed off the edge, and began soaring through the air.

He heard cries of protest from All Might and Aizawa-sensei behind him, but these were quickly replaced by a tremendous woosh as he plummeted through the air and the light of the sun became masked by the edges of the hole above him.

Shit, he thought, realizing that Deku had undergone the same experience with no supportive gear. The ground was probably coming up fast, and he could definitely see both himself and Deku going splat.

But no, the rope did its job, and Katsuki felt a gut-wrenching tug around his torso. Then he was just there, hanging in the dark, swinging back and forth, unsure of how close he really was to the ground.

"Turn on the light on your harness!" He heard Aizawa-sensei's echoey voice radiating down from above, so he fumbled around the straps near his shoulders until he found a semi-spherical object with a switch on its underside.

The floor of the subway tunnel was suddenly bathed in a harsh, white light. Katsuki looked directly beneath him to see that he was still plenty far from the ground, as much as ten feet. Man, that was really a long fall for Deku to undergo unequipped and alone. Katsuki reached for the rope and lowered himself to the ground at a more fixed, calm pace. Soon, the officers who had slipped off the edge carefully caught up to him, and the rest of the team followed not long after that.

"Was that really necessary, Bakugo?" Aizawa-sensei glowered at him as he and the others began flipping on their lights and pacing gingerly around the tunnel, careful not to trip on the tracks, many of which had been dented or shattered under the pressure of cement from the street above.

Katsuki just scowled and began walking down the tunnel in what he hoped was the western direction. He luckily didn't have to ask for confirmation, as All Might quickly jogged over and began traversing the rubble with him. They walked in silence, All Might seemingly less peppy than usual and opting to give Katsuki a bit of space. Aizawa-sensei and another hero began walking to the west as well, exploring the left half of the tunnel while the former group stayed on the right.

Quite often, they would come across a rather large cluster of collapsed ceiling or wall from the subway tunnel and All Might would request that Katsuki press a small, controlled spark into it so they could break it up and manipulate their way around it, which everyone knew was not Katsuki's style for using his quirk, but he obliged anyway. This was as exciting as this mission would get until they found Deku. He hoped.

It seemed to Katsuki like they had been staring at, lifting, and crushing various shades of gray materials for hours when suddenly, a flash of bright color caught his eye from a few feet down the tunnel. Red. Katsuki picked up speed, trying his best to avoid the chunks of gravel and metal strewn about while he ran. Finally, he slowed and squatted down to get a closer look.

One of Deku's chunky, red sneakers was half buried under a block of cement, the tongue of the shoe sticking up like it had slipped off his foot as he was trying to wrestle his leg free. Katsuki carefully stuck his fingers into the crack between shoe and cement and applied force, ripping the shoe away. He slowly selected one of the thick, black laces and hoisted the shoe up to examine it. Among the smudges of dirt, a thick layer of blood, almost indistinguishable from the shoe's own color, speckled its surface.

Oh, fuck. Katsuki shuddered, and dropped the shoe. I gotta believe that's just residual from all the wounds he got yesterday, but there's no doubt the fall down here messed him up too.

"Shitty Deku!" Katsuki screamed down the dark tunnel, cupping his hands around his mouth to help the sound travel. "You here?!" His voice reverberated back to him across the silence that followed, but nothing else.

"What did you find?" All Might jogged over as Aizawa-sensei approached from the other side of the tunnel. They both looked down to see the shoe, resting on its side on the uneven ground. In the muted light, All Might's face seemed to turn a shade of green. "Oh," he breathed quietly.

Katsuki bolted, wasting no time in trying to find Deku. He screamed again and again as he went, hoping to hear a soft voice farther on down the tunnel, but nothing came. They were getting farther away from the hole now, with less debris for them to find Deku laying in, save the giant wall of collapsed tunnel materials that was just coming into view up ahead.

Katsuki kept running until he was feet away from the wall-like pile, then stopped and lowered to the ground. His breath was coming in hot, ragged gasps and he placed his hands against the subway tracks below him to cool off against their coldness. He looked up at the pile of metal, resentment growing at the thought that Deku could be unconscious on the other side of it, or even buried underneath it. He knew that it was way too massive to approach with his explosion quirk. It required a much more delicate hand.

"How is there even damage this far away from the hole?" Katsuki spat out between frustrated huffs, slamming a fist down on the track next to him.

"It's likely that the vibrations from the fissure opening into the tunnel traveled across its length and disrupted the walls at their weaker points, thus causing them to break apart." Aizawa-sensei explained as he and All Might caught up to Katsuki. "Here, Bakugo. Some water."

He squatted down next to Bakugo and offered him a small canister of liquid, then he and All Might sat down and began to catch their breath as well. They chatted quietly for a moment, out of Katsuki's earshot, then turned to look at him.

"This is as far as we can go, with the heroes we have on this team," All Might stated, Aizawa nodding next to him. "We have a sign that Team Beta may have some better luck than us, since we've already found something of Midoriya's. We should go back and check in with the rest of Team Gamma, then report in and try to get in contact with Beta."

"I've already sent the hero I was with back in the other direction to tell them," Aizawa added in. "So let's head back up to the surface and try to get ahold of Beta now."

Just as Katsuki stood to start the long walk back to the mouth of the hole, however, the pile of debris before them began to shift. Katsuki stepped a few paces closer, craning his head to try to see past the many chunks of material. Suddenly, large pieces began flying off the top of the pile left and right, until a slight dip began to form in the middle. A large sheet of metal paneling just in front of Katsuki's face flew upwards, revealing none other than the sweating, strained face of Uraraka Ochako.

"Bakugo!" She shouted, stepping back a few paces and clutching at her heart. "You surprised me!"

"Looks like we've reached the end of our search area," a large man outfitted in a pale blue hero costume said from behind Uraraka.

"Which also means that Team Beta has had no luck in finding Midoriya either," Aizawa-sensei sighed as he, All Might and Katsuki watched Uraraka continue to clear away debris with the touch of her fingers. When a clear walking path was finally established, she and the other members of Team Beta began filing through. Many of the heroes went straight over to All Might and Aizawa-sensei and began discussing their next steps.

As soon as Uraraka had made it across, Katsuki noticed her eyes shoot over his shoulder and saw her face begin to harden. He whipped around to see Deku's sneaker, still laying lopsided on the ground.

"Where could he be? He should be here…" Uraraka's voice began to crack as she stammered out the words. "Even if he's… dead… he should still be here."

She twisted around wildly and began running back and forth in front of the now separate piles of debris, touching object after object with the pads of her fingers. Sheets of metal, heaps of cement, tiny flecks of gravel, and many other materials rose up into the air and began bouncing repeatedly against the warped, patchy ceiling, until nothing was left on the ground. No debris, and no Deku.

Uraraka stopped and let her knees give out before her, crumpling to the ground. She cupped her hands around the sides of her helmet and just stared at the tracks below her, likely trying to process what this all meant. Katsuki couldn't believe he was actually doing this, but he slowly walked over and knelt down beside her. He didn't try to give her any sort of physical comfort, like a hug or a back rub. That was just way too much for him. But he did lean in, his head close to her ear.

"Don't give up," he whispered. "You and me, we're going to find that damn Deku."

Uraraka whipped her head around so that her eyes were staring directly into his, and a slight smile seemed to grace her lips for a second. She hesitantly removed her shaking fingers from around her helmet and, before Katsuki even had time to react, sprang forward and wrapped her arms around his neck.

Great, thought Katsuki sarcastically. I so love hugs. But he didn't protest, instead wrapping one arm loosely around Uraraka's back to reciprocate.

"You're right, Bakugo. We will!" She said into his ear.

Katsuki then pushed back, stood and offered her a hand up. The two students trailed behind everyone else as they trekked to the west subway station exit, silent but for the storms of search ideas swirling in their heads.