Katsuki was near catatonic. Changes and revelations were being made around him but he barely blinked an eye. Scared parents had been pulling their students from hero schools. Some, as Mineta, had pulled themselves out out of cowardice. Many however either convinced their parents to let them stay or were egged on to pursue heroism.
Katsuki's parents found out. His class was in shock. His mentors, Toshinori and Aizawa, tried their best to talk him out of his mood. Ochako would come and sit with him, sometimes putting his head in her lap and running her fingers through his hair.
It was all sweet, and he did appreciate their efforts, but it didn't change anything.
Izuku was a villain. A cold blooded killer. One who has maimed and destroyed.
And, no matter what he had said, it was Katsuki's fault for pushing Izuku so hard and far as he had.
It still came back down to his actions.
Uraraka entered his room, a bowl of food and the first day's homework in her hands and a gentle smile on her face. School had started again, but Katsuki had refused to get out of bed. Aithusa sat perched on her shoulder, looking down at Katsuki in curiosity.
"Hey there 'Suki." She greeted, using her fond nickname for him. "Brought the homework and some food for you. I tried to take good notes too." She set what she carried on the floor, sliding onto his bed and settling his head in her lap as usual. She pulled the books and food up, arranging them on the covers. Hopping down and curling up on his chest, Aithusa made herself at home. "Aizawa wasn't happy that you didn't show y'know. He thinks you need to, as he said, accept it and move on."
Katsuki grunted, fingering the mechanical dragon's nose. "Did he?" He rolled his gaze upwards, looking Uraraka in the eye. "And what do you think?"
Ochako sighed, swallowing and gathering her courage. "I agree, honestly. It's been over a week Katsuki! There's no point in keeping this up! I know you want him back; all of our nightly scoutings point to that. You've worked so hard to bring him home, so why-" Her voice quavered, lip trembling. She drew in a sharp breath through her nose, fighting off tears desperately. "Oh, what's the point."
She stood up roughly, the books tumbling to the floor and Katsuki's head crashing down onto the bed. He pushed himself upwards in surprise, Aithusa flapping to the window with an indignant squawk. He watched Uraraka in shock pace about his room once, twice.
"What do you mean? What's what point?"
She stopped in the center of his room, pointing an emotional finger into his face. "You!" She snapped. "I understand that you're in pain Katsuki, but you're being unreasonable! You think this hasn't hurt any of the rest of us?"
He growled, trying to hide the emotion in his eyes. He hadn't really thought about how anyone else might have been feeling over Izuku's fall. All that he could focus on was how, "It's... he's MY fault, Uraraka! I created him! How do you think that's hurt ME?!"
He didn't mean to yell at her, make her flinch, she'd been so kind and honest with him, but he was losing control of himself.
Her gaze hardened. She turned on her heel, walking briskly to the door. "Fine. I'm leaving."
He started backwards, head jerking back painfully. "What?"
"You don't want to listen to me, or reason, so I'll just leave and leave you alone since you can't stand me. See if you ever get anywhere."
The hurt in her voice cut through him, shocking him. He instantly regretted his actions and called as her hand touched the door knob. "Wait!"
Surprisingly, she did, turning her head the barest degree. He stepped up quickly, laying his hand gently on her shoulder. She critiqued it with a raised brow as Aithusa watched on silently.
"'Chako, I'm sorry. I... I really haven't been thinking about you guys." She turned slightly towards him, eyes softening the barest degree (she was extremely vulnerable for apologies). Uraraka was suspicious however. 'Heartfelt' and 'Katsuki Bakugo' were words that did not belong in the same context together.
It was hard to be suspicious though. He looked truly distraught and torn, big red eyes seemingly nearing tears. But, for the deadpan crap he'd put her and the others through for over a week now, a sincere 'sorry' wasn't particularly going to cut it, especially when she felt there was more to be tacked onto his sentence.
"And?" She prompted. His eyes shifted to the floor, looking guilty and sad.
"I'm sorry, and you all won't have to dealing with my crap anymore." His hand fell off of her shoulder and she turned about slowly to face him.
"Bakugo, where are you going with this?" She asked warily, almost scared.
Bakugo stared straight at the floor, clenching his fists and jaw. "I turned someone into a villain Uraraka, and I claim to want to be a hero. I can't keep this up. I'm pulling myself from UA."
Ochako's hand flew to her mouth in shock. "What? Katsuki no! Please don't say things like that!"
Bakugo fists tightened, his body trembling now. "I'm a hypocrite! How can I be the best after what I've done?"
Her own fists tightened, angry that he would still be so selfish over this issue. "You don't see the obvious, so you're just going to pull yourself and wallow in self pity?!" Uraraka's breath heaved, emotion clouding her own mind.
He looked up finally, gazing brokenly, desperately, at Ochako. "And just what, is so obvious?" He asked slowly, torn.
Uraraka's shoulders lost their tension, and she stepped forward and hugged Katsuki. "I might not have known him nearly as long as you have, and I'll probably never know things about him that you do, but I know that Izuku whole heartedly respects you. He wants you to be a hero Katsuki!" She started threading her fingers through his hair again, gently stressing her point. "Giving up is the easy way out of this and no one will respect you for it."
Katsuki's shoulders were shaking violently now as he held his emotions down with all of his will power. "I don't DESERVE any of their respect!"
Ochako sighed, tightening her embrace. "Maybe, maybe not. That isn't the point. HE would want you to move past this, to grow. I want you to accept it too. Katsuki, it'd hurt me more than you know if you left." She felt a wet spot growing on her shirt as Katsuki's dam holding back his true feelings finally cracked under her pressure. As he wrapped his stronger arms around her body, she felt tears of her own leaking through her closed eyes.
"I'm not asking for an overnight miracle, just, promise me, even halfway, that you'll try, and not pull yourself out of UA." Bakugo nodded roughly into her shoulder, still crying too much for words. She relaxed and let her tears fall unhindered. "Thank you."
- over with the league -
As one teen released his pent up anger and hatred, an older one fed his with a vengeance, letting it fester inside until it was simmered down to pure loathing.
Shigaraki was enraged. All Might had been taken down over a week prior, but he still couldn't get past it. That KID (the stupid, preachy brat with enough nerve to deny All For One,) had fought All Might, had taken him down, and then had the gall to be SORRY about it.
Tomura glared down at the ashes scattered about the counter, sifting rapidly into the cracks. He wasn't even sure what he had destroyed, but it was probably not important. He breathed heavily, malice clouding what little rational thought he possessed. Shigaraki sat back down guietly, still brewing over the insult that was Stain's Apprentice.
He stabbed a piece of meat on his plate, glaring down in disgust at it. He looked up as Kurogiri said something.
"Huh?"
The bartender sighed slightly. "I said, odd that it seems next to none of the Vanguard members are here at the moment. They appear to have a knack for wandering."
Shigaraki's eyes narrowed. "Yeah, I've noticed that too. Especially Dabi and Spinner. Where WERE they during that brat and All Might's fight anyway? They couldn't have been THAT busy."
Giri nodded. "Perhaps they were training together? Their fighting abilities have improved substantially recently."
Tomura quickly looked up to his bartender, suspicious. "I thought that Dabi was doing special training with you. Why would he need to train with the lizard?"
Setting down his glass, Kurogiri gazed intently down at his charge. "Where ever did you get that idea?"
"Dabi told me himself," Tomura started, but the bartender shook his head.
"I've been working with him only as much as the others."
The two were interrupted from this revealing train of discussion by the television screen nearby flicking to life. It displayed a new headline, one that sent Tomura's blood pressure soaring again
'Tartarus, cracked!'
A/N
Soooo, here I am again! With a good sized chapter before I finish the story. Whooooooo! Also, I realize that I haven't updated DB recently, I'm still working on it (I haven't started the new chapter yet cuz I'm terrible). But if I don't get it out before this last chapter, I'll focus on it after I finish Fate here.
Now, comments! It's pretty much just CadB, so here we go.
Firstie, yay! Nicknames and happiness!
Secondie, (addressing your points out of order) since you explained what you did about the hero rankings, I went back and changed the concerning sentences appropriately, i.e. 'greatest hero in Japan' and 'hero of his childhood'.
Thirdie, considering the cop thing, I went back and added in that the cops had just arrived when izu left. Then there is the fact that they one, didn't know that he was now half blind and terribly weak, and two, they're scared of him. This juvenile just took down the greatest and most respected hero in Japan. He's basically a giant wake up call to the corrupted state of current society. Also, as seen in the movie Megamind (go watch plz, it great), if you've got a literal god (AM and others in this case) mucking about your cities, defeating crime in moments, your police will grow rather slack in their duties. So, yeah. They're ignorant, afraid, and slackers.
Fourthie, I'm kinda sad for Apo's update time too, but ah well. It's kinda what pushes me to update quickly. (Plus if I don't write my brain gets too horribly cluttered and my ideas overlap)
Fifthie, only 5%????? Don't you mean, OVER ONE HUNDRED PERCENT??????? *Cue my crazed laughter over the sounds of distant screams.
And das it for ye.
Hardcasekara, having Girl go mother hen on Baku and Izu was super fun and cute to write. And Stain is next so we're all getting our long awaited father-son reunion, after sooo looong of a wait. (Legit tho, I'm making the next chapter 'A Father and his Son' cuz feeeeeelsssss)
Sombra, another one near tears. You make me happy.
Well, I do believe that covers everything.