And I'm back with another chapter. This one is a bit rushed, but not nearly as badly as the last one. I'll go back and fix some of the grammar issues in the last chapter later tonight. Thats what I get for posting at 3am after binge nerding all day. Hope you enjoy and cant wait to hear if you like it.
-6-
The inside of the small apartment was very clean and well organized despite what the outside of it may suggest. The girl didn't have much in the way of possessions, but it seemed to be enough. She had a small bed over in the far left corner, a small kitchenette over to the right near the front door, and in the middle area was a small square dining table that was littered with neat piles of paper and folders. She obviously used this table as both a desk and a dining table so Izuku made his way over and sat at the table in a spot where he could still face Asola. She made quick work of setting down her bag and walking to the restroom before shutting herself inside. The sink ran for a bit too long and he could hear her sniffle from time to time. I know how you feel, Izuku thought to himself as he looked at one of the stacks in front of him.
The two top pieces of paper were just junk mail, but underneath he saw a stack of file folders each in a deep forest green color. He flipped the first in the stack open and the first page was a scan of a police report Asola had filed for harassment against a man named Shirou Kozeki. The next page was a restraining order filed against the same man. The rest of the pages in the folder were assorted court papers detailing some series of events he didn't have the time to read through. He quietly flipped open the other four files in the stack and found similar documents filed against a different person in each folder.
It was worse than he thought and he was surprised to learn that maybe this girl actually had to deal with more prejudice than he had suffered. The thoughts were like a shock of realization to his system and his mind began to race before being interrupted by a light hesitant knocking on the front door.
Asola rushed out of the bathroom and retrieved the delivery. She sat the bagged food down on the table and began rummaging through the cabinets to get plates and teacups. Izuku watched the girl with sad eyes as she prepared them both a plate and some tea before throwing a wash towel casually to him. Her sadness disappeared as her mask came back into view with a smile and light chuckle.
"You look like hell, go wash up and I'll finish setting the table." She gestured toward the bathroom and Izuku followed her orders. The bathroom was nice and it smelled like girl which made his young heart flutter a bit. The walls and countertop were clean of all items save for a toothbrush and a small prescription bottle at the side of the sink. I'm in a girls apartment, the thought dawned on him and he blushed slightly before looking into the mirror at his face. His arm bumped the bottle and it fell over, sending the contents to fall along the counter. He scooped them back into the bottle and tried to return the lid but noticed it wouldn't fit properly. The bottle was warped slightly like it had been squished or maybe stepped on. He decided to leave it be and placed the lid back on the top loosely before cleaning off his face with the wash rag. God, his face really was a metaphor for the way his life had been going lately. He'd gone completely off the rails lately, hadn't he? His mother was so worried about him and had he really attacked Kacchan earlier? Thinking of the moment he wondered if he really would've brought his boot down on Kacchans' head had he not reacted in time. The thought sent a chill through him.
The worst part of his mental state was that he didn't really care much that he'd gone so far from who he used to be. It actually felt pretty good to be this free from the ignorance he'd lived in so long. Meeting this girl was further proof that the world was broken and that the heroes were to blame. She was kind and soft spoken, yet she was obviously being horribly harassed because he quirk was weird. All this because the Pro Heroes had caused such a fear in the citizens of 'villains.' But this girl was no villain and she was a victim to their witch hunt. Izuku felt that he alone could see the world for what it truly was, and it was his responsibility to find a way to do something about it.
After cleaning himself up a bit Izuku returned to the table and ate his food. The two didn't say much during the meal, Izuku had a feeling the girl knew he peeked at her papers and was waiting on pins and needles for him to ask about it. He was more concerned with getting her to open up about her quirk. He needed the unfiltered truth from her about it. He'd never seen a quirk quite like it before. He finished his food much more quickly than Asola had and pushed his plate over to the side, pulled out his notebook, and began twirling his pen between his fingers. How do I approach this, he wondered for a moment before speaking.
"What do you call your quirk?" His voice was clinical in tone which seemed to set her at ease. He'd guessed as much, a straight talk Q&A was the best way to get her to open up. That and maybe a glass of sake. He eyed the bottle on the counter and grinned.
"It's called Dark Matter." She stated plainly between bites of her steamed bun.
"Why do you call it that?" He questioned as he took a few seconds to write down her answer. The girl immediately tensed and started breathing more erratically. He gave her a reassuring pat on the arm, "It's okay, you aren't scaring me off."
"Well, that's what it told me to call it."
Katsuki Bakugou couldn't sleep. This was very strange because he always seemed to sleep like a baby. Especially now because he was one of the top students at UA and his life really could not be going any better. It was pretty typical of his mind to simply let go of all of his thoughts and rock him into peaceful relaxation. But not tonight. Thoughts keep swarming and violently attacking his peace. Anxieties and worry crept into his being and kept his mind at wander. Why though? His life was without a doubt amazing. He still had some lingering rage about the way the sports festival turned out, even though he beat Icyhot in the final round the victory felt empty knowing the boy refused to fight him at full power. Again Deku crept into his thoughts. He had never seen the kid act like that before. And that look on his face was darker than the time he'd burned the boys notebook and told him to take a swan dive off a tall building. Maybe you'll get a quirk in your next life, his old words haunted him. It was definitely not one of his finest moments, but he couldn't dwell on the past. Or get into why that cold look in Dekus' eyes as he considered using his boot to cave in his head a few hours ago was still haunting him. Yeah, that look was the real issue. Surely Deku wouldn't have actually done that to him, but those eyes said yes he would and the thought sent a chill down his spine. Whoever that was, it wasn't Deku. Not anymore.
Hours of thinking passed by before rocking Katsuki out of consciousness. As he slept he dreamth of darkness, emptiness, and those dead green eyes. All the while being taunted by childlike laughter.
"I've been watching you, young man." All Might said to the student before him, "You did very well in the Sports Festival this year. And on top of that your teachers all have wonderful things to say about your drive and sense of justice. It's a shame you've been left to general studies instead of the hero course."
The student seemed suddenly full of both pride and sorrow. He was very aware of his circumstances. All Might seemed to be studying him though, so he kept his sadness at bay.
"I've been speaking with Professor Aizawa and we both agree it's time to move you out of general studies and into the hero course."
The students' breath caught in his chest and he looked as though he may burst into tears at any moment. Good, All Might thought as he looked at the boy and felt his second hand joy.
"Thank you, Sir. You won't regret it, I promise!" The boy said in between bows before All Might set a hand on his shoulder and he stood up looking confused. The tone changed instantly to a more serious one, all the jovial tone in All Might's voice was gone in an instant as he lowered his gaze to the kid to ask one last question.
"There is also something else I think you would be perfect for. But it will require a lot of training and hard work. It could also be very dangerous." The question was implied and the Pro Hero waiting for the boy to answer while hoping his tone made the kid understand the severity of what he was being asked.
"Anything to be a better hero, Sir." The boy responded.
"Excellent!" All Might jumped in excitement at the boys answer, "We shall start your training immediately!"
All Might was always a sucker for an underdog.
