Aizawa was going to the vender's machine in the hallway to buy himself a cup of coffee when he was met with a rather slim woman. She had olive green hair wrapped in a small ponytail. Her green eyes looked vaguely familiar. The familiarity was explained when another tuff of green hair appeared in his line of vision.
Oh, it was Midoriya. That explains the familiarity. The resemblance was uncanny, except he's never seen that look in Midoriya's eyes, it was unsettling, to say the least. The woman was scowling but as soon as she spotted him, her features contorted themselves into a smile. It didn't quite reach her eyes though.
On the other hand, Izuku had his head down. He seemed to be trying to make himself as small as possible.
The woman spoke, her tone serious and unwavering. "Hello, I'm Inko Midoriya. You must be one of the teachers of UA".
"Hello, Yes, I'm Aizawa Shouta. I'm actually your son's homeroom teacher." He replied slowly, his tone neutral despite the feelings of unease he was experiencing.
"Well, if you would be kind enough, we have a family emergency and I'd like for him to be able to come with me." She half ordered. He could tell she was in a hurry.
"Mrs. Midoriya, your son has a next match. He's going to have to stay put and compete in the finals. What's the emergency, may I ask?" He questioned cautiously. Something didn't feel right about this.
"It is a personal matter I'm afraid. However, I'm his mother and I believe I have the right to retrieve the brat- my- my son anytime I want." Aizawa didn't miss the way she faltered as she tried to address her son. He responded nonetheless, she was right after all.
"Very well, I hope any problem you have will be sorted soon." He stepped aside, clearing the way for the family of two. The boy seemed to suddenly look up at him. In his eyes, Aizawa swore he saw a light getting dimmer. The feeling of unease only increased.
She nodded towards him and made her way towards the exit.
Aizawa looked at the woman as she marched passed him over to the stadium door. She had a hand placed on Midoriya's shoulder, the boy's whole body seemed stiff and uncomfortable. He tried to make eye contact with his student, only succeeding to catch a small glimpse of his expression. Something didn't feel right. Something was wrong. The boy's face was blank but solemn as if he was being marched towards his own demise.
Maybe he was just upset for having missed the final despite having come so far. However, deep down, Aizawa knew there was something greater at work. He would make sure to find out what.
He walked back to the viewing room in order to inform the other teachers of the newest development.
"LADIES AND GENTLEMAN! AT LAST WE'VE ARRIVED! THE BEST OF THE BEST AMONG UA'S FIRST YEAR'S WILL BE DECIDED! IT'S THE FINAL MATCH MIDORIYA VERSUS BAKUGOU! WAIT! WHAT?" Low whispering can be heard through the microphone, too quiet to decipher. "MIDORIYA HAS WITHDRAWN DUE TO FAMILY CIRCUMSTANCES. THE WINNER OF THIS YEAR'S SPORTS FESTIVAL IS NONE OTHER THAN BAKUGOU KATISUKI!"
Mic turns the mic off and turns toward his colleague. Aizawa slumped on his chair, he looks thoughtful, worried.
"I'm sure everything will be fine. It's not the first time someone withdraws from the competition. At least his mother is with him, whatever happened, he's not alone." He tries to comfort his friend but the scowl on the latter's face only deepens.
"It's just- That woman… Something felt wrong. She had this vibe. I could just tell she was lying. Something is wrong Yamada. She felt wrong- fake." Mic is left speechless. It's the first time he's seen his best friend so blatantly concerned and worried. If he thinks there's something wrong, then surely something must be.
"We can check on them later if you want. Maybe give young Midoriya a call? We can't just jump to conclusions though. It's a shame the boy couldn't go through the final battle. Bakugou is sure to be pissed off."
"Yeah… Knowing him, he probably won't take this as a win." Aizawa stated with an exasperated sigh.
They both turn towards their desks, ready to proceed with the awarding ceremony.
Their actions are interrupted by the door to the viewing room being slammed open. Walks in the general educations kid. Shinsou Hitoshi, if Aizawa remembers correctly. His fight with Midoriya proved just how wrong the entrance exam was to let this kind of power slip through the cracks. He'd make sure to correct that. This kid deserves a chance.
What the boy says makes the unease he's been experiencing increase. The dread pools in his stomach at the implications.
"Eraserhead. You need to save him. He's in danger." The purple haired teen says urgently, his gaze is pleading and desperate. Aizawa knows instantly who the boy is talking about. However, he just needs to make sure.
"What's going on Shinsou, what's wrong?" He asks cautiously, ignoring the way Mic's gaze keep switching between them, trying to get his attention. Trying to see if what they're both thinking is true.
"Midoriya. He's in trouble. You said he had to withdraw for family reasons. Did he go with his mother?" The boy's hands are shaking, his whole-body twitches as though he's prepared to bolt at any moment. As if he's ready to go after Midoriya instantly.
"Calm down. Yes, his mother came to pick him up, says it's a personal matter. Do you know anything we don't?" He asks calmly despite the growing fear that's threatening to bubble to the surface. He needs to stay focused for his students. For Midoriya.
"She's bad. His mother- she hurts him. You need to do something! We can't let her get away with this! She's going to kill him!" Shinsou's voice rises with every word. The anger and fear evident in his tone.
"What do you mean she's going to kill him. she's his mother." The voice hero says, disbelief clear in his tone. How can a mother hurt her own son?
"I've seen it happen! She hurts him- uses her quirk against him. She's abusing him, been doing it for years. I've seen it with my own eyes." Shinsou yells in frustration. Why won't anyone believe me!
"He's right. I've seen his scars." Another voice interjects. The room's three occupants turn towards it. There, by the door, stands none other than Todoroki Shouto. He has white gauze wrapped around his face and his arm in a sling but he's standing. "Before our match- he told me. His scars aren't normal either. I've only seen his arm and it's mostly scar tissue."
"Todoroki you-"Aizawa begins but is interrupted by the fire and ice's user speaking up once again.
"I'm sorry for just coming here. However, I was worried. I heard your conversation and Shinsou is right. We need to help him. He- Midoriya helped me. It's- We need to help him."
Aizawa curses himself. How could he have been so stupid? Izuku was right there. He could have prevented him from going. He knew that the boy was being subjected by some kind of abuse but he let him go anyway. How could he be so naïve? Not all parent's love their children. His own harsh parents were a testament to that. But to go to such length to hurt your own child. Anger and guilt bubbled in his chest. He needed to go after them. Stop this at once.
He rose from his chair. Startling the other occupants of the small room. He'd been lost in thoughts there.
"Come on. I believe you. We need to stop before- "Before it's too late goes unsaid, however, they all got the message loud and clear. This has been going on for long enough, they wouldn't let Midoriya get hurt more than he already was. They hope he would hang in there until they arrive.
Don't let her. Help me. Don't let us leave. He repeated the mantra over and over again in his head as he listened to the short interaction between his homeroom teacher and his mother.
All of his internal pleas proved to be feeble as his homeroom teacher allowed them to leave. Of course, he would. Why wouldn't he? He didn't know what he was permitting.
His mother hadn't uttered a word since she met him in the break room. Her silence was even scarier than when she would yell at him. The tension in her movements could be seen from a mile away. She was clearly angry at him. Did she watch the sports festival? Oh god… Did she see him using his quirk?
The grip she had on his shoulder was painful. She's mad at him. Furious even. Izuku gulped as he thought of the punishment he would have to face once they got home.
His arm hurt, his mother didn't give him the chance to get checked by recovery girl yet. Iida's kick probably fractured the bones in his forearm from the sheer force of the hit. He didn't blame him though; it was a fight after all, He's won even. He wasn't going to be able to fight in the final though, was he? His mom made sure of that.
It wasn't important now though. Shivers ran down his spine at the thought of what was in store for him, a phantom pain made itself known in his chest. A reminder of the last time his mom was that mad at him. The scar she left on his torso was a testament to that, particularly terrifying and painful experience.
They got into the car, the suffocating silence still hung between them, the tension could be cut with a knife. Izuku hated this. He could deal with his mother's normal shouting and screaming but this. This silent, deadly behavior was making his skin crawl.
The drive wasn't long, soon enough they were already stepping into their apartment. Inko opened the door with her keys and stepped aside, wordlessly gesturing for him to enter. He obeyed quietly, not wanting to provoke her.
He was making his way into his room, secretly hoping he would get away from this unscathed. However, he knew better than to get his hopes up. He heard the distinct noise of the door being shut and locked behind him.
"Where do you think you're going." Her voice came out as a low hiss, venom pooling from every syllable. Slicing and tearing at the silence, successfully making the blood in his veins run cold, he froze mid-step as dread started pooling in his stomach.
He slowly turns around to face her. "No- Nowhere- " Izuku curses himself internally, the shaking of his voice exposing the fear that was creeping into his heart, ever so slowly eating away at his nerves.
She took slow steps towards him, her movements reminiscing of that of a snake, slowly making its way towards its prey. Ready to strike at any moment.
"Did you think you could hide this from me?" Her voice was light and uncaring. However, the look in her eyes betrayed the doll-like smile on her face. Despite her somewhat cheerful and light behavior, her gaze showed nothing but malicious intent and volatile hatred directed towards him.
"Hide… Mom no… I wasn't hiding- "He tried to argue but was cut off by the sound of shattering glass. Inko's anger had made her quirk act up, effectively rattling the cupboards in the kitchen and shattering the crystal cups there. This wasn't a good sign, she was furious. Her behavior would be unpredictable and impulsive.
"SHUT UP! YOU BRAT! I SUFFERED YEARS BECAUSE OF YOU! DO YOU KNOW WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO HAVE SUCH A USELESS IDIOT AS A CHILD! I SPENT YEARS ALONE BECAUSE OF YOU! AND HOW DO YOU REPAY ME? YOU UNGRATEFUL PIECE OF SHIT! YOU HIDE THIS FROM ME! HOW DARE YOU?" The house is visibly shaking by now, utensils are flying everywhere, zipping around them, creating a small tornado. His mother's quirk has gotten stronger over the years. The woman not only being able to attract object towards her but also manipulate their general movements, effectively giving their trajectory speed and force. A knife flew passed him, grazing his cheek. A warning.
The pain is bearable, if not minimal. He's just glad it didn't hit his eye.
Chaos, pure unadulterated disarray surrounds them. His mother's gaze is borderline hysterical as she marches towards him. She seems unhinged, like this was the final straw. A pan hits his injured arm and he hisses in pain. This was his first mistake. His mother's eyes widen comically in realization as an atrocious laugh escapes her throat.
"THAT'S WHAT YOU GET BRAT! PLAYING HERO WITH THAT QUIRK OF YOURS!" She stretches her arm forward and a knife comes flying towards her. She catches it with ease and lifts it to his throat. "WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO NOW MIGHTY HERO." The knife lifts into the air and hangs right in front of his eye. Threatening to stab him at any moment. He gulps and tries to step backward but a hand grips his wounded arm painfully, efficiently stopping his escape.
He barely manages to stifle the cry of pain that almost escapes his mouth. Resolute to remain strong in the face of his mother's abuse. She squeezes harder and this time it's too much to bare. He cries in pain and leans over, snatching his arm from her grip with a little use of One for All. Her eyes widen at the sight of the green lightning that surrounded his body for a moment. Her features split into a manically wide grin
"So, this is it huh? The oh so powerful quirk of yours." She coo's darkly as she steps back. The knife still hangs in front of his face, barely inches away from his eyelid, so close it almost grazes his eyelashes.
She sighs and the knife hits the ground instantly. Clattering to the ground with a resounded clang. His momentary relief is crushed by a searing pain coming from his torso. It burns. It feels like he's being stabbed over and over again by a million knifes. Right where his scar resided, he feels dampness spread. He looks down at his shirt and sees the rapidly spreading red stain. He's bleeding. It hurts. He feels like he's being torn apart. Which is probably what's happening.
He thinks he hears someone screaming. The sound is agonizing, it's only when he feels his throat throb painfully that he registers that it's actually him that's making that sound.
His mind flashes to the day he got that scar. His mother was furious, uncontrollable. He's being ripped apart, it burns. He's being torn in shreds from the inside out. The pain brings him back to reality before he can recall the past events.
He crumbles onto the floor, his arms wrapped around his torso, hands digging and clutching at his damp t-shirt; the aching is too much to handle. There's static rings in his ears and it's getting harder to breathe by the second, the struggle leaves him gasping for air. Tears roll freely from his eyes as he tries to hang onto consciousness. The pain is excruciating. Distantly he can hear his mother's laugh. Bile rises in his throat, his sight is blurring, dark spots slowly forming in his field of vision.
He feels disconnected, like he's here but not fully. It's been a long time since pain had affected him this much. He just wants it to stop. He wants it to end. He can feel the fast forming red puddle under him. The last thing he sees are his mother's shoes as she walks past him with a huff.
Is this it? is this where it ends. Is this how he dies? The excruciating pain on his torso becomes overwhelming. Maybe he can finally rest now.
I'm sorry All might…
He remembers the months of training with his mentor, the feeling of finally being useful.
I'm sorry Aizawa...
He remembers the only time he felt like someone actually cared for his well-being. Cared about him.
Uraraka... Iida… Kirishima…
He remembers the only time he felt normal. An ordinary teenager, the feeling of belonging somewhere.
Shinsou…
The first person to accept him despite his past and his cowardliness. Despite knowing the truth about his mother.
Everyone.
Forgive me.