Chapter 28: Beneath Crevices
"Desiring another person is perhaps the most risky endeavor of all. As soon as you want somebody—really want him—it is as though you have taken a surgical needle and sutured your happiness to the skin of that person, so that any separation will now cause a lacerating injury." -Elizabeth Gilbert, Committed: A Skeptic Makes Peace with Marriage
Ochako
All she can taste is smoke tinging her lips and scorching her throat, beads of sweat tumbling into her eyes and down her cheeks.
The panic sets in before she can fully control it, heartbeat drumming so loud in her ears as if it will burst any second. Izuku just before her a second ago the outline of his form visible and now a second later; gone.
'That man's quirk. He somehow captured him!' Her thoughts rush together.
He hops back from them with another bow, his objective complete as he disappears back into the smog.
'No, he's getting away; Izuku's already to too injured to properly fight back!' Ochako swallows, hurriedly getting back into a standing position to try and focus.
She needs a heavy object, but the surrounding forestry has been decimated.
And she can't stop the tidal wave of ache and helplessness burying her down. Spots dot her vision once more, still she needs float something, anything large enough to slam into his body and slow his momentum down.
"Don't just stand there Round-Face, make us fucking float already to catch up to him!" Bakugo's voice thunders in her ear, crimson orbs dark with impatience.
"We're making a mini catapult before he meets with the other villains!" Tsuyu supplies at her confused look.
And that's all she needs to hear before getting into position, tapping at each of their bodies before Tsuyu wraps her tongue around them tossing them into the air.
Ochako watches them shoot through the air like bullets, catching up to the villain just as his gaze twists back towards them before he is slammed into the ground.
Though he is surrounded by his own allies now and they quickly gather around them forming a circle like vultures.
"Get down Compress!" The scar faced man calls out creating a surge of blue flames that race towards them, singeing Mezo's and Katsuki's arms before Shoto's ice blocks the fire's path.
'I can't just keep being on standby. Surely I can sneak up on one of them?' Ochako considers, pushing her body to move faster to catch up with them.
If that man is truly a magician, then with his slight of the hand and the way he distracted him using his mouth and pockets...
'The marble, the marble containing Izuku must still be in his mouth! We just need a way to get him to spit it out.' She reasons.
"Want to team up again?" A familiar voice asks to her left and she jolts, nearly about to twist at Aoyoma's hand off at his sudden closeness until she gets a proper look at him.
"Sorry, I wasn't trying to startle you!" Aoyoma laughs weakly, squirming from her near death grip as he wipes down his sweaty palms.
"No, No it's alright. And yes, your naval laser could really come in handy, though we need to wait for the right opportunity." Ochako remarks, she can feel his partially amused, partially concerned stare and her mind flickers back to the finals.
He must know they've taken Izuku, that her mind is racing how they can get him back before their final chance is gone.
"Do you still have enough energy to launch an energy laser from here?" Ochako questions, slowing her pace down.
Aoyoma matches her speed with a nod, following her gaze.
All their short range attacks are doing little to stop the magician or his colleague, Compress tossing out a scattering of marbles that morph into chunks of ice and wood.
"Heh, did you all honestly think you got the upper hand from me? I cant help myself, I'm a showman at the end of the day, especially when it comes to crushing the hopes of fledging little heroes like yourselves!" He teases.
"Compress, they'll be here in a minute." His teammate mentions beside him.
They watch as Shoto's ice starts to melt under the blasts of the sapphire flames, Aoyoma straightening his posture when they see the same shadowy figure who attacked at the U.S.J. facility appear with a Nomu in tow.
The one who can teleport.
"We shouldn't keep Master Shigaraki waiting." Kurogiri mentions at taking in the mess of the scene and Ochako feels her skin beginning to prickle, biting her lip hard enough that the tang of blood hits her tongue.
'This is our last shot.'
"I heard the gist of what's going on from Aizawa-sensei and our classmates; I'll aim directly for his face." Aoyoma confirms.
"It's not much, but I'll launch a branch at the same time." Ochako supplies.
And Compress's mask shatters as the beam connects while the branch temporarily knocks him off his feet, gloating expression switching to alarm spitting out the real marble.
Katsuki launches himself forward, tearing open his arm injury without care only for the scarred man to impede his path once more with a wall of fire.
"Compress, undo your quirk. We're getting out of here. Now. He instructs.
The marble prison breaks, Ochako rushing forward despite the blurring of her eyes and the sting of bile re-crawling back up her throat.
'Izuku, do something. Use Infliction; escape!' She wants to scream as Compress's and the scarred man's grip tighten on him, hands too close to the pulse point of his neck.
The darker thoughts swirl up and croon in her ears; a haunting tease, the knowing that's coming they've failed to stop this kidnapping.
Once more she meets Izuku's gaze, green to brown as his body disappears into the violet-black mist.
And with it her body stiffens, the ache in her chest widening to a chasm.
'Too late, you were too late.'
Izuku
"You know, you made this a bit too easy for us I think." Shigaraki begins.
Twice steps forward removing his blindfold hesitantly at his nod, this where their true conversation begins apparently.
Though his classmates did indeed put up a good effort, if not for Kurogiri coming in time he isn't sure if the results would've been the same.
An itch burns at his neck and arms, Izuku could've used Infliction he believes, fought harder to have broken away from Compress's and Dabi's hold on him he feels...
Something isn't adding up.
Izuku doesn't immediately respond, taking in this area they call their home base. He feels at the chains restraining his arms in place, metal edges tearing into his wrists.
They tried to keep him from seeing too much via a blindfold (and stopping him from using Infliction), but he caught peeks of a warehouse, walls stained with watermarks and patches of mold and rust.
But where they're at now looks like a bar, velvet red seats and a golden glow shining on a variety of fancy liquors and brews. Faintly in the background he hears the stream of the news, the latest updates regarding the attack on the training facility before it is switched to the local weather channel.
"Hey, listen to me." Shigaraki's voice tightens and Izuku leans back from his touch with a scowl.
"He's not going to hurt you baby, at least as long as you play along." Toga coos from beside him and he frowns at the sweetness of her tone while her fingers slide against her twin pair of needles.
Izuku blows out a breath, straightening to meet Shigaraki's piercing gaze head on.
"You forced my hand in a way though, didn't you? Messing with Dad making him believe his company is on the verge of firing him just to get to me? If you were going to go after any of us, I knew I would be the first and I had to figure what your plan is." He finally remarks, jade orbs narrowing at his silence.
It only takes a minute for a wild grin to stretch across his face. "Oh, what gave it away? That was supposed to be a surprise for later on down the road!"
Hisashi Midoriya. A man with an unordinary fire quirk trying to live the simple life of a salaryman...
If only his illness hadn't changed all of that.
Because all it took was a quick hack in through hospital records to know why he didn't want his fellow coworkers to know.
And why it could be used to get his son closer to them.
Izuku fists then the crumpled letter out of his pocket, the one he wasn't meant to find if not for him collecting and taking out the trash. He'd peeked and saw a memo from Dad's company buried beneath scraps of leftovers from dinner and his old notes, the company's blue and green logo resting in the right hand corner.
And then he started to read what he could, the words becoming jumbled and blurred together the further he went on.
"Mr. Midoriya, you didn't inform us of your ongoing illness and while we respect each of our employees privacy especially in the case of your son and his appearances on the news, it is a serious matter not to let your section's boss know that in light of recent investigations and tips, we may need to...if you don't want this to get out..."
It had all sounded so official, a supposed note from his company warning him his job was in jeopardy in relation to him not giving the full details behind why he had been taking so many days of paid time off.
From there it explained why he had seemed so stressed as of late, awake almost all through the night pacing back and forth in building worry.
"It's a good thing your good old Dad didn't dig deeper; unlike you." Shigaraki muses.
He snaps his fingers and his group stands to attention; a silent order to leave to them alone. Nobody moves for a minute before slowly they pour out of the room one by one.
Toga is the second to last to leave, golden eyes shining taking in his bloody clothes and torn limbs despite doing his best to heal his most damaged areas.
"I wish we had gotten Ochako too, a blend of all of our blood together..." She trails off in a sigh.
He stiffens hearing her call her name so personally and he sees Ochako's teary and devastated expression once more.
'I'll make this up to you Ochako; I promise.' But all he can picture is her frustrated eyes burning on him.
"Toga, get going." Shigaraki warns and she blows him a kiss before skipping out the back door.
Kurogiri is the last to stay behind, the dark cloud's attention focused solely on Shigaraki and the worry for his safety.
"Sir, are you sure this is a good idea to be left alone with him? I can-"
"I gave the signal for everyone to leave; including you." Tomura cuts him off, scarlet eyes flashing dangerously as his hand brushes the tabletop. Instantly it starts to degrade from his quirk, interior beginning to crumble to an ashen gray.
Kurogiri sighs, nodding and following his master's command.
Another wave of silence envelops them, lights buzzing dully overhead.
"Do it, I know you want to." He grins cheekily as if about to divulge a secret only they know.
He licks his dry lips, showing off a wide grin.
"Come on, I don't think you've ever had a chance to truly use that Infliction quirk of yours on me. Haven't you ever just wanted to let it loose? Show the world it's true power?" He reiterates.
"You came here because you wanted to know why we're blackmailing your Father, right? You can't get answers staying quiet so hit me, prove you're really mad." He prods on.
His stomach churns, because he has had that thought, at least when he was still in the early stages of learning how Infliction actually worked.
Shigaraki gestures with his hands for him to come at him, poking his cheeks nearly leaving an indent.
"Seriously, attack. I'm giving you a free pass to fuck up the guy who's working with the one who will help end All Might's career; permanently." He grins wickedly then, seeing the flash in his verdant eyes finally.
'There it is, the rage he's been trying to hide from the world for so long.' He muses.
The cruelty that will make him a perfect villain.
'Break his jaw.' Izuku concentrates.
Because for now, he really is getting tired of hearing him speak.
If the pain from Infliction hurts him, he doesn't show it. Instead Shigaraki beams as if he healed him, crazed glow to his scarlet orbs despite the crunch of his bones ringing out, teeth going slack, the telltale bruises forming along his cheeks and jaw.
He nods, seemingly impressed as his dissected hand plops to the ground like a ragdoll and a second wave of sickness rushes to his gut.
'I'm not a monster like you all, I'm not going to use my quirk for evil.'
"Any quirk can be used for bad or good, you and your group choose to your quirks for evil and destruction. You weren't always a villain I'm sure, at some point you just decided that mayhem and death were a better option." Izuku describes.
"...Do you really think society will ever accept a quirk like yours? A quirk that so many have already seen time and again can potentially kill or subdue someone in seconds, even if the effects are only temporary? " Shigaraki asks slowly through his temporarily crooked teeth. It's a similar question he's asked him once before, however he sounds more genuinely curious this time.
Perhaps a Hero in his past let him down, or he grew up believing his quirk could never be used for good...
"I'll prove it! You're not going to ever be able convince me to join your group." Izuku hisses.
Though he thinks of his parents for a second, how the League of Villains and any other petty criminal can make their lives hell, no how there lives have already forever been changed now because he wants to be a Hero. Will they send more blackmail to Dad or his company stressing him further unless he cooperates with them? Send threats to the stores and shops his Mom loves to frequent forcing her to go elsewhere, deeper into the city farther away from home?
"I hope you know we'll always be discriminated against these people you call 'Heroes'. Do you really think a quirk like Toga's for example or mine will ever be seen as 'normal' or 'good'?" He challenges.
A chill settles over room; the swirl of an icy storm just waiting to shatter the little calm remaining as green to red watch each other should the other attack.
"That doesn't give you all the right to freely kill and destroy the buildings of those just trying to live a regular life, who are just ordinary civilians not even in the field of Hero work." Izuku counters.
Something like a smirk crosses against his broken mouth.
"Don't you get it Midoriya? This is our ordinary life."
"All Might is going to come, I have nothing more to say to you." Izuku finishes, leaning back from him.
The beginning of U.A.'s press conference starts and both their eyes flicker to the television screen as Principal Nezu comes into view.
'I have to conserve the rest of the little energy I have left.' Izuku repeats over and over to himself through slow breathes.
He's used Infliction on multiple targets, but not often and he can't strain himself using One For All beyond 50% right now. While they talked earlier he gathered there are at least 3 ways for him to get out of here if he can create a great enough distraction. Through the entrance they brought him in to the left side that gives a view to the warehouse, the back door that must lead to an alleyway perhaps, or one of the vents to the rooftop...
They each pose a various drawback and he will only have a few seconds or minutes to make a proper getaway before he is caught up to, if he even can get very far to alert someone knowing he is currently outmatched.
Still, it's time to choose one.
Because they both know this will be the last time Shigaraki tries to get him on his side.
Katsuki
"This is such a fucking stupid idea." He grunts.
Kirishima sends him a glare, smacking his back to stand up straight.
Officers don't slouch!
"Well, I don't hear you voicing any better ones! Now, are we going or not?" He snaps, gesturing to the others waiting for him to get a move on.
"Izuku and I have done this before, disguised ourselves to get into a gala event once. However, I honestly don't think we need such elaborate disguises for this." Ochako voices and he's surprised to hear she actually agrees with him somewhat for once.
Musutafu News Station isn't exactly beefed up with security or crawling with officers, unlike U.A.
"Look, everyone is busy trying to break the latest news of when Principal Nezu comes out to make an official statement. My father does occasional business here in Yokohama City and I overheard him mention to Mom that one of All Might's closest associates has an idea of where the League of Villain's base is, we need to act and look the part that we belong!" Momo argues.
"And what exactly are we supposed to be looking for? It's not like there's going to be a file that says 'Secret Strategy Meeting Report' in bold red letters for us to grab and take." He retorts.
And while they waste time over how to enter the building or what suit colors are used for Musutafu Today's coverage, Izuku is still trapped.
'Damn it, that nerd better still be in one piece.'
Though he's sure the League of Villain's goal isn't to kill Deku, but to recruit him.
A sour thought arises that All Might and the other Pro-Heroes have already created a game plan and their own plans are for naught, especially All Might considering he most likely can't have whatever his secret connection to Deku is slipping away.
"Hey, we're going to use the south exit, Momo said the guard there only does patrols every hour and he just did a pass by." Ochako voices, bringing him out of his thoughts.
He gives her a side look, her features the picture of calm now when just days ago he'd witnessed the mess of her tears and blotchy cheeks when Deku had disappeared into that villain's smog.
And now he wouldn't have been even able to tell she had been crying, ever felt the sting of watching him vanish unable to stop it.
But they've all had time to think; to recover.
'So I was the first to wake up from all those painkillers?' Katsuki muses as he walks the wing of the clinic.
Late afternoon sun trails through the windows, sky a painfully clear blue unlike the clouds and smog that had scattered the night of the training facility's attack.
Normally he is fighting himself in his dreams to wake up via a haze of blasts, sleep can come when that idiot is back and he can throttle answers out of him.
He passes what must be around Round Face's room, sets of blue and yellow balloons dotting the corners to match the pastel pinks of carnations set in a bouquet along with a row of get well soon cards.
"Nishimura-sensei, I'm glad you came to visit me, however I can't just sit back, Izuku is still trapped with the League of Villains." Ochako states, sitting up ignoring the flare of her monitors beeping to life in an array of bright reds and yellows.
"And you need to let those IV fluids finish, I came here on behalf of your parents along with your Gamps and Gamma to ensure you properly let the Pro-Heroes take over this matter. You've only been up for an hour and you're already causing trouble. Recovery Girl could only do so much in terms of your dehydration and wounds." He replies with a tone that says it isn't up for discussion.
Neither speak then, Nishimura switching away from the repeated news coverage to some boring afternoon soap opera, calming himself.
He pats at her hands and Ochako glances up at him, chestnut eyes wary and listless.
"I'm going, I'm not the only one who feels this way." Voice resolute, watching as a storm builds in her mentor's eyes again at her stubbornness.
Katsuki finds himself nodding his own agreement, walking ahead down the hall leaving them be.
They'll gather with the others later to form a plan.
He wishes said plan though didn't require more breaking and entering, but Momo is sure one of these officers knows the details of where the League of Villain's current base is and it's all they have to go on right now.
"I think if we just ask them politely, none of this plan will be necessary; this whole idea is very reckless and unfitting of our roles as model/representative students of U.A. high!" Tenya mentions fidgeting with the uniform Momo created for them, Todoroki shaking his head beside him.
"That's exactly why we need to break in, a Pro-Hero wouldn't stay on standby if they knew they could be of help." He answers.
"He goes by the name Naomasa Tsukauchi; we just need to get in and out of his office with the information!" Momo reviews interrupting them with a cough, ensuring everyone has their disguises up to par with a quick roll call.
Kirishima adjusts at his hat while Round Face helps Yaoyorozu with her tie and badge.
This is the best they're going to get, if they're lucky most of the night officers will be too drowsy or distracted to properly check their details in the system or will just assume they're rookies or interns based on the cover stories they made up for each other.
A cover story he can't even recall now.
'Screw it, I'll create a smokescreen if anyone tries to stop us.' He decides.
The hallways are thankfully crowded as they shuffle inside, phones ringing non-stop as blurs of faces move in and out of corridors and offices. No one spares them a second glance with their uniforms matching the sky blue of the other deputies of Kamino's district.
Momo gestures to the left hallway 3 doors down and they form a line, picking up the pace one after the other tumbling into the darker area. Naomasa Tsukauchi's name shines on a golden plate right in the center of the mahogany door.
"This is the place; make way so I can break the lock." Kirishima announces, sharpening his hands into the keyhole.
It takes an agonizing minute that feels like hours before the sharp click of the door echoes out.
Todoroki lights up his hand, creating a makeshift candle while Ochako begins tapping at scattered files, floating them into piles hurriedly scouring them to see if they contain what they need or not.
"It would most likely be in a locked box, where he could keep it private and also get to it quickly if need be." Tenya reasons, heading for his desk.
Katsuki follows, not bothering to attempt lockpicking melting the key indentation away.
Sure enough, a case file rests beneath a stack of folders detailing the known League of Villain's members and areas/people they have targeted so far.
'Locations of interest of main base of operations.' He reads.
Well shit, looks like he was wrong about the report not going to be just there's for the taking.
Footsteps approach in the distance, a man's voice questioning when the news is going to break.
"I'm telling you, our favorite detective cracked the case on the location of their headquarters, I'm sure U.A.'s principal is going to make an announcement any second now."
The woman beside him snorts, though he pictures a sardonic smile etching her lips pleased with herself. "Of course, it's always breaking news whenever that school does anything. Though how the mighty have fallen with all this bad press they've been getting as of late."
'Focus, whatever crap they have to say doesn't matter.' Katsuki berates himself.
Inside the file he and Tenya let the series of photos tumble out like confetti, a warehouse covered over in vines and rust taken from various angles, large vac containers with onyx creatures that can only be Nomus, blurry images of other dilapidated buildings and warehouses taken from afar.
Momo and Kirishima come up behind them, Momo pointing to the first photo.
"We passed a building that looked like that on the train, let's head back towards the station." She instructs.
The drum of his heartbeat picks up, swallowing down a wedge of bile as a completely scarred faced man appears on the last of set, seemingly grinning for the camera. The sound of footsteps and voices come again, closer than before, outlines of shadows near the door.
"Hey, where's that report from Detective Tsukauchi? Lieutenant Yamazaki wants to review and compare it to U.A.'s big update." The female voice asks.
"Should be in his drawer, same spot as always. I have the master key." The male's replies.
"Guys, we may have 5 minutes left before our cover is blown." Todoroki warns at them to wrap it up.
They'll have to exit out the window using Round-Face's quirk or the fire stairs.
'What the hell is all this?'
He risks a glance to Tenya, his expression just as alarmed as his own. The others peek as well at the pictures, uneasy taking in the final photo.
It is nothing like the other known villains they've seen; a man without a face.
Haphazardly they shove everything back into place, escaping down the fire exit and the sides of the building just as the the door clicks open.
Still he can feel his heartbeat drumming in his ears from the adrenaline, moonlight guiding them along. That last photo sent a chill through them all along with a new, bitter sensation.
'We're being watched.'
All Might
"Everything is a go in T-minus 5 minutes!" Toshinori announces.
His heart has been thundering in his ears, legs itching to get going before it is too late to help Young Midoriya. One wrong move and Izuku could potentially be teleported once more or the whole building could collapse on them.
"We don't need a countdown, we've been over our positions plenty of times." Endeavor scoffs, but Toshinori barely hears him.
'It is my fault young Midoriya is in this mess, I'll get him out of it.' He clicks his teeth, he's been failing him as a teacher and as a personal mentor.
He pictures his parent's faces, expressions growing more and more sullen each time they see a new injury upon him, hear through a chain of whispers or rumors that their son is a part of the breaking news.
Will they become numb to it all?
But that changes now, the diversion is set and the hideout is surrounded by both Heroes and the Police Force.
All for One lingers somewhere in this all, remaining in the shadows for just the right moment to make an entrance, though he can't think about his appearance now, of the scars they have left upon each other from their last fight...
Though they come upon a sight not expected as soon as they smash into the area, the bar scene trashed and shrouded in mist. Kamui immediately restrains at four villains trying to get out the back exits while Edgeshot opens the door allowing a flood of officers to move in, but Toshinori's gaze is focused forward.
The one with the lizard like quirk is closest to Midoriya, pinned down against shattered glass and splinters of his wood just before his blade could jab straight into Izuku's chest.
Dark eyes are clear like new moons, pupils wide and frozen gazing into the vibrant green of Izuku's piercing stare. He fidgets and attempts to claw at his arms to get out of his grip, the efforts only seeming to ignite the glow of his eyes even further.
And for a flicker of a second Midoriya looks up to him to the others before mouthing two single words.
'Don't look.'
I get writer's block easily when it comes to this story, especially in trying to be unique and not follow canon exactly, sorry for the slow updates with this; it's a struggle at times! I do know in general how I want this to end, it's just reaching that end goal lol. Please send any feedback/ideas you may have, even just to say hello!
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