Hi. So I'm like super late. I wanted to begin posting chapters again at the beginning of the summer, but I had summer classes I needed to take for the program am in at school, so this story was sadly put on the back burner. But don't worry. I still intend to finish it, even if it takes years. And the project may be so big I'll need to break it up into parts because I have to many ideas. I've already come up with an ending, I just need to fill in the rest. That being said, I might drop some extra chapters this week, because like I said this story is in parts, and part one is about to end.
I just want to thank all of you for being so patient with me. Balancing school and writing has been more difficult than I thought it was going to be. I'm going to try to get more into the flow of writing, because its something I really enjoy, but also because I really want to share this story with you all. All your comments are so inspiring and make me want to continue every time I see them, which is why this chapter is coming out (lol). Anyway, enjoy this chapter guys.
Midoriya watched as Nakasawa was dragged into the room with a knife in his stomach. A few minutes after he was put on the table and examined, Bakugou was dragged in and put on another table. Her heart dropped as she looked at the big, bleeding cut along his forehead. The left side of his face was covered in blood and continuously flowing, soaking his plain white undershirt a bright red. Ume started to press a towel on his forehead, her expression dark as she stared at Nakasawa.
"Did he do that to that poor boy?" she mumbled, her eyes stricken with grief for the boy. Midoriya pushed her away, pressing the towel to his forehead gently. She watched his hand twitch and his face tighten,
"I don't know, Ume-chan," she answered. "Go get me a surgical needle and iodine, we're gonna need to stitch his wound."
"Should I get ice too?" Ume asked. Midoriya looked back down at Bakugou. His breathing was accelerated, she assumed it was from the blood loss. He was going into hypovolemic shock, and if she didn't stop the bleeding soon it could cause brain damage.
"If there's any to spare," she said. Ume nodded in understanding as she raced to get the items she needed. Midoriya looked over at Fujimori, watching as the women prepared the table for major surgery. Fujimori was the grandmother of one of the students at Shiketsu and also happened to be a doctor. She knew what she was doing, but Midoriya knew she needed help. She'd have to suture the wound, and that took more than two hands, and she had to finish tending to Bakugou as soon as she could so she could help her.
Bakugou began to groan, his eyes barely open as he looked at Midoriya. His usually vibrant ruby eyes were glazed in a painful haze. His mouth opened to form words but no sound came out. She wondered if he was aware of what he was doing, or if he even knew if he was looking at her. He would probably forget most of this in the morning, but for now, she'd comfort him as much as she could. She palmed at his cheeks, a tight smile falling onto her lips.
"Everything's gonna be okay, Kacchan," she whispered to him. His eyes squeezed close before she felt his hand gently rest on hers. He gave a small squeeze, then all the tension left his grip. His whole body relaxed in tandem, and his chest had a steady rise and fall. He must have passed out from the pain. She gently moved his hand back to his side before bending down to kiss his forehead. At least he'd be out when she started the stitching.
Ume returned with the proper items needed to stitch his wounds. She pulled his blood-soaked hair back, wincing at the stickiness of his forehead from the blood. Some had already crusted over, turning a dark brown hue against his pale skin. She used iodine to disinfect the needle and his skin. She began to stitch the wound close, her hand steady to avoid breaking the skin. The gash was long, and Midoriya wondered what he had done to earn such a wound.
She finished the stitch in no time. Bakugou had nine stitches in his forehead. She threw the needle away and began to check him for other wounds. She only found a thin gash on his abdomen, all she needed to do was clean the cut and wrap bandages around his midsection. He'd be fine otherwise.
Bakugou was the lucky one. Nakasawa needed more work. Ume helped Fujimori suture the muscle under his skin. Before they started to stitch the rest of his wound, Ume left to dispose of the bloody clots of tissue used to stop the bleeding. Midoriya took her place to help stitch Nakasawa's skin closed.
No words were exchanged as Midoriya took the needle from Fujimori and closed the wound. He had six stitches just under his ribcage on the right side of his body. From what she could see it looked like he was stabbed. The wound didn't go through his entire body which meant they had to monitor him in case he grew an infection. Hopefully it wouldn't get that bad, otherwise they'd have to send a team out to get the proper medicine to treat his wound.
About an hour after the procedure Camie and Kayami came rushing in. Kayami immediately made her way to Fujimori, asking a lot of questions as she looked over the two boys. Camie fell by Bakugou's side, her face pale as she looked at his wound. She immediately took Midoriya's hand.
"Izuki, what happened?" she asked. Midoriya limply wrapped her arms around the blonde, holding back tears that were bound to escape. She glanced over the taller girl's shoulder. Bakugou's wound swelled, baking his forehead and eyes looking super puffy. He looked awful.
"He's fine. I cleaned and stitched his wound. The bone seemed to be cracked, which would take some time to heal, and his face is a bit swollen but that's a natural reaction from his body. He has a mild concussion, but that should be fine with time," she explained to Camie. Camie rubbed her shoulder warmly.
"How are you feeling?" Camie asked slowly. Midoriya let out a shaky breath. She was well aware of how she felt, but she needed to put it aside. She would have to help monitor both of them until either of them woke up, or until either of them could get a statement. She looked over at Kayami, who was rubbing her forehead in frustration. Midoriya looked at the floor, pulling away from the blonde.
"I'm fine," she lied. "I need to help. They'll probably ask you to leave in a bit, you know. To stop any rumors from spreading." Her voice cracked as she palmed at her cheeks, wiping away any rouge tears that managed to escape. Camie nodded her head, running a hand through her hair.
"Kayami needs you to answer some questions about the situation," she told her. Midoriya turned to the leader of Shiketsu. She bowed in respect, hoping to get the questions over with so she could be back at Bakugou's side. She was still mad at him, overwhelmingly so, but she'd be by his side until he was back to normal. "You know where I am if you ever need anyone to talk to." Midoriya numbly nodded in response. Camie crossed her arms, soft irritation lining her concerned expression. "I'm serious, Deku. Don't bottle up your emotions this time!"
"Okay."
"Follow me," Kayami said. She led Midoriya to her office on the far side of campus. As they traveled, Midoriya could feel the eyes of the Shiketsu members. They all whispered and rumored as if she couldn't hear them. They all knew she was one of the only people who associate themselves with Bakugou, she just couldn't tell if they were talking about him and Camie or about what had happened that day. She hoped it wasn't the latter, she'd hate for that to be Bakugou's legacy in Shiketsu.
"If I may ask, can you tell me if Katsuki has a pattern for being a bit more on the violent side?" Kayami asked the moment they entered his office. "Please excuse me for being forward, but this is a serious situation and I need to know as much as I can about both sides of the situation."
"N-No. I mean yes, but not like that," Midoriya stuttered, feeling pressured by Kayami. She had to choose her words carefully. She couldn't get Bakugou in trouble. This situation was enough to get him kicked out of Shiketsu, and Midoriya couldn't let that happen. "He gets angered easily, he gets it from his mother. He doesn't get violent though, not without a good reason."
"I see," Kayami said. She brought her hands together and let out a rough sigh. Midoriya wondered if she was getting good sleep lately. She had bags under her eyes, and her usual vibrant violet eyes were dull and shaded. She was stressed, and this situation was not helping her. "I get many complaints about him from other people, usually dealing with his temper. I didn't want to jump to conclusions about this case, as both sides are innocent until proven guilty. However, this matter is not one I will be able to take lightly. I have been very lenient with Katsuki's behavior because of both of your hard work, but I'm afraid he may have instigated this fight. If he was the one to hurt Nakasawa-san, I would have no choice but to force him to leave Shiketsu for the safety of everyone else."
"No!" Midoriya exclaimed. She cleared her throat, embarrassed to have yelled so brashly. "He couldn't have done it, not with this big of a punishment to follow. I'll look into it, I'll prove he's innocent."
"There's no need," Kayami said, her tone somber as she smiled down at the greenette. "A council meeting will be held once both boys wake to hear their side of the story. Until then, evidence can't be tampered with, and this situation shall not be discussed. I'll need you there to make sure he doesn't blow a fuse."
"Are you sure?" Midoriya asked quietly. "We haven't been on the best of terms lately."
"Trust me, child," Kayami said as she laid back in her chair. Her smile turned into a smirk. "You're the only person that keeps him in check. That boy depends on you more than you think." Midoriya blushed, looking away from Kayami. She thought back to his gentle hands on her scalp, the way he seemed to want to talk to her after such a long time of just ignoring each other. Her heart throbbed at the idea of being important to him.
"I'll be there," Midoriya confirmed. Kayami dismissed her and asked her if Fujimori could give her an estimate of how much material was used on the two boys. Midoriya agreed and began to make her way back to the infirmary.
Midoriya rounded the corner to the infirmary, shocked to see Bakugou's eyes open. It had only been about an hour, there was no way his blood levels steadied. His eyes landed on her, visibly fogging and unfocused. He clearly was still out of it, but true to his character he tried to act like he was fine. He tried to stand out of bed but stumbled weakly. Midoriya caught him before he could fall to the floor.
"No, Kacchan, lay down. You lost too much blood," she spoke softly. She heard him mutter something along the lines of 'don't tell me what to do, Deku'. She smiled. That alone told her he was going to be just fine
"I need… to tell you… something," his voice slurred as he looked at her. He took both of her hands into his own, oblivious to the blush that was starting to form on her cheeks. He hung his head and began to rub small circles on her palm. "'Mmm."
"You hit your head," she explained. His thick eyebrows scrunched together, and for a moment she thought he didn't hear her, but then he looked at Nakasawa and glared. Midoriya shifted. She was familiar with the glare.
"'When did we get back?" he asked slowly. "How long has it been?" Though his eyes were unfocused, Midoriya could tell he was vaguely aware of his surroundings. For someone who could have severe head trauma, he seemed to be coherent despite the circumstances.
"A few hours ago," she answered, gently guiding him to lie down on the bed. "Rest, you need it to recover." He weakly resisted, gripping at her arm, quietly pleading with her to stop as he looked behind her.
"Is he awake?" he asked. "Did that dumbass get help?" She nearly hissed at him to shut up. The last thing she needed was someone to hear him insulting the guy everyone thought he was trying to kill. Nobody was on his side. They could easily read it the wrong way.
"He's fine. Go to sleep," she said. "Don't say anything until you can think straight." He didn't look satisfied with her answer, but he closed his eyes and rested his head on his pillow anyway. Almost immediately he was fast asleep. Midoriya let out a breath she didn't know she was holding, gripping her chest as she looked across the room. Fujimori stared at him with sympathetic eyes.
"You know, he asked for you while you were gone," she explained. "Poor boy didn't know what was going on."
"He asked for me?" she whispered. She could hear the hope in her voice, it didn't even sound like her. It sounded like a lovestruck middle schooler.
"Yes sweetheart, he asked for you," Fujimori said. "He probably feels like the world is up against him."
"I hope not," Midoriya said. She shook her head, clearing the raging thoughts in her mind. They had other things to do. "Kayami wanted you to do inventory."
"Already on it," Fujimori said. "Nagai stopped by earlier too. I believe he's waiting outside." Midoriya tensed, coming to a complete halt.
"Oh," Midoriya said. "Is he outside?" Fujimori stared at her for a moment, before nodding her head. Midoriya looked between her and the door, then at Bakugou. Why would he be waiting for her? Didn't she tell him to stay away from her? To be honest, she didn't even want to talk to him, but to ignore him would be rude. And besides, she didn't want him to think she was afraid of him. She felt like that was what he wanted (and the thought of that made her shiver).
Hesitantly, she walked out of the infirmary and down the hall. She felt more relaxed when she realized there were a lot of people in the halls, so he couldn't try anything funny. Still, the way he leaned on the wall and looked down at her, it felt a lot colder than she was used to from him. She was used to people looking down on her, she was short, but he seemed to have some type of predatory glare whenever he looked at her. He wasn't emotionless anymore. He released the beast.
"I thought I told you not to talk to me anymore," she started. He leaned his head back and watched people walk by.
"Ume-chan said you performed surgery twice today," he said, clearly ignoring her. "Was there a lot of blood? Your hands aren't bloody."
"Kacchan wasn't bleeding that much, and Nakasawa-san was handled mostly between Ume-chan and Fujimori-sama," Izuki explained plainly, choosing to be vague about her answers, but also to make him think Bakugou wasn't as injured as he was. From what she could tell, Nagai was threatened by Bakugou, and as long as he thought Bakugou would protect her he'd leave her alone.
"Kacchan?" his voice sounded disgusted. "You performed surgery on Bakugou?"
"Why is it important?" she snapped back. "Even if I were allowed to say anything I wouldn't tell you anything."
"I don't understand your animosity towards me," he said. She had to stop herself from gaping at him like a fish. He dared to look at her as if she were in the wrong. She wanted to scoff, to mock him, to make him feel like an idiot, but the amount of arrogance he radiated and her innate instinct to just run away from him made her want to cry more.
"You're an asshole," she said. "I knew you were the first day I met you, but I gave you a chance. You lost that chance when you bad-mouthed Kacchan, and you lost your chance when you forced yourself on me. Don't look at me as if you don't know what you did, because you know your wrongdoings, Nagai." She turned away from him then, making her way back to the infirmary to help Fujimori with anything she may need. Before she walked in though, she paused and took a shaky breath in. It'd been hectic the last few hours, and it felt like it was her first time in forever to actually catch her breath. She hadn't felt that anxious since before they came to Shiketsu, and any day they could've died. She shook her head, willing for that feeling to go away. She wiped her cheek and reminded herself that everything would be okay as she walked into the infirmary.
At some point, Midoriya had managed to fall asleep by Bakugou's side. It was uncomfortable, as she was sitting in a chair next to him hunched over, but it wasn't like she wanted to leave. She knew if she went to their dorm she'd be anxious, if not lonely. Besides, she thought it would be helpful if she were to be there to take his vitals herself, as it would help Fujimori and ease her mind.
She woke up when she felt someone's hand running through her hair. Reaching to grab the hand, she lazily opened her eyes and lifted her head. Her eyes met a familiar red, and she unknowingly smiled at the sight.
"Good, morning Kacchan," she yawned, stretching her arms well above her head. He didn't say anything, blinking slowly in her direction. She relaxed, reaching over to feel the swelling on his forehead. It was still puffy, meaning he was probably still rather disoriented. He probably had a concussion, which was why he was looking at her so funny.
"Kayami was here earlier," he said. "She was asking questions." Midoriya frowned. How hard she managed to sleep through an entire investigation? Was she that exhausted?
"What did you talk about?" she asked, running her hand through her hair. She wondered how bad it looked. When it was long it got crazy quickly, but whenever it was short it would get even worse. She probably didn't move a lot while she slept, but she was still sure it looked a bit untamed.
"She asked me if I tried to kill him," he said. Midoriya remained silent, clearly indicating she wanted him to continue. He smacked his teeth and looked away. "I didn't."
"Then how did he get injured?" she asked him. Kacchan's skin paled.
"He stabbed himself," he said. "But it was weird." Midoriya tilted her head to the side. She wondered how he could find someone trying to commit suicide weird.
"How so?"
"I don't think his main intention was to kill himself. He tried to attack me first, but when that failed, he stabbed himself. I guess he was trying to pin his death on me, but I can't figure out why!" he let out a loud sigh as he let his head fall on his pillow. Midoriya could see then how frustrated he was. She knew the whole ordeal was bugging him.
"Is that everything you remember?" she asked him, because what he told her didn't really add up. She couldn't imagine anyone trying to fight Bakugou, not with how he'd proven himself as a strong fighter and someone who never backs down. And she knew people would be inclined to listen to whatever story Nakasawa told them because he looked more innocent in their eyes than Bakugou. But when Bakugou's eyes fell down to his lap and his gaze darkened, Midoriya knew something was truly off.
"He stabbed himself with your knife," he whispered. Her eyes widened. How could he have gotten her weapon? Her weapons were under Bakugou's name in the infirmary, meaning nobody should be able to claim their weapons unless he got them for them. She sat back in her chair. If he was telling the truth then Kayami had the weapon herself, meaning Midoriya wouldn't be able to check herself, unless…
"I'll be back," she said quickly, an idea brewing in her head. She didn't even bother to look behind her (and if she had, she would've seen Bakugou reaching for her rather adamantly, because he didn't like being alone in such a sterile room with a head injury) as she continued down the hall and to the armory. She simply had one request: a log. If her knife was checked out under his name, then that would be a reason to believe that he tried to kill Nakasawa. If it wasn't, however, there was reason to believe that he was telling the truth and that someone was trying to set him up.
The armory was an old science room on the first floor of the campus that had been renovated to hold the weapons of every resident of Shiketsu. It was fairly easy to manage because unless a person did frequent runs or if they came from outside, most of the people at Shiketsu didn't have weapons, or anything dangerous enough to be called on. Often knives and guns were kept in the armory, and they were monitored by someone to make sure nobody abused their right to own one. If someone wanted to check out a weapon, they'd have to have approval from the higher-ups and had to manually sign a paper stating the date, time, and reason as to why they were checking the weapon out in the first place. It was tedious to hold a weapon there, so she had Bakugou do it for her. She never planned to leave Shiketsu after she entered it.
But it seemed Shiketsu was just as good at keeping information as they were at getting it.
"I can't just give you the log," the boy who was in charge of the armory told her. "I could get in trouble."
"I don't need the log," Midoriya told him. "I just want to see the last few days. I need to confirm something." The boy looked hesitant, before shaking his head.
"I don't think I'm supposed to," he said, then he suddenly stood up straight. He gave her a bashful smile. "I don't think I could anyway. Kayami took it earlier." Midoriya let out a huff of frustration, rubbing her hand across her forehead. It was getting a lot harder to defend Bakugou. She had no doubt he was telling the truth, but she couldn't change others' opinions about him. People were already convinced they shouldn't like him, and she was sure the council felt like that too. There have been plenty of times he had turned down their requests, and she knew that had left a sour task on their tongues.
"Thanks, I guess," Midoriya said. She bowed at him. "Let me just check something real quick." She walked over to where their weapons should be. Just as Bakugou told her, her knife was gone, but his were still there. Not even his pistol was gone, which meant he most likely never even went there before the run in the first place. So why was her knife gone, but his wasn't?
It's not adding up.
"If you are not checking anything out you'll need to leave," the guy told her from across the room. She rolled her eyes. So much for finding out the truth. "Ask Hiro?"
"Pardon me?"
"Hiro," the guy said. "He was here yesterday. There weren't a lot of checkouts from what I remember, so if you find him, he could probably tell you who stopped by." Her interest peaked, and she tried to remember if she knew anyone named Hiro.
"Do you know where he is?"
"You are aware you are in a lot of trouble, right?" Kayami asked him. Bakugou nodded his head, looking out the window of the infirmary. It was oddly motionless outside. He couldn't see a single infected walking by, or even a Shiketsu resident patrolling the gate. It felt oddly still.
"I didn't attack him," he told her, moving his gaze to his hands. He clenched them softly, then unclenched them. Watching the blood rush in and out of his palms. He was bored and anxious.
"The odds aren't looking in your favor," she continued, and he only hummed in response. He knew what the result would be. He knew nobody there, other than Midoriya and maybe Camie, liked him. He knew that more likely than not, he was going to be kicked out of Shiketsu. Yet as scary as that sounded, he was more afraid of a certain greenette following him out the door. "If there is anything I could do to stop it I would."
"Why?" he asked lowly. He was confused as to why she even wanted to help him. He was a lost cause in the rest of the school's eyes, and supporting him would only make the people of Shiketsu distrust her more.
"You are a good kid," she said slowly. "You have anger issues, sure, but you get your work done when you are told, and you do it well. You're just weak socially, or rather impatient, I should say. People aren't willing to listen to you, I see that. I see how that will be an issue for this case."
"But?"
"But, I can't do much to help you. I don't make the rules here, the council does. I just enforce them. I'm sorry," she said, rubbing supportively on his knee, then stood to leave the infirmary.
"Wait," Bakugou called out. She stopped and turned towards him, curiosity gleaming in her violet eyes.
"Yes?"
"If I get kicked out, can I ask you for one favor?" he asked slowly. The only thing he was concerned about was Midoriya's well-being. Not his own, not whether he got to stay. Whether she was safe.
"I can't promise much," Kayami noted, but she stopped nonetheless to listen. He took a deep breath, forcing the words he didn't want to hear out.
"Can you make sure Midoriya doesn't follow me," he asked. "She shouldn't have to be punished because people don't like me."
"I don't understand."
"People need her here," Bakugou stated. He balled his fists once he noticed the shaking. feeling his hands start to shake at the idea of leaving her. It had to be done though. She was more afraid of having to go back out there than he was of being alone. "I'm an ass, sure, but she deserves everything Shiketsu has to offer. She's so, so afraid of going back out there, and I don't want her to have to go through that because I fucked up."
"Bakugou," Kayami said, slowly walking towards him. "You know she's not going to let you leave alone."
"You have to," he said, his voice shaking. He was scared, he'd admit it. He didn't want to be alone. "Please." Kayami sighed, bringing her hand up and running her hand through his hair. Oddly enough it felt nice, warm as if his mother had done it. He hadn't thought of her in a long time. He missed her.
"It won't be easy if you end up leaving," Kayami said. "You'd have to lie to her, leave during the night when she's sleeping. You won't be able to say goodbye." His heart stung. He'd never get a true goodbye from her, not with both parties knowing. He clenched his eye, daring for any tears to fall out. He had to be strong, for both of them.
"I know," he said with a deep breath. "I know."
"I'll make sure it's nothing too harsh," she said. "I won't let them send you to your death."
It's not up to you, he wanted to say, but he bit his tongue. He watched her leave, and then all returned to stillness. He looked back outside, like there was something out there for him, but there was nothing. He was alone, and he had a feeling he was going to have to get used to that real soon.
