Weeks Izuku sat in his cell, bound, and chained, his mouth covered, his eyes hidden behind goggles. They thought it made them safe, that if they couldn't see his eyes, there were ok. They were wrong; he could still Dominate them if he chose. He played along with their assumptions; it gave him an escape if needed. Today the cell opened, and he was dragged to the room and chained in the center.
The door behind him opened, and Izuku sniffed the air deeply. "Hello, Endeavor, come to burn me again today? You know it didn't work so well last time."
"Shut up, you wretch; my flames consumed the Lord of Blood; they shall consume you as well."
-Flashback-
"Prominence Burn!"
The flames roared forth and consumed the boy; his screams were loud before the body slumped. Then the fire suddenly turned black, and the security officers in the room had all their blood ripped out of their bodies; Endeavor felt the pull as his blood began to seep out of his pores, rushing to the black flame.
Endeavor stumbled out of the room as the blood started to flee his body faster; Shota grabbed him and dragged him off as the facility locked down. For four days, no one could get within a hundred yards of the black flames without having their blood ripped from their body. A storm had raged the entire time, freak lightning strikes that were tinged red.
When it all ended, Izuku was asleep in the center of the room. Un-injured.
-Flashback End-
As Endeavor called up his flames, ready to strike this monster down, he focused on bringing up such intense heat, more vital than he had felt before; he went to strike, and as the flames were about to make contact Endeavor pulled his strike and rolled ending up on the floor in a desperate attempt not to cross the prisoner.
"ENDEAVOR, WHAT HAPPENED" SHOTA AIZWA VOICE RANG OVER THE INTERCOM.
"My fire started to go black before I even touched him." Endeavor responded as he rose back to his feet.
"So, no fire today? Are we going to try beheading again? The last five times didn't work. What about poison, they you poisoned my blood that was an interesting time? The dreams were rather vivid." Izuku said.
Endeavor stormed out of the room; Izuku just sighed and let his body slack against the chains; he didn't understand it himself; his body was reacting out of his control. When the first attempt at the fire, Izuku didn't even know what happened till he regained consciousness. During the executions, his skin had hardened into black-like armor without his will. He tried to pull it up on his own but to no success. So, unless they drowned him, and he didn't know if that would work, the only other option was to starve him.
-Observation Room-
Shota slammed his hand on the desk; why couldn't they kill this kid? Silver, holy items, wooden stakes, fire, and sunlight failed. Short of convincing All-Might to rip the kid's head off, he was out of ideas, and the Hero Commission was breathing down his neck. He would have to answer them soon and likely turn the boy over to them.
All-Might was a problem alone; the hero kept trying to corner Shota and talk to him at every chance. He seemed to know the kid before his change and kept asking about him. About his treatment and why no charges had been filed. What were his conditions? What was going on? It was one giant headache. All-Might had even mentioned in their last conversation that he had just about run out of professional courtesy.
Nezu had gone radio silent and was out of the damn country. That damn rat seemed to be enjoying the whole affair.
They could try and charge him with various crimes, but the kid could then drag Shota and the hunters, vampires, and everything into the light, causing many other problems. They couldn't kill him, All-Might wasn't about to let them lock the kid up in all eternity, and they couldn't just let the Hero Commission get their hands on him. That was becoming more of a reality with each tick of the clock.
The two battles at the docks and all the heroes injured were causing many questions to pile up, questions Shota couldn't answer, and pressure was even building on Endeavor. Who was the mystery villain that had escaped him twice and put him in the hospital? Mirko wanted to know what was going on.
"What the fuck am I going to do?"
Endeavor walked in, ending a phone call. "The situation has escalated; the Hero Commission is sending an accessor team to interview us and those in the containment facility. They also want a full report on the boy, and they want to talk to him as well. We have 48 hours to kill him or figure this out before they come and take him.
-24 hours-
Izuku was in his cell once again; not much he could do much but lose himself in his imagination. His mind drifted to the Himiko Toga, her body, her blood, and strangely her laugh. Not the fake one she used; he could tell that one but the real one. He had heard it only once at the love hotel, and it was brief, but he remembered it. He didn't know what fate awaited him, but he hoped to at least talk to her one last time. After all, she was the only thing he had ever had for a friend.
A friend had sold him out, but he understood why. It was the right decision; what did he expect? For her to fight side by side with him while they died in a blaze of glory. She would die, but he wouldn't. Could he? It was strange that his whole life he had spent alone, driven into the darkness and a voice by society and Bakugo, and so devastated that he was quirkless that he had given up on life. He was never doing anything else, never thinking about anything else. A hero was all he wanted to be. Never did he do anything to be a hero. He just took the beating society had given him and rolled over, showing his belly. He had never fought as hard as he had till after the Lord of Blood had died.
Nothing had driven him more than some insane desire to survive but to what end? What was he going to do, live a life in solitude? Not possible that he needed blood. Become a vigilante somewhere, possible. He didn't want to survive; he wanted to live. For once in his damn life, he wanted to live.
All he had ever done was try to survive; even when he tried to take his own life, he managed to survive. Hanging, his mother found him, slit his wrists found again enough pills that he should have died; he woke up on the bathroom floor. She cried over him the first time, yelled at him the second, and left him the third time. He jumped off the roof for the fourth time because the Lord of Blood wanted him. He survived the terrible reshaping of his body, survived battles with heroes; he survived execution after execution attempt.
He would live the next time. Next chance, he will live, even if he must kill everyone in his way. Slowly he began to work the lock with his blood magic carefully. He stopped when the door opened.
"Am I bear, am I a dog, or am I a mouse," a high-pitched voice pierced Izuku's ears. "Neither am I the principal of U.A. and your new legal guardian."
Izuku lifted his head, catching a glimpse of the creature in a suit standing in the doorway. "How?"
"Well, I tracked down your legal guardian, offered them a large sum, and they signed all the paperwork immediately. Especially when the possible legal ramifications of your little escapade were made aware to them."
"How was she?"
"Indulging in a lifestyle that will burn her out soon enough, but she had deluded into believing she was having fun. The human mind is interesting, capable of wonderous and terrible feats."
"Why?"
"Simple, I do not want you to fall into the hands of the Hero Commission and become their tool."
"You want me to be your tool?"
"Of course, better the devil, you know, and all that jazz. Mr. Midoriya, here are your options. You come with me and gain a semblance of life, and who knows, you might even enjoy it. You go with the Hero Commission and become a weapon for them trading one cage for another. Option Three, they try to dump you in the deepest part of the ocean and see if that works."
"You are telling me I won't be in a cage with you?"
"Oh, you will be in a cage, but I offer freedom from the cage. I believe that something inside of you wants to live truly; All Might told me what you said before you passed out. Do you want to be a hero Mr. Midoriya?"
"I don't know; I don't. I have survived my whole life, even when I didn't want to. I want to know what it is like to live."
"I can only give you the opportunity; it is up to you to seize it. Let us get you out of those chains, bathed, and fresh clothes. Because frankly, you smell terrible."
-The Cage-
As far as cages go, at least it was rather pleasant looking. The room was large, reinforced steel, with a few windows, a kitchen, bedroom, bath, and small sitting area—everything a growing boy would need. He noticed it seemed secluded from other housing or buildings, theorizing that the site was laid with some explosives to contain him. The window had bars and sensors, the door could be locked and secured outside, and video surveillance throughout. There was a computer, television, video games, and books. It was a cage, a gilded cage but one, nonetheless.
Nezu laid out the rules; he was to be in his cage from 8 pm to 6 am. He would be under constant surveillance during all times; he was not to hunt as the school would provide his nutritional requirements. No violence against staff or students would be tolerated. He had ten months to study to pass the written test for proper entrance into U.A.; he would also be required to take the practical exam. Daily therapy sessions and thrice weekly medical exams. He was to always follow all the staff's orders, except for any that would endanger his life. Failure to report any dangerous urges or intrusive thoughts would not be tolerated.
Izuku accepted the terms because it was not like he had any better options, and he had already experienced life on the run once; twice did not sound like it would be fun. He wondered how they could keep him here if he chose not to be. He was confident that he could escape from anyone on staff as he could move and act faster than anyone he had seen except All-Might. The part that Izuku did not enjoy was the restrictions they were putting on his blood; he was confident that they didn't understand precisely how it worked but was worried that if they kept him starved, the consequences would be especially if forced into combat situation while his tank was low so to speak. As it was now, he wouldn't be able to do much before he risked losing control. He also understood that this could be intentional or that they could use this information to control him; it was a precarious situation to find himself in.
As he examined his cage, his attention was brought to Nezu walking in. As the door opened, Izuku could see people in some full armored gear behind him, along with Midnight and Vlad King, both in a type of armor. He had to smile at the neck guards; it was a nice touch, pointless but nice.
"Greeting, warden," Izuku said.
"Warden?" Nezu said to himself. "Now, is that any way to refer to your guardian, maybe Overlord, but warden?"
"Overlord," Izuku said with a bow.
Nezu smirked. "How are your quarters?"
"It's a nice cage; I appreciate you dressing it up. Living in a steel box would be annoying."
"No reason a cage can't be nice, but I understand. Living in a cage is undesirable; it does things to you." Nezu said, his voice getting cold. "I would like to look at this as a temporary arrangement, as there are those who are quite wary of you after the battle at the docks. I would be a fool to say I have no reservations or fears. As someone with some cage experience, I will not hold you in one for any longer than necessary."
"So, the goal is to remove the obvious cage for a less obvious one."
"Of course, that is all the life is. Everything can be interpreted as a cage; it is all a matter of finding the one you choose to accept. It is simple, my ward, you prove that you can follow the rules we set and get more freedom. If you develop how I think you will, you can have a normal school experience. Your display at the docks has many people on edge, your ties to Lord of Blood have many questions on everyone's lips, and your actions in escaping Endeavor. We have a lot to learn from you and what you are. As a show of trust, what is it that you want?"
"Blood and Himiko Toga."
"Explain."
"I need more blood. If I was to use my gifts, I would run the risk of going into a frenzy, and I don't feel like I can defend myself if the situation were to call for it. I wouldn't say I like that feeling; as you can understand, it makes me nervous and distrustful. Himiko is more. I want to talk to her; I would love to see her if she wanted it. She is the only thing I ever had to friend in this fucked up life; simply, I miss her."
"I will discuss this with Miss Toga; as far as blood goes, I have brought some with me and some food; we need to set up a meal plan and see that your dietary needs are met. It will be important that you communicate such things as your special hunger to us so we can keep it safe for you and us. Without a better term, your primary handlers will be Midnight and Vlad King. Is that an issue?"
"No, Vlad King doesn't seem to have a massive desire to see me dead that Eraser Head or Endeavor does; I have never met Midnight."
"Very well then, I have brought you regular food and will have more blood brought to you. Please go online to Jungle and order some clothes and decorations for your chambers, as well please fill out the request form for any special items you may need. Of course, all your orders will be reviewed before being sent in. Order your groceries so that they can be handled as soon as possible. You have the essentials for tonight. Do you have any special requests?"
"Not now, but I am sure I will. I thank you for your generosity, my dear Overlord."
Nezu smiled, "Until tomorrow, Mr. Midoriya, expect your blood delivery within the hour."
Izuku watched as Nezu left. He could see some of the guards on the outside visibly relaxed; Izuku understood it on a fundamental level, even if it hurt some. He was a monster and a dangerous one at that. He had gone from being afraid and bullied to being feared.
'Battle not with monsters, lest ye become a monster.'
He was a monster, but it didn't mean he couldn't dream of being a man. Because even if the dreams of a monster are soaked in blood, it doesn't mean that they could not dream.