Chapter 14: Poison

"Your wounds won't stay closed."

The words didn't really need to be said. All Might had felt them sealing shut before they opened themselves back up. The experience was as unpleasant as receiving the wounds the first time around, let alone a third time.

"It must be the quirk Midoriya gave me." He mused, pressing fresh gauze against the wound, "I think it's returning me to the way I was when I got it."

Recovery Girl frowned, but nodded, "It makes more sense than my own quirk failing." She glanced away, "Hopefully, he'll be able to take it back, at least until I heal you properly."

"I'm more worried about him keeping the ones he has." All Might said, leaning back against the wall. It was a frank admission, and he only gave it since they were alone in the nurse's office.

Recovery Girl's brows knit together, "You don't think he'll give them up?"

"Who is he going to give them to, Shuzenji?" All Might closed his eyes, "He killed the things he took them from."

And that's what they'd been. Things. Of that he was sure.

Recovery Girl frowned deeply, "Do you think he did that so he couldn't give them back?"

"No." All Might didn't need to second guess the boy again. He'd done that more than enough times…

And besides, in the relative quiet of the room, cutting off his other senses, he could get a better feel of it. Not just the quirk, but what came with it. It was just above a whisper, a voice in the back of his mind urging violence and murder. Was there a second voice there? It sounded like there was. Had Izuku given him more than one quirk?

And what of Melissa? How many had she received? How many voices were in her head? Had they pushed her past grief into rage?

And then there was Izuku himself. He had no clue how many quirks the boy had taken. They wouldn't be properly debriefing the students until later, and even then, the only other witness would only be able to guess at the quirks those things had.

How much of this poison did Izuku have in him? How many voices were urging him to kill?

And how strong had he been to deny them?

Melissa paced, waiting as her frustration continued to grow. Izuku was in the next room, visible, but still asleep.

Midnight's somnambulist gas was making sure of that. The room Izuku was in was flooded with the pink mist. A precaution, she'd been informed. Midnight had reassured her that even large doses wouldn't be harmful.

It was all just a precaution until they figured out what to do. Until Uncle Might was ready to assist in case he went berserk again.

A jolt of anger shot through her and she tensed, muscles straining at the very thought of him. He'd seemed so helpless there on the ground, and she'd thought Izuku had… had killed him, but then he was there, awake and alive, and pulling her back from the brink.

She could hear voices in her head, urging her to attack, to hurt, to kill. It made standing still impossible.

The voices must have made Izuku do it! Whatever these things were, they were difficult and wrong! Her fingers balled into fists and she tried to center herself. The principal requested she try to document everything, but she couldn't sit still. And in her last attempt at trying to write, she'd shattered the pen.

It was intensely aggravating, at least until he told her to record her feelings.

God, she'd started muttering like Izuku. It was embarrassing. Just stream of conscious, no voluntary thought, waiting, feeling her skin crawl, fighting down urges to break through the wall and… the thought alternated between getting him out and ripping him apart.

She turned around, casting a glance at Izuku and clenching her jaw. With the pink mist, she could almost imagine he didn't have green hair. He looked nothing like himself otherwise. Just what was happening? Why were these quirks like this?

The voice that came through the speaker was very unlike the young heroine they were coming to know. The growls were guttural, almost unnatural, as was the way she spat the word kill every third or fourth step. There was tension every time she stopped to look at Midoriya, or what Midoriya had become.

Nedzu waited a long moment, allowing everyone to truly soak in the reality of the situation, before finally, mercifully, reaching over and muting the line. "As you can see," He said, his voice unusually somber, "we have a few problems."

The heroes in attendance made up the majority of the faculty, with few exceptions. They were all veteran heroes, and while they all had their eccentricities, they were capable and professional in the face of danger.

It did nothing to hide their obvious discomfort.

"Poisoned quirks?" Present Mic adjusted his glasses, "How would someone do that?"

"More importantly," Vlad King leaned on the table, "did they know about Midoriya's capabilities?" It was the question on everyone's minds.

Nedzu gave a single nod, "It would be foolish to assume otherwise. We'll have to ascertain how the villains learned about Midoriya in the future. But that is for the future." He folded his paws together, "Our most pressing issue is draining this poison from our students."

The air grew heavy as they digested his words. Experienced as they were, they recognized the unspoken request for what it was.

"Do we know how many quirks they have?" Eraserhead's voice was hoarse, even now.

Nedzu regarded all of them solemnly, "Based on visual assessment, Miss Shield has at least three mutation quirks, and Izuku has at least double that. They may have other emitter or transformation quirks as well, but we have no way of knowing."

It was a testament to their resolve as both heroes and teachers that all he received was nods of acknowledgment.

Finally, Snipe leaned forward, propping his arms up on the table, "Well then," he drawled, "we should start talking about the logistics."

Izuku opened his eyes to a dream. His mother was on her knees in front of him, a wide smile spreading across her lips, "There you go," she said as she pulled back, "a party hat."

"Thanks, Mom," The words were rote, and he looked around the house. It wasn't their home, nor was it his party. It never was.

"Now, go and play with your friends," She said, standing up, "and don't forget to wish Kacchan a happy birthday."

"I won't." The words shouldn't have been bitter, not from his mouth, not at his age, but they were. He was about to ruin Kacchan's birthday after all.

And yet he felt himself moving. The memory played out the same as it ever did.

At least until he got outside and saw two Kacchans. He stopped and stared, spotting a second Hidechan leaning against the fence beside Kacchan's double. They seemed to be watching their doppelgangers, at least until the second Kacchan spotted him.

Kacchan's copy stared at him, stiffening before Hidechan noticed and followed his gaze. The double shrank from Izuku's eyes, quickly looking back at his blissfully unaware original.

Izuku took a step, then another, but not towards the pair he had so many times before. He wasn't sure when he gained control of himself, he'd never avoided repeating his mistake before, but stepping past the playing pair, everything seemed to freeze.

Except the pair in front of him. Kacchan was still staring but struggled with it, fight and flight at war on his childish face. Hidechan had no such resolve as he ducked behind Kacchan.

It was enough to bring Izuku to a stop, his throat tightening. He had to look away before he could speak, "Who are you?"

"Give us back."

"What?"

Kacchan reached out and grabbed him, tears forming in his eyes, "Give us back!"

Izuku shook himself free from Kacchan's grasp, stepping back as the double stumbled and fell to his knees. Kacchan grabbed a clump of grass and tore it free from the ground, before looking back and opening his mouth.

"KILL!" Another voice drowned him out, joined by another, and then another. "KILL!" Izuku turned, looking past the frozen pair of children as unfamiliar figures burst through the fence. "KILL!" He could hear Hidechan screaming in blind panic as a dozen wild-eyed adults charged towards them. "KILL!" Izuku felt his resolve snap and he turned to run, but it was already too late.

Clawed hands wrapped around his shoulder, slicing through cloth and skin as they seized him. Teeth bit into his shoulder, and more hands grabbed at him, clutching at him, the voices repeating in a cacophony.

Izuku awoke screaming, a hand on his shoulder attempting to steady him. Teeth gleamed from behind a pink mist, and he struggled against bindings. The metal rattled but held firm in spite of his panic. The figure looming over him, all white teeth and black skin. Izuku desperately tried to push the voices out, but the figure touching him wasn't real. The face looked away and shook its head and another took its place.

Izuku wasn't even sure who it was, but he felt it, felt them, and pushed one of the screaming voices out. The others were still clinging to him, no matter how hard he tried to free himself. Someone was trying to say something, but the voices in his head were so loud.

Another person touched him, then another, and another. Izuku wept as he pushed the voices out of his mind, one after the next. The world became more real, and the voices grew quieter, but he still pushed, fingers slipping free to touch others and shove them away.

Silence. Blessed silence inside his own mind. Another person kept a hand on him, and he let out a low moan as he shook his head.

"Midoriya," The principal's high-pitched voice was notably somber, "are you with us? Have you removed all of the tainted quirks?"

Izuku nodded, his head falling against the bench, "They're out." He answered in a groan.

"Release the restraints," Nedzu said softly, and the metal clamps that hovered over his body retracted. A hand grabbed his shoulder and propped him up. "Are you hurt? Do you feel any residual injuries? Any pain?"

Gingerly, Izuku reached out and touched the shoulder that had been sliced through, but outside of a phantom tingle, it was fine. So was the bite, when he checked. "I'm–" He bit back the word fine before he could say it. Nobody here would believe it even if he said it. "I'm not in any pain."

"Good. I'm glad to hear that." The principal smiled, "I still want Recovery Girl to check you over, and you'll likely spend the night in a hospital regardless." He stopped, hesitating for just a moment, "Before that, we still have issues that only you can deal with."

Izuku felt the hair on the back of his neck stand on end, "Melissa?"

"And All Might." The principal confirmed. "I know this may be traumatic–"

Izuku sat up straighter, heart beating faster, "He survived? Is he okay?"

Nedzu nodded, "You gave him a quirk that regenerated the wounds you inflicted. Unfortunately, it's preventing Recovery Girl from healing the wounds he received before you gave him the quirk." The principal took a breath, "While he is not in immediate danger, it would be best if he could temporarily relieve him of the quirk so he can be healed."

A shudder ran down Izuku's spine, phantom voices echoing in his head.

He only realized he had started shaking when Nedzu's paw rested on his hand, "I'm not asking you to them. We can have someone ready to receive it the moment you take it."

Izuku didn't trust his voice, the world suddenly growing bleary, "Please." He whispered, and the outline of Nedzu nodded.

"Of course."

Nedzu motioned for some of the teachers standing by, and then to someone standing near the back of the room, "Bring Melissa in please."

The principal remained at his side, his paw on Izuku's hand as he tried and failed to stop his trembling. He couldn't entirely remember his encounter with Melissa, it all felt like a blur, and he'd shoved out whatever he could just to give himself some control.

He still wasn't prepared when he finally saw her. She looked nothing like herself, body bulging with muscles, eyes red, devilish batlike wings folded against her back. Fresh tremors wracked him, his mouth working as he gasped at the sight of her. And those were just the quirks he could see. How many more were inside her that he couldn't even remember? Everything had been shrieking voices and desperation not to rip her apart like he had All Might…

She came to a stop mere feet in front of him and still loomed. Her teeth were grinding together, and several of the teachers both with and without second quirks were drawing closer. Not that they would be able to do anything in time to stop her. She was death incarnate and he'd made her that way.

"Melissa has shown admirable restraint given her situation," The principal said, just a touch of nervousness entering his voice, "however, it would be best if we not test it further, don't you agree?"

Izuku gulped and nodded, his fingers stretching out to brush against her hand. He closed his eyes, trying not to dwell on the twisted thing he was taking from her, the voice that entered his mind for a fleeting moment before he cast it out. There was audible shredding as clothing was torn, and Izuku drew a halting breath to look at Nedzu.

The principal inspected his new wings visually before his paw finally left Izuku's hand to touch them, "Interesting, they shouldn't be strong enough to lift me off the ground, but I feel they will be." He mused absentminded, then stepped aside and bid another hero forward, "Please, continue, and don't worry about my suit."

Izuku nodded, even as he heard a cough covering a laugh. Melissa flexed visibly, adjusting her stance to her new wingless form, but still glared down at him with deep red eyes. Her hands clenched and unclenched as he reached out again, pulling more of the toxin from her body and mind. The process repeated, with the teacher stepping aside and Cementos taking their place.

The hateful red finally left her eyes, revealing the distress beneath them. Her face contorted, and tears welled up. But there were still more quirks beneath. But still, he could see her again, even through the tears. How she could stand to let him touch her, even if he was taking away the poison he'd fed her, was beyond him. How could she not hate him, hate his quirk now after everything All Might had always been afraid of had come true?

That was when she shrank visibly, her clothing hanging off her as she launched herself into him, hands wrapping around his back and squeezing the breath out of him. "You idiot." She murmured into his ear, "You didn't kill him. You kept him alive."

Izuku felt numb, but couldn't find any words at all.

"She's right."

All Might's voice cut through the room as he stepped forward. Melissa let go of Izuku long enough that the hero was able to pull both of them into a hug. "Everything that happened… it was everything I was afraid of."

"A-All Might," Izuku whimpered into his chest, tears spilling freely. There was a bandage across All Might's chest, but even with it, Izuku could feel the sticky blood seeping through. Another cry tore out of his throat, and All Might squeezed him gently. "I-I'm sorry!" Izuku voice was muffled against All Might's chest, "I couldn't–"

"Don't say that," All Might said, pulling back enough for Izuku to look up at him, "I've been hearing the voices of the quirks you gave me. I can feel how angry they are. They want me dead."

Izuku cringed, but All Might shook his head, "You could have listened to them. You could have given up and let them control you. Instead, you resisted. You gave me the quirks I needed to survive. I wouldn't be alive if you didn't."

Izuku shuddered, "B-but–"

All Might looked down at him, but then went down to one knee. Even then, they were still almost eye-to-eye, "I am so sorry that I doubted you Izuku. You can be a hero. And no one will ever be able to convince me otherwise."

Author's Notes: Again, promises to have a chapter called Scars have been pushed back. Jumping to other characters didn't feel right before addressing Izuku, Melissa, and All Might. I also wanted to go into Midoriya's headspace.

Hope you've all enjoyed, it and that the next chapter won't take as long. I am working on a longer project at the moment, but once I'm done with that, hopefully, I'll be back to writing chapters more frequently.