As promised, here's another chapter! This is the 2nd to last chapter of the first part! I hope you guys like it.
Like always don't forget to follow and review.
It took three days for both teens to be fully conscious and able to create sentences through the pain. Nakasawa was on a strict rotation of pain meds and Bakugou was sent back to his room. They put him under house arrest. Midoriya tried to protest it, but Kayami was insistent that both boys be separated for the time being whether a fight broke out or not.
Bakugou wasn't impressed. He'd seen the same boring walls and breathed the same stuffy area for the past two days. The only upside was Midoriya who somehow got stuck with him. She sat in the corner, messing with something Nagai gave her. He still didn't trust that bastard, but he had no evidence to tell Izuki anything. As far as she knows, Nagai's just trying to be her friend.
Midoriya made sure to clean his wound every morning, both on his forehead and stomach, and gave him his dose of pain relievers. She was gentle, flinching herself when he winced. She would always apologize quietly, looking into his eyes for a slight second before finishing up her job and wrapping the wounds in gauze.
The gash on his forehead hurt like a bitch. It had swollen his eyes shut since the incident. He hadn't looked in the mirror yet, but if he had to guess he'd imagine the left side of his face was dark and purple, protruding out in a big bump. Midoriya said that was normal when someone took trauma to the head, and that he shouldn't worry about anything. He trusted her word over anything.
"Kayami said we have to be in her office at noon," she said, her voice uncertain. "Your trial's today." He rolled his eyes, turning over on the bed. She rolled her eyes back at him, placing herself next to him so he'd look her in the eyes. "Please. Take this seriously."
"Why should I," He argued, offended she would even consider him not taking it seriously. As if he didn't have anything to lose."I told you all I know. He smacked me in the head with a pole because someone asked him to. I didn't start shit."
"I believe you," she said softly, reaching for his hand as if to calm him down. "But it's not me you have to convince. They don't know your truth, Kacchan. You need to plead your case so you can stay."
"I don't fucking care if they kick me out or not," he yelled out, snatching his hands from her in anger. She just didn't get it, did she? How much it hurt to know no matter what he did, he was done for. Midoriya looked fearful as if that was the last thing she wanted to hear. Bakugou began to regret his words.
"I want you to stay," she whispered. "This is the best thing that has happened in a long time for us, Kacchan. We can't just give it up so easily." Her hand gripped his again, tight and pleading for him to understand. He looked at them, squeezing hers back in reassurance.
"Alright," he said. "But people don't like me Deku. Even if I were innocent, others would find a way to get me out." Like Nagai, he thought but didn't vocalize. Her eyes dropped to their hands, his fingers starting to draw patterns in his. It felt nice.
"I know," she said. "I vouch for you if I have to, and I found some evidence that might help you."
"I told you to stay out of it," he said sternly. She tensed, but it seemed more out of annoyance than fear. She started tapping the eraser of her pencil on the desk, and he wondered if she intended to write anything at all.
"We have something else to talk about," she decided to say, her cheeks turning a red he was so familiar with. She pulled her hands away, instead placing them on her lap as she looked at the floor. His hands were suddenly cold. "You said something while you were unconscious"
"That can wait," he said, his cheeks turning red themselves. Who knows what he said when he was high of delirium and blood loss. What did he say for her to react that way? "What did you find?" Midoriya, seeming to be out of energy, let her head fall rather aggressively on the desk. She let out a loud sigh, then she turned to him.
"You know Hiro?"
"Who?"
"Tall guy in our class. Black hair, typically quiet."
"You just described every nobody in our class," Bakugo deadpanned, but he tried to think. Was there anyone named Hiro in their class? Midoriya rolled her eyes.
"Anyway, he was in charge of the armory the evening the night happened. He's testifying," she said. His expression fell into a grimace. What had he ever done to offend him? "For you, Kacchan. Not against you."
"What do you mean?" he asked again, Deku looked at him for the first time, and Bakugou could see how exhausted she looked. He felt guilty, she was wasting away worrying about him.
"There's reason to believe you're framed, and some people see that as messed up. Hiro is one of them. He doesn't like you, but he respects you because you work hard to make sure that Shiketsu has food every day. He's willing to testify if it means you don't have to go. And…" the sentence trailed off, and she looked back at her book again. At that point, Bakugou knew she wasn't reading. She was thinking.
"What else?"
"He thinks Nagai is behind it," she muttered quietly, and she sounded angry. It wasn't often that Bakugou heard that, and that alone made him angry. What had Nagai done to her to get such a reaction, and what did that albino bastard have against him anyway. It felt like since day one Nagai was out to get him, and Bakugou for the life of him could not figure out why.
"Of course that bastard would have something to do with this," he grumbled. He ran his hand through his hair, feeling the swelling around his eye and up his forehead.
"Don't think irrationally," she told him. "Please don't make this worse, Kacchan." Even though she didn't sound like she was ashamed, Bakugou felt like she was. She was associated with him, and from what he knew, he was the first person to ever be kicked out of Shiketsu, or at least considered. She barely left the room unless it was to get food, she barely slept too. She had only talked to Camie since they'd been held up in the room, and even the blonde looked at him with the same shamed expression.
"Sorry," he mumbled.
"What was that?" she asked quietly. He turned his head to the side, unable to repeat himself. He shouldn't be putting her through so much, not after everything she'd done for him. He thought it would be best to just shut up, to let her handle everything before his temper ruined whatever she managed to provide him. Hopefully, her word would be enough to sway the council to let him stay.
Midoriya sat in her chair impatiently. There were eleven other people in the room. Hiro, Kayami, Nagai, six councilmen (one of which being Fukimori), and Nakasawa. They all tried to find their own area in the room, especially Nakasawa who didn't seem to have anyone accompanying him. Nagai sat next to Nakasawa, his gaze set on Bakugou in distaste. Bakugou ignored Nagai. Midoriya knew he was trying to keep his word, that he would do everything he could to stay in Shiketsu.
"Now I'm sure you all are aware of the situation that happened last week," Kayami started. Her eyes were even more dull than the days previous, and the bags under them had increased in size as well. She still smiled as if nothing was wrong. "Katsuki and Nakasawa were believed to be in an altercation last week. This could be easily handled if one of you admits there was a fight."
"There was," Nakasawa said, holding his side in pain as he feigned fear. "Bakugou attacked me." Silence echoed throughout the room, then Bakugou growled. Midoriya looked at Bakugou, who seemed infuriated at the accusation.
"You are the one who snuck up behind me with a pole," he yelled. Nakasawa's eyes widened, his body shaking as he looked at the infuriated Bakugou. Midoriya could see it. Though his eyes looked panicked and he tried to make himself smaller, his shoulders were still relaxed and his tone remained level. He was lying, it all seemed fake to her. The councilmen, however, were eating him up.
"You told me to be quieter," he said, the panic in his eyes shifting into arrogance as he looked at Kayami. He wasn't afraid in the slightest, so why was he pretending to b?. "So I grabbed the pole to smash the windows instead. I wanted to ask you if you wanted to do the same, and that's when you attacked me. See!" He showed his wrist. "It's still bruised."
"Then how did you get stabbed?" Bakugou asked. "Why would I stab you if you were already restrained?"
"I should be asking you, you're the one who did it," he said too quickly like he was expecting the question. "You were angry the entire time over the rumors of you and Camie."
"Don't talk like you fucking know me," Bakugou burst out. Midoriya put her hand on his arm, stopping him from saying anything else. The councilmen weren't looking very impressed with him. Kayami had her hand over her forehead, and she let out a loud sigh. Midoriya looked back at Nagai, who was smirking arrogantly in her direction, knowing, with the way the interrogation was going, Bakugou wasn't looking so good.
"Tell us your side of the story Katsuki," Kayami said. "Remember nobody here is biased. We're listening to both cases equally."
"He hit me with the poll when I wasn't looking," he said. "He was acting weird the entire time, staring at me when he thought I wasn't looking. He tried to stab me, that's why his wrist is bruised. I tried to stop him. When he realized he couldn't win, he stabbed himself." Bakugou looked back at the boy. "What do you have against me?"
"I have nothing against you," Nakasawa said. "I'm just not willing to take the consequences of your actions." Bakugou looked just about ready to cuss him out, but Midoriya pleaded with her eyes for him to keep quiet. The councilmen were whispering again, trying to decide whose story seemed more legitimate.
"He said one more thing," Bakugou mumbled. Everyone went quiet as they waited for him to explain. "He said 'Nagai said to back off' and 'he said he'd be an easy kill'."
"Nagai is this true?" Kayami asked, rather shocked at the revelation. The arrogant smirk he had been showcasing to Midoriya suddenly dropped as all the attention in the room fell on him. He began to backtrack, hawking his head frantically at the accusation.
"Of course not," he said. "He's only lying to get his ass out of trouble." Izuki looked to the floor, the tension in the room suddenly increasing. After everything he said when Bakugou was unconscious, she knew he was lying. Just like Nakasawa.
"Now that we have both parties' stories, we should go over the evidence," Kayami said. She was trying to defuse the tension in the air, but it was so thick anyone could cut it with a knife. Nagai was glaring daggers at Midoriya like she was the one to reveal his true intentions, and Bakugou was keeping his eye on Nagai. The council was still whispering amongst one another. At that moment, it seemed like the only calm people were Midoriya and Kayami, who Midoriya suspected was in support of letting Bakugou stay.
Kayami dug into her drawer, pulled out a knife, and laid it on the table. "This is the knife Katsuki allegedly stabbed Nakasawa with."
"That's not his knife," Midoriya said immediately. "That's my knife." She knew that hunting knife inside out. That was the knife Bakugou found her, the one that kept her alive for so long. She recognized the light wood on the handle anywhere, and the carvings she and Bakugou made on the handle with his folding knife. "Kacch-Katsuki has a folding knife, just a little bigger than a pocket knife."
"Then how did that knife end up in Katsuki's possession?" Kayami asked.
"Inventory," Midoriya said. Kayami nodded her head, digging through her files to find the document of the armory's inventory. She finally found the sheet and laid it on the table.
"That's strange. Katsuki's name isn't on the inventory list. At five thirty-two, thirty minutes before they departed, Nakasawa checked out his thirty-eight revolver gun and point thirty-eight millimeter ammo, as well as a knife under his name which seemed to be proven false as Izuki recognized the knife almost immediately. Hiro, can you confirm this?"
"Yes," Hiro said, seeming timid under the intense gaze of the councilmen. "I don't recall Bakugou entering the armory that day. If I remember correctly that run was planned rather hastily." Nakasawa seemed to crumble under pressure. He didn't say anything, he just looked at Nagai.
"That doesn't prove anything," a council member said. "Members who participate in runs are allowed to keep small knives on their person to avoid frequent trips to the armory. He simply could've kept the knife on his person."
"Neither of us checked out our knives after we arrived because we thought we were safe. I had only shown one other person my knife, and it was Nagai. He didn't think I owned one. He must have gotten our knives confused and told Nakasawa the wrong design," Midoriya explained.
"We don't need your words Midoriya. Bakugo can speak for himself," a councilman said, and it made her blood boil. They were all so condescending like they already made up their mind no matter the evidence because they had their own ruling. They didn't care for any of their words.
"You can check all the inventory logs since we joined Shiketsu. You won't see my name on any of them, because I've never checked out any of the weapons we came with. The guns you provided me on runs were enough for me," Bakugou said confidently. He stared each of the councilmen in the eyes, overflowing with dignity to his name at the idea of being accused of what he didn't do. It was very tiny, but Midoriya could see it. The small plea in his eyes for the councilman to believe him. She smiled softly to herself, then returned just as steely of a gaze to the audience. Neither of them said anything else. Kayami looked to the councilmen, looking to see their response. The silence was deafening as they waited for a ruling. Midorya's hand unconsciously searched for Bakugou's, and when she found it, she gave it a squeeze. It was tiny, she barely even felt it, but he squeezed back. The only sign he was nervous. A councilman cleared his throat, and his voice boomed through the room.
"Considering the evidence and past action of Bakugou Katsuki, the council has come to an agreement on the terms of which Katsuki breached," Kayami said, her voice sounding heavy and restrained. She didn't look happy. "Katsuki has a history of disturbing the peace within Shiketsu, his temper being one note of consideration, as well as the altercation that took place a month from today regarding Nagai as an unpermitted party. Given he almost took the life of another hard-working citizen of Shiketsu, it has been decided that Bakugou is to be removed from Shiketsu as soon as next week and no longer. Any longer would assume him a threat," Kayami's voice quivered as he read the next line. "and he will be handled as such. This meeting is over." The room was silent at the news. Midoriya let out a quiet gasp, her hand covering her mouth at the news. She looked at Bakugou, who appeared just as stoic as he did when he entered the room, but the tight grip on her free hand let her know he too was affected by the news. Nagai looked satisfied, and Nakasawa looked indifferent.
Everyone stood to leave the room except for herself, Bakugou, and Kayami. Bakugou had yet to look at anyone, to speak. Kayami was rubbing her forehead, and when her eyes met Midoriyas, all she could see was sympathy.
"I'm sorry," the older woman said. "I tried to convince them otherwise, but the circumstances wouldn't allow it."
"You did what you could," Midoriya said, looking at Bakugou, trying to read his emotions. "Thank you for always being there for us." Kayami nodded her head, then stood and hugged them both. She hugged Bakugou longer than Midoriya, like a mother would, before pulling away and leaving the room. It was just them now.
She waited for him to say something, anything, but he didn't. Eventually, he simply stood and left the room. She watched the door close behind him, feeling left behind. She let her head fall into her arms and the tears slid down her face, distraught at the thought of having to go back out there. She had to, she could never leave him alone in a world like that, but the thought of leaving Shiketsu horrified her. She got used to the idea of walls, of safety, of being able to sleep a full night without worrying about an infected tearing through the thin material of a tent while they slept. Or the weather and whether it was going to be kind to them. Or whether or not they were going to find food, water, or shelter. She wasn't ready to be a survivor again, but she couldn't leave Bakugou.
She'd never leave Bakugou.
He saw her for the first time in that woman's office. They'd been watching Shiketsu for some time now, noting people who they wanted to take and who they wanted to kill. Their intel had gone MIA recently, both seeming to get themselves into trouble.
The plan was for them to infiltrate Shiketsu and find its weak point. There was no justice in their system. They wouldn't allow anyone in without a connection. They had been denied.
But they had let them in. The girl and that boy they had run into in that house. The girl still looked as fragile as ever, her porcelain skin so bright even from far away. She looked fake almost, so thin and tiny. How did she make it that far? Why did he want to break her so badly for daring to survive in this cruel, cruel world? And why did she choose to live in it with someone as underserving as that blonde boy?
Somehow the two of them managed to survive the winter. It was fascinating really. They hand's meant to run into them at all. He thought they were dead. He wanted to get rid of those who brought about community, and he ran into them instead. It was marvelous really. He'll get to watch it all burn, and get his prize all at the same time!
That was if everything went the way it was supposed to. Nagai wanted to claim. He told him he had one shot to get what he wanted before he'd take her away. They weren't gonna wait long now. Not after all the planning they did.
This new world was created to give those who were never given a chance. They'd be noticed by the people who looked down on them. They'd be taken seriously when their lives were in his hands.
"I won't let you down Father," he said to himself. His eyes met with Nakasawa, brown mixing with red. The boy nodded, understanding what he had to do. He closed his eyes, imagining the girl with the green hair blood running down her mouth and nose, cuts and bruises littered all over her body, and bite marks embedded in her soft, porcelain skin. He smiled to himself, feeling aroused at the thought.
It was almost ready.