The doctor recommended that Izuku take off his cast for an hour at a time so the bone could recover correctly. He lay in a warm bath, melting his skin. The boiling water hurt only for ten seconds, and he quickly adapted to the heat as he rested in the tub.
Akane hasn't bothered him since he got home. She was there when All Might dropped him off at the doorsteps. She was the one who leaped at him and wrapped her arms around him. All Might didn't enter after Izuku. He left not long after. Inko hugged him right after Akane. Her hug wasn't as tight as Akane's. It was soft. Inko grabbed his head and pushed him into his chest. A feeling appeared in Izuku. It's one he hasn't felt since before, well, everything. A sense of being loved. A mother's love that warmed him. It calmed Izuku. Yet fear lingered behind his unstable mind. Were they watching him even now?
Izuku wanted to stay in the water's heat. It was nice and easy. The bathroom was silent except for the sound of Akane's show from the living room. It has been two weeks since he's been home. He doesn't have to return to school until the weekend ends, which is two days. He hopes they don't ask any questions about his arm. Or why he was absent for two weeks. All Might told him to tell his teachers and classmates that he got run over by a bus. Izuku questioned about why a bus? Izuku never wanted to ride another bus again. Will anyone believe their lie? It didn't matter if it was a bus or car, as long the school staff had a reason for his absence. Izuku doubts that his classmates will believe him very much. It'll be another round of gossip.
As of right now, he shouldn't worry about gossip or drama. He's at home. That's the future problem.
The water's boil slowly simmered to a lukewarm sensation as Izuku left the tub and changed into a clean pair of sweatshirt and shorts. It was something he had taken out of his drawers without much contemplation.
Izuku marched downstairs after drying his hair. He could hear Akane stifling laughter at some comedy show. He stopped on the final step of the stairs before entering the carpeted room. Akane sat on the 'L'- shaped couch while working on homework along the coffee table. She didn't lift her head to look at Izuku, but she more than likely knew he was there.
"What show did you want to show me, Akane?" Izuku asks.
She raises her head and eyebrow, "Right now?" she says with a plastered smile.
"Yeah,"
"Your timing is a bit bad. I'm stuck on this problem." Her attention focused on the papers before her. She stared intensely as she gripped her pen ironically.
"You have no problem watching your show. You know, the one playing on the TV with flashing colors. You were just laughing, too."
The family TV is modest, like the rest of the house. Even though Inko's husband is a hero, they don't choose furniture that shouts that fact. The TV hangs on the wall, floating in midair, and a vast pine cabinet sits underneath.
"That's true, but I need it as background noise. It's quiet without you around. Mom isn't loud, y'know. Anyways, how's life?"
"Anyways, where is she?"
"Who?"
"Your mom, who else?" Izuku says
"She's your mom, nimrod. We're family." Izuku rolls his eyes.
"Yeah, I know that, but where is she?"
"She was out shopping. She left as soon as you got home. She's preparing something special. It's going to be a nice surprise." Akane's grin starts growing.
Izuku moves close, going around the coffee table and sitting beside Akane. He looks at the TV and Akane's homework, easy problems Izuku had seen before, introductory algebra.
"I don't, but I'd say it's going to be interesting in a bad way."
"Why's that?" Akane loses attention to the TV and homework, focusing entirely on him.
"Probably because I'm going to UA after middle school."
"Say that again?"
"I'm going to UA."
"The best hero school in the country?" Akane jumps on the couch. "No way you're going to be a hero. I'm jealous. I want to be a hero as well."
"Well, don't get too excited. I'm not like you." Izuku looks up towards the ceiling, "I'm doing it because I have to."
Akane looks away from her work. The TV's noise drags away as she stares at her brother. "What do you mean you have to?"
"It's nothing, don't worry about it. I'm already strong." Izuku gives Akane a slight grin. There's no confidence behind that smile. Both Akane and Izuku knew it, yet it brought a pleasant tone.
The front door unlocks, and Inko makes her way through the door with several bags of groceries. They all look heavy and overbearing. Despite the weight, she has a fair smile. Izuku saw the bags were too heavy and left the couch to her side.
"Welcome back," Izuku says softly, "Let me help you with those." He quickly strides beside Inko, taking all the load from her.
"Oh, thank you, Izuku. How are you feeling? Happy to be back?" she asks.
Izuku moves into the kitchen from the front door, past the living room. He sets all the bags on the island in the middle. Inko walks behind Izuku and wraps her tiny arms around him. She squeezes him tight like she never wants to let go. Izuku's heart is heavy.
"Are you alright?" he asks. Inko whispers yes as she holds him for a couple of seconds.
"Anyways," Inko says as she lets go of Izuku, zipping around to the groceries, "I'm making your favorite for dinner, Katsudon, to celebrate your first day back in weeks."
Celebration? Why are they celebrating him? Are they sure he's back, safe, and sound? But Izuku ran away, not only ran away, but he got hurt. He caused trouble.
"Stop feeling so confused, big brother," Akane says from the couch. "Sorry!" he quickly shouts.
"Well, Izuku, I hope you're hungry cause I—"
"I'm not hungry," Izuku interrupts, "I'm tired. I just got back. All Might stopped by a fast food place before we came. I'm sorry, but I only want to sleep more for the first time without worry... sorry."
Izuku can feel their eye bleeding into his soul. Could they tell he was lying? Of course, they do. Who couldn't know that it was a lie? All Might took Izuku straight home. He had never done anything like that before and didn't. It's not his style. All Might would never act that sort of way. He hasn't done it in years. All Might is only his guardian and father on paper.
Izuku's room is exactly how he left it. His clothes lie in a messy pile in the corner. His desk clatters with random clunks he collected from the trashcan and landfills. His bed was made cleanly, not even touched. His closet door is shut. A black book is lying on top of Izuku's pillows. He doesn't need the ceiling lights; the moon provides enough lighting for him to see, as do the lingering effects of Sharingan on his body.
Izuku enters his spacious room, lightly shutting the door behind him. He strides across the carpet floor, the window into the asphalt street below. His mind isn't clouded with emotion anymore. Not like that night. What an idiotic move to make. Now, because of his decisions, All Might trusts him less. It really isn't very pleasant. He collapses onto his bed next to his book, and everything becomes black.
The world remains enveloped in an endless expanse of blackness, a void devoid of light. Yet, despite the darkness, Izuku feels a warm presence surrounding him. His body is rigid, locked in place, unable to move even a single muscle. His breaths are shallow and labored, his mouth parched. But amidst the darkness, a single point of white light appears, casting its gentle radiance over a small patch of space. And within that light, a single figure emerges. It is small at first, barely visible against the backdrop of nothingness. But as it draws closer, Izuku can make out its features: a bird with jet-black feathers and piercing scarlet eyes. Those eyes lock onto his own, and his heart begins to race with a throbbing rhythm that seems to shake his entire being.
The crow gazes intently at Izuku, studying him from every angle. Then, with two robust flaps of its wings, it shifts its position and falls gracefully to its side. As it lands, ripples spread out from its base like a stone dropped into a still pond. And suddenly, those scarlet eyes erupt into bursts of red that seem to seep into the darkness like blood spreading through water.
As the crimson liquid spreads outwards, it consumes the darkness around them, bathing everything in a deep red hue. As if drawn by some unseen force, the red liquid begins to climb higher and higher until it engulfs the crow's entire body in its pulsing embrace.
But when it seems like the creeping redness will consume the bird, its body begins to expand and grow alarmingly. It swells like a balloon about to burst, becoming more prominent than any hill Izuku has ever seen. And all around them, the dark void is swallowed up by the sea of bloody water.
Finally, after an eternity, Izuku forced himself to move. He couldn't take the suffocating darkness and the terrifying presence any longer. He tried to stand up with all his might, but something kept pulling him back. His legs were immovable, locked in place by the red liquid. Then, as if a switch had been flipped, everything around him changed. The red liquid receded to the bird, leaving a trail of bloody water behind. The crow was now larger than any creature he had ever seen, its eyes, eyes exactly like Izuku's, staring into his soul. With each step, it stepped forward, its feet leaving deep imprints on the ground. Izuku could feel the earth tremble beneath him. The bird came closer and closer, its gaze never leaving him. The face of the Crow morphs, and all the feathers shift shape into a cloak and staircase. The eyes remain the same. The body was less bird-like and more human, cloaked by a dark cloak. A massive silhouette of a giant. Then, it spoke just when he thought he couldn't take anymore.
"Why are you such a coward, Izuku?" The voice echoes in Izuku's mind, taunting and accusatory. His heart stops as he feels a lump form in his throat, choking him. It's a voice he knows all too well, belonging to the monster who ruined his life. Rage boils up inside Izuku, unfamiliar yet intense.
"Are you angry, little brother? Do you hate me? Good," Itachi taunted, his words dripping with sadistic pleasure. "You need to be stronger if you want to kill me. But as you are now, you're too weak."
Izuku lifts his cumbersome body. The murder of his clan, the destroyer of his life, of anything that made living good, his brother, Itacho Uchiha, stands in front of him. Of course, he hates what else? There's nothing more he hates than Itachi. He has to die. He must be punished for all that he's done. Itachi took everything away from him. There has to be judgment.
"Hate. Hate more Izuku. You need need to be stronger. You're weak. That's why you couldn't save anyone. You're too weak. How are you supposed to kill me as you are?" His grip on Izuku tightened like a vice.
Izuku's body became heavy as Itachi's silhouette loomed over him, his movements locked tighter than ever. "Sit there," Itachi commanded. "A mouse can't challenge a tiger, or it will be mauled. You've forgotten your old family, haven't you? Have you replaced your parents? I guess I'll have to teach you again. And this time, I hope their memories haunt you forever."
Overwhelming hate consumed Izuku as he struggled against Itachi's grip, unable to move or fight back. He knew what was coming - the destruction of everything he loved once more. He couldn't let it happen again. But his stupidly weak body wouldn't budge. Akane, Inko, he's going to kill his family again. He has to move before he kills them again. Itachi's right. What has he done all these years?
No. Please. Not again. Izuku can't have them killed. Their bodies turned into blood-burned piles of ash. Their faces eased beyond recognition. Please, don't let them die. Oh, please don't let his family die. Akane is young, Inko is innocent. They haven't done anything wrong. Leave them alone. Leave them alone. Leave them alone. Leave them alone. Leave them alone.
The buzzing sound of Izuku's alarm wakes him as he leaps from his bed, his Sharingan gleaming at full power. Sweat pours down his face from every pore in his body, and his breath is heavier than it ever has been. The morning light of dawn seeps through the window. Was it all a dream? Izuku's senses are alarmed. Everything is buzzing. A massive pang is exploding in his mind. Izuku looks around his room. It's the same as he left it. But Izuku throws the drapes open. Across the street, on a high branch, is a crow staring at Izuku's scarlet gaze. Was it a dream, or was it something else?
There was a knock on his door. "Izuku," Inko called. "Are you okay? Are you awake?"
Izuku stood quiet, letting his thoughts catch up with his body. His brain attempted to restart, trying to recollect what happened. He shuts his eyes and breathes. Izuku can't lose control now. He must control himself now. His heart, smashing against his chest, slowly reels back its intensity. And the scarlet gleam ceases as Izuku's black irises return.
"Izuku, are you okay? I'm coming in," Inko says as she starts twisting the door knob.
"I am alright,' Izuku shouts. I stubbed my toe. There's no need to worry. It's alright." Stubbed toe? Izuku thinks.
"Oh my, I hope you're okay. Anyway, it's time for school. Do you want me to ride? I'm taking Akane to school right now.
Izuku looks back to his cloak next to his; what time was it?
'No, I'll take the metro," Izuku blurts, "The teacher won't expect me to be on time, so it'll be alright."
"Really, Izuku. It's not a hassle for me to—"
"No, thank you. I like walking... it's comforting. Thank you for offering."
"Alright, Izuku, I don't want to be a hassle; see you later."
"Bye."
Izuku sighs with relief as he rushes to his closet and grabs the cleanest uniform pair he has. He thrusts his feet into a pair of shoes, grabs his school bag, and casts as he dashes out of the house just after Inko leaves.