Falling back against the ground Kazuki met the cold harsh reality of his concrete cell. The world was spinning, his head throbbing. The sound of cell bars slammed behind him, barely registering in his barely awake daze. Laying against the ground he could feel his eyes getting heavy again, slowly sliding closed before snapping wide just to slowly close against. He tried to fight against it but every effort to stay awake ended in naught. Was this because of a quirk or because he had a concussion? A silent low hum was his only answer, his eyes drifting closed before finding sleep again once again.
He was unsure how long he's been here. There was no light in the cell and the hours blurred together until they became unnoticeable. Every once in a while someone would come and give him some food that he mostly ignored. Sitting against the wall he spat a small amount of blood against the ground, sliding a tongue along his mouth he could feel a tooth slightly move every time he touched it. He was probably going to have to have it removed when he gets out of here. Looking up he squinted against the single light shining from the ceiling. Clattering before him was another plate of barely edible slope, looking up he caught the sight of a cop turning and walking back down the hall. Almost on que his stomach rumbled, a hand lowering to rub at it.
Fuck
Leaning forward he grabbed at the plate, a leg propping up to keep his wobbly body steady.
His mind was still a little hazy from everything. He remembers buying a Halloween mask, confronting the nerd and over powering him with his sheer might. The memory of Midoriya's pained screams brought a small smirk to his face before he paused...what happened after that?
Suddenly in a flash he remembers a massive fist flying straight for him...Squinting he pressed his hand against the stinging sensation in the back of his head. His fingers sliding along a handful of wrapped bandages.
I remember now. I was beaten...they cheated! It took both of them to beat me!
Taking a bite of his food he almost gagged, tossing the plate against the ground again. Raising an arm he slammed the bottom of his fist against the wall behind him, standing up slowly on shaky legs.
"That fucking nerd and his pet bitch..." His harsh voice echoed through the room, gradually getting louder before turning into a shout. "Do these people not know who the hell I am? I'm Okawa Kazuki!? Child fucking prodigy!"
Getting up quickly he rushed at the cell doors, slamming against the cell with a furious shout. Fingers met cold steel, his fist clenching into fist as he shook at the bars.
"DO YOU PEOPLE HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MANY COMPETETIONS I'VE WON!? I'VE DONE MORE THEN ANY OF YOU IN YOUR WHOLE LIVES! JUST YOU WAIT UNTIL MY DAD FINDS OUT ABOUT THIS! YOU PEOPLE WILL BE LIVING ON THE STREETS!"
The sound of a door opening snapped him out of his rage filled tirade. Light peeked from down the hall as the sound of clicking got closer. It took him a second to realize that it was the sound of high heels.
Rounding the corner walked a woman he had never seen before. She had long, pale lilac hair parted to one side and light blue skin. Looking over to him she smiled, her weird green eyes having a light shine to them. Pitch darkness around the eye where there was usually white.
She was the first to break the silence. "Hello Mr. Kazuki."
A wave of unease came over him, running down his spine slowly. She knew who he was. "Who the hell are you? Another cop come to question me?"
Walking closer she rolled her bizarre eyes at him. Her voice a silky smooth tone. "Not exactly. I'm a reporter, I've come to ask you a few questions."
A frown tugged at his lip, letting out another huff. "Oh great, a leech. Why the hell would I talk to you? You'll probably just twist my words making me out to be some kind of monster."
"On the contrary, my benefactor is quite interested in your story. He's willing to pay for your bale depending on your answers."
He didn't expect that, what kind of reporter pays for someone in jail to walk free just for a few questions?
"And if I answer them wrong?"
She giggled, a hand moving to her lips. "Oh trust me. I'm a pretty good judge of character, you wont."
Before he could respond he watched the woman turn towards the blinking camera hanging in the corner of the room. A red blinking recording light blinked a few times on it before going out. Turning back to him she raising a hand and making an L with her index finger and thumb placed the thumb against her forehead. Smiling the smile turned a little more aggressive.
"We would love to hear from you, Mr. Kazuki."
He froze, his eyes widening at the display before slowly smiling back.
"Well of course...why didn't you say so, I would love to answer a few questions."
A dull low hum radiated from the otherwise quiet karaoke machine as Jirou stared at her three new friends. Looking between them her eyes snapped from one to another. Trying to get a read on them.
What the hell was this? Some kind of joke? None of them were smiling, she was half expecting them to shout "gotcha" and start laughing.
"W-what do you mean? I can't have both of you as friends? A-are you saying that I cant have other friends if I hang out with you guys!?" Her voice felt raw and she had a feeling it wasn't from the singing.
Shaking her head Sango ran over to her quickly, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "No no of course not! That's not what we're saying!"
"T-then what are you guys saying!?"
Walking over slowly Shika frowned. "We don't have anything against Midoriya, if you say he's cool then thats good enough for me but..."
Yoshimura butt in, a hand going to her hip. "He's weak."
Something about that urked her, opening her mouth to defend him Yoshimura continued.
"We're a gang Kyo. A gang about fighting for our freedom to do as we please. We try to be more on the peaceful side of things but sometimes peace doesn't work." Looking her over Jirou could see sadness in her eyes. She truly looked sorry for what she had to say. "I'm sure Midoriya is a great kid...but if we are seen spending time with him it makes us look weak by proximity. Weakness invites only trouble."
"Then why offer me an invitation? I'm one of the weakest people in gym."
Looking at her she watched Yoshimura's cat ear twitch. "Because we see ourself in you Kyo. Do you honestly see Midoriya hanging out with a bunch of punk chicks? We would eat him alive."
Clenching her hands Jirou felt nauseous. Was that really it? Nothing evil or cruel just a clash in style? A nerd hanging out with a bunch of punks is bad for their image? That somehow made her feel worse. If it were something evil she could at least stand up to them. But this...
There really was no way for her to have them both was there? She had to choose.
"I...that's."
Yoshimura continued her assault. "I take it you and Midoriya are close? Spend a lot of time together?"
Opening her mouth to respond she paused. "N-no...we've never hung out after school before."
"Then I take it you have a lot in common?"
Staring at the ground she frowned more. "N-no, we've never really talked about likes."
"You must know a lot about him then. Really click."
"H-he goes to a dojo after school and has an All Might lunch box sometimes?" She weakly answered, desperately reaching for straws.
Yoshimura paused before huffing. "Then what is the problem Kyo? It doesn't even sound like you guys are friends."
What was the problem again?
Her and Midoriya never really clicked. They never really had anything in common before. They just stuck up for each other when no one else would? If she starts to hang out with The Claws she wouldn't need Midoriya to stick up for her anymore. Despite all of that the thought of just up and leaving Midoriya behind made her feel horrible. Maybe it was because she was usually the one being left behind.
A memory of a bright faced Midoriya laughing at something she said crossed her mind. The genuine smile crossing his face as he looked over at her...
Him smiling down at her, fire dancing along his fingers like a dance as he caressed her injured knee. The way his green eyes shined, an ember of fire moving along his eyes.
Another of him sweaty and panting as he desperately ran past her on the track, constantly pushing to get better. Of her pushing herself to try and keep up with him but unable to, his back constantly out of reach.
Something twisted inside of her. An uncomfortable heat hitting her stomach.
Regardless of what the others said she knew the truth. Midoriya was strong, stronger then all of them combined...and he was getting stronger every day. He wore a lot of baggy clothes but she saw it. She'd have to be crazy not to recognize his growing muscle and how he gradually was getting taller.
Panting she bent over, sweat rolling down her face as Midoriya got farther and farther away. She tried to call after him but he was too far, disappearing over the horizon...
How long until he no longer needs her anymore? How long until she's all alone again?
He would be fine on his own. Right? He didn't really need her. But she knew deep down she really needed The Claws. She had been alone for so long...she couldn't just give up the one group of people that get her.
Taking a deep breath she slowly nodded her head.
She knew what she had to do.
Green eyes tiredly opened, slowly looking over the living room. Turning he stared at the tv facing him from across the way, a bizarre mix of images moving across the screen that his half asleep brain could not seem to process. Blinking a few times he stared at the flickering tv screen, watching a crazy guy scream about car deals frantically at the viewer. It took him even longer to realize that this wasn't their tv...hell this wasn't even their house.
Sitting up abruptly in a panic he looked around the room again, this time taking in everything.
A hung up punching bag. A dog bowl half full of dog food. Crayons littered the ground. A handful of beer cans sat at the long dining room table. Half cleaned dishes sat in the sink...
Oh, I'm still at the Kendo's.
Relaxing at the thought he let out a tired sigh, sinking back into the couch. Turning towards the extra weight on his side he saw his mother curled up against him, her hands gripping his shirt for dear life. It was kind of nostalgic, his mother used to do that all of the time when he was younger. Cuddle against him in his bed when he had a bad dream or just a bad day in general.
As he stared at her the memories slowly started to come back to him.
That's right. They never left. They were in no condition to go home after what happened so they just came back here and crashed on the couch.
"I WAS SUPPOSED TO BE THE ONE THAT PULLS THIS NO NAMED DOJO OUT OF OBSCURITY! NOT YOU!"
Frowning he stared down at his broken hand, a newly applied cast wrapped around it to prevent him from injuring it more. A reminder of how weak he really was...
Getting up carefully he made sure not to wake his mother up, sliding off of the couch he arched his back before letting out a grunt. Sleeping on the couch with his mom sounded nice at the time...it being practical however was another thing entirely. Turning his head he could see the faint traces of light peeking out of a door that he knew led into the garage. Heading over to it quietly he fiddled with the door knob, not used to using his off hand, before finally getting it open. Heading inside he closed the door behind him.
Wondering farther into the room the first thing he noticed when he turned were two legs poking out of the bottom of Matsuo Kendo's old work truck. They moved a little as the person under the truck shifted their weight, their back laying against a rolling board as they worked.
He knew those legs.
Walking up to the truck he watched her as she worked on the car in silence for a while before eventually knocking against the hood of the car. Jolting, he watched the figure jerk upright, slamming her head against something metal with a clang. He flinched at the noise, that had to hurt. She rubbed at her head before rolling out from under the car. Kendo's angry face peeking out to glare up at him. Smiling back he couldn't help but laugh slightly at the small bruise on her forehead, a grease smear streaked across her face.
"That's not funny." She huffed.
Raising a hand to his mouth he gave her a nod. "Y-you're right. Completely unamusing."
"Midoriya..."
"...It's a little funny." He shot back with a smile.
Rolling her eyes at him she slide up from under the truck to stretch, her outfit covered in a layer of oil and grime. Looking up at her face he couldn't help but stare at the bandage on her right cheek.
He had heard from the paramedics that she needed several stitches and would have permanent scarring because of him...he offered to heal it once already and she simply said "Dont. It will just make me cooler." Honestly he's not sure if thats possible...
Raising her arms above her head she grunted, the tank top rising up to show off more skin. Quickly looking away Izuku scratched at his chin before talking.
"I'm s-surprised to see you up so early."
"I...couldn't sleep." Looking away she shrugged her shoulders. "I always feel better when I have something to do. It's a little relaxing going through the motions, ya know? Plus it's good practice for when I get my first motorcycle."
He raised his eyebrows at her. "You don't even have a license."
"Not yet anyway but just you wait! One day I'm going to ride all across Japan kicking butt and taking names on a sick motorcycle..." Smiling at the thought she blinked a few times before seeming to remember something. Turning he watched her head to a trunk, swinging it open to look inside. "Which reminds me! I have a present."
"A-a present? Why!?"
Pulling a few items out of it she she continued to talk. "Well...It was originally going to be your birthday present but you didn't tell me about it until after it passed like a big jerk."
Squinting at her tone he frowned, rubbing at his arm. Opening his mouth to apologize again he instead had a wad of leather flung at him. Fumbling slightly he caught it, staring down at it in his hands.
It was a biker jacket with a high collar and wide shoulders...his thumb ran over the rough black leather, faint traces of green looked to be stitched within the inner lining of the coat.
"Pretty cool huh. Thank my mom, she went a little crazy with the stitching. But that's not even the best part!"
Looking up at Kendo he hadn't realized that she had thrown on a matching jacket. Her back turned to him to reveal a bright orange logo, shaped like a clenched fist, stitched into it. Blinking at the sight he slowly turned his own jacket over, staring at the back of it with surprise.
Stitched into the fabric there was an image of a bird with its wings spread wide. It screamed at the sky with a swath of flames around it. It was the same color has his quirks fire...
"It's a Phoenix. Pretty cool right?" He could tell that she was smiling just off the sound of her voice. If she wanted to leave him speechless she sure accomplished it.
At that moment Izuku found it hard to speak. Even more so then usual. "W-why?"
"Because you always get back up. That's what I like the most about you."
"I-its a little big."
Walking up to him she pat his shoulder. Looking up at her Izuku was surprised to find that they were the same height...
When did that happen?
"I have a feeling you'll grow into it." Smirking she shook her head. "Now if you're done catching flies with your open mouth I think you have a train to catch."
Staring at her he turned to the clock on the wall, his eyes shooting open.
Oh god he's going to be so late!
Pulling her into a quick hug he didn't notice her tense against him before he turned and ran out of the garage.
Kendo stood in the middle of the room watching him leave, crossing her arms she shook her head with a chuckle. A slight hint of red on her cheeks.
Running into the living room he found his mother already awake, she was staring at the tv. Running past her he gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before dashing out the door.
"Gotta get to class! Love you bye!" He shouted after her, the door slamming behind him.
Inko stood, turning to where her son had just run off to and then back at the tv. On the tv was a scene of fire, a blonde boy struggled against a slime villain as a crowd of people and heroes watched on.
Not a single person ran in to help him...
Running along on the race track Kyouka Jirou frowned. She could feel green eyes on her the entire time she has been running but she chose to ignore them.
Ever since her talk with her new friends she has been actively ignoring Midoriya. She felt terrible for doing it but she knew it was for the best...
The only problem is the nerd seems to not be taking the fucking hint!?
He would sit down next to her at lunch and she'd move.
He'd ask if everything was "ok" and she wouldn't respond.
She'd started to hide from him during break and he would still find her!?
How could one cute green haired boy be so clingy? He keeps looking at her with those soft puppy dog eyes and it was driving her crazy.
A whistle snapped her from her thoughts. Letting out a small sigh of relief she dashed into the changing room. Quickly changing out of her pe uniform she made a mad dash to a class down the hall, turning the corner she put her back against the wall to stay out of sight. Her earphone jacks wiggled in an attempt to listen for him. She could hear footsteps a second later, quickly running to the hall before stopping. He didn't move after that...taking a chance she peeked around the corner to see Midoriya looking amongst the crowd, his eyes big as his head moved from side to side looking at the growing mass of people in the hall. He was looking for her...Pulling away she slumped against the wall, sliding down it before curling into a ball. She couldn't hold back the small hiccup that escaped from her mouth as she squinted her eyes, running a hand along her hair.
She's not sure how much more of this she could take...
The final school bell of the day rang out through the halls. Throwing her hoodie on she looked out the window. Dark clouds had hung overhead all day promising rain filling her with a dull ache that frustrated her. That's just her luck that she hated the sun like crazy and now that she needed it most it left her. If she's lucky she won't get caught in it. She felt someone tap her shoulder and she half expected it to be Midoriya...instead she turned to see the smiling face of Sango. Smiling back she gave a nod before following her after the rest of the group.
Walking out into the growing cold air she slide the hoodie up onto her head when she felt the starting remnants of rain pepper against her hair. Her hands kneaded into her jacket pockets as she walked, the rest of the claws walking beside her. They all talked amongst each other but most of what her friends said went unheard over the beating of her own heart. For whatever reason she had a bad feeling.
The sound of frantic footsteps could be heard from behind her, lightly patting against the concrete before stopping and she heard a voice she had learned to dread.
"Jirou!"
She stopped her step, his fist clenching into fist in her jacket pockets. Why now? Why can't he just let her go!?
"Jirou please, just talk to me! I-I don't know what I did to make you so angry."
The way he spoke broke her heart.
"I'm sorry for w-whatever I d-did I didn't mean to..."
Turning around quickly she stomped her foot. "Just stop Midoriya. Just...just stop!"
The rain had started to come down harder, a rhythmic tone that would normally make her feel at peace, instead it was making her feel worse. It came down hard around her and she found it harder and harder to meet his eyes. Rain ran down his face as he stared at her, confusion etched in every crevice.
"Will you please just leave me alone Midoriya!? For once I can finally fit in somewhere! I don't have to be alone anymore! We never friends ok!? I used you!"
"Y-you don't mean that..."
"You don't get it! You never did! You were the only person lower on the food chain then me, so I hung out with you so I wouldn't feel so alone." She couldn't stand the look he was giving her anymore. Every word she spoke was like a nail in a coffin, the light in his eyes that she cherished so much becoming dimmer. Turning away from him she continued to walk, her friends following after her. Her final words feeling like the death of an imaginary friendship. "I have new friends now..."
The rain came down hard against the stone covered concrete as he watched her walk away, her back disappearing amongst a group of other girls. A part of him was relieved for the rain because then no one else would see him cry. Squinting against watery eyes he panted, cold swathes of water running down his matted hair. He was unable to move, his legs shaking as he stood in the middle of a wave of departing teens. Placing a hand against his aching chest he let out a small strangled hiccup.
Turning he started to run, he wasn't sure where he was even running to but wherever he went the footfalls of wet splashes followed him. Each step only making his anxiety rise.
"Eww why are you muttering to yourself freak!"
His ears rung, sound warping and shifting around him, a bizarre mix of being unable to hear and being over stimulated at every sound at the same time. Wide eyed he frantically looked around him, shapes moving past him in a blur of colors. Every deep and ragged breathe clung to his throat like a wet clump strangled his mouth, leaving small gasp behind. Lights shifted around him making his eyes hurt but he just kept running, paving a swath into the unknown.
Panic attacks were no stranger to Izuku Midoriya, he had many over the years during his time at Aldera but it's been a long time since he's felt this way. This hopeless and useless. This weak.
He ran until his legs started to give in, an aching soreness moving along his knees. Wobbling his foot caught a slightly protruding brick, tumbling to the ground and rolling. His backpack fell to the ground, finding a spot in a nice wet puddle, opening to shower a handful of notebooks and school supplies upon the cold wet ground. Yet he did not care that his writing was ruined, that weeks of notes have been flung against the elements. Instead his blurry eyes focused on the jacket laying on the ground. Crawling forward on his knees he scooped it up into his arms, the stitched leather cold in his hands.
Breathing slowly he tried to stop his pounding heart, trying to focus on the exercises his psychologist taught him. Breathing in as slowly and as deeply as he could through his nose he let out a breath, then another and another. Counting to five in-between each breath he felt the anxiety slowly decrease.
Closing his eyes he muttered softly to himself. "These are just symptoms of high anxiety...there is nothing wrong with me."
He repeated the phrase a few more times like a mantra until he could no longer feel his heart pounding in his chest. Slowly getting up he held the jacket to his chest like an anchor in case he tried to fly away again...
Standing up on weak knees he padded over to slowly pick up his scattered stuff. Picking up one of his hero journeys it was sopping wet, the paper practically falling apart in his hands. Throwing it and some of the other school supplies he could salvage into his bag he looked around trying to figure out where he was.
Walking down a few streets he stared down at the floor in thought. Yet another friend had turned their back on him...he was starting to pick up on a pattern. Was that all he was? Someone to spend time with him until someone better comes along? In a weird way it made sense, who would actually want to spend time with him?
His gaze was drawn to the bright green logo stitched into the back of the jacket. Beautiful stitching and an amazing image stared back at him like it was mocking him.
A part of him believed that he didn't deserve everything given to him. All of the warm hugs, kind looks and praise was so foreign to him...even if it's almost been a year since then. Looking up he stared at a broken mirror laying against a wall across the way, the center of it splintered and shattered warping the image. He stared at the cracked image of himself in the mirror and he found himself frowning.
The Kendos, his mom and the psychiatrist would always tell him how strong he was...but he didn't feel strong. He felt as weak as they came, even now.
"I don't get what the Kendo's see in you. Just a scrawny little punk that got lucky a few too many times."
Kazuki was right, he wasn't strong. He wasn't brave. He was nothing really...and a part of him worried how long it would take for the others to realize that. How long could Kendo worry about him before she gets tired of it? Tired of him? Light drifted in from the corner of his eye drawing him to it. Shining from a tv screen through a glass window of a convenience store was the image of All Might. Wandering closer he looked it over, the screen was playing a commercial he had seen way to many times, All Might's big encouraging smile felt like a center of warmth in a harsh world. Reaching forward he slide his cast covered hand along the wet glass, speaks of light shining through plaster and fiberglass.
All Might never cried. Even in the darkest of times he stood like a smiling beacon. His light a challenge to those who hid in the darkness and a comfort to those who found safety in the light. All Might was the strongest of all of them...
Staring at the scene of All Might with his trademark smile he squinted his face, forcing a smile on his face before losing it.
He just needed to get stronger...like All Might.
Kendo was worried.
She paced back and forth, a grove forming on the carpet from how many times she's walked over it already.
Midoriya hadn't shown up to the dojo today and no one has heard from him for a couple hours. It was so unlike him to be late to anything. She had yet to tell his mother in a hope that she was worrying over nothing. Inko was a sweet woman but she wasn't sure if that woman could survive another heart attack.
Clenching her fist she let out a frustrated huff. It was probably that school again, leave it to Midoriya to leave a horrible toxic environment just to bounce right into another. Sometimes she worries that Izuku has a secret second quirk, one that draws trouble to him like a magnet.
Unclenching her hand she sighed, there was no point in worrying so much. If she doesn't hear from him in a couple hours she'll let the proper people know.
Walking down the steps of her room she peeked into the quiet living room thinking about working on something in the garage but thought against it. She gets too distracted doing that. Heading down a couple more stairs she paused at a sound, it was faint but it was the sound of smacking. Following the sound she stopped at the door leading into the dojo, leaning against it for a second.
Someone was hitting the punching bag.
Relief hit her almost instantly, letting out a tired sigh she placed a hand against her chest.
Sounds like Midoriya was working out late again. He must be making up for lost time earlier.
Kendo felt a little conflicted, she half wanted to go in there and scold him for making her worry but another part of her just wanted to go in there and hug him. My dad is right, maybe I do coddle him too much.
Swinging the doors open she walked inside, turning a corner before walking onto the hardwood floor of the dojo. Straight ahead of her Midoriya was hitting the punching bad, each blow shaking it from the strikes. He really was going to town on that thing. Opening her mouth to scold him for not wrapping his knuckles again she paused, her gaze flickering to his perfectly wrapped fist as they hit the bag.
You would think that she would feel relieved that Midoriya was finally listening to her suggestions but instead she felt a wave of something...else. Something was off about the air around him but she couldn't figure out what it was.
Standing there she shifted her weight uncomfortably before raising a hand and coughing into it. "Hey Midoriya. I noticed that you didn't show up to class today."
Kendo couldn't help but tense a little when Midoriya slowly turned to face her. Turning towards her he gave her a smile and a nod. "Oh sorry about that Kendo. I got a little distracted at school, you know how that goes."
There was. Something off about his smile. She had known Izuku Midoriya for almost a year now and this smile was...different. It wasn't the bright smile he usually gave when he was talking about heroes or quirks. He didn't look at her with that gentle shine that made her heart skip a beat sometimes. Instead this smile, while nice, was thinner. More guarded. It didn't give off the same comfort as his usual smile and the smile didn't seem to meet his eyes.
It was like...like looking through a mask.
Blinking she frowned a little as she looked him over. "Is everything ok Midoriya?"
He stared back, blinking a few times at her confused before giving her that same smile.
"Everything is fine Kendo, I guess I'm just feeling a little tired." Turning she watched him started to head for the door. Even though they were in the same room she suddenly felt like they were miles away from each other. "I should probably start heading home"
"O-oh uh, ok. I'll see you tomorrow. Midoriya." It came off more as a question then a statement.
Walking towards the door he turned towards her before smiling. "Yeah. See you tomorrow."
Closing the door behind him she stared at the door. Worry nipping at her lip. He didn't stutter at all during the conversation. Kendo had always prided herself on being a good judge of character. She never had a problem reading a person's true intentions before and she sure as hell wasn't afraid of letting people know how she really felt...but that. For whatever reason she could not get a single read on Midoriya, she had no idea what he was thinking or how he was feeling and that worried her.
Shaking her head she ran a hand along her ponytail.
She was being crazy right? Maybe he was just having an off day. She's sure he'll go back to normal by tomorrow...
Right?
Notes:
"Who in the world lays in bed at 3am thinking about angst!?"
Me: Oh boy 3am!
And that's the end of the intro arc!
Next up, a time skip and we going to UA!
It's almost time for a mechanical brawl!
A automaton wreckage
A beat down bot down.
A uh...robot bar fight?
Ok I'm done now.
