What happened?
Izuku's skull hums, numbing; sweat rolls down his cheek as Izuku baskets in the gleaming moonlight on top of large hills of grass dancing to the wind. Izuku found himself nowhere. What was this place? A few trees stand tall near him. What happened to the forest of giant oak? His head aches as if it were to explode. Izuku's throat was drier than a raisin. He strolls past the dancing hills and sees a bus stop far and small, stalled beside an unkept road. Crickets sing a hymn across the sky. City lights illuminate miles down the road, seeming so tiny that Izuku could grasp every building in his palm. His clothes are wet and covered in mud. His shoes are gone. Izuku left and leaped from his home with nothing to protect his feet. What a fool he is.
He mustn't stand here any longer. Daybreak occurs in a few hours. That's when Inko will awake and be ready for work. She continuously checks upon Izuku during his sleep before leaving. Sometimes she's too good. Izuku stretches his arms and legs, pulling any stiff muscles. Hopefully, there's a bus coming soon. There was no way Izuku could run home, not in time. He springs into action, wind wiping by as he rushes past the hill onto the road in half a minute. Izuku halts himself just before the asphalt, taking a second to catch his breath. He looks both ways but to his dismay. There aren't any buses, most likely not until morning.
The gleaming moonlight disappears as gray storm clouds clashing against one another hover over it. Thunder grumbles, and a fresh, early aroma invades his senses; it's raining soon. A flash of lightning strikes the city, cutting the power to her lights while the thunder rolls. Izuku quickly stands under the bus stop with a short, punctured canopy and one long bench. Izuku scans his wear again: a dirty, muddy, white shirt half with torn jeans sticking to his skin. He slants back, leaning on the walls of the bus stop.
A bus breaks in front of him as if someone teleported it there. Its doors swing open, showing a man in blue. He gestures for Izuku to enter. Immediately, Izuku searches around the bus and bus stop. Where does it come from? The bus engine roars, but it was silent only a minute ago. "Enter, kid." the driver says, "This is my last route, and I was to go home." His voice is crisp like he was dehydrated.
Izuku waits a moment to inspect every part of the bus and her driver. Suddenly, thunder cracks and rain begins to pour heavily. He slowly shuffles into the bus. The driver's broad smile is cracked and untrustworthy. His eyes are red, and his hair is white. He has two hands latched onto the wheel, but he has one finger of each hand covered in black tape for some reason. A buzzing sensation resonates throughout Izuku's body. Something isn't right. Something about this bus is wrong. Not only did the bus feel bad, but the rest of the night. And the pulses in his brain are unyielding. Izuku wanted to rip his eyes out and smash his skull until the pulsation and humming stopped. His body was still numb from something. Was it that dream?
"Where to?" the driver hums, enthusiastic to do his job. Izuku snaps out of his head, "Take me near Tatooine Station, and I'll figure it out from there."
"Alright then."
The bus hisses as it roars and moves down the one-way street. Rain pitterpatters and smacks along the windows while thunder cranked again. The hairs on his back stand. They tingle, tingles that you would want to scratch but never go away appear. The bus is empty. It's also spotless, and the windows have been recently waxed while the seats and every surface have been wiped. There's a smell of pine. The driver didn't ask any questions or comment about Izuku's dress. Maybe he wants to get the job over with already.
The bus departed no longer after Izuku got on. The engine coughs worse than an 80-year-old smoker as black smog barely visible explodes from the backside. The bus begins to move.
Izuku hung onto one of the railings on the roof. They passed the rolling hills. Every grass blade waved and danced as he left. The White-haired bus driver softly sang a familiar tune. Izuku didn't like it.
"London bridge is falling down, falling down, falling down. London Bridge is falling down, my fair lady." It was like a whisper that tickled Izuku's ear. Izuku stared at the driver through the rearview mirror. His hair is a mess. Strands stood in every direction, and his bangs hovered over his eyes. It's impressive how he could drive. Then Izuku saw his face. A small scar ran over his nose, and his lips were dry and chapped. Finally, there was his smile. Why did he have to smile in such a way? Those teeth showed behind his lips, and his tongue was ugly. The smile made him feel unsafe. It was not a smile of happiness or satisfaction. It was something Izuku had seen before.
The smile for combat.
The bus entered the city. Cars parked on the sidewalk as streets lit the darkened streets. Office buildings covered every corner as a massive sign reflecting moonlight welcomed them into Mustafu. There isn't a single soul on the streets. No heroes leaping from roof to roof. Not even a single police vehicle was patrolling the streets. The stars shined bright.
At that moment, for some reason unknown to Izuku, he thought about All Might and the day he first met him. If he remembers correctly, All Might constantly visited him in the hospital after he rescued him. His child self was so happy. What happened to their good relationship?
Izuku shook his head. He remembers. There's no way Izuku could forget. How dare All Might take responsibility for him and leave him alone in a home for days, barely spending time with him. And then, one day, he stopped coming back. Finally, the door opened. Izuku ran up, believing it was All Might. But it was his good friend, Inko Midoriya. Her husband was a hero, and she took great care of Izuku from that day on.
A red light stops the bus. Izuku looked both ways while the bus driver chuckled for a single moment. He had one entire hand off the wheel. He started digging into his pocket. He released a sneeze as he grabbed a pen from his pocket.
"Excuse me," the driver asks as he takes a pen and paper from the compartment above him, "do you know what street Tatooine Station is on?"
Izuku let go of the railing and stepped forward to the driver. Another finger released from the wheel, and the driver scooted closer. He pushed the pen and paper to Izuku. The driver only had four fingers on the paper, holding back his pinky. The smile widens from ear to ear. Izuku locked eyes with the driver as the smile sent an unbearable pang in his head. Izuku blinked hard. Izuku's hands wrapped around his head. It was like a thousand swords stabbed his brain repeatedly. He falls backward into the chairs.
The driver cocks his head left and laughs again, "So it's working, huh?"
The driver gets up from his seat, opens the door, and leaves the bus, cackling like a madman. "Have fun, Izuku Midoriya. Or should I say Uchiha?." the driver said with venom.
His eyes, Izuku's eyes, are on fire. They burned like melting steel. His heart flutters as his leg gives out. Izuku falls to his knees. Then, his throat began to feel the fire. Izuku started to cough, a nasty mucus cough that cemented to his chest. The world swayed, and the bus twisted like a coursing river. Everything began to blur. What is happening to him?
The ground began to shake. The bus started shaking. Something monumental is coming his way. He has to get out of here, now. Massive echoes exploded outside. Izuku lifts himself from the railing and leaps out the open door. His arms slide against the asphalt. Black gravel slices his elbows as red blood leaves the top of his skin. Water grasps his feet. And the chilly air gropes his skin. Izuku cannot see anything. He's blind. He leaps to his feet and dashes forward. Being able to see isn't as important as leaving. Izuku stumbles to his feet and dashes straight.
Where was he? Where did the driver halt them?
The bus frame breaks down and collapses. Izuku hears the glass shatter across the gravel. The metal screeches and tears apart as an explosion booms behind him. A shockwave tosses Izuku off his feet and into a muddy puddle. He could taste the garbage sewer waste mixing with old gasoline. The wind dances on his spine. His clothes have been blown away as lacerations leak warm blood fleeing from him. A sharp pain stabs Izuku's liver. A terrible roar wrenches his ears. The horrible noise rumbles his organs as it bangs against his brain.
Izuku brings himself back and pulls himself up. He takes a moment to resolve himself. His eyes are glued shut. Something massive is behind him. Its heart drums an echoing rhythm, a hunting beat that makes his skin crawl.
Then, his own heart grows cold. His breath is slow. Izuku's elbows pang as the gravel sinks deeper into the skin, rummaging through his flesh. His eyes cry. Izuku swallows a deep breath. Finally, he sprints.
He can remember before they stopped. Empty roads surrounded by bland and empty business buildings. They plowed through green light after green light. Izuku stared at an alleyway before the fire claimed his eyes. Rain splatters against old iron garbage cans. As water streamed from the gutters. The reverbs of the rain bouncing off the rusted pipes sing through Izuku's ears. Run, run, run was all Izuku could think. Even as color returns and the alleyway begins to take shape.
As Izuku ran, his heart pounded against his chest, matching the rhythm of his pounding footsteps on the wet pavement. The rain continued to pour down, soaking him to the bone, but he dared not slow down, his breaths ragged and desperate. His mind raced, trying to make sense of the chaos that had unfolded in a matter of moments. The alleyway seemed to stretch endlessly before him, its walls lined with graffiti and garbage strewn about. Shadows danced ominously as lightning illuminated the path ahead. Izuku's eyes darted around, searching for any sign of safety, any escape from the looming threat he felt behind him.
Each step felt heavier than the last, his body weary from the intense strain. His elbows throbbed from the gravel embedded in his skin, but the adrenaline pushed him forward. He couldn't afford to stop, not when whatever chased him might catch up at any moment. The echoes of the explosion and the roar of something colossal still reverberated in his mind, haunting him as he sprinted through the narrow passageway. His thoughts jumbled together, trying to piece together what had happened on that bizarre bus ride, the eerie driver, and the beast.
Despite the pain and confusion, Izuku pushed forward, his determination fueled by survival instincts. The rain continued its relentless assault, masking any sounds that might have alerted him to danger. With each passing second, the weight of the situation bore down on him, urging him to find refuge, to find answers.
And then, he saw a faint glimmer of light at the end of the alley. A way out? A sanctuary? He didn't know, but he had to take the chance. Colors are slowly returning. Izuku could make out shapes. Although he does not understand what he sees just yet. Izuku attempts to anyway.
Summoning every ounce of strength left in him, Izuku pushed harder, his legs burning with exertion. The light grew brighter, offering a beacon of hope amid the storm. With a final burst of energy, he burst through the alley's exit, stumbling onto a deserted street.
Gasping for air, Izuku collapsed to his knees, rain pouring down on him, mixing with tears of fear and relief. He glanced back, half-expecting to see the monstrosity that had pursued him, but the alley remained empty, except it was worse.
He doesn't use his eyes or move an inch forward. Izuku knew he was trapped. He could feel the flames as the smog and smoke invaded the air and his lungs—a ring of fire made of crushed cars with people inside. The fire grew high into a massive torrent of fire impossible to go through. There was an earthquake behind him.
He's trapped. Where are the heroes? With a fire this big, there should be a hero, one of the late-night heroes who roam and guard the night. Why is everything so empty?
It arrived when Izuku's vision fully recovered, and the beast came. It's massive and muscular. Izuku watches the thing with amazement as his silhouette stands small. It's hot. A stinging burn prickles Izuku's back. A sudden feeling stuffed his chest, a feeling that had not shown itself in many years—fear. His hands shake. What is he supposed to do? Should he fight with no quirk to continue to protect his identity? No, that doesn't matter. That bus driver already knew who Izuku was. Damn it, why now. Why did it happen after he left home? How did they know Izuku's home? How long have they been watching him? Who are they?
It didn't matter now. Asking questions will not save Izuku's life. As of now, no will is coming to save him. Izuku has one option: to fight.
Izuku shuts his eyes and waits for two heartbeats. A scarlet shine bursts from him as the moonlight shines overhead. Izuku Midoriya is gone for tonight. And Izuku Uchiha reveals the bloody Sharingan in its full glory.
This is a fight for survival—a fight Izuku has to win.
