A week had passed since Izuku began training with All Might and Cathleen. He was being pushed to his limits day in and day out from the moment he woke up at the crack of dawn until the sun went down and the moon took its place. Come rain or shine, Izuku was at the beach cleaning up the rusted junk or training with Cathleen, and if he wasn't training his body, he was studying for the written part of the UA Entrance Exam during whatever free time he had left. He studied during class, muttering and mumbling to himself constantly. This started drawing everyone's attention as Izuku started to arrive at school later than usual, with sweat soaking his school clothes.
Bakugo was the only one to notice Izuku's sudden absences and Izuku's change in behaviour and routine. Izuku's behaviour only got stranger over the passing days. On Monday, Bakugo walked through the courtyard and noticed Izuku hanging upside down from a tree branch, doing pull-ups. Bakugo noticed that Izuku was looking pale, sweat trickling down his forehead and clothes that pooled into the dirt below, forming a disgusting puddle. He also noticed that Izuku was struggling to breathe, yet he ignored it and carried on with his day, as he would prepare to insult and demean Izuku later.
By Tuesday, Izuku looked just about ready to pass out; his usual analytical mumbling became incoherent and sloppy. He was studying for the written portion of the exam in the middle of class when he started mumbling aloud. His classmates diverted their attention to the green-haired boy, giving him strange glances as they tried to dissect and understand his babbling. Yet none of them could. Izuku continued to ramble on to himself, seemingly unaware of the strange looks his classmates gave him. He stifled a yawn in the middle of his analysis, his eyelids becoming heavy, and his head felt lighter. His neck swayed back and forth as he tried to stay awake, but soon enough, he planted his head on the desk, dozing off into sleep.
Wednesday had rolled around, and Bakugo was starting to get suspicious of Izuku's behaviour. Sitting in the cafeteria, Bakugo sat with his lackeys, enjoying their own company. Bakugo was watching Izuku eat his food. His predatory glance never left Izuku as he prepared his food, the chatter of students filling the room but never distracting Bakugo. Suddenly, a cockroach scurried along the table Izuku was situated on, its tiny legs moving too fast for anyone to notice. The roach got closer to Izuku's food, but Izuku paid no attention to the insect. Bakugo watched as the insect climbed the side of the bowl before "SPLAT", Izuku smushed the cockroach with the palm of his hand.
Izuku eyed the guts of the insect in his hand. The beige-looking guts and the broken pieces of the roach's exoskeleton. Bakugo watched, anticipating Izuku to grab a napkin and wipe off the guts, but Izuku seemed to be in a trance, looking at the mess in his hand. Izuku looked around the cafeteria, looking to see if anyone was watching him. He slowly turned his head to the left, then he slowly turned it to the right and then back to his hand. He slowly put his hand closer to his face and gave it a quick sniff. With that, Izuku began licking his hand. He started slow but quickly picked up speed as he licked his hand clean of the guts. There are no words to describe the emotion Bakugo felt during that meal… but it was so far from peace.
Thursday, Bakugo was walking around the gymnasium and saw Izuku doing pushups in a dark part of the school. The light of Izuku's phone shone brightly on his face in the darkness. Again, Izuku looked pale as the underarms of his black Gakuran were drenched in a waterfall of sweat. He had his earphones in and appeared to be talking to someone in a rather hushed and secretive tone. Bakugo tried to close the distance to hear what Izuku was whispering about, but as Bakugo got closer, Izuku didn't seem to notice him. He snuck closer and closer to Izuku, ready to spy on his conversation, but before anything else could happen, Izuku seemingly vanished. Bakugo looked on in shock, his face a torrent of confusion and anger. He was infuriated to no end.
Come Friday, Bakugo wanted answers from Izuku regarding his behaviour being weirder than usual. As the bell rang at the end of the day, Izuku got up from his seat, packing up his supplies and books, ready to leave the class. Just when he was ready, he was grabbed by the collar of his Gakuran and was thrust against a window. "What the hell is going on with you, Deku?" Bakugo yelled into Izuku's face, covering him in spit, "What do you mean, Kacchan?" Izuku said, trying to play dumb with a fearful smile wavering across his cheeks. "Don't play stupid with me, Deku!" Bakugo spat with venomous vitriol.
"What the hell do you think you're doing with all this spontaneous exercising?" Bakugo questioned, his voice full of rage and confusion. Izuku became even paler than before as he saw Bakugo raise his hand, ready to strike his face with an explosion bigger than what he'd usually use on him. "Who the hell were you talking to yesterday?" His voice became quieter as he almost whispered it into Izuku's ear. Izuku felt a chill run down his spine; he thought he was being careful talking to All Might in a secluded area of the school. He didn't know what to say; he could only focus on Bakugou's palm crackling louder with each passing second as his patience diminished.
Izuku felt his breath hitch in his throat as he heard Bakugo's words. He looked around the room for something, anything that could help him escape Bakugo's clutches, only to see his lackeys snickering loudly behind him. A feeling of terror rippled through him, his bones trembling, and a cold sweat began to grow. Izuku wanted to lie, to say anything that would appease Bakugo and have him release him from his grasp, but all that left his mouth were nervous gasps that imbued the air with a sense of hopelessness. Izuku's skin shivered and shook as he watched Bakugo's hand close the distance, and as he closed his eyes, he could hear the ensuing explosion and feel the burning sensation. Yet Izuku's flesh didn't burn.
Opening his eyes, Izuku saw that Bakugo had placed his hand next to his face rather than on it. He flinches slightly as Bakugo stares daggers into his soul before releasing his grip. Izuku slumped to the ground, confusion gripping the corners of his mind. Something was churning deep within the bowels of Bakugo's mind; then he spoke, "Don't think what you did last week changes anything. "You're still a useless Deku." His words stung the air with the brutality of a wasp and the speed of a falcon. He stood there, looming over Izuku, not saying anything as he refused to look him in the eyes. "If you wanna be a hero that badly, jump out the window and hope you'll be born with a Quirk in the next life," Bakugo added with a callous disregard.
Bakugo turned around, his friends following behind as they continued snickering, praising the blonde on their way out. He could hear Bakugo telling them to shut up, followed by the door slamming shut behind him. Izuku sat there, tears forming in his eyes, as he contemplated Kacchan's words. Even after taking the position of All Might's protégé and training with America's No. 1 hero, he still felt there was a certain truth that Bakugo held over him. Izuku didn't just feel useless; he felt he was a danger to everyone he loved, and that thought was enough for Izuku to stew in a pot of his thoughts and think about his actions and whether he was selfish for keeping such a huge secret from his mother and the Langstroms.
Izuku walked home, defeated. Bakugo's words wormed into his mind, echoing through his head, taunting him, demoralising him with each step he took. It mocked him relentlessly, his eyes so full of wonder that looked like portals to other worlds dimmed dramatically as he listened to Bakugo's words on repeat. He wanted to refute the words but felt powerless to do so, even though he was training with All Might and Star and Stripe herself to inherit a power beyond his comprehension. He still feels like that little kid who's powerless to stop his friend, and he despises himself for it. How could he be a hero, someone who stands up for others, if he couldn't stand up for himself?
Walking his way up the stairs of his apartment building, Izuku could feel something swimming through his head like a worm entered his ear and started wiggling through his brain. Entering his apartment, he saw his mother cooking his favourite food, Katsudon. His head pounded loudly, and his vision blurred slightly. He could hear the faintest of sounds that were eventually drowned out by a sharp ringing emanating from his ears. Then his nose became bloated and stuffed, blocking out the delicious smell of his mother's cooking, and then there was a wriggling feeling that travelled down from his brain and into his nose.
Before Izuku could comprehend what was going on, a loud and sudden snap rang through, breaking him from his stupor, and when he came to, he saw his mother's worried eyes staring back at him. "Izuku, are you ok?" She asked her son, her voice tinged with worry yet still carrying a hint of motherly love to it. Izuku clutched his forehead as he smiled sheepishly. "Y-yeah, mum. I just got a headache, is all." He lied, hoping his mother would look deeper into it. That seemed to suffice as she hesitantly went back to her cooking, but a faint flicker of suspicion stained her eyes, and that suspicion only grew as Izuku headed to the bathroom.
She noticed that his behaviour began to change quickly over the last week. Her son had become a lot more aloof; he became more secretive, always trying to avoid her whenever he had the chance. A thought itched in the back of her head to try and pry open whatever Izuku was trying to keep locked up from her. Creeping her way up to the bathroom door, placing her ear against the door, hoping to hear something. Izuku was preparing for another shot of his gene blocker, but when he rolled up his sleeve, he saw that a thin layer of dark fur coat crawled along his upper forearm. Izuku grimaced at the sight, fear tugging at each corner of his mind as his heart began to race violently.
Izuku stumbled over the tiles that hid the vials, grasping them carefully as his hands shook uncontrollably. "Alright, just have to put this in me, and it'll all be over for now," Izuku muttered under his breath, his tone utterly flat, weak, and devoid of his joyous nature as life began draining from his face, and it became unnaturally pale. On the other side of the door, Izuku's mutterings were indecipherable to Inko's ears. Izuku injected himself with the gene blocker, fully expecting the effects to be immediate like the last few times; however, the fur remained on his arm. Staring through a crack in the door, Inko watched as Izuku pulled down his sleeve and lowered himself down, pushing something into the wall.
Backing away quickly from the door, Inko returned to her cooking as if everything was ok. The doorknob twisted, and a small clicking sound could be heard. The door creaked open as Izuku walked outside, hiding the fear behind a mask of calm tranquillity. Inko was back to tending to her son's meal as if nothing happened, adding the final touches. She tried to sneak a glance at Izuku to notice anything out of the ordinary. She looked for any abnormalities in her son's behaviour or appearance but couldn't figure anything out. Izuku sits himself down at the table and scrolls through his contacts, messaging All Might in secret that he'll be at the Takoba Beach soon; he just has to go to the Langstroms first.
When his mother approached him with his food and placed his phone face down before eating, the smell of freshly cooked deep-fried breaded pork cutlet, egg, and vegetables permeated the air, but what would usually have Izuku salivating at the mouth didn't carry the same weight it used to. Grabbing his chopsticks, Izuku poked at the food. He couldn't quite place a finger on it, but he felt completely unable to stomach the idea of eating what was in front of him. "Is something the matter, sweetheart?" Inko asks inquisitively, a look of worry settling into her features as she notices her son's apprehensive look to eat his food.
Izuku looked towards his mother, and a nervous sweat settled on the top of his forehead. "N-No, mum, I'm fine." He lied as quickly as possible. Looking at the food, Izuku was hesitant to eat; what usually made him feel a sense of comfort became alien and unappetizing. Picking up the pork piece with his chopsticks, he slowly put it into his mouth and began chewing. His mouth filled with an uncharacteristically repulsive taste, and his tongue quivered slightly. Izuku gagged a little on his food before managing to force it down with an audible gulp that caught the attention of his mother. "Sweetie, are you ok?" Inko asks as she watches his face turn a shade of green.
"Y-yes, I'm fine, Mum." He said, lying again. For the next few minutes, Izuku reluctantly ate his food, struggling to get each bite down his throat without having it resurface moments later. Inko looked on with worry. A sense of dread encompassed her body like a tsunami as she watched her son attempt to keep his food down. She wanted to tell him to stop, but her mind always cut her off. Watching him struggle was torture all on its own; she couldn't bear to see him struggle as much as he was, but she did not interfere. A grim thought crossed Inko's mind out of seemingly nowhere, 'Is Izuku doing drugs?' She grimaced at the thought, believing there was no weight to it.
'No, that would be ridiculous… but… It would explain things.' Inko thought to herself, putting the pieces together, his erratic and uncharacteristic behaviour. It was the only thing that could explain it. Placing down his chopsticks, Izuku gets ready to leave. Inko looks over and notices that there are tiny motes of a dark red liquid lining the bowl and covering the food, causing her mind to fill with worry and fear. But she says nothing. Izuku packed his bag and headed out the door without saying a word to his mother and tossing the leftover food into the bin before taking it to the sink to clean it when a sudden rhythm of buzzing sounds emanated from behind her.
Turning around, Inko noticed Izuku's phone left on the dining table. She picked it up and ran out the door, hoping to catch up to Izuku. "Izuku!" She cried out, trying to grab her son's attention, only to find an empty hallway. She glanced around the hall, looking for her son, only to find that he was already gone, like a spectre in the wind. The phone buzzed again, and it lit up in her hand. Peering at the screen, she saw an odd message that greeted her eyes from an unfamiliar contact in her son's phone, that only evoked pure bewilderment from the woman, 'Yo kid see you at the beach tonight. Don't forget to bring the guns.' Her suspicions began arousing, and she knew she couldn't ignore them for much longer.
She darted towards the bathroom and carefully looked at the tiled walls. The light turquoise of the room created a palatable air of secrecy and dread, but she knew only one of them held an answer. Inko's face suffused with a mixture of apprehension and hesitation; she refused to believe her innocent Izuku would ever get wrapped up in something as insidious and enslaving as narcotics. Yet she searched on, perhaps to quench the thirst that her baby boy was alright, and she was just overreacting. She pressed the palm of her delicate hands against the porcelain tiles, feeling up against the smooth tiles, looking for a hollow space that could house something all-consuming.
As Inko was just about ready to admit she was just making a huge deal out of nothing, she felt it. A hollow space between the tiles, a hidden compartment. Her heart capsized into the boundless depths of her chest, and her breath hitched in her throat. She hesitates for a moment, fearing that what lurks behind the space will shatter her fragile heart into a million pieces that can never be mended. She slowly pulled out the tile, and each second passing felt like a tortuous eternity. She shut her eyes, not wanting to confront what might be in front of her. When she opened her eyes, she saw a little black bag nestled comfortably in between the unused space. She faltered for a moment and postulated whether to open it or not.
Inko's hand jitters erratically as she pinches the zipper with her thumb and her pointer finger. It lets out a low purr as she slowly pulls it across the face of the bag but refuses to open her eyes. By the time the purring stops, Inko is too afraid to look in the bag; she's afraid to see something she shouldn't, a plethora of forbidden knowledge that will destroy the image of her son. She placed her hands on her face, trying to prevent herself from seeing something she couldn't. She wanted to do nothing more than to be left in the dark, but her curiosity grew like a pervicacious vine on an old, withered and crumbling wall. Peering through her parted fingers, she was accosted by two vials of a strange yellow liquid.
The sight of it evoked a sheepish scream that barely filled the room. She moved her hands from her eyes and covered her mouth. A cold sweat drenched her entire body, and a mote of sweat dropped into her mouth. The world around her became unnaturally lurid, and her skin started developing goosebumps all over. She refused to believe it, but the evidence was surmountable; she thought she knew her son better than this, she thought he wouldn't go near this stuff. Tears came streaming down her face. "No, how can this be?" Inko shrieked at the heavens, hoping that an answer would fall upon her like a dove. But it never came. She was enraptured in woe and grief, her mewling reverberating off the bathroom walls.
The subtle buzzing of Izuku's phone was drowned out by her anguish as she sat on the floor, languishing in her turmoil. Her heart pounded in her chest like a drum, and it rang through her ears, creating a blend of pure, unbridled grief and dread sweeping over her like a blizzard. Just as Inko was about to succumb to her feelings of heartache and despair, she was abruptly cut off as she heard Izuku's phone ringing its All Might ringtone, "I AM HERE!" It bellowed out over and over for a few seconds, a squeak escaping her mouth as she tried to compose herself as her hands fumbled over the phone like it was a block of butter.
While Inko tried to grab the phone as it tossed and turned mid-air, she hit the answer button by mistake, and a sudden, garbled voice came through, "H-Hello, Izu… Ku are y-you… the-re?" The voice cut in and out at random points, but there was no doubt in Inko's mind that it was Francine's voice. Why was she calling Izuku instead of her? Fracine's voice reverberated across the room, asking for Izuku. Inko felt her entire body tense up out of nowhere. She wanted to speak to acknowledge Francine but couldn't, her mouth felt like someone had placed rusted barbed wire into her mouth. "Lis-Izuku, if you get this mess… Just know we'll be at our apart- With the next vials... of... Ge-lockers. We'll... see you there."
The phone hung up, leaving Inko despondent and barren, her entire world flipped on its axis. Her son, who was once so effervescent and amiable, was warped into someone she couldn't even recognise, and she felt appalled she hadn't noticed it sooner. Dropping her hands to the frigid floors, Inko had no idea what to think, she didn't want to believe her little angel was a druggie, but the evidence was surmounting. Trying to think of a logical answer, oscillating her hand against the floor, hoping it would calm her nerves, which in all fairness did subdue the burgeoning terror, if only for a brief period, that was until she saw them. Something minuscule, pointed and arid like the desert.
Inko's eyes locked on to the bag, noticing the objects, her entire body tensing back up again, seeing the objects buried deep in the bag, they looked broken and damaged, just like her soul. Against her better judgment, Inko dug her hand into the bag to retrieve the foreign objects and slowly brought them to her face, and when she saw them, she nearly threw up. Teeth, human teeth covered in dry blood, some damaged and split into a dozen pieces, others left completely intact. Her stomach churned as she looked at the teeth, and everything around her became a hazy mess. Things were getting harder to explain, and she knew she had to figure out what was happening to her son for herself.
The setting sun cast an orange glow over Takoba beach and Izuku's pale, hoary, sweaty face. Muscles ached, bones cracked, and the kin blistered as he dragged a rusted fridge the size of All Might that weighed just as much, "COME ON, MIDORIYA, PUT YOUR BACK INTO IT!" Cathleen yelled from atop the fridge, her voice imposing yet simultaneously chill and down to Earth. Izuku had struggled for the past 30 minutes to move the fridge even an inch away from where it rested, and Cathleen seemed to enjoy herself a little too much. He wanted to keep going, but he had no choice but to stop for a breather. "Hey, what do you think you're doing?" Cathleen asked with a playful tone.
Izuku didn't respond; he was hunched over his hands on his knees, sweat percolating through his black Gakuran while he let out wheezy breaths. Cathleen's playful smile and tone dissipated, and a concerned expression spread across her features. She jumped off the fridge, approached Izuku and asked, "Hey kid, maybe it would be easier to train if you took off your jacket." She said with a concerned tone as she reached a hand out for his shoulder. "NO!" Izuku screamed as soon as he felt Cathy's hand on his shoulder and jumped a little. Cathleen looked shocked and backed away just a little bit. "I-I'm sorry. What I meant to say was I want to keep my jacket on to… make it more challenging." Izuku said, lying straight to America's number 1 hero's face.
Cathleen raised a suspicious eyebrow at Izuku, confusion gnawing at her mind. Izuku stood in front of her, more motionless than a statue. He could feel sweat travel down his skin, and his hirsute arms stood on edge as he tried to keep his smile, but it was wavering in the face of adversity. Cathleen lowered her eyebrow, and her face softened into a smile before giving a light chuckle, "I like the cut of your jib, Midoriya. You've got plenty of gumption. Real Chutzpah, you know. Un certain Je Ne Sais Quoi." She said with admiration in her voice, wholeheartedly supporting his decision. And for now, Izuku breathed a sigh of relief, knowing his secret was tucked safely in his Gakuran.
"Hey, Miss Bates, where's All Might?" Izuku asked, feeling the empty presence that would normally be filled in by his mentor. Cathleen turned around, facing Midoriya with a calm and neutral look. "Yeah, he said he had some errands to run and couldn't make it today." She replied with a smooth, buttery voice, "Why did you need something from him?" She asked inquisitively, causing Izuku to freeze up. "Uh n-no," Izuku said, lying as he shook his head from left to right. Despite what Izuku thought to be a successful thread of lies, it was the complete opposite. Cathleen was no idiot; she was America's No. 1 for a reason. Her military training had taught her many things on her way to becoming a hero, just like All Might.
She could tell Izuku was hiding something but didn't want to press him for details, at least not yet. A pit grew in Cathleen's stomach, and she couldn't do anything about it. She wanted to help Izuku, but he seemed too self-conscious about opening up to anyone, like he was afraid that he would annoy them by telling them his feelings or that they would mock his emotions. She couldn't use her Quirk on him to make him tell the truth; it wouldn't be ethical, and she knew that her superiors wouldn't be happy to hear that she used her Quirk outside of the US on a 13-year-old. Instead, she'd have to bid her time and wait for Izuku to open up to her.
Hey everyone, I just wanted to say sorry for not getting this chapter done sooner, I wanted to get it out on Halloween in Australia, but unfortunately, I had to go to the hospital to get stitches after I got a gash on my chin from falling onto the tile floor and my right hand is in a cast. But don't worry, I'm completely fine, and I'll get my cast off by Monday. I only needed two stitches for my chin.