Warning! This is a violent and bloody chapter!

Katsuki's boots pounded against the ground as he stomped down the hall and towards his assigned prep-room. The halls were empty and quiet if not for the loud noise of his steps slamming against the concrete floor. Katsuki's lip jutted out in a scowl as his mind still mulled over Icy Hot and Deku's match, replaying the events that unfolded on the ground below him over and over. He remembered the feeling of the hot air that blasted in his face during both their final moves and the anger that washed over him when he realized that he wasn't the one down there, fighting Icy Hot's fire and knocking him to the ground. Instead, it was Deku.

It was always Deku.

Deku, who was a useless, quirkless piece of shit.

Deku, who wasn't quirkless and sprouted a strength enhancement quirk over the summer.

Deku, who got into UA despite the odds.

Deku, who somehow garnered All Might's attention.

Deku, who beat him in their first combat training exercise.

Deku, who stared the villains at USJ in the face and witnessed the death of a classmate firsthand.

Deku, who beat him in the Obstacle Course, the Calvary Battle, and even beat Icy Hot, son of fucking Endeavor.

Deku, who only got stronger.

What was he going to do now? Win the whole damn Sports Festival?

Like hell he will.

Katsuki grunted as he came to a stop outside the prep-room. His teeth gnashed and a growl rose in his throat.

That dumbass Deku...

His scowl deepened as he shoved his fisted hands in his pockets and kicked the door open with a resounding BAM!

I'll crush him!

The door hit the wall and Katsuki stepped into the room, glaring at the ground as if it had personally offended him. He glanced up, eyes drifting around the room and meeting startled green ones. Deku jumped in his seat as his fists clenched tightly over the table.

"Hah?! Why are you in—" Katsuki turned to look at the plaque on the wall and suppressed a groan at his own stupidity. "Crap, this is Room Two!" Damn thoughts.

Deku watched him quietly and unsurely as Katsuki grumbled to himself before meeting the smaller boy's eyes again. He noted the tape over the bridge of his nose and remembered the blood gushing from the same area when the dust had cleared enough at the end of his last match. There was a lot of blood covering his face at the time though so it was hard to discern where it was actually coming from.

The image of two disheveled bodies flying towards each other with drawn arms, crushing concrete walls that flew up between them, and the bright light and harsh heat that exploded throughout the stadium brought itself to the front of his mind again and he glowered at his old childhood friend.

"You better not hold back on me, Deku. Because if you do..." He put up his hand and let an explosion pop across his palm. The flinch in the smaller boy's shoulders did not go unnoticed and Katsuki's eye twitched. What was he so afraid of all the damn time? "If you can put on that much of a show with Icy Hot, surely it can't be that much difficult with me, huh?"

He didn't wait for a response as he turned, clicking his tongue and shoving his hands in his pockets as he made to leave the room. There was nothing left to say. Everything would be taken care of on the field, out in the open where there would be nothing but themselves and their desire to win. And no matter how hard Deku tried, no matter how many unexpected stunts he'd pull, Katsuki would always beat him. That's how it was. That's how it's always been.

There was the clattering of a chair being pushed back as Deku stood. Katsuki looked over his shoulder.

'I'm not gonna lose,' he signed, his hands shaking.

The ash blonde grinned as sweat formed between Deku's brows.

"We'll see about that."

The door shut loudly behind him.

———

The loud cheers of the stadium carried into the hall as Izuku slowly made his way forward. A hand was pressed against the wall to help keep him upright. His legs shook terribly, threatening to make him fall with each step. The last time he felt like this was years ago, though the situations were a bit different. Last time, his life had been on the line. This time though, there was a better chance that he'd come out of it alive, maybe not whole, but alive.

It felt like a few hours before he finally stepped out into the sun. He was blinded and blinked rapidly to clear his vision of the bright spots behind his eyes. The stadium was as large as ever, but with the gut wrenching feeling of fear in the pit of his stomach, he didn't feel excited or determined. The tall walls and the hundreds of people in the stands seemed to swallow him up.

Izuku's eyes searched for anything to distract him and landed on the center of the place. There, standing in the middle of it all, was Bakugou Katsuki. A chill washed over him and Izuku's slow step faltered slightly.

He didn't know if he could do this.

All the noise of the stadium fell deaf on his ears and the only thing he could hear was the pounding of his own heart. His vision tunneled around the head of ash blonde and he could already feel his breath pick up slightly. Kacchan scowled as he met his eyes and Izuku averted his gaze to the floor.

Really, what was he thinking? Just because he thought he was over everything, despite his slight slip ups, and All Might had given someone like him a chance he thought he could actually get stronger? He could actually be a hero?

Who was he kidding?

Sure, seeing what he saw all those years ago would definitely scar someone for life, but they'd get over it eventually, he was sure. It was in the past. It would just turn into a nightmare after some time. He was weak and that was that.

Someone like him shouldn't have been given the time of day. Why would he be entrusted with something so important as a quirk; All Might's quirk no less. What would he ever accomplish?

(Red and white appeared at the back of his mind but was quickly stamped out by doubt, fear, and shame.)

His steps were quiet as he climbed up the small set of stairs and onto the fixed concrete floors. He made his way to his spot on the arena opposite of Kacchan and stood silently. His head was tilted down, dark green curls shading his dulled emerald eyes from the sun.

He was drowning. He felt weightless and small, floating around in a daze with no meaning to his existence. He felt like he was being suffocated by his overwhelming, self-deprecating thoughts. Noise was warbled and indistinguishable, blending into the background of his mind. He was dizzy and felt himself swaying on his feet.

He lifted his chin ever so slightly, dazed and lost. His eyes scanned the crowds, not looking for anything in particular. He wasn't sure if he was really even there. Green orbs landed on tufts of blonde and he focused on the thin man waving down at him from the stands. If Izuku wasn't looking he would never have seen him. Toshinori's smile was bright as he gave an encouraging thumbs-up when he realized Izuku was looking his way.

Izuku blinked a few times, his mind clearing and the loud sounds of the stadium finally reaching his ears. He kept staring at Toshinori as his breathing calmed and his trembling stopped.

Right, he thought, that's right. I'm his successor. He drew in a deep, slow breath. His mind cleared and the noise of cheering and shouts slowly reached his ears. His eyes took in the whole of the stadium and he relaxed.

All Might chose him. Yagi Toshinori chose him. Maybe he didn't deserve it, but he was chosen. Despite how pathetic he was, how useless he was. Toshinori saw something in him. Something that no one — not even himself — could see. He saw potential. The potential to become someone great and kind, the next Symbol of Peace.

Back then, Izuku was just a stranger. A fan, sure, but a stranger nonetheless. They met because of circumstance and Izuku found out things about All Might that was kept out of the public eye because of circumstance. But Izuku was trusted with the secret of his condition and later on the secret of his quirk. Izuku was still a stranger, just barely an acquaintance, but All Might trusted him with the biggest secrets of his life. He trusted him and he believed in him because he saw something in him. Izuku would never know how to repay him, but he'd be damned if he didn't try, and to do that he would live up to the man's expectations.

I'm his successor. I have to win. Izuku drew his eyes to his opponent, meeting red orbs dead on, determination seeping back into his gaze.

I'll show the world that I am here.

'IT'S THE MOMENT YOU'VE BEEN WAITING FOR!' Present Mic's voice boomed overhead. 'THE FINALS! MIDORIYA VERSUS BAKUGOU! WHO WILL WIN?! ARE YOU READY?! BECAUSE HERE WE GO... START!!'

And with those words, Izuku dashed forward, unaware of the chaos that would follow.

———

"And right off the bat, Midoriya rushes at Bakugou! Wow, is he fast! He just shot from one side of the arena to the other in less than a second! Or not—I guess I'm exaggerating a bit. But really, I've never seen broccoli move so fast before!" Yamada laughed. His voice echoed around the stadium and some of the audience laughed with him.

Shouta sighed. "Focus, Yamada."

"I am focused, thank you very much," Yamada retorted. Shouta sighed again and turned to the fight down below.

Midoriya ran with a fist cocked back and swung at Bakugou's face when he was in range. Bakugou dodged it and retaliated with a punch of his own. Midoriya moved to the right to dodge but Bakugou's left hand caught him with an explosion. Midoriya winced, barely able to dodge, and the shoulder part of his uniform was burned through. He jumped back and even from the distance and height, Shouta could see the gears turning in the greenette's head. It was something he appreciated about the boy. Being a hero didn't just mean being strong, but being smart. Successful heroes were those who could analyze a situation quickly and could figure out the best and quickest ways to defeat an enemy or get out unharmed.

His eyes glanced to All Might who was sitting in one of the boxes and let out an irritated sigh.

Of course, there were some anomalies.

But they hardly mattered.

"This time, Bakugou charges!" Yamada shouted from his seat beside him. "He's using his explosions to propel himself forward, just like in the obstacle course! You've gotta give it to that kid, despite the angry look, he's really smart!"

Over the roar of the crowd, Shouta could swear he heard something along the lines of 'WHAT DID YOU SAY?!'.

"Oh, but it looks like Midoriya has a plan! Bakugou's closing in and he's still not moving and— Midoriya's got him by the arm! He flips him over and slams him into the ground! Ouch, that looks like it hurt! Bakugou seems mad!"

He probably doesn't like being flipped over the shoulder like that twice now, Shouta thought absentmindedly as he remembered the class' first Combat Training exercise.

Bakugou rolled as he hit the floor and attacked Midoriya in a slew of flying fists. Midoriya tried to dodge most of them but due to little experience he was hit hard in a few places. He was forced back into a stumble.

The ash blonde used his stumble to advance on him and threw up an explosion in his face. Midoriya was knocked back and fell to the floor. Bakugou tried to grab him and keep him in place but the smaller boy rolled out of the way. He struggled, pushing himself to his feet, before finally standing and getting back up to meet Bakugou dead on.

That was another thing Shouta liked about the kid. He never gave up.

He does need to work on his hand-to-hand combat though, Shouta thought, At this point all he's doing is punching.

Bakugou ran in again and Midoriya's feet stayed planted into the ground. His arms flew up in front of him to brace himself for impact as Bakugou made a motion to punch him. But as soon as he did that, the taller boy fell back and swung out his leg, hitting the green haired boy in thigh. Midoriya stumbled, his off-footing causing him to fall forward, and Bakugou kneed him in the gut, using his quirk cause more damage.

Midoriya coughed, eyes wide and full of pain. He dropped to the ground and clutched his stomach. Bakugou stood over him, watching with a disgruntled look on his face. His mouth moved as he spoke something and Midoriya's brows furrowed as his teeth clenched.

The boy then lurched forward, catching the ash blonde off guard, and delivered a powerful uppercut to his chin. Bakugou fell back, clutching his chin in his hands as blood fell from his mouth.

"Ah, that doesn't look so good! Seems like Bakugou bit his tongue when Midoriya punched him! That's gotta be really painful!"

Midoriya didn't hesitate to follow up, thrusting his fist into Bakugou's stomach and causing the other to cough up scarlet. The smaller boy tried to punch him again, this time aiming for the face, but Bakugou caught his arm midair. He was panting heavily, his mouth set in a grimace, and he unleashed an explosion with his hand closed around Midoriya's arm. A pained scream filled the arena and even Shouta couldn't help but flinch.

When Bakugou let go, Midoriya's flesh was red and smoking. Midoriya fell back on the floor as sweat dripped down his face. He held his arm up and examined it, eyes frantic and expression pained. Bakugou didn't go after him. He stood silently, watching Midoriya with a blank gaze.

Shouta knew this was just a bit too violent and a bit too personal to be considered a normal final tournament match. It was like the two on the field were settling a yearlong dispute and unleashing contained emotions that were bubbling up inside of them for God knows how long. It was great that they were finally coming out with it, but if it ended with permanent damage, would it really be worth it?

Shouta wanted to stop the fight, and he knew the others did too, but should they really? What would happen if they did? If they didn't?

Just what the hell happened to those boys?

———

Kacchan coughed into his hand, spitting blood into his calloused palms. His teeth were stained red as he spoke lowly.

"Tch. You really got me there."

Izuku stayed still on the ground, gasping for breath and trying to focus on anything other than the pain coursing through his body. His wrist stung horribly and the stench of burning flesh seeped into his nose.

Spitting again, Kacchan turned his head to face Izuku, using a hand to wipe his mouth. "You're really useless, Deku, but I didn't expect you to be so violent," he said. "Thought you of all people would've been more hesitant to hurt someone."

Izuku's body was tense as he spoke. Kacchan's face was blank and his voice was devoid of any exact emotion. He would've been more at ease if he was angry because he was used to it, but an unreadable Kacchan was the scariest of them all. He didn't know what to expect.

"You're stronger than before, you know. Last year you were just skin and bones, real fuckin' weak. And those ugly bags under your eyes were darker too," Kacchan said. "Now you're basically ripped and covered in muscle. Tch." He spit again and Izuku's eyes momentarily flitted to the red saliva and back to equally red eyes.

"Sometimes I wonder," he wiped his mouth again, eyes still trained on Izuku, "how you got strong so fast. Why you got strong so fast. You looked ready to give up and drop dead at the beginning of the year and suddenly came to school with bright fucking ass eyes. And you were tired all the damn time, too. I don't know what happened, but you changed right after that whole sludge villain incident."

It felt like Kacchan's eyes were tearing into him, digging and digging for answers to all of his questions. Izuku swallowed thickly, staring into the ash blonde's intense red gaze. His hands shook, and Kacchan noticed.

"Why are you so afraid of me?"

Izuku stilled.

"Almost every damn time we speak you're always shaking. And there are those moments when you just up and freeze like a moron. Honestly, the hell's wrong with you? You've been like that since we were fucking kids; right when you shut up and went mute."

The words echoed around in his head and Izuku was suddenly even more aware of the shaking in his hands as it spread to his shoulders.

Afraid... afraid... why...

His heart beat in his ears. It was all he could hear. That slow, steady, hypnotic rhythm.

Thump.

Afraid...

Thump, thump.

Afraid...

Thump.

Afraid... so afraid...

Thump, thump.

...so afraid... of...

Thump.

Me.

"Why are you so afraid of me?"

Izuku's breath hitched and a cold shudder ran throughout his body. The voice wasn't his or Kacchan's. It was deep and gravely, with an almost playful tone to it. It was a voice that haunted his dreams and filled him with dread, that one line always repeated over and over.

And with the voice came the dirty yellow smile that always followed.

Seeing that he'd get no response, Kacchan clicked his tongue impatiently.

"Whatever then. Don't tell me," he said, grumbling to himself. "Now get up, idiot! You've been on the floor long enough!"

Izuku blinked slowly, breaking out of his thoughts ever so slightly. He couldn't break down here. He was in the middle of a match. He was in public. He was in front of his friends and teachers and a bunch of strangers. He just couldn't.

Everything was resolved a long time ago. He was safe now. He didn't want anyone worrying over him when there was nothing to really be worried about. He was just being paranoid.

Izuku shoved his fears into the back of his mind and forced himself to a stand. Kacchan stood in front of him, watching and waiting. Then his red eyes glinted in the light as he charged forward, explosions boosting his speed.

Still shaken, Izuku's eyes widened and on reflex his arm charged up with uncontrollable power, blasting towards Kacchan. The ash blonde was up in the air less than a second after, his own eyes wide before his face broke into a crazed grin.

Kacchan almost fell out of the arena but before he touched the ground he righted himself with a large blast of his quirk. The sight sent a chill down Izuku's spine and he barely noticed Kacchan coming right at him. He dodged, but the heat hit his face and he recoiled. Kacchan flew over his shoulder and skidded to a stop on the ground, the grin still stuck on his face.

Izuku then processed the pain that shot up his right arm and let out a pained gasp as his lip trembled. The appendage hung limp at his side and he grimaced. The arm was utterly useless now and, furthermore, he'd be unguarded at his right.

Kacchan seemed to have realized, too, because he shot forward again, this time aiming for Izuku's right side. Izuku turned so his left faced his childhood friend and dodged again.

Kacchan kept charging over and over and Izuku only dodged all the same, keeping his right arm close to him as he moved. A few explosions made close calls and there were burn marks all over his uniform. He was covered in grime and sweat as he grew more tired with each evasive maneuver he pulled. Kacchan was tired too, growing more and more frustrated with each dodge Izuku made.

Again, Kacchan lunged and Izuku moved to dodge, but when Kacchan suddenly stopped and spun around, Izuku barely caught sight of the arm flying at him before he was struck square in the nose.

Izuku tumbled and fell on his back as pain shot through his nose and blood ran down his face in rivlets. His right arm hit the floor and he groaned, feeling like the limb was pulsing from pain.

Kacchan came over and kicked his side. Izuku choked on his breath that came out in heaves. The ash blonde raised his hands and Izuku weakly rolled to the side as his palms slammed into the ground, explosions of bright yellow and orange digging into the concrete and blowing up smoke and rubble. Kacchan glared at him, eyes blood red and flashing with anger.

"I thought I told you not to hold back, fucking Deku!"

Izuku grit his teeth and scuffled backwards, trying to put distance between him and Kacchan. He wiped at the blood on his face uselessly and spat at the floor.

"Am I not worthy of your full damn power or some shit?! Come on already!"

The sunlight caught Kacchan's eyes in a dangerous glint that sent a cold chill throughout Izuku's body as he froze in his haste. Kacchan advanced on him, the sound of each step of his boot hitting the ground echoing in his ears.

Kacchan growled, the deep guttural sound escaping past his lips in a nasty scowl. "If you're not going to give it your all yourself then I guess I'll just have to make you!"

Explosions lit up from his palms, the bursts of light highlighting his face and hair and the black smoke making him look even more menacing than before. His exposed canines shined and gave him the appearance of a predator hiding in the shadows, and Izuku was his prey.

The aggressive popping of the explosions sounded in his ears as Izuku's vision tunneled once more and everything around them grew quiet. The explosions became larger and Izuku's green eyes widened, pupils dilating wildly as his body shook in fear.

He watched as the view in front of him changed for a brief moment, flashing before his eyes, and his breath caught in his throat. He was no longer in the stadium, and it was no longer Kacchan standing in front of him. He was alone, small, and curled into himself, watching as the man cackled with blood smeared on his face.

———

(Warning—blood and gore)

Izuku blinked his bruised and swollen eyes open. He felt sore all over and could barely move. It was quiet and the only noise he could hear was the distant sounds of crickets chirping and dogs barking. Turning his head, Izuku looked around, trying to see where he was.

Judging by the grimy brick walls and trash littering the place, he knew he was in some alley. He was sitting on a pile of trash bags with his head resting on a dirty and forgotten dumpster. He lifted his head slowly, looking through the small opening of the two buildings and up to the sky. The sky was dark and there were stars. The light of the full moon shined down on him. It was a cloudless night.

Izuku remembered what happened. He tried to defend a kid at the playground and Kacchan and his friends dragged him into an alley and beat him unconscious. It was the afternoon then. If it was dark now and the moon and stars were out already then it must've been a while since he passed out. Mama would be worried.

With that thought, Izuku moved, wanting to get home as quickly as possible. His mother would really be worried sick. She was already always worried about him—he didn't want to worry her even more.

Izuku pushed himself up with shaking knees. His hands held themselves against the brick wall at his back and the old dumpster as he struggled to a stand. Pain suddenly shot up through his back as he stretched and he fell back into the pile of trash bags that barely broke his fall. A whimper escaped his lips and tears fell from his eyes as his body suddenly seemed to hurt more. His arms hurt, his legs ached, his ribs and back felt like they were on fire.

Kacchan and his friends kicked him a lot, he remembered.

His head throbbed in pain and the image of one of Kacchan's friends kicking him in the head flashed behind his eyes. That's what sent him unconscious for a few hours.

Izuku just sat there, crying silently and waiting for the pain to subside. He wanted to get home but in his state he couldn't move at all.

While he waited, he looked around again. For the most part, he was completely hidden by the trash around him. There were boxes of junk and old dirty objects lying around. Metal trash cans sat in front of him and if he kicked out his feet he bet he could touch them. He couldn't, though, and his legs were still and brought up to his chest. He was pressed up in a corner between the grimy brick wall and the rusty dumpster that covered hid him from view on the right.

Izuku's arms weren't as sore as his legs were and, with great effort, he managed to push himself around to see past the dumpster and trash. To the left was the closest exit. It was only a few meters away and emptied into the street. From there it was only half a block to his home. He could see the street lights from the playground and the swingset that he loved playing on. A car drove past, the tires picking up rubble, and it was gone as quickly as it came.

He turned his head to the left, peeking around the dumpster. There was more trash there, though not as much as the amount surrounding him. It was dark, but that had never really been a problem to Izuku before. He squinted through swollen eyes and could see multiple alleys connecting to the one he sat in. It was too dark for him to see any further than that.

Izuku fell back against the dumpster and let out a shaky breath. He rubbed his arms slowly, as if trying to rub the pain away.

He sat there for a few minutes, accompanied by nothing but silence and darkness, when he heard the frantic thumping of footsteps hitting the floor. They sounded clumsy and Izuku perked up, ready to call out for help, when he heard sobs and shouts.

He peeked out from the dumpster again, watching as a girl, maybe around eighteen, ran out from the darkness of one of the alleys. Tears were falling from her eyes and her hands waved around wildly, using the walls to push off of and make her sprint faster. There was laughter following her and then more footsteps, this time sounding heavier and ominous. A chill ran down Izuku's spine as the laughter rang in his ears.

Another body sprang out from the shadows, chasing the girl. Everything about the man was big, especially to the tiny Izuku. He was easily 190 cm, maybe even 200. His feet were big, his hands were big, his torso was big, even his afro-styled hair was big. His muscles were especially large (though not as big as All Might's, Izuku noticed, and the hero definitely didn't wear that maniacal grin on his face) and he looked like a mammoth compared to the skinny girl running in front of him.

The girl's eyes were wide with fear. "H-Help!"

Izuku's brows furrowed in confusion. The man laughed again, catching up to her in an instant and slamming her against the wall. The girl shrieked.

"Aww, what's the matter?" The man asked, grabbing her face and tilting it to face him, staring at her through tinted glasses. "Why were you running from me, eh?"

She squirmed in his grasp, whimpering as he pinned her arm to the wall and squeezed it harshly. "P-Please, stop..."

"Oh? But I'm not doing anything really," he hummed. It was a scratchy sound that made goosebumps ride in Izuku's bruised skin. "We're just talking, ain't we?"

His head leaned forward and the girl shrunk in on herself, shaking. Tears streamed from her eyes and sweat covered her skin, glistening in the moonlight. Izuku watched, throat closed up and filled with a strange feeling of dread. He didn't understand what was going on, he was only five, but even he could tell it wasn't anything good.

The man's lips turned in an exaggerated frown. "Why are you so afraid of me?" There was no answer, only the small fearful whimpers that escaped her. The man's brows furrowed, his voice growing cold. "You're no fun. I wasted my time here then."

The hand around the girl's chin moved to her neck, holding her up against the wall and choking her. She gasped, clawing uselessly at his large hand that wrapped completely around her small neck. The man pulled out a small black spherical object with a rope sticking out of it from his arm and pushed it into her mouth. She let out a choked cry as tears streamed down her face and she shook visibly. The man grinned.

"Oh well. Bye bye, girlie."

He pinched the end of the rope and rubbed it between his fingers, making small sparks of light. When he pulled his hand away, a fire ran down the rope and to the black orb that was still in her mouth. The girl's eyes grew wider as cold sweat mixed with her tears.

The man stepped back just as the fire reached the black sphere. Izuku's body froze as there was a large blast that reminded him a bit of Kacchan's quirk, but bigger and deadlier. He felt the ground shake violently and the bright light forced him to squeeze his eyes shut as the situation finally dawned on him and he started crying. His hands flew up to his mouth to keep in his shouts, fearing that, even over the noise, the man would hear him and kill him next.

Kill.

Oh god.

That girl was dead.

And that man just killed her.

His brain told him to run, but Izuku couldn't move. He wasn't even shaking—he was frozen in place, eyes shut tight, hands over mouth, tears streaming down his face and onto the floor. The reality of the situation hit him like being tossed into icy cold water. The cold realization of what was going on.

A murderer was standing just a meter in front of him.

And he had just witnessed one of his crimes.

A scream crawled its way up his throat but Izuku forcefully shoved it back down. He wanted to sob and run, but he didn't want to divert the man's—no, villain's— attention to him and become his next victim. His ears were ringing after the loud explosion and his eyes widened in horror at the splotches of scattered scarlet blood that shone in the moonlight. There was a dark stain where the girl once stood and the streaks of red stretched on at least two meters across the walls and floor.

The villain's cackling reached his ringing ears and Izuku involuntarily looked over, his heart dropping to his stomach as he did. He was coaxed in her blood. It was smeared against his skin and covered his entire torso. His once green pants were dyed mahogany and his curled hair clumped together from the sticky liquid. The metallic stench mixed with the smell of gunpowder was forever embedded in his memory, but the next sight was burned into his eyes and soul.

The explosion from the villain's bomb didn't reach the lower half of the girl's body. Slumped against the wall was a body devoid of a chest, shoulders, and head. The shirt had burned away into ash that was smudged against her scorched skin and her legs were bent awkwardly, her own blood and ashes staining her pants. From Izuku's position, he couldn't exactly tell—especially through the tears—but he could see what he thought was a chunk of her spine and a bit of her ribs. It was a bloody, gorey mess that Izuku wanted to turn away from but somehow couldn't. His eyes then landed on a single limb that laid at the floor by her, an arm that was too pale and too red all the same. The hand at the end of it was stretched out and slack against the ground, lying in a puddle of its own blood. The other was probably on the other side of her body, hidden from his view.

The villain continued to laugh over the girl's body. A large hand came up to remove his glasses from his face. His eyes were as orange as the explosion.

He grinned, his teeth red from blood that wasn't his, and kicked the decapitated body with the tip of his studded boot. He kicked and kicked and kicked, over and over, laughing loudly as though he wanted to be discovered at that very moment. Her body jerked with each hit and there were several instances where Izuku heard the crunching sound of her ribs cracking under his feet.

The villain swung his leg at her side that cracked more ribs under the pressure and forced the body to fall over. It hit the floor with a thud and faced Izuku's direction. Blood and bits of white bone poured out of the open wound and onto the floor.

Izuku gagged and the noise slipped past his lips.

It was silent. Then the villain growled and turned.

"Who's there, hah?!"

Izuku shook, tightening his grip around his mouth.

"I heard ya, punk! Get outta there!"

The villain's foot hit the ground as he slowly and cautiously walked over in Izuku's direction. He scrambled, shrinking back from the edge of the dumpster. Minuscule whimpers escaped the boy's trembling fingers as he held back cries.

He had to keep quiet.

He had to keep quiet.

He had to keep quiet.

One wrong move and he could die.

The villain kept walking in his direction and Izuku's heart beat shot up with each ominous step that echoed around the alley. It got closer and closer and Izuku shut his eyes tight, waiting for the moment the villain found him and grabbed him and shoved a bomb in his mouth, too. He'd say, "No witnesses," and laugh as he rubbed his fingers together with the rope in between and watch the fire run up the rope and into the bomb and laugh—

The bloodied boot was right next to him and Izuku wished a silent 'goodbye' and 'I'm sorry' to his mother when there were bright red and blue lights that shined through his eyes and a loud siren that burst through the deadly silence.

It was the police.

———

Cold rushed through his veins as his eyes focused on the blonde rushing to him, hands crackling with sparks. The tension in his shoulders suddenly relaxed and his arms dropped dead by his side.

He watched as an explosion blew up from Kacchan's hands and a bright light engulfed his vision.

He closed his eyes.

No, it wasn't Kacchan he was afraid of.

It was his quirk.

This is probably the goriest chapter I'll write for this fic so, to those of you who felt queasy, don't worry there won't be any more (probably).

Anyway, sorry for the long wait! Thank you to those of you who still read this, despite it being, what, five months since I've updated? You all are amazing! Sadly, updates will probably come out a bit more rarely but I'll still do my best to write whenever I can! Maybe even make the chapters longer to make it worthwhile ;) Please be patient with me!!

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