Chapter Text
“For this year's Halloween watching, I have some more of those DVDs about different worlds.” Mina says while dressed as a sexy werewolf girl. “These ones are about Izuku and some of the rest of us are villains, in some cases brutal villains.”
“Seems like it is perfect for Halloween, ribbit.” Tsuyu says in a witch costume.
“Time to see if Deku can be scary.” The currently dressed as a demon, Ochako says.
“It will be fun if he can be.” The vampire Jiro adds.
Mina holds up the first DVD, showing Izuku walking down the street with a monster shadow behind him. “Let's begin the fun.”
--------
“What is a Quirk but a genetic factor? And what does that genetic factor cause but the presence of Quirk Factor in the blood?” Izuku muttered to himself as he patiently watched the still drip the clear liquid into the flask, “And what is Quirk Factor but a chemical? And chemicals can be synthesized.”
This was it. The culmination of fourteen years of work. Fourteen years of torment and bullying. Fourteen years since that day he’d been diagnosed quirkless. Slowly dripping into the flask on the desk in front of him.
Izuku looked around his room, eyes dragging tiredly over the various Hero posters, most of All Might, now almost entirely covered by diagrams and notes on chemical structures and anatomy. The steady dripping of the fluid echoed in his ears, tiny popping noises that rang out in the quiet of his room. He turned back to the desk, eyes drooping as he felt the beginnings of sleep start to creep up on him. How long had he been awake this time, he wondered, fighting off the feeling. He blinked as something around him changed, looking up as he realized what it was.
It was silent in his room. Completely silent. The dripping of his experiment had stopped, meaning that the chemical was finished distilling. Hurriedly, he moved to get up, the eighteen-year-old groaning slightly as he stood, his joints aching from having been in one position for too long. He shook his limbs out as he walked over to the desk, inspecting the clear liquid carefully for a moment before picking up the flask.
Carefully, he decanted some of it into a petri dish, picking up a bottle and carefully unscrewing the lid. Using an eyedropper, he dropped a single drop of the liquid in the bottle into the dish, watching intently as the dark blue liquid spread through the clear liquid. Would it work? He’d spent a small fortune to get the tiny bottle of Quirk Factor Indicator. After a moment, the blue liquid seemed to shimmer, turning a bright white, Izuku’s heart pounding in his chest.
“The lighter the Indicator, the higher the concentration of the Quirk Factor,” Izuku breathed, “I…I did it. I synthesized the Quirk Factor.”
Izuku chuckled to himself as he stepped back from the desk, his mind racing as he stared at his creation. He had just made a major scientific leap, decades, maybe even centuries ahead of anything that was being done at this time. At least anything legal. The thought shot through his mind. What he had made was technically illegal. The study of quirks was heavily regulated, with only a select few experts worldwide allowed to take on the task. And Izuku had just manufactured an artificial Quirk Factor in his bedroom.
“Izuku?” the sound of his mother’s voice made him jump, “Are you awake? It’s time for breakfast.”
“Y-yeah, mom,” He croaked, his throat dry as he glanced between the door and the desk, praying his mother didn’t enter, “I’ll be out in a moment.”
“Okay sweetie, I hope you slept well!”
Izuku swallowed as he felt his body untense, still staring at the flask on his desk. He would have to go to school soon. Would have to face the torment and bullying. Would have to face Katsuki. He had realized several years ago that the blond wasn’t his friend anymore. That he was a bully. Just like the rest. Just like the teachers. So Izuku had started to ignore them, just like they ignored him. It had taken almost an entire year of not reacting to their assaults until they finally seemed to get the message, or just got bored, and had begun to leave him alone to his research and work.
The needle pressed into his arm, Izuku blinking at the sharp pain, not remembering taking the syringe out of his drawer, nor drawing some of the fluid into it. He pulled back on the plunger, watching as a small amount of his blood swirled in the clear liquid. Was he really about to do this? Shouldn’t he perform more tests? Perfect the formula? He answered his own question as the burning sensation ran through his veins, making him gasp as the tears formed at the corners of his eyes.
Quickly, he pulled the needle out of his arm, pressing a finger to the small hole to staunch the bleeding as he grabbed a plaster from the small box on his shelf. He placed the pale bandage over the wound, staring at it as he felt the chemical he’d just made moving through his body, the burning having faded to an almost pleasant warmth. Taking a deep breath, he sealed the flask, placing it in the safe in the corner of his room and locking it away. Whatever the effects were, he could worry about that later.
Right now, he had breakfast to eat.
--------
“So that is a warning sign right at the start, mad scientist and messing with Quirk Factors and chemicals.” Mina says, “But still a good start to a horror story.”
“He manufactured an artificial Quirk Factor in his bedroom, ok so are we going to be dealing with zomblies, demons, monsters, or things that should not be?” Denkis says.
“And he took it himself, Bakugo we blame you.” Jrio says.
“What why?” Bakugo asks.
“He out right said you are his bully and pushed him to this point.”
“Teh.” Bakugo looks away.
--------
Katsuki Bakugo scowled as he watched the green-haired teen packing away his books, stepping back into the classroom, his two cronies behind him as he stomped over the desk. He inspected the nerd in front of him. He was somehow both short and lanky, his limbs skinny and skin pale. He looked like a stiff breeze wouldn’t so much blow him over as carry him away. And yet he still thought he was better than Katsuki.
“Oi, Deku,” Katsuki barked, startling the other teen, who looked up at him, the blond surprised by the deep bags under his eyes, “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”
“Huh?” Izuku yawned, blinking sleepily, “I’m going home.”
“Holy shit!” One of his lackeys laughed, “He actually responded for once! We all thought you’d gone mute as well as quirkless, Deku!”
“No…I just don’t talk…because you’re all…” he trailed off as he yawned, reaching for a notebook on his desk.
“We’re what, Deku?” Katsuki hissed as he snatched the book up, flipping it open and looking at the pages.
“What’s that? His diary?” the other lackey sniggered, Bakugo just sneering at the contents of the pages. He wasn’t sure, but it looked like some kind of complex math formula, except it was also written in some kind of code, so he had no chance of deciphering it now.
“The fuck is this, Deku?” he spat, “You still doing those creepy notebooks on everyone’s quirks?”
“No,” Izuku muttered as he held out his hand, “Can I have that back?”
“This?” Katsuki cackled as he held up the book, “Sure.”
He tossed it into the air, before bringing both hands down on the cover with a clap, activating his quirk at the same time. The pages blackened as the explosion engulfed the book, the smell of caramel and burning paper filling the air as Izuku started, his eyes shooting open as he stared at the destroyed object in Katsuki’s hands in shock.
“Finally fucking awake, Deku?” the blond laughed, tossing the book out the nearby open window, “You want it back. Go fetch.”
Katsuki turned and headed towards the door of the classroom, pausing as he reached it. He glanced back, looking at the other teen as he just stared blankly out the window. Maybe the worthless shit should just jump out of it.
“Hey, Deku,” the words left his mouth before he could think, “If you’re so sure you’ll get a quirk in the next life, why don’t you go take a swan dive off the roof?”
Silence echoed through the room as Bakugo glared at Izuku, daring him to challenge the blonde’s words, sneering again when he didn’t.
“Fucking useless cowa-.”
“Why don’t you?”
“Huh?” Bakugo and his cronies turned to see Izuku staring right back at them.
“Are you deaf or dumb?” the green-haired teen suddenly chuckled, his tone slightly lilting as he spoke, “I told you to go jump off the roof. In fact, make it all three of you. Make the world a better place without your pathetic Villainous selves.”
“Villainous…?” one of the cronies scoffed, “Fuck you, Deku! I ain’t a fucking Villain! Just like you’ll never be a Hero!”
“Says who?” the teen laughed, stepping forwards, the three boys blinking as he suddenly appeared in front of them, “Some pathetic little boy who has to hide behind the emotionally unstable wonder child? What was your quirk again? Oh yes, extendo-fingers.”
The sounds of breaking bones echoed through the room, making the three of them jump. Fingers looked down at his hand, the other two also glancing down. Izuku’s fist was wrapped around the appendage, blood oozing between his fingers as he released the hand, all three of them staring dumbfounded at the twisted mess that was Fingers’ hand. The boy screamed, clutching the limb to his chest as he fell to his knees, Bakugo standing stock still as he watched Izuku inspect the blood on his hand, a demented grin inching across the green-haired boy’s face.
“Deku…What the fuck did you just do?” He asked.
“Huh? Who’s Deku?” the person in front of them asked, looking at them with genuine confusion, “Is that my name? Deku…Deku…No, I don’t like it. I don’t think I want it as my name.”
“WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT, YOU WORTHLESS DEKU?!” Bakugo screamed, bringing his hands up as explosions crackled across his palms, “WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING?”
“Who areyou talking to?” the person chuckled, “I could have sworn I just told you that my name is not “Deku”. Actually, didn’t I tell you to go jump off the roof? Why haven’t you done that yet?”
“FUCK THAT! I DON’T LISTEN TO YOU!”
“Oh, okay,” the person giggled, “Well then, I suppose I should be leaving now, I have something I need to check.”
“FUCK THAT! YOU’RE GOING TO EXPLAIN EXACTLY WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON HERE, DEKU!” Katsuki screeched as he reached his hand out to grab the person by the shoulder.
Pain rocketed up his arm, blinding Katsuki for a moment, before his vision cleared and he could see his outstretched arm again. Except it wasn’t outstretched any more. His entire forearm looked wrong, like it was too short and thick, his palm facing backwards as the person released his wrist. Katsuki paled as he watched the hand twist in his sleeve, once, twice, three times, before the limb flopped down like it was a half-deflated balloon.
“Oh, woops,” the person standing in front of him hummed as Katsuki stumbled back, staring at his arm in shock.
“AAAAH!” Lackey two screamed as he suddenly started scrambling to get out the door, sending a jolt of pain up Katsuki’s arm as he shoved the blond out of the way. Katsuki barely had time to blink before the person was past him, holding the lackey’s head against the wall.
No, Katsuki realised as a shiver ran up his spine, his head wasn’t against the wall, it was embedded in it. Blood dripped from the hole as the person stepped back, shaking off his hand as he turned to grin at Katsuki, before stepping forwards.
“You know, this is fun,” the person giggled, “I like this. I think I’ll do it more.”
“D-Deku! S-stay away from me!” Katsuki screeched as he stumbled back, tripping backwards over Fingers as the over boy lay on the ground sobbing.
The last thing the blond remembered before waking up in the hospital was the hand closing over his face.
--------
“Now we see the build up to doom.” Mina says with a grin as she eats candy.
“And so it begins.” Denki says, as he sees the switch flip in the tone of Izuku's voice.
“Oh gods he just broke that guys fingers.” Ochako says, staring at the scene.
“Looks like it is the dark side of Izuku that is talking, your counterpart has pushed him too far.” Mina says.
Bakugo rubs his arms, his face pale as he sees that Midoriya break the limb making it flopped down like it was a half-deflated balloon.
“Looks like he became a monster and it has only begun.” Denki says, nearly spilling his drink.
--------
Izuku woke up slowly, stretching in his bed as he looked around his room in confusion. Hadn’t he just been at school? How had he gotten home? Maybe he had dissociated due to lack of sleep? That had to be it. He must have gone to bed early then because he felt strangely well rested.
“Izuku?” his mother’s voice came through the door, making him look up, “Are you okay? Y-your school just called. They said classes are cancelled for today.”
“They are?” Izuku hummed as he got up, stretching slightly, blinking away the last of the sleep, “Why?”
“A-apparently there was a Villain attack at your school yesterday,” the woman’s voice was unsteady, Izuku recognizing it as the tone she usually had just before she burst into tears, “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Yes,” he said as he walked over to the door, opening it, and smiling at his mother, the woman looking at him in surprise, “I actually feel great.”
“Oh!” She gasped, her tears seemingly forgotten as she beamed back, suddenly wrapping her arms around him, “Oh, thank goodness. I was so worried that you’d tried to hide that you’d been involved from me!”
“Involved?” Izuku blinked, “Why would I be involved?”
“B-because,” the worried tone returned, “I f-found blood on your school uniform yesterday after you got home last night.”
--------
“Hmmm seems like it is a case of split personality.” Momo says.
“Wonder how this is going to go.”
--------
“How is he?”
Mitsuki looked up in shock as Izuku Midoriya ran up to her, his face etched with concern as he stared at her.
“How is Katsuki?” he asked again.
The blond woman couldn’t hold back her tears as she collapsed into his chest, sobbing loudly as she gripped his shirt. Izuku nervously wrapped his arms around her as his mother hurried up beside him, an equally worried expression on her face.
“Mitsuki,” she hummed, gently stroking her spiky blond hair, “Mitsuki, it’s okay, let it out.”
“It’s not fucking okay!” the woman howled, suddenly pushing away and staring at them, tears still pouring from her eyes, “They…whatever bastards did this to my boy…they…they…he can’t be a Hero anymore!”
“Mitsuki?” Inko said, Izuku just staring at her in shock, “What are you saying?”
“They destroyed his arms! The doctors…they said that with extensive surgery, physical therapy and time…he may gain the use of his arms back…but…” she trailed off, almost whispering the next part, “He’ll never be able to use his quirk again. It would cause him too much pain.”
“Oh gods,” Inko gasped, staring at the sobbing woman in shock, “Mitsuki, I’m so sorry!”
“What happened?” Izuku muttered, “I…I saw Katsuki at school yesterday…he…he was fine…”
Not that he deserved to be.
The sudden thought shocked Izuku, the teen stumbling back slightly.
“Izuku? Are you okay?” his mother asked.
“I…I don’t know,” he muttered, “I…I have to check something.”
The two women could only watch as he turned away and bolted from the hospital.
--------
“Oh gods, he went after how the quirk worked.” Toru says, “the hatred of that quirkless Midoryia has gone after someone's quirk.”
“That is what it looks like, and it looks like he may know.” Izuku says.
Bakugo just keeps rubbing his arms while muttering. “That could have been me, that could have been me.”
--------
Naomasa Tsukauchi sighed as he stared at the thick folder on his desk. He flipped open the cover, staring at the first case. A purse-snatcher with a wolf mutation quirk that had managed to evade the Heroes that had chased him. Nothing too out of the ordinary. Until they found him the second time.
He had been brutalised, his muzzle crushed, teeth pulled, and ears almost torn out. Not to mention the extensive damage to the rest of his body that had meant he’d probably be crippled for the rest of his life. And that was only the beginning.
It had been a month since the attacks had started, each time some Villain or criminal being found half beaten to death. And each time, it seemed like the perpetrator had focused the damage on their quirk. A woman with the ability to control her hair had her scalp ripped off. A man who had laser eyes had them gouged out. Even small, seemingly useless quirks were targeted, making it impossible for them to be used again.
“Detective,” Naomasa jumped slightly at the voice, looking up to see the cat-headed officer, “I brought you some coffee.”
“Thanks, Sansa,” He sighed, “I’m just going over the new Vigilante case file again. Though we should hardly be calling them a Vigilante.”
“They’ve only gone after Villains to this point, right?” the man asked as he put the cup down on Naomasa’s desk, “Even if he has been…doing that.”
“Yes, but how long will it last? So far, he’s only gone after small time criminals, purse-snatchers or pick pockets,” the detective groaned, “How long until he goes after someone bigger? Or worse, a civilian?”
“Wasn’t there a similar case at Alderra High School?” the cat-headed man asked, “Three students were brutalised in much the same way.”
“We were never able to connect that case. The three students who were attacked had clean records, so it made no sense. Even if it matches the Vigilante’s MO.”
“Are you sure?” Sansa asked, “I mean, I did interview some of their classmates. All of them only had good things to say…except one.”
“One? Who?” Naomasa asked, sipping from his coffee.
“A quirkless boy…Uhm…his name was Midoriya, I think,” Sansa replied, “He said that he didn’t have a good relationship with the victims but left it at that.”
“Quirkless?” Naomasa hummed, “Well, he obviously couldn’t have been the Vigilante, but maybe he might be able to tell us why the boys were attacked.”
“What makes you say that?”
“Because,” The detective hummed as he got up from his chair, draining the rest of the coffee before putting on his trench coat, “I have a bad feeling about this.”
--------
“He really is going after quirks, in a whole if I can’t have one no one can mindset.” Denki says.
“A brutal Vigilante, it will be messy when he goes after bigger prey.” Iida says as he watches, unknowingly rubbing his cafes.
“Time to see how this Izuku reacts to the detective.” Mina says.
--------
Cold cold cold cold cold.
The single word echoed in Izuku’s head as he fell out of bed, scrambling towards the safe in the corner as he shivered uncontrollably. He barely managed to twist the dial to the correct numbers before flinging open the safe door, snatching up the flask that sat inside. Somehow, just having it close seemed to alleviate the strange symptoms he was feeling, allowing him to walk more calmly to his desk and retrieve a clean syringe from the drawer.
He didn’t think twice as he filled it to the maximum, scowling as he had to waste a few drops of the precious fluid to get the air out of the device. He stabbed the needle into his arm, gasping as the burning feeling shot through his flesh. Carefully, he withdrew the needle, taking a calming breath before clenching his fist, finding an actual vein to inject his quirk factor into. The heat spread through him again as he let out a tired sigh.
“The withdrawal symptoms are getting worse,” he muttered, “I need to find a more permanent solution. Something that will actually change my body, so I start naturally producing the Quirk Factor.”
“Izuku?” the sound made him jump, looking at his door as he hurriedly shoved the syringe into his drawer, “Are you okay? I heard you fall.”
“I’m fine mom,” Izuku replied, “Just fine! Simply slipped as I was getting up!”
“Oh, okay,” her voice was soft, “What time did you get home last night?”
“Last night?” he asked, “Uhm…I…I don’t remember? I just left school and then…”
Izuku blinked. He didn’t remember anything after walking out the school gates. It was something that had been happening a lot lately. Gaps in his memory. Stretches of darkness followed by waking up in his bed. Izuku had just pegged it as a side effect of his body getting used to the Quirk Factor. But if he got home late…was there something else?
“I’m just worried, because of that new…well they’re calling him a Vigilante, but he’s doing horrible things to people,” Inko sighed through the door.
“Only the people with quirks,” Izuku replied as he quickly got changed, “So I’m probably the safest person around.”
“Still…”
“I’ll be careful, mom,” Izuku hummed as he did his tie, looking into his mirror and straightening it, “I promise.”
“Thank you,” the woman replied, before he heard her walk away from the door.
“Okay…” Izuku whispered, going to his desk and looking at the notes scattered across it, “I just need to figure out the mechanism for producing Quirk Factor within the body, then I should be able to start…huh?”
He stared at the post it notes stuck to the wall above the table. He reached out and grabbed one, staring at the writing in confusion. It was his handwriting, but he had no memory of writing these. Another memory anomaly? Or something else? Swallowing, he reread the message scrawled over the yellow paper, the words sending a strange shiver up his spine.
What’s my name?
--------
“He really does have no memory and has no clue the bloody trail he is leaving as he blacks out.” Mina points out between mouthfuls of candy.
“Plus it looks like the other half still wants a name.” Izuku says.
--------
“Hello, I am Detective Naomasa Tsukauchi,” the plain looking man in the pressed white shirt and black tie said as he sat opposite the green-haired teen, “Just so you know, my quirk is called Lie Detection, it allows me to know when someone is lying to me.”
“Okay,” the boy sad, nodding slightly to him.
“Now, I believe you may have some information on the Villain attack at Aldera High School last month.”
“I…I do?” the eighteen-year-old replied, “I…uhm…I know the people who were attacked.” Truth.
“And what was your relationship with them?” Naomasa asked, raising and eyebrow as the teen looked away.
“I…They’re…they bully me sometimes,” Izuku muttered. Truth.
“They do?” the detective asked, “What do they do?”
“T-they call me names,” Truth.
“B-beat me up,” Truth.
“Steal my stuff and put tacks on my chair,” Truth.
Naomasa was already starting to dislike the three boys, despite having seen the report of their injuries. How had this been allowed to carry on? And from the sounds of it, it had been happening for a long time.
“O-one of them…one of them told me to kill myself.” Truth.
“Who?” the question left his mouth before he could think, “Which one told you to kill yourself?”
“Kac-,” the teen caught himself, taking a deep breath before speaking again, “Katsuki Bakugo. He’s also the one that usually instigates the bullying.” Truth.
“Katsuki Bakugo?” Naomasa hummed, glancing down at the folder on the table in front of him, “I believe that is the name of the…main target of the attack.”
“Y-yeah.” Truth.
“Could you run me through exactly what happened that day? Preferably from the start of the day?”
“O-okay,” Izuku muttered, “I…uhm…I hadn’t gotten a lot of sleep because of…work I was doing.” Truth.
“School work?”
“N-no, a personal project.” Truth.
“Okay, so what happened next?”
“I went to school after eating breakfast. I went to my lessons. I was packing up my belongings when Katsuki and his…friends approached me.” Truth.
“Is this when he told you to kill yourself?”
“Sort of. He…burned one of my notebooks with his quirk first. Then told me to…to jump off the roof as he was leaving the classroom.” Truth.
“Leaving the classroom?” Naomasa blinked, “But they were found inside the classroom after the attack.”
“T-they were?” Izuku muttered, looking away.
“And after that? After you saw them leave the classroom, what happened?”
“Leave…?” Izuku muttered, “I…I didn’t see them leave. I was staring at the window that Katsuki threw my book out of and…and…I was angry.” Truth.
“Angry? What did you do after that?”
“I…I don’t remember.” Truth.
“You don’t remember?”
“I’ve been having…memory problems lately. I black out a lot.” Truth.
“Oh, do you know why?”
“I…I might? I’m on a…new medication. It’s one of the possible side effects.” Truth.
“When does this happen?”
“I…I can’t really predict it.” Truth.
“What medication?”
“Just something for anxiety.” Lie.
“Anxiety?”
“I suffer from anxiety.” Truth. “The new medication is supposed to help with that.” Lie.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.” Lie.
“Very well, Mr. Midoriya, I think that’s all I need to ask you for the moment. Thank you for coming in.”
“O-okay,” the teen muttered, getting up from the chair, “I…I hope you’ll be able to catch whoever did this to Katsuki.” Truth.
“Oh, I’m sure we will,” Naomasa hummed, watching the boy as he left. After a moment, he pulled out his cellphone, dialling Sansa and speaking quietly as he stared at the closed door, “Hey Sansa, put a surveillance team on the Midoriya household. I don’t think he’s involved in the attacks, but there may be something else.”
--------
Everyone’s eyes twitch upon once again hearing what Izuku used to go though. Bakugo looks down, now muttering. “He earned it, he earned it. It is what he deserved.”
“Seems like the Detective has an idea that may be tied to Izuku but right now has no proof.” Momo says.
“So it seems.” Jiro says.
--------
“So, you’re the new Vigilante they’ve been talking about.”
The figure looked up at him, eyes darting around slightly before the focussed on his hiding place in the shadows. Chizome Akaguro was slightly surprised as he stared at the figure, taking in the short form and thin limbs, the scruffy green hair and bright emerald eyes. The blood stains that covered his forearms, soaking into his school uniform as he held the twisted arm of his latest victim.
“A child…” he growled, “A child has been doing all this?”
“And who might you be?” the boy asked, a wide grin on his face as he stared at Chizome, “A fan?”
“Ha!” the man laughed harshly, dropping to the ground as he drew his sword, pointing it at the boy, “I am the stain on society that this corrupt world has created. The stain born from the corruption that infects this Hero-worshipping world! The stain that shall purge it of those evils. I am the Hero Killer: Stain!”
“And what do you want with me?” the boy chuckled, shaking some of the blood off his hands, “I’m not a Hero, now am I?”
“No,” Chizome growled, recoiling slightly at the gleam in the teen’s eyes, the predatory look that almost matched his own, “You are not. Yet you still strive to act as one.”
“I do?”
“You have only been attacking Villains,” the man growled, sliding into a combat stance as he glared at the teen, “You have styled yourself a Vigilante. You use your quirk for your own needs, rather than those of others. You are just as much a product of this corrupt society as I am.”
“I am?”
“Yes,” Chizome growled, “Initially, I had thought us the same. Both warriors striving to rid this world of corruption, just by different methods. But now I see I was wrong. You have no such wishes, no such conviction; you are little more than a beast in human skin.”
“A beast?” the boy asked, blinking at Chizome, “Is that all?”
“Yes.”
“And what do you plan to do about that?” the teen laughed, tossing the limp body he’d been holding the entire time behind him, the wall cracking under the force as the Villain slammed into it.
“A strength quirk,” Chizome muttered, “No worry, I shall end this fight in a moment.”
“You will?” the teen laughed again, “How?”
“LIKE THIS!”
The blade sailed through the air, sweeping through the empty space that the teen had once occupied. Chizome skidded to a halt as he spun, barely blocking the punch with his blade, grinning as the edge bit into flesh.
“I have you now!” he laughed, his tongue lashing out at the wound.
The hand closed around the appendage almost faster than Stain could blink, crushing it easily as the teen twisted it away from the wound. There was a wet tearing sound as Chizome tried to leap back, his mouth filling with blood as he choked. He stared in horror at the length of flesh grasped in the boy’s hand, the teen wiggling it slightly as he ignored the wound on his hand.
“Is that how your quirk works?” the boy hummed, a look of interest in his eyes, “Interesting.”
“Yoo…” the killer spat through the blood pouring down his chin, “Wha ah yoo?”
“Me?” the teen shrugged as he turned back to Chizome, “No idea.”
The hand closed over Chizome’s jaw before he could react, the familiar wet sound of flesh tearing being accompanied by the crushing of bone and popping of joints as it echoed down the empty alleyway. He watched as the teen tossed his torn off jaw aside like it was some useless piece of trash, already taking another step towards him.
Chizome Akagure felt fear.
--------
“Looks like the Hero Killer is biting off more he can chew with the other Vigilante.” Mina says.
“And saying the wrong things, he should have just left him alone.” Iuku says, “but it is too late now.”
Iida glups, “I may still hate him but even I don’t want to see that happen to him.”
--------
Izuku stared at the notebook on his desk.
It had been an experiment. That was all. He had expected nothing to come of it. Had hoped nothing would come of it. Yet, after he had left it open on his desk one morning, a single question written at the top of the first page, he had awoken the next day to a response.
Who are you?
Don’t know. Give me a name.
It had been several weeks since then, the teen having asked any and all questions he could think of as he communicated with this person, his fear and shock rising with each response. He flipped to the front of the notebook, looking over the first questions he’d asked.
Where did you come from?
I don’t know. Give me a name.
What do you want?
I don’t know. Give me a name.
Did you hurt Katsuki Bakugo?
Who?
The blond boy from my school.
Yes.
Why?
It was fun. Give me a name.
Izuku shivered as he reread the familiar handwriting, though somehow written different. More flowing. More confident. He flipped through the next few pages, falling on a page from two weeks ago.
Are you the one attacking people?
What people? When are you going to give me a name?
Villains.
Probably. I want a name.
Why? Why do you hurt them so badly?
Don’t know. So they can’t be Villains anymore. Give me a name.
Izuku swallowed as he looked over the words again, flipping to the latest page. The person had filled an entire page with a single sentence, written tidily along the lines.
Give me a name.
Give me a name.
Give me a name.
Give me a name.
Give me a name.
Give me a name.
Give me a name.
Give me a name.
Why?
I want a name.
Why do you want a name?
Because I don’t have one. Give me a name.
What if I don’t?
I’ll take one.
The finality of the line had made Izuku shiver. He stared at the blank line beneath it for over an hour now. What would happen if he complied? What name could he give this person that would satisfy them. What did they mean by “take one”? Shakily, he lifted his pen, pressing it to the paper as he half remembered an ancient pre-quirk book he’d had to read in English once. The pen scraped across the surface of the paper far too loudly as he spelled out the word, shivers running up his spine as he stared at the stark black ink against the white paper.
Hyde
He blinked, wiping his eyes as they ached slightly, looking back at the page, and freezing.
There, scrawled beneath the name he’d just written, was another message, written in the same flowing hand as the rest of the responses.
Thank you. I like it.
--------
“Oh my this is a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde story.” Momo says as everyone looks at her. “‘The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’ was written by prequirk writer Robert Louis Stevenson. It is a narrative about the complexities of science and the duplicity of human nature. Dr Jekyll was a kind, well-respected and intelligent scientist who meddles with the darker side of science, as he wants to bring out his 'second' nature. He does this through transforming himself into Mr Hyde - his evil alter ego who doesn't repent or accept responsibility for his evil crimes and ways. Jekyll tries to control his alter ego, Hyde, and for a while, Jekyll has the power. However, towards the end of the novel, Hyde takes over and this results in their deaths.”
“That seems to be it Momo,” Izuku looks at it. “Thou unlike Mr. Hyde, this Hyde still is somewhat bound to the hero way, seeing that yes he has harmed villains in a brutal way, it seems he never killed.”
“Wow Momo and Midori that is a good some up, so what do you want to watch next everyone.”