Archive of Our Own ^beta

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Chapter 1: Nyctohylophobia

Bakugou Katsuki wasn't afraid of no punk ass bitchy little forest. And he especially wasn’t a quivering mess like Deku next to him. The loser kept grabbing onto him anytime a bush shook or one of the branches overhead shook. It made slogging through the woods late at night even worse because his arm holding the flashlight kept getting jerked around. The trail was barely visible underfoot this deep in covered as it was in leaves and bushes encroaching onto the path. It would be a pain if they got lost and he had to spend the night with cry baby Deku.

“Kacchan come on, let's go back already,” Izuku pleaded tugging at his friend's sleeve. “Haven’t we gone far enough yet? Nobody actually expected you to do it.”

Bakugou shoved him away causing Izuku to nearly stumble into a bush. In a second Izuku had righted himself and was right back to clinging to Bakugou for safety. “I ain’t no coward. And I’m going to prove to those fucking extras that I’m not afraid of anything. And you’re coming with me as a witness. So stop quivering and pick up the pace. We’re almost there.” He turned back to the trail and started walking faster, uncaring if he left Deku behind.

Izuku squeaked as Bakugou hurried along and started jogging to catch up not wanting to get left behind. He had been the only willing to go along with Bakugou after the other boy had been dared by his friends. He didn’t want to do this. Oh who was he kidding? He was absolutely terrified right now. But Kacchan had needed his help. And maybe he could also prove himse

“Ahh!” Bakugou nearly fell to the ground underneath the sudden weight on his back that came from Deku clinging to him.

“Will you stop freaking out from every single little noise! It’s not like you're going to get eaten by a wolf or something you dipshit.”

“I can’t help it Kacchan,” Izuku whined. “It’s just scary because you can’t see anything.”

“Oh come on. That’s not what you’re supposed to be scared of.” Seeing Izuku’s blank look he pressed on. “Didn’t any of those extras tell you about where we’re going?” Izuku shook his head. Bakugou felt a dark grin grow on his face.

“Well you see it all starts with this hermit who decided to live here. Or maybe he was a monk. Whatever, it doesn’t really matter which he was. What’s important is that he liked the solitude of the forest. He built himself a cabin, grew a garden in one of the clearings, and meditated or some shit like that. Anyway he liked living here.

“And then what happened?” Izuku asked curiously. This didn’t seem like any reason to be afraid. In fact it made the whole place decidedly less scary.

Bakugou was ecstatic at how hooked the damn nerd was on his story but tamped it down. He was just getting warmed up. “Well then the people came. And then more people. They started walking through his forest and ruining it. They trampled his garden and scared away the animals he liked. Teenagers he hated the most because they were always so disrespectful and loud he couldn’t even meditate. Some say that he prayed and cursed the entire place. The people who entered his precious forest got lost and starved or ate plants that were suddenly poisonous. The worst was when people died and it was only known because others stumbled on their rotting corpses.” Izuku gulped. This was where they were exploring? “When he saw what he had done he hung himself from a tree by his cabin. Of course that’s not the worst part.”

“I-I-It’s w-wworse?” Izuku was shaking like a leaf on one of the branches overhead.

“Oh yes,” Bakugou said with an absolutely feral grin on his face. “Remember how he prayed and cursed the whole forest?” Izuku fearfully nodded his head. “Some say he didn’t pray to god. Or at least not a nice god but a horrid wicked dark thing. He wanted revenge on all the intruders and he got it. It only cost his life!” Izuku shrieked at Bakugou’s sudden shout.

Bakugou had gotten fully into telling his horror story, pressing on despite how close to passing out Izuku looked. “His spirit couldn’t pass on because of how wicked it was and continues to haunt this forest. And he still doesn’t like people coming in and ruining it. Course you don’t got anything to worry about,” he added slyly.

Izuku started to look hopeful. “I-I d-don’t-tt?”

“Course not. For all the good people he ends their suffering quick.” Izuku paled and started shaking again. He felt like he was going to throw up. “He turns them into trees so they can be a part of his forest. It hurts a bit, but then it’s all over and you don’t feel anything.”

“Of couse all the bad ones he hunts down. And you run and run while he slowly steals you away. If you’re lucky you can escape but you’ll have always lost something. Your sight, an arm, your mind. The unlucky ones keep running until there’s nothing left for him to take. Then, no no I shouldn’t mention that,” Bakugou said shaking his head.

Izuku was already terrified out of his mind. He didn’t want to hear any more of this horrible forest that was probably going to end up killing him. But a morbid curiosity forced him to ask.

“Oh are you sure you want to know?” He didn’t trust himself to be able to speak so he simply nodded. “Well the ones that he hates the most he makes an example out of. He hunts them like the others, but he catches them. He wants them to suffer like he did when he hung himself. So he stabs them onto the trees and watches as they bleed out.” Izuku collapsed, his poor heart not able to take anymore.

He woke up to Bakugou laughing, tears streaming down his face and bent nearly double. “God you’re such a scaredy cat Deku. You couldn’t even handle a scary story. I can’t believe you fell for it.” Izuku’s protesting simply started up Bakugou’s laughter again. “You’re so pathetic. Now let’s go, we still need to get to the center,” he said sobering up. Izuku followed along feeling extremely miffed at how Bakugou had played with his fears.

 Oh God! Oh God! Shit shit shit shit shit! “Kacchan where are you? Don’t you want to play?” Bakugou tried to run even faster away from that...that thing. Whatever it was wasn’t Deku anymore. He had heard Deku shouting when he was trying take a picture of the abandoned cabin for proof, but had just thought it was the nerd freaking out like normal.

It was too late. It was like Deku was splitting open and something was coming out. He shoved those memories out of his head and kept running. He wasn’t even sure he was running the right way but he needed to get out.

He kept expecting that monster to pounce on his back at any second. It was impossible to hear anything over his sharp gasps that fueled his frantic charge through the forest. His legs were burning, his chest was on fire, and his eyes stung from sweat. His whole body was fire like he was in hell. It was shock or terror, he knew that in some small part of his mind, but he almost wanted to be cut and clawed and bleeding because then it would be cool flowing over his flesh.

He was trapped. He kept running, but nothing was changing. The same horrid black trees with their grasping claws tearing at him, the terrible dark bushes with leafy maws that lashed out against his legs. Deku’s voice calling out again and again as he tried to escape. The dark pressing in like hooks undeterred by his meager flashlight.

Hell wasn’t some lake of fire. It was these damned trees and that horrible thing behind him hunting for eternity. He wanted to collapse but some dark urge kept him going past what his body could take. His legs slowly shattering each time they hit the ground. His chest ripping as his lungs swelled. His throat torn bit by bit by each breath that rushed down it.

Was it getting lighter? Were the trees thinning? Like a drop of water in hell was this some miracle? He didn’t slow down only pushing himself harder. Even if his body was torn to pieces, shattered beyond repair he wanted out. He wanted out of this hell even if he died. 30 meters until the tree line.

20 He could do it. He burned but he didn’t care.

15 He was going to make it. The fire was stabbing straight through his head.

10, 9, 8 It hurt, it hurt so much. The pain was overwhelming him. His tears were like lava on his face.

7, 6, 5 He was free. Free of this hell of trees and darkness.

“Oh there you are Kacchan.”

Detective Tsukauchi felt sick to his stomach at the scene in front of him. Two teens had gone missing in the forest near Mustafu and they had sent out a search party. They had found evidence for both of the boys, but it was not good. This was the work of one of the most twisted psychos he had ever seen.

The blonde, Bakugou Katsuki, was impaled over a small sapling by the side of a clearing. Each limb had had multiple branches shoved through just at the breaking point where the skin and muscles could still keep it from splitting all the way open. Clearly they knew what they were doing. The torso was the worst, like a pincushion with how the murderer had done his arboreal work. 

The other, Izuku Midoriya, they could only find his clothes. Ripped and bloodstained it didn’t bode well, but maybe they could find him before it was too late. As he took one last look at the scene a horrid thought entered his head. The branches looked like bloodstained hands offering a twisted sacrifice, while blood clotted in a mossy patch of hair, and a hollow in the trunk screamed for all eternity. He shook his head dispelling the dark vision. He couldn’t let the horrific scene affect him. He had a kidnapping to solve.

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Chapter 2: Siren Song

Shoto Todoroki panted, his back up against the wall. Shit! It had been such a simple mission. Rescue the trapped civilians so how did it get like this? Scarlet hair like a blazing sunset. He put his hands over his ears but that damned voice seemed to echo in his head. White hair as pure as fresh snow. Isn’t that pink like a pretty cherry blossom? He slammed his head against the wall again and again and again and again, but he couldn’t ignore it. Won’t you come back my pretty cherry blossom?

He had already taken a few steps before he realized and slammed an icicle into his leg. It hurt as it sliced open his leg, joining the other burns and cuts he had already accumulated. He wouldn’t be able to keep this up, but the pain helped keep him grounded. He was most likely going to die. Either from self inflicted wounds or when his will crumbled and he went back to those two monsters.

Rage swelled within him at the thought of letting his comrade’s sacrifices be in vain. He had to be strong. Iida and Uraraka hadn’t been able to resist and it was only luck that had cruelly spared him. They had seen them chained up and bloody rushing forward without a second thought. And then their blood was joining the stains already on those two boys. How many people had they killed like this? He had to escape. He had to!

Don’t you want to run in the forest? Among the verdant leaves and grass? Swim in these emerald pools that shine? That was the other reason he was fighting so hard to escape. It had to be their quirk, there was simply no other explanation for how someone could be so beautiful. Their eyes seemed to just overflow with tears and pulled at your heart. Their little cheeks and huge smile that just lit up your world. 

That fluffy green hair. What would it feel like? It would be soft. Like falling asleep in the grass on a warm summer’s day. Or maybe like a patch of cool dewy moss, a resting place out of a fairy tale. It would be nice. So so nice.

No! He couldn’t give in. He brought down his hand flaming resting it on his skin until it was burnt. Even the horrid smell of cooking himself alive could barely drive away these haunting thoughts.

Please come back. We’re all alone. They were alone because they killed his friends. But they did seem so sad .

Please save us. It hurts. It hurts so much. They deserved to hurt, they were little demons. Did they really? Was he being too cruel.

I didn’t want to do it. We had to. That did make some sense. Some villain had probably conditioned them to be killers. Please save us. Could he really leave two victims there all alone and hurting ? It wouldn’t be right. He had to go back to them.

Each step towards them fueled the certainty in his heart that he was making the right choice . He wouldn’t be caught off guard again.

When he re-entered the room the purple haired one was softly sobbing and it was breaking his heart. How much had they been hurt? And that’s when he caught a glimpse of heaven. Somehow the other had become even more beautiful than he had remembered. He walked forward in a trance letting himself get lost in that beauty. The boy stumbled forward, eyes shining with tears and Todoroki caught him letting the young boy cry into his chest.

How could anyone ever be this cruel? He was nearly breaking down into tears himself while petting the green hair in front of his face. When the boy pulled back Todoroki saw that wondrous beauty again. Up close he could see a smattering of freckles he hadn’t noticed before. And those lips were such a ruby red.

Oh he was crying. He reached up to wipe the tears away and tried to comfort him, but his voice wouldn’t come out. Trying again only caused a bubbling at his throat. And now there were little flecks of red, but they didn’t make the face before him lesser in any way. They complimented the red of his lips so well. He relaxed letting himself be laid down on the floor. This was heaven and he would be safe with this angel.

Shinso continued to cry even as the hunger overtook him. He hated having to kill, but the bodies in front of him were too tantalizing. He could feel their unblinking eyes staring at him. Watching. Judging. Calling him a monster. He hated what he was, but couldn’t hold himself back anymore. He had starved for years not knowing how to satisfy himself until he had met Izuku. Even after feasting on hundreds of corpses the pain in his stomach was only beginning to subside. Maybe a few more years and then he would finally be free. They had seemed like such good heroes trying to help, but that didn’t save them from his starvation. The only way they could help was like this, letting himself be gorged on their flesh. 

Izuku was also crying. He had finally done it and it was overwhelming him. Everyone had always said a siren without a voice was doomed to failure. Nobody wanted a freak like him. But here he was with his own body. Not scraps from the garbage or scavenging roadkill. Even Shinso sharing what remained of his kills didn’t feel like this. 

The human in front of him simply laid still even as he bled out. The human didn't even flinch when Izuku bit into his shoulder a sign that he was truly mesmerized. They continued to smile and pet Izuku’s hair. He could feel pride welling up and leaking out as tears even as he continued to tear into the still alive body. Normally he found human flesh to be too rich compared to his normal fare, barely able to eat a few mouthfuls. But this, this tasted of sweetness and joy and fulfillment. And he hoped that the next one would too.

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Chapter 3: Cult

Bakugou Katsuki felt his head pounding as he slowly woke up. Damn what had happened? He tried to reach up, but found that his arms wouldn’t move. Iron boxes covered his hands and feet while chains connected him to the ceiling and floor. Suspended like this he could barely flail back and forth in the air. He couldn’t blast the damn things apart without ruining his hands in the process. Jerking at his restraints caused them to dig into his skin and start chafing away his flesh. Did these fuckers sharpen the cuffs or something? His skin already felt raw and he had barely been trying for a minute.

“Bakugou Katsuki.” Turning his gaze away from his chains he saw five creeps standing in front of him. They were wearing some sort of cloth over most of their face and blood red robes with hoods further obscuring them. “We are the Order of the Bloodstained and you stand before us on trial. How do you plead?”

Oh Hell no! He wasn’t getting murdered by some fucking cult. He continued his struggle, trying twice as hard to break free. His only reward was a warm trickle that started down his arms and started to drip onto his upturned face.

“Oh he looks so much better now. Can I please make him even cuter?” The figure on the far right had taken out two knives and was squishing them against her face.

“Sister Blades, discipline. You know that we do not seek our own pleasure from this. We do this so that the world may be purified. Your purpose will come in time.” She seemed upset at this, but slowly put the knives back into her voluminous sleeves. So it seemed like the one in the center was in charge and that one girl had a thing for blood. Bakugou filed that information away in case he could use it for his escape.

“Again I ask you, how do you plead?”

“I don’t even know what you bastards are trying to accuse me of. I haven’t done shit.” He couldn’t find a single fault with himself. He was on track to be first in his class at UA. He was going to be the number one hero. Were these some petty pissed off extras that were jealous of his success? Well they could just eat shit and die. If they couldn’t handle it that was their problem.

The center figure nodded his head slightly in acquiescence to Bakugou’s protest. “Fair enough. You are accused of the crime of Pride. How do you plead?”

Bakugou was getting pissed off at these second rate horror movie knockoffs. “Is that all you can say? ‘How do you plead?’ ‘How do you plead?’” he mocked. “You sound like a shitty villain. Get some better…” The words choked in his mouth as he felt a wave of death pass over him. A fell and dark aura surrounded the cultist causing the air around them to become distorted and the ground underneath them to crack. Even the other members of his group stepped back.

Bakugou felt like he was staring death in the face. It was unbeatable. Inevitable. Cosmic and infinite while he was an insect before them. He was quivering in terror and knew that his heart had stopped beating. They could end him with no effort. Slowly the universe resumed it’s normal flow of time and his life started again. He was shaken to his core. There was no way that this thing in front of him was human with how much power it had.

“I am your judge. If you refuse to answer I am your jailer for eternal torment. If you claim guilt then I am your executioner. Now answer.”

Bakugou gulped trying to let his heart recover from the shock it had experienced. Licking his lips he tried to speak, but nothing came out. The figure in front of him continued to stare. It was content to wait. Death was patient after all. He finally managed to croak out the word he needed. “Innocent.”

He felt a small spike of displeasure, but not that soul ripping incomprehensible terror from before. It walked behind him and he tried to twist around to see what was happening at his back. He felt a small pinch at the base of his neck and then his mouth was opening. “I am going to be number one.” The Hell! That was his voice, but he wasn’t talking. He tried to clench his teeth, but whatever was happening forced it open and made him speak more. “I’ll use you all like stepping stones. You’re just worthless extras who are obstacles in the way to my greatness.”

He collapsed letting the chains hold him up but he couldn’t relax knowing that the freak was still standing behind him. “Your own words testify against you. For lying about your innocence you will suffer. Shock.” Bakugou felt another prick, this time in his shoulder, before agony came lancing into him.

When it finally ended his throat was raw from screaming and his arm was smoking. It was still spasming from the left over discharge causing his wrist to start bleeding again. “You are accused of the crime of Hatred. How do you plead?”

Still trying to recover from his previous torment, Bakugou had no answer. He was a mess, but he wasn’t going to give this monster any satisfaction in seeing him like this. Heroes didn’t give in. Trying to pull himself up by the chains he lifted his head and leveled his worst death glare at his torturer. “Fuck you.”

“Brother Flame.” The tallest out of all the robed figures stepped forwards. “His arms look tired. Make it one of his legs.” Blue flames appeared over his arms as he strode towards the helpless Bakugou. 

The chains seemed to mock him as they jingled while he tried to do anything to avoid this newest punishment. It was useless as the stream of fire washed over his lower limbs. His stoic expression cracked in seconds as the pain overwhelmed him. “Stop it! Please!” He was begging but he didn’t care as his body was burnt up alive. “That’s enough Brother Flame.” The fire died, but the pain didn’t go away. His legs were completely charred, a horrid red cracking exposing the flesh underneath letting blood bead up. He was completely broken, babbling incomprehensibly, begging, pleading as tears rolled down. It was a mercy when he blacked out.

Coming to Bakugou awoke to the same nightmare as before. Still chained up with his captors still in the room. The only difference was some weird yellow goop covering his legs. He couldn’t feel any pain from his legs and could still make them move a little. He let out an involuntary sob at his situation. Why did they save him? What did they want with him? To torture him over and over again bringing him to the brink of death but never letting him reach it?

“How do you plead?” He couldn’t take this anymore. “I don’t know. Please just let me go. Let me go.” He was crying openly now, not making any effort to be brave. His past self would have been disgusted at how pitiable he was acting, but he wanted to get away from these psychos. He didn’t care if it cost his dignity he didn’t want any more pain.

“Would anyone care if you were gone for a day? Would they be concerned or even notice? Or would they be glad rejoicing that such an oppressive presence is gone? Is there even the tiniest of sparks of human decency for you among the people that you know?”

He wanted to say yes. He wanted to say that someone would miss him. But he hadn’t joined UA to make friends and had made that plainly clear. The kindest ones he saw as weak and naive refusing to have anything to do with them. Anyone stronger than him he despised and had threatened to surpass them. They all probably saw him as a violent cruel person. If only they could see him now. “No.” That single word carried so much weight to it. It carried his fate.

“Where there is no kindness or love, hate and apathy blossom. They can not return what is not given. Guilty.” Bakugou hung his head in shame.

“You are accused of murdering the innocent.” His head snapped up at that. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I haven’t ever killed anyone.” He might have been an asshole, but he had never gone that far.

“So they were that insignificant,” he whispered unheard by anyone but themselves. “Brother Sleep.” The last cultist straightened. “I believe that this is best suited for you.”

They began to stride purposefully towards the hapless Bakugou. He remembered the previous times that they had felt he was being uncooperative. “Please don’t hurt me. I really haven’t killed anyone. I don’t know anything.”

“What have you done?” Why didn’t they believe him? When he was actually telling the truth and they thought he was lying. What had he ever done to deserve this? “I’ve done noth-” His body fell slack as control was wrested away from him. “Listen to Brother Blood and answer his questions honestly.”

Though there was no outside change Blood was confident he would get the answers he needed. “How do you feel about Izuku Midoriya? What happened to him?”

“He was just a quirkless loser who always looked down on me. He was insignificant and an idiot thinking that he could be a hero. I told him to jump off the roof and he ran away two years ago. I haven’t seen him since.” Though he answered impassively inside Bakugou felt the deep burn of shame. How had he never realized what a horrible person he was? A horrible realization struck him. Was Deku dead?

“Guilty. You called yourself a hero and couldn’t defend those who needed it most. By your inaction you left him to die.” He felt himself regain control of his body, but it didn’t matter. Deku was dead and he was why. He couldn’t just brush this off like he had done with so much else. He was the one responsible for that nerd’s death.

“Sister Blades, Brother Frost it is time.” They stepped forwards, but Bakugou wasn’t paying them any attention. He was too lost in the horrible realization that he had killed his childhood friend. He was ripped from his thoughts by a sharp pain across his stomach. The creepy knife girl had just cut him and the other guy was holding up a cup of some sort to the wound.

“Did you know that in many cultures it is believed that the dead still retain some power and knowledge?” Bakugou was caught off guard by this shift in topic. What the hell was this creep talking about now? “It was thought that using the proper technique one could acquire this for themselves. And when quirks became dominant a twisted urban legend popped up. If a quirkless person was to consume a quirked individual they could get that quirk. It’s complete and utter rubbish of course.” Bakugou breathed a sigh of relief that he wasn’t going to be eaten.

“You don’t need to be that extreme. All you need is a taste,” he said as he took the cup that was offered to him by Brother Frost. Sliding it behind the veil Bakugou could barely contain his disgust as that freak swallowed his blood. 

Holding up the chalice with interest everyone watched as Blood blew it out of his hand. He continued to experiment with his new found power letting small explosions pop and crackle out of his palms. “So this is how your quirk feels Kacchan.”

Bakugou felt as if a truck had just slammed into him. There was no way this was true. But Blood reached up and removed his hood revealing that damned fluff of green hair. He was frozen in shock as Deku started to speak. “I should thank you for what you did Kacchan. For I was given a  vision. I saw utopia.” Bakugou could see the gleam of madness in those eyes now and he knew this wasn’t the quirkless nerd he knew as a child.

“There were no heroes for there were no villains. Everyone had kindness in their hands and love in their hearts. What really unites us is blood. The same blood flows in all of us. We are already one, but we don’t know it. But I saw. I saw! A great stream of blood connecting us heart, mind, and soul! And it was beautiful. So beautiful.” The tears in his eyes were even more concerning. Just what had happened to make his mind crack like this. “Which is why I must share this gift with the world.”

“Sister Blades?” She giggled a little as she stepped forward and cut his hand. “Thank you. Begin the prayer,” he said turning to the rest of them.

He started to walk towards Bakugou with that same damn smile on his face and hand dripping blood on the floor. “You’re insane! Can’t you see you’ve lost it! Deku please! Deku!” He frantically tugged at the chains binding him keeping him trapped. “Please don’t do this Izuku,” he whispered, hoping against hope that his friend was still in there somewhere.

Izuku’s hand muffled his screaming as the bloody palm came down on his face.

“By blood we are stained.” He could feel it inching across his face in an unnatural way.

“When we are stained we are cleansed.” There was too much. It was pouring through his mouth, his nose, his eyes, his skin.

“When we are cleansed we are made whole.” His heartbeat was pounding rapidly in his head as another foreign beat joined in.

“When we are whole we are one.” Slowly the two matched pace until they were beating the same rhythm. Izuku withdrew his hand and let Bakugou’s head flop down.

“By blood we are stained,” he joined in finishing the profane prayer. “Bakugou Katsuki is dead. Welcome Brother Blast.”

Lifting his head Brother Blast had a feverish glint in his eyes as he grinned. “Hello there Brother Blood.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 4: Nine Lives

He lost the first one jumping off the roof. He hadn’t given any thought to how much it would hurt when he tried to kill himself. His legs were completely shattered when he hit the pavement. Nobody was left at school when he had done it so he knew that he was going to die in a slow and painful way. He was so useless he couldn’t even kill himself properly.

He had thrown up after seeing the mangled mess his legs had become. His bones were in pieces exposing their marrow and stabbing through his skin letting blood well out. And his muscles, he hurled again at the thought of what they looked like. The sun was baking him alive as he lay in a puddle of his own vomit and blood in too much agony to even drag himself along the ground. The coppery and acidic stink was heady taking over all of his senses.

He woke up and was perfectly fine. No scars, no bodily fluids, not even a tear on his clothes. Was this death? Had he actually killed himself? There was no explanation for how he was like this. He could feel his mind splitting as he tried to piece together what happened. He knew that he hadn’t imagined that pain, but there was absolutely no sign of what had happened. He didn’t want to test it out again. If he actually died the second time... His stomach emptied a third? First? Time as he realized what he had done. Had he actually tried to kill himself?

He finished retching and wiped away the bile from his mouth. He felt better but he just wanted to go home. He wanted to sleep and sleep until everything made sense again and he didn’t have to live in this twisted confusing nightmare.

The second time was that same day. He was so lost in his thoughts he didn’t notice the slime rushing up from the sewer behind him. By then it was too late the foul liquid was pouring down his throat not letting him breathe. He clawed uselessly at it slowly suffocating in this filth. His body, starved of oxygen, tried to take a breath and choked. Black was fringing in on his vision and quickly overtook it.

When he woke up he felt fine once again. There wasn’t even any of that horrid disgusting taste on his tongue even. Was he in some sort of purgatory? He lost that train of thought when he noticed All Might standing over him asking if he was okay.

This day was cursed. That had to be the only explanation for how everything had gone downhill so rapidly. Why he died twice now, rejected by his hero, and had put his best friend in danger. When he had seen Kacchan being held by the slime he had rushed in without thinking. The tentacle of slime came out of nowhere snapping his head back and sending him flying.

He got up from the ground and rushed forward again but was overtaken by All Might. He left feeling slightly dejected but at least Kacchan was safe. The paramedics on scene checked him over in case of any head trauma, but he was perfectly fine. Not even a bruise from where he had gotten hit. Discreetly checking himself over he didn’t feel any pain either from where he had landed after the attack. Izuku suppressed a shudder as he realized what had happened. His neck had been snapped and this was his third time coming back from death. 

Could he never die? Or could he only die only so many times before it happened for real? It tormented him because he couldn’t find out. If he tried then he might end up dying for real. And that scared him. He hadn’t ever given much thought to dying before he was only fourteen after all. But now it had been shoved into his life and he couldn’t ignore it.

The fourth time was thankfully distant after that spree of death after death after death. He had been so careful in his planning it had been unexpected. But that was probably how death was like for most people wasn’t it? They didn’t have the benefit of knowing that they had died. They either recovered or faded into oblivion. He was cursed, burdened with the knowledge that he had already lost his life four times now.

Izuku had tried to save that nice girl who had been kind to him at UA’s entrance. It had gone well up until the zero pointer had emerged. Once again when he saw someone in danger he didn’t hesitate. He let the power that had been bestowed upon him surge within him and jumped smashing the robot’s face in. The pain from the backlash was tremendous, but then the giant metal fist of his defeated opponent had filled his vision. When he woke up in one of the mock office buildings with the wall in front of him completely demolished he pieced together what had happened. The robot with a dying flail had completely pulverized his body and killed him again.

He managed to play it off with what he hoped was a convincing act of being tougher than he looked when Recovery Girl came to check on him. Even with how many quirks there were out there he knew he was a freak. Nobody had a quirk that could revert death. Villains would kill to have something like this. Even heroes weren’t free of jealousy or cruelty disguised as pragmatism. Thoughts of experiments trying to figure out how it worked entered his mind. He couldn’t let anyone know he had such a power. Maybe he was being paranoid, but he didn’t want to become a lab rat being killed over and over again.

The fifth time hurt the worst, not because of the actual pain, but how it had happened. It was just supposed to be a training battle. He expected Kacchan to target him and not hold back, but… He knew their friendship had become strained. He knew Kacchan had felt that he had cheated his way into UA. But there hadn’t been any hesitation at all on Bakugou’s part. He had taken the blast head on and had his brain blown to bits. At least it had been a quick and painless one. It did nothing to help the pain in his heart from being attacked by someone he had considered his friend though.

The other benefit of it being an explosion was that nobody saw him die which Izuku was grateful for. They all must have thought he had dodged at the last possible second to come out of it unharmed. He didn’t bother correcting them. He knew he shouldn’t but he still held out hope for Kacchan. Kacchan didn’t deserve to get in trouble.

The incident at the USJ was a wakeup call to what the world of heroics was really like. The villains had been out to get them and his classmates didn’t have the same situation as him. If it came down to his lives or theirs he was willing to lay down his. It probably wouldn’t matter much. Besides he was still having trouble controlling One for All. If anyone deserved to be heroes it was the people who had done it with their hard work rather than having a miraculous quirk thrust upon them.

He had tried to defend Tsuyu and Mineta, but it hadn’t worked. Nomu had taken his attack like it was nothing and retaliated before he had a chance to prepare. He flew through the air, his body limp before it mercifully slammed into an outcropping along the shore ending his life before he could really feel the pain. He was ready to go again though once he had come back. It didn’t matter how many lives he lost here as long as he could keep people safe. In the end he was lucky and lost only one before All Might had stepped in and saved everybody.

The seventh time Izuku actually felt prepared for but it didn’t help. This time was just as painful as the others that hadn’t been instant, but it wasn’t pain for himself really. Todoroki had been suffering silently all this time and he had been unaware. He couldn’t let the other boy go on living in this agony of denying a piece of himself. He was going to make him realize that using his fire was his choice and that he would only be free of his father if he used it. All for One had shattered his fingers one by one, but he had gotten to pain by now. He would suffer through this just as he had all the other times.

A feeling of pride stirred within his chest when he had gotten through and he saw Todoroki’s flames. This was someone he had helped save. This was what a hero did. But he had to prove himself in this festival too so he was going to give it his all. Izuku knew that Todoroki was strong with just his ice which was why he wasn’t afraid of using One for All. He hadn’t planned on Cementoss throwing up concrete pillars to block their attacks.

He could have survived the explosion launching him. He would have probably broken some bones hitting the wall but that would have been fine. He could not however survive the chunk of cement that was propelled by the blast and had lodged itself in his trachea. Choking on his own blood brought back memories of the slime villain and how helpless he had been then. But he wasn’t like that now. He wasn't going to traumatize someone who had just freed themselves from their fears. He was already going to die anyway so he might as well speed it up. He grabbed hold and pulled it further down his throat before tossing it aside to let his blood flow out faster. He prayed that the mist from all of that ice vaporizing would last a little bit longer until he expired.

Izuku woke up dazed to see Todoroki just barely still inside the boundary held by his ice. He was glad that Todoroki had won even if it meant he had failed All Might. The medics found him passed out for real when they got to him.

The eighth he was entirely willing to lose. Iida had gone off to seek vengeance against Stain alone and was about to be killed. If he could save his friend then he wouldn’t mind losing one of his lives. Stain had managed to get a deep cut on his side but he could survive that. 

When Todoroki had joined in and Iida’s paralysis had worn off they were able to turn the tide against the vigilante and defeat Stain. It seemed like he had actually survived a fight without dying. Perhaps this was marking a change in his luck. It would be nice if he didn’t have to face death again until it was actually his time to go. Preferably when he was old and lived his life to the fullest.

And then the winged Nomu had come swooping in and punctured his back with it’s claws. Izuku could feel them reaching deep inside of him and cutting deeper as they tightened their grip. Stain defeated the Nomu but it was already too late for him. It must have gotten his lungs with how difficult it was to breathe. He was aware of Stain ranting overhead but it was a struggle to simply pull in a breath and hold it. He was pretty sure he could hear his blood bubbling as his back wheezed out the air he so desperately needed. He kept trying but it was a futile endeavor as his body let out his precious oxygen like a punctured balloon.

The ninth was the most pain he had ever experienced in any form. The training camp was supposed to be something that they could enjoy. Instead it had turned into something like a slaughter. He had seen Muscular and rushed in, his instinct to save Kota overwhelming everything else. The battle was brutal, the villain’s strength was overwhelming even against One for All. He kept getting slammed into the ground, but he refused to give in and endanger Kota. Again and and again he was beaten until he was sure that his body was broken, but that didn’t matter.

He was going to end this. He was going to go all out with All for One damn the consequences to his life. He could feel his bones vibrating to pieces and his muscles tearing themselves apart as he poured more of the quirk through his body. But that didn’t matter. What mattered was that a villain was attacking an innocent and he could stop it. Unfortunately he hadn’t considered that his body would give out in the middle of Muscular’s attack, unable to bear the strain that he had been putting it through. He was flattened in an instant, the force of all those expanding muscles no longer being held back. His arms shattered first going on to cave in his ribcage as they were pressed down. Eventually he was nothing more than a pile of organic mush underneath a mound of villainous muscle.

He had been killed which was what saved his life. When Muscular had pulled back he found an unharmed Izuku glaring at him with a righteous fury. Armed with unblemished limbs Izuku gladly shattered them anew as he poured in ten times the strength he had previously to defeat Muscular.

That fight stuck with him the most. He had died multiple times now, but that experience was far worse. If he wasn’t able to revive himself then he would be nothing but a splatter across the ground. And Kota would have joined him. He was even worse than the quirkless Deku he had started out as. Before he would have died in an instant but nobody would have expected anything but that outcome. But now that he had one of the strongest quirks ever he was still too weak. He was barely able to squeak out a win this time. What would happen when everyone was counting on him and he didn’t come back? All of those deaths would be his fault. And it haunted him. He didn’t fear death for his sake. He was afraid that he wouldn’t be able to save others.

Izuku knew that this was the last time. He didn’t know how, but it just felt right. Even as he felt his body growing colder he smiled warmed by the feeling of pride he felt. How many people could say that they had saved All Might? What would have been a killing blow to the Symbol of Peace had been taken instead by him. Just a few seconds of shock had shaken the battlefield but it had been enough. All Might had defeated All for One with a surprise attack and then plowed through the League of Villains to rescue Kacchan.

They were both there hovering over him trying everything they could to stop his death but there was nothing they could do. They were pleading with tears in their eyes begging him to stay. All Might wasn’t buffed up anymore, uncaring to whoever could see him. Why was it that every other time bleeding out had been so quick, but now it seemed to drag on? He just wanted to die and not have to deal with this pain. That was always the worst ones. Especially the pain that didn’t come from his wounds. He didn’t like seeing them sad.

But really it was fitting. He had wanted to be a hero, someone who saved others. Uraraka, Iida, Shoto, Kota, Kacchan twice now, All Might. Even himself had been saved that first death. All he could do was give his life in place of others so that’s what he did. He wanted to apologize, say that he was sorry that he wasn’t strong enough to save people without dying first but he didn’t have time. He held out a hand covered in his guts to Kacchan and mouthed the word “eat” hoping that All Might would get the message. Izuku Midoriya passed away having lived nine times and died ten but having left his mark on the world for generations.

Chapter Text

Chapter 5: Mutation

When the first time his quirk struck Izuku was scared. He had been talking to his momma about what they had done in school when his mouth started hurting. It had started as a dull ache and then grew into a stabbing pain. Not knowing what to do he started crying until he felt something weird plop onto his tongue. Spitting it out onto the floor he saw a knobbly white thing all covered in his spit and blood. Inko stared horrified at the fact that her son had just spat out a tooth.

It had continued and more teeth had been forced out of his mouth throughout the following days. Growing concerned Inko took him to the doctors to find out what was happening to her precious baby. The doctors took some x-rays of his mouth and reassured her that her son would be fine. Apparently his quirk had to do with his teeth and they were simply coming in early. There was no need for concern; it was just a mutation of quirks. All they could do was sit back and let nature take her course.

Izuku found it slightly more bearable to have his teeth fall out when he learned that it was his quirk. He had stopped smiling because he hadn’t wanted anyone to see the gaps but now he could show them off. Everyone was somewhat disgusted by the abundance of bare gum, but they all wanted to see what replaced it. It was slightly disappointing at first, just tiny little nubs. But slowly they continued to grow more until they were quite sharp fangs. After that interest faded again. Sure they looked cool, but they were just sharp teeth.

When the pain started again Izuku wasn’t too worried. It was just his quirk again. And this time he didn’t even have to lose any teeth. It hurt more though when these teeth started coming in behind his first set. He often bled a lot as they poked their way through his palate but he grew used to the taste of copper. There were a lot more of these teeth which were really more like curved needles. The other kids found it weird that he had two sets of teeth, but Izuku was happy with how his quirk had turned out.

The dentist wasn’t so happy. There hadn’t been any sign of these extra teeth in the x-rays, but they were perfectly healthy. They had even come in extremely neatly so there didn’t seem to be a need for braces in the future. It was possible with how quickly they had come in that his body had spontaneously started forming them. Quirks had done stranger things to human biology than make someone grow another set of teeth. As long as Izuku promised to take the extra time to clean them they shouldn’t present a problem. Izuku happily agreed to do so giving an odd, but still somewhat endearing smile.

A few months passed and he got used to using his new teeth. He had to chew with the front of his mouth and not with his second set because they weren’t made for that. It made it a lot more difficult to eat, but that wasn’t the worst part. The worst was when he bit his tongue because he basically did it twice.

He had grown used to his new features but he was finding his eyes itchy sometimes. As the weeks passed they only grew worse and scratching at them didn’t help. Not knowing what else to do he went to his mom. She couldn’t find anything wrong with them, but decided to give him some eye drops to use. The drops helped a bit, but the pain only grew worse. He wanted to be a hero though and heroes didn’t complain about itchy eyes so he stayed quiet. If he cried a lot more that was entirely coincidental.

One day in class he couldn’t take it anymore. It felt like his eyes were on fire and he just had to try anything to relieve the pain. He started scratching and just didn’t stop. Even when the other kids started screaming and the teacher held back his arms he wanted to keep scratching because they just hurt so much.

They put him in a hospital bed and tied his arms down and covered his eyes with bandages. He could hear his mother crying next to him but that didn’t matter. He just wanted to claw out the infernos his eyeballs had become, but could only twitch his hands uselessly. Eventually the pain faded and he could focus on the world again. When they took the bandages off the world was too bright, but he could hear everyone gasping.

His eyes had adjusted by the time they brought in a mirror and he could see his new eyes. They were still green, but the right one looked like a cat’s eye while the left had become glassy, like a spider’s eye. Nobody had understood what had happened or why. They kept him for a few days to run tests but as far as they could tell the sight organs were fully integrated into his body. They had changed completely in function and the process was irreversible.

When he had gone back to school everyone had wanted to see his eyes, but their questions made him uncomfortable. He could still see, but he couldn’t explain how it worked. The two different eyes combined to form a type of vision that there was no precedent for. He had to always check the labels on crayons now because he could see colors the same way anymore. And sometimes it was hard to make out things on his left side if they were really far away or small. But Izuku didn’t mind too much.

When he got a rash that just kept getting worse on his leg Inko took him to the doctors immediately. She was beginning to see an unfortunate trend starting and she was proven right. The skin had become raw and red with deep gouges in it from Izuku and his urge to scratch to try and ease the pain. The doctors did a little operation and found that underneath the flaking layer of skin scales had begun to form. They helped Izuku carefully remove the skin to expose his new leg.

Almost all of his right shin and thigh had been covered in translucent human toned scales. The transition was somehow seamless between the human and reptilian flesh leaving them on the same level. As the days passed the scales darkened in color to an emerald hue matching his hair. Inko made sure that he always wore pants to cover up even though it was spring and starting to get warm. She had no idea what the other kids would think even though Izuku was still excited about it.

When Izuku’s hair started to fall out in two patches it was obvious that some of the changes couldn’t be hidden. He was in class when he felt a warm trickle on top of his head. Reaching up his hand came back sticky and red causing him to freak out. This drew everyone’s attention to the blood coming out of his head causing them to panic as well. His head started to pound as it felt like his skull was splitting open. His hands reached up involuntarily and started to carve away the flesh there to make way for the little budding horns.

Another doctor's visit left Izuku restrained again as he wouldn’t stop trying to scratch his head to try and relieve the pain. The doctors had no clue at all what was going on as their scans showed nothing, but his horns didn’t care how they were breaking biology growing at a staggering pace. By his second day they had already reached six inches. When he was let out a week later they measured more than eighteen inches and had already started to curl over his ears. They no longer bled as they grew which Izuku was happy for.

He wasn’t allowed to go back to school. Something about causing too much commotion in class making it difficult for the other students to focus. That was okay because going to the doctor so much made it hard to keep up in class. 

This pattern kept repeating itself every month or so with Izuku having his body modified in new ways. While at first it had been exciting for the young boy he didn’t like it anymore. The changes had kept piling on until there was barely anything human left about him. Anytime that it happened in the same area it covered the previous change up leaving him a patchwork quilt of animal parts that constantly morphed into a hideous new pattern.

He was a bit older than ten when he couldn’t move his legs for the first time. It was like they refused to bend leaving him stuck in the pile of blankets that had become his new bed to accommodate his additions. He wanted to call out for his mother but he knew it wouldn’t do anything but break her heart even more. There was nothing that she or the doctors could do to help his condition.

The next day was full of unbearable agony for Izuku as his bones twisted and writhed inside of his legs. They never pierced his skin but it looked like snakes had invaded his lower body with how it moved about. He passed out multiple times unable to take the pain until it finally ended leaving him a panting mess. His stance was now digitigrade with how his legs had been changed.

Izuku’s changes slowly shifted away from surface changes to penetrating deeper inside of him. They were horrible, feeling his bones try to rearrange themselves or grow to support a strange new body that wasn’t his. As his pain tolerance grew to the point where he wouldn’t pass out the situation became worse. His hands had to be wrapped up or restrained so he wouldn’t dig through his flesh to get at his shifting bones. He knew that it wouldn’t do a thing to relieve the painful and alien sensations that wracked his body but that didn’t stop this urge from overriding all of his conscious thought.

He had become a monster that nobody could bear to look at. Every month it continued to change leaving him struggling to adapt to how it had become. No form stayed for long, constantly replacing what had been the norm not long ago. 

His arms had three joints that bent the wrong ways while his legs helped facilitate sideways movement by forming a 180 degree angle. Then his back hunched over until he was as tall as he used to be while his head was two feet closer to the ground. His arms were tentacles while the rest of him was quadruped. Legs folded up for jumping far distances while his shoulders refused to let his arms rotate. Wings dragged along the ground while his tail was stepped on.

Izuku stayed in his dark room all day, the blue light of his computer his only companion. The shades on his windows hadn’t been pulled in years so nobody could ever catch a glimpse of his monstrous form. His mother left him meals that he ate alone while she stayed in her room. She still took care of him which was good enough for him. He was grateful but understood. He had smashed the mirror in his room and left the one in the bathroom covered up long ago before it had become this drastic.

Then the surface changes started up again and they stuck around this time. Quills pushed through the gaps in between his scales while bony plates had fur sprouting from them. He had to pull teeth from his mouth simply to leave space for his tongue with how they started crowding in. He clawed out the secondary eyes that tried to appear on his forehead and broke off the forest of horns that had colonized his skull with their variety. Feathers were plucked, ridges smashed, and the claws… Well the claws were useful for when he needed to take off something larger.

The changes started coming faster with less breaks between when they happened. Blood stained everywhere in his room in his room as he performed emergency surgery or as new body parts made themselves known as they sprouted from his flesh. The liquid had become an all pervasive film bordering on a foul pool as he constantly replenished it day after day. The limbs that he had torn off quickly became his new food source. He had trouble gagging the raw flesh down the first few times, but the plates outside his door had stopped coming for several days? Weeks? Months? All that mattered was trying to keep his monstrous body in check. 

It was a sisyphean task as his body seemed to fashion itself new parts in retaliation for his purges. Sleep was abandoned to make time for ripping more flesh from his body. He had started to leave the tentacles so he didn’t have to stop as he crammed the raw meat into his toothy maw as his four arms tirelessly scored his body again and again. He redoubled his efforts to stop his growth as his body began to fill more of his room with it’s blue ceiling. It became difficult as his body sent treacherous blobs of limbs that tried to stop him from destroying himself. 

They shouted and screamed as he tore them to pieces and ate their remains trying to make him too afraid to carry on. He had to leave more of his body untouched so he could use it to destroy the flesh that rebelled against his control. His heads hated having to change their mission but they had to concentrate on this new task as they started to attack on different fronts.The blobs became more aggressive in their efforts to hinder him from belching flame to spewing acid to outright smacking him around. But he couldn’t stop. He couldn’t let himself become a monster.

Chapter Text

Chapter 6: Experimentation

Suji had taken the job even though he knew it was shady. He was desperate for the money and it was better than possibly getting arrested for some petty crime. It had started out simple enough. Test some experimental drugs for some doctor. They had told Suji that it would boost his regeneration rate to what they hoped would be extreme levels. It might give him some headaches, but that was to be the only side effect. If anything else happened he should tell them right away. It was the easiest money he had ever earned.

What they hadn’t told Suji about was how much it would hurt. Whenever he had to go in for the injections it had started out as a normal needle prick. Then it started to itch like crazy wanting him to scratch it incessantly. It progressed to a fire around wherever they had decided to poke him making the whole surrounding area burn with pain. It faded quickly barely lasting five minutes, but in that time it was the worst pain Suji had experienced.

Then came the experiments. They needed to test the effects of the drug to see if it had integrated into his system yet. Suji hadn’t agreed to any of this but they were rather persuasive and wouldn’t take no for an answer. They cut him open and he watched in horror as his skin slid back together not even leaving a scar.

Excited that it worked so well they moved onto more painful processes. Burning him, pouring acid onto his bare skin, electrocuting him, taking off entire limbs. It was horrible and sickening seeing his raw muscles and internal organs. But it also awakened a twisted sense of exhilaration inside of him. He was basically immortal like this. He didn’t mind that they kept giving him larger and larger doses increasing his pain.

It had started with him taking a pocket knife to make cuts on his wrists just to see his skin fuse back together again. Then it had evolved into taking a large kitchen knife because the pocket knife could only make tiny cuts. He wanted to see his organs being ripped to shreds and then coming back together. It made him feel so alive unlike the monotony that his life had become. It was really the only highlight of his day. Watching his blood spray everywhere and make such interesting patterns like rorschach tests. Getting a first hand look at how his heart beat or his lungs quivered without having to worry about dying.

Eventually he abandoned the knives altogether finding it faster to use his claws to rip through his darkening skin. It was tougher to get his fix of entertainment because it just kept healing faster each time. And his skin was tough to cut through meaning he had to hold the cut open if he wanted to have more than a few seconds glimpse. They started giving him tasks to do which were boring but he did them. Mainly it was trying to train him to fight people, but it was so boring beating up their test dummies.

When he suggested they bring in live subjects they agreed and he was living again a bit. It wasn’t anywhere near as exciting watching his own body get torn apart, but it had to do. The best was when they brought in people who could last a minute or two. That meant some brutal injuries on his body that he got to observe.

Bringing in his new roommate was annoying though. The man just wouldn’t stop screaming every time that his body got splattered against the walls in their latest test. He pierced his eardrums just so he could shut out the shouting, but it just wouldn’t stop. Eventually the idiot stopped, but his roommate still didn’t seem to like it. He tried to explain the finer points to his companion showing off the beautiful colors that his gore formed or the delicate patterns of blood, but he felt that they just simply didn’t get it. He had the distinct feeling that they were trying to block out his words.

It was such a shame too. As the tests went on it became harder to show off any canvases of beauty. Eventually the speeding wall simply bounced off his bare chest without even making a single nick on his black skin. They kept at it a few more times until it was the wall crumpling instead of his body which was at least a bit of irony to amuse him. Then they brought in another roommate.

She was better than the first one. By a lot because they got to work with people again. With her egging him on the punches he was making were faster than anything he had ever seen. He could get at least ten in before one second had passed and it only kept going up. The art they were making was so much more exotic and unique now. It wasn’t just smashed or ripped apart. They were completely obliterated. It had shifted from a still life of broken anatomy to a splatter painting of blood.

She was a bit hesitant at first, when he started waxing poetic about the outcome. Apparently she was a more anti-artist who cared more about the process rather than how the product turned out. All about the punching and where the striking was, that thrill of adrenaline, that split second decision made on a whim of hitting to hear that crunching sound rather than a wet squelch. He kind of understood what she was saying but with her around life was good again.

And so of course his testers had to ruin it. They put this idiot in charge of them with such a stupid name and were always ordering him about. Nomu do this. Nomu do that. Nomu get over here. Nomu you can stop now. They weren’t allowed to do anything and he was going stir crazy. Except they didn’t allow him that. They stayed in this weird room and just listened to Nomu get bossed around. Really they should have called the loser No More.

Nomu. No more guts.

Nomu, Nomu. No more fights.

Nomu Nomu Nomu No more talking.

NomuNomuNomuNomuNomu No more being.

NomuNomuNomuNomuNomuNomuNomuNomuNomuNomuNomuNomuNomuNomuNomuNomuNomuNomuNomuNomuNomuNomuNomuNomuNomuNomuNomuNomuNomuNomuNomuNomuNomuNomuNomuNomuNomuNomuNomuNomuNomuNomuNomuNomuNomuNomuNomu

Chapter Text

Chapter 7: Thread of Life/First Blood

It was like a light mist coming down. Soft and gentle, little blue drops that slowly slid down her face washing away her worries. Just sitting in the woods with the constant slow dripping from the trees was so peaceful. She could see why everyone liked nature so much if it could always be like this. It was such a shame when the sun started shining in her eyes.

A raging roaring fire spraying its sparks everywhere. It was dangerous if she lost her footing, but she leapt over it again and again. It was so exciting causing her heart to beat faster. The sparks lightly kissed her skin imparting their fading warmth. All too soon the fire had burnt out.

While most wouldn’t take her as an interior decorator when it came to her passion she took it very seriously. You had to have a good eye for color and also make sure that the designs didn’t clash. It’s why she spent so much time planning it out so it could form the best products. Another important thing was the accessories. She had just found this most beautiful set of flowers that looked like roses. Considering the state of her room she took careful measures to have them in just the right place.

This turquoise next to the wave patterns and shells. The orange blossoms she put in front of the wall covered in leaves to add a splash of color and some naturalism. The red flowers went against the cream background to create a romantic backdrop. And these deep purple flowers went so well with the black glass to create a perfect touch of class.

Even ugly things could have a beauty to them. A bunch of potatoes was hardly the prettiest thing in the world. Still they gave another dimension to her newest still life. She had found a cart and filled it with the aforementioned potatoes along with some other vegetable matter to create the illusion of a farm delivery right there in the city. Very tricky to accomplish, but she did it.

She was right in the middle of deciding how to use some tiger print when two police officers stumbled on her and the dead body. Dashing forward before they could respond she slit one across the neck watching as galaxies filled with stars poured out. It was so beautiful, but she could stare later. She punched the other in the stomach before she wrested the gun away throwing it down the alley. The dumb cop actually tried to punch her and received a handle from her knife to the forehead as she spun out of the way.

She straddled the unconscious police officer as she tested what his blood was like. She squealed when she saw the emerald blood pouring out. It reminded her so much of her precious Izuku. Now there was a god among men. His blood was such a mixture of wonders it made her all tingly and excited just thinking about it. Pearls and opals mixed with blazing sunsets surrounded by thundering storms of rainbows. Pastel webs weaved in between curling horns of leaves. She had never seen so much beauty in one person before which is why she wanted to cut him again and again so she could stare at it all day.

But unfortunately her dream had to wait. She had to figure out how to incorporate her latest paints into what she already had set aside. Toga smiled as it all clicked into place.

Chapter Text

Chapter 8: Kill or be Killed

“The Empire of Japan is depending on its heroes to defend her from all of the many threats arrayed against us. We need our heroes to be strong, fast, and resourceful. We can’t afford to waste resources that could be better spent elsewhere on trying to elevate those of limited talent instead of improving those of exceptional talent. To this end the hero commission has designed this test to see if you are capable of doing what must be done to help the Empire achieve greatness. Those of you who pass will join the legendary defenders in our great history. All of the rest will be discarded as worthless. There are five thousand students here. Reduce that number to 10% by any means necessary. If you have not helped out in at least five removals you will also be culled. Begin.”

Kaminari smirked to himself as he strutted through the fake cityscape. Becoming a hero was child’s play if this was all they had to do. Anyone he encountered he just used a low level but constant shock to paralyze them as their muscles involuntarily contracted. A simple knife to the throat finished the job. It was annoying though how much their blood sprayed everywhere. But hey, being covered in blood was bound to be intimidating so that was a plus. So far he had already racked up seven kills and was just seeking to wait it out. They had all been so confident rushing towards him until they entered the perfect range for his quirk.

His grin widened as he came upon a silver haired boy who was finishing extracting his arm from the stomach of the girl in front of him, blood and guts clinging to the limb. He should just walk away and avoid the conflict. He already had enough kills and the boy hadn’t noticed him yet. But where was the fun in that?

Not giving the other boy a chance to prepare he sent his quirk shooting out from his palm and waited for his victim to stiffen up. He calmly strode forward and stabbed the knife right where the spinal cord should be. Kaminari was shocked when the knife bounced off in a shower of sparks revealing silvery skin underneath. Before he could recover sharp metallic claws had already ripped away his throat leaving him to bleed out as Tetsutetsu stood over his latest victory. Once he had felt the lightning hit him he spread his iron all over in a thin layer letting it conduct the electricity and ground it leaving him free to surprise his attacker. 

Letting his foot become entirely ferrous he stomped down on the stupid blond’s ribcage until it had become a shattered and bloody mess. He wasn’t taking any chances to let his opponent get off a dying shot. It was the kind of unmanly thing that a backstabbing ambusher would try and do. He walked off from the dead body completely prepared to face victory or death like a real man would.

Todoroki was simply disappointed in how weak these hero candidates were. They honestly thought that they could take him down by teaming up. It was pathetic and foolish. All you could count on in this world was yourself and your own strength. Nobody was going to come and save you. (Not even when you were screaming in agony and pain) Anyone close to you could turn and become an enemy at any time. (Even when they promised that they would always love him) He traced a finger over his scar. The weak were preyed upon. And he refused to be weak ever again. He let the corpses of the colorful fools burn as he walked away. The more people he eliminated the sooner it would be finished. The sooner that he could finally be counted among the strong. The sooner he could cull his father for being too weak.

The abyss hungered for souls. The tenebrous form rampaged across the testing grounds consuming all who fell into its dark depths. It had been so long since he could feast. He ripped apart each corpse in a frenzy hurrying to fit more of the delicious flesh into his mouth. So long since he could shed the fleshy prison which constrained him and kept him in his dormant form. It ripped away any defenses put up and plowed through all the attacks sent against it in the search for satiating its bloodlust.

More. More! He needed MORE! This was a paltry amount of death. He was a king of hell and he reveled in the termination of life all around him. He wanted the blood to become an ocean that he could swim in. The corpses should be mountains that he would strike down to cause terror upon their wretched souls. He could feel the chains as a warning that control would be taken back once this ended. But for now the Dark had been released. And the Shadow would rule over the mortals.

He had already killed twenty people but it wasn’t enough. He had to prove that he wasn’t a mistake. He had broken his body again and again just for a shot for being here. He tapped into the rage he felt at all the people who had been given such miraculous gifts, but had just squandered them. It fueled him, this horrible injustice, that it was just chance that allowed him to stand here. He would crush them all.

He felt another skull shatter underneath his fist. A chest became a yawning cavity showing its guts for all the world to see. He tore off their arm and watched it become a bloody mist after he slammed it against their head. He used a car as an impromptu hammer to extend his reach and crush them to blood stains on the pavement. A whole building was brought down on their heads after a powerful blow against its base. His landing cracked the pavement and the spine of the person he crushed.

Thirty. Seventy. One hundred and ten. It still wasn't enough. Useless. Weak. Worthless. Yet here he was wielding the mightiest power with more skill and precision than any of them! They had all been blessed and he was left nothing. But he had fought back again and again spitting in death’s face. Fate had denied him his shot at greatness. And so he would rip the crown she had withheld from him from the hands of the dead until the whole world kneeled at his feet as he deserved!

He watched frustrated as another one of his thralls had a hole blasted through their chest dropping to the ground with a wet plop as their blood began to leak out. He had already lost three against this explosion user and, while they hadn’t been the best units he had, it was still annoying seeing his army whittled away like this. There had to be some way to get him distracted enough to use his quirk effectively. He just needed one opening.

But that damned explosive blond was a being of sheer willpower and focus. He used his explosions masterfully batting aside ranged quirks, using it to propel himself out of danger, and as a devastating attack on his minions. He continued to observe his opponent waiting for the perfect moment. He think he had figured it out.

In a lull of attacks he called out, “Why don’t we work together? There’s nothing preventing us from doing so.”

The other boy scoffed. “You’re just trying to save your skin. I’ll blast you and all your fucking extras to pieces!” 

Shinso smiled as he felt the physic connection take hold as the blond went slack. He really wanted to kill him, but he needed the firepower after losing so many of his previous victims. He only needed one more kill to pass anyway. “You will defend me with your life. If anybody breaks out of my control you will kill them with no hesitation. If you become a liability to me then you will kill yourself before you do any harm to me.”

Thinking a bit Shinso thought of a way to make this even better. Turning to the rest of the hypnotized students he issued them new commands. “When you’re not busy protecting me, help keep Blasty safe over there alright?” He knew that his victims were still somewhat aware. If the blond survived he would know that it was all by the grace of someone far better than him helping out. His thrall would owe his entire future to him and his great mercy. He was filled with sadistic glee at the thought of shattering his newest slave’s pride down to nothing when this was all done.

Chapter Text

Chapter 9: Fire and Brimstone

Shoto Todoroki stared down the monstrous being in front of him ignoring the sting coming from his right hand as he felt it continue to bleed. He had to let it make the first move. That was a major part of the ritual and the one that was probably the easiest to mess up. He couldn’t afford to make a mistake. Not when all he had ever wanted was on the line.

It was an abominable creature, all leathery burnt skin that was pulled taut over charred and flaking bones that poked through the thin layer of remaining flesh. Its eyes had been replaced by hellish blue flames glinting in the empty sockets. Dark pieces of metal were twisted into the crude shape of horns and it had numerous other small spikes driven through its body.

They continued their staring match, still as statues, the human boy only blinking while those dancing flames continued to peer into his soul. His hand had already completely scabbed over when the demon opened its mouth. He waited for the monster to speak, but the cracked lips only pulled back into a rictus grin fitting for its undead appearance.

He swallowed down his nervousness refusing to give in to such a basic trap. Even when his neck had grown stiff from peering up at the being he only continued to steadily breathe and blink. He felt his legs begin to shake from the strain of standing perfectly upright for uncountable hours. Moving wasn’t forbidden but he was done being pushed around. He was going to stand his ground. He wasn’t going to give in. This demon would bow to his will.

“Such determination,” the demon complimented. “I’ve seen far more experienced summoners start to crack after five minutes of silence. I’m amazed that someone of your age could last so long without talking.” It’s voice was raspy as one would expect from such a type of creature, but oddly soothing after the supernatural silence that had reigned over his room. “You’ve passed the first test.” Shoto continued to stare at the creature, his face as cold and impassive as ever.

The creature let out what he assumed was supposed to be a laugh. “Very good, very good. So many souls have been lost in their hastiness. You have earned the right to converse with me, little one.”

“I wish to have someone killed. What will it cost?”

“It’s traditional that you barter away your soul, you know? A life for a soul. I find that quite a fair trade,” it leaned in closer pressing against the invisible barrier of the circle that had drawn with the boy’s blood. “Do we have a deal?”

Shoto’s mouth twitched as he considered the price of the agreement. He had gone to this length to see his desire fulfilled, but it was different being in the situation when your soul was being offered as payment. If he had absolutely no other choice then he would do it with no hesitation. But he wanted to consider his other options first.

“I exercise my right to bargain,” he said causing the demon to grumble a bit. It was clear that the child in front of him wasn’t an amateur following all the proper steps. By how the ritual went he was forced to listen to humans offer up such petty things that it was laughable. Humans had never made a bargain that he had found agreeable before. “In place of my soul may I offer the soul of my father as satisfactory payment?”

That got the demon’s attention very quickly. Souls were souls, it didn’t matter too often whom he took from, but this was an unusual case. But perhaps if he played his cards right then he could make off with the boy’s and his father’s souls. “I accept your offer of your father’s soul in return for bringing death to another. But I would like to receive my payment first. Your father is here right?” A nod from Shoto confirmed this. 

“Then simply step into the circle and start screaming. Your father will rush in to protect you, I take his soul, you can tell me whoever you want killed and we’re all happy.” The boy in front of him made no move to step forward simply choosing to glare at him. He was far too careful to simply void the protection that the summoning circle afforded him as the initiator of this ritual.

Growling in frustration the demon knew that the boy was aware he wouldn’t be safe once he crossed the circle. “I solemnly swear by the powers that have called me here and bound me that no harm by my hand will befall you inside of the circle,” the demon grudgingly said. Placated by the demon’s promise Shoto stepped forward crossing over the arcane symbols he had put on the floor.

As soon as his foot touched down on the other side the demon rushed forward with a shriek of triumph. His plan to take the young soul in front of him was frustrated as his hands refused to find any purchase on the young soul in front of him. Shoto simply strode forward to the center of the summoning circle removing his shirt as he did so. Emblazoned on his skin were runic marks of protection that had stopped the demon’s efforts. Seeing such ancient and powerful magics left the demon impressed. They were by no means absolute and certainly lesser than the protection afforded by the circle but they were enough to frustrate any attempts he could make to take the boy's soul.

“There was no need for such deception to lure me in. I’m well aware that inside the circle is your domain and your promise had no worth once I crossed the threshold. I would have had no hesitation offering my father’s soul up as payment for our bargain. I’m still quite willing to go through with this contract despite your trickery. So start playing your role if you want that soul.” During this exchange his face was emotionless as it had been the entire time.

This wasn’t some child messing about with forces he didn’t comprehend. It wasn’t some amateur thinking that he could harness the incredible power of a demon to make some stupid wishes. This was someone who had focused completely and utterly on a goal going to any lengths to achieve it. Someone heartless enough to kill their own father to murder yet another person. Oh how he liked someone this depraved and twisted.

Enji Todoroki was awakened from his sleep by the sound of some monstrous being roaring and his son screaming in terror. Rushing from his bedroom he burst into Shoto’s room and was frozen in shock at the sight before him. Some skeletal monster wreathed in unearthly blue flames stood over his son who was marked with strange symbols and writhing in agony on the floor. Another scream from his son prompted action from him in the form of a massive stream of fire towards the demonic being. Unphased as the fire washed over it, the monster responded in kind with its own burst of fire causing him to roll out of the way.

Seeing that they were equally matched in elemental prowess Enji decided to forgo using his quirk and just beat up the creature instead. Its appearance of a scorched corpse made it appear weak and that thought was proven as he tackled it to the ground, beginning to pummel it.

It seemed like he had the upper hand until its skeletal hand made contact with his chest. When it pulled away a golden light followed and he could feel the vigour painfully draining out of him. He was tossed aside like a rag doll and the demon stood continuing to pull that strange golden substance from his body.

He saw his son standing there and reached out in a desperate plea for help. “Shoto, please.” His son continued to stare at him with unblinking eyes, the flames in the room and markings on his chest granting him a demonic visage of his own. His body began to convulse as more of his life was drawn from him until every breath was a desperate gasp brought out only by the pain that wracked his body. “Sho-to,” he managed to sputter out before his breath left him but he was still cursed with consciousness. 

And Shoto Todoroki smiled. For ten years he hadn’t smiled ever since that bastard had driven his mother to insanity. The piece of trash in front of him was finally getting a simple taste of what he had been forced to endure in that “training”. He could see the agony and fear in his father’s eyes and he relished it. This was what he wanted more than anything in the world. Something he would consider damning himself to hell for. And it was better than he could ever hope for.

“I have received my payment,” the demon said, holding up the soul that he had fully extracted. “Whom do you wish to kill?”

The smile refused to leave Shoto’s face. “You already did. I wanted my father to die and in a horrible manner. I wanted it to be longer, but it was good enough. Now that the contract is fulfilled you can go.”

“No.” The fierce whisper was his only warning before he was attacked. “Contracts don’t work like that.” Shoto screamed as the demon’s arms sunk into his chest, spectral flames licking at his body. He could feel the heat of hell on his face as the demon continued to lean in closer unnaturally forcing more of the limbs into his body. “You can’t make the reward your payment.” He could feel the fingers twisting and probing, reaching further, growing like some twisted tree inside of him. “So I’ll just take something else.”

His body was growing uncomfortably hot as he frantically tried to escape from the demon. Hotter, hotter, hotter he felt like his skin was melting off as the heat continued to build. His quirk flared into being igniting his left side even as he doubled over in pain. He gripped his head screaming in agony as dark feelings invaded his head. Burn. Burn them all with hellfire.

No. He hated using his fire. He despised it as much as his father. A symbol of all the pain he had gone through. They burned you. Your mother. Your father. Let them feel your fire. He continued to writhe on the floor trying to fight against whatever was happening to him. They all stood by doing nothing! They deserve to pay! Again and again you were beaten. Abused. Broken. He wanted to claw out his treacherous brain as it flickered through all of the memories he had ever tried to forget about.

The scalding water on his face as his mother tried to apologize while he screamed his head off. The burning fists punching him again and again even after he had fallen. Everyone being taken away from him until he was left with his father. The bastard taking out his frustration and rage until he was a bleeding mess. The glares devoid of all pity and love, full of contempt at his weakness. The disgust he felt at himself every time he listened to that hated voice and its cruel orders.

He hated it. He hated it, he hated it, he hated it and he wanted it to burn. Burn it all to ash and watch them scream for him to stop. They never did for him. Burn it all in hellfire.

“Yes! Yessss! Let them burn!” There was a smile on the face of Shoto, uncaring of the demonic fire that had started burning over his skin. His smile never left his face as he ran through the house letting the flames consume all. It stayed as he set the grounds of the Todoroki estate on fire and watched it blaze into the night. It didn’t waver as he cremated the bodies of the firemen sent to battle the fire. It only stretched wider as he turned the entire neighborhood into an inferno filled with screaming and panic. The smile had become scorched into his skull as his flesh began to char but still he let the flames grow higher until their roar was his entire world.

He had gotten all that he had wished for and so much more. And he would do it all again.

Chapter Text

Chapter 10: Sinner

Forgive me father for I have sinned. I have committed murder in my heart.

Cleanse yourself. Your penance shall be to lead a soul to salvation from its depravity and to spread my gospel. When this is done you are forgiven.

Izuku smiled when he saw the tied up man in front of him begin to stir. When he tried to fake still being unconscious Izuku kicked him in the ribs knocking him over onto his side. “I know you’re awake Stormbringer. For someone with a wind quirk you should really learn to control your breathing better.” Groaning Stormbringer wriggled to try and look at just who had done this to him.

His eyes widened in fear as he realized just who had captured him. The Inquisitor. Someone who had adopted Stain’s philosophy and continued his work after the vigilante had been captured. All of the reports agreed that he was criminally insane and was impossible to deter once he had decided on his victim. Stormbringer tried to use his quirk, but found that the wind remained still. No matter how much he motioned with his restrained hands the only thing that happened was a stray breeze blowing down the alley.

Izuku’s grin only widened when he saw his captive struggling. When you stripped away the heretic’s blessings they were mere mortals before a disciple of the truth. He had been granted divine knowledge on how to make a powerful quirk suppressant. Taking out one of his numerous knives he began to approach the downed hero who futilely tried to inch away. “Please I haven’t done anything! Let me go!” He was begging for his life, but Izuku was not swayed because he knew the truth.

“Thou shall not kill. Yet you have taken the offering of blood money and are called “Reaper”. For that you are to be purified.” With a lunge the knife was plunged into his stomach only to be pulled back and then reach forward again and again. Stormbringer was screaming at his feet but it wouldn’t matter in a few moments.

Taking the knife he scraped it against his first two fingers letting the blood collect on his digits. “You sought to make a pure world by staining yourself,” he said over the sound of strangled sobs from Stormbringer. “You preached until your last breath so I do this in remembrance of what my calling is,” he traced his fingers down his chest once on either side. "I ask that you take this soul and lift it from the mire of wickedness.” With that said Izuku plunged the knife down directly in the head of his sacrifice and stepped back to watch the blood spray out.

Working quickly before it could clot he hurriedly took out the two large wooden stamps he had made. Laying them down in the growing pool of blood he let them soak up the crimson liquid while he glanced around to make sure that nobody had arrived yet. This was a big risk with how much time it took yet he would complete his penance for his savior’s forgiveness. Finally he considered them done and carefully picked them up. He pressed them to the wall of the alley to leave behind his gospel. “Stain Lives”.

Forgive me father for I have sinned. I have lusted after the idols of the heathens.

Cleanse yourself. Burn down their temples and break all their alters. Smash all their idols and grind them to dust. Tramples their sacrifices into the dust. You shall follow no one but me.

He watched as another storefront blew out its windows and burst into flames. The shopping center had been thrown into pandemonium with his homemade explosives. Every single store that held hero merchandise of some kind he had planted one of his bombs into. They weren’t all that powerful, not enough to bring the buildings down, but really it was the fire that was important. The fire was what he been told to use for his penance.

Well done my good and faithful one. Through the flames they shall be purified.

Izuku preened under the words that whispered through his head. So many had tried to silence him, but the truth would not be quiet. He would show this world the truth and make them follow the way to salvation.

But even though Stain was pleased with him he could always do more. Jumping down from the roof from where he was observing everything he started to show the truth. The person he landed in front of was startled for a moment before their head was decapitated. The sudden fountain of blood went mainly unnoticed in all of the chaos around him. He basked in it for a moment letting the blood pour over him and he could feel Stain’s approval before he moved on.

They all treated heroes like gods when they were nothing but mortals. They were not all powerful. They wouldn’t save you just because you shouted out their name as he quickly proved. He carved a path of indiscriminate slaughter through the crowd of hero worshipers spilling their blood as a sacrifice for a purer world.

Only by purifying himself in the blood could he gain full access to the realm of the divine. Stain’s voice was an inconsistent faint whisper most of the time, but now it had become a constant roar in his head, guiding him with divine providence. A knife thrown to the eye and when they scream stab through their mouth. Grab their arm and pull them onto your sword. Charge with them as a shield and then go for the stomach. Use their intestine that falls out to trip the fleeing one and stab their back. Better do it a few times to make sure.

Unfortunately the people had finally taken notice and had started to flee the area. But the voice still roared in his head and he did as it commanded. Reach into their chest and break their ribs one by one. Stab a knife between each of their vertebrae. Chop off all of their digits and switch their fingers and toes around. Izuku wasn’t quite sure why he needed to do this but he didn’t question it. It was all part of Stain’s plan for making a better world and so he would devote himself utterly.

Forgive me father for I have sinned. I have shied away from my sacred duties.

Cleanse yourself. Do not fear for I shall be with you. You shall be redeemed and blessed forever and ever. So go and do as I command.

Izuku Midoriya stepped forward from the pile of bodies that he had made, hearing only the promise of peace in his ears. The heroes had surrounded him but that was all part of Stain’s plan. He had been defeated but prepared to face down anyone who stood in his way. So Izuku would do the same as his savior.

He had almost bathed in the blood of those sacrifices and the voice drowned out the entire world. The heroes’ mouths flapped open and closed uselessly, voices insignificant before Stain’s message. He would fear nothing, not even death .

He was vicious following Stain’s commands going for throats and spines with each attack. His only defense was trying to lop off any limbs that came within reach of his blades. Pain was insignificant. Every loss is a gain of glory.

He felt one of them shatter his leg. The lame will walk . He strode forward unhindered by his tibia sticking out in pieces. He was knocked backwards onto his back blood pouring from his eye. The blind will see. He waded back into battle giving wounds just as extreme as the ones he had endured. The mute shall speak. He knew words were pouring from his mouth, words not his own but all he could hear was the voice urging him onwards to eternal redemption and glory.

The heroes continued to fight against this bloodied and broken horror that was speaking eldritch words. It was brutal with every attack against the monster not keeping it down. They had long gone past trying to subdue it but it was lethal with its swords and collection of other blades. Finally at long last somebody had decapitated it and let the corpse fall to the ground. 

And the believer shall not taste death.

Chapter Text

Chapter 11: Plant Growth

“Hello there Izuku.” The boy in question didn’t reply already far too used to this situation. It had been weeks? since he had been taken by the league of villains and nothing much had changed from the routine they had established. Whenever he was awake and recovered they would torture him. He wasn’t sure how much time had passed because he often passed out but they made sure to never go too far. They wanted him alive for some reason but he wasn’t sure what.

“We recruited someone new to our team so I hope that you’ll treat them well. You’re going to be seeing them and their quirk a lot.” With his piece said Shigaraki walked back out of the room. Izuku morbidly wondered what they were going to do to him now. He had been strapped down to some table but that was normal. What was different was some rougher patches underneath his calves, shoulders, and lower back. He couldn’t lift his head to see the differences properly but it felt grainy and almost...loose? underneath the clothes that were slightly better than rags they had dressed him in.

It was a poking sensation that awoke him. There wasn’t much to do besides sleep or think in his situation. The former was almost a way to escape sometimes, even though the nightmares followed him into the realm of dreams as well. It wasn’t the normal tightness of the straps that nearly cut off his circulation or the harsh sting of knives and scalpels. It was like someone had snuck sharp tacks underneath his body and began to press down slightly.

They had probably their latest round of tormenting him but Izuku couldn’t guess what it was. Low level but constant pain that would drive him to sleep deprivation? Smalls wounds that would grow infected and slowly destroy his body from the inside out? The pain was just enough to remind him that it was there but not enough to be bad. It was more like an itchy scab if he had to be honest. Frustrating and annoying but nowhere near as bad as some of their attempts.

He tried to block it out but it only grew, poking at him more insistently. He tried to shift himself around in his restraints but all that did was scratch himself up as he struggled. It seemed like whatever instrument they had installed was embedded into the table beneath him.

He winced as he felt the spiked device finally break through his skin. He could feel it slowly creeping its way further into his legs before the spikes at his shoulders followed suit and drew blood of their own. The ones underneath his abdomen were the worst due to the sheer number pricking him. It was hard to tell with how closely they were spaced, but it had to be half a dozen at least.

He continued to lay there, feeling his blood become sticky as more time had passed. It clung to him and continued to leak out of him slowly. He could picture the crimson liquid turning dark as it crusted over only to be refreshed by a new coat every second. How the sanguine layer beneath him would only expand as it crept its tendrils across the pristine surface beneath him. He imagined the blood under him reaching to the edge of the table and dripping off the sides as it would slowly stain the floor. It would grow with each drop he shed until the crimson tide extended down the halls. With each passing moment his lifeblood would take over another minuscule portion of their hideout until it all belonged to him. An extravagant dream, but these twisted fantasies helped give him the only source of comfort that his fractured mind could provide.

Izuku had decided that they were definitely spikes and not needles because they had only widened as they continued to grow further into him. The spikes had refused to go back down and had now progressed to about a centimeter inside of him. It felt like thorns were being driven into his flesh, leaving gaping wounds that couldn't close around the foreign invaders to his flesh. Would they stay there and let him slowly bleed out? Or would they continue to pierce further in to cause him even more agony?

Further and further they grew into him mercilessly ripping through his muscles in their quest to pierce him more. He wanted escape from the pain but the straps were too tight and every single movement simply brought new pain as they lanced into virgin tender flesh. Screaming his head off was a nice alternative until his throat couldn’t take it anymore. The pain was driving him insane as he wanted to rip away his skin to simply have the spikes exposed to the air. It wouldn’t hurt anymore once they had pierced him completely.

Finally he got his wish when he felt blood trickling down from the top of his body. Again and again he felt his skin bulge before it was ruptured by the torturous spikes growing ever upwards. But they still kept growing. Every single inch scraped away at his guts and muscles dragging his inner flesh against the rough surface. It should have been impossible with the heights they were reaching but they didn’t show any signs of stopping their growth. They towered over his speared body in bloody pillars mocking his suffering with their heavenward expansion.

It had been hours when two people walked into the room. Izuku barely recognized Shigaraki through his haze of pain but the other face was just a muddled blur. “Isn’t our newest party member the best Izuku? Bamboo torture done in a single day. I was thinking maybe a briar iron maiden next. Or maybe you’ll catch a case of hanahaki? Doesn’t that sound amazing?” The darkness of oblivion claimed Izuku's mind to the sound of excited giggles and clapping.

Chapter Text

Chapter 12: Starved

Izuku was finding it hard to focus on class. The teacher’s voice kept fading into a background drone even as he tried to pay attention to what they were saying. It was so difficult considering how hungry he was. He could feel it rumbling just demanding to be fed. He just had to wait a little bit longer until school was out and then he could eat. He had done this before. Just a little bit longer. Just a little longer. Just a little longer. He kept repeating the mantra trying to distract himself from the growing sensation in his stomach.

The bell rang signaling his salvation. He hurried to pack everything away not paying any attention to anything else which was a poor decision. He was so distracted he didn’t notice Bakugou approach until the hands slammed down on his desk. Startled by the sudden action Izuku fell out of his chair, looking up at Bakugou with his two lackeys blocking off any escape. “And where do you think you’re trying to run off to? Did you forget what happened this afternoon Deku?”

Izuku desperately tried to remember what had happened but his brain was still foggy. He really needed to get home and have something to eat. The only thing that came to mind was when he had accidentally bumped into Bakugou during one of the breaks but he had already apologized profusely for what had happened. Unfortunately Bakugou didn’t seem to think so. A small blast in his face convinced him that his idea had merit.

He stumbled back, stunned from the concussive force and then Bakugou was in his face yelling at him. The words passed over him meaninglessly, like waves crashing on the shore, as the world seemed to dim and withdraw. He felt himself being lifted up by his shirt in Bakugou’s grasp but his stomach was killing him. He could feel it writhing, the need to devour growing like some sort of monstrous beast.

“Please…Leave.” Bakugou scoffed at the plea of Deku. Like he was going to show any mercy to the nerd. A loud growl cut through the air disrupting the situation.

“Oh I see. You’re hungry aren’t you Deku?” He smirked cruelly. “Then why don’t I give you something for that stomach of yours,” he said as he proceeded to lay into Izuku mercilessly with his fists. Again and again his fist drove into Izuku’s stomach joining the internal heaving already present.

Too much. It was too much! He tried to keep his mouth shut tightly but his jaw was forced open by the flood of vile fluid from his guts. The tar like liquid poured from his mouth splashing all over Bakugou who let him drop to the floor. He fell away screaming, feeling whatever the fuck Deku had just vomited out eat into his flesh. He clawed at his body trying to scrape it off, but the perverse substance clung to him tenaciously. The extras scrambled around like headless chickens, logic and thought fleeing in their panic.

Izuku held himself up off the floor trying to not drown in his own vomit that was growing in a pool below him. The black liquid bubbled and frothed becoming more violent as it continued to expand. It was like Izuku had been turned into some sort of perverted fountain bringing out more of this eldritch liquid than could have ever possibly been in his body to begin with.

Sharp teeth began to poke out of the surface as it crashed over the ignorant students. Bakugou and his cronies struggled to escape but it was impossible. Any bare flesh not covered by the corrosive goop was impaled to the floor by the monstrous teeth. Their screams were only making his headache worse as their flesh was decaying away. Mercifully for Izuku the pestilent substance soon covered their mouths leaving only the gurgling of the blob as it went about its business. Their struggles continued to weaken as it slowly consumed them flowing over them, inexorable in its hunger. Soon there was nothing more than a nearly comatose Izuku and a tenebrous quivering blob sitting on the classroom floor. Slowly the shaking became less frequent as the repulsive solution of digested remains and liquid rot mixed together.

The liquid began to creep across the floor to where Izuku lay exhausted from the entire ordeal. It climbed over his face leaving him shuddering from the disturbing texture of liquified humans. He wanted to gag on the rotten taste as it flowed into his mouth and back into his stomach. It was horrible and sickening and wrong on so many levels and he absolutely hated it. But all he did was turn his scrunched up face to the side. He had tried to fight it before and the...substance could get very violent forcing itself back into its safe haven, attacking the delicate flesh of his mouth and throat. Izuku didn’t want to be coughing up blood again anytime soon and simply let it gently dribble in, like drooling in reverse.

Slowly it settled itself into his stomach and let him feel contentedly full. Izuku wanted to vomit it all up once it was all inside of him. To rid himself of this taboo flesh that was being digested inside of his stomach. But he couldn’t. Because as much as he hated feeling full he hated starving even more.