>Nine | Fractured<

Izuku awoke in the light of the infirmary, his arms still bruised and his head pounding. He cannot see those beside him but he can hear a faded voice from afar. He can't move, it feels so painful like all the energy had been drawn from him and he knew the reason why. He startled Recovery Girl when his fingers twitched and she went by his side, only for him to fall asleep once more. His energy diminished once more and slumber came faster.

The second time he awoken, things were less disoriented, his eyes could finally open and the crippling feeling of his numbed body felt a lot lighter in comparison to its other form. He can move a lot more of his body and it felt like hours passed even though it was probably less than that. With Recovery Girl's Quirk, it'd be a surprise if he were here a little longer than what is needed. Izuku shuffled from his resting position and shifted his body to sit down in a more comfortable position, eyes drowsy despite his long nap and his chest and arms heavy from the weight of his anxiety.

"Ah, you're finally awake." Recovery Girl had started and Izuku flinched at her loudness, the ringing in his ears still as prominent as ever. Finally, his eyes glanced over to the room to find the source of the voice and there by his side is All Might, in his much frailer form that it makes Izuku tingle just a little more. "He was waiting for you to wake up for a while now."

Izuku's thoughts went a mile a minute, his heart pounded in his head and the hormones in his bloodstream were psychedelic, making him feel as though everything around him was becoming warmed and distorted. His breathing was heavier and his hands were shaking and he would say it was due to the fear of being caught on cameras trying to kill one of his bullies live in front of so many other kids without thinking of the sanctions that come after but there's one thing he found a little off.

Why wasn't he in his more bulky form?

The transformation period isn't so long and he assumed that the man still had some training to stop him such a pathetic form but that was too much. Did he run out of time so quickly? Or the fact Izuku knew who he was and so it was easier to kill two birds without needing to waste an extra stone?

"Izuku." He belted, he was so loud despite the fact that he was in his skinnier form.

Izuku's breath hitched and his head turned painfully to Toshinori. He expected the worst and his body tensed around the man, he's going to jail- which wasn't the main problem, the problem was that he'd never get to kill All Might and it made him feel so mad.

"Are you feeling alright?" Toshinori asked and Izuku held back the want to gag, the bile in his throats as pungent as ever and the smell of fear reeked off him, he doesn't know what to expect, there's a saying that there's a calm before the storm but this felt so off, like the forecast of the weather had been incorrectly been said.

This frail carcass wouldn't have been here if it wasn't helped. So Izuku could only assume that meant that he has yet to be suspected but the man's posture was confusing, not tense and ready to attack, it was extremely relaxed- or as relaxing as it could be for a pro-hero sitting down next to a villain.

Izuku blinked. Once, then twice before scrunching up his face and staring at the man right in his eyes. "I'm fine. Just rattled." He answered honestly, because he doesn't know what to take of the situation, the damaged blonde doesn't seem to have any way of giving away how he felt but Izuku was surprised when the man had gotten up and bowed at him- nothing compared to Tenya's robotic behaviour but low enough to show the sincerity he felt.

"I'm sorry for bringing you to harm, I saw your fight and it's quite clever to distract a villain from their true objective, though the way you went about it probably wasn't the best- especially with Bakugou's explosively destructive personality. But, your tactics were smart, to create enough small piece of rock for Uraraka to win, dangerous but smart enough to win you the victory." He complimented at first. "And sorry for trying to stop you from being a hero, I don't get some bits such as the random dual Quirk manifestation- especially at your age- but for trying to diminish your heroic spirit."

Izuku blinked once more, not knowing exactly what to say to Toshinori.

"I may have not believed in you before, but I certainly do now. You can become a hero." He told Izuku.

Painfully, Izuku clutched his chest. He want to be a hero without a quirk before and he couldn't and now that he's powerful he can be the greatest of them all. He bit his lip and drew blood, catching Toshinori off guard with his personality change but all he can see in Izuku's glowering green eyes is pain.

"I don't need you telling me what I need to be." Izuku told the man, "I appreciate the sentiment but I've stopped listening to others long before and started believing in myself more. I'll be a hero on my own accord." Izuku pursed his lips tightly and clenched his fist, he turned his head away and face the window on the left side of his bed, away from Toshinori and watched the sun in the distance.

When he said he'd be a hero on his own accord, he meant when he decided- which is never, he made by making an essay of why he shouldn't- and with this man trying to encourage a long dead dream made him feel sicker than ever before. And he realised then that he hated the man more than what he felt before.

Toshinori laughed. "You've got spunk kiddo, and I like that."

Izuku despised All Might, however Toshinori was a little bearable.

"It's better than the act you put on in class, I could tell you were practically seething- understandable however." Toshinori added on.

Izuku gritted his teeth and gave a closed-eye smile to the man by his bedside. "What do you mean, All Might?"

"Call me Yagi. It's better that way, after all we are in the infirmary."

Izuku doesn't think much and glanced around haphazardly. "Where's Bakugou anyway?"

"He's a lot worse than you, since he protected you- don't give me that look, that's what I saw from the camera view- so we've moved him to a hospital a little further out, Recovery Girl's Quirk only works if she uses up the other person's stamina after all and the way he kept going for you shows how much of it he used."

Izuku hummed, showing he was listening and looked up at the ceiling. Green hair brushed over his face and his lips were parted, it was a face of expectance and enlightenment.

"When am I dismissed?" Izuku asked and Recovery Girl glared at the boy harshly.

"Well, it would've been soon if it were merely a few broken bones but you've gotten so many hairline fractures and sprains and even your internal structure had so many problems." Recovery Girl ranted but it went over Izuku's head. "Don't think I accept this Toshinori, you're just as bad."

Toshinori's already small frame shrunk further down in shame and bashfulness. Izuku felt a tad bit annoyed with the lack of an answer but with what she described he'd be here for quite a while.

"Till you've recovered, internally at least. Most of your bones have healed and so did bruises though some scarring remained. Be thankful you're alive right now." She said, wandering off to her desk, "don't make yourself accustomed here. I've already got one of you."

Izuku didn't seem to take note of her comparing Toshinori to himself and ignored her. Recovery Girl muttered on to herself and Izuku turned his attention away from her.

"I'll be taking my leave, my boy." Toshinori said, getting up from his spot and stalked off in the direction of the exit. "I'll visit often when I can."

Izuku doesn't want him to, but it's not like he could reject the man.

"You look so ready to reject me." Toshinori sighed.

Moderately startled, Izuku blinked up at the man and his mouth moved faster than his mind. "No, I wasn't."

"Than that's great. Goodbye." He bellowed with a sly wink as he exited the room and Izuku curled up almost instantaneously, feeling a groan exit his throat and his eyes rolled back into his skull.

He was duped badly.

~

"Mom, I'm home." Izuku walked in with a cast on his arm and a crutch on his left arm beside the cast on his left foot.

"Ah, Izuku, what happened? How did you get injured?" She asked and Izuku smiled- a genuine one that came from the bottom of his heart.

"I overused my quirk and tried to lift up something that was heavier than me." Izuku answered with a nervous chuckle. "I tried to throw it away but it hit me before I could."

Inko anxiously looked into her son's eyes and saw the lies hidden underneath the innocence. She bit her lip and pressed her hand on his cheek gently.

"Alright, just as long as your safe." She said and Izuku nodded as he went in closer to give his mother a hug.

"I need to do some homework, so call me when dinners on." He said with a kind tone in his voice. Inko gave a soft smile back and nodded.

"Okay."

Izuku pulled back and forced himself to his room, trying to avoid bumping into tables and chairs as well as misplaced items scattered around the house.

He opened the door and sitting down on his spinning chair is Tomura, spinning around in circles childishly with his white hair flowing back. Hearing the door open he stopped to look at Izuku.

"You look like shit." He said as soon as the door closed behind them.

"Tried to kill a classmate, don't think he took it lightly." Izuku doesn't bother denying it, instead he nodded lightly in agreement.

"Did you succeed?" Tomura Asked with a glint of curiosity in his eyes.

"No, but he's not going to be waking up for a while." Izuku chuckled to himself, a soft huff escaping those throat smoothly. Tomura smiled manically and Izuku curiously looked towards him. "What you so excited about?"

"Well, I think that it's finally time you meet Sensei." He said and Izuku itched the back of his head.

"Sensei? Aren't you the leader?" He leant his crutches to the side of the room and sat down on the bed where Tomura followed his chair and gaze to face to.

"I am, but there's nothing that compares to Sensei." He said and Izuku is mildly surprised, Tomura had always been one to think he was higher than everyone else, regardless of whether or not they were stronger than him.

Izuku fell back on his bed. "Doesn't he have any other name?"

"Well, he's known to some as All For One." Tomura added on. "He showed me the truth. If it weren't for him I'd still be blinded even with my perfect vision."

"All For One. I've heard of him before, it's unavoidable in the villain world but there's so little information on him." Izuku said. "He must have some gracious quirk to give him such an amazing standing."

"Well, I cannot say much, but when you'll meet you'll see how much intelligent and OP he is." Tomura added on with a quiet and cynical chuckle. "I'll take my leave, but meet us at Dagobah Beach, 4:00 pm on the dot, we'll give you a transport to our place and you don't speak for the entirety of the time."

Izuku made a mental note and got up from his bed to find Tomura gone from his space along with the spinning chair.

"That's the third time this week." Izuku grunted.

<Nine | Fractured>

*Ensues nervous laughter*