Shirakumo: Starting Over

Chapter 8

Shota POV

Ugh, it's been almost an hour and Shirakumo isn't back yet. I didn't mean to upset him, I just got excited. Did I push him to far? "Mr Aizawa?" A familiar voice from behind me asks, pulling me from my thoughts as I  turn to look at Midoriya. "Are you alright?"

"Ah yes, I'm fine thank you. Have you by chance seen a boy your age with light blue hair and dark clothes on?"

"Oh, yeah, I saw a boy at the school entrance, he seemed like he was in a hurry cause he ran into me on his way out." Midoriya says. So he left? Maybe he just went on a walk. "Is everything all right?"

"Huhh," I let out an exasperated sigh. "I'm going to be honest with you Midoriya. When I was your age going to school here at UA my best friend died on a mission."

"Oh." Midoriya says surprised. "I'm sorry sir."

"Thank you, anyway, when we captured Kurogiri we discovered he was a Nomu. We also discovered that his body was my friends, and that All For One had reanimated his body." By this time Midoriya's face had gone from sad to fearful curiosity, but I already told him this much. "We thought Eri may have been able to bring him back so we tried it, and it worked, I got my friend back. But, I may have pushed him too far and, well, he left."

"I'm so sorry sir." Midoriya stutters. "If I had known I would have stopped him."

"No, it's okay. He just needs a break." I say, more to convince myself than Midoriya.

"Mr Aizawa!" I hear Uraraka yell from in the classroom. "Come see this!" Midoriya and I exchange a glance before going into the classroom to see everyone huddled around the TV.

"What is it?" I ask them.

"A Villain is attacking a market across town." Todoroki says moving so I can see the TV. Jeez, those people.

"The heroes will be there soon." I look at the news as the camera moves to show a mob of people rampaging through a market to get away from the Villain when my eye catches on one person. A boy dressed in dark clothes with light blue hair, and a terrified expression on his face. Wait, that's- "Shirakumo."

"Who the hell is Shirakumo?" Bakugou says from behind me and I turn to face them. Midoriya gets a closer look at the TV and by the look on his face he also puts it together.

"Mr. Aizawa, is that..." He asks without finishing his sentence.

"Go get Mic, tell him I'm going to the market." I say turning toward the door.

"I'm coming with you." Midoriya says walking in front of me and blocking the door, his eyes shining with determination. These kids really care about me, I think with a smile.

"Okay." I say.

"Hell yeah we get to beat the hell out of a villain." Bakugo says coming to join Midoriya and I.

"Alright let's go." I say and we head out. Shirakumo just hold on, I'm coming.

Shirakumo POV

I can't move, my legs won't let me. People are running past me knocking me around before I get pushed into a big pile of rubble from where the old man's building used to stand. And I see a hand under the rubble with wrinkles on it. "No." I say to myself as I crawl over to it, the Villain getting closer every second. I take the hand and pull out an old man's body, the old man. "Sir? Sir?" I say holding him and rubbing dust off his face. "No! Sir please. Open your eyes, you're alive so open your eyes. You have to be alive." Tears fall down my eyes as I hold this man I just met, I don't even know his name. "Please sir, please." I hold him there just focusing on the dust falling when a crash jolts me back to reality. I turn to see him, the Villain at the end of the road knocking into every one and everything in his way, like a wild animal, and I still don't move. I don't want to leave him. The Villain gets closer and I don't move, I only change my gaze when I here the wails of a little kid. I look to see that boy from the store on his knees in the middle of the street. His leg looks broken, like it was trampled in the mayhem. His cries call the attention of the Villain and I watch as he picks up a piece of rubble and throws it at the boy. "No!" I yell as I run over rubble to where the boy is kneeling, and I summon a cloud with my quirk moments before the rock would have hit him. Not even a second later I swiftly and gently pick the boy up and run over to where a group a people are standing. "Take him please!"

"Yes hero." The woman says as she takes him in her arms.

"No, I- I'm not a-" I go to say but I'm stopped by a loud roar from the Villain behind me. I turn to see him standing in the street looking at me. His skin is smokey and purple, and his eyes are black like the void I was trapped in, the thought sends shivers down my spine. I run from the crowd back to the old man's store hoping to lead it away which works, it follows me like it's laid it's claim on me. His nose flare and then he runs at me on all fours and I barely have enough time to throw my hands up before he buts me into the mostly destroyed building. My head aches as I lay on the ground surrounded by rubble when I see the broom I had used to sweep dirt off the old man's store front. Suddenly a memory comes back to me and I remember training with Shota and Hizashi using my metal quarterstaff with ease to beat back any Villain. The memory brings tears to my eyes as I remember the old man's words, 'When the time comes you'll know what to do.' I slowly push myself off the ground and  stumble over to the broom, I clear off the ruble on top of it and hold it up in front of me like I did my staff so many years ago. I look past the broom and make eye contact with the Villain, never breaking eye contact I take the handle of the broom and stomp down on the end with bristles creating a makeshift staff. "Come get me bitch."