Mind v.s Might: Heroes Burn Eternal (A Villain!Deku Fanfic)

Chapter 33 - BROKEN HOME

"Leave who you were. Love who you are. Look forward to who you will become." – Anonymous.

The night was as cold as ice, the darkness as deep as the abyss. The stars were obscured by thick clouds, and the moon was just a faint silver in the sky. The wind howled through the empty streets, whipping through barren trees and making the signs creak on their hinges. A soft whimper mixed with it all. On the top of a building, after one year, the Midoriya-Yagi siblings finally met again. Soon, the cries died down as well. They were alone, the only company, the eerie silence and the howling wind.

Taking the initiative, Izumi stepped back, breaking the hug. She looked at her brother, examining his features. The first thing that caught her attention was the green of his eyes. One was a deep, lush green, filled with warmth and life, like a beacon in the darkness, while the other was cold, artificial green, the colour of circuit boards and technology. It was hard to reconcile the two colours, one so natural and the other so mechanical. Such was his duality.

The wound on his face was gruesome. A deep gash ran from his forehead, down across his cheek, and disappeared under his jawline. It was clear that the wound had not been adequately tended to when it was still fresh. The flesh had been torn and ruined, and the skin around the socket was dark and bruised; it was clear that the impact had caused irreparable damage, which not even the Technicus' biomedicine could fix.

"What... What happened to you?" Izumi asked as she observed her brother with sadness. When their gazes met, there Izumi saw. There were a million words and yet none in his eyes, for it was a story told at a deeper level.

"That day..." Izuku said, his voice slightly broken. "I thought I would die. That I would meet our mother once more. But... I was saved...." Izuku stopped for a moment, collecting his words. "I was given a chance.... To become something more," he said firmly, taking a breath. "To show what I was truly capable of, and to finally bring change to this rotten world."

Silence followed as Izumi processed what he had just said. She struggled with her words, and from her mouth came what she had meant to say all this time. "I'm sorry...." She spoke softly, almost like a whimper. "I should have never left you... You are my brother... I should have supported your dreams, not pushed you down...." Izumi stopped; she struggled to hold back her tears. "When you didn't come home... When they told us that the blood in the alley was yours...." Each word choked out as if it was a struggle to get them out. Her voice wavered, shaking with emotion. "I couldn't ever forgive myself...." It was barely above a whisper.

Once again, Izuku embraced his sister with warmth and affection. "It wasn't your fault," Izuku said. "You could have never known. I have never blamed you for it." The pitch of his voice fluctuated, rising and falling with his emotions.

"If only I had not pushed you away. If only I had not treated you like a piece of glass. I stomped on your dreams. I placed a wall between us!" Izumi's voice was full of sorrow. The words tumbled out in a rush as if they couldn't be held back anymore.

"That... you did..." Each word was a haunting reminder of the heartache and turmoil they were going through.

...

The siblings sat at the edge of the building they were on. The city stretched out before them like a glittering sea of lights. The streets were a maze of neon and streetlamps, each one leading to another and another until the horizon blurred into the darkness. "How did dad take it?" Izuku asked, breaking the silence that had settled in. The memory of Inko's death was still very much present in the old hero's mind. The answer to his question filled Izuku with dread.

"Bad," Izumi admitted as she looked down. "He didn't leave his room for days. He was eating so little that he got thinner,"

"Even more? Is that even possible?" Izuku asked, lightening up the mood a little bit.