Something Different

21: Roles

A/N: I know there were a lot of details missing from the last chapter... Maybe it was the lack of reaction regarding Bakugo's sudden transportation to the past. It was probably a disappointing chapter, I'm sorry. But I promise that it was on purpose. The effects of his blast to the past will be touched on slowly but surely, so please be patient!

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"You can't escape me, Izuku."

Izuku jolted awake, his clothes soaked in sweat and his eyes wide with fear. That voice... That was All For One's voice, wasn't it? He hoped that it was just a hallucination. Izuku wrapped his arms around himself in an attempt to give himself some sort of reassuring embrace. For some reason, though, he didn't feel comforted at all.

"Did you have a nightmare?"

Startled, Izuku reached under his pillow and pulled out a knife. To his surprise, however, his attack was stopped as a hand grabbed his wrist. He was about to use his other hand to plunge another hidden knife into the intruder, but paused as his eyes met dull red ones.

"Ka-Kacchan..." He breathed, allowing his body to relax. Kacchan, too, let go of his wrist as he sat next to him on his bed.

"You okay? You're jumpy," Kacchan's tone was calm and soothing, something Izuku wasn't used to yet.

Izuku scoffed, "Yeah, well... It's not exactly safe to sneak into the room of someone who had just woken up from a nightmare."

"My bad," the sarcasm in Kacchan's voice practically leaked into the air, followed by a roll of his eyes. "I was just curious as to why I was hearing screaming from your room."

"Screaming...?" Izuku furrowed his eyebrows. He couldn't exactly remember why he was so freaked out. All he could recall was All For One's voice reverberating in his ears.

"You can't escape me," Izuku shuddered as he recited those words. As a response, Kacchan looked at him with worry. When a cold hand brushed against his shoulder, Izuku stiffened and moved away quickly. "Stop doing that!"

"I'm just trying to comfort you, you fucking retard!" Kacchan whisper-shouted, wary of waking Izuku's mother. Why was he even here? Izuku could take care of himself. He didn't need a self-centred, self-conceited, annoying little– "I decided to stay over because I was worried about you, and now you're all snappy and shit?"

"How about you leave, then?" Izuku could feel himself cracking. He just wanted things to go back to the way they were, when Izuku and the League could do whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted; kill whoever they wanted. "Please, just go. I can't... I need space right now."

Reluctantly, Kacchan exited the room and left Izuku with his overwhelming thoughts. He really missed the League, and no amount of attention he received from Kacchan or Uraraka will ever replace that feeling. Izuku can feel himself cracking, the desire to murder growing stronger as the days passed. He supposed that once he started, he couldn't get enough.

He hated it. Why did he have to be like this? Why was he such a disgusting person? Why can't Izuku just lead a normal lifestyle? The answer he came up with... started with All For One. But that wasn't an excuse. Instead of feeling sorry for himself, Izuku really attempted to redeem himself. But it wasn't enough... It was never enough.

"Why am I like this?" Izuku was frustrated. No matter what he did, he couldn't change. It was frustrating. Why couldn't he change? It was impossible. He couldn't change. It was impossible. He couldn't change. It was impossible. He couldn't change.