Something Different

24: Recapture

Izuku was lucky that Stain was distracted enough for him to knock him out. He didn't know what would happen if he and Endeavor met. They didn't even get the chance to run into each other in the previous timeline, since Stain had already left when the heroes discovered Iida and Native's lifeless bodies.

Endeavour dragged Stain by the red scarf around his neck, silently—for once—walking beside his two interns. Izuku opted to walk between the father and son, engaging in a one-sided conversation with his friend. At least, he hoped that they were friends by then. They had fought a dangerous villain together—it would be strange if they weren't friends.

"Todoroki, I really feel that–"

"Get down!"

Everyone followed Endeavor's sudden instruction; all except Izuku, who had been busy talking to his new friend. He felt two talons pierce through the flesh in his side and then, his world turned sideways. Iida and Todoroki yelled his name, but Izuku merely looked up to the Nomu adamant about kidnapping him.

"The fuck are you doing?" Izuku hissed at the Nomu, "Put me down."

When the Nomu didn't listen, Izuku blinked in confusion, before he nearly slapped his forehead in realisation. He had forgotten that he couldn't control the Nomu—they weren't hardwired to follow his commands, in this timeline, after all. Izuku looked down, nearly losing sight of his companions. Ah, shit. He was really high. He missed having control over these fuckers.

Izuku unsheathed a knife from his thigh—he made it a point to only use it if he had no other choice. It made him remember his awful training, which made his mind go insane with desires to hurt people. But One For All couldn't help him at the moment, so he just had to be more careful with those sick thoughts of his. Izuku slashed the knife against the Bird Nomu's right wing, causing it to tilt sideways and descend slowly. Whenever it seemed like the wing would start regenerating, Izuku cut it off once more.

Ugh, he was covered in blood. The sensation of the red substance sticking to his clothes and skin used to excite him, but then it just disgusted him. Izuku thought back to Kacchan's words—you claim that you can't change, but by saying that, you're already changing. It made sense to him, then. He was changing. A grin—one he hadn't thought he was capable of anymore—spread across his face. He was changing, for the better.

It took way too long for Izuku to realise that he was falling. Once he did, he scrambled to find something to grab onto—he wasn't keen on becoming a splatter on the pavement yet. Thin arms wrapped around him unexpectedly, and a moment later, Izuku found himself on the ground. An enraged Stain hovered above him, glaring in his opposite direction.

Izuku directed his gaze to wherever Stain was looking, only to panic once he realised that Stain was focused on Endeavor. Well, that was inconvenient. And dangerous. Very dangerous. Before Izuku could blurt something out, however, Stain began his speech—one that would inspire many of Izuku's close friends to join the League.

Izuku grabbed onto Stain's ankle, just as the villain tried to take a step forward. Stain stumbled and turned his gaze downward to glare at Izuku. It was at that moment, did the mask over his eyes slipped off. Izuku felt a piercing pressure on his chest, almost physically shoving him into the concrete. His breath started to tremble, but it was even. He was somewhat used to this type of aura. All For One exuded a much more menacing aura, one that could petrify even the most experienced of heroes.

Instead of loosening, as was the intended outcome of Stain's bloodlust, Izuku's grip tightened around his ankle. He had no intention of letting his friends join the League of Villains, and ever meeting All For One. This may not change things, but the least Izuku could do was prevent Stain's speech. Maybe then, his friends wouldn't join that forsaken group.

"Stain..." Izuku murmured, breathless under the heavy air pressure. He wondered what would happen, then. Stain wasn't so injured as to just collapse. If Izuku wanted to knock him out once more, he needed a distraction... preferably one that wasn't Endeavour, because it could end terribly if Stain decided to attack.

Eventually, Izuku managed to force his body to move. His foot swung upward in an attempt to crush Stain's jaw, only for the villain to dodge professionally. Izuku leapt near the heroes, unsheathing the blades strapped to each of his thighs. He fell into an easy, practised stance, which quickly prompted the heroes behind him to do the same.

"What... What was that pressure?" Native muttered, sweat trickling down his brow. Even Endeavour, despite his usual overbearing arrogance, was eerily silent. Todoroki and Iida didn't even seem to be aware of their surroundings anymore, staring into space with pale faces. Izuku could understand their reactions; if he hadn't been so accustomed to All For One's constant bloodlust, he would have surely fainted then and there.

"Bloodlust," Izuku responded. Only a handful of villains possessed the skill to intimidate others by merely looking at them. Those villains were different from the others—they were far more dangerous, they didn't resort to petty crime and committed the most heinous of felonies. They harboured the ability to almost solidify their will to kill, striking fear into their enemies...

Izuku took a deep breath in, recalling his many lessons with All For One. Of course, what kind of reliable pawn would he be if he wasn't one of those villains? He channelled the pure rage that shook his bones, directed at All For One. Whispers of images of his friends... his family... sprawled on the ground, unmoving.

Stain's eyes widened for a moment, refocusing his gaze on Izuku instead of Endeavor. There was a silent question in those crimson eyes of his, but Izuku wasn't willing to give him answers as he stepped forward. Stain stepped back on instinct, his body likely screaming at him to flee. That was the effect of bloodlust. As if instinctually, the victim's body would freeze up and his throat would close up. It was the body's way of attempting to pretend to be dead, so that it wouldn't actually die. Except it was being very stupid—how could be dead while standing up?

Izuku took another step forward, and Stain did the opposite. Based on his expression of shock and confusion, Stain was probably questioning why he was so scared of some high schooler. It was a reasonable concern. But Izuku wasn't really a high schooler. He hadn't even gone through high school previously, because it was difficult to find a school that accepted the Quirkless.

Stain was quickly backed into a corner as Izuku approached him further. He was trembling, although it was barely noticeable. Stain's eyes were tinged with slight fear, the scary red hue that he had earlier wasn't nearly as terrifying as Izuku's.

"...Boo," Izuku merely uttered, and Stain's eyes rolled to the back of his head. He slumped against the wall and promptly slid down. Izuku allowed himself to calm down and looked toward the heroes, who had done nought but stare the entire duration. "Arrest him. Bind him better this time."

"Y-yes sir," Native probably didn't even realise that he used honorifics while addressing someone of lower power and younger age. His fear outweighed all of his pride, it seemed. The hero ran to fulfil the... could he call it a request? It was more like a demand. Izuku would have thought that he had messed up, because then the present heroes had questions that he didn't think he was prepared to answer yet.

However, as he looked down at the hero killer, he couldn't help but think that it was kind of worth it. He had, in a way, gotten revenge for Tomura. His brother would be pleased.

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