Poison From The Same Vine

14 | Another Chance

- IZUKU -

THIS MORNING, 4AM

I let out a shuddering breath, looking at the unrecognizable reflection before me. It doesn't look like me. All of it.. none of it looks like me.

My hands tremble as I grip the sink, my eyes glued to the mirror. It had been so long since I had seen myself, and this? The horns, the wings, the eyes; none of it looks like me at all.

My grip on the sink loosened. I collapsed onto my knees, tears gathering at the corners of my eyes.

What did he do to me?

FIVE HOURS LATER: 9AM

I sat at the table beside Eri, just barely keeping my head up. Eri was okay, happily colouring away with a bunch of crayons Aizawa had packed in her backpack. I didn't even know she had a backpack until Kacchan pointed it out, sitting in front of our dresser.

I had a piece of plain paper in front of me. Eri offered some crayons to me a few minutes ago, practically begging me to doodle with her. I didn't want to reject her, not after she'd only just been reunited with us.

I slowly picked up a blue crayon, the colour reminding me of Eri's hair. It was a little brighter than her hair, but it would do.

I started drawing absent-mindedly. I wanted to go back to bed, in all honesty, and yet I was too scared to sleep in case I saw Overhaul again. I still remembered how I watched him take Kacchan and Eri away from me last night.

"KACCHAN!" I had screamed. "ERI!" I started to sob, tears flooding down my face. "Come b-back.. please.." I begged uselessly in the darkness.

I couldn't let that happen. I couldn't let Overhaul do that.

He stood at the door a moment later, watching me sob helplessly in the darkened room. I tried to stand up, but I couldn't, immediately pulled back down by chains. They were clasped tightly around my wrist, attached to the wall behind me. Red marks were forming with how much I tried to reach my arm forward and use the wall as support to stand up.

I will never let Overhaul do that.

"You're all alone now, Five. The others were useless, dangerous. But you?" he chuckled deeply. "You're much too scared to rebel against me. I guess that's exactly what I need to make the perfect weapon. Fear."

Tiredly, I swapped the crayon with a pale pink one to begin drawing her dress. She visited us wearing a red overall dress yesterday. I was happy, mostly because she had clean clothes now instead of the same old rags for years.

She was happier, too. Instead of being terrified every day of that man, she's now happy and smiling brightly whenever she enters a room. I saw how her eyes had sparkled yesterday just from recognizing me last night. Maybe U.A. was helping us more than I thought.

LATER

"Zuku?" Kacchan closed the door after watching Eri go off with Aizawa. "Are you okay? You've been off, recently."

I looked up at him, honestly wanting nothing more than to lay down and sleep. "I'm okay," I lied.

He sat down. "No, you're not. You're more tired, reserved, quiet, and Kirishima said you seemed really out of it today at breakfast when you and Eri were colouring together. So what's really going on?"

I looked away. "Nothing. I just.. didn't get enough sleep. That's all."

"Are you sure? You've seemed pretty shaken up since that nightmare, and you and I both know how bad they can get if you don't talk about it."

I sighed. "It's just.. Overhaul said something in that dream that just stuck, you know?"

"You're much too scared to rebel against me. I guess that's exactly what I need to make the perfect weapon. Fear."

He placed a hand on my shoulder, firm and warm. "Izuku," I looked up, surprised at the sudden change in name. "What did he say?"

I blinked. "Uh, uhm," I took a deep breath. "He said I was too scared to rebel, and that fear makes a perfect weapon."

"The perfect weapon?" he repeated, confused.

I shook my head. "I don't.. don't want to be a "weapon" for him, Kacchan. I d-don't want him to take you two away."

He tightened his grip on my shoulder a little. "Zuku! He won't take us away, I promise. We've got dozens of pros here who will protect us if the league comes after us again."

"They didn't protect us when the league attacked and I was kidnapped," I murmured.

He shook my shoulder slightly. "Izuku, listen to me." I looked up once again. "They won't be able to get that close to us again. The only reason they got that close in the first place is because they warped us to the support course hallway where there were barely any pros protecting it. They've learned from their mistakes. Give them another chance, okay?"

I nodded reluctantly, wrapping my arms around him. His hold was warm, comforting, just like it was in the lab.

Maybe I could give U.A. another chance.