Shigaraki Child (Broken Family)

Katsuki regrets trails

Katsuki lay motionless on his bed, his small limbs sprawled lifelessly on the All Might bedspread. Tears streamed down his face, soaking the pillow beneath his blonde hair.

Death. It was a concept foreign to his four-year-old mind until now. None of his family members had died, at least none he'd ever met. The wrinkled faces of the elderly always unsettled Katsuki - not because of their age or rambling stories, but because he knew they inched closer to the grave with each passing day. Death unnerved him.

But this was different. This time, death had struck someone his own age. His best friend. Deku. No...Izuku. Katsuki's chest heaved with sobs as the horrible truth seared into his brain.

They had been inseparable since infancy, two peas in a pod from the womb onward. Sure, Katsuki teased and bullied Izuku relentlessly. He knew it was wrong, but his ego and temper always got the better of him. Izuku never held it against him though. That's just how kind he was.

Katsuki squeezed his eyes shut, but he couldn't block out the horrible images - the inferno of flames engulfing Izuku's house, the shattered windows, the collapsing roof. Knowing his friend was trapped inside, probably terrified and in pain... It shattered Katsuki's heart into jagged pieces.

"I'm sorry!" Katsuki wailed into his pillow, his small body shaking. "I'm sorry Izuku! I...I didn't mean it! Any of it!"

Regret crashed over him in suffocating waves. There were so many things left unsaid between them, so many adventures they'd never have. Izuku didn't deserve to die, especially not in such a horrific way. He was too good, too pure. An angel.

"I promise I'll be nicer," Katsuki whispered hoarsely. "I promise I'll be a real friend. I'll protect you. I'll do anything..."

But it was too late. Izuku was gone, wrenched away forever by the icy claws of death. And a part of Katsuki, the innocence of his childhood, died along with him. All he could do was lay there, drowning in an ocean of tears and misery, wishing with every fiber of his broken being for a second chance he knew would never come. Suddenly, a white-hot surge of anger flared inside Katsuki, temporarily burning away the grief. He sat up, his red-rimmed eyes narrowing into slits.

"It's their fault," he hissed through clenched teeth. "The heroes. They were supposed to save him. They PROMISED!"

Katsuki's gaze landed on his All Might action figure standing proudly on the shelf. The symbol of peace, the greatest hero of all time. What a joke. All Might was probably off signing autographs or eating cake while Izuku burned.

With a primal scream of rage, Katsuki leaped off the bed and snatched the figure, hurling it against the wall with all his strength. It hit with a unsatisfying clunk and clattered to the floor, still wearing that stupid grin.

"Liar!" Katsuki roared, swiping his arm across the shelf and sending the rest of his hero merchandise flying. "You're all liars! I hate you! I HATE YOU!"

He kicked and stomped the toys until they were nothing but shattered plastic, ignoring the cuts on his bare feet. It wasn't enough. Nothing could quench the blistering fury and agony inside him.

"Katsuki? Baby, what's wrong?" His mother appeared in the doorway, her face etched with concern.

"GO AWAY!" Katsuki grabbed fistfuls of his hair, squeezing his head like he wanted to crush it. "JUST GO AWAY AND LEAVE ME ALONE!"

Mitsuki hesitated, clearly torn between respecting his wishes and rushing to comfort her son. With a pained expression, she slowly backed out and shut the door.

Katsuki collapsed to his knees in the middle of the destruction, his small body heaving with gasping sobs. Izuku was dead. The heroes had failed. And a piece of Katsuki had shattered beyond repair, leaving behind a festering wound that would shape the course of his life.