Artifice

The Kid I Used To Know

Izuku's POV:

The students filed off of the bus, but I remained in my seat. I was sure that my legs would give out if I tried to stand. The pressure and suspense of the upcoming event clouding my mind.

"Hurry up, Kazue. We have training to get to." Aizawa stepped back onto the bus after a minute of waiting.

I didn't snap at first that he was talking to me. Before I fully comprehended what he said, he approached me and grabbed my arm. I flinched at the sudden gruffness, but I didn't retaliate.

"Come on, problem, child." He said in his regular monotone voice.

I said nothing and reluctantly followed his lead. Once off the bus, he pushed me towards the rest of the students who were crowded by the entrance. I shot him a quick glare but did as I was instructed.

Mr. Aizawa opened the door to the facility, exposing several training grounds replicating natural disasters. This looks exactly like the map that Kurogiri had shown me.

I anxiously checked my phone that read: 8:50

Damn it. Alright, here we go.

Stuffing my phone back into my pocket and raised my hand, interrupting Thirteens' debrief. Aizawa glared at me but called on me nonetheless.

"May I go to the restroom?" I smiled innocently at him.

"Make it quick." He scowled.

I muttered a thank you and walked off. My speed started to pick up with every step. After a couple of seconds, I was in a full sprint. The laces of my shoes untied and whipped against my shin. The looseness of my shoe was the least of my worries. If I was late, I'd have hell to pay.

I took a sharp turn and rammed into the door of the bathroom. The door slammed against the wall, leaving a dent. I practically kicked down the door to the third stall where my hoodie, mask, a pair of black cargo pants, combat boots, and my blue contacts were stacked on top of the toilet, just as Tomura told me it would be.

I quickly tore off my uniform, exposing a white cloth that bound my newly acquired wings tightly to my back. I unraveled the cloth and pulled my hoodie on. I struggled for a second, trying to get the wings through the holes that were added to the jacket. I finally got them through and pulled on my pants and laced up my shoes, which added a few more inches to my height and swapped out my red contacts for the blue ones.

Stuffing my hair in the hood was surprisingly hard. The white stood out way too much against the red. After a while, I turned on the tab to wet my hands and slick my hair back.

I looked in the mirror, and the person staring back looked completely different.

I did a few more adjustments before checking my phone. 8:58, perfect. I crammed my clothes behind the toilet. I looked in the mirror for the last time before exiting the restroom.

My phone pinged with a message.

Shigaraki: You better be ready

Izuku: I am. Coming

I continued down the hallway, my feet pounding against the concrete floor. It felt like I was running for an eternity. In reality, it only was about 20 seconds before I found a different entrance into the main area.

A deep purple, void-like gate opened about 10 meters away. I broke back into a sprint and pushed through the villains that were pouring out of the gate.

I made it to the front and stood a couple of feet away from Master Tomura. If I got any closer, he might get really pissed. I was proved wrong when he turned to meet my gaze and signaled for me to come closer. Hesitantly, I inched closer until I was less than a foot away.