Codename Enigma

Prologue

Gentle rays of light could be seen through the slits of closed eyes, clammy hands reaching out as if to cradle the warmth of the sun in its crevices. Stretching his legs languidly, he blinked, the blurred image of a green canopy above him smoothing into leaves and swaying branches.

As he turned his head to acknowledge the harsh steps that had woken him, he saw a broad-leaved plant get jerked from the ground and held suspended in the air shaking reddened earth into his still drowsy eyes. The faint aroma of caramel was in the air as Izuku rubbed his now watering eyes, struggling through dotted vision to look up at the face of his earthy assailant.

Spiky blonde hair and orbs of crimson met his uneven gaze, a narcissistic smirk on the face of a boy that clutched a plant in dirty calloused hands.

"Kacchan, you shouldn't have ripped up mom's plants, she'll be mad," Izuku slowly rose to his feet, his toque white shirt peppered with copper dirt and whispy roots.

"Why should I, Auntie Inko won't see the diffrence anyway."

"But that's still not nice Kacchan," He argued, looking around through irritated, blinking eyes.

"Who are you to tell me what to do Deku." Katsuki threw the plant at him, shoving him down with his freed hands. Glittering sparks came from clawed fingers aimed toward him before a voice off in the distance shouted for the boy in the dirt. Giving Izuku one last glare, he kicked at the dirt, narrowly missing the him, but showering Izuku in a cloud of dirt before storming off.

Covering his red rimmed emerald eyes, Izuku spat out the dirt he had accidentally inhaled, and started towards his house.

"Izu! Why is your new shirt covered in dirt?" A short woman stood on the steps of his house, her ionian green hair mirroring his own .

".. I fell, sorry Mom."

~

A few years later, Izuku sat at a small desk, arms covering the notebook he wrote in. His pencil scratched furiously at his paper, a folded sheet placed out of ways harm as his arm moved haphazardly around the desk. Words filled the open book, a small, labeled diagram of Pro hero Ingneium engine arm the only image in the only open space. Small notes of analysis was written sideways next the the engine, some highlighted, circled, or starred.

A hollow tap on the wooden table shook him of his head as the teacher stood with a hand reached out for something. Izuku pointed to the lovingly folded paper, and it was taken. Looking back down to his notes, he didn't notice when the sound of parchment crinkling sounded throughout the room.

"It seems another of our students is applying for UA then." She read out his school choice and his head snapped up, eyes wide as small, angry explosions shot off.

The class laughed at him as he hid his head in his arms, calling out to him with remarks the teacher did nothing to stop.

"You'd never make it in Deku," a boy laughed as his veined wings shook.

"They'd never accept someone like you, quirkless."

The remarks got steadily more personal as the clock ticked closer to the bell, and as soon as the teacher left the room with its sound, Izuku's chair was pushed out from under him and his neck sizzled as an uncomfortably hot hand grabbed him. 

"Change it," demanded the boy holding him up. When he shook his head, he was released momentarily before a bruising pair of rough fists shoved into his gut, explosions ripping into his flesh through his now burnt shirt. Izuku fell to the floor, curling into himself as heavy shoes pounded into his back and legs, and sparks flew onto him like smoldering ash.

There was a momentary lapse in sound and movement as his abuser stopped, before he was picked up by his hair. His eyes were screwed shut as an explosion knocked him out of the hands holding him up. His knees hit the wall, before his unbalanced body tipped backward and he fell out of the window.

Izuku felt the air whipping past him and his eyes opened long enough to focus on the glittering crimson eyes following his path with little interest.

Whispered words made their way through white noise before his vision faded to an unusual grey.

"Why don't you just kill yourself, and wish for a quirk in your next life."

Izuku woke up in the hospital with aching limbs and people surrounding him. Only one person was almost familiar,  he reached out to a green haired woman. She held his hand loosely as she continued speaking with the doctors.

"-He shouldn't have any lasting injuries, and we had some people with healing quirks help his healing along."

"Thank you doctors, when do you think I could take him to the home?"

"Just sign these papers, and you can be on your way ma'am." Papers were shoved unceremoniously into her free hand, and the extra people filtered out of the room. She dropped his hand as soon as they left, her lips settled in a tight line.

"Izumi, you need to stop this behavior. Hospital bills are expensive and we cannot keep paying for them."

Oh.

"Sorry ma'am, I'll try not to be so much trouble."

"You better," the woman adjusted her glasses as she peered at him through narrowed eyes. "Your food will be cut short again to help with the expenses."

"Yes, ma'am." Izuku grit his teeth, mentally smacking himself.

Of course it's not her, you idiot.