It Can't Be Him... (Villain Kaminari Story)

CHAPTER 14: No Turning Back Now.

Todoroki was again left alone standing in front of Bakugo's door, feeling tenser than ever.

Everything in view was fading away from him. Fading away...away...away...

"DAMMIT!" Todoroki slammed his fist to the wall and ignored Bakugo screaming inside his room and telling him to shut up. More unanswered questions filled his head as the clock kept ticking. Will Midoriya be alright? Will they make it in time? What if they end up ruining more lives? Is this really okay?

You want to be a hero, don't you?

His mother's courteous voice filled his head. She had told them these words when he was a little boy.

It's fine...you can be one.

He ran his hand down his face and released a heavy sigh of frustration. Todoroki's body ached with regret and remorse. If only he had acted earlier. If only he had followed Kaminari that day for training. If only he hadn't left for the provisional license exam. If only he had been there with Jirou that night. If only he had talked to Midoriya yesterday. So many regrets. So many things he could have done. If he did something, maybe nobody would have gotten hurt and Midoriya wouldn't have gone missing.

Todoroki and Bakugo left U.A. as soon as Bakugo got dressed. He had put on his regular black tank and loose sweatpants. Together, the two boys dashed out of the school, not bothering to acknowledge anyone who might have been looking at them.

...........................

"Okay, fill me in here, what the hell is going on, where's Deku, and why was Dunce Face inside the building?" Bakugo asked as they ran as fast as they could down the city streets, "And where the hell are we going?"

No response. The original plan was breaking into the hideout right away (Recovery Girl gave him the address when she talked about his DNA with him), but now with one person gone from the team, would it still be a good idea?

"Oi, bastard!" Bakugo called again, "Answer me! Where are we headed?"

Todoroki's mind was spinning in circles. Where were they headed? He was the leader, so he should know the next step to take, but he was just as lost as Bakugo.

"The hideout," said Todoroki, "No, the library. Maybe we can use one of the devices to find Midoriya. Or...we could go back. We can turn back and see if Kaminari left behind some clues." He felt an urgent tug on his shirt collar and he found himself pulled back into narrow, dark alley. Bakugo's glowing red eyes were staring at him.

"Did you even think any of this through?!" he yelled into his face, "I'm following you because I thought you knew where to go, but you're not making any sense!"

"Um...I..." Todoroki scratched his head, trying to get his mind back together, but he was beginning to lose it, "Midoriya...gone...Kaminari came back...he kidnapped Midoriya. Or, I don't know what he did, I don't know where Midoriya is. I don't know where anyone is. Maybe we should go back. Maybe Midoriya isn't gone! Maybe we can...maybe we don't have to do this after all. We should leave everything to the pro heroes, yeah?"

"Hey, hey! Okay!" Bakugo grabbed Todoroki by his shoulders and gripped tightly, "Just...just calm yourself. Just breathe. Relax, alright?"

Todoroki obeyed. He straightened his hair and took deep breaths.

Bakugo leaned against the hard brick wall while he waited for Todoroki to calm himself down. The lack of Midoriya's planning was making him lose mental stability. Because he was so dependent on his friend, he never took the time to thoroughly analyze things through.