Double-Sided

3. Sick of It

Izuku was flying through the sky. He thought his first trip through the air would be more enjoyable, but he wasn't on a plane after all. Instead he was desperately holding onto the leg of his favorite hero, All Might.

    "OH GOD, MOM WOULD NOT APPROVE!!!" His screams were virtually unheard but All Might wanted to get out of the situation as much as him. The two landed on the top of a building and Izuku was out of breath. All Might began to scold him about grabbing onto a hero for no reason, but Izuku was just worried about his heart rate. Luckily for him the medicine from the first syringe was still in effect. He felt a little strange and tired, but still was determined to ask All Might a question. Something he had wondered for years. But something else seemed to be preoccupying the Number 1 Hero. A strange mist was pouring from his skin. And then.

    "POOF" The noise was as anticlimactic as the new figure now in All Might's place. It was a shriveled version of All Might. All Might began to explain his situation making Izuku promise to tell no one.
   
    Izuku was speechless, but somehow it made sense. Everyone probably has something to hide. Izuku knew this from first hand experience. He had the biggest secret of all.

    "A-All Might before you go... I have a question about heroes. No... I have a question about me. I have a forbidden quirk. It's too dangerous to use apparently, but I still can't push it out of my mind that there is somehow a chance... a chance to become a hero. So do you think it's possible for me to even hope to become a hero?"

All Might was as speechless as Izuku had been moments before. He sat down on the ground and stroked his chin deep in thought.

    "Where have I seen this kid before?" He thought. "This is all so familiar..."

"You know kid, I—" Suddenly an explosion interrupted the hero. He got up immediately and turned around looking over the balcony on the roof. In the city there was a raging fire and multiple smaller explosions. He immediately looked down to his side. The bottle that held the sludge villain was gone. Izuku noticed this too and realized that it was his fault.
   
    All Might said a quick apology and dashed down the stairs in his deflated form. He was out of time for the day, but he still felt responsible for the disaster. Izuku quickly followed him. His mind was racing. They arrived at the scene when everything was seemingly going to hell. From what Izuku could tell, the heroes, Backdraft (water quirk), Kamui Woods (arbor quirk), Death Arms (strength quirk), and Mt. Lady (gigantification quirk) were all present but unable to really do anything. The fires that had sprung were too dangerous for Kamui Woods because wood is so flammable. Mt. Lady was simply too large. Backdraft and Death Arms could have been effective but were too preoccupied with the nearby crowding civilians. Right now the monster seemed to be surrounded in the one-way street, but it was no less dangerous. Izuku moved closer to the front of the crowd. That's when he saw it. His stomach dropped. Kacchan was trapped in the mass of sludge. He was struggling but his quirk was the real cause of all the destruction.
   
    "This is all my fault..." Izuku thought. "Why do I have to be so useless? Why did I have to be born this way? I am a failure. I cause everyone around me so much pain. Mom has faced so much agony because of me. Dad left because I wasn't good enough. He was smart to leave when he did. Look what my legacy is going to be. Responsible for the death of Katsuki Bakugou... I can see the news headline now. I am the most worthless piece of garbage on the planet. I am as good as being quirkless. He called me Deku for a reason, Kacchan was right... everyone was right. Especially—"
   
    "You're wrong." Izuku's thoughts stopped cold. Did he hear someone say something? No wait. He looked around. No one was looking back at the nervous boy. Thinking about it there was no noise. There was another voice however. Another voice in his head. Who or what was that? He closed his eyes. As soon as he did that everything seemed to go mute. His senses were dulled until he found himself in his head. It was a dark expanse. He heard waves in the distance. However there was no water to be found. Only an inky darkness. Except... no. There was a mirror. With dark black-tinted glass. He found himself looking into it but there was no reflection. As hard as he looked there was no one there. It was almost as if part of him was missing. Then he heard it again. A whisper. It was a voice. It was not unlike his own. Yet somehow foreign, like an accent he had lost years ago. Izuku starred deeper into the mirror. He heard more whispering but it was hard to understand. He got closer and closer to the mirror. It's dark surface began to ripple against his hot breath. It was beckoning him. He extended his hand towards the mirror and touched its surface. A shock ran through his body as he didn't touch the dark glass but another fleshy hand touching his own. He looked up again and saw it. The shadowy figure in all his dreams. The majority of its body was covered in a black mist, but where they were touching, the mist had evaporated to show its pasty hand with a green undertone almost radiating under the skin. Izuku however was not afraid. Somehow this all seemed natural to him. He placed his second hand on the mirror. The shadowy figure did the same and at the same time became more visible as black mist left its body. Izuku began to notice its curly hair and sharp green eyes. It spoke to him.