The Emerald Prince

Chapter 124: A Dark Turn

Missed some quality Dadzawa?

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Izuku stared at the letter, letting out a pathetic whimper as he searched his surroundings before sprinting into the building, slamming the door behind him, and sliding down it.

He didn't know how long he spent having a panic attack on the doormat before hands brushed through his hair.
"Izuku..." murmured Aizawa, carefully lifting him into a sitting position, "What happened?"
"S-s-she's found me..." he whispered, rocking back and forth as his breathing came in ragged bursts. "She's left a note outside..."
Aizawa let out a growl and moved to open to the door.
"NO!" Izuku yelled, his voice jarring in the quiet hallway, launching onto him and hold him back. "Don't g-go... she'll hurt you...I don't- I can't-"

The Hero gritted his teeth, and turned away from the doorway and the letter lying the other side, to hold Izuku tightly. "Okay. I'll stay here. But who'll get the letter?"
The greenette gulped, child-like in this state, Aizawa could watch his thought process in the expressions flickering openly across his face.
"I-I'll go..." he whispered eventually.
"But-"
"She's hurt me before..." he whispered, "she's probably bored of it after so long."

Aizawa just stared as Izuku let go, placing himself firmly between his father and the door. The greenette gripped the handle like it could bite him, taking a deep breath before launching himself out the door, grabbing the paper like it was a letter bomb, and diving back into 'safety'. He dropped the note as soon as he had, burying his head in Aizawa's chest as he took shaky breaths.

Aizawa was going to kill Inko.
It was decided.

He knelt awkwardly with Izuku in his arms, and read the note.

Hey sweetie,
Your father, your real father, wants to meet you! He's so proud of you and that quirk you never told me you had! You should have done, I might have to punish you for keeping it to yourself! He wants you to be part of our family, a real family.
Anyway, you've got a week. We'll be waiting for you at the Kamino Ward, eleven sharp on Sunday so don't be late, you know I don't like it when you're late. You can bring a plus one sweetheart, but don't expect them to survive.
Your loving mummy xxx

Did he say he was going to kill this woman?
No, he wasn't going to kill her. He was going to discuss more painful alternatives with Nezu. And then explore them all. Thoroughly.

He pulled Izuku back before the teen could read it. He didn't need to.
"AFO wants to meet you, next Sunday, 11 o'clock. You can bring someone with you." He summarised.
"He's going to try to kill me." Said Izuku softly, his voice a little steadier though his body shook.

'You sure?" Aizawa thought it possible, but Izuku said it with certainty.
"He knows my quirk...more or less. He knows I must have gathered a great deal more than him, and from the third generation with stronger quirks. He can't copy quirks, he can only take them. That greatly limits how much he can gather without drawing attention."

Izuku gripped tightly onto Aizawa as he talked. "I am almost limitless in comparison. He needs to take my quirk, and either way he has to kill me. I'm too much of a risk, I brought his successor to my side."

He raised his head to Aizawa's, "he hasn't survived this long being reckless. I'm far too dangerous to let live."
"Then do you have a plan?" Aizawa asked carefully.
"Getting there, let me work my way out of this panic attack first, thanks dad." Muttered Izuku.
"Sorry." Chuckled Aizawa, shoving the note in his pocket and lifting the shaking teen to his feet.
"Yamada is out, why don't you stay with me tonight huh? I want to hear why you were outside alone in the first place too."
Izuku gulped at the slightly threatening undertone, and chuckled nervously as his dad led him back to his rooms.

In the hallway they found Shouji, and Izuku had a bad feeling.
"Izuku..."murmured the taller teen, "can I speak with you?"
The coincidence had been too great. Izuku sighed, "I think I know what you are going to say... I think it best you tell both of us. It'll be okay Mezo."
The taller teen paled but followed as Izuku led him and Aizawa into the teacher's rooms.

"Talk." Said Izuku gently.
With a wary glance at Aizawa, Shouji talked.
"I might have lied to you...back when I asked if you were Hisui...my sister doesn't make enough for us. UA fees are so much, she's barely been eating in order to allow me to come here..."
Aizawa scowled. He's been pushing for a scholarship scheme for years.
"What happened?" Prompted Izuku gently.
"A guy approached me, a few weeks after USJ. Elderly, short guy with a medical coat...he said that he'd pay a lot of money for information... and at first I said no, but he was offering so much, and the information he wanted wasn't a big deal. Just asking about the personalities of my class mates...what we were taught..."

"Shouji, I get you know this was wrong, and believe me, I understand why you did it..." Izuku smiled gently, "but, handsome, please get to the point."
The taller teen shrank on himself, ashamed to the core.
"All for One knows you're currently quirkless."
"FUCK!" Yelled Aizawa.
Izuku scowled at him, "shh! It doesn't really matter anyway. It was just going to be a bluff. I'll have to do a lot more planning in the next seven days, but it'll work."
"Will it really be alright? I'm so sorry Izuku..."
The greenette smiled, and walked over to hug the masked teen. "It'll be fine. Go sleep Mezo, and I'll get onto Nezu about helping you and your sister."
"You're too good for this world..." muttered Shouji as he left. Aizawa couldn't help but agree.

"Will it be alright?" Repeated Aizawa dryly once the other student had gone.
The greenette's mask dropped and his breathing turned shaky again, "fuck no. I'll need a hell of a lot of luck to pull off this plan and that bluff was half the plan... Plus we're are facing an old monster. Even worse I might have to ask All Might for help..."
Aizawa snorted. "What's step one of this plan."

Izuku stared at him, eyes once again bright and determined. "I need to meet with Sir Nighteye."

"That's...interesting." Managed Aizawa. "I'd get onto Togata right away, if you play your cards right you could get a meeting with him tomorrow. The man's been curious about you anyway."
Izuku nodded, pulling out his phone despite the late hour, "On it."

"You are aware of his quirk then?" Asked Aizawa in the silence.
Izuku only raised his eyebrows in answer.
"True. It could be invaluable. But I highly doubt he'll tell you anything." Pointed out the Hero.
The greenette smiled a dark, dangerous smile, "I'm not with the 'light', not truly. Even if I'm not with the dark. But us is the grey area have our ways. He'll tell me."
"My little monster." Muttered Aizawa affectionately, then his expression turned serious, "Izuku are you as okay as you're pretending to be?"
The greenette snorted weakly. "Would you be? I know I haven't told you much...but you probably have a good idea..."
Aizawa signed and pulled the teen down beside him on the sofa. "I have a clue, and no, obviously not. What do you need?"
Izuku buried his head into the other's chest, "I don't really know any healthy coping mechanisms...but your pulse is calming."

Aizawa wasn't particularly surprised, but stroked Izuku's hair instead of commenting. He wanted to know if Izuku was tempted to self harm, but despite the events of the last week he had more faith in Izuku than to ask.

The greenette had suffered a huge shock, and all the trauma he'd shoved away hit him like a ton of bricks. Aizawa wasn't angry that he'd gone to a roof, sad certainly and terrified of what could have happened if they hadn't been able to get there in time. He knew he couldn't handle the loss, but he didn't blame Izuku for a second for being that desperate to end the pain.

But he was out of that irrational state now. Who exactly could take credit for that he wasn't sure, but he was grateful, and he trusted this Izuku, his Izuku. His Izuku who had fire in his eyes, grit and cunning, intelligence and almost boundless kindness.

He leant his head back, as Izuku's breathing evened out. He was going to get a half decent night of sleep. This week was going to be busy, and complicated, and he knew the coffee gods could not bestow on him the strength needed alone.