The Emerald Prince

Chapter 138: Eleventh Hour

Your suffering is over my children.
If you're confused, please do go see what the first thing Izuku did with his clone was.

———

Izuku was lost in perfect focus, doing his utmost to lock his heart away as he barked instructions. Four nomus were down now, but he was sending injured and exhausted heroes to Recovery Girl and Thema at a rate he knew they could not handle.
And unfortunately a distraction arrived.

Inko looked bedraggled. Her clothes were torn and her hair loose, straighter than his but a similar length and a tangled mess with all the wind and explosions. She grinned at him, blood spilling from the corner of her mouth as she staggered toward their group.
"Izuku..." murmured Kiyo, but the teen shook his head.
"Nezu?" Asked Izuku softly, "could you take over for me?"
"Of course, cub." Said the other calmly, taking the headphones and taking over directions smoothly.

Izuku shared a cautious glance with Hisui who was stood to the side, before swallowing and walking forward, his entire focus on the person who haunted his days and nights, caused him to experience more kinds of suffering than there were words to describe.
"Why?" He whispered. "Auntie Mitsuki said you were so lovely, so kind...what happened?"

Inko deflated before him, her eyes suddenly round and sad. She ran a trembling hand through her hair, brushing it out her face as she gazed at him which almost fear. "H-h-he happened..."
"What do you mean?" Whispered Izuku softly, inching forward.
Inko wrung her hands, "h-he took me..."
Izuku took another step closer, "All for One he took you? What did he do?"
There was only a metre between them now.
Inko relaxed a little and a shy smile played on her lips, "he....he showed me all that I was missing." She smirked at him, "the euphoria of inflicting suffering! And agony! And the screams... the most glorious music of all!"
She giggled and lunged at Izuku with a knife, the teen frozen with abject terror at the clear blood lust in her eyes. Eleven years of a trauma don't go away in a couple of months.

The knife severed Izuku's neck and Shinsou let out a guttural scream.

The purple haired teen launched forward screaming at the top of his lungs, but before he could get close - to attack Inko or clutch Izuku he had no idea - strong arms were around him holding him back. He fought them, yelling and sobbing as very single nerve burned with the reality of what he'd just witnessed.

"Toshi! It's okay! It's me!" The voice was Izuku's but it was too close. Izuku was stood over there dying- no melting? Wait? What?
Shinsou turned to see what he had thought was the clone, Hisui clutching on to him, deep earnest eyes on him worried and guilty.
"Hisui? But?"
"I'm quirkless right now..." whispered Hisui, clinging to him. "I didn't want to take any risks....I'm alive Toshi. It's okay, you're okay, I'm okay, please....breathe."
"I-Izu?" Shinsou whimpered, gripping onto the greenette so tightly he'd leave bruises.
"Izu." Confirmed the greenette softly, and Shinsou sobbed, falling forward to rest his forehead against Izuku's. "F-fuck...I couldn't...you were..."

In his periphery Shinsou could see a pissed Aizawa hit Inko in the back of the head with a piece of shrapnel, but right now he couldn't breathe.

Cool hands were on his cheeks and big green eyes filled his vision.
"Breathe with me." Whispered Izuku softly, and Shinsou sobbed, gasping and choking a little as he tried to take in air.
"Focus on me." The greenette murmured. "I'm here. I'm not going anywhere. I love you Toshi and I'm not going anywhere so fucking breathe for me please before I do actually die of guilt."

Aizawa walked over to his son and tapped him gently on the shoulder, but Izuku only sent him a distracted smile of reassurance before focusing back on Hitoshi who was just about managing to sync up his breathing pattern with the greenette's, still clutching him like a vice.
Tears were pooling again as the image of Izuku being killed replayed in his mind and Shinsou ducked down to bury his head into Izuku's shoulder. He knew he was shaking, but fuck, it was like someone had ripped open his chest cavity and thrown his heart and lungs into a volcano. That was a moment he never ever wanted to live through again and they weren't done yet.
He faintly heard Aizawa and Izuku talking, but he just stayed put. He kinda got why Shoto liked doing this so much.