Midoriya
I'm being watched.
I count four cameras, one in each corner, their small dots of light not incredibly obvious, but not necessarily hidden. I checked the door not too long after Shigaraki left, I almost wanted to leave the room to find a way out, but they've obviously planned for something like that; so I stay where I know at least for now, that I'm safe.
I wrote two letters, one to my mom, it's relatively short, I just wrote that I'm okay and alive, I didn't say anything about my voice though, she doesn't need to know, not yet. It would only make her worry more than she already is. The other letter is more of a check in with my kidnappers, a list of the things they need and where to find them with a few questions regarding my imaginary release, I know well enough that they'd kill me before they let me out of this building alive, but I still have to wonder how long this is going to go on for.
When Shigaraki was in the room, he mentioned something about not allowing me to leave with my quirk, which I'm still not sure isn't just a way to scare me. If his words had actual meaning to them, it's something that could change the existence of quirks in general, especially depending on what the goal of the group is.
The applesauce that was in the bag doesn't look tampered with, the seal is tight and the applesauce packet is completely normal, nothing that implies poison or sedatives, and I don't know how long I was out. It would be best to eat anyways, my growling stomach makes sure I know it. I screw off the top of the packet and tilt it back, doing my best to beat through the pain and swallow the cool food.
It's oddly comforting to know that there was at least some thought put into my food, I don't think I'd be able to swallow anything harder if I tried, but apple sauce doesn't hurt too bad…
Based on the letters of the alphabet I've been going over, I can still make a few sounds, like 'ff', 'shh', 'ss', 'ch', 'kuh', 'puh', 't', and 'he'... not much, but still something, just what i can do with simple air, maybe when I heal more I'll be able to talk more, but for now, this is good progress.
I keep drifting off randomly… One moment I'm walking to the desk, the next I'm just barely catching myself from face planting on the cold concrete floor. So I've decided to stay on the bed until I get my bearings again, sitting near the middle and leaning gently onto the wall behind my head, resting my right shoulder into the corner.
While I sit here, the best thing I can do is think, mostly about Shigaraki, notably, why he's keeping me alive, sure I've already known some reasons, but there has to be more, more to why his gaze didn't drift from my eyes the entire time he stood at the door. More to the reason he gave me applesauce and clothes, there is another reason I can think of for the items, but I refuse to believe it, it's completely unreasonable… there have been no reports in this city in the last two decades…
No- that's not realistic. They need me for information, they wouldn't risk giving their competition anything, especially if I'm as valuable as they might think I am.
My mouth is dry, maybe thinking isn't the best idea right now after all… I go through the bag for a moment, searching for water. There's no sink in this room, there's also no bathroom, I add it to my mental list of things to ask when I get the courage to get the villain's attention. Okay, I can go without the water for a little while longer.
I slide down onto the bed more, subconsciously reaching for a blanket and pillow that aren't there. I take another mental note.
Sleep seems like a foreign concept, but my body is obviously telling me I need it, so I close my eyes and turn to my side, propping my head up on my arm to straighten out my throat and keep it from getting worse. As soon as I start to drift off, my thoughts race, bringing up all kinds of possible outcomes of this situation, including how my mom must be doing right now… I picture her sitting at the table, crying while holding the picture she keeps with her everywhere she goes, a smaller me on a toy motorcycle wearing an All Might costume and holding my fist up just like he does when he defeats a tough Villain.
I think of All Might, For some reason, I don't… I don't have hope… he has far more important things to deal with, those duties tower well over helping a dumb kid who got himself caught by villains.
I think of Bakugo, he's usually so hot headed, but when Slough was fighting him in my body, there was a fear in his eyes like nothing I've ever seen… he was scared- for me of all people. He called me Midoriya… I don't think he's used my name since fourth grade… yet he said it… he cared.
I squeeze my eyes shut and try again, crackling, disguising my words with a sound that brings tears to my eyes yet again, and yet, I will make sure, it will be the first thing I tell them when I see them again…
"I'm sorry."
____________
I wake up with a start, flinching to a sitting position at the sound of a door creaking open. I remember everything immediately this time, I know the face I see when I open my eyes, his greyish blue hair and blood-red eyes pulling my attention from the severed hands he wears like jewelry.
"What were you writing last night?" He asks, voice unwavering
My notebook is on the end of the bed, so I reach for both it and a pen, keeping an eye on Shigaraki while I write a quick note under our conversation from yesterday.
"One is for my mom if you decide to let me send it to her, and the other is for you. Also, is there anywhere I can get some water? And where the bathroom is?" I write, it may be better to hold off on asking for the blanket and pillow for now. These two things are basic human needs, nothing needy about asking for them, but I can't expect my requests to be fulfilled if it's an extra, unneeded thing.
Shigaraki picks up both notes from the bed and opens the one with the big V on the front, he reads it over for a moment before folding it up and stuffing it in his pocket, "That's right, we want all the information from your notebooks. Regarding your release, it's not going to happen until we have the notes. And that will take only as long as you make it."
"It will take a while for me to copy everything from memory, If you'd just let me send them back when you let me go it would save you a bunch of time!"
"I'm still thinking about it." he flips open my letter for my mom and takes a minute to read it, his eyes narrow, then a small smile tips up the side of his lip, "It's so simple. You must be very sure of yourself. Not to mention you were smart enough to not mention anything about the circumstances of your release or the condition of your voice."
I look down, the pain in my throat is nothing more than a stinging throb now thanks to Mari's healing quirk , but talking is still out of the picture- I can tell when I try to make a humming sound- I'm never going to get used to the strangeness of not having a voice.
"Have you tried to use your quirk again yet?"
I shake my head and glance at my hand, I don't trust that the green light I saw was truly mine… it's such an unfamiliar feeling.
"That's going to change today, we're testing it." He reaches outside for a second and holds out another bag, "I'll trade you."
Huh? He doesn't throw it like last time, this time, he holds his ground and makes it so I have to get up and physically take the bag from him… I take the rest of my new pens and my leftover applesauce packet out from the bag I currently have. I took the clothes out at some point last night and got dressed in the dark, so I gave him a questioning look while holding up my dirty clothes.
"You can leave those in the bag." I do, and then I walk up to Shigaraki, being especially careful when I take the bag he gave me and hold the first out for him. He takes it and clears his throat. "Then grab the applesauce and follow me."
He doesn't give me time to think, instead, he just turns and starts walking.
Hold on! I try to say without thinking, this time, nothing but wisps of air comes out, not even any crackles like before- could it be getting worse?
I grab my notebook, a pen and the applesauce and poke my head out of the door. Shigaraki is standing by the corner of the hall to my left, looking as bored as ever. He nods his head in the direction of one of the side halls and starts walking again. All I can think to do is follow him while I eat the applesauce. Down the hall, to the right, to the left, to the left again, third door to the right.
The room is large, about as big as the gym at school, but it's split into two parts, the black paint on the larger side covers the floor, the most part of two walls and the entire back wall and the ceiling. The rest is white, with a black "X" painted on the floor.
Shigaraki gestures to the white side with one arm and gives me his instructions "Stand on the X and shoot your quirk to the other end of the room." something about the way he says it tells me I don't have a choice in the matter. And I for one would like to use this power on my own terms…
My notebook flips open and I write a question down, "How do I do that?"
He sighs lightly and points to the X again. "Stand there. Look there. Use your quirk to shoot the other end of the room."
I study his face for a moment, he doesn't seem mad, but he's definitely annoyed, so I walk over to the X and plant my feet. Then I do what I did before, I close my eyes and search deep inside myself for the spark, it comes quicker, now that I know what I'm looking for. I reach out with my mind and wrap my thoughts around the spark, I lift my hand and point it to the far wall, visualizing the spark again.
The warmth in my hand returns, so I focus instead of freaking out like I want to. The spark is growing thicker until I can picture it to be about the size of my hand in diameter, but it's getting harder to control. Maybe If I let it go?
I open my eyes just in time to see some kind of lime green ball-of-flames/Laser thing hit the other end of the room, a blast explodes from the impact point, not huge, but big enough to leave a small dent in the concrete.
Holy shit- that works.
A quirk.
I really have a quirk.
I feel for it again, the spark, it's still there, if anything it's even brighter than a moment ago. I squeeze it again, lighter this time, and slowly but calmly open my eyes to look at the little orb of green fire in my palm. It isn't hot, just… mildly warm. I take my other hand and put my index finger closer to the flame, when I don't feel heat, I dip it into the flame. The orb moves with liquid-like texture, going back into its original shape of a sphere.
"Fascinating." behind me, Shigaraki is leaning over my shoulder, his hair drops in my view and I duck. I didn't think he was so close- I turned as I went down, falling backwards onto my butt so I'm sitting in front of him, fear fresh in my eyes.
His expression shifts- barely a twitch, but I see it, and it makes me wonder, did I strike a nerve? By ducking away?
"You didn't know you had this power? Did you?"
I shake my head and stand slowly to get my notebook, "The doctors told me I was never going to have a quirk, they said it was impossible."
"Goes to show how unreliable the people of this government really are." He steps back again, this time standing where he has a better view, "Do it again, stronger. As strong as you can."
"But what about the wall?" I write.
"Don't worry about it, I led you through a portal created by one of my subordinates. We're in an abandoned town in the upper part of Ireland."
Ireland!?!? How the hell did we get to Ireland? Is he just tricking me? But his expression was just as it normally is from what I can tell, are we?
I give a small thumbs up and set my notebook down just behind me. Doing my best to ignore the fact that I might not in Japan anymore-
I don't even need to close my eyes this time to feel the spark, is this what a quirk awakening is like? Grab the spark, hold it.
The green orb appears on the top of my palm, growing slowly until it's about the size of a my hand again. That's when I start to get tired, I breathe heavily for a moment before regaining control and releasing the power. A green line shoots into the wall, at first nothing happens and confusion takes over my thoughts, then it grows suddenly, bursting into the warm flames.
Shigaraki steps back, further from my flames, He's trying to hide it, but my flames… they're burning him.
In the time I looked away from my fire, it built enough power to explode in a shimmer of light, the wall splinters and cracks, pieces crumbling to the ground almost too fast for me to react, but not for Shigaraki- Before I can even blink, He's behind me, pulling me through the door and onto the floor in the hall. He slams the door shut and tears a small piece of paper off of the door frame. I don't hear the crash of concrete hitting the ground, I don't hear the ceiling in the room collapse, but when Shigaraki puts the paper back and opens the door, the only thing I see is rubble, rubble and miles upon miles of field.