Fractured Wings

The city was sleeping. 

That's what it felt like to Bakugou Katsuki. As soon as the weird announcement was made, there was a nationwide lockdown. Curfew's for everyone. And anyone that wasn't meant to be out could be detained and questioned. 

It was frustrating. Sure he didn't speak to them very much, but his classmates, a few, they had just disappeared without a trace, some support gear was found but that just told them that they were taken. 

Classes had been called off, many of the teachers were out on duty leaving a few like Aizawa staying behind to watch over them. Bakugou barely looked at his phone, he muted the class group chat but he knew the conversations that were going on. 

As soon as the event had started everybody busy on their interns was quickly escorted back to the school. They had dorms now, installed after the first villain attack, to keep them safe. 

'Working just fucking fine,' he thought to himself sarcastically. 

His thoughts were a storm. He was mad at everything, especially this new villain named Proxy. 

It had been two hours since Bakugou had opened up his laptop. Proxy had chose which perspective was the main perspective as if it were a story, but you could still open another screen to continue the livestream from another's perspective as long as they weren't doing anything meant to be private. 'How courteous.' 

It was two hours ago he watched his ex childhood classmate, Kobe Arakawa, fight and even fend off a villain that Endeavour had to bring out the big guns for to put away about a year and some change ago. 

It was impressive, but that didn't mean shit to Katsuki. 

Even in all his fucked upness, he knows how bad this situation is, how disgusting it is that some people are valuing this as just entertainment and a way to profit. 

The screen had already shown people dying too. To the whole world, he wasn't pulling his punches. 

It felt gut-wrenching. The worst part of it all, he could do absolutely nothing when it counted. 

His hand hovered over the mouse connected to his laptop, clicking hesitantly on one of the many live feeds streaming the game. Drawn to the screen like a moth to a flame. 

The feed flickered to life. Deku... That was the first person he seen. His familiar green hair tousled. He was walking alongside the class president. 

There was nothing he could do, nothing but wait.

___

The streets were eerily silent, the hollow echoes of their footsteps bouncing off the lifeless buildings. Midoriya Izuku glanced at Iida Tenya walking beside him, his classmate and friend. Iida's eyes were downcast, his jaw tight. 

"I'm sorry," the words came right out of Iida like a broken record, the weight of them pressing on his shoulders. "You're here because of me. I dragged you into that fight with Stain. If I hadn't been blinded by vengeance, you wouldn't—" 

"Iida," Midoriya interrupted, his voice steady but kind. He stopped walking, turning to face him. "We've been over this. I made my choice and I'd do it again if it meant helping you and saving someone. Also, I probably would have been dragged into this anyway." 

Iida flinched, his hands clenching at his sides. "But it was reckless. You shouldn't have had to risk yourself because of my mistakes. I—" 

"You're not the only one who has made mistakes," Midoriya said firmly, cutting him off again. His emerald eyes burned with a quiet intensity. "We're all human. We mess up. But what matters is what we do afterwards." 

The words hung in the air between them, heavy but unyielding. 

"I know you're worried," Midoriya continued, his tone softening. "And I get it. I really do. But sitting here, stuck in the past, isn't going to help us get through this. Right now, we need to focus. On Todoroki, on the artifacts, on surviving and finding out if any more of our classmates are here so we can help them." 

For a moment, Iida said nothing, but the tension in his frame eased. He adjusted his glasses, his voice steadier now. "Thank you Midoriya." 

"Don't mention it," Midoriya said, waving off the gratitude. "Let's just keep moving. The faster we make sure he's alright the faster we can all work together on making it out of this game." 

Midoriya wasn't only thinking of Todoroki, he also thought of Kobe. But he didn't want to say his name out loud. 

____

The sun hung high in this counterfeit Hosu. Itsuka walked beside me, her pace steady, though the slight tension of her shoulders betrayed her lingering unease. 

She was keeping it together quite well. She glanced my way, her brow furrowed as if contemplating something serious. Finally she spoke. 

"You're him aren't you?" 

I raised an eyebrow, feigning ignorance. "Him who?" 

"Sōryū," she said, her tone both accusing and uncertain. "You're the guy I saw on the news fighting Overhaul. You're a villain." 

I chuckled dryly, "Took you long enough to figure that one out." 

Her reaction was immediate, a sharp intake of breath, her hands clenching into fists. She stopped walking, her eyes narrowing as she studied me. 

"You're not denying it?" 

"What's the point?" I shrugged keeping my stride. 

For a moment she went quiet, confusion lined her face. I guess not everyone would know of me saving Eri, which is a good thing. 

Kendo's gaze was boring into me, like she was trying to peel back layers to see who I really am. Then, to my surprise, she relaxed—a little, at least. 

"I don't get it," she admitted. "If you're a villain, why... Why help me back there? Why bother saving anyone at all?" 

"Maybe I'm just a complicated guy, villain one day and hero the next." I said. 

She didn't laugh. Instead, she looked like she was truly mulling over my words. Her expression morphed into something more contemplative. 

"I decided to be a hero when I was nine," she said suddenly, her voice quieter now as she followed behind me keeping up with my gait. "There was a boy in my neighbourhood—a total bully. He'd pick on anyone, mostly people smaller than he was. And he was a big guy for his age so that was almost everybody. And no one ever stood up to him." 

I tilted my head, curious despite myself. 

"One day, I caught him chasing this little girl," she continued. "She couldn't have been more than six. He pushed her, unknowingly into oncoming traffic. And I... I froze. I wanted to help, but I was scared." The story took a turn for the worse, but then her gait became more upbeat again as if she wanted to start skipping along. 

"But then, Edgeshot, who was up and coming at the time, appeared out of nowhere. He saved her, so fast that it was like he was a part of the wind." 

Her voice faltered, and glanced at me, almost apologetically. "That moment sticks with me. Not just because he saved her, but because he didn't hesitate." Again she got a little downcast, no doubt thinking about what happened with Abyss. "I want to be like that. Someone who can act without fear." 

There was silence for a moment as I took in her story before thinking of a reply. 

"Then don't lose that fear." I said, her brow's shot up in surprise at my answer. "I mean, I doubt that he has no fear just because he can jump on to a street of moving vehicles." I was finding it hard to wholly get my point across. 

"If you lose that fear, you'd be more likely to jump into situations unprepared, you'd start moving and acting almost unhuman, like a robot. So if you want to be the best hero you can be, don't start trying to discard pieces of yourself." 

She was now the silent one, her hands behind her back as she was staring at me as we continued to walk. There was a big smile on her face while I thought on her story. 

I didn't have anything like that. She was the polar opposite of me, her passion and ideals were forged in admiration while mine had been tempered in a deep, dark underbelly meant to be forgotten. 

I noticed then—a shadow flickering across the rooftops. An owl, it's movements were too deliberate, also it's presence felt too odd for the time of day. 

Nocturnal creatures weren't supposed to be out here, especially not in urban areas. I guess, that could be someone's quirk at play. Someone is watching us. 

I didn't let on. Let them watch. 

Suddenly a feint hum emanated and my Bug appeared, bright red. So did Kendo's, a simple green in colour. They both glowed as they floated in place. 

"{A new rule has been added:}" It announced in a monotone robotic voice. "{All players' quirks will now be displayed on the leader-board.}" 

Kendo's eyes widened, "What? They're revealing that?" 

"Seems like it," I said as I glanced through the leaderboard on my Bugs interface, "The rule was added by a guy named Nine, quirk: Weather manipulation." I said, she heard but she was also looking at her own interface. 

She was looking at the names, probably searching for her classmates. I looked through as well and noticed some gray skull marks beside some names right at the bottom, most likely signifying the worst for them. 

"Look," Kendo pointed. Her tone carried a note of relief. "My classmates—their are more than I thought, but they're alive. Yui Kodai, Jurota Shishida, Nirengeki Shoda, Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu and Setsuna Tokage. That's all that are here and they're alive." The relief in her tone was palpable. 

She breathed out a few sigh's. I seen some other names as well that I recognized mainly from the night before, Midoriya was alive, and so was Frosty, or should I say Shoto Todoroki and the other one Iida Tenya was too, couldn't say the same for the hero Native. 

Unfortunate. But still, a majority is alive, but it hasn't even been a full day. They're alive. 

"For now," I muttered. 

Kendo shot me a glare. "Don't say that." 

"Just being realistic," Is scrolled further, noting another pattern. "It's mainly villains who have any points. And a few, are already at fifty." 

Her brow furrowed, 'sure', it looked like she wanted to say. Not because she didn't believe, she could see it. She thought that because they were villains. 

"What does that mean?" 

"It means they're not sitting around for someone to save them." I met her gaze. "If you and your friends want to stick to your heroic ideals that's fine, you'll just have to ask one of these people that have already hit the mark, to add a rule." 

"What rule?" That was a dumb question. Or was it? Maybe it's not as obvious to some, or maybe she was still in a moment of thrill that her friends are alive that she is not thinking. 

"One that lets players transfer points to each other," I said simply. "That way, our points can change every four days without killing. And it wouldn't bother any of the prior rules." 

Kendo stared at me, her expression a mix of determination and glee. "You've thought about this a lot." 

"Survival makes you think fast." I said with a shrug. 

She didn't respond, but I could see gears spinning in her head. Her resolve was there but so were doubts. 

"Come on," I said, turning to walk again. "We've got work to do." 

___

The morning light glared upon us. Even in a game the heat was unbearable, we're in the last few weeks of summer though so it should be cooler. And since we're surrounded by sea the breeze isn't bad. 

Kendo adjusted the hem of her teal qipao, her fingers fidgeting absently. "This makes it a full day," she said, her voice carrying the slightest edge of frustration. "And we've found nothing. Just civilians sending us in circles." 

I smirked. "Like that group who thought they saw a glowing torch in the convenience store? And you actually made us go." 

"Don't remind me," She groaned, throwing her hands in the air. "A glowing torch? Seriously? It was just some neon sign flickering." 

Her reaction pulled a chuckle out of me, one that came easily despite our dire circumstances. "Maybe they just wanted to feel useful." I said with a shrug. "Can't blame them for trying." 

"Still..." her expression softened, and she kicked a stray rock across the cracked pavement. "It feels like we're spinning our wheels here." 

I glanced at her. "At least we're not spinning them hungry." 

She blinked, clearly not expecting that comment. "What?" 

"Think about it," I said, motioning to my stomach. "We've been out here for a full day, walking almost nonstop, and I haven't felt hungry. Haven't needed the bathroom either." 

Her brows furrowed at the realization. "You're right. This is all so weird." 

"We're in a game." I said aloud. The thought forming even as I spoke. "Maybe we're not operating like normal people anymore. We're more like game characters." 

Her lips pressed into a thin line. "That's disturbing." 

"Sure," I said, watching her out the corner of my eye. "But it's efficient. No hunger, no bathroom breaks, no time wasted." 

She didn't reply, her gaze was distant as she mulled over the idea. 

We turn a corner, and the feint sound of voices reached us. My muscles tensed, and I held out a hand to stop her. "Wait." I whispered. 

Ahead, a small group of figures stood in the middle of the street. I recognized one of them immediately—a large, round man in a yellow and with outfit that was hard to miss. Fat Gum. Beside him were three others: a girl with jet black hair pulled into a tight ponytail, another, also with black hair but long and straight. And lastly a boy with a ravens head. 

Kendo's face lit up. "That's Yui, Momo and Tokoyami!" 

The group turned at the sound of her voice, relief washed over their faces. Fat Gum waved, his grin wide and in my opinion, made his face look weird. "Oi, it's good to see some friendly faces!" 

As we approached, I could feel their eyes on me, wary and calculating. It didn't take long for Fat Gum to speak. 

"Hold on a sec," he said, his tone dropping slightly, "Aren't you Sōryū?" 

Kendo stepped in before I could respond. "He's with me. He's been helping sir." 

The heroes eyes narrowed slightly, but he nodded. "Alright. If the hero student vouches for you, that's good enough for now. Especially in the situation we're in now." 

The group exchanged introductions, and I learned their names. Momo Yaoyorozu, the tall one with the ponytail, she exuded an air of composure that seemed to steady the others. Tokoyami Fumikage, with his dark avian features, he was quiet and his gaze was sharp. And lastly Yui Kodai, another who's presence seemed ghostly. 

We gathered in a small circle, Fat Gum taking the lead. "We've been going through the west bank of the city since we got here. And there's some strange stuff happening, we haven't felt hungry or the need to use the bathroom. Heck, I even woke up with a new layer of fat this morning." 

Kendo and I exchanged a look. "We were just talking about that." she said. 

Fat Gum nodded. "Yeah well I've been thinking, this world runs on different rules. We're not functioning like normal people because we're not normal here. Daigo Kiyoshi made us into... something else maybe." 

"That would explain a lot," I said. "Like how I slept for maybe an hour and still feel fine." 

"Same here." Tokoyami said. 

As the conversation shifted, I called for my Bug to come out and show the leaderboard. "Speaking of rules," I said scrolling through the names. "We need to go after someone to add one. Look at this." 

The others looked at the screen. 

Kendo pointed to the name I left on the screen. "Miyu Ogawa. She's got 98 points." 

"She's not a known villain, may not have even been one before joining the game for all we know." I said. "But look at her quirk. Overwrite. She overrides the minds of animals."

My mind flashed to the owl I'd seen the day before. "I think she was watching us." I told them, Kendo gave a sharp look but didn't say anything. 

Fat Gum sighed. "If she's got that many points she's dangerous. But some of those other names are known criminals that are even worse." 

"So we need her. To add a rule that will allow us to exchange points." 

"Exactly. This may get messy. And I apologize to you students for having to include you in this." Fat Gum said in a low and grim tone. 

The hero students all told him it was all right, even I did which made him snap his head towards me. "Not you villain." There was an awkward moment of silence before he moved on. 

"Alright, lets start moving quick. We split up into groups to cover more ground and find her base. Kendo, you stick with him—" he jerked a thumb at me. "Yaoyorozu, you're with Tokoyami, and I'll take Kodai." 

"Meet back here in two hours, even if you've found nothing." he said. "And try not to get into any fights." He then looked dead at me. "And don't slow us down." 

"Don't worry," I gave him a salute. "I'll keep the rookie safe." 

Kendo shot me a glare, but the tension in the group eased slightly. For now, we had a start. 

Good!