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It had been just like any other assignment.
Straight forward, laid out according to the intel Aizawa-sensei had provided Tenya Iida before sending him out into the field. He’d felt no reason to hesitate, nor did he suspect that anything was off.
“Ingenium, status report.”
Aizawa’s voice buzzed through the communicator. Without losing focus on the target, Iida raised a hand to his ear, tapping the communicator. “Target to our 1 o’clock, fifth story.” He glanced behind him for a split second, noticing that his partner was perched on the edge of the building, her eyes focused. Despite her normal cheerful demeanor, Ochaco Uraraka was always the more serious one on assignments. And, secretly, it was why he always preferred her as his partner.
“Uravity, report.”
“Prepared to make the extraction,” Uraraka replied in a low voice. Her eyes meeting Iida’s, she gave him a slight nod. Iida could have sworn he’d seen the slightest of smiles behind her pink tinted visor. “Just waiting for the go ahead, sir.”
Static crackled on the line. “Remember what I told you both at briefing: careful extraction. The target’s Quirk is dangerous. Avoid exposure at all costs.”
Iida’s lips formed a hard line as he tapped the communicator once again. “Advise on proper extraction procedure, if any?”
There was a brief pause before Aizawa’s stern voice came over the line again. “Again, not enough is known of the target’s Quirk. Non-lethal extraction, if possible. Only go for the upper extremities and avoid contact with target’s eyes, hands or mouth.”
Wonderfully specific, as always, Aizawa sensei. Iida stifled a sigh, shoulders tensing.
“Are the two of you up for this assignment?”
Before Iida could answer, Uraraka spoke up, “We are.” She glanced at Iida again, longer this time. Her expression was one of reassurance. “Just verifying the procedure once again.”
“Understood. Standby.” The line went dead once again.
“You alright, Iida-san?” Uraraka leaned in. “You look nervous, which isn’t like you.”
Clearing his throat, Iida turned his attention to the small window on the fifth floor. A dim light shone through the holes in the blinds, with shadows dancing along the walls. This wasn’t unlike any other assignment, so he wasn’t sure what it was that was coiled so tightly in his gut. It couldn’t be nervousness. An Iida would never be nervous on assignment.
With a single, terse nod of his head, Iida tensed his shoulders. “I’m fine.”
Just an average, ordinary assignment. What could go wrong?
“You are clear for extraction.”
In no time at all, Iida’s foot left the ledge, his body plummeting for a second, the cold night air rushing past his ears. Then he could feel it, that familiar spark coursing through his body. The ignition. Smoke and flames erupted from the exhaust pipes on his calves, his body propelling through the air.
Uraraka had beaten him to the windowsill, turning to the side as he pushed through the pane, shattering it completely. Glass pieces showered over his armor, dancing along the floor as he landed on the dirty floor of the nearly empty apartment.
No sign of the target.
His head turned sharply, prepared to strike. The swinging light above exaggerated his shadow, shifting along the floor, the walls, dancing around him like a possessed man. He could feel the coiled thing in his gut begin to slither, a terrible cold climbing up his spine.
“Igenium, Uravity, report! What-?”
The ground gave way, Aizawa’s voice becoming white noise. His body plummeting through the darkness, Iida watched as the through the darkness, the swinging light faded away. He could have sworn he’d heard Uraraka’s voice following him, the shock in his body turning him to stone. MOVE, DAMMIT!
Iida’s body hit things unseen, tumbling till he hit what felt like concrete. The shock was shattered, his body screaming in pain. He was on high alert now, stumbling to his feet before something leapt out of the dark, hitting him with full force.
This was a trap from the very beginning.
Snapping into action, Iida grabbed at anything he could, his fingers wrapping around what felt like fur and muscle, doing his best to rip away the aggressor.
He could hear the sound of his armor buckling, sharp claws digging into his flesh. Iida was overwhelmed, unable to see and unable to get away now.
“IIDA-SAN!”
Uraraka’s voice filled the darkness, sounding muffled as the aggressor pushed Iida to the ground. He tried to speak, but every attempt was thwarted as his head was repeatedly smashed into the concrete. It was as if the thing holding him down had dozens of limbs, all holding him down as he thrashed.
“URARAKA-!” He choked, blood coating his tongue. His helmet had been smashed to pieces; the communicator long gone as well. And now, somehow in his overwhelmed, he had managed start the engines on his calves. This was Iida’s moment to get free. With a deep, guttural scream, the engines roared to life, catapulting the two into the air, with the assailant’s back hitting the ceiling. There was a sickening thud and a crunch, followed by a horrifying scream that even Iida recoiled from. Everything that had been holding him in place loosened just enough for Iida to get his bearings.
“I’VE GOT HIM!” Iida shouted at last, his voice shaking a bit. “Get over here now while we-!”
Once more, his body was sent flying, the momentum in his legs failing him. This time, he was greeted by fresh, cold air, the darkness replaced by blurred moonlight and the sharp, ice-cold water below.
In the light, he could finally make out its shape. It was large and hulking, multitudes of arms ripping out of its back, fur rippling as they began to sink. Boney claws and green eyes were all a blur as the air began to escape his lungs. In all his time at UA, there had never been a moment where Iida felt so helpless, so useless. He was always prepared for the worst, and yet…
Iida barely registered as teeth sunk into his shoulder, his blood mixing in with the river water, the moonlight fading from view. Didn’t give me time to think, time to… move. It was far too fast for him or Uraraka. And, just like that, he was going to die here.
He had heard many times that, before death, one’s life flashed before one’s eyes. But all Iida could see behind closed eyelids was the face of his brother. Tensei. Of all the faces that could come to him, Tensei’s face appeared, framed by the pillow of his hospital bed. Bandaged, beaten.
Is this what it was like for him, too?
The only difference was that Tensei had made it.
I’m… sorry…
He didn’t realize that the thing had let him go, his body drifting deeper…
Uraraka had found it. It was a wet, shivering, sinew-and-fur covered mess, but she’d managed to find it. It emerged from out of the water, twitching and whimpering, its massive nest of arms cracking in unison. She’d never seen a Quirk – much less a creature – so hideous in all her life.
The blue and red of police lights twirled below her, lighting up the creature’s face for a few second intervals. Sharp fangs dripped with blood, burn marks lining many of the arms, but there was no sign of Iida. Her blood ran cold, her heart stopping.
“Wh-where-?!”
Her words were cut short as a voice came over a megaphone. “This is the local police department. We ask that you lower the suspect immediately into our care.” Uraraka turned back, her eyes wide with fear as she stared down at the police officer.
“Officer!” she shouted back. “My partner went down there too, but he’s-!”
The megaphone squealed abruptly. “I repeat, place the suspect down on the tarmac immediately!”
“You don’t understand!” The desperation in her voice was palpable, her frustration forcing tears to well in her eyes. “My partner could be dead; we need someone to look for him! He’s still down there!”
“THIS WILL BE YOUR FINAL WARNING, URAVITY! PUT THE-!”
Even from her position, Uraraka could see Aizawa-sensei emerge in the group of police officers, his hand placed on the officer’s megaphone. For a moment, she felt relief wash over her. Finally, someone would listen to her. Then his voice came over the megaphone.
“Uravity, please put the suspect on the tarmac.” His voice was flat, lifeless.
Her brows furrowed in confusion. “B-but Aizawa sen-!”
“We will discuss further action regarding Ingenium afterwards,” Aizawa replied, cutting her off. “For now, please put the suspect down.”
She held in any further argument, releasing her Quirk’s hold gradually from the creature and letting it rest on the asphalt below, water pooling around it. Officers surrounded it, curious and cautious as they crept up to its now motionless body. The hands on its back splayed around it, rust colored fur dripping with water and blood. It looked like a combination of a bat and a wolf, its misshapen face scratched and scarred. Even in her state, Uraraka couldn’t look away from it.
“It looks nothing like what I expected.” Aizawa’s voice somehow cut through the chaos, startling Uraraka. “We had very few photos of it to begin with, but to think that this was what we were sending the two of you after…” He sighed, the dark circles under his eyes seeming to deepen a bit. “We should never had sent you on this one.”
“Aizawa sensei,” Uraraka’s voice broke for a moment. “Iida-san’s still in the water. We need to find him, he could be badly hurt!” She tried not to notice the blood on the creature’s teeth, knowing it had to be Iida’s.
Aizawa placed a hand on her shoulder, trying to calm her. “We’re going to, don’t worry.” But the way he said that last part was not too convincing. “Gang Orca’s looking for him as we speak, as well as a few others.”
“Eraser Head, you need to take a look at this!” An officer interrupted, a tense expression on his face.
Any tenderness in Aizawa’s expression melted away, his eyes serious. “What is it?”
“The suspect, ah… well…” The officer was at a loss for words. “He appears to be… changing.”
“What?!”
Right on cue, the sounds of unrest could be heard from the ring of police, backing away as the creature’s body began to twitch violently. Its lips parted, squealing horribly as it thrashed, eyes open, black and glistening. Uraraka could hardly move, watching on in horror. Aizawa and the officer ran into the throes of the terrified police, leaving her to stumble after them.
“Can’t you use your Quirk to stop him, Eraser Head?”
“It’s already activated!” Aizawa shot back. “If this is his Quirk, it should be stopping by now!”
Uraraka couldn’t see a thing, only hearing the creature’s screams as she tried to push through. Tired of fighting her way through, she clapped her hands, floating above the crowd and staring down.
The creature was now smaller, the arms becoming limp, shapeless blobs of flesh and the fur disappearing completely. Its flesh seemed to tighten around its frame, choking the creature as it lay in the fetal position. Before she knew it, it had taken the shape of a naked man, shivering and pale under the moonlight. “What…?”
“Well, now this makes no damn sense.” Blinking, Aizawa stepped forward, staring down at the man in utter confusion. “If this really isn’t a Quirk-?”
Suddenly, the man sat upwards, struggling to breathe, his eyes bulging from his head. “H-HELP ME!” His voice was shredded, more of a wheeze than a scream. His hands reached out to Aizawa, as if desperate to get away from something. “Help… help me! I need…” Blood began to dribble from the man’s mouth as he attempted to stand, falling to his knees over and over again.
The mob of police officers suddenly snapped into action, swarming around Aizawa and descending on the man, pushing him to the ground and handcuffing him.
And all the while, Aizawa and Uraraka remained frozen on the side, speechless. They managed to lock eyes for just a moment, their abject horror shared for what felt like an eternity.
Three Months Later
“… and today, we reach the zenith of the perplexing and aptly named The Thing case. The World Hero Association continues its work to determine what happened near the Saitama Prefecture this past February.”
Lips pursing into a thin line, Uraraka stared down at her phone screen, watching as a familiar face flashed before her. “Minato Abe, a 36-year-old construction worker from the Saitama district has been at the center of this case after his involvement in the Arakawa River incident, where UA first year Tenya Iida was reported missing on assignment.” Iida’s picture appeared as well, sitting next to Abe’s mug shot. There was that restrained smile on his face, staring straight through the screen right at her.
“Abe claims that destruction in February was not caused by his own Quirk, but rather a curse, inflicted on him by another Quirk user. As of today, Abe has yet to name this Quirk user, nor has he shown signs of another possible outburst of a similar kind.”
The screen changed again, showing an excerpt from the court room, where Abe, wearing a blue prison uniform and handcuffs, sat next to his lawyer. His dark eyes looked ready to pop out of his head as always, his thinning red hair sticking out in all directions. “Your honor, my client was not in his right state of mind during the Arakawa River incident. He can provide no more details that he did the week of the incident, let alone three months later.” Even the lawyer looked nervous, fidgeting with the cuffs of his sleeves as he stood at attention. “He was under this psychosis of his for a six-month period with very little memory of that time before, either.”
Uraraka’s brows furrowed, her gaze growing intense. It just… doesn’t make sense.
“Last month, the Iida Family added their own claim into the legal case, demanding that their son be found and damages be paid. As of today, there have been no signs that Tenya Iida has been found alive or dead.”
“Uraraka-san, what’re you watching?”
Her head snapped up immediately, seeing the inquiring face of Izuku Midoriya leaning over the couch, staring down at her phone. Faking a laugh, Uraraka turned off her phone scream, tearing the ear buds out of her ears. “O-oh, Deku! I was just, uh… listening to music!” She shoved her phone under her thigh, clasping her hands together in an attempt to look casual, failing incredibly.
“Huh.” His head resting in the palm of his hand, Midorya gave her a pensive look. “Normally when I listen to music, I don’t stare down at my phone screen.” His head tilted a bit, giving her a knowing look now. “Especially not that hard.”
The smile on her face fading, Uraraka sighed. “Guess you’re right,” she said, resignedly.
Sliding over the back of the couch, Midoriya landed on the cushion beside her, his dark green hair bouncing comically. “I’m not sure it’s a good idea for you to be watching that,” he said, his voice gentle. “It’s not helping your mental health, that’s for sure.”
Uraraka leaned back into the couch, her eyes closing for a moment. “I just…” She bit her lip for a moment, the tiredness in her face becoming apparent for a moment. “I can’t stop thinking about that day. What if I’d been faster?” The pain in her voice was thick, the words breaking down as she spoke them. “Wh-what if I’d been the first one to enter that apartment? I just-.”
“Then you’d be the one missing.” Midoriya’s voice didn’t waver, his green eyes staring at her intently. “Either way, neither of you could have known what was going to happen. It was a trap from the sounds of it.” He paused for a second. “It’s not your fault, Uraraka-san. You do know that, right?”
She’d heard that line a million times in the past few months. First Aizawa sensei, then her parents, then her classmates. The news outlets chased after her, asking for her to comment on Iida’s disappearance. Classmates gave her lingering glances. The Iida family’s gaze stung. Everyone’s eyes all on her. All the time. It sure as hell didn’t feel like she didn’t have some sort of fault here.
“Yeah,” she managed, giving Midoriya a tired smile. “Yeah, I do. Thanks, Deku.”
“We all miss Iida-san.” His eyes shifted for a moment, sadness creeping in. “But that doesn’t mean any of us blame you for it.”
“I understand, Deku. Thank you.” She tried her best to sound sincere, her smile getting wider.
Midoriya didn’t look convinced, but he smiled back, a small and polite smile. “So, uh… are you doing anything fun for spring break?” It was a clumsy change in conversation, but Uraraka definitely appreciated it.
She nodded, doing her best to work up her bubbly persona. “Y-yeah, I’m probably going home to visit my family. We’re headed to Okinawa this year, which is kind of a big deal. We don’t really go travelling much on vacations, but… my mom said I needed it this year.”
Midoriya seemed to buy the lie as much as her other classmates had, his eyes matching his relieved smile. “That sounds like fun, Uraraka-chan. I hope you have a good time.”
“Thanks, Deku.” She tucked her hair behind her ear. “I hope so, too.”
The door to the student common room flung open, a mop of spiky blonde hair pushing its way into the room. Red eyes glared at the pair, lips parted in a halfhearted snarl. “Let’s get goin’ already, you two.” Bakugo leaned over the couch, an air of impatience surrounding him. “The teachers are tryin’ to get us out of her ASAP, so quit yammerin’ and let’s go already.”
“Geez, Kacchan,” Midoriya teased, “when did you become the one who enforced teacher rules, huh?”
“Since I was trying to get home before the work rush, Deku,” Bakugo retorted, snarling now. “I’d rather not get packed in with all those idiots trying to get home from work, ya know?”
Uraraka giggled, standing up and grabbing her bags. “Kacchan’s got a point, Deku. We really should be going.” Slinging her book bag over her shoulders, a genuine smile crossed her face for the first time. “My parents are waiting for me, after all. They said they’re meeting me at the station.”
“And my mom told me she’d kick my ass if I didn’t come straight home after classes ended.” Rolling his eyes, Bakugo shouldered his bags, turning his back on the pair. “Now hurry up, will ya?”
The after-work traffic was starting to pick up, the platforms filling up with people.
Midoriya walked next to Uraraka, having promised to walk her to her platform. She’d tried to wave him off, telling him she’d be fine, but he’d insisted. He’s just being nice, she told herself. It wouldn’t hurt, I guess.
“Uraraka-san.”
Midoriya’s voice was serious, startling Uraraka a little bit. “Y-yes, Deku?”
“Can you promise me you won’t keep following the case while on break?” He inhaled, gripping the straps on his own backpack. “You need to stay as far away from that as you can. It’s… it’s eating you alive. And I’m worried.”
It took Uraraka a moment to respond, her lips parted. Then, that same tired smile appeared. “I promise. I won’t watch or read anything on it while we’re out.” She placed a hand over her heart, leaning forward. “You have my word.”
Seemingly satisfied, a relieved smile crossed Midoriya’s face. “Have a good break, Uraraka-san. I’ll see you when we get back.”
Her eyes peered over his shoulder. “Deku, I think your train’s leaving soon.” She met his eyes again. “You don’t want to miss it.”
Perking up, Midoriya turned away, managing to wave to Uraraka as he ran to his platform! “Text me when you get home safe, okay?!”
“Will do!”
As Midoriya disappeared into the sea of faces, Uraraka’s smile faltered, her hand digging into her pocket to find her phone. It wasn’t really a lie, she thought. The screen turned on, her thumb hitting the messaging app.
One unread message.
Her mother had texted her almost as soon as she reached the train station, but she’d wanted to wait till she was alone.
“Good luck with the internship, sweetheart! Text me once you get there! And remember what your dad and I told you about taking it easy!”
The guilt had settled heavy in Uraraka’s gut, her shoulders sagging. “Thanks, mom,” she typed. “I’m very excited-.” She stopped, deleted the line, then typed, “It should be a good opportunity for me.”
It only took her mom a few seconds to respond. “Your dad and I are so proud of you! <3”
She turned off the screen, walking away from the platform for home and going down the line until she found her stop.
Saitama Prefecture, 5:15 p.m. train.
I’m sorry, mom. Sorry, Deku. Uraraka bit her lip. “I… I have to do this.”
The train had just arrived, forcing her to steel her resolve.
“I’ve got to find him.”
The shadows were long by the time Uraraka stepped out of the train station, night sure to follow in the next hour or so.
“It’s not that far away,” she muttered, pulling out her phone. She pulled up her GPS, tapping the first pinned entry. It’d been saved in her history for about a month now, the abandoned apartment complex. Last she checked, it was still wrapped in crime scene tape, virtually untouched since the incident.
3.2 kilometers away, the screen read. I should reach it by the time it gets dark. Uraraka sighed, taking her first step down the sidewalk. We’ll figure out the sleeping situation later. But I need to find the spot first.
As expected, the crime scene tape greeted Uraraka as she walked up to the door. Shattered glass and debris had been cleared from the sidewalk, and the blood that had been soak into the asphalt was mostly gone as well. The river flowed silently behind it, carrying on as if nothing had ever happened.
Looking back to make sure she wasn’t followed, Uraraka then turned and ducked under the tape, doing her best to keep her uniform from catching on anything. Immediately, the smell of must and mildew washed over her, the sound of water dripping from above the only thing cutting into the silence. The windows were boarded up and the lobby area was filled with moth eaten furniture. She could make out the broken elevator at the far end, where the stairway doors were torn off their hinges.
And above her was the large, unmistakable hole where they’d fallen, the creature and Iida. There were still blood stains in the concrete floor, splattered on the dark walls. Uraraka bit her lip, trying to keep her composure. She hadn’t seen this place in so long, especially not in dying daylight. It had been so dark.
Making her way towards the stairway, Uraraka stopped when she heard her foot hit a puddle of water. She looked down, seeing the light ripple across the surface, and noticing that it was more than just a puddle. It was near the wall, facing the river, and somehow, there was a giant hole in the floor, concrete shattered and the ground completely eroded away. It was a sinkhole from the looks of it, almost completely overshadowed.
Inhaling sharply, Uraraka pulled out her phone and turned on the flash light, peering down into the murky depths the best she could. The water lapped at the edges of the hole, sloshing up against her shoes. A strange feeling filled her gut, her shoulders tensing. There were no signs of life around her, but for some reason, in this hole that she’d never seen before…
Something skittered across the floor, sharp and metallic, putting her on high alert. Uraraka nearly dropped her phone as she turned towards the disturbance, hands raised in self-defense. “Who’s there?”
Eerie silence was her only response.
“I know you’re there!” Her voice shook slightly, but her expression became steely. “Come on out!”
She could hear what sounded like a shaky exhale, followed by something wet and slimy slithering across the concrete. The breathing became pained, as if moving were torturous. Slowly, Uraraka drew closer, taking careful sidesteps closer. Her phone light was barely able to illuminate the space in front of her, falling dust shimmering brilliantly as she passed.
“Not sure if you’re squatting here or what,” she managed, trying to speak a quietly as possible, “but I’m not here to hurt you or anything. I just…” What could she even give as an excuse? Sorry, I lost my friend here and wanted to find him even when the police couldn’t! “I didn’t mean to… to scare you or anything.”
A hand came into view, wet and grimy as it slammed down on the concrete. Uraraka jumped, her eyes widening. From the darkness came a gravelly, groaning sound, the breathing growing louder.
“H-help…”
Uraraka didn’t recognize the face at first, covered in slime and filth, the sunken in cheeks and deep circles under the eyes. But the dark blue tangle mess of hair, blue eyes and hooked eyebrows gave him away.
“Iida-san?!” Without a second thought, she rushed over, unable to form a proper sentence. “Oh my god! Iida-san, it’s you! What are-?! How-?!” She reached for his arm, preparing to lift him up. “Hold on, I’ll-!”
Then she stopped.
The light caught something she hadn’t expected, attached to Iida. He was shirtless, exposing his emaciated torso, but then she no longer saw human flesh at the waist. Whatever was there was dark and slippery, glistening in the flashlight.
“Ura…raka-san…” Iida sounded short of breath, his body almost convulsing. Blood coated his stomach and chest, as it he were dragging himself over nails. “I… I need… water…” He coughed, his hand now gripping her arm. “Please…”
“R-right, you must be thirsty. I’ll-!”
“Mmm-no…” Iida coughed again, almost retching. “Put me in…” His other hand pointed to the hole in the ground, the water beckoning. “Put… me…”
She didn’t know what to say. So, slowly, she placed his arm over her shoulder and lifted him, shocked by just how heavy he was, even as emaciated as he’d become. Iida whimpered a bit, gripping her shoulder as she began to move. His jaw tightened, eyes shutting tightly. “Careful,” he urged.
That familiar wet, squelching sound of something being dragged on the ground followed them, dragging behind them as they approached the hole. Uraraka couldn’t see what it was, the flashlight in her other hand pointing to the hole. They were nearly at the edge when Iida released her, dropping to the ground and slipping into the water.
And then she saw it, even though it was a brief glance. The lower half of Iida was now singular, his legs gone. The dark half was a dark green or gray, muscular tail. Scales rippled, overexposed in the light and shimmering as they entered the murky water. The tail was ragged and veiny. Fragile, slippery.
A slight reddish-brown tint could be seen on the water, where Iida’s blood rose to the surface. Left in stunned silence, Uraraka waited for him to come to the surface with baited breath. She tried to rationalize it. I’m seeing things. It’s… dark. I’m tired, haven’t been sleeping. What… was that?
His head pushing through the surface of the water gently, Iida wiped his face, water trickling down to his chin. He took deep breaths, his chest heaving. “Much… much better.” Meeting her terrified gaze, Iida swallowed. “Uraraka-san, what… why are you here?”
“I- I was…” She approached him, kneeling close to the water. Her hands were shaky, smoothing her now-dirty skirt over her knees. “I came here… looking to find you.” The look in his eyes kept her going. “Everyone… well, they think you’re dead. They do say missing, but…” She stopped, her knuckles tightening over her knees, gripping hard. “I just didn’t expect it’d be this easy to find you.” Her eyes wandered down, looking at the lower half of his body. “Especially not like this.”
Iida rested his arms on the edge of the hole, his hands clasped in front of his face as he considered what to say next. They sat in another bout of silence before he finally spoke again.
“I was hoping no one would find me like this,” he said, “but I suppose of anyone to find me like this, I’m happy it was you.” He couldn’t look at her.
Uraraka’s eyes narrowed. “You mean you’ve been hiding from everyone?! Purposefully?” She shook her head, tears starting to form. “B-but… why? We’ve all been looking for you! We were all…”
“I’m sorry, Uraraka-san.” Iida finally looked up, his face somber. “But do you think my family would want to find me looking like… well, like this?”
“What happened to you?!” The words were tumbling out of Uraraka now, unable to contain herself. “How did this happen? Where have you been hiding?!”
Pushing himself up out of the water, Iida sat on the edge, his tail dangling. She could see more now. The giant bite mark on his shoulder, the pearlescent scales on his chest and arms, tiny slits on his neck. His arms were a bit more angular now, the nails on his fingers pointed and thick, like claws. There seemed to be a bit of webbing between his fingers, like fins. She hadn’t even realized how much of a change he’d gone through until that moment.
“When we hit the water, the creature and I, he did this.” Iida ran his fingers over the bite mark, wincing slightly as he did. “I lost a lot of blood and went unconscious. But the last thing I remember is that he let go of me, and I was never quite sure… why he did.” He sighed, his tail gently twirling in the water. “I figured in that moment I was dead. I had fought to stay conscious but to no avail.”
His head tilting to the side, Iida paused for a moment. “But then I woke up, laying at the bottom of the river. I remember thinking that was strange, maybe I was dreaming. I was breathing just fine, my body for the most part intact, the sun shining down on me. I also realized I was still in the water.”
“Were you… did you have a tail when you woke up?” Uraraka asked.
Iida nodded slowly. “I hadn’t noticed it at first. My first thought was to get to the surface as fast as I could, to find help. I still felt a little woozy from losing so much blood, and I figured I’d need medical attention. But when I got to the surface, I realized that it was much harder to breathe.” He shrugged, his head drooping a bit. “I… tried to crawl back to shore, and that’s when I noticed the change.” His voice broke suddenly. Uraraka had never heard him sound like this before. Iida was always so confident and sure of himself. Even if he wasn’t always on top of a situation, he was composed. Seeing him like this was a first.
“I didn’t know what to do. I still believed I was dreaming.” He shook his head, clearing his throat as he composed himself again. “I had chalked it up to the blood loss. But when I tried to stand, well… I had no luck there. I tried for hours, but with a tail like this, there was no way I could get far on shore. That, and being exposed to air for too long is apparently lethal for me.”
Uraraka blinked. “Then… why were you crawling around up here?” she asked.
Looking down again, Iida said, “I was looking for food. Not much I can really eat here in the river, admittedly.” As if on cue, a deep gurgling could be heard, forcing Iida to place a hand over his stomach. “And there isn’t much along this area that’s not straight from a dumpster.”
Without a word, Uraraka reached for her backpack and rummaged inside, pulling out packaged snacks. “Here,” she said. “I packed plenty because I thought I’d be gone for a while.” She got up, sitting next to him, handing him the pile of snacks. “It looks like you haven’t found much food for months.”
His hands shaking, Iida ripped open one of the packages, chowing down immediately. Uraraka could see he was doing his best to keep decorum, but the deep hunger won out, clearing at least one sandwich and a few packages of chips. She sat beside him silently, waiting for him to finish, her arms cradling her knees close to her chest. Iida-san… I’m so sorry…
When he finished his second sandwich, Iida paused, taking a few shaky breaths. “Thank you, Uraraka-san,” he said. “I’m… grateful for your help.”
“Of course.” She nodded her head. “And once we go back, we’ll get you more to eat.”
He froze when she mentioned going back, his eyes meeting hers again. “I don’t think I can go back, Uraraka-san,” he said. “Not like this.”
“But, Iida-san-!”
“Do you really think my family would be proud to see their son as I am now?” There was a hint of desperation in Iida’s voice, his dark blue eyes staring her down. “The Iida family is proud and does its best to uphold its reputation. And if it came out that their son was robbed of his Quirk…” He stopped, his lip trembling slightly.
Uraraka could feel an ache in her chest. “I… I think they’d be more relieved to see you alive than they would care that you’ve… changed.”
Iida said nothing for a moment, his tail drifting aimlessly in the water. He looked defeated, his shoulders drooping a bit.
Then he spoke, pushing himself into the water. “I see you caught the man who did this.” The water brushed up against his chest, lapping against him as he drifted. “Though I am not sure how much good that will do.”
Surprised, Uraraka’s head tilted. “What do you mean, Iida-san? I mean, isn’t he… the one who did this to you?”
“He is, yes. But that was never his Quirk to begin with.”
She could feel her blood run cold. “Wait, what? How do you know?”
Instinctively, Iida pushed a finger to the bridge of his nose, as it to readjust glasses that were no longer there. “I’ve been doing some investigating of my own.” There was that familiar gleam in his eyes, a glimpse of the familiar Iida. “It would seem that this incident is a part of a long pattern since… well, since the early days of Quirks.”
Uraraka stared at him, confused, but listening intently.
“Much of this is word of mouth,” Iida continued, his head resting against the edge of the hole. “And what I could find in terms of documented cases were scarce, hidden away in corners of old newspapers and the like. In the early days of Quirks, there was some sort of disease that was afflicting young Quirk users, mutating them quickly, their Quirks changing into something else. Something messy and out of control.”
“Like a virus?”
“Yes, something like that. Very few of my sources could tell me where this virus began or how it spread, but what I do know is that… there are a few cases where the virus’ effects could be reversed.”
“That’s good news!” Uraraka said, giving a small, hopeful smile.
But Iida remained somber. “The only issue is that there is no research on that process, or how to even begin reversal. The information I could find on this alone was hard to come by.” He rubbed his tired eyes, water dripping down his face. “I can only last so long out of water. Breathing fresh air becomes toxic quickly, so going anywhere that requires access to archival records is difficult.”
“M-maybe I can help you!” Uraraka offered.
Iida shook his head. “No, I can’t-.”
“There’s no way you can do this on your own, Iida-san,” she insisted, her voice firm. “You said it yourself, in your current state it’s hard to do much research. Wouldn’t it make more sense if you had someone who could help you?”
“But how would you do that?” Iida asked. “Break only lasts so long, and then you would have to go back. If you didn’t, it would create more suspicion. I… I can’t have them finding me like this…”
Uraraka sighed, her own exhaustion showing. “Iida-san, they are going to have to find out eventually. There is an ongoing investigation. A trial, even.” She stood up, wiping the back of her skirt. “And even if you believe your family would be shamed by your appearance now, I’m sure they’ll be overjoyed to see you. There’s no way they wouldn’t be.”
She saw the look on his face, crossing her arms as she sighed again. “I won’t tell them for now,” she reassured him. “I understand that you’re embarrassed and feel ashamed. But imagine if it had been anyone else in our class.”
Iida looked up at her.
“If any of us had gone missing, I know you’d want to find and bring them back,” Uraraka continued. “In fact, I think you’d insist on bringing them back, because that’s the kind of person you are.”
“Perhaps,” Iida mumbled, “but I-.”
“What makes you think that this is any different because it’s you?” Uraraka’s expression softened. “Don’t you deserve to be rescued every now and then, too?”
Once again, Iida went silent, the rippling of the water echoing slightly in the abandoned building. Perhaps he couldn’t argue the point, or maybe he just didn’t want to argue any further, but Uraraka could see that he had given in.
“I suppose… that you’re right.”
Satisfied, a smile crossed Uraraka’s face. A full, genuine smile that hadn’t crossed her lips in what felt like forever. “Perfect,” she said. “Now, where do we begin?”