3 Chapter 3: Moving foward and Research (1/2)
Soft…
The first thing Izuku registered was that he was laying on something soft. And they're was a weight pressing on his side.
Mmm, warm and soft, but… the floor was cold and hard. So, why do I feel comfy… and safe again?
Cracking open his eye's, Izuku took note of the tiled ceiling, and dimmed lights. Raising his head to try and get a better look, he saw a room with cream colored walls, bright sun filled windows, and three empty raised beds with baby blue sheets.
No alcoves, no darkness…
Izuku laid his head back down, warm wet tears fell from his eyes for what felt like the hundredth time, but these were tears of joy!
"I'm out," Izuku whispered to himself, "I'm home."
"Izuku?"
Midoriya turned his head towards the voice. There siting next to the bed while leaning on the sheets, was a smile he worried he would never see again.
"Izuku!" Inko cried, before she gripped her precious boy in a loving hug.
Izuku raised his hands to return the hug, despite the pain. Midoriya was dimly aware that that was one more piece of proof that he was no longer trapped.
Neither mother nor child moved for quiet a while, both just enjoying each other's loving embrace. It was in fact the doctor who interrupted the moment, coming in to check on her patient, and pleased to see that Izuku was awake.
Doctor Shirai, Age 39, the Midoriya's family doctor. She had replaced the previous one that had diagnosed Izuku Quirkless. Inko had gone to her since she was far gentler with her precious son, doing her best to help the family in dealing with Izuku's condition, unlike their previous Doctor who was the definition of cold and blunt.
Izuku was given the usual array of questions: how are you feeling? Do you feel any grogginess? Do you know what happened? All these he answered to the best of his abilities -though he didn't mention the spire - saying that he felt fine, other than the soreness around his jaw and gut from where he had been punched. Both his mother and doctor stiffened at that, Inko claiming that Bakugou and his friends had told the Teachers that Izuku had fallen off the jungle gym and hit his head on the equipment.
In another time or place Izuku might have tried to cover for his once good friend, but given the circumstances, he couldn't bring himself to care.
Izuku sighed, "No, K-Kacchan was trying to steal a kids l-lunch money and I tried to stop him, h-h-… he then beat me up until I blacked out, then I woke up h-here."
Shirai's normally inviting blue eyes had gone hard during Izuku's retelling, before softening near the end. She leaned down and wrapped her arms around Izuku. The hug was brief, but very much appreciated by the shaken boy, and he returned it with earnest.
The doctor excused herself after that, saying she needed to check on her other patients but would return shortly.
Inko took the time to once again cuddle Izuku, and say how happy she was that he was awake and ok. She promised him that the two of them would sit down and figure out his school situation, but for the moment he should focus on feeling better.
A few hours passed, Shirai returned two more times, glad to see that Izuku seemed to have no lingering effects left over from being knocked out. Izuku was to be kept overnight for observation but would likely be discharged tomorrow after another check up in the morning. Inko was permitted to stay the night with her son, given the situation and his age, and it wasn't long before she was asleep at Izuku's side.
Izuku was well on his way to dreamland too, his hand still being grasped by his mother. The smile playing over his face at their contact vanished, as the thought that plagued his mind still hanged over him like a dark cloud.
Where did I go?
Morning came quickly for both Midoriya's, their sleep deep and restful despite the previous day's events. Breakfast was brought in for Izuku, which he shared with his mom, though the size of the meal was larger than he would have expected for one patient. The meal itself was as delicious as you would expect of a hospital, but the mother and son duo enjoyed it all the same. Shirai, true to her word, showed up to give Izuku his morning checkup just as the two were finishing their food. She measured his vitals, asked him an array of questions pertaining to how he was feeling after a good night's rest, and even used her Quirk – Soothing Hands – to gently heat and massage his sore muscles.
The checkup done, Shirai grabbed her clipboard and began making some notes. "Well Izuku-kun, you're not back to 100%, obviously, but there seems to be no lasting damage. The bruises from your side and jaw should fade soon, and thankfully none of the blood that was around your mouth belonged to you, since your teeth and jaw weren't cut or broken. While the fact that you were knocked out still worries me, I trust your mom to keep a close eye on you," a smile appeared on her face before continuing. "Get lots of rest, don't overwork yourself, and Inko-chan, make sure this boy gets some good meals into him!" The last bit said with a mirthful giggle.
Standing up and giving the woman a quick hug, Inko smiling gratefully, "Thank you Shirai-chan."
A small blush appeared on the doctor's face, "my pleasure, Inko-chan."
Shirai gave Izuku a brief hug, before saying her farewells as she had other patients to attend to. The duo waved her off, and following her departure Izuku and his mom got ready to leave as well.
After a brief change into some fresh clothes - that his mom had brought from home - and a short walk to the outside of the hospital, Izuku found himself in a cab heading home. The two sat in comfortable silence, Inko holding his hand, and the day not even half over. This suited Izuku just fine, considering what was still whirling inside his head.
An hour later Izuku found himself home, sitting at his desk in his room, the excuse he had given his mom being that he wanted to relax and catch-up on his homework. She had lamented to this after seeing his large puppy dog eye's, on the condition that she would check on him regularly, although as she left, Izuku swore he heard his mom mumble "those eyes are a Quirk."
So, there we he was…. alone. His thoughts more relaxed than they had been for the last day and half, since now he had access to something he didn't before: information.
Izuku poured through ever notebook he had, delved into the deepest online official and non-official Quirk studies available, and even watched videos on theoretical powers. He needed to know what that spire was connected to, whether it was someone else's Quirk that had affected him, or dare he even hope, the manifestation of his own.
No matter how fearful he had been, no matter the darkness or uncertainty he had felt, something was drawing him to that place, and once he realised that he could leave the spire, the place felt less…. intimidating. Could he go back? If so how? These were the questions that needed answers, especially if he wanted to figure out the mystery of that first pedestal.
His thoughts from the night previous had proven right, the notebook had confirmed it. The first one he had opened had been the first one he had written, a red bound, plain looking, spiral notebook, with a small #1 written in the corner. It contained notes on the first Quirks that he had studied, after becoming obsessed with them following his - Quirkless – diagnosis. Inside showed notes and drawings on Quirks that belonged both to Hero's and Classmates, page one had himself, with it simply saying:
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Midoriya Izuku, Quirk: None.
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Page two, however…
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Bakugou Katsuki, Quirk: Explosions.
Notes: Can make explosions using his sweat (so cool!), that allows him to blow up bad guy's! He get's stronger the more he sweats, but I think he will run out of eventually if he doesn't drink lots of water. Kaachan can beat any villain one day… I worry that he won't want to save people though, he likes to fight more than help.
(OH! I also saw him shoot forward with an explosion, so maybe it can used to "fly?" I will have to find a way to ask him.)
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The notes had been taken after following Kaachan to a spot in the nearby park, where people liked to dump their garbage. He had watched in secret as a four-year-old Bakugou had blown apart cans, appliances, and general refuse, far away from the prying eyes of the society that didn't let him test his power. All the while, Izuku's younger self had taken notes about what he saw, admiring him from the bushes.
Those were the good days, Izuku sighed, a sad smile gracing his lips.
The format had been different, and the info had contained no child like wonder, but the details of his Quirk had been the same, that pedestal showed everything Izuku knew about his "friends" abilities, no less, no more. Hence why he was digging through ever bit of Quirk info he could find. Either that place had been someone else's doing, meaning he would need to know how to deal with it properly in the future, or it's-
Or it's coming from me.
Hours passed, his mother coming in from time to time to bring him snacks, make sure he was holding up ok, or just to give him a hug. It was appreciated, but in in the end it did little to alleviate his frustrations.
Absolutely nothing! No Quirks that had anything to do with what he had experienced or felt in that place, he had a few mental based Quirks highlighted, but the similarities were fleeting at best, and non-existent at worse. The alcove spire remained a mystery, as Izuku leaned back in his chair with a deep sigh, hand holding a cold compress to his forehead.
Perhaps I'm thinking of this wrong?
A deprecating chuckle escaped his lips, the hope that it was in fact a facet of his possible Quirk began fading away. The part of his mind that had been beaten into submission over the years doing it's best to convince him that it was likely just a dream, or a hallucination brought on by being K.O.-ed by Kacchan's fist.
But it felt real! I remember it clearly, no blurry details or fading images, every bit of info from those displays I can recall with ease, although the second was less helpful, perhaps if I had had that sample it-
(HAHAHAHAHAHA Omg I legit always wanted do this but never got the chance, CLIFFHANGER. SUFFER 😊😊)
