Rescued, But Not Truly Saved

Insanity

     Early the next morning Shoto started training himself. He exercised and worked hard, harder than he ever had before. He was motivated to do better. He declared to himself that he would bury his emotions and stop burdening his teacher. He would hide all of his pain and sorrow and deceive those around him. He couldn't let anyone see how broken he was. Shota noticed this shift in behavior. He thought that Shoto finally got through his head that he wasn't a burden. He was happy Shoto was getting better.

Oh, how he was wrong.

During hero training that day, Todoroki was up against Midoriya in a 1v1 match. The two fought hard, trading blow after blow. Aizawa watched over his students fight. A sickening crack made him turn towards Midoriya and Todoroki. Shoto was crouched on the ground, his leg twisted at an odd angle. "Todoroki-kun! Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry! Are you ok-"

Shoto lunged forward and attacked Izuku, landing a hit on his face. "This fight isn't over until one of us wins... so fight me...!" He hissed, putting pressure on his broken leg as he stood. "But your leg is broken-!" A burst of flames just barely missed the greenette's head. "I said fight me! I'm not stopping until one of us wins!"

Shota ran towards them. "Todoroki, Midoriya, stop!" His words landed upon deaf ears as the two proceeded to fight. Shoto encased Izuku's legs in ice, only for the greenette to break free. The two ran at each other, throwing punches and kicks. Todoroki's movements started to become reckless and desperate. His body was becoming fatigued from the pain in his leg. A sloppy punch missed Izuku's chest , causing him to fall to the ground. The last thing he saw was Aizawa's disappointed face before blacking out.

When Todoroki awoke, it was evening. He realized he was on a bed in the infirmary after looking at his surroundings. Shoto's broken leg was in a cast, throbbing in pain. He sat up and hopped out of bed, landing on his good foot. The door suddenly swung open. A seething Recovery Girl stormed in and pushed him back on to the bed. "Nuh uh! Lay back down! I don't know what kind of stunt you were trying to pull, but it was stupid!" She scolded. She then sighed. "Look, I know you're training to be a hero, but you need to be careful. If you keep getting injured like this, I won't be able to heal you. You'll die, child. Do you understand?" Shoto thought about her words. He decided to continue his "self improvement" and die trying rather than being a burden. "I understand, ma'am."

After healing the teen and removing his cast, she called Aizawa, who arrived minutes later. "Kid..." The teacher sighed. "Don't scare me like that. Are you ok?" Todoroki nodded. "Yes, sensei. I'm sorry for scaring you. I won't do it again." He relied. "C'mon, lets go home." The two males walked out of the building and into Shota's car. The drive back to the teacher's home was quiet. Upon arriving, Aizawa went straight to bed, even though it wasn't late in the evening. Todoroki entered his room and closed the door behind him. He laid in his bed, but he felt off. He knew what he did was wrong. He ignored his teacher when he was told to stop, and in result got injured.

Why wasn't he being punished? He'd been nothing but a bother since he started living with his teacher. Knowing that he wouldn't be hurt made Shoto's skin crawl. He couldn't stand it. Digging through his school bag he pulled out his pencil sharpener. He broke it and pulled out the small blade. Using his quirk, Todoroki heated it up, the small blade of metal quickly turning red. He pressed the blade to his now healed leg, digging deep into his skin. The familiar pain made him shudder. One cut wasn't enough. He had to do more. Aizawa wouldn't do anything to him, so he had to do it himself.

Shoto continued to punish himself. Cut after cut, burn after burn. By the time he was done, his leg was covered in angry red lines. The cuts ached deliciously to him, throbbing in pain that he deserved. It was only when he finished did he notice he was laughing softly. The seeing heat from the blade made him want to smile. It sickened him.

Todoroki dropped the blade and kicked it away. Memories of his father filled his vision. Shaking, he laid down in his bed and closed his eyes, falling into a restless slumber. Over the following days, Shoto could feel his sanity slipping away. He made no move to show it, keeping a straight face. At night, he couldn't help but to litter his skin with burns and cuts. It scared him and made him nauseous, but not doing it made him feel even worse. It was an endless cycle of fear and pain that spiraled into insanity. Shoto wished that it would end, that he could just end it all.

He wished he could die.