Karma(Vigilante Deku)

Chapter 10: More training and therapy

Shota is sitting in the middle of a roof as he listens to what Deku has to say.

"Where should I start." The kid asks.

"You can start wherever you want, explaining all the different nightmares you've had might be a good place to start."

"I don't really have many different nightmares, it's mostly the same one."

"That's fine it makes sense, nightmares can be driven by a lot of things like trauma or a guilty conscience. Considering how many people you've killed -"

"They're not about the people I killed." They're not, Shota thought. "I rarely have nightmares about the people I've killed."

Shota doesn't show a physical reaction but inside is a little distressed. He knows that doesn't mean that the kid doesn't care about the people he's killed or feel anything but it's worrying if that's what it does mean.

"What are your nightmares about then?"

"Deku takes a deep breath as he looks down at his fidgeting fingers. "When I was six," he starts, "I got kidnapped but I think that's public knowledge." Shota nods.

"That was the start of your career." Shota says, a statement more than a question.

"Yeah, I was kidnapped and all the kids were put in a room. Every night someone would be sold off and it was only a matter of time till it was me."

"That must have been scary."

"Yeah it was. You never knew if you were going to be sold off next, and then waking up to find another person gone..." The kid pauses.

"Take your time." The kid nods but continues straight after.

"Eventually there was about five of us left and there was this one kid, I can't remember what he looked like but I remember he had horns." Shota nods urging him to continue. "He got upset that I was the only one without a quirk canceling collar but hadn't done anything."

"Why hadn't you done anything?"

"Cause I was quirkless, well that's what I was told, it turns out I did have a quirk." Well this was news, this information could change a lot.

"It must be really upsetting to know that you did have the power to get you all out of there but found out too late."

Deku nods. "There was this one girl who stood up for me. I don't remember her face, I don't remember anyone's face from that day but I remember her blonde hair which shone like the sun. And her name, I remember her name, it was Akira Taiyo."

"That was the girl who was found dead right?" Izuku nods. "Okay, continue." Shota was getting an idea of what happened and he wasn't liking it.

"She was the first person who had ever been nice to me when they found out I was quirkless. Because of this I guess I ended up really wanting to protect her."

"Okay, that's understandable, you must have gone through quite a bit of discrimination after all."

"Yeah, it was pretty bad but it was bareable. Even with my mother, after we found out I was quirkless she just ignored me most of the time and didn't even acknowledge my existence. But then that girl, that girl who didn't even know me accepted me so quickly and didn't even question anything. Of course I'd want to protect someone like that."

He shifts a little as he looks up to the sky trying his best not to cry.

"But I guess I did more harm than good by protecting her."

____

They were finally, getting started and Katsuki was pumped up and ready to go. Not even the detective asshole could sour his mode.