Swallowed By Darkness

Chapter 16

As the days past Deku became more and more familiar with the League. Toga was the one that liked to bother him the most. However it was Shigaraki who wanted to bother him today.

"I have something I want to give you." He had told Deku and the led him down into his own workspace. It was astonishing to see the gleaming technology, it was beyond anything he had seen before. His mouth started to drop open and he had to catch himself. At UA technology was flashy and tailored to the individual so seeing all the items around him sent a different kind of chill running up his spine. "Is this all yours? Did you build them?" Deku asked his nerdy side beginning to leak out.

Shigaraki didn't turn around he only pushed deeper into the room. "Half." He responded with awkward resistance. "The other half is Sensei's."

"Incredible." Deku breathed in admiration.

The further down they moved the more complex the mechanisms became. Eventually Shigaraki lead him into a small room. It looked simple enough with contraptions dangling from the ceiling surrounding a single chair. On the wall closest to the door shelves were lined with something beautiful. It was mesmerizing to look at, along the shelves where glass vials of different shapes and sizes but inside was moving smoke of various colors. The smoke moved as if it was alive, each one moving in different paces and patterns and not single color was the same. Some swirled resembling a miniature tornado, others whisked around like fast moving clouds. Some shot around the jar bouncing wildly with no pattern. Some of the clouds were mixtures of multiple colors blending and separating into each other. Some were illuminated, others sparkled like glitter, a few here and their where colors that Deku didn't even know existed.

Shigaraki started going through the glass containers trying to find a certain one. He brushed a container the shimmered like a captured night sky, then he moved to one that flickered like a blue fire with strikes of golden lighting coursing through it. As he was doing looking for a certain jar Deku inched closer to get a better look just Shigaraki's hand found the one he was looking for. He pulled out a jar with a round bottom and a thin top that reached up like a vase. Inside a dark purple smoke curled into a maroon and pink smoke, the three colors twirled and blended into each other while fluttering within the clear container then some colors would separated from the mass before blending back into it.

"What are they?" Deku breathed.

Shigaraki inspected the jar while moving across the room. "Quirks." He answered. Deku blinked momentarily puzzled as Shigaraki continued to clear things up. "There are several ways to 'transfer' quirks. This is only one of many. We have found that this is the easiest and fastest way to move and store quirks without their quality dropping. Sensei's quirk is the one that handles the physical essence of a quirk. That machine you see over there takes care of the injections. Well that's the simple way to put it. There's a lot more that goes into it though."

"Is this how you make those Nomu creatures?"

"A fraction of the process, yes. But without Sensei we can't make any more."

"Why did you bring me here?" Deku asked still stunned by the beauty of the quirks.

"Isn't it obvious? To give you a quirk."

"You can do that!?"

Shigaraki's looked at Deku an grin creeping across his face. "Of course, Please... Take a seat."

Deku eyed the intimidating chair but obediently did as he was told. The second he sat down the room roared to life as if he had disturbed the den of a sleeping beast. It began clamping his legs down: his ankles, then below the knee, his calves. quickly it moved up, getting his thigh, waist, chest, neck, and forehead. Despite his resistance the machine pinned down each part of his body with acute precision. Deku attempted to pry the straps away from his body and avoid the clamps that were springing from the chair to pull his arms away from his neck. New straps moved to capture his arms. He tried to pull them off but instead they forced his arms away from his neck to his side. Once every body part was securely strapped down It rotated around and reclined to face the ceiling. Deku felt panic set in at the abruptness of it all. The wouldn't hurt him. Would they?

The first thing that appeared over Deku was Shigaraki. "Please keep your eyes open as I dilate them for you." The lights in the room dimed as Shigaraki placed a drop of liquid inside Deku's eyes. Deku blinked a bit while his eyes adjusted. When they were finished dilating even with everything dimed the room was bright enough to make his eyes sting.

Shigaraki placed a mouth piece inside his mouth as well. "Make sure you don't stop biting down on this I don't want you to accidently bite off your tongue." As soon as he said that he vanished from Deku's sight. Deku could hear him shuffling around the room every now and then he could hear a click or a beep. The wait was starting to get the best of Deku. He could feel his heart beat quicken and his hands grow cold. His vision started to get too bright so he shut his eyes trying to calm down and focus on his breathing.

He stopped breathing when his meditation was interpreted by the machine. One arm's delicate yet precise framework pried his closed eye open, it lifted up the eyelid and stretched the skin making it impossible to shut no matter how hard Deku pulled. Deku attempted to pull his eyelids together but the slender fingers and clamps keeping them open would tightened and pricked his skin. The lights started fading away even more leaving just enough light to see. Deku's calm breathing quickened into erratic, uncontrollable, breaths. Another arm reached out and covered his mouth and his nose in an oxygen mask. It efficiently pumped fresh air into his hyperventilating lungs.

His aggravated heart began to pound hard enough that his chest squeezed together in pain. A needle approached the open eye slowly, positioning itself comfortably were it needed to be. Deku's eyes darted back and forth, and his sight blurred in blotches of black. He bit the mouth piece tightly, if it hadn't been there Deku would have grinded his teeth together.

Shigaraki said something that Deku couldn't decipher over the ringing in his ears while the needle began to move down into Deku's pupil.

(My eyes hurt now!)

Toga and Dabi have this weird deal that if Noir ever asks them to do anything or any questions they have to do it/ answer it truthfully. Noir is unaware of this, and since he doesn't talk often he hasn't figured this out yet. Kurogir figured it out a few days after they started doing it.

Sometimes Toga Will go brake dancing and Drag Dabi along to watch her.

Kurogiri keeps soda chilled for Himiko because he feels really bothered that she's underage and can't drink alcohol. Himiko sneaks sips of alcohol when Kurogiri is gone because he won't give her any. One-time Kurogiri gave Dabi a new cocktail mixture Dabi didn't like it so he gave it to Himiko while Kurogiri wasn't looking.

Himiko likes cocktails and wine but hates beer. Dabi loves Beer and whiskey, but he rarely drinks and when he does it isn't a lot. Shigaraki doesn't like alcohol and usually drinks iced water, also Shigaraki is the lightest drinker.