His breaths came out in ragged gasps as he stood alone in the body ached all over, with a few cuts letting blood loose down his tattered training gear. All was silent, and then…

"Again," rang out the rasp of his mentor's voice. Suddenly, the darkness around him darted towards him in a number of shapes. One tall and thin, another short and round, and the third unidentifiable.

On instinct, he dodged the first blow to his head, ducking and rolling to left. Before he could continue, he felt his skin tingle and put up his arms to block the next blow. Gritting his teeth as his arms screamed in pain, he kicked back away and jumped forward with a punch, aiming for the exposed brain of his opponent. It let out an enraged screech and fell backward.

Watching from the distance, Shigaraki crossed his arms and remained silent.

"He is improving," Kurogiri commented. "Don't you agree?"

Shigaraki tapped his finger impatiently. "He isn't failing. But he's not quite there. Just a little push…."

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a remote control device and eagerly rubbed the button as he watched.

A few days ago….

"Let's not get carried away," Shigaraki cut in, interrupting Izuku's indoctrination into the League.

"Have something to add, Tomura?" his master asked calmly. Izuku looked up at him, frowning.

"I'm glad that you'll be helping us," he added quickly. "But I'm not entirely convinced that you're ready."

"B-But you trained me! You've seen what I can do!" Izuku cried out, his voice mixed with frustration and panic.

"He has also been of great service to the development of the Nomu," Kurogiri added with a touch of annoyance,

"Sure, the tutorial has been good. But what about the actual game?" he looked at Izuku, his eyes looking into his. There was something there. He felt it when they first started surveying him and caught a glimpse of it during training. If he could find bring it out….

"I'd like to test him," he looked to his master. "Can I use them?"

His master was silent for a moment, then he grinned. "Very well."

Izuku hadn't known that there had been more than of these things. He'd prefer if there only been one. While not as big or as destructive as the one he worked on was, these weren't pushovers. Each one had enhanced speed and strength. Were it not for the training he had received, he'd have been dead by now.

After dodging another punch, he grabbed it's arm and threw it at another, knocking them both to the ground motionless.

Looking up, he saw only one left standing. He readied his stance and held up his fists. Then he looked into its eyes, blank and emotionless. Who had they been? Where had they come from? What quirk did they have? Doubt flooded his mind again, weakening his stance….

Shigaraki cursed. Don't lose it now!

With a sneer, he pressed the button.

The nomu went ridged, it's eyes going white. Izuku blinked.

What the….

Suddenly, the black skin began to bubble and erupt, releasing spikes dripping foul fluid. It fell on all fours, it's back arching and stretching. It's eyes darkened into a deep scarlet and a blackened shell grew over it's brain.

Izuku backed away, his heart pounding furiously as fear over took him. He looked over at his mentor, who's face was again hidden by a white palm.

"Mr. Shigaraki!" He called out. He made no movement, saying only one thing.

"Again…."

Looking back at the Nomu, it was now twice as large and long, thin and spindly, with spikes and a noxious fume emitting from it. The twisted, dragon-like thing broke out into a run, screaming in rage.

"Tomura Shigaraki, this is too much," Kurogiri said angrily, his energy starting to spread outwards. "I'm stopping this now!"

Tomura's hand darted out and grabbed the metal base, thumb just over the surface.

"Just shut up and watch." His voice was dangerously calm, a reoccuring anomaly in the past few months.

"Master, those quirks being used for the main Nomu, do you have any with a similar effect? Specifically 'that' one?"

"Yes, why do you ask?"

"I'd like to try something out. There's something in that kid and I want to see if I can bring it out."

"Hmmm, very well. But...this will be rather unstable. I trust you know what you're doing."

This would make or break for him. Figuratively and literally.

"Come on, kid," he muttered. "Just a little push and you'll be there."

The thing darted out at him, he jumped to the side, barely missing by an inch. Just as he managed to regain his footing, a side swipe caught him in the side, raking open his shoulder.

He cried out, his whole right side exploding in pain. Before he could recover, another blow to the head sent him flying, slamming into the concrete floor. Groaning, he struggled to stand up.

Why can't I breathe? The air had grown thick and heavy since that thing changed. Those fluids were now in his wounds, making his blood hot and his head hurt. He coughed, blood retching up.

I'm gonna die. After all these months and all that training, finding a purpose again, he'd die before helping his saviors change the world.

Through all the pain, he felt something in his chest, a cold, pulsing weight that raged against the poison. This feeling, it made his suffocation worse, but for a different reason. A urge, a desire for release. He had felt it, a glimmer of it during his training, a reserve a rage and fury that he didn't want to let out.

Gritting his teeth, he tried to push himself up, but he felt his arms shaking violently with fear. The creature roared and moved slowly towards him, saliva dripping from it's horrid mouth while it's empty eyes burned into them.

Looking into them, he saw himself, lying on the ground in a pool of poison and blood. But rather than seeing a look of defeat, he saw something that chilled his blood. On his face in that scarlet portal was wide, inhuman grin. Seeing that made the feeling in his chest grow more intense.

Desperately, he tried to think of his mother, tried to find her voice again. Her smiling face as he tried to be what he never could. The warmth of her hand on his cheek. But all he heard was rasping breaths and saw a pale, dying memory of a light that wasn't there.

Rising in it's place was a dark, but welcoming figure covered in hands.

"That abyss so deep that you think you'll never crawl out. But there's always a way out. If the light can't show you anything, then claw through the dark until you find a foothold."

Darkness…

The nomu reached down with a clawed hand, grabbing the motionless body, lifting it towards it's mouth. Suddenly, the boy twitched. Before it could react, he opened his mouth bit down on it's hand, breaking the skin.

It screamed in pain and anger, releasing the him.

Backing away, the thing lunged forward with a large claw. He dodged and shot out at it's exposed slammed his foot into it's knee, bending it's leg inward, following up with a sharp punch. Before it could respond, he pulled it's limp arm and jumped forward, pulling it unnaturally over it's shoulder.

Kurogiri flinched as the sounds of bone snapping reached them.

Good god….

The boy's recovery was comforting, but the look in his eyes….

They were wild and bloodshot, with a cruel grin on his face.

He glanced at Tomura Shigaraki. What have you done?

As it screamed in pain, it darted around, throwing him off. Rolling onto the ground, the creature ran at him again, but slower this time. Grinning with excitement, he ran to meet it. He swung his fist at it's jaw before blocking a strike from it's other claw, wincing as the claws sunk into his arm. It recovered and lunged at him with it's jaws open. He grabbed both ends.

As it tried to bite down, it hissed venomously.

In response, he let out a feral growl that made it falter slightly.

"This freak won't let up, will it?" He looked at it's wounded arm, which was already healing. Gritting his teeth as the preasure built, he looked at it's brain, which was partially covered with a shell. He grinned.

"Want a bite, do you!?" He screamed. "Then take one!" With that, he let the thing go and felt it's teeth sink into his right shoulder. The pain was unbearable, but through sheer force of will he gripped the shell on it's head with both hands and wrenched it off a part of it, releasing foul fluids. Before it realized what was happening, he took the jagged shell piece and plunged it into the brain. He felt it's screams vibrating in it's throat and begin to release as it's mouth unhinged. But he stabbed down again and again, blood spurting everywhere.

It let go finally and stumbled back, jibbering and moaning. Adrenaline still high, he smiled and rushed forward, knocking it onto it's back. He stabbed into it's chest, screaming or laughing, he didn't know nor care. For what felt like hours he sat there, brutalizing the thing.

After only a few moments though, his strength began to fade when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Well done," his mentor said. Suddenly, the strength and rage fled his body, leaving him even weaker. The pain was dulled, but growing worse with each second. With that, the realization of what he had just done hit him. Tears flooded from his eyes. It wasn't dread this time, but happiness. For the first time since that terrible night he felt whole again. Releasing that...feeling…..

"N-Not...G-Gui.." he stuttered, his vision fading.

"Shhhh," rest now. He felt a hand go through his hair, calming him into sleep.

Shigaraki smiled and stood, holding Izuku in his arms. Turning, he made for the exit. Kurogiri stood there, shock noticeable even on his unknowable face.

"Clean up this mess, will you?" He smirked as he left. Looking down, he felt a strange emotion as he saw the bloodstained child's face. Something he felt from only one other person. Pride….

You've taken your first real step..