Chapter 5 - Creeps

Arriving at the beach, I sank down upon the prestine sand where mounds of trash used to cover but now held not even a linger echo of its past stench.

It's been a decade since I arrived in this world and I've long come to accept the kind of society that I have to live through.

Logically, I should have calmly let the maids handle my sister without showing my face to her, knowing it would only anger her further. In fact, I should have called the hospital to come get her again in light of her worsening mental condition.

Maybe it was the exhaustion from these past months of training all while ensuring my grades don't lag behind that made me so impulsive today.

That could be a reason.

Though it still doesn't vhange the fact that the sight of blood that my own hands had drawn left me neither feeling guilt nor remorse.

Excitement.

That's what I felt.

As I struggled to control my shaking hands, I looked up towards the stars upon the sky, lost and confused.

Maybe they were right to call me a villain. I sure do feel like one right now.

A hollow chuckle left my lips, warm breath fogging up the early morning air.

If I do succeed in becoming a hero, I'd probably be in Stain's list to kill.

Now, that's one way to meet your idol, I suppose.

Pulling out the box of cigarettes from my pocket, I took a stick between my lips and lit the lighter on its end, the gentle sparks lighting up my face as the flames danced in a hypnotizing manner.

It's been a while since I felt this...lonely.

It's a disgustingly human emotion. I hate it.

Times like this, I end up wishing for something to happen. Anything remotely interesting to take my attention away.

Games, the neighbors killing each other, a new anime, the slum catching on fire, a trending manga, bomb threats on the school.

I hate it.

Biting the cigarette between my teeth, I let the smoke and the nicotine cloud my vision and my mind. Tongue flicking and wiggling the piercing until it bleed and filled my mouth with the taste of iron.

"Perhaps..." An exhale of smoke. "I was always meant to be a villain."

The half moon stayed silent, like a compassionate listener who never interrupted now gave solutions.

"After all, it only makes sense for the child of villains to follow their parents' path." I chuckled to myself.

"I don't think so." Suddenly, a voice spoke behind me, startling me enough to drop my cigarette to the sand.

Whipping my head around, I spotted a familiar mop of grean, with equally brilliant green eyes.

"Izuku?" Ah, so it just the protagonist. Is he here for some final training before the exam? How diligent of him~

I tried to make myself relax by redirecting my thoughts to lighter things but, judging from the determined glint on Izuku's eyes, I knew he wouldn't let this go so easily.

"Kaito-kun." Izuku began somberly but his next actions really surprised me. "I'M VERY SORRY!"

Suddenly bowing in a 90 degree angle, it really caught me off guard.

"..huh?" If I hadn't already dropped my cigarette before, I probably would have done so now. Just what exactly is he even apologizing for?

"It's just that, from the moment I met Kaito-kun, I already felt like your name sounded familiar and added with the description of your quirk, I knew I definitely heard it from somewhere so I went digging into old cases in the internet. Somehow, I couldn't find it and I initially though that I probably misremembered at first.-"

And, there he goes, muttering so fast that I could barely catch what he's saying.

"It was actually my mom who ended up clarifying everything since she works at Musutafu Hospital and hears about patients history sometimes-apparently there's this patient who frequently goes in and out of the mental ward with the same surname as yours-"

I'm kind of amazed at how much he can say in a single breath. Like, how does that even work? Anime logic? The second coming of Eminem?

"After a bit of research on her, I found out why your name was so familiar! You were the kids that Endeavor rescued from the villain cult 9 years ago!" Finally, Izuku finished his deduction.

Honestly, to be able to gather that much information about me just based from a gut feeling when we first met... Somehow, it made me feel like Moriarty standing before Holmes.

"Alright." Feeling the strange urge to tease my dear detective, I tilted my head and eyed him suspiciously. "So you know everything. What do you wanna do about it?"

"Eh-?" Now it was his time to feel confused. It can't be that he really just dug up all that information just to set it aside and never use it, right?

"You have all this dirty material on me. If you wanted, you can spread it all over the internet. Absolutely ruin me." Slowly, I got up from where I sat, stalking towards Izuku's stunned form like a predator on the hunt. "Destroy my chance at ever being accepted in any Hero school."

"W-w-wha-" Izuku stuttered, taking a tiny step back as I leaned close to his face to whisper threateningly.

"If you did your research well enough, you should know that among those villains that were caught or died at that time, both of my parents were amongst them." Locking my eyes upon his trembling ones, I used my superior height to increase my sense of oppression on him. "So what will it be, Hero? Will you save society by casting away this villain spawn?"

"Y-you... You-" Somehow, his whole body seemed to be shaking. If I wasn't so committed to my act, I might have already squished him for how cute he was.

"YOU'RE TOO CLOSE!!!" Suddenly a canvas bag was thrown at my face, making me stumble in surprise and nearly fall down.

"What the fuck-"

"You can't just get into people's faces like that, Kaito-kun! That's creepy! And not to mention, very impolite! Also, your breath kind of stinks of tobacco- don't think I didn't see you smoking earlier too! I'm going to tell All Might immediately once he gets here! It's really not good for your health and who knows if some kids see you smoking and copy you? If you're gonna be a hero, you need to be a good role model!-"

Uh... Blankly, I could only stare at him, stunned, as he went on and on about things that shouldn't matter at all.

"And-... I... I thought, since we were already friends, it would have been clear to you I wouldn't have cared whether your parents were villains or heroes. To me, you're Kaito. My best friend. The one who trained beside me for 10 months so we can both go to UA together...even though you're kinda creepy sometimes. But that doesn't change enything to me." Izuku's green eyes were glassy with unshed tears, yet he still spoke to me determinedly. "I hope you know that."

"I- I... Fuck!" Inwardly, I was panicking a little. How do I deal with something like this. Why are there so much emotions in the air tonight? Ew! "Isn't it hypocritical of you to call me creepy?"

"That- that's what you got from all that?" Izuku choked wetly in disbelief.

"What can I say- I'm a creep, aren't I?" I shrugged awkwardly and sank once more into the sand, begging for it to smallow me so I can disappear from the world.

Seeming to have given up, Izuku allowed his energy to drain out of his body and laid on the sand beside me with an exasperated groan.

"Yeah. We're both creepy."

"Just creepy guys creeping around."