Act 1 - Ravages of Time
Notes: To be honest, it was quite tiring to write the bridge scene, but trust me - this won't be the last kind of scene in the whole "Daylight" series. So heads up because, stuff will get uncomfortable. Also pay attention the scene at the end outside Izuku's PoV.
Chapter Summary: Izuku, Kouji and Iris finally make out of Osaka. Also Iris tells a bit about her past, we finally learn in which moment of time our duo landed. Plus the team gets caught up in a terrible tragedy.
TW: Starvation, murder, gore (not just a mention, stuff get bloody), genocide
Izuku's PoV
I was lying on the sleeping bag, shining starts decorating the sky - I couldn't sleep, given that I was worried that someone might sneak on us. Osaka wasn't safe but Iris decided to spent another night to not overexhaust Kouji's strength. Our priority though was too find a working car and then make it to Tokyo. We didn't have any permament accomodation but Iris suggested a refugee camp, given that many towns were destroyed after the fall of Osaka.
I only hoped to make it to Tokyo unscathed physically - mentally was another thing as we already saw so many disturbing and traumatising sights while making our way through the city that I wanted desperately too forget. It didn't look just ruined, but like a fucking apocalypse. Cars broken, buildings abandoned and destroyed with blood and rotten corpses everywhere. It was a good thing that Iris found Kouji, poor kid would die during bombing if it wasn't for us.
Kouji obviously had a mutated cat Quirk which during the Dawn of Quirks, was the worst case scenario - Quirks were still a pretty fresh, new thing. Nobody knew what to think or how to act around Quirked people, chaos ensued which was also the reason for All for One's rise. No matter how you look at it, AFO's influence grew due to general confusion, worry and often blackmailing folks. To build an Empire that massive obviously took an effort but circumstances were also in AFO's favor.
I knew that I couldn't waste that chance - AFO still wasn't that publicly known, so the Resistance just started growing. But before that would happen, I had to fight All for One's allies, not the man himself. It would be not only foolish but also suicidal - sorry, but I wasn't so eager to die. I had to put down the man who gave All Might such terrible injury, manipulated Tomura and created Nomu's.
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We woke up quite early but we didn't have much time left. Our priority was to get out of Osaka as quickly as possible - so we packed our belongings and hit the road. I knew that Iris didn't want to complain to Kouji's addition slowed down our pace - she didn't blame him but I knew that she was just stating a fact. But we finally left the city from northern east side - to make it to Kyoto. That would our break point and then buy some train tickets. The train would rode us to Tokyo.
But until then we passed many burned down villages, rotten piles of corpses and pools of dried blood combined with ever - present smell of smoke and ash. Every time we noticed dead bodies lying on the road, Iris would cover Kouji's eyes. The kid was already traumatized enough, when we found him he was slowly starving to death amongst rubble and corpses. I didn't want to think what happened to him originally, though I deep down knew that he died during the bombing. If not, Kouji probably starved to death - an awful and painful type of death.
I wasn't much worried about the state in which Kyoto was, knowing that the city did make through the chaos that brought the Dawn of Quirks. What's more, it was still standing during my times as one of the bastions of the Pre - Quirk Era. Though most of the Japan's major cities were destroyed during the Dawn, starting with Osaka and then Nagoya, burned to the ground during the Quirked revolts.
We took a one hour break halfway through which was good news. The bad news were that we were running low on food and water - we took what found in Osaka's abandoned stores but most of shelves were already empty. Because of that we had started plundering homes as passed through multiple villages - I felt sick while doing so but it was necessary. When I found a rotten corpse of someone that died protecting supplies, I puked. Why? Well because I knew I had to steal the stuff that someone died defending them. Next doors I found corpses of person's family - my eyes watered and I almost broke down in tears.
And then I robbed them, like some fucking animal. I felt like the worst person in the world, even though Iris said multiple times that thanks to those supplies, we wer ensuring our survival. Not only mine and Iris but also Kouji's survival. So I would greet my teeth and steal food, water and sometimes clothes - mostly for Kouji though. I didn't even have time to bury them - the road to Tokyo led through Nagoya which was also destroyed not long after Osaka's bombing. Every hour mattered but still we had to take a break, near a river. While making our way through, we noticed a lot people gathered near us, near the bridge.
What set me off, that the crowd started screaming.
- THOSE ARE THE ROGUES! RUN, PEOPLE, RUN!!!!
The Rogues were an organization that was Anti - Meta Ability, but just after the fall of Osaka, they became a group of terrorists that committed many crimes of mass murder and genocide. Eventually they were assimilated by All for One's Criminal Empire and that was their end. But AFO's influence just started growing, meaning the Rogues were rampaging.
I took Kouji in my arms, and along with Iris started running. I side eyed and saw people getting brutally murdered - one man got decapitated with an axe, another was had his legs mangled and then his head was impaled on a wooden pike. A pregnant woman had her belly beaten and trampled multiple times - then she had back skinned alive. Her screams were lost admists the beggings, and yells of other people dying. I shuddered - that level of violence was something...so disturbing that I wanted vomit.
But seeing terrified Kouji in my arms, and agitated Iris brought me back to my senses. I would give it all to have OFA back - I was basically quirkless, with Green Flare - a Quirk that still remained a mystery. I kept running, eventually entering the woods with Iris - I stopped for a moment and noticed that the Rogues started retreating. Meaning that they had someone on their tail. I put Kouji down and looked back at Iris, who started weeping. That's why she didn't put on a fight with Rogues - it reminded her of something in her past. I saw her eyes - Iris looked like she was reliving her worst nightmare.
When the Rogues finally retreated, Iris clenched her fists and kicked a nearby tree. Tears were streaming down her cheeks and with gritted teeth she turned back to look at the massacre - I closed Kouji's eyes so he didn't have to look at the awful site.
-"We have to bury them. Non - one else will, other people will hear about massacre and avoid this road at any cost" - I muttered, trying to stop the tears with blinking
-"No" - Iris quietly refuses -"No, we can't. We don't know much time we have left before Nagoya is burned down by the Quirked Revolts. We must get to Kyoto, no matter the cost".
I stare at her in disbelief. Then I look back at the bloody bridge.
-"What are you saying? Are you insane?!" - I asked her angrily
-"Look, I hate myself for saying that, I really am! But trust me, I was in similar situation before and I know how you feel. But this the best chance for our survival - you may hate me for this, but we have to leave this people behind" - Iris snapped back, crying -"Please, Midoriya I know this is a lot to ask, but we have to go. We need to get to Kyoto before this day ends. We don't have any time to waste".
- "She's right" - I thought grimly and looked for the last time at the bridge and grabbed Kouji's hand without looking back
-"C'mon, let's get out of here. I can't stand being here" - I said exhausted
The water near the riverbank was waterly crimson red from all the corpses were thrown out by the members of the Rogues. People were capable of anything - even Nomu's looked better, anything but this massacre. But I knew, deep down that this isn't over - because that was just the beginning of the Dawn of Quirks. Meaning that was just the start of a long, chaotic and violent era.
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Around late afternoon, we stopped near a village that was bordering with Yawata, a city near Kyoto. We needed to resupply our almost empty water bottles - but we stumbled upon a tragic surprise. Most of the civilians fled Yawata when they heard about the massacre on the bridge, in fear that the Rogues were also coming after them. So what we saw was an abandoned, desolated town with only few hundreds civilians left. They explained that the Rogues made a public statement, that any city that supported the Quirked will be their next target. Yawata's mayor was supportive towards the Quirked people so it was obvious who the Rogues next would be. As the result, many people fled to southern Japan in hope to stay away from the epicenter of the conflicts.
What they didn't know is that in near future, southern Japan would become a scorched battlefield with the rise of All for One, and creation of Meta - Liberation Army. Yeah, Destro as an addition to a looming threat of AFO - just perfect. Tokyo as a capital while not the safest was the best bet for safety, especially with the creation of refugee camps. And also we found out what was the date.
23rd March, 2021.
Bombing of Osaka took place on 25th March, 2021 when the Rogues wanted to display their strength. Nagoya was burned down on 28th March. Meaning that while we didn't have to literally run for our lives but we didn't have much time left, we needed train tickets as quickly as possible. And for that we needed to steal some money - that's why, while in Yawata Iris decided to rob some abandoned apartments in search for funds. She emerged with full pockets.
When we finished ou business, we hit the road again and finally made it to Kyoto. But the city was in a state of total chaos, since Kyoto's mayor had a neutral stance of the situation of Quirked - because of that we needed to buy a hat for Kouji to cover his cat ears and an medical eyepatch to cover my right eye. It was a good thing, after all that my hair turned raven black even though I didn't like the change - I've grown attached to my bushy green hair.
Iris rented a small room in a motel and we were finally able to relax. Kouji immediately went to sleep. After I tucked him into a warm blanket stepped outside, to talk privately with Iris.
-"Y'know, it quite bothered but I just have to ask. The look in your eyes when you saw the massacre on the bridge. You've seen it before, haven't you?" - I questioned her blatantly
-"You're correct. Back in our times, five years ago. I was eight when that happened, I was on a summer camp with my friends. But then an A - Rank Villain attacked, I was basically powerless against the Villain. All my f-friends...w-were s-slaughtered...I was f-forced to abandon their c-corpses in order to...to...s-survive...it also happened on the b-bridge...I was r-reminded of t-this all over again. That's why I couldn't fight the Rogues. Pathethic, isn't it?" - Iris revealed, choking on her own tears
-"No, it isn't pathetic. For example, it fear explosions even a tiny ones. It always puts me on the edge along with a noise. I prefer peace and quiet" - I replied, remembering how I would flinch around loud sounds
- "I have to thank Bakugou for that" - I thought while trying to calm down shaken Iris
-"Thank you...for comforting me" - Iris whispered and then went back to the room
What a day it was.
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??? PoV
A scorched ruined city with civilians running away...they knew nothing about Pro - Heroes. But how? I tuned around and noticed a ripped away a piece of newspaper with a date - 20th March, 2021. I was stuck in the past - I followed Midoriya, I wanted to thank him for what he did for me during the Festival. I never had any good opportunity, so I followed him and when I catched up him...he was swallowed up by some kind of powerful force. It left a Rift - when I got close the force reacted violently and also swallowed me up. I only saw through the blackness before my eyes, that the Rift was closing.
2021...the beginning of the Dawn of Quirks. It made sense, non - one knew a thing about Pro - heroes. But revealing that I've had such a powerful Quirk would make a lot of unnecesarry noise and attention. And that I had to avoid at all cost.
But Midoriya and that girl were also swallowed by that Rift/Force - in other words, they were also sent back to the past. Probably different locations but the same time period - I had to find him. Survival lied in numbers, after all.