Oh To Be Young...Again

Chapter 4: The Culprit

Notes: I am not very consistent haha. Going back to working in between semesters kept me busy. I am going to try to have the rest of the fic posted by the end of february 2024. I thank all the readers and encourage comments on the writing..I have been working on my own novel for years now, but want to make other short works in the meantime. More notes at the end. Also, we are still under Yaoyorozu's POV.

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My head is pounding, but I force myself to keep my eyes open. "Ah-ow" I say, holding a palm to my head. I sit up.

"Principal Nezu, what is it?" I said, my voice sounding even higher than before.

"Lie back down Yaoyoruzu." He said, standing next to me, putting a paw on my forehead.

He looked bigger than I remembered, but he was also right next to me, which was unsual. I ignored his advice and sit back up, he pulled his paw off, and turned to Mina, who was half-asleep next to me. As I gaze over and he put his paw on her forehead, I realize something is off.

With that feeling of uneasiness, I glanced over everyone else around, who were also slowly waking up. My eyes widen upon realization that we have gotten even younger.

I look over at Mr. Aizawa, who is still sleeping, his face turned away from us.

"No-what?" I whisper, my voice squeaking.

I fell off the couch, my legs weak and my head pounding. "Yaoyorozu, you need to stay still if you want to keep the reaction from getting any worse!" Nezu cautioned.

"But Aizawa!" I said. I stretch over to the corner, shaking his shoulders that don't feel broad enough.

He stirred beneath my hand. "Ugh. What is this headache?" His voice came out a dry higher pitch than usual. Oh no. He lifts his head, turning around, to reveal a clear face, his stubble gone, and his eyebags nearly invisible.

"Oh no." I said.

Aizawa rubbed his teenage eyes and held a hand to his head. Once he rubbed the tiredness away, and saw me, like really saw me, his eyes widened.

The front door opened, and the lovely Recovery Girl stepped through, stepping quickly over to the living area, where the other seventeen students were.

"Oh, my goodness, dear students! Sir, you said they were around eleven, they are clearly around eight!" she said, gesturing at the children who were struggling to raise their heads.

"Chiyo. This is a new development, but their accompanying reactions of headaches and pain seem to indicate something more than a simple quirk." he said, turning back towards me and Aizawa.

Aizawa looked at me carefully, then down at his own hands, realizing how small they are. I took his hands, realizing how small they were compared to his. They were shaking with fear.

"Hey, it's gonna be okay. Nezu will figure this out and fix us up." I said, letting go of his hands. I wouldn't want him to feel awkward.

"Yaoyorozu, how are you always so calm?" he asked, running his hands through his long wavy hair.

I blushed a little. A compliment from Mr. Aizawa, now that was rare.

I tried to think of a response, but Chiyo and Nezu's conversation drew my attention.

"What do you think caused the further de-aging sir?" Recovery Girl asked, unsure about treating the students.

"I'm not sure. They were all asleep, but exhaustion could be a side effect of the cause, or rather it could be something that triggers it." He said, brushing Mina's hair out of her eyes.

"Sir. Before we went to sleep, Bakugo and Uraraka were trying to beat each other, and everyone was pretty worked up. Then, Bakugo and Uraraka stormed off when Aizawa stopped them. Then, we all fell asleep. Does that help at all?" I volunteer.

Nezu's eyes lit up. "Aha! Perhaps the power at work here is like an infection or allergy. Therefore, the quirk took effect after you were all tired out, and when it could have the most affect. But how?" he said, murmuring to himself.

Chiyo looked displeased. "Momo, you said those two were upstairs?"

I nod affirmingly.

She left the lounge area, heading for the elevator.

I turned away from Aizawa and crawled back over to my spot on the couch, my head spinning. Everyone else was half awake, watching Nezu and struggling to keep their eyes open. Mina and Kaminari look like they could be seven, some of them look so small.

"Sir. Did you figure out what happened last night?" I asked slowly, my mouth dry and course.

"I looked at the tapes and didn't notice anything particularly worrying. After or as dinner was eaten, Aizawa left with Midnight, who had been dropping off to say hello. Then shortly after, the lights went out and you students went to bed." He said.

"Have you spoken with Midnight?" I asked. "I don't remember her being here, but the memory is fuzzy."

A quiet ding sounded, and I looked toward the elevator doors. Chiyo comes out holding two very small children, Bakugo and Ochaco, who both look close to six years old.

"Oh...my." I say, my mouth hanging open.

"Nezu, Sir. I have an assumption." She said, setting the children down on the floor between Midoriya and Todoroki.

"As do I Chiyo. My assumption is that whatever is affecting them is like a virus, or at the very least, we must prevent them from expending energy." He said.

Chiyo nodded. "And there is something different about these two, being the youngest ones so far. Their minds seem to have deteriorated, at least to the point where they struggled to acknowledge me. It's possible that the younger they get, the worse the infection is, and the higher likelihood they will continue to de-age."

Nezu looked taken aback. "That means we need an antidote sooner rather than later. And that also means you cannot use your quirk on them under any circumstances."

Recovery Girl nodded. "Luckily, I don't think the infection is contagious, or else we would surely be feeling the effects by now. Perhaps Kayama would be of help for keeping them still?"

Nezu nodded. "I'll call her. For now, maybe help these kids get more comfortable. And make sure Shota doesn't get up. I'm calling Toshinori." He pulled his phone out of his suit pocket, and I could hear him chattering into it urgently.

I let my eyes close a bit, to try to rest them.

When I opened them, I saw Ms. Midnight and All Might entering, their faces concerned.

The four teachers talked in hushed tones, and I could see the sun going down. I couldn't hear what they said, but saw all of them step into the bathrooms, besides Midnight, who stepped closer to us.

"They are so adorable, but obviously in so much pain. I can't imagine a skin lotion causing all this." She said.

My eyes widened. A skin lotion??? Excuse me? We were children because of a skin lotion? I strained myself, trying to sit up enough to comment, but violet smoke was beginning to leak and spread amongst the group. Its sweet aroma caught my lungs, and I felt my mind slipping. My eyes closed, and I was pulled under into an ocean of sleep. 

---End of Chapter 4---

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