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Chapter Text

Shizuoka airport, Japan, 10 a.m

The doors opened to a hot and humid air and he blinked twice upon exiting the stiffling building, beads of sweat gathering on his brows. He'd spent two hours in customs getting all of his equipment checked as well as updating his authorization of practice on Japanese soil. He took a deep breath as he ran a hand in his messy green curls, taking in the scent of his home, the familiar noises and general atmosphere he had missed so much during his time away.  

"Hey Midoriya! I got one!" he heard on his right, which snapped him back to reality.

"Coming!" he said, half running half carrying his luggage to the shining taxi waiting for him.

He put all of it in the trunk and got in, letting a deep satisfying sigh escape him upon entering the cooled car.

"This is so nice." he said. "Thank you so much, Mirio-senpai."

The blonde and handsome man seated next to him looked over and gave with a blinding smile.

"I told you to just call me Mirio! And I didn't do much, it's way easier here than it is in L.A!"

Izuku let out a small laugh, remembering the numerous adventures they'd had trying to catch a cab in America, which often ended up with them walking all the way to their destination instead. Mirio Toogata seemed to have accustomed well to the American way (was there anything he wasn't good at?) but for Izuku, the cultural clash had been rough. Being introvert and shy had not been helpful over there. Americans were used to flashy and extravagant heroes, just like All Might had been, but he still found the socialization and PR part of the job hard to handle.

"We'll drop you at your place first." Mirio said while taking out his phone in order to switch sim cards.

"Are you sure?" asked Izuku. 

He hadn't bothered to buy a new one yet, so he had called his mother before getting in the plane to inform her of his arrival. She'd promised a steaming bowl of katsudon for lunch and he had been thinking about it since waking up. Of all the things he had missed, his mom's cooking was easily top 1. They didn't have time to cook for themselves when they were working and neither of them was very good at it anyway, so they mostly ate outside our takeout everyday. The American food was so rich and greasy compared to what he was used to that, if he didn't spend his day running around and fighting, he would have gained a lot of weight.

"Of course, as a senpai I need to make sure you arrive safe and sound!"

"I'm 19 senpai, I think I can handle myself." he chuckled softly.

Mirio looked over to him and his eyes started shining with what Izuku had since identified as pride. The blonde often acted like a big brother with him and followed his journey closely, ready to help whenever necessary. Izuku shifted on his seat and looked away. The blonde hero was always all over the place, full of intense feelings he would show without a care. He didn't seem to mind that he was an open book, he wore it all on his sleeve, available to anyone. People might think of it as a flaw, a weakness even, but somehow, Mirio had managed to make it a strength, another one of the many things that made him so special, so strong. Sometimes Izuku was almost blinded by the aura he exulted, soft yet powerful, the same kind as All Might. After spending a year in his company, he now knew why NightEye had chosen Mirio as the next Symbol of Peace, he was the perfect image of a hero: kind-hearted, strong, resilient and always smiling. But even without One For All, Lemillion had become a shining beacon of peace in the city of Los Angeles, where he currently served as a sidekick hero.

"Still, I'll drop you off, your place is closer anyway. And I'm sure your mom is dying to see you after a whole year away."

"Yeah..." he said, tiredly.

After his graduation from U.A three years ago, Mirio Toogata, one of the best students to ever set foot at the school, had received a long list of proposals from both local and foreign hero agencies. Izuku thought he would go back to NightEye's agency to become one of Centipede's sidekick, however, he had chosen America's #1 hero Captain Celebrity, who was like an American All Might. For him to ask specifically for Mirio was a rare event, and the blonde hero had become the first foreign student to ever work for him. Izuku remembered reading about it online while on his way to school and feeling both awe and pride for his senpai. Mirio spent two years as a sidekick and Captain Celebrity was so pleased with him that he decided to open another foreign sidekick position and asked Mirio to find and train the new recruit. And, for some reason, the blonde had immediately thought of Izuku and had come back to Japan to offer him to join them for a one-year contract as Lemillion's assistant. This had been a once in a lifetime opportunity for the green-haired young man.

In his last year as a U.A student, Izuku had become one of the Top Three of his promotion, alongside Shouto Todoroki and Katsuki Bakugou. The three of them weren't as close as Mirio Togata had been to his friends Amajiki Tamaki and Hado Nejire , but they had teamed up on several missions that had resulted in victory each time. This had granted them some publicity and upon graduating a year ago, the three of them were drowned in requests by hero agencies. Izuku had had his share of proposals from heroes who had seen the potential in him, but the most memorable one was finding none other than Mirio Toogata on his doorstep with a blinding smile and an offer he couldn't refuse: to follow All Might's steps and start his hero career in the U.S in one of the best hero agencies of the country. And of course, working alongside Lemillion was an absolute honor. So after thinking about it and talking with his mom, he'd accepted the offer. He had left the country two days later.

The past year had been one of the best of his life. He'd experienced so many things, discovered even more and his relationship with Mirio had evolved into a solid friendship. The blonde was the best senpai one could hope for: kind, always ready to help, and so funny. They would spend their days and nights together, living in the same apartment as Izuku tried to absorb every knowledge he could from him. They had followed Captain Celebrity on several missions and those will forever be ingrained in his brain.

Now after a year away, he was back, ready to continue his work in Japan, with the experience he'd gained overseas. 

"When are you due back to HQ?" Izuku asked.

"I still have time." Mirio answered. "I told CC I wanted to attend this year's Hero Gala. They'll host it at Endeavor's tower, you know."

"I know, Todoroki-kun invited me."

"He did? I didn't know you two were that close!" said Mirio, leaning towards him.

"Of course we are!" exclaimed the green-haired man. "We often speak on the phone and facetime. Todoroki-kun is one of my best friends."

"Eeeeh...what about me?" replied Mirio with a whine. "After all this time spent together!"

"Aaah but but but! You're my senpai! Of course you have a special place!" shrieked Izuku, waving his hands frantically.

"And yet you didn't even get me an invitation!" pouted Mirio.

Izuku looked at him and the blonde winked, a gesture he often did to indicate he was not serious, as Izuku had trouble telling and would apologize all the time.

"You don't need me to invite you, you received an official one from Endeavor's office!"

"Hehe I did, didn't I?" chuckled his friend while scratching his face.

Izuku looked at him, dumbfounded and shook his head.

"Sometimes I don't get you."

"Yeah sometimes I don't either. We're there!"

Izuku snapped his head up and indeed, they had arrived in front of his building. He hadn't even realized, that had been quick. He opened the door and stepped out before going to the back of the taxi and pulling the trunk open to get his luggage. He had a glimpse of blonde hair sticking from the back window while he was closing the trunk.

"Don't forget to call Debbie when you have some free time. You know she'll want some news."

"I will, thank you again for the ride, Mirio-senpai!"

Mirio just waved at him from the window while the taxi was leaving. Izuku waved once and then climbed the stairs to the apartment where a very tearful reunion was awaiting him.

Chapter Text

Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan, 3 a.m 

The hot summer air filled his ears with a pleasant and familiar buzzing as he soared through the darkened sky. A thick layer of sweat made his body shine whenever he passed a street lamp, propelled by the perfectly timed explosions coming from his palms. His teeth were gritted in concentration as he focused both on his trajectory and the adequate level of power he needed to surge forward without losing balance.

He turned right at a huge orange sign that read Deathmatch in Hell Bar and, finally spotting his target, he let out one final and more powerful blast towards the ground. He pivoted and then angled his body so that his legs would collide with his prey's back. He heard the man grunt as they both hit the ground and he blasted himself off him to land gracefully a couple of feet away.

"Thought you could get away from me, fucker?" he sneered, slightly panting.

"F-uck..." the man grunted. He seemed out of breath, probably because of the kick he'd just received in the back. "Who...who the fuck are you?"

A devilish smile spread on his face as he walked towards the blue-haired man kneeling in front of him.

"I'm Ground Zero, the new fucking boss in this neighborhood." he said before stopping. 

"New...new boss. Don't make me laugh!"

He raised one hand towards the blond, who twisted it in his own before shoving the other in his face.

"You move again and I'll blast your fucking face off. Now where are the other extras that were with you?"

As if on cue, he saw from the corner of his eye a dozen silhouettes surging from the shadows. He briefly glanced away from his main target to count: four other people.

"FUCK HIM UP!!" yelled the criminal, as they all launched themselves at their adversary.

"Tch. You underestimate me, fucking extras?" the blond mumbled before smiling again.

--------------------

Bakugou hero agency, 6 a.m

"Gooood morning! Looks like someone was quite busy last night!"

Katsuki lifted his eyes from his computer to look at the newcomer. He had removed his mask but was still wearing his costume. His hair stuck in odd directions, slick with cold sweat and probably smelling like smoke and pollution. He scrunched his nose at the thought, fuck he really wanted to take a hot shower.

"And you better keep it up during your shift, Shitty Hair." he growled before going back to typing his report.

A steaming cup of coffee landed on his desk and he grunted his thanks as Kirishima Eijiro sat on the brown leather sofa next to him with a blue sheet of paper in hand. He also was wearing his costume, although it was not tied up all the way.

"Today's planning is packed!" he exclaimed before taking a bite of his yakisoba pan.

"Didn't I tell you to fucking eat before you come in?!" snapped Katsuki.

"Don't worry" Kirishima answered around a mouthful of his breakfast. "I won't leave stains on your fancy carpet, Clean Freak-san."

"The fuck did you just call me ?!" Katsuki rose from his chair.

"Kidding man!" quickly answered Kirishima and he waited for the blond to sit back down before continuing. "But congrats on the catch, and you did it in Shinjuku! This won't look good for Todoroki."

Katsuki sneered at his screen.

"That was the fucking point."

The red-haired man sighed before setting the paper back on the table in exchange for his own cup of coffee. He took a long and silent glance at the blond before his eyes disappeared behind his Crimson Riot cup. Katsuki made a disgusted noise when the other took a long sip of the overly sweet drink. That fucker's taste buds were probably shot down by the amount of sugar he took daily. He waited for Kirishima to finish and set back his cup and half-eaten sandwich, he knew the other wasn't done with his bullshit.

"Bro, are you sure about going against Todoroki? I mean I get your rivalry and all, but stealing another hero's territory...it's bad dude."

"It's not his fucking territory, dumbass!" replied Katsuki, eyes still on his screen.

Since their graduation one year ago, he and Todoroki had been among those who had decided to leave their hometown city of Musutafa, Shizuoka, for the busier, younger and villain-packed Tokyo. Everyone had been swarming agencies, trying to get hired as sidekicks or assistants, but Katsuki had been lucky his family had enough funds for him to start his own agency, just like he'd always dreamed. At first he had completely rejected his parents' offer, he wanted to be fully independent, to rely on no one. But his mother had pestered him again and again, until they had reached a satisfying deal: the money they gave Katsuki to buy and furnish his agency would be a loan, and he would give it all back every month. Only once they had settled on amounts and interest and it was all in written had he agreed. And so he had settled for this three-room office in Shinagawa, where it was nicely situated without being too expensive. His goal was to take jurisdiction of Shinjuku, which was almost hero-less due to the recent death of Pro Hero Jetfist and his sidekick Renova. They had been the pillars of the neighborhood, working hand in hand with other smaller heroes, and so several villain groups decided to do the same and gang up on them. The police found their body thrown in the middle of a busy street, a clear warning for other heroes to stay away. Several of them had decided to leave the area, scared off by this more organized and powerful criminality. Katsuki had been drawn to it, eager to start cleaning up the mess and beating up those cocky bastards. 

The only issue was his hero neighbor, the one in charge of the bigger Setagawa area, which was also bordering Shinjuku: Shouto Todoroki. Being the son of the n°1 hero, and from an already rich family meant the former U.A student had access to better accommodations. Five years ago, Endeavor had opened a sub-agency in Setagawa to have a foot in Tokyo's criminal sphere. Since Musutafu wasn't that far from the capital, it was only natural that a lot of cases had links or roots there. The agency was smaller than the imposing HQ tower, so Endeavor had sent his son to run and develop it in his place. It was a good way to start and prove himself before going fully independent, if it was the bastard's project.

"Yeah but he started working in the area first." Kirishima's voice boomed to his right.

"Doesn't mean jack shit." he answered automatically. "If I get a higher saving number and lower criminality rate than him then the Commission will agree to my submission over his."

From the corner of his eye, he saw Kirishima raise his head towards him.

"You're gonna take it to the Commission?!"

"I have a hearing in three weeks to ask for Shinjuku to become part of my jurisdiction. Until then I take care of it and you guys cover for the rest."

"In three weeks...isn't that right before the Hero Gala at Endeavor's tower?"

Katsuki sneered.

"Yup. So I'll be able to see both of their stupid face when I tell them to stay the fuck out of my territory."

There was a pause, but he knew the other wasn't done talking.

"Bro, I don't know if you're cool or just scary."

"Both are fine...and arrange your costume dammit, you look like you got beaten up by a homeless thug."

"It's fine! Wow you're so uptight when it comes to this, you were such a rebel at school! How things change."

Katsuki frowned. It was true that he hadn't had the best regard for etiquette when he was younger. However, his time working for then n°4 hero Best Jeanist had left a lasting impression on him. At the time, he had been furious at the choice he had made, at the apparent incompatibility between him and the stylish hero. However, after working for him again during his second and third year at U.A, he had come to see him in a new light, and some of his words had stuck to his mind for years, influencing his decisions to this day.

A hero must give the people who need rescuing peace of mind. You must be capable, of course, but your physical appearance, speech, and actions must be elegant if you’re a hero.

Katsuki Bakugou had always been a trouble maker and a rebel. People had mistaken him for a villain on so many occasions that he had been scouted by those villains during his first year at U.A. He didn't know how to act like a hero, how to smile and reassure people. The only way he knew how to protect the people under his care was to beat up and capture every villain he could find. This was one of the reasons he'd decided to hire his two high school classmates.

Kirishima was a fucking ray of sunshine who attracted the attention with his spiky red hair and blinding smile. Red Riot had easily become a reassuring figure in their neighborhood and that's why Katsuki had him patrolling in the morning. He was especially popular among kids, who would yell his name when he passed by, and they treated him like a big brother. Kids were the best way to get famous, and Katsuki could see it in the many Red Riot masks and goodies that had started to bloom in the shops around their agency a few months after they'd settled.

Denki Kaminari was his second sidekick and the hero patrolling during the afternoons. His talkative personality and cheekiness also made him easy to approach and he was both popular with women, with whom he flirted shamelessly, and men, who would come to him for gambling and dating advice.

Katsuki was in charge of the night shift. He didn't get along with kids and women found him too arrogant and rude. He frankly didn't care and preferred his own company anyway, hidden in shadows as he roamed the streets looking for trouble. He'd never tried to make friends, Kirishima and Kaminari had been the one to latch on him like fucking baby ducklings and he'd taken them in because, beside being good at their job, they were the only one who not only accepted his personality, but even liked him as he was. They didn't really get him though and he still ended up beating them up sometimes.

There only really was one person who'd ever gotten him...

He stood up and closed his laptop with too much force, making the other man jump.

"I'm done. Don't forget to send your own reports on your way downtown. Call Dunce Face if you need backup."

"Will do! Sleep tight!"

"Tch."

One week later.

Katsuki walked inside his office with a scowl on his face. To be fair, he was always scowling, mostly because there was always something to tick him off. But today was another level in the list of things that could make him scowl that bad. For him to leave his house in a hurry, without doing his cleaning routine, and to arrive at work without his costume on, meant that this was important. And bad. Quite bad.

Upon hearing him, he saw Kaminari straighten up and turn slowly towards him. He fucking hated the look on the blond's stupid face. 

"Don't fucking tell me." he gritted.

"It happened again!" whined Kaminari.

"Where the fuck were you!" Katsuki shrieked while throwing his bag on the leather sofa.

Kaminari scratched his jaw, looking sheepish.

"I arrived as quickly as I could, man. But the people there told me it had been taken care of already, just like the other times."

"And did any of those useless witnesses give you a fucking description this time?"

"No, they said it was too quick to see." the blond said while starting to remove part of his costume, looking drained.

"To qui...how can someone be this quick? Are they fucking blind or impaired?"

He was going crazy. For the past week, whenever there had been a big case and they would get called to Shinjuku, they'd find the police already there or the culprit tied up. Every time, people would tell them that a hero had already taken care of it. However, no one had ever been able to tell them who it was or what they looked like. The hero always made sure no one saw their face. He only knew that they wore a black and dark green costume. Not much.

Why? Why not show themselves? There was no point in starting hero work if you didn't get publicity. Getting credit for your job was necessary in order to both get paid by the state and to climb into the hero list. Only vigilantes worked in shadows and Katsuki would be damned if he let one of those fuckers anywhere near his turf. This looked fishy however he looked at it and it was pissing him off. This was the area he was trying to get from Half-n-Half, so was he the one doing this? Not personally, since everyone already knew him as he was easy to spot with his walls of ice and fire. Could he have hired someone to take back the area from Katsuki, someone new?

He gritted his teeth. Whoever this was, they had messed with the wrong person. Katsuki was going to fucking crush them and take back his territory. He wasn't going to let some extra who didn't have the guts to show themselves destroy his efforts.

"Go home, it's already 10 pm."

"Ok, don't forget it's my day off tomorrow."

"I fucking know that, Dunce Face, I'm the one who signed your stupid paper!"

"Alriiight calm down!" replied Kaminari while walking to the door, then, in a low voice, "Jeez go get laid or something."

Katsuki froze halfway through opening his bag.

"What the fuck did you just say?!! I'll kill you!!"

"I'm joking!! Bye!"

Kaminari ducked just in time to avoid a blast aimed at his head and swerved to the right, disappearing in the corridor. Katsuki heard him yelling while he ran.

"Dammit I told you to avoid the head! You singed a bit of hair, you brute!"

"Serves you fucking right, Dunce Face!!"

Katsuki put on his costume, and opened the door that led to a wide balcony, where some training equipment laid on the floor, perfectly sorted. He did his stretching and a couple of exercise to warm himself up until he started sweating slightly. He couldn't start before he was already covered in a thin layer of sweat, since he needed to be prepared for battle from the get go. Summer was the best season for him, because getting sweaty was pretty easy. Once he was in good condition, he ran to the edge of the balcony and jumped. He let himself fall for a few seconds, enjoying the feeling of weightlessness, before aiming a couple of small explosions that propelled him forward. He passed through his neighborhood, patrolling and screening the area. He had to be careful not to make too much noise with his Quirk, since most people were preparing to go to bed.

He caught a teenager trying to steal a bike ("Go study, you brainless fuck!") and two men who were following a young woman ("I'll rip off your balls, you ugly fuckers!"), before finally arriving at Shinjuku. He would spend an hour there before going for another patrol in his main territory. He couldn't afford to let crime rise again over there by spending too much time in Shinjuku and he was alone to take care of the whole perimeter. Thank to his quick reflexes and mobility provided by his quirk, he could easily go from one end to the other in less than 20 minutes. So he spent most of his night flying through the sky randomly, so villains wouldn't see a pattern and take advantage of it. He always ended up going back to Shinjuku though,there was something about the noise and general atmosphere of the neighborhood that he loved. It was an untamed area, full of life, of sin and crime, and it made his blood boil with anticipation. Whenever he was looking for a nice villain to quell his boredom, frustration or anger, Shinjuku never let him down.

And sure enough, he heard a scream in the distance, to his left and seconds later, he had launched himself into the air. Again, he heard a voice in his head, a different one, rougher and more powerful.

This is not a classroom, if you’re ever too slow, you won’t be losing points, but rather human lives.

He had hated working for Endeavor, because of everything he had heard about the current n°1 hero. What he had done to his family, to his wife, was despicable, and yet he was admired and loved by many people. No one knew what kind of human being he was, they only saw the hero, which said a lot about the bipolarity of their work. No wonder Half-n-Half bastard was so fucked up in the head, with a bully as a father.

This time, it was his own voice he heard inside his mind, vicious and self loathing.

Takes one to know one, right?

He propelled himself with more force than was necessary and almost stumbled when he landed on an isolated rooftop. Where exactly had the scream come from? He was sure he was in the right place, but he couldn't hear anything anymore. This was weird, usually there should be a commotion of some sort that would guide him to the crime, but he couldn't hear or see anything out of the ordinary. He could feel warm sweat gathering in his back as he scanned the area. Was he too late? Shit, what if someone had been killed? Or gravely injured and enable to call for help? He had to find them, he needed to...

There.

From the corner of his eyes he saw it, a long shadow that shot upward and disappeared behind a smaller building on his right. He was in the air before he could process it and his brain entered 'chasing' mode. They were in a much calmer zone of Shinjuku, where there weren't as many blinding signs, which made it easier to spot flashes of light, explosions and similar activities, but a shadow was almost invisible.

Maybe this is their purpose. he thought as he grabbed a lamppost to quickly turn to the left.

Whoever that was, they were using the low lighting to hide and move undetected. But unfortunately for them, they had Ground Zero tailing their ass, which meant they were fucked. He spotted another string of jet black shadow and, for some reason, his heart started beating faster, so fast that, by the time he had caught up with the shadow, he was panting. He gritted his teeth and pushed forward, shutting down his growing unease. Damn that fucker was quick, he had trouble catching up with them, which was rare. They turned right and he saw the shadow zoom between a raw of lower buildings. Katsuki used his momentum to turn around as he raised his hands in front of him.

"A.P SHOT!!" he screamed and a beam of fire shot from his hands, making him burst forward at full speed.

When he turned back, he saw that he was right above the silhouette. The person was wearing a dark colored costume, it could have been black or green, and a long hood was thrown over their head. Katsuki couldn't even tell if it was a man or a woman.

"Hey fucker! Da fuck are you going?!"

He dived towards his target and threw his right hand, aiming for the other's exposed neck. But at the last moment, his opponent dived, grabbed his wrist and whirled in the air, taking Katsuki with them.

"Wha-" Katsuki said, before the other threw him with so much force that his breath caught in his throat.

He shot in the opposite direction like a bullet. How strong was this person? This was bad, very bad if he didn't catch them. A villain this quick and powerful couldn't be let loose. Again, a sense of unease washed over him, but he pushed it down. Now wasn't the time. The blond stopped his trajectory with a series of explosions before going back after the retreating figure.

"Oh no you don't!" he yelled in the night.

Oh this was on! There was no way that villain was going home tonight, not after defying him on his own turf. Katsuki got close to them again and, this time, he joined his hands in front of him, aiming for their back. He wouldn't put too much force into the blast so as not to kill them. He was just gonna fuck them up a little, just to teach them a lesson and to serve as example to the others. Somehow, they had circled back to the area where Katsuki had first heard the scream and, as he was about to fire his AP Shot again, he saw it: a silhouette on the floor.

His blood ran cold and he threw a murderous look toward the villain, who was still hopping from building to building. 

That fucker...

They had made Katsuki follow them back to the scene of the crime so he'd see the victim and would be faced with a choice: either continue to pursue the villain or prioritize the rescue.

Win to save. Save to win.

It always came down to this, in the end, right? 

"You...MOTHERFUCKER!!" He screamed at the retreating back. "Next time I'll fucking kill you!!"

He dived toward the ground and landed near the victim with a grunt.

"That motherfucking bastard." he mumbled as he walked to the person laying unconscious. 

He took out his phone to call an ambulance. He needed to assert the wounds before...

"Ground Zero!"

He swiftly turned around to see a woman run to him. Her long dark hair was messy and her clothes seemed torn in some areas. When she reached him, he saw that she was barefoot.

"What the...who are you?"

"He said you were coming!" she cried without listening. "Please help!"

"Wait, I gotta help them first." he said, pointing to the silhouette on the ground.

"What? No no no! This...he's the villain!" she yelled, grabbing his arm.

His first instinct was to yank it off her grasp, but she did seem in a state of profound distress. Her eyes were wide and panicked as they darted from him to the person on the ground.

"Calm down." he said, in a calmer voice. "What's your name, and what happened?"

"I'm...I'm Yukiko. I work at the Katsukura restaurant a few blocks away. I was getting the trash out before closing when this guy" she pointed at the person on the ground "grabbed me and started pulling me towards his car. I tried to fight but he was stronger...much stronger..."

She started crying again, and Katsuki felt her hold tighten on his forearm. He turned to look at the villain and, for the first time, saw the bindings around his arms and legs preventing him from moving. His mouth was slightly open and his right cheek was a deep shade of purple.

"So, the person I was chasing..."

"He came from nowhere." she said between sobs. "He scared me so much I screamed. He fought the...him...it was over pretty quickly. Then he seemed to hear something and he took off. Said you would take care of me and not to worry."

Katsuki raised an eyebrow.

"He said what? Did he actually say my name?"

"Yes. He said Ground Zero was coming and to wait for you. But then you started chasing him instead so I hid and waited. I was so scared that the other would wake up..."

She seemed unable to talk by now and Katsuki gritted his teeth. What the fuck was this about? If it had been Todoroki or one of his sidekicks, they would have stayed to make sure he'd know it was them. They would want the word spread and their victory known in order to further their claim on the neighbor. But this person, this man, had fled the scene, he'd relied on Katsuki, had even known it was him coming, probably hearing his explosions. Why? 

What the fuck was happening?

Chapter Text

One month ago

The sound of chatter and soft music reached him as soon as he pushed the glassed door and he stopped to take in his surroundings. There was a large white bar to his left, coated with a kind of paint that made it slightly glisten under the setting summer sun. In front of him, several people were chatting and laughing together, creating a nice and warm atmosphere. From the corner of his eye, he saw a woman make a bee-line for him, a short white apron resting neatly on top of her dark skirt and a big and warm smile on her face as she bowed to him with grace.

"Welcome, table for one?"

He smiled awkwardly and scratched his cheek, feeling out of place and under-dressed in his oversize purple shirt and white jeans. He hadn't expected it to be that kind of restaurant.

"Hello, actually I'm meeting with a friend, I think he already reserved one for us?"

"Oh, sure." she said before taking out an electronic device from the inside of her apron. "What name please?"

"I'm Izuku Midoriya, but he probably booked it using his name so...Todoroki Shouto?"

The woman jumped and looked at him like he'd pinched her. The intensity of her gaze made him want to squirm. A couple of years ago, he would have.

"Todoroki Shouto? You mean Pro-Hero Shouto?!"

"Hum...yes?"

"Oh my...this is...please follow me!"

She pocketed the device and started walking towards the far end of the vast and bright restaurant and he almost had to run after her. They walked past groups of friends and couples having late afternoon tea together and he felt his gaze drawn to two people sharing a single and rather large iced coffee. They were taking turn in drinking from the only straw stuck in the whipped cream and the woman let out a joyful laugh when her boyfriend tried to put the straw in her mouth only to poke her cheek instead.

"Kenta! You're so clumsy!" she chuckled while he gently wiped her face with his handkerchief.

Izuku bowed his head, somewhat ashamed of this intrusion in what was clearly an intimate moment. The waitress turned right and guided him to a more isolated and quiet side of the room, which was separated from the rest by large panels decorated with colorful flowers and vines. She stopped next to a small table near the window and set down the menu.

"This is Todoroki-san's table, please take a seat, he will be here shortly. I'll bring you a beverage while you wait."

"Thank you." he said before sitting down.

So, Todoroki-kun was quite famous here it seemed. 

It's to be expected, since his agency is nearby.

While Izuku had been away in L.A, Shouto had told him all about his move to Tokyo and the challenges he'd faced in implementing one of his father's sub-agency here. For some reason, Endeavor didn't hold the same reputation here that he had in Musutafu. People were wary of him, calling him antipathetic and not hero-like, so his son had started at a disadvantage. From the other side of the sea, Izuku had cheered him on, offering words of advice whenever they would have one of their Facetime sessions. Seeing how people talked about him now made him proud of his friend.

He looked through the window at passing people. He knew that from the outside the windows were like mirrors, so no one could see him. Maybe that was why Shouto liked to come here, it gave him the privacy pro-heroes seeked during their free time.

He relaxed and lost himself in the spectacle of traffic and walking silhouettes. He had been back for a week now and he was aching to just do something. Because he had been away for a year, he needed to update his hero situation and accreditation, since he'd only gotten a temporary permit at the airport. His new hero card should arrive soon, so he checked with his mom at least three times a day, since they'd send it to his official address.

He'd gotten to Tokyo a few days ago with Mirio-senpai to check on his new apartment. His former employer, Captain Celebrity, had provided a package that included a relocation financial help as well as the service of an agency to find him an apartment. Mirio-senpai himself had secured this package for him before offering him the job a year ago.

I figured you'd want to try and relocate to Tokyo after your internship, since it's busier. That way you won't have to worry!

He closed his eyes and leaned back on his chair. Sometimes he really did feel like he didn't deserve a friend like Mirio. The blonde hero had seen something in him that had made him pour everything he knew into him, training him both in hero work and social manners. He really was the best and kindest human being. And he had been completely right in his assumption and smart to have thought of it a year in advance. 

"Midoriya."

Izuku jumped and turned to the man who was standing next to him. He was wearing casual clothes, a white sleeveless shirt and ankle length grey jeans. He also was wearing sunglasses, which suited him. Todoroki Shouto had always been a handsome teenager, and the years had turned him into an even more handsome young man. His white and red hair was longer and tied into a half-ponytail. He looked like a model who had just finished his photoshoot.

"Todoroki-kun!" Izuku yelled in delight before shooting up from his chair.

Before he could stop himself, he threw his arms around his friend in a fierce hug.

"It's been so long! I'm so glad to see you in person at last!"

When he felt the other stiffen, he realized what he had done and quickly let go before raising his arms in front of him in apology.

"Aah sorry! I'm still used to the American way of greeting! Sorry Todoro-"

"It's fine." the other replied before removing his glasses. "We can...do that if you want."

He was looking at Izuku with the same intensity his heterochromatic eyes always gave him, and the green-haired man couldn't help a warm smile blooming on his face. They both sat down facing each other. 

"Were you waiting for long?" Shouto said while setting down his glasses on the table.

"No, I just arrived a few minutes ago. Are you going to work?"

"Leaving. I was on the afternoon shift, I start back at 4."

"In the morning? Is it okay for you to be here then? Shouldn't you be sleeping?"

"There are more important things. Also I was going to have dinner anyway so I can have it here."

Now that his glasses were off, Izuku could see the dark circles under his friend's eyes. He looked tired.

"Are you sure..."

"Did you look at the menu?"

"Um?" he looked down at the menu that had been set in front of him. "No, I wasn't planning on having dinner yet."

"Take a look." Shouto said before the waitress stopped in front of their table.

She set two glasses of ice tea before bowing to Shouto, and Izuku saw that her demeanor had changed from when she had greeted him. She seemed less assured and when she straightened back, he noticed her cheeks were pink. He absentmindedly grabbed his menu and opened it.

"Good...good evening Todoroki-san."

"Good evening Yukiko-san. I'll have the usual, I think my friend will have..."

"The best Tonkatsu in Shibuya?!"

He looked up to see both of them had stopped talking and were looking at him. Shouto's cheek ticked and his lips tilted slightly upward in what Izuku had learned to identify as a smile. He smiled back and scratched his cheek again.

"I figured you'd be missing those."

"I did. So so so much. Thank you for thinking of that."

"Of course." the other replied before turning to the waitress. "Two tonkatsus please."

The brunette was still looking at Izuku with something he couldn't quite decipher, before bowing again and walking back towards the busier area. Izuku's eyes followed her until she disappeared behind one of the panels.

"So your agency is nearby?" he asked, turning back to his friend.

"Yeah, five minutes on foot. This is a really good spot for both eating and observing."

"Observing? What?"

Shouto pointed to something behind him and Izuku turned to look.

"You see this grey and white building with the Karaoke sign?"

"Yes."

"This is were my jurisdiction ends and where Shinjuku begins."

"Oh, and who's in charge of Shinjuku?" Izuku asked before turning back and taking a sip of his tea.

He hummed in appreciation as he drank the cool liquid. It had been a very hot and humid day.

"Jetfist and Renova were the main heroes involved. But they were killed two months ago."

His head snapped back up to look at his friend.

"Killed? No way...what happened to them?"

"They were working on dismantling a group of villains. They had a well implanted agency and were quite famous, and they worked with other heroes, so much so that a whole network had developed around them. It made it easier to crisscross information between neighborhoods and to take villains down. Even new heroes like me were easily integrated in the communication channels. We call it the Hero Network."

"That sounds amazing, to be able to unite that many heroes and organize effort. They must have been quite powerful."

"Yes. That's why they were targeted. By taking them down, those villains harmed the entire Hero Network. Since then, crime has risen again and is more difficult to contain. It's a bit like what happened after Kamino, you know?"

Izuku stared at him in horror before turning to the window again. The sky had started to turn a soft shade of orange and one could already see the translucent crescent rising from behind the buildings.

"Yes...it's a bit like they lost their Symbol of peace, isn't it?"

Next to his reflexion in the window, he saw Shouto's staring at him.

"As expected of you." he said, making Izuku turn to look at him, confused. "You always were a quick thinker."

He stopped to allow the waitress to set two bowls of steaming tonkatsu in front of each of them. She bowed again and left without a word and Shouto followed her from the corner of his eyes before continuing.

"I was originally sent here to learn from them and try to export this Hero Network to other cities, since it seemed to work so well." he said in a quieter voice. "We need to make sure the Hero Network doesn't disappear, that it stays strong. But even pro-heroes are afraid and restless, there's a heavy atmosphere that has settled in the area, as if..."

He looked up at Izuku.

"As if something big was coming."

Izuku straightened up as a shiver ran down his spine. He knew where this was going and he was more than okay with it.

"What do you want me to do?"

He expected Shouto to feel relief at his words, but the other frowned, looking somewhat conflicted.

"What, you thought I was going to say no?"

"No, but you might once I have given you all of the information."

It was Izuku's turn to frown. At this point, it was highly unlikely that he would refuse. Shouto was one of his best friends along with Tenya and Occhaco, if he needed him, there was no way he'd say no. Furthermore, Shouto was one of the strongest heroes from his generation, so if even with him and several sidekicks on the field they still needed help, then it meant the situation was indeed getting dangerous.

"So who's in charge of Shinjuku now? If heroes are leaving or too scared to take the lead, are you going to?"

"Yeah..." Shouto said. "I've been trying to do some hero work there and get it under Endeavor's jurisdiction so that maybe other heroes would feel more at ease knowing that the Endeavor agency was with them."

"That's very nice of you." Izuku said with a warm smile. "I'm glad to see you're working with him."

"This is temporary and beneficial to us both. I get experience on the field and resources that allow me to focus on the work. He gets to have me follow his path and become his heir. But I will leave to open my own agency when I'm done with this."

"Well, I'm sure this will work!"

Izuku took a bite of his tonkatsu and closed his eyes, preventing himself from moaning in delight. This was delicious, so good he wanted to cry. They had tried to go to Japanese restaurants in L.A but nothing had ever tasted as good as it did in his homeland. 

"Well, I've been having some issues in that aspect."

"Ichouz?" Izuku replied around a mouthful of food before swallowing. "Sorry, this is so good. What kind of issues?"

Shouto looked at him with apprehension, like he was bracing himself for something.

"I don't know how much you know about Tokyo, but this is Nakano, which is part of Endeavor's jurisdiction. Then you have Shinjuku and on the other side, there's Setagaya, which borders both on Shinjuku and Nakano. The hero in charge of Setagaya city has been fighting me over control of Shinjuku for months now."

Izuku looked at him with his mouth agape. There were only few heroes who could rival with pro-hero Shouto, how strong were heroes here in Tokyo? He hadn't seen much but the idea of having rivals they could go toe-to-toe with was kind of thrilling if he was honest.

"Wow, they must be quite strong to hold their own against you. But can't you try to work together? If they're that strong then they could be an asset. Are they part of this Hero Network? What's their name?"

Shouto looked at him with his lips pursed in a thin line. That was the face he made when he was about to say something he didn't like. Izuku put down his chopsticks and folded his hands on the table, giving his friend is undivided attention.

"The pro-hero in charge of Setagaya doesn't want to share or talk to me. He has refused every invitation I've extended to talk to him."

"Do you know why?"

"Because he's hated me since high school I guess."

Before his brain could catch up with these words, Izuku felt his heart starting to pound at full speed. In an instant, a thin layer of sweat had settled on his back and he felt heat enveloping his whole face. Someone who hated Shouto? Who had hated him since high school? There was only one person he could think of, and it had to be the person he'd tried not to think of for the past year.

His face must have shown his distress, because Shouto's eyes turned cold and expressionless. He leaned back on his chair and, this time, his micro-smile was sour.

"So, you still want to say yes now?"

Two weeks later

Izuku was crouched on the roof of a small white building. He was in his dark costume, which had been designed by Captain Celebrity's personal assistant during his stay in L.A: Fred Fury. On Izuku's first day as a sidekick, the tall red-haired man had taken one look at his former costume and had shaken his head.

What fresh hell is this? A onesie? You goin' to a slumber party, kid? 

Three weeks later, he had found a box in front of his apartment with a bright new costume. It was black with streaks of dark green here and there, and Izuku had been relieved to see his hood had been kept. The material was heavier and thicker, but light enough that it allowed for close combat, with his vital parts protected by kevlar sheets.

"Deku, what's your position?"

Izuku touched two fingers to his right ear.

"I'm on Koshu-Kaido avenue, just entering Shinjuku."

"Good. Thank you again for covering for me tonight."

"Of course, Shouto-kun, I was bored out of my mind at home."

"Isn't Toogata-senpai home?"

"He has errands to run before we go to Musutafu for the gala."

"I see, well I'll be..."

"Gotta go." Izuku hurriedly said before turning the device off.

He jumped on a smaller building and ran to the other side of it. There, he hid behind an air conditioning unit and peered down at the street below. It was a backstreet with few lighting, so it was hard to see from this far, but he had been trailing the man since he'd gotten out of the ramen restaurant a few blocks away, so he knew where to look. His target was a young man dressed in a dark suit. He was walking in long and fast strides, with his hands in his pockets. He looked like he had just gotten out of work or gone back from a business travel, but Izuku knew that wasn't true. He and Shouto's team had taken turn in following him for quite some time now and his pattern was always the same: they would sight him at the ramen restaurant, and from there he would make his way through Shinjuku, always alone, and always using the same road. Then, he would go to the busier streets and they always lost him there, since they couldn't afford to get too close for fear of getting spotted.

Shouto's team had identified him as part of the group that had been attacking heroes lately. They didn't know if he was involved in pro-heroes Jetfist and Renova's death, but he certainly knew who had done it. So they had to get as much information from him as possible.

The man stopped once well inside the back alley and leaned on the wall of the building Izuku had landed on. The green-haired man tugged on his hood and tried to get as close to the edge of the rooftop as possible without being spotted. This was new, the target never stopped between the ramen restaurant and the busy street, so this was a first. He needed to get a better point of view, his position wasn't good for observation.

He was about to go to the other side to see if he could get on the opposite building when he saw some movement from the corner of his eyes. He turned to see the back door of what looked like a restaurant open and a young woman got out with two heavy trash bags in her hands. The light was behind her, so Izuku couldn't see her face and his gaze followed her to the steel trash bin located to her right. She lifted the two bags and dropped them there and, as she was turning to go back inside, he saw movement coming from below him as the target launched himself at the young woman. On instinct, Izuku jumped.

One For All Full Cowl, 10%!

He dived and cut the air with speed, aiming for the other's back, but at the same moment, the woman turned and upon seeing both of them rushing towards her, she let out a deafening scream. Izuku collided with the target and, as he was lifting his head, he felt something strike him right in the plexus. He jumped aside and the thing hit the floor with so much force it cracked the concrete. He lifted one hand to where he had been struck, but the material was intact. He tapped his knuckles on the kevlar plaque that protected his heart in a silent thank you to Fred Fury.

The man was now getting up and Izuku could see that his arms had grown. They were long enough to reach him and in the dim light of the small lamp post located near the restaurant back door, he saw that even the skin had changed. It looked harder, a bit like Kirishima-kun's quirk.

So this man can harden his skin and elongate his arms. he thought as he was getting ready to attack again.

But the other was quicker and launched his two arms towards Izuku, who dived once again. The villain aimed for his head now, but this time Izuku was ready.

Full Cowl, 15%!

He easily dodged the blow and jumped in the air in a graceful back flip, right above the man. From that angle he saw that, unlike his arms, the villain's head didn't seem to have hardened. 

Unlike Kirishima-kun, he can only harden one part of his body.

5% Detroit Smash!!

His kick collided with the other's head and he used his momentum to blow him away. When the silhouette collided with the opposite building, Izuku heard a grunt and the man slid off the wall, going limp. Izuku stayed alert in case it was a ruse or to check if the man would wake up, but the villain did not move again. He ran towards him and got a roll of binding tape from one of his pockets.

"Are you okay?" he asked the woman, who was plastered against the wall of the restaurant, looking at them with what he assumed must be fear.

"I...who..."

She was cut off by the sound of something blasting off in the distance and Izuku's head snapped up to the dark and starless sky.

He would recognize the sound of those explosions anywhere.

"Dammit...I have to hurry." he said as he started tying up the unconscious villain.

Once he was done, he cut the tape with his teeth and got up. The explosions had gotten closer in just a few seconds so he turned to the young woman, whose features he still couldn't quite see in the dark alley.

"Listen, you're going to be just fine." he said, pocketing the tape. "Ground Zero is coming, he'll take care of you."

"Gr...Ground Zero?" she said, sounding surprised.

"Yes, he will take it from here, don't worry! I really have to go, sorry!"

"W...wait!"

He ignored her call and turned away.

Full Cowl 10%!

He jumped and landed on a small building, then used it to launch himself further. He needed to leave the area quickly while staying low. 

I can't keep using OFA, he knows what it looks like from the outside...

He let his power fade mid-jump and as soon as he let go, he started falling.

Blackwhip!

Several dark whips of black smoke came out of his hands and he used them to grab hold of the lamp posts bordering the road to launch himself even farther. The voice of his former mentor Captain Celebrity echoed in his head as he was dashing between buildings.

You know, if you learn how to use this Blackwhip of yours, you could almost fly just like me, Deku. Wanna try?

And so Izuku had trained days and nights, until he'd learned how to cover himself with the shadow he created, just like Tokoyami-kun had learned to do with Black Shadow. It made him harder to spot in night time and harder for villains to lend hits on him, since they couldn't find his body amidst the dark fog. He then could use strings of shadow to latch on buildings and other equipment to move and navigate through the city. It dit feel like flying.

"I'm leaving the rest to you, Ground Zero." he said while turning right.

He needed to get back to Shouto's agency and tell him what had happened. Why had the villain changed his routine? Why attack that woman? Had she been targeted specifically? Who was she? He hadn't had time to talk to her or even ask for her name. But she had seemed to be working there, so he could come back another...

A deafening explosion snapped him back to reality, as it was close, too close for it to have been coming from the dark alley where he had left the villain and victim. 

Don't tell me...

"Hey fucker! Da fuck are you going?!"

Izuku's whole body broke in goosebumps at the sound of that voice and he stopped himself from turning on instincts. Having Katsuki Bakugou behind him had never been a good thing and he could hear a faint, old version of his voice scream for him to flee. Could it be that he hadn't seen the two people Izuku had left for him? Why was he chasing him instead?

He must think I'm also a villain.

His former childhood friend had only seen him use Blackwhip a few times, and never like this. He probably looked scary from an exterior point of view.

I really need to get out of here.

Right when he was about to turn left, Izuku felt a shiver run down his spine and the hair of his nape rose under his hood. With years of physical abuse behind him, done by this exact person, he knew what it meant. The blonde was about to attack him, which was in line with his fighting style. Since Izuku was fast, the blonde couldn't chase him for to long before his arms would start aching from the explosions he used to move. And if he still fought the same way, if he'd still kept some of his old habits then...

He'll start with his right hand!

Izuku dived to his right, turned mid-air and grabbed the arm that was aiming for his neck.

"Wha-" he heard close, so close to him.

Sorry for this. One for All, 20%!  he thought, before turning on himself and launching the other in the air.

The blonde shot from his grip and Izuku started zooming between buildings again. If he hadn't seen the two people, then the woman could still be in danger. Izuku had to lead the blonde back to her while avoiding getting spotted or injured in the process.

"Why do you always have to make things so complicated." he gritted.

He looked for the small white building from where he had been observing the villain and he spotted it on his left. He took a sharp turn in case the other intended to attack him with a long-range attack, which was a possibility. Once he passed above the alley, he saw that the woman was still in her spot and the villain still on the ground.

Good. he thought.

This time, he jumped on a higher building and shot through the air, just as the blonde's voice was bellowing behind him, much farther this time.

"You...MOTHERFUCKER!! Next time I'll fucking kill you!!"

I'm sure you will. smiled Izuku.

Once he was sure to be out of the other's view, he reactivated One For All and shot toward Nakano.

Nakano, Endeavor agency, 1am.

"So...you lost him then?"

"I'm really sorry" Izuku said, bowing his head.

He was seated in a dark sofa in the middle of a large office with four other people. His hair was a mess from his escape and beads of cold sweat were cascading from his hairline to his chin. He was still panting slightly, despite having arrived 20 minutes ago, and he wasn't sure if it was because of tonight's events or because of his encounter with his former childhood friend.

"Stop it, Enilla." came Shouto's voice from his right.

"But we've been following him for weeks now and tonight was the perfect opportunity for us to get him!"

"Deku did what he thought was best." a gruff voice grumbled from somewhere near.

"The best thing to do would have been to grab the guy and leave with him! Now that Ground Zero bastard will get all of the credit! Are you sure you didn't do that on purpose, Deku?"

"Enilla!" came another female voice.

"What? Aren't they high school friends from U.A? He knows we're at war with the brat and yet..."

Izuku could picture the blonde woman pacing behind him, her long ponytail flapping almost menacingly. Enilla was one of Shouto's sidekick, specialized in localization and tracking. She had been the one to spot the villain so they could start following him. Izuku understood her frustration at having weeks of hard work ending like this, so he kept his head bowed, wringing his hands silently.

"That's enough Enilla. Let's call it a day. Go get some rest and we'll talk some more tomorrow." Shouto said in his usual impassive voice.

There was silence in the room and then Izuku heard the door open so hard it banged on the opposite wall.

"Enilla wait!" the other female voice yelled before fast footsteps left the room.

Someone put an appeasing and huge hand on his shoulder, giving it a squeeze and Izuku waited for everyone to leave before he raised his head again.

"I'm really sorry Todoroki-kun."

The other was half seated on top of his desk, arms crossed and his eyes on Izuku, like he'd been staring at him the entire time.

"But it's true, isn't it, you did leave the villain to Bakugou."

"I...I didn't really stop to think at the time but...I think yeah."

"And what do you think now?"

Izuku slid his hand through his hair before wiping his face tiredly.

"I...I think that this might be our chance to try and work with him. He knows that you also have your eyes on Shinjuku, and he will be intrigued by the fact that we gave him this victory. I'm sure it'll definitely tick him off somehow, I wouldn't be surprised to see him at your door tomorrow demanding an explanation."

He chuckled nervously.

"Knowing him, if he somehow gets involved in this, then he'll want to get to the bottom of it, I'm sure of it."

There was a moment of heavy silence.

"I see you still think highly of him."

Izuku didn't answer.

"Even if he agrees to help now, are you sure he will when he learns about our plan for Shinjuku?" Shouto asked, turning his head to look at the large window behind him.

Izuku sighed.

"Leave that to me."

He already hates me anyway.

Chapter Text

Endeavor Agency, Musutafu, Shizuoka, 8pm

Katsuki was standing somewhere near the end of the huge ball room, next to the big windows leading to the balcony. It was a habit of his, to always position himself near an exit or a potential escape route, always on the defensive, always ready. His hands were in his pockets in what had become his default posture over the years, giving him an air of indifference and rudeness that put an impermeable barrier between him and other people. Dressed in tailored black pants and a black shirt, he exulted waves of quiet anger and everything in him screamed Don't talk to me. Judging by the looks people gave him and how everyone seemed to avoid walking past him, it worked pretty well.

After only a year in Tokyo, Ground Zero had already acquired quite the reputation: that of a strong hero with zero social skills. He would yell at local journalists and reject every interview offers he got. He didn't like talking to the media, as his few attempts during high school had shown how bad he was at it. He knew this was an important part of the job, but he just couldn't do it, didn't want to grovel in order to get popularity points. Also, he didn't trust those vultures, who looked like they wanted to turn him into some kind of bad boy idol. He neither wanted nor needed it. He didn't buy into the hypocrisy needed for public representation, which was why he let the two other idiots handle those matters. Red Riot and Chargebolt seemed to be born for the public eye, they had natural social skills and that kind of aura that made people instantly trust them, something he had always lacked. So they were the ones to handle their blossoming agency's PR. He only made an exception for the wins he would score in Shinjuku, since he needed the publicity to make his case in front of the Commission. And luckily enough, his only rival in that area was as bad as him at communication, also choosing not to appear in medias.

Come to think of it, he still hadn't received an answer from the Commission regarding his request. Those slow ass fuckers. He had counted on getting an answer before tonight and had prepared the exact words he would spit in Endeavor's face and his stupid useless son. The wicked part of him, the one that had been fed by a lifetime of empty praise and adoration, wanted to hijack this gala by announcing his official hold on Shinjuku and leave. He wanted to see Half n Half's face when he'd learn he had lost the game, to crush him into nothing. But apparently, it would have to wait a few extra days.

"Oi, Bakugou!" came a booming voice behind him.

"You're late, Shitty Hair." he grumbled as Kirishima bumped him on the shoulder to greet him.

His high school friend had his hair slicked backward with some fruity hair product that Katsuki could smell from where he was standing. He was wearing a dark blue suit with no tie, which went pretty well with his flashy red hair. Katsuki hummed in approval as he assessed his sidekick. This was an important event where pro-heroes could make crucial connections and get the attention of sponsors willing to finance part of their activity. Katsuki's agency needed that kind of push to get some spotlight and finlly make a real name for himself. So tonight was one of the rare occasions where he broke his Fuck the media rule and actually tried to make good impression. He and Kirishima needed to stand out in the sea of dull-looking heroes in order to get some publicity and hopefully, some sponsors. Katsuki had used all of his parents' money and he needed to make adjustments to his costume. He hadn't realized how expensive it was to maintain it until U.A had stopped paying for the repairs and upgrades. And so Katsuki had gritted his teeth and used this month-salary to go shopping for him and his sidekicks the week before. And so far, he could see his efforts were not in vain: Kirishima and him looked stunning in those suits.

"I dropped by my parents' place before coming. And it's 8 sharp so technically, I'm right on time." the other said next to him.

"Tch, you're supposed to be here before it starts, idiot."

"Why, so I can stand with you in a corner looking like a serial killer? I think not." Kirishima said while looking curiously around.

"Who the fuck are you calling a serial killer?" Katsuki gritted while gripping the other by his shirt.

"Hey, wow no!" Kirishima yelped while swatting his hand off. "It took me a whole hour to iron this shirt! Do you know how hard it is?!"

Katsuki let him go with a huff and crossed his arms over his chest, looking all the way towards the stage settled on the opposite side of the room. His eyes locked with those of a red-haired young woman, whose big blue eyes seemed to have been set on him for a while. She smiled at him tentatively and he looked at her coldly before turning his head again. She didn't look familiar, which meant she probably was a weak-ass hero.

"Dammit Bakugou, you're always so popular, it makes me jealous!"

"I don't care, I'm not here for that." he grumbled.

He could feel the other's eyes on him, but he didn't turn, scanning the room for any familiar faces. Where were his classmates? He was sure he'd heard the two idiots talk about them all meeting here.

"Come to think of it, I've never seen you...even at U.A..."

Where was Endeavor? Or his stupid son?

"All of us have at least...you know?"

He hadn't seen the Half-n-Half bastard since their last encounter, and that hadn't been a good day for him.

One month ago, Endeavor sub-agency, Tokyo

"Oi, dude, for real?"

He could hear the footsteps on his left move to his right as he walked past a subway station and he started moving faster.

"Shut up."

"No but I'm serious, you haven't set one foot in this neighborhood since we got here a year ago."

"And you have, Dunce Face?"

"Of course I have! I'm not a crazy sociopath like you! And unlike you, I have a social life."

"But no fucking pride as per usual."

"Hey, that's Todoroki we're talking about, he's cool man, whatever your weird old rivalry with him is, he's still our frie..."

"There is no rivalry, that fucker needs to back off my territory and stop sending his sneaky ass sidekick to piss me off!"

The footsteps got closer as the other was trying to reach him, probably to look at him properly. Katsuki only walked faster in reponse.

"Dude, you've been obsessed with that guy. He's the only thing you talk about lately."

"That's not fucking true!"

It was true.

Since that first encounter several weeks before where the other had made a fool of him, tricking him, evading his attacks, Katsuki had been dead set on finding that guy and crush him. In the year he had spent in Tokyo, 95% of his work had involved small fry, which was dull as fuck but meant he could catch more villains. He needed to get good rates so that he could expand his area and develop his agency. Also, if he was famous enough, then the really interesting villains would try to target him. And that meant better fights. He needed harder fights for the sake of his sanity. He had used his Howlitzer Impacto only once, and that was a fucking shame because that move was a beauty.

He needed something challenging, some opponent who could keep up with him, who wouldn't fold after one or two attacks. The Todoroki bastard was too socially constipated to rise to his insults and actually get angry enough for them to fight, and Katsuki would let All Might pummel him to death before he asked the Half-n-Half bastard to spar with him. Kirishima and Kaminari were strong, but still no match for him, even after all this time. So this evasive stranger had awoken something within him, some ancient need to compete, to prove himself, to win against someone who actually stood a chance. 

Also, he needed to wash this affront, because there was no way anyone could get away with what the fucker had pulled off that night.

The truth was, he hadn't felt like this for a long time now, maybe all the way back to his high school years, when he had been challenged almost everyday, pushing the limits of his body and his quirk. Back then, when there had been someone to challenge him, both physically and emotionally, someone who could take his blows and give them back in kind.

Don't fucking think about that. 

"You have. You've been acting like a sicko stalker, chasing him every time you see him. That guy must be scared shitless!"

"He's not." Katsuki grumbled, taking a left turn at a konbini store and making a face at the display of ugly ass cakes which had the other bastard's face made of icing. Whose fucking stupid idea was that?

"Yeah well I still say you should lay off before we..."

"Why are you even here, Dunce Face?!" the blonde snapped at him.

"Someone has to make sure you don't cause a scene! Going to another hero's agency to pick up a fight isn't the best PR move."

"Shut the fuck up, who cares about PR."

"Me and Kiri do, and so do you, you're just too pissed right now to...oh, there it is!"

They stood in front of a four-story building that looked quite new, or like it had been redone fairly recently. The reddish bricks stood out amidst the other white and grey buildings, probably on purpose. Right above the front entrance, a large sign could read Endeavor Agency Tokyo. 

Tch, that bastard ain't even got his name on the building. Katsuki sneered while shoving his hands in his pockets.

He walked towards the doors, Kaminari behind him. They arrived in a small and cool hall with pristine white walls and individual sofas to sit on. Katsuki gritted his teeth in disdain as his sidekick walked joyfully to the front desk, where a dark-haired woman was looking at them with a warm smile.

"Welcome to the Endeavor agency, how can I help?"

"We wanna see the Icy Hot bast-" Katsuki began from where he was standing.

"Aah he means hello!" Kaminari cut him off with a scolding look before turning to the hostess again. "We would like to talk to Todoroki please."

"Do you have an appointment?"

"We don't, but I'm sure he'll be happy to see us."

"I'm sorry, Todoroki-san is very busy..."

"Just tell him Bakugou Katsuki is here." snapped Katsuki from his corner.

"Trust me, he'll want to see us." said Kaminari with a smile and a wink.

The hostess looked at them as if torn between indulging them and calling security. She probably didn't know who they were and thought they were there looking for trouble. He didn't care, didn't want to explain himself, just wanted to get this shit done and go home. Right when Katsuki was about to storm past her into the bland looking corridor on her left, he heard Kaminari speak again.

"Oh, what's that, a Red Riot pen? Are you a fan?"

Katsuki turned towards the two people in time to see the woman blush a deep shade of pink. She tucked a stray of hair behind her ear before speaking again.

"He helped my grandma and I a few months ago. We were walking down Ishigawa street and a robbery broke out in the Tsuchuya jewelry shop."

"Oh, I remember that, they got caught by Bear Arms and Water Lady, right?" said Kaminari, intrigued. "You were there?"

The woman nodded shyly.

"A few heroes arrived at the scene and tried to catch them, but they didn't see us and we almost got hurt when one of the robbers started shooting at them. We were caught in between with nowhere to escape. But then..."

She looked down at the pen that was clutched in her hand.

"That other hero came out of nowhere and stood in front of us. I thought he was getting hit, but the bullet seemed to just bounce off him."

She stopped for a moment, like caught in her own memory.

"He had such a warm smile when he turned to us, we felt...safe."

As her voice died down, Katsuki locked eyes with Kaminari in silent understanding. This was why they wanted to be heroes, all of them, so that people would feel safe, so that the memory of their face and words would appease people in need. And Shitty Hair was certainly on the right path to become a great hero and a strong figure in the city. Not that he'd ever tell him that.

"Well, I'm glad you and your grandma were alright." Kaminari said after turning back to face the young woman. "We actually work in the same agency, we're not as nice as him- nobody is really- but I promise we aren't here to cause trouble. Can we talk to Todoroki for a second? I promise he won't mind."

She looked up at the blond smiling man before straightening.

"I will see what I can do."

"Really?" Kaminari said, genuinely taken aback. "Thank you so much!"

He turned again and raised his eyebrows at Katsuki in a See, this is how it's done expression, to which the other answered by flipping him off. This was why he hadn't sent the other back and had allowed him to trail behind him. Even if he hated it, he always made sure to have one of them with him when he had to interact with people. He needed someone who knew how to inspire trust and who could get people to open up, and that sure as fuck was not his case. He didn't mind, he had come to terms with the idea that he wouldn't be the kind of hero All Might was: always smiling, always reassuring people. He was the hot-blooded hero who kicked ass and made sure nobody would get hurt or killed, and that was enough for him. He didn't need to be liked, to be praised by strangers, as long as he knew he was the best out there, that was all that mattered. 

"Todoroki-san will see you now."

Katsuki raised his head and got up, walking past Kaminari, who was getting all the relevant information from the hostess. Once he was in front of the elevator, he heard the blonde hurrying down the corridor.

"That girl was so nice, you could have said thanks you know!"

"Whatever." he said while looking at the line of numbers set on top of the closed doors.

When the number 0 lit up, they heard a small Ding and the doors opened to reveal a small space. Both of them got in and Kaminari pressed the button to the fourth floor. He waited until the doors closed and they were starting to move before talking again.

"OK, before we go in..." 

"Shut the fuck up." Katsuki snapped. "I don't need a fucking pep talk."

"Um, you do? I don't want you to start a fight with Todoroki while we're in his own agency."

"And I don't care what you think." he gritted.

"Dude, I get that you had this grudge during our first year tournament..."

"Because he is a fucking coward..."

"...but it looked like it had gotten better along the years and after your internship with his dad..."

"...who does everything in people's back like the sneaky bastard he is..."

"...and then in our last year it went all to hell again! Right before graduation!"

Silence fell in the enclosed space as Katsuki snapped his mouth shut, teeth grinding against each other. The hands that were stuck stubbornly in his pockets balled into fists. Kaminari, who was not looking at him, continued.

"You and him went all the way back to how you were and it's just..."

He saw the other run a hand through his hair, probably trying to gather his thoughts. Then he sighed and his shoulders seemed to sag in defeat. Katsuki couldn't see his face, but he knew the idiot must have had that puppy eyed stupid face on. He hated it.

"It sucks man."

Katsuki was looking for something to say, but Kaminari continued.

"I mean, even Midoriya..." Kaminari said softly and Katsuki's whole body stiffened.

Before he could suppress it, a memory flashed before his eyes: of a silhouette standing on a balcony, hands tightened around a glistening glass of champagne. Big green eyes were cast downwards, made glassy by emotions he couldn't identify from where he stood. The winter cold swept away green fluffy curls and reddened the freckled skin of his face.

Th-the truth is I...I've always...

He wiped around, eyes ablaze with a sudden gut-wrenching fury.

"Don't you dare talk about that shitty..."

Before he could finish his sentence, the doors opened with another Ding and, when Katsuki turned his head again, his angry red eyes locked with a pair of impassive bi-colored ones. Still high on anger, he felt something tear at his insides, trying to get out of his skin to launch itself at the man standing in front of him.

"Bakugou, Kaminari, what a surprise." the emotionless voice said, making the hair on the blonde's nape rise in a flight or fight response.

Fight, it was definitely fight.

Todoroki Shouto was standing outside the elevator, dressed in skinny fit mocha jeans and a white t-shirt. His hands were stuffed in his pockets in almost the same position as Katsuki's, but he had a nonchalance to his posture that gave him a calmer aura. For the both of them who used their hands for combat, keeping them hidden was a sign of peace, like keeping your gun in its holster inside your jacket. He hated the fact that they must have had the same idea.

"Hey dude!" Kaminari called in a unsure voice, probably still shaken by Katsuki's latest outburst. "Thank you for seeing us!"

"Of course." Todoroki said before gesturing for them to follow him.

They walked down a beige corridor and Katsuki couldn't help but wonder why the bastard had felt the need to greet them at the elevator instead of waiting for them in his office. That would have been a better power play, especially since it was Katsuki coming. It almost looked like he wanted to make sure they didn't wander around and came straight to his office. Was there something he wasn't supposed to see? He snapped out of his thoughts when a huge silhouette rounded the corner to walk toward them. The man was tall, so much so that the top of his head was at the same level as the frames decorating the walls. His broad shoulders seemed like they were ready to pop out of his green and yellow costume as he was rolling them in a quick warming session. The top of his face was hidden behind a yellow mask. He looked ready to go on a mission. When he arrived at their level, he nodded at them.

"I'm heading out." he told Todoroki, who nodded.

Then, as if he had been trying not to but couldn't help it, he darted a look towards Katsuki, who felt his hackles rise.

"Got a problem, Beast Man?"

His posture was still the same, but he was ready for a fight if need be. Some twisted part of him, the one that liked to settle things with clashing fists, craved for this awkward situation to just turn into a huge brawl fest. That he could handle. And his hands were already coated in a thin layer of sweat, ready to use. The huge hero looked at him intensely, his dark eyes locked with Katsuki's, and for a wild moment, the blonde wondered if they had not fallen into some kind of trap. Had they been lured here in order to settle the Shinjuku quarrel by fighting? Was the Half'n Half bastard going to send his fucking sidekicks to try and beat them up? Katsuki straightened his posture and started to slowly remove his right hand, the one less visible, from his pocket.

If I aim for his eyes, I can grab Dopey and...

A booming sound made him jump out of his skin, which translated by a small jolt of his shoulders. He snapped out of his thoughts to look at the mountain of muscles in front of him.

Who was laughing.

"HA HA HA! Beast man! Never heard that one!" 

Katsuki looked at him, dumbfounded before turning to Todoroki, an incredulous look on his face. Was this fucker for real?

"You're funnier than you look, Ground Zero!" continued the huge hero, completely unaware of the situation.

"Demba." Todoroki said.

"I know, I gotta go. See you around!" he told Katsuki. 

The huge man, Demba, waved at them and started walking away, still chuckling softly. Katsuki's unwavering gaze followed him until he got in the elevator, and didn't respond when he waved at him before the door closed. Was that huge fucker mentally impaired or what? Why the hell would he think it was a good idea to be nice to him? Did he act like that with every person he just met?

"That man was huge!" Kaminari said next to him.

"And fucking weird." grumbled Katsuki, his posture relaxing slightly.

"He's a very naive person." answered Todoroki as he started walking again. "His external appearance is actually a good physical protection. Dishonest people wouldn't dare approach him or try to play him."

They resumed their walk and entered the last door to their right, which led to a spacious office with big windows. Two dark blue sofas were set in the center and Todoroki gestured for them to take a sit. Kaminari sat on the one that was further from the door and Katsuki suppressed the need to smack him on the head. That bastard had zero survival skills. Todoroki then turned to look at Katsuki, who glared at him in answer, remaining still. He heard his sidekick sigh loudly from where he was sitting but chose to ignore him and, after a few seconds, Todoroki sat on the opposite sofa, facing Kaminari.

"What can I do for you?" he said, hands on his knees.

"Well..." started Kaminari, unsure. "We want to talk to you about...you know..."

"What do you want from me?" Katsuki interrupted. 

He didn't have time for useless formalities, the quicker he was out of here the better. Todoroki looked up at him, seemingly not surprised by his reaction. He really hated those fucking unreadable eyes.

"What do you mean?"

"Don't play stupid or I'm outta here. You wanted to get my attention and you have it so spill." he said, taking his hands off his pockets and folding them over his torso, breaking their silent Show of hands rule.

Fuck that shit. He wanted answers.

Todoroki seemed to think for a moment before speaking again.

"I would like to pause our differences regarding the Shinjuku area..."

"There ain't no differences, it's my turf so get the fuck outta there."

"...and focus our strength on an bigger issue."

Katsuki looked at him for a moment and it was Kaminari who answered.

"What bigger issue?"

"I can't tell you all the details now." Todoroki said. "But it would mean putting if not all then most of your manpower in this."

Was he serious? Or was that a ruse? Katsuki didn't trust the bastard one bit, but he had never actively tried to dupe him. However, this was a territory war for a very special area, so who could tell? Was Icy Hot trying to send Katsuki on a pointless mission so his mysteruious lapdog could get Shinjuku for good? Was it all a plan to crush him? He didn't know, couldn't read the other and that infuriated him.

"I have one condition before we continue this discussion."

Todoroki looked at him.

He hated having to say it out loud, but he needed this.

"That guy, the one you sent doing your job in Shinjuku."

Something finally flashed in the bi-colored eyes. For the first time since he had appeared at the elevator, Todoroki seemed on the defensive.

"What of him?"

"I wanna see him, face to face."

Todoroki paused for a moment before answering. For some reason, his eyes seemed colder, more calculating.

"And why is that?"

"None of your fucking business."

Todoroki looked at him like he was the one trying to read the blonde, trying to find something. Then, after a few seconds of silence, he leaned backwards. 

"I'm afraid that won't be possible."

Why?! He wanted to ask. Why the fuck not? Why was he being protective of that fucker? And why did Katsuki insist on seeing him? He wanted to storm out of the office, rip every single door open and look in each room until he found the right guy. He felt like a wild beast looking for its prey in the wildness.

"Then this discussion is fucking over." he said, walking to the door and yanking it open.

"Bakugou!" he heard the other call and he paused.

Todoroki sounded anxious, which was highly unusual for him. 

"This is important."

"I don't fucking care." 

"Why did you come then? Why come all the way down here if you're not going to listen to what I have to say?"

I didn't come for you. He thought but gritted his teeth and said instead.

"Fuck you." before walking out and slamming the door behind him.

He didn't wait for Kaminari, as he knew he would stay behind to apologize. 

Endeavor Agency, Musutafu, Shizuoka, 8:30pm

"Bakubro! Kiri!"

Katsuki snapped out of his thoughts and turned around to see a tall woman walking toward them. Her olive green cocktail dress was floating behind as she walked and the glitter dusted on her arms and shoulders seemed to make her pink skin glow in the dim light. Her hair was longer now, so she had it into a side ponytail, it still looked pretty wild though.

"Hey Mina!" Kirishima said as she embraced him.

"You look very handsome, Kiri!" she said after she let go of him and gave him an appreciative look, which made the other blush.

She then turned to Katsuki, and for a wild moment he thought she was going to try and hug him too, but she just saluted him instead. He felt himself relax and let a soft huff escape his lips as she winked at him.

"Raccoon Eyes."

"You know, I almost missed that nickname so I'll allow it." she said as she bumped his shoulder, just like Kirishima had done before.

"You came alone?" asked the red-hair.

"No, Ochacco and Hagakure are with me." she answered, looking around for her friends. "We bumped into Iida in the hallway so they're coming together I guess."

Kirishima seemed to suppress a smile by coughing into his hand and Katsuki gave him a questioning look. What was going on with him?

"Ah...that...that's good! Then..."

But he was interrupted by their three other friends arriving, chatting animatedly. Round Face was wearing a pink t-shoulder dress with a few hair accessories, and Four-Eyes was dressed in a white tuxedo, his hair also slicked backward. A blue strapless dress and white gloves were floating next to him, and one glove waved at them.

"It's so good to see you there guys!" Hagakure's voice sang excitedly next to Iida. "Did you meet other people from our class?"

"Nah, it's just me and Bakugou." answered Kirishima. "Kaminari is holding the fort and he'll switch with Bakugou at midnight so he can attend the after-gala party."

"Really? Do you really have to go back to Tokyo tonight?" inquired Round Face, turning to him. "There won't be any trains at this hour."

"I'll drive." he said without looking at her, his eyes suddenly zeroing on the door behind her, all the way to the front of the room.

As his attention drifted away from the group of old classmates, he faintly heard Kirishima say "Bakubro wants to go back just in case his nemesis didn't get a night off. He's so obsessed I swear..."

"Nemesis?" asked Round Face. "What nemesis?"

But Katsuki tuned her out as he saw the Half-n-Half bastard entering the ball room, dressed in a casual grey suit. He too had his hair pulled backward in what looked like a half ponytail, which left his scar in the open. Next to him was his father, who wore a traditional black suit. Katsuki hadn't seen him since before their graduation a year and a half ago, and it was somewhat weird seeing him out of his costume and without the flames dancing around him. It seemed...off.

Why would the host of the Hero Gala not be wearing some kind of hero costume? It usually was the perfect occasion to show off, even present a new costume. But Endeavor looked different, almost subdued, like he was trying to make himself smaller. Truth be told, he didn't really look like Endeavor, he looked like... well Todoroki Eji.

He's trying to not draw attention to himself.

Again, why? He was the fucking host of the gala, so why try to not draw attention? Was he trying to get his son in the spotlight instead? But even that bastard wasn't wearing anything flashy. None of them was trying to stand out, which was just fucking weird. He was clearly missing something and he hated it.

When Todoroki went up the stage, a few people detached themselves from various chatting groups and walked to the stage to stand a few steps behind him. Katsuki's eyes narrowed as his calculating gaze followed them. So these were his sidekicks, his most trusted comrades. He'd met a few of them during his patrols and combats but not all of them. His eyes went from face to face, trying to see if he could recognize...him. The jerk he had been wanting to crush since he'd met him. Was he one of the four people standing behind the bi-colored bastard? If so, had he recognized Katsuki as well? Could he feel the blonde's almost scorching attention on him? He suddenly realized how loudly his heart was pounding in his chest and tried to calm down. It wasn't like him to get this worked up over things, let alone people, but something about that bastard was different, he could feel it in his bones. The way he had behaved with him, how he'd read his movements and had- he hated to admit it- played him, was stuck in his head. He kept playing their encounter in an endless loop, trying to understand why he felt so unnerved. As much as he hated it, he wanted to know who that guy was, wanted to know who was able to go against him and come out unscathed like that. Who could play with him like that and not get blown to bits? Who?

Focus. he told himself, looking at the four faces again. The one in the far left side was a tall woman with long blonde hair that was let loose and cascaded down her shoulders. She had a sharp gaze made of deep purple eyes that cut through the crowd. She wore a long white dress that fitted her slim silhouette perfectly.

Too thin.

Next to her was that Demba guy, who was smiling dumbly at Todoroki's back.

Too damn big.

The woman next to him looked like a dwarf compared to him. She had short black hair and blue eyes and she looked like she'd rather be anywhere but on stage. She was playing with the hem of her dark skirt and her eyes were looking around nervously. 

Too small.

Katsuki was sure his opponent was a dude. His body shape and the feel of him when he'd grabbed Katsuki made that clear to the blonde. Speaking of which, the man standing next to Dora the Explorer seemed to be the right size. He was shorter than Katsuki and a bit broader. His white hair was long enough for him to pull  into a very short ponytail and his dark eyes seemed to stop on everyone's face in the crowd. Was this him then? Was he the guy? Katsuki wanted to lock eyes with him, see if something clicked. 

But before he could think of a way to get the other's attention, he heard Endeavor's voice.

"Good evening everyone." the imposing voice said. "Welcome to this year's Hero Gala. Me and the people at my agency are honored to host this event and to have you as guests."

Huh, the old man has gotten better at PR it seems. Katsuki thought while his eyes drifted back to the front of the stage, where the two Todorokis stood.

"Before we start the festivities, my son, Pro-Hero Shouto, would like to make an announcement on behalf of the Endeavor agency."

Katsuki's heart started pounding again, and he could feel his palms getting sweaty in an instant. What was that? He felt someone stand next to him and the fruity scent told him it was Kirishima.

Endeavor stepped aside to let his son come forward.

"Good evening everyone, I am Pro-Hero Shouto, working at Tokyo's Endeavor Agency. I have an announcement to make tonight."

The bi-colored bastard held his hand out and immediately, the blonde chick sprung into action and set a white folder in his palm. Where the hell had she been hiding this?

"Thank you Enilla. For the past few months, the agency has been trying to work in a very sensitive area in Tokyo: Shinjuku."

Katsuki's heart seemed to drop in his stomach at the words. No way.

No fucking way.

"Bakugou..." he heard Kirishima whisper, but the blonde didn't acknowledge the other.

"A new group of very dangerous and organized villains has taken roots in this zone and needs to be dealt with as soon as possible and in the most efficient way."

From the white folder, Todoroki took a blue sheet of paper. Katsuki recognized the color and logo he could spot at the top of the document. It was from the Commission. Fucking shit.

"I have the honor of announcing that we received an agreement from the Commission a few days ago officially recognizing Shinjuku as part of Endeavor's agency's influence zone."

So that was why he hadn't gotten an answer from them, they'd made their choice and the bastard had probably asked them to wait until he could announce it during the gala. Katsuki could hear his teeth grinding together with frustration.

That fucking. Sneaky. Bastard.

Katsuki turned his back on the stage and started heading toward the exit. Fuck this shit, fuck this gala, he was out.

"Bakugou, where are you going?" he heard someone whisper but he didn't answer.

He was going home, no way in hell was he going to spend all night listening to that bastard gloat about that win. Also, he wanted to call the Commission and ask for an appointment. He needed to know exactly why they had chose the other over him. Why? What had he done wrong?

He was so mad and lost in his thoughts that he barely caught Todoroki's next words as he had reached one of the doors that led to the main hall.

"Now, because this is a dense and busy zone, we need to allocate resources to that area. As such, we are pleased to welcome a new hero within the agency, who's already been working in the area for a few months now."

Katsuki froze and slowly turned to face the stage again. At some time during his raging moment, a new silhouette had appeared behind Todoroki. That person was draped in a familiar cloud of darkness, probably so no one could see their face, but Katsuki could see that unlike everyone else on stage, that person was wearing a hero costume. A green and black hero costume, much like the one he'd seen on many occasions zigzagging between buildings in the night. His heart started pounding loudly again.

It was him.

"Please welcome our new addition to Endeavor's Agency, the new hero in charge of Shinjuku and one of my old friend freshly back from America after a year away..."

A loud buzzing started ringing in Katsuki's ears, so strong that Todoroki's next words were drowned in the sound of his blood rushing in his ears. His hands were slowly dripping sweat on the carpet as he stood there, watching the dark cloud surrounding the silhouette disappear, like it'd been called back. 

There, in the dim light but clearly visible, stood the last person he'd expected to see tonight. The last person he wanted to see. A mop of green hair, so familiar but shorter, not covering the shining green eyes anymore. The same shy smile but less self deprecating, and freckles barely visible, lost in pink splashes on fair skin.

The ringing in his ears was so loud he didn't hear himself shout.

"Oh hell no!"

Chapter Text

A few years ago, Izuku would have violently flinched at the sound of his former childhood friend yelling at him like that. He would have jumped back and cowered, would have started spouting nonsense just to appease the blond. He would have rolled over and showed his belly to the violent and dangerous looking man, putting himself in a lower position so the other would deem him not worthy of his time and leave him alone. This had been Izuku's defense mechanism since he had been 4 years old, and Katsuki had decided he wasn't worth being his friend anymore. Don't anger him, don't stand out too much, don't talk back.

But that was before.

Before he went to America and spent a whole year with Captain Celebrity's sidekicks, who were determined to beat the awkwardness out of him. Every day for the past year, his team and Mirio had done everything in their power to make sure their newest recruit would become more confident. It had started as a joke when he'd let it slip during patrol that he had never dated anyone.

Nobody? had asked Peter, the Spanish sidekick with long dark hair and lava quirk. With that face and that body? I think not! We have to repair this injustice!

And so, to his horror, they had launched Operation getting Deku laid! And it had slowly turned into them trying to boost his ego and get rid of his bad habit of putting himself down constantly.

And the thing is, Izuku hadn't always been this ball of nerve and self-deprecation, he had been a quite confident and outgoing kid before he learned he was quirkless and it all went down. Before Kacchan, who had been his best friend so far, had decided he was worthless and that everyone should remind him of that every single day of his life. From then on, he had stopped being Izuku and started being Deku, the useless boy with no quirk, no personality, no nothing. But once he'd been removed from his town, his home, his past, once he'd been introduced to these new people who knew nothing about him, who only saw an amazingly strong young man, he'd started to get in touch with Izuku again. With each mission, each win, each praise, he'd become less of that scared little boy and more of the kind of man Izuku had always wanted to be.

And boy did it feel good.

As he watched Katsuki Bakugou stomp towards him, eyes filled with fury, Izuku could hear Peter's voice loud and clear in his head. He'd just single handedly caught his first big villain, without the help of his seniors, and he'd tried to slip away when the local reporters had shown up. Peter had grabbed him by the hood and made him stand in front of the team to give his first interview. He'd been terrible at it, but after that, Peter had patted him on the shoulder and smiled.

Deku, you have an amazingly strong quirk, the kind that would make any guy think they're freaking gods. But your personality doesn't match your power level at all! Be more confident! You're the man Deku! 

From the corner of his eyes, he saw Shouto start walking towards him, clearly intending on putting himself between the furious-looking blond and him. But Izuku threw him a warning look before shaking his head ever so slightly. Again, Peter's words echoed inside him, and he stilled himself, planting his feet firmly on the ground. He lifted his chin, just enough that he would appear confident but not so much that he would look arrogant. He could handle this kind of situation now. He'd had a year to prepare, to toughen up.

"Hi." he said when Katsuki stopped in front of him.

The blond also had his chin up, in that arrogant tilt Izuku knew too well. The light was making his hair almost glow and his fiery eyes glint. He had his hands in his pockets and, because he was a bit taller than Izuku, he was slightly looking down on him. Izuku kept his posture neutral while his whole being was screaming at him to lower his gaze, to fidget with his hands, anything that would get him out of this silent stand-off.

You're the man, Deku.

"So, you're the guy." Katsuki said in a low growl.

It had been a year since he'd heard that voice and something inside of Izuku seemed to jerk, like his entire being was being snapped out of its axis. In a split moment, he felt a rush of emotions inside of him that made his blood boil, his insides churn, and his face grow hot. His mouth felt very dry and, when his eyes met Katsuki's fiery gaze, his mind went blank for a second. He used the nail of his right thumb to dig inside of his palm until it hurt enough to snap him out of his transe. He couldn't falter, not now, and certainly not in front of this person.

"I'm the guy." he replied in a voice that came out way calmer than he felt.

He saw the other blink, probably taken aback by his reply. But quick as ever, Katsuki seemed to shake it off and he squinted his eyes in a menacing scowl.

"Why the fuck did you hide?"

The bluntness with which he had blurted this made it sound like he had been wanting to ask this for a long time. How long had he steamed over this secret new guy who had been fighting crime in what he fiercely believed was his territory? Giving the numerous times he had chased Izuku in the night, trying to catch him while he was patrolling, he knew the blond had been cursing him for months. He wondered what the blond thought of the situation now, was he even angrier at the thought it had been him all that time?

"I..."

He looked at the blond and found himself short of words. 

A few weeks ago. Endeavor Agency Tokyo, 5am.

Izuku burst inside of the room from the open window and fell to the floor panting heavily. He removed his hood to try and get some air and slid a hand across his face to remove the hot sweat that was getting in his eyes. The room was cast in darkness and silence, so much so that anyone would have thought the office was empty.

"Rough night?" a voice asked to his right.

Before he could answer, a bottle of water appeared in front of him. He took it and gulped it down in a few seconds, savouring the fresh water cascading down his throat.

"Tha...Thank you Shouto."

He lifted his head in time to see his friend go back to his desk to sit on the corner of it, his arms folded.

"Did he give you a hard time?"

"As per usual." he breathed out before getting back to his feet.

He was out of breath after another night of balancing fighting crime and getting chased by an angry Katsuki Bakugou. The blond had run after him for an hour straight, which had led to a revised version of hide and seek, pro-hero style, where both men had kept on catching villains while on the run. Katsuki had made it a habit of keeping track of how many each of them would capture and boast at him loudly when he was ahead of Izuku. Tonight, the green-haired young man was two villains ahead when he'd made it to Setagawa city, where Katsuki had automatically stopped chasing him, as if blocked by an invisible barrier. Before Izuku had turned the corner of the bank that would get him out of sight, he had heard the blond yell behind him.

"Don't think you're so good 'cause you won tonight! I'll fucking get you next time you fucking loser!"

Izuku had suppressed a laugh before jumping high enough that he could let himself fall straight down toward Shouto's window, which was always open when he was on patrol.

"I did get visual on our target before we crossed path." he said when he felt he could get a full sentence out.

"Did he follow the usual route?"

"Yes. Just like Enilla said."

Izuku walked to the nearest sofa to sit on it and took the dark towel neatly folded on the small table to press it to his face in order to dry it.

"I think...I think he might come in the next few days, maybe even tomorrow."

"What makes you think that?" asked Shouto from his desk.

"It's the second night I catch more villains than him, he must feel pretty annoyed and frustrated. He will want to know who I am and what's going on."

There was a short silence before Shouto's voice answered.

"And when he comes, who should great him?"

Izuku, who had removed his gloves, started biting his nails, softly mumbling to himself. It was a habit he hadn't been able to remove or suppress, even with the help of his American colleagues. As weird as he looked doing this, it greatly helped with his thought process.

"If I show myself now, he will do everything he can to fight me over Shinjuku, ever more so than now. We want him to focus on the big picture and not get side-tracked, so that means we have to wait until we secure the area before I reveal myself. By then it'll be too late to compete for Shinjuku and we can bring his attention back to the main issue. This doesn't mean he'll want to help, maybe he'll even tell us to go to hell after he figures out we played him, but it's our best shot. He can both hate me and work with me, we've done it before, we can do it again...right?"

He lifted his head and turned to his friend, who was looking at him with serious eyes, hands folded in front of his face. In the darkness, his gaze was piercing and fierce, but Izuku could see a hint of apprehension in there too.

"You know him better than I do, if you say it's best we keep you hidden for now, then we will."

And so, Izuku couldn't tell the blond that this had all been a plan to keep him focused on a very specific subject. Katsuki wouldn't bear the fact that:

1. Izuku had (successfully) manipulated him.
2. He had done so with Shouto.

Just for that, he knew the blond would refuse any contact with them or team effort. So Izuku would never tell him. But what could he say then?

"I...I didn't want to..." he said, feeling his self-confidence falter. 

He felt his heartbeat intensify as he saw the blond take one step closer. How could two minutes talking to Katsuki make him forget one year of training?

"Pro-Hero Deku!"

Izuku tore his eyes from the blond and turned around to see a woman walking towards them. She was wearing a brown suit and had a notebook in her hand.

"I'm Kimiko Yoshida for the local NHK news, can I have a word?"

His heart calmed down at her words, an interview, this he could do. He'd been very bad at it in school, but Izuku conjured memories of his PR training with his team in America.

"Whatever you do, always smile. You want to appear nice and confident."

"But not too wide! Or you'll look fake, or arrogant, like that Valliant guy from downtown, know him?"

"Oh my God, that guy hit on me while I was trying to secure a villain, he's the worst. Ew, yeah Deku, don't be like Valliant! Nice and confident."

"Nice and confident!" they all chanted.

He sent her a polite smile and opened his mouth to reply, but Katsuki beat him to it.

"Oi, can't you see he's busy?" he snapped, taking a few steps forward, which put him back in his peripheral view.

"Oh, do you know each other personally? Are you friends?" she asked Izuku.

He threw a quick glance towards Katsuki. What was he going to answer to that? What were they now, after everything? Rivals? Former childhood friends who became enemies, then somewhat friends, then nothing at all? He chuckled nervously and scratched his cheek. He was not ready to answer that now. Maybe not ever.

"I would rather not talk about my personal relationships." he said in a shy but firm voice.

"Oh, that's fine." she said, smiling at him again. "What can you tell us about your new position?"

"I am thrilled to be working with my friend Shouto." he answered quickly. This was a much easier subject to discuss. "I will do my best to be worthy of his trust."

Next to him he could see Katsuki's hands jerk in what he knew was an impulsive display of anger. He didn't have time to dwell on this as the reporter continued.

"You realize Shinjuku is one of the most dangerous areas in Tokyo?" she said. "Are you ready to take this on?"

"I've been working there for a few weeks now; trust me I know. But rest assured, I'm here to help. And I trust our pro-hero neighbours will do whatever they can to assist and work together so we can make Tokyo a peaceful place." he said, throwing a quick look at Katsuki, whose face ticked in barely suppressed anger.

"Oi, you little..."

Before the blond could continue, Izuku saw Shouto waving at him from afar and he sent the reporter an apologetic smile.

"I have to go, sorry, a very good evening to you. Don't hesitate to contact our office with follow-up questions."

He took a small card out of his pocket and handed it to her before turning towards the blond.

"Sorry, I have to go. I hope to see you on the field, Bakugou." he said with a softer smile.

He turned away from him before the other could react, glad for this excuse to flee. He knew the other would be furious, but tonight was not about him, he had a very precise goal in mind, one he hated doing but which was the whole point of tonight.

Let's get ourselves some sponsors!

He put on a brave smile, straightened his back, and walked towards his friend and now official colleague.

Katsuki was frozen in place, his eyes glued to the retreating back of the green-haired man who was walking back toward the center of the room. His mouth was slightly open and dry, and his arms were dangling on each side of his body.

What...

"What did he just call you?" he heard Kirishima whisper behind him.

"None of your fucking business." he said on pure instinct, not even aware of the words leaving his mouth.

A warm hand dropped on his shoulder, and he immediately shook it off. He couldn't bear to be touched right now, couldn't bear to be talked to, to even be looked at. The only reason why Kirishima was still in one piece was because Katsuki had gotten better at controlling his anger. And maybe because it was him. He heard the other sigh and retreat back, years of friendship telling him now was not a good time to engage. Katsuki felt like a loose livewire, energy crackling in every nerve in his body. He felt too exposed as well. 

His eyes focused back on Deku. He could see him clearly now that the haze of his fury was gone: he had grown during his time away, but the most impressive thing about him was how stocked he'd became. His shoulders were wide and muscular, thick and round biceps cladded in that black and dark green costume. He stopped in front of the Half-and-Half and threw him a wide smile, far from that fake polite thing he'd given that annoying journalist. For some reason, he felt his anger build up again at the sight. So, it had been him. Fucking Deku, driving him crazy with how sneaky he'd been on those numerous nights he'd been chasing him, untouchable, unreachable. Katsuki had tried to catch him for weeks with no result, and knowing now that it had been Deku all along, that the man had seen him, had known it was Katsuki, had used his knowledge of him to escape him again and again...

He was boiling with rage and frustration. How good was he now? How much stronger had he become? After a year abroad working for Captain fucking Celebrity alongside fucking Lemillion, how much had he changed? Some part of him, the one that had died of boredom a year ago only to come back raging when that new mysterious guy- Deku- had appeared, was screaming at him to go back and demand that the two of them fight, just so he could let go some of the steam that had built up during those nights. He wanted to know where the two of them stood now, would he beat him like he'd done on Ground Beta? Or would the other man prove to be a more difficult opponent? How much of One for All could he master now? Had he unlocked other skills? He wanted to know everything about...

He froze, utterly horrified. What was he saying? He didn't want to know jack shit about that guy, not fucking Deku! Why was he all over the place like that, just because Deku had reappeared out of the blue? He gritted his teeth in self-loathing.

His eyes drifted back to the green-haired man, who was now talking excitedly with a middle-aged man wearing a blue tuxedo. To his right, almost flushed against him, the Half-and-half bastard was looking at him with soft eyes filled with approval and pride.

Again, and without warning, he got a flash of that balcony scene that had happened a year ago. Of Deku's soft voice and the way his hair had been blown by the spring breeze, pink cherry blossoms stuck in the unruly curls.

Th-the truth is I...I've always...

"Bakugo." Kirishima said behind him. His voice sounded hesitant and scared. "You have to go or you're gonna be late."

Katsuki closed his eyes to try and regain some composure, to sort his thoughts and calm himself. He was different now, he knew how to control his anger and not let it control him. He was better, smarter.

Right?

"Yeah." he said in a low voice. "I'll let you two handle the rest."

He turned around and, without a glance toward his friend, put back his hands in his pockets and walked toward the exit, head bowed. He'd been eager to go back so he could spend another night roaming the colorful streets of Shinjuku with Mysterious Guy, but instead he was leaving him behind to go back to his own district, to his own boredom, to his torturous thoughts.

He hadn't felt this crappy in a long time.

Chapter Text

Shinjuku, 6 am.

"Hello Deku!"

"Good morning, Deku!"

Izuku waved at the young woman who had bowed to him and yelled a quick Hello! at the young boy in high school uniform before turning right at the local post office. It had been almost a whole month since he'd started working officially for Endeavor's agency, three since he'd come back from the US, and people were starting to get familiar with him. He had slowly become part of the neighborhood, with people recognizing and greeting him. It even seemed like a few stores had already started selling some Deku-related merchandise, nothing too advanced yet, but he had spotted some Deku t-shirts here and there, which had made him smile.

His routine was officially set now: he'd take his shift at 9 pm and would stroll the streets of Shinjuku until someone came to relieve him at 6 am. The other sidekicks preferred to work during the day, so they could manage both work and a family life, which didn't allow for night activities. Only Aki, the sidekick with white hair and a piercing gaze, liked to work in the evening. He also was the only one who liked to work in Shinjuku, so Izuku often talked to him. Aki seemed a bit cold and barely talked to anyone, but he was not antipatic, and people knew they could rely on him. He'd helped Izuku several times already, and the green-haired man was very grateful for that. Heroes in the US were more competitive, and a lot of them were not so keen on helping new heroes, which they saw as competition. But here, heroes seemed to mostly work hand in hand, keeping each other informed of what was happening. Izuku often spoke to Kaminari and Kirishima, but also to Tetsu-Tetsu, who worked in the northern area, Minato city. He kept in touch with all of his former school mates working on the vicinity. There was only one person who still refused to talk to them.

He looked up and was pulled out of his thoughts by the sight of a silhouette standing in front of a bakery, hands in his pockets, looking intensely at something inside. Izuku walked faster to catch up to him, smiling brightly.

"Shouto!"

His friend startled slightly and he turned his gaze towards him. His eyes seemed to soften as Izuku stopped in front of him, and, without saying a word, he closed the distance between them to hug him. His arms were a bit too stiff and Izuku felt like he was being held by a block of rocks, but since that first day when he had hugged his friend without thinking, Shouto had taken it upon himself to be warmer to his friend and return the favor. Izuku had told him that he didn't have to do it, that it was just an old habit he'd picked up from his American team, but the bi-coloured eyed man had decided to stick to it for some reason.

"What do you want to eat?" asked Shouto when he released him.

"I don't know." said Izuku, looking around. "It's getting a bit colder now, how about..."

He stopped talking as his eyes dropped to the bakery's front window and the cakes neatly laid inside. His eyes went wide.

"What...what is this?" he said, pointing at the strawberry cakes shaped like his friend's head.

"They're shortcakes."

"It's written Shouto-cakes." Izuku said, voice filled with excitement. 

He saw his friend look away in barely visible embarrassment. He knew Shouto didn't like too much attention, however, being the top hero in the area, it was normal to see stores and restaurants use his image to sell.

"It's brilliant! Shortcake -Shouto cake- that's a genius idea!" he almost squealed in delight.

He started laughing and clamped a hand on his friend's shoulder. On the other side of the street, he briefly caught sight of a woman looking at him, but he couldn't stop smiling.

"Nevermind the cakes." Shouto said with what Izuku knew was a micro-smile. "You were saying? Your shift is over and I still have an hour before mine starts, we can go anywhere you want."

"Super! I'm dying for some coffee."

"That thing you drink is not coffee." Shouto snapped. 

"It is!"

"There is more milk and syrup than coffee."

"That's why it's called a latte!"

Shouto looked over his shoulder and Izuku clearly identified the judgmental glint in his eye.

"You picked up bad habits from America."

Izuku laughed loudly and pointed to the bakery.

"You know what? Just for that comment I'm gonna take two of those cakes and we're gonna eat them with some delicious latte. Oh! There is a good coffee shop near my place actually, Togata-senpai and I went there when we came to visit my apartment."

"Near your place?" asked Shouto.

"Yes, it's not far from here, ten minutes on foot should do, two if we use our quirk."

"So it's in Setagawa city." the other just said, voice neutral.

Izuku looked up at him. He didn't need to ask why his friend was suddenly feeling uneasy.

"You know you're allowed to go there, right? He...he doesn't actually own the place."

"I know. But I don't want to create any tension between us, not when we need him."

"Well, he doesn't have eyes everywhere, he probably won't even know we went there. Come on."

Izuku walked to the bakery store and opened the door.

"Let's get us some Shouto-cakes!"

Two weeks later. Shibuya, 8:30 pm.

Izuku was running to cross the busy street in front of the Shibuya train station, holding a big shopping bag in one hand. He'd gotten lost in the subway on his way from home and was now running late. He got his phone out to check the address that Kaminari had sent him via text. Both of them had exchanged numbers at the Hero Gala after party and they had been texting sporadically since, which was very helpful considering they had to work together and exchange information sometimes. Izuku would tell him if a villain was crossing over to their area and Kaminari would return the favor.

Two weeks ago, the blond had invited him to Kirishima's 20th birthday, which they would celebrate at the Shibuya Coffee Bowling. Izuku had thought it was a great idea: Shibuya was close enough that he could join and none of them was working in the area, so there wouldn't be any tension. It was like a neutral zone.

And so, he'd switched shifts with Aki for the night and had gotten off at 7 so he'd have time to go home and change. The ride to the bowling coffee was supposed to last 20 minutes, but the Tokyoite subway had proven to be a maze of lines, and Izuku had changed trains three times before being on the right one.

He walked past the famous Shibuya Sky tower and took a few seconds to look up. He hadn't had a chance to go out and wander around the capital, but looking at the beautiful panorama offered by the coffee place at the top of that tower was definitely on his list. He sped up to make it across the street before the light turned green and, after one last sprint, finally entered the bowling coffee. A man wearing a white uniform came to greet him.

"Good evening, how may I help you?"

"I...I am meeting my friends, I believe they must already be here." he said, looking around to see if he could spot any of them.

"Oh, are you there for the birthday party? This way please."

Izuku followed the waiter at the far end of the spacious room, past the bowling alleys, until they reached a secondary room, where finally, he saw his friends sitting.

"Midoriya!"

He looked to his right to see Kirishima run towards him and give him a big clap on the shoulder.

"I'm glad you could make it man, Todoroki told us you're pretty busy these days!"

"Of course, I couldn't miss it. Sorry for being late." he handed the bag to the red-haired man. "Happy Birthday!"

"Oh, man! You shouldn't have!" 

Kirishima took the bag and went to place it on the table behind him, where a dozen other presents were forming a small mountain. He then came back to lead him to the nearest table, where Shouto was deep in discussion with Shoji. The bicolor-haired man got up and Izuku couldn't stop a smile from forming on his lips in anticipation. And sure enough, when he got close enough, Shouto gave him another stiff hug, which Izuku returned warmly. He was glad to see his friend trying to open up, to break through his own walls, and was honored to be the first person to experiment this, to see it unfold right in front of his eyes. Someday, once Shouto managed to heal from his history, he would become an even more amazing person. Once they broke apart, Izuku's gaze locked with a pair of fiery red eyes behind Shouto, and he felt his smile freeze. In fact, his whole body froze and he swore he could feel his heart start beating faster, louder. He looked away quickly and, before he could say anything to his friend, he heard a familiar voice calling him. He turned to see his two best friends, Ochaco and Tenya, sitting a bit further in.

"Surpriiise!" said Ochaco, her cheeks already tainted pink.

"I didn't know you'd be here!" Izuku chuckled, sitting down next to her.

She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and put a big mug of beer in front of him.

"Here, drink. Tenya and I came together from Musutafu. We took the train this morning and did a bit of sightseeing in Tokyo."

"That's great! You think you could stay for the weekend? You could stay at my place!"

"Oh yes!" said Ochaco. "Let's do that, Tenya!"

Tenya clapped Izuku on the shoulder and nodded. He was the only one holding a soft drink and looked disapprovingly at Kaminari and Mineta, who were on the other side of the room, looking already very drunk.

"I would be honored to stay at your place, Midorya-kun."

Izuku smiled fondly. Tenya had never gotten around to call him or Ochaco by their first name, but it was okay.

"So, tell us all about your new job!" Occhaco said, leaning into him.

Izuku had already told them all about it on the phone during their regular video meetings, but he told them about this weird villain he'd fought today, who could remove every bone in your body with a simple touch. Ochaco snorted in her beer and started coughing, her nose full of foam.

Izuku laughed and grabbed a napkin to help her clean up. In doing so, he quickly saw the blond's piercing gaze on him but tried to ignore it. They hadn't crossed path or talked since that evening at the Hero Gala. To be honest, he'd expected him to come barging at Shouto's agency once more, like he'd done last time, just to get in his face. But the fiery young man had not shown up once and Izuku had been left quite...puzzled. This was a bit unlike the blond, and, if he was being honest, he had actually wanted him to show up. Without Katsuki to compete with and spice up his nights, the work had become a bit less...exciting.

He took his beer and drank half of it in one go, just to calm his nerve. He went back to his discussion with Ochaco, who was telling them stories about the heroes at Musutafu. Izuku finished his beer and Ochaco ordered another one for him, batting his hands away when he tried to protest.

"It's okay! You have until tomorrow evening to sober up!" she smiled at him, and he smiled back, accepting the drink.

After a few hours of talking and drinking, he was feeling a bit fuzzy. He looked around at his friends and smiled, thinking about their time in UA, of their diners and parties held in the common space. Then, as he was looking around the room, his eyes caught the blond's red orbs before the other tore his gaze away, turning to talk to Kirishima who was smiling widely at him. The red-haired had always been the only one to be able to talk and smile so openly with Katsuki without getting blasted away or physically harmed in any way. If Izuku was honest with himself, he'd always been a bit jealous of their relation, wondering how Kirishima had been able to pierce the other's thick shell when he, his childhood friend, had never been able to. Maybe it was because Kirishima was special in a way Izuku had never managed to be to the blond.

He felt his guts clench suddenly and he got up, putting his half drank beer on the table. He needed to get some fresh air to clear his mind. Maybe he'd drank a bit too much after all.

"Hey, where are you going?" asked Shouto, putting a light hand on his forearm when he walked past him.

"Just to get some air, I think I drank a bit too much." he said with a faint smile.

Shouto nodded at him and went back to his discussion with Tenya over a new turbo dynamics support item they both wanted to purchase. Izuku was also interested in the item but didn't feel like joining the discussion. He smiled at Shoji who swiped his tail away to let him through and walked toward the front entrance. He took a deep breath when the cold air hit him and closed his eyes. He just needed to get his thoughts straight before going back in. 

"So you're fucking off already?" he heard behind him and he opened his eyes to see Katsuki Bakugou standing near the entrance.

He looked like he'd been watching him for a bit, arms folded and one shoulder leaning on the nearby wall.

"Actually I was..."

"I'm sure you got a lot of work to go back to." Katsuki said, voice full of resentment.

Izuku took a few seconds to look at him and put his hands in his pockets in a defensive posture.

"I'm not on call if you could not tell by all the amount of alcohol I drank."

Katsuki snorted. It didn't sound like Ochaco's amused snort.

"Like I was looking at you."

He knew that wasn't true. But he didn't want to engage in a banter with the blond. His stomach was still rolling uncomfortably.

"Okay." he said, shrugging.

Katsuki grimaced, clearly displeased with that answer.

"That's all you gotta say? Man, America made you soft, you lost all your heat."

"I keep my heat for arguments that matter." he said without thinking.

The alcohol was weakening his brain-to-mouth filter, which was dangerous considering who he was talking to. He pursed his lips and mentally chastised himself. He knew the blond was picking a fight because he was frustrated, but Izuku needed him, so maybe fighting him wasn't the best opt...

"Oh so talking to me don't matter right?" the blond answered, walking towards him menacingly. "You think you're some big shot now? Because you went to the fucking US and now everyone is sucking your dick?"

He knew the other was defensive, probably hurt and taking his comment the wrong way, as per usual. His friends had been asking him loads of questions about his time in the US, clearly impressed that he spent a year over there, working for Captain Celebrity. Izuku swallowed, feeling anxiety creeping up his back and he held back a shiver. He knew better now, he wouldn't fall back into this routine, into their dynamics, not when it broke him almost completely. 

"I'm saying I don't want to waste my time on pointless arguments." he said, eyes locked on the blond's, who seemed taken aback.

"Oh you want to get serious? Okay let's get serious: what the fuck were you and your boyfriend doing eating on my territory? You trying to provoke me?"

Katsuki took a step closer, his eyes lit with fury. Izuku did his best not to step back at the sight. So, he had heard about this, but this had happened several weeks before, why had the blond chosen not to say anything until now?

"Are we not allowed to?" Izuku said, shrugging again. "We weren't doing any hero work there."

"You can have your stupid date anywhere else, not in my area!" seethed the blond.

"Well I live in your area! Should I stop going to my own apartment as well?!" Izuku shot back, annoyed.

He closed his mouth as soon as the words came out. His filter really was slowly shutting down.

In front of him, he saw Katsuki's eyes go wide.

"You...you live there? Whe...Why?"

"I..."

Suddenly, Izuku could feel his breathing starting to get quicker with each breath and a faint tingling in his fingers. His heart started beating faster with absolute fear.

No.

Not now.

Not here.

Not in front of him.

He needed to get the hell out of there before he embarrassed himself.

"Oï, Deku!" he heard, and his eyes snapped back up to meet Katsuki's.

He must have zoned out, which also was a bad sign. He needed to get out of there as soon as possible.

"I don't have time for this." he said, pulling himself together and turning to walk towards the road.

He knew he wouldn't make it to his apartment in time, but he needed to put as much distance as possible between them.

"Hey, don't you walk away from me!" Katsuki yelled and he felt him grab his forearm.

Izuku felt a jolt of panic in his whole body and he jerked back with so much force that the other stumbled forward a few steps.

"Don't. Touch. Me." Izuku said with a darkness in his voice that made the other look at him with wide eyes again. "I get it, you don't want to help us, you don't want to talk to me, see me, anything that has to do with me. Trust me, I get it, loud and clear. But you don't get to bully me anymore, Bakugou. I won't let you."

He turned on his heels and started walking ahead, the tingling creeping up his right arm. He clamped his left hand around it to make it stop. He needed a place to hide and he needed it now. Anywhere out of view where he could wait for it to pass. However, after a few meters, he stopped, turned around, and walked back to where the other was still looking at him, visibly baffled.

"No you know what, I'm not done. You're many things, Bakugou but you're not a bad hero, so I would assume you'd want what is best for this territory you keep fighting tooth and nails for. There is something serious and wrong happening in Tokyo, and the only way to prevent that is to team up against it. I know you don't like me, but it's not about you or about your feelings, it's about the town. So if you decide you want to be part of this, you know where to find me."

This time, he turned and practically ran towards where he knew the train station was, not sparing a glance toward the Shibuya Sky tower this time. He hoped the other hadn't decided to follow him, because by the time he made it to the station, his breath was becoming short and sharp. He ran for the nearest bathroom, entered the first stall and sat on the closed toilets. His face was wet with cold sweat and his vision was getting blurry on the edges. He listened in through the buzzing in his ears and, when he was sure nobody was there, closed his eyes and let himself be swept away by the feeling of pure panic and anguish. He could hear his ragged breathing and small hiccups and knew he couldn't fight it now. As he bent over to try to get more blood to his head, memories started flashing behind his closed eyelids, like fireworks.

Useless Deku.

You're a waste of space.

Quirkless Deku thinks he can talk back to me!

Die.

Die!

DIE!

After almost a year clear of them, it was now the second panic attack he'd had since he was back. The first one had been right after the Hero Gala, when he'd been alone in his apartment and the adrenaline had worn out. Despite his best efforts to get free of his past and anguish, his confrontation with Katsuki, added to the stress of the Gala itself, had given him a panic attack so strong that it had left him on the floor until morning, still wearing his suit. He'd shaken it off the following day, thinking it was a result of the stress of the past month, that he would get used to it now and that it wouldn't happen again. 

But now, after another encounter with the blond, he was reduced to a trembling little man. He felt like his body was made of sand, like he was crumbling, dissolving, disappearing.

Dying.

Izuku crossed his arms over his chest and gripped each of his shoulders, trying to ground himself. He started to count in his head.

Inhale, one, two three, exhale. Repeat.

He tried to open his eyes, but the stall he was in started spinning, round and round and round, so he closed them again to tried and focus.

"You're okay." he whispered to himself. "You're okay, you're not useless, you're not dying, you're okay."

He kept talking to himself until he started feeling less dizzy and he didn't feel like he was going to keel over. When his breathing finally felt less ragged, he got up and tested his balance, before getting out of the stall with a small limp, his legs tingling uncomfortably. He went to the sink and washed his face with cold water. He was starting to feel a bit better, more composed, and like he could think again. He looked at himself in the mirror, his face was very pale, which made the dark circles under his eyes bulge out. His eyes were red and he realized he was still crying silently. He wiped his face with his sleeve and took a deep breath before turning away to face the door. His eyes landed on the art that was painted on the wood, a big cherry tree, with pink petals floating out of the frame of the door and on the white walls of the bathroom.

Before he could react, one last memory flashed in his brain, bright as day.

He was standing under a cherry tree, holding his U.A diploma in one hand, a glass of half-drunk champagne in the other. He was looking at Katsuki, heart fluttering with anxiety but feeling happy, ready. And then, before he could open his mouth, the blond had looked down at him with hard, piercing eyes. He'd opened his mouth and what he'd said to Izuku had made the young man drop his glass, which had exploded at his feet.

Izuku turned around, bent down and threw up in the sink.

-------------

Katsuki was doing push-ups in his office, eyes locked on the sky outside. He usually did that on his balcony, but it was getting too cold for him, even if it was only November. He really hated the cold weather, he had to come earlier to work in order to do some warm-up so he could get sweaty enough that he could activate his quirk. The only good side of this was that the night was starting to fall sooner and lasted longer, which meant he had more opportunities to roam the streets looking for villains to fight.

"Hey by the way, I got a call from the advertising company." he heard behind him. "Our new billboard will be displayed in Shibuya on the second week of December, like we asked!"

Katsuki grunted in answer. After the fiasco at the Hero Gala, he'd been livid and raging for weeks. Even his two friends were finding it difficult to navigate around him because of the powerful Fuck off aura surrounding him. Losing Shinjuku had been both a professional and personal blow, he'd started to make a name for himself over there, and now he'd lost everything. This billboard was a PR move by Kirishima, but he was onboard, using this as a reminder that he was still here, that he was gonna make it and take over Tokyo someday, no matter the cost. He'd become the number 1 hero of the area, of the city, then the whole fucking country. He was far from being done.

Besides, Christmas time was a very busy time for heroes, a lot of criminal activity happened during holidays. People feeling alone and abandoned, people getting drunk, or people wanting to rob houses that they knew were filled with expensive presents. Katsuki knew he'd be working during both Christmas and New Year's Eve. His parents had tried to get him to come home for the holidays, but he had refused. He needed this right now.

When he was satisfied with his workout session, he pulled his mask down and opened the bay window to the balcony. He took a deep breath of cool air as he walked to the far end where he'd installed a tiny platform for departure and landing. He got on top of it and, after taking a few calming breaths, jumped. A few small explosions got him above most of the buildings surrounding the area and his sharp eyes quickly swept the neighbourhood, looking for any sign of a disturbance. At first glance, everything looked calm, but he knew better than to trust the silence of the night. Several people had gone missing the last two months, as he'd learned from Eijirou and Denki, who had been stopped by people while patrolling, asking for their help. The two men had investigated and, so far, 12 people had gone missing under weird circumstances. They needed to know what linked all these people and catch who was behind this quickly, before the information got out and people started panicking.

He patrolled for a few hours before grabbing a bento at a corner konbini. Then, he perched himself on a high building, away from sight, and started eating. He hadn't had time to make one himself, but he'd bought all the ingredients to make some warm Mapo Tofu when he'd be home. It was one of the few highlights of winter, getting to cook warm and spicy meals. His mind flashed to the Half-n-Half's older sister, who'd given him the recipe when he'd gone with Deku. 

Deku.

Every night, whatever he did, his thoughts went back to the night of Kirishima's birthday and his discussion with Deku. He'd been completely taken aback by the other man's words, the fierceness with which he'd said them. He'd seemed so tall and imposing, facing Katsuki like he'd never done before. Of course the other had stood up to him on numerous occasions, but it had always been with eyes filled with fear and apprehension, vestiges of his trauma. The trauma that Katsuki had inflicted on him over years of abuse. He had thought that they were past it, but the words that Deku had thrown at him had shown that this still, in some way, ate at the other. With a grimace, Katsuki threw his half-eaten bento in a nearby bin and looked around, like he'd started doing every night after their encounter.

"Well I live in your area! Should I stop going to my own apartment as well?!"

So Deku lived in Setagawa, on his territory. Why? Was that a plot from the Half and Half bastard in order to have a foot in Setagawa and take over? He didn't think Deku was capable of that, but the green-haired man seemed to have changed quite a lot after his internship. How much had he changed? Was he still the same goody two-shoes he'd always known? Or was we now capable of coming up with an effective plan to take over another hero's territory? He certainly had the brains for it. If Deku had been a villain, he'd have been an evil mastermind. And hadn't they been eating on his turf, and who knows what else? He pushed aside the thought, people didn't just change that much, especially Deku. But what of it then? 

He patrolled for a few more hours before stopping on the roof of the post office. Beyond that was Shinjuku and, although he knew he could go over there, Kaminari had said Deku was okay with them crossing over, he didn't want to, not when it didn't belong to him. Somewhere in the streets shining below was Deku, patrolling, maybe even fighting. How well was he established now? Given his baby face and personality, he probably had already half of the population in his pocket. Katsuki could feel his stomach curl with envy at the thought and he chastised himself with a low snarl. He violently turned his back on the beloved area, and was about to launch himself forward when he heard a commotion behind him. He turned, facing Shinjuku again, just in time to see two men flying towards him. Actually, only one of them was flying, dark bat-like wings flapping rapidly in the night. The other one was dangling behind him, one hand tightly clamped around Batguy's ankle, the other one aimed behind them, shooting fireballs at the empty darkness. Katsuki couldn't see their face, but he didn't need to, he could recognize villains even from there. On instinct, Katsuki aimed a low-level AP Shot at the flying villain, piercing through one of his wings. The other seemed shocked and turned his eyes to look at Katsuki, seeing him for the first time. Then, slowly, he started to fall, and Katsuki propelled himself forward to catch them mid-air. But, before he could even come close to them, a green and orange bolt of lightning rushed past him. He blinked and, when he looked again, the two villains were gone. Katsuki looked around him, not understanding what was happening, but he finally spotted them several meters below, on a restaurant rooftop. Katsuki came rushing and, when he landed, he finally understood what had happened, and he froze.

A silhouette was kneeling between the villains on the ground, one hand on each head, keeping them on the floor. By the look of it, both of them were passed out, having fainted on impact. The silhouette got up, dark ropes of black smoke coming out of it to bind the two fallen villains before lifting them in the air. Then, the silhouette turned and, upon seeing Katsuki, froze as well.

"I...didn't see you here." came the familiar voice, muffled by the hood thrown over his face.  

Katsuki didn't answer. He hadn't seen him like this since their last race across the city, a few days before the Hero Gala. His heart started beating faster and he felt a shiver run down the back of his neck. He wet his lips but couldn't seem to talk. After a moment of silence, Deku spoke again.

"Sorry, I got inside your territory, it took me longer than I expected to locate them. I'll leave now."

He started walking towards the edge of the building, ready to launch himself in the sky again. Before he could think about it, Katsuki spoke.

"Tell me about the threat." he said abruptly.

Deku froze again, one foot on the edge of the building, and turned to him.

"What?" he asked in a hollow voice. Katsuki found he didn't like that sound.

"The threat you told me about last time. Tell me about it."

Deku looked at him and, after a few seconds, removed his foot from the edge, fully facing him.

"Does that mean you're ready to help?"

"I'll decide when I hear the full story." 

Deku didn't answer, just looking at him behind his mask. It unnerved him that he couldn't see his eyes or his face. He felt exposed and hated it.

"Okay, come by our office tomorrow afternoon, we'll tell you everything."

Annoyance flashed across the blond's face and he grimaced. He didn't want to go to their stupid office again, he wanted to know now, from Deku. But before Katsuki could answer, Deku bent his knees and propelled himself into the darkness, both villains firmly attached to him. He looked both impressive and a little bit scary, which made the blond frown. It took only a few seconds for the silhouette to disappear in the night, but Katsuki kept looking.

Whatever was happening, he wanted to know, needed to prepare for what was coming. He couldn't be left in the dark, not when it could affect innocent people, not if he could do something about it. So, as much as he hated it, he'd have to swallow his pride and go to the Endeavor office, again.

You also want to see him again. He heard in his head, as he was walking away.

He gritted his teeth and, in a thunderous explosion, lept into the sky.

Chapter Text

Endeavor-Shouto agency, Tokyo, 7pm.

Izuku was pacing anxiously in front of Shouto's desk inside his spacious office, muttering softly, one hand holding his chin, the other holding his phone. For the hundredth time, he threw a quick glance at the screen, checking to see if he'd received a new message, but his All Might Silver edition wallpaper remained free of notification.

Kaminari-kun had sent him a message an hour ago, as he was starting his shift in Shinjuku. It had only been two words, but Izuku had felt his heart beating faster at the sight.

Be ready.

And so he'd abandoned his pre-shift coffee on the counter of the coffee shop before storming out, almost running back to the agency to tell Shouto, who'd nodded curtly before calling Aki in. He'd asked the fellow sidekick if he was willing to cover for Izuku for a few hours, and the other had agreed. Izuku had thrown him a shy smile and whispered a quick Thank you when the other was leaving the room. Since then, the green-haired hero hadn't stopped fidgeting, sitting down on the sofa before getting back up and resuming his pacing.

After three years spent together everyday at UA, his friend Shouto was clearly used to his antics, so he didn't comment. Most people found this frustrating, annoying even, but Shouto seemed unperturbed, reading through today's reports without a word.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Izuku's phone buzzed in his right hand, making him jump. He raised it and unlocked his screen before opening the message. He stood up, eyes still locked on the words.

"They're here." he said, in a voice that seemed way calmer than he felt.

He heard Shouto get up and walk towards him, before clamping a hand on his shoulder.

"Are you ready for this?" he said in his usual cold voice.

But Izuku could hear the slight change in the other's tone that betrayed his concern. After all this time he too could read his friend better than most people.

"Don't really have a choice." he whispered. Then he raised his head, steeling himself. "Let's do this."

-------------------

Once again, Katsuki found himself sitting in the white and impersonal lobby of Endeavor's agency. Denki and Eijirou were standing a bit farther, talking excitedly to the receptionist, who had turned a deep shade of red upon seeing none other than Red Riot walk into her lobby. Denki had opened his arms and smiled broadly at her.

"I come bearing gift!" he exclaimed before laughing wholeheartedly.

The receptionist had almost fallen off her chair at the sight and, when Eijirou had waved and said hi, she'd almost ran over to bow down and thank him, eyes shining with unshed tears.

True to himself, Eijirou had handled the situation brilliantly, and now the three of them were sitting at the front desk, talking excitedly. Katsuki wanted to snap at them to come back and sit down next to him, they were in enemy territory dammit! They needed to be on the defensive, to look like they meant business, that the Half-n-Half bastard could not mess with them. But he knew the other two didn't share his thoughts, still viewing him as a friend, even after the recent events. They believed Deku had won Shinjuku fairly, even going as far as praising him for the win, something Katsuki had badly reacted to. He knew Denki was texting the bastard, but he hadn't commented on it yet. He was reserving his own brand of punishment for the blond traitor.

Suddenly, Eijirou seemed to catch sight of something, because he straightened up and walked towards the corridor that led to the elevators.

"Todoroki! How are you!"

A few seconds later, Todoroki was walking towards the red-haired man, hands in his pockets. The ultimate sign of peace, again.

"Kirishima, welcome. I believe it's your first time coming here." Todoroki said, holding his hand up.

"Yeah, it's a pretty neat place you have here!" Eijirou said, clasping his hand in the other's, smiling blindly.

Todoroki nodded before turning to Katsuki, who stood up. He only put one hand in his pocket this time, as a show of mistrust, and Todoroki's eyes quickly snapped to his hands before coming back up again.

"Let's go to my office." he said before walking back towards the elevators.

Denki and Kirishima waited until Katsuki was beside them before following their old classmate. Katsuki felt better with one of them on each side. The walk to the other's office was done in light discussion between the three other men. Katsuki remained silent, looking straight in front of him. Then, they arrived in front of Todoroki's office and, when they entered, they saw someone sitting on one of the sofas. Katsuki's body seemed to jerk at the sight and he could feel his hands tingling, meaning they would start to sweat.

"Midoriya!" yelled Denki before walking to the other and hugging him.

"Hi Kaminari-kun." the other said softly.

Again, Katsuki felt something jolt inside of him and he grimaced. Why was he reacting like that? The other had been back for months now, seeing him or hearing his voice shouldn't make him jump like that.

"Thank you for coming." Todoroki said while walking back to his desk, where he sat.

Denki went to sit next to Deku and Eijirou sat next to Katsuki on the sofa further from the windows. Katsuki looked at Deku, who seemed to look at him for the first time. His big green eyes had always been filled with fear and anxiety, but now, he could see they had gotten deeper, wiser. His year away seemed to really have changed him. There were so many things he didn't know about him now. The thought made his insides churn.

"Hi Bakugou." Deku said.

Katsuki saw Denki startle next to the green-haired man. That's right, Dunce Face hadn't been there when Deku had called him that at the Hero Gala. He sent a silent deadly glare his way, hoping he would catch himself before commenting on this. It wasn't like he cared anyway.

"I'm here, talk." he told the man facing him.

Deku threw a quick glance at Todoroki, which annoyed the blond.

"Maybe Shouto is best suited to..."

For some reason, Katsuki's anger seemed to flare up at the words. He couldn't pinpoint why.

"No, you do it." he said sharply, leaning forward.

Deku looked back at him, puzzled, then, after a few seconds, he spoke.

"We've been investigating a group of people we believe are involved in a big and dangerous project. We have enough evidence to tie them to the death of Jetfist and Renova last year."

Katsuki tried to stay emotionless, not wanting to show the other his interest. The death of the two heroes responsible for Shinjuku had been a big blow dealt to the entire Tokyo Heroes Network. Katsuki had always been put off by the lack of revendication, surely the people responsible for this had wanted to make a name for themselves? Otherwise, why would you target the top two heroes of the area? However, nobody had come forward to claim the kills, leaving the mystery intact for months.

"Seems like you're doing fine all by yourself, what do you need me for?" he said, shrugging. "And why haven't you arrested the bastards already?"

Deku looked at him with searching eyes and, with a wave of relief, the blond finally saw some of the old Deku there. He was trying to see how best to say what he had to say. Which version would make it easier for him to get Katsuki's help? He found it easier to breathe suddenly.

"Did you notice an increased number of disappearances in your area lately?"

Katsuki froze, his previous thoughts melting away. How did the bastard know that? They hadn't made that information public yet, because they weren't sure if they were linked in any way. So how did fucking Deku even knew that?

"Are you...are you spying on me?" he said, getting up.

Deku blinked a couple of times, seemingly taken aback by his answer. But Katsuki didn't care, only someone who was actively following on every crime that was happening in his area would know that. Him and his team only figured that out fairly recently and...

His eyes snapped to Denki, who was also looking at him with a puzzled expression.

"Did you tell him about that?" he snarled in a low voice, and he saw Denki's face go pale.

"What? No man, I didn't say anything!"

"Bakugou, why are you getting mad?" asked Eijirou, getting up behind him.

But Katsuki's gaze snapped back to Deku, who, recognizing the fury in his eyes, got up as well. Good, at least he knew how dangerous he could be when he was this pissed off.

"Is that why you live in my area? To fucking spy?" he spat, taking a step towards the green-haired man.

That was one of the theories he'd had, but couldn't really believe. He hadn't thought that Deku could be capable of this, not in a million years, not after everything that had happened when they were younger. But who knew what kind of person he'd become now?

"I am not spying on you." Deku said, with what sounded like suppressed anger in his voice. "Why would you even think that?"

"Don't fucking give me that!" he scoffed. "Like you and Icy-Hot hadn't been plotting against me over Shinjuku."

"That's not what this was." Deku said, defensively. 

"Then why do you know about the missing people?"

"Because it's happening here as well." he heard on his left.

Katsuki froze and turned to Todoroki, who had stood up.

"What?"

"Please sit down, I'll tell you everything."

Katsuki stayed still as Todoroki walked to them and gave him and the other two a folder. Katsuki pulled the first page out and saw it was a picture of a man. It had been taken from afar so it wasn't perfect, but you could make out the man walking in the busy streets.

"This is Masahiko Matsunaga." Shouto said. "He's a trader who also owns a Pachinko place in Shinjuku where we believe he launders money. Once a month, he crosses over to your side for a few hours and when he comes back over here, he goes to a payphone. The following day, there's a missing person report. We think he may be involved in the abductions in your area."

Katsuki was still looking at the picture.

"If he's taking people, how come they're not with him when he crosses back to your side?" he asked.

"That's what we'd like to know." said Deku, who was sitting down again.

Katsuki looked at him, reading the silent plea in the green eyes. Then, it clicked. 

"You want to cross over to my side." he said, emotionless. 

"Yes. We need to follow him inside your territory so we can catch him red handed." Deku replied.

Katsuki shook his head silently and started pacing. He didn't like this, not one bit. Something inside of him was screaming that this was a bad idea, but he couldn't really pinpoint the reason. He stopped to look at Deku, who was looking at him with big green eyes. He'd known these eyes for as long as he could remember. One of his first memories was of him and Deku playing with their All Might cards in the playground near their place. Every memories he had of him, Deku had never been sneaky or mean to him. He'd gotten that a long time ago, that Deku wasn't really the problem.

As if reading his intentions, Deku walked to stand in front of him.

"We can do this together, we won't do anything without your approval, you have my word."

Katsuki looked at him again, but he knew he'd lost. He didn't have a choice, lacked the information to stop this man and his group on his own. One again, he'd have to swallow his pride in front of these two. He hated it. Hated himself for being in that position.

"Only you." he said, pointing at Deku.

The man blinked at him.

"What? But we need more people, Elena is a tracking specialist, me alone wouldn't be enou..."

"I said only you, Deku. That's the deal, take it or leave it."

Deku turned to Todoroki and Katsuki got the sudden urge to grab his head and turn it back to face him. He shuddered, what the fuck?

"We'll take it." Todoroki said. "Thanks."

"Whatever. If I see any suspicious movement, you're both dead."

He turned to leave and his two friends got up to follow, saying their goodbyes. Once in the elevator, Eijirou was the first to speak.

"So we were right, the disappearances are linked."

"Yeah." said Katsuki, begrudgingly. 

"It was good of you to agree to cooperate, we need to put a stop to this before more people get hurt."

"Whatever." he said again.

They fell into silence, then, as the elevator arrived on the ground floor and the doors were opening, Denki spoke for the first time since they had left the office.

"What the hell did Midoriya call you?"

He barely got the last word out before getting blasted out of the elevator, skidding across the corridor on his back. Katsuki left the hall ignoring the screams of the front desk lady or Eijirou's yells of "We said not in the face, man!"

-----------------

One week later. 10:45 pm, Endeavor-Shouto Agency, Tokyo. 

"Midoriya, stop pacing."

"I can't."

"You don't have to be this nervous, today is just recon. No contact needed."

"I know, I know."

"Then why are you..."

Shouto's voice trailed off and Izuku didn't stop to look at him, he knew where his trail of thoughts would lead his friend to.

"Is it because of him?" his friend asked tentatively.

"Hum hum." said Izuku, not trusting his voice.

He continued to pace until he felt the other's hand on his shoulder. I was a soft touch, not meant to restrain him, just to tell him he was there.

"Talk to me."

And Izuku couldn't refuse him, not when it was this hard for Shouto to open himself enough and step out of his comfort zone and do this.

"I...I don't know what to do. Every time I've been alone with him I've ended up with a panic attack. I'm so freaking nervous I'm scared I'll mess it up. I thought I was better, after last year, I really thought I was done with these...feelings. All of them."

"But you're not."

"And it's scaring me, Shouto. I don't...I don't want this to happen again. Not again."

They looked at each other silently. They didn't need to say it out loud, both of them were thinking about the same thing, the same day.

Graduation Day, U.A

Izuku was beaming at everyone and everything as he was walking around the room, stopping every now and then to say a few words to his fellow classmates. They'd done it. After three long years of tears, sweat and blood, of internships and close calls with death, they were officially graduating from the prestigious U.A. Never would he have thought this possible 3 years ago, not with him being quirkless. How things had changed since All Might had decided to put his trust in him! He felt a sense of pride and giddiness that made him almost float. He grabbed a glass of champagne on a whim and, diploma held tight in his left hand, he walked to the balcony, where he'd seen his friend Shouto.

"Are you avoiding everyone?" he said, bumping shoulders.

"I just needed some fresh air. You know this level of socializing is...difficult for me."

"I know. Do you need to be alone?"

"You can stay." Shouto said, expression softening a bit.

Izuku came to rest his lower back on the barrister so he could still look inside the room. He saw a flash of blond hair cross the room and felt his heart start beating faster.

"I...I think I'm gonna do it today." he blurted suddenly.

Shouto turned to him, eyebrows raised.

"You're sure?" he asked, knowing exactly what he was talking about.

"Yes...I think it's now or never. We're graduating, legally adults now so..."

At the same moment, Katsuki turned and their eyes locked. Izuku turned violently and bent his head, feeling his face grow hot.

"You don't seem ready." Shouto said.

"I know, it's hard! I don't think I can do it if he's looking at me!" Izuku gritted, eyes shut.

"Ok." said Shouto, straightening up. "Try it on me then."

"What?" Izuku snapped, head turning sharply to look at his friend.

"Your speech. Try it on me. You can get it out and make sure you don't start mumbling half way through."

"That's not...!"

Shouto gave him a deadpan look.

"Oh my God, what if I start mumbling?"

"Try it on me then."

Izuku looked at his friend and straightened up as well to face him.

"Ok...ok."

He cleared his throat.

"I...Kacchan, there's something I want to tell you..."

------------

Izuku was jumping from building to building, crossing the sky in a flash of green and orange. His heart was racing, not from the effort, but from the time. He'd passed by the old Okubo Church on his way so he could check the time on its big clock.

He was going to be late.

He knew the blond hated being late, but Izuku had taken more time preparing for tonight. The plan itself had been ready for days, but he'd had a hard time preparing mentally for this, and it had taken Shouto all he had to put him back on track. So far, almost every encounter with his former childhood friend had resulted in an emotional meltdown. He'd been so sure that his year away had helped him got rid of his trauma, of their history, but being back here, facing him again, had brought it all back out. The walls he'd built around him so as to not get hurt again were being put to the test. He felt like they were failing. However, he could not let his personal life and feelings get in the way of his work, of his goal. What they were doing was too important, people's lives were in the balance, so he just couldn't let anything break his focus, not even Katsuki Bakugou.

He took the last few seconds that separated him from their meeting point to steel himself, to get inside his head and barricade his feelings, leaving only the mission. He brought back the memory of the names and pictures of the 22 people that had been abducted so far, getting calmer and calmer with every flashing face.

With one last jump that sent him high above the buildings, he let himself fall graciously on the rooftop of the first building inside of Setagawa City, Ground Zero's territory. He straightened up and walked to the edge, taking a circular look around the darkened city. It didn't look much different from Shinjuku, maybe a bit less colorful neons. However tonight, every street seemed to be buzzing with people, as it was every year on the same day. Tonight was New year's Eve, and everyone was heading down to pubs and restaurants in order to celebrate the new year. He turned his head to the right, craning his neck to see if his building was visible from here. It was a but further up, but he knew it was somewhere behind...

"You're late." he heard behind him, making him jump.

He turned around and his eyes landed on the dark silhouette sitting in a corner, where the light from the nearby lamppost couldn't reach. 

"I didn't see you, hi." Deku said, uneasy.

"You're late." Katsuki said again.

"Sorry, last minute preparations."

Katsuki got up and walked towards him, and even with his mask on, Izuku could recognize the look on his face. 

"Preparation for what? This is just recon tonight."

Izuku started feeling uncomfortable as the blond was getting closer, but he steeled himself again, hoping the other wouldn't read him underneath his mask as well as he'd just done.

"I know, we should probably get going, Matsunaga will be at the border soon."

He turned to jump off the edge then stopped, turning around again to lift his hand in an after you gesture. He didn't want to look like he was taking leadership here, and wouldn't want to anger the blond. Katsuki scoffed as we walked past him, reading his intention.

"Fuck off." he said before taking off.

Izuku sighed before following after the blond. Unlike him, Katsuki didn't need to touch ground every now and then, basically flying around using his explosions. But it was easy enough keeping up with him, they weren't racing this time.

Part of him wished they were.

After a few minutes, they stopped on another rooftop, again near the border, where the local post marked the end of Izuku's area and the beginning of Katsuki's. Izuku checked his watch, it read 11:35 pm.

"He should be there shortly." said Izuku. "From what we could see from the other side, he will walk to the McDonald's and then turn right, that's where we lose him."

Katsuki nodded, still looking at the streets below. He seemed both deeply focused and lost in his thoughts. Izuku felt his heart beat faster as he took one step towards him. Instantly, the red fiery eyes snapped to him, calculating.

"We need to take cover." he just said.

Katsuki kept looking at him, like he was trying to determine if Izuku was trustworthy, and when did that happen? After three years at U.A, they had learned to trust one another again, shedding themselves of their old quarrels and prejudice, working hand and hand. Why was the blond suddenly looking at him like he couldn't trust him? How dared him when he was the one who...

Izuku felt a wave of anger swipe over him and he wanted to take a step back from the blond.

Think about the mission. The mission comes first.

Something seemed to flicker in the red eyes, then Katsuki took a step towards him.

"Let's get this over with." he grunted.

Izuku looked at him for a few seconds, at a loss for words. Then he shook himself internally and closed his eyes. Slowly, strands of black smoke came out of his body, turning and twisting around them like ropes. When Izuku opening his eyes again, they were enveloped in a cloud of smoke, hiding them from view. He looked at Katsuki, who was studying the whole thing with barely hidden interest.

"I never saw you use Black Whip like this." the blond said.

For some reason, hearing the other use the name of his quirk, after so long, made something twist in his belly. But before he could address this, Katsuki's eyes had snapped back to the street, laser focused.

"He's here." he said.

Izuku turned to look down at where the blond was looking and, sure enough, even from where he stood, he could see the tall and lanky figure of Matsunaga walking down the street. As per his habit, he was wearing a white shirt and black pants, looking like a salaryman freshly out of work. He didn't have anything with him, no bag, no suitcase.

As Izuku said, Matsunaga turned at the corner where the McDonald's stood, and that was their cue to start moving. Again, Izuku turned to look at the blond, who suddenly looked like he'd swallowed a lemon. Izuku understood why. This was the part of the plan they'd had to negotiate for two long hours. 

"Ready?" asked Izuku.

"No, but who fucking cares." said the blond before moving closer to Izuku.

Izuku took a deep breath before raising his arms and putting them around the other's torso. Katsuki tensed and, before Izuku could react, wrenched himself free from the hold.

"Fuck." the blond said, pacing around.

Izuku felt like his body was burning where it had touched the other. He pushed the thought away.

The mission.

"We don't have a choice, if we want to follow him at close range then you cannot use your explosions. We'd get caught."

"There must be another way."

"There isn't, we talked about this. I need to hold you so you won't fall when I jump."

"I..."

"Bakugou, he's getting away!" Izuku yelled.

Sure enough, the silhouette of Matsunaga was already at the end of the street, turning left, out of view. Izuku turned to Katsuki who looked like he was battling with himself. Then, before the green-haired man could react, the blond took a step forward and draped his arms around his torso. Izuku froze, completely taken aback.

"I'll hold on to you instead. Take it of leave it."

Izuku blinked twice before shaking himself up and nodding. He didn't have time to argue with the blond. He turned again, the other pressed against his back, then, after breathing deeply twice to calm his beating heart, he bent his knees and propelled himself into the air.

He heard the other swear behind him but didn't say a word, he didn't think he could talk right now. They landed on a restaurant's rooftop and waited for the man to turn right before jumping again. This time the jump was shorter and when they landed, they saw that the man had stopped in front of a restaurant. Izuku knew this place, he'd walked past it a couple of times while he was running errands. Matsunaga looked around then went to rest his back on the nearest wall before pulling what looked like a cigarette from his shirt's front pocket and lightening it. 

Izuku was puzzled.

"He is alone." Izuku told Katsuki. "He doesn't seem to be carrying weapons either, so how can he abduct adult people, sometimes men who are twice his size, without anyone or anything to help him?"

Katsuki was looking at the man, his piercing eyes analysing every inch of him.

"He's using his quirk." he said.

Izuku turned to him.

"What? You think?"

"This level of assurance with no weapon nor sidekicks screams of quirk. He doesn't have anyone because he doesn't need anyone."

Izuku kept staring at the blond, taking in his words, part of him marveling at the speed and ease with which the conclusion was made. So they needed to know the nature and potential range of his attacks. What was the better option between close combat or the opposite? Was the other going to attack in a busy street, in front of everyone? Impossible, otherwise they'd have heard of it, and so would Katsuki.

Before he could voice his thoughts, they heard the sound of a door opening and Izuku turned to look down again. A man was walking out of the restaurant, wearing a dark suit. He looked like he was in his fifties, with grey hair and what looked like an ornate cane in his left hand. As soon as he went out, Matsunaga straightened and walked towards him. Who was this man, an accomplice? 

"That's Yuiichiro Sabura." Katsuki said beside him. "He's the owner of the JP Bank, the biggest bank in Setagawa."

"You think they're working together?" he said, turning toward the blond, who shook his head.

"He's a straight up guy, never heard a bad thing about him."

When Matsunaga arrived in front of the man, he held his hand up for the other to shake. The man looked taken aback, but shook the hand anyway. From where they stood, they couldn't hear what was being said.

"We need to get closer." Katsuki said, as if hearing his thoughts.

Izuku nodded and this time he didn't have to fight with the blond for him to get a hold of him. Izuku jumped forward before landing on the other side of the street, directly facing the two men. He made sure to stand behind an advertisement glass panel so that the people walking on the sidewalk wouldn't bump into them. Then, he and Katsuki focused on the two silhouettes, who had started to move again. However, to his surprise, they didn't follow the same direction, Matsunaga turned to his left to continue walking up the street, the other man turned right to walk down the street, back from where Matsunaga had come.

"What the...?" he heard Katsuki grunt next to him.

They didn't have time to discuss this, they needed to act fast.

"You follow Matsunaga, I'll take the old man." he said, already moving to the right.

Katsuki didn't answer, he just left the dark smoky area created by Black Whip and started walking in a fast pace, keeping a safe distance between him and Matsunaga. Izuku did the same, calling Black Whip back, he started walking on his side of the road, looking forward, sending quick smiles at passing people, who wondered who this new hero was. He threw quick glances towards the old man and saw him turn left, entering a dark alley. Izuku counted to ten, then crossed the road to follow him. He entered the dark alley and kept to the wall on his left, not wanting to draw attention to himself. He didn't need to use Black Whip again, since all the lamps above them had their light bulbs smashed, plunging the street in deep darkness.

The old man had stopped at the end of what appeared to be a dead end, Izuku could barely make up his silhouette in the dark. He took a step forward.

"Excuse me, sir?" he asked in a firm voice. "May I ask what you're doing here?"

He couldn't attack the man, since he hadn't done anything dangerous. And from where he stood, it just looked like a Pro-Hero patrolling, nothing out of the ordinary. Even if Sabura tried to contact Matsunaga, Izuku knew he was faster, and could stop him in seconds. This approach was the safest.

The old man had not answered his question, so he took another step forward.

"Sir? I need you to answer me."

Still no answer. Izuku approached him carefully, right fist closed, ready to strike at the slightest indication that the other was going to attack. After a few other steps, he found himself facing the man, who had not moved since Izuku had first talked.

"Sir, are you okay?" he asked, but got no answer.

Sensing that something was wrong, Izuku called on Black Whip to wrap itself around the man, making sure he couldn't do anything.

"Sorry, but I need to ask you a few questions about the man you were talking to." Izuku said, taking a flashlight out of his back pocket.

He aimed it at the old man's face, and froze. Something was wrong. When he'd first gotten out of the restaurant, Izuku had had a good look at him. He'd stood in the light of the front door during his talk with Matsunaga and Izuku had seen his features, all hard lines, few wrinkles and piercing eyes that had been calculating from the moment they'd met the other man. But now, all the light had gone from the blue eyes, and as the man stood motionless, his face slack, he looked like he was 10 years older.

"Are you okay?" Izuku asked again, more pressing. "What are you doing here?"

Then, finally, the man, still looking completely lost, managed to say a few words, in a trembling and hollow voice.

"I...I don't know...where am I?"

For some reason, Izuku felt something cold run through his body. He had a very bad feeling about this.

"Sir, do you know who you are?" he asked, on instinct.

"...No?"

Izuku called back Black Whip and stared at the man. He was so different from the man he'd seen just a few minutes before, what had happened to put him in this state? He'd just gotten out of the restaurant, looking normal, then 10 minutes later, he was a total mess. What had happened in between?

Think Izuku, think!

Then, in a flash he saw Matsunaga, extending his hand for the older man to grab, which he'd done.

Shit.

"I have to go." he said, turning around to run.

Once he'd gotten out of the alley, he took his phone from his pocket and dialed Kaminari's number.

"What's up, dude?"

"Kaminari-kun, I need you to go to the alley near the Three Hearts coffee place, it has broken lights.

"Ah yes, the creepy alley." Kaminari said. "Why?"

"There is an old man who needs to be taken care of, I don't have time to explain!"

He hung up as he was passing in front of the restaurant where the two men had been talking, and looked around, searching the area.

"Where did they go?"

He pocketed his phone again and jumped high above the buildings, landing on the nearest rooftop. He scanned the street for several minutes. He hadn't seen where the other two had walked towards. They could be anywhere now, how could he find them?

As if on queue, he heard an explosion to his right and froze, before launching himself in the sky again. If the blond was using his quirk and blowing his cover, that meant he was under attack. Izuku had to get to him as quick as possible. Another explosion lit the street to his left and he dove there, landing in another alley with broken lights. In front of him, Katsuki was in battle mode, hands linked in front of himself.

"Alright fucker." he said. "I gave you two warnings, next time I blow up your fucking face. Turn the fuck around and come towards me with your hands up."

Izuku took a few seconds to panic. This wasn't the plan, they were supposed to do recon, find out who Matsunaga was working with and dismantle the whole group. Taking out Matsunaga alone wouldn't be enough to do that.

But now was not the time to think about this, he needed to assist. However, as soon as he took a step forward, Katsuki held one hand to stop him.

"Don't need your help, step back."

"What? We don't know what his quirk is yet, and something strange happened with Sabura-san."

"I can handle this guy alone."

"But..."

Katsuki launched himself at the guy, who didn't move, smiling slightly.

"Don't touch his hands!" yelled Izuku.

Katsuki aimed a low explosion to deviate from his trajectory, drawing an arc above Matsunaga's head and landing behind him.

"What the hell?"

"Sabura was all wrong when I got to him, whatever he's done to him was during their handshake. His quirk is activated by touch!"

Matsunaga turned his eyes to him, smiling more broadly.

"Oh, we've got a smart one over there." Matsunaga said.

It was the first time they heard him speak since they'd started trailing him.

"So if he doesn't touch me I'm good?" said Katsuki, from somewhere. "Good"

He launched himself in the air, aiming for the man again, but, as he was about to shoot what looked like an AP Shot, he suddenly yelled in pain and started falling towards Izuku, who jumped to catch him mid-fall, One For All activated. Once they touched the ground, Izuku knelt in front of the blond.

"Ground Zero! Are you okay?"

Katsuki was grimacing, eyes shut.

"What the fuck..." he grunted.

"What happened?!"

"S-like....something's exploding in my head."

Izuku looked up toward Matsunaga, who hadn't moved from where he stood, still smiling softly. Izuku was sure he hadn't moved during Katsuki's attack, which meant only one thing.

He looked up, trying to make out his surroundings in the darkened alley, but couldn't see anything past a few meters.

"You really are smart." Matsunaga said, looking intensely at Izuku.

"Who else is with you?" Izuku said, as he felt Katsuki gain back his composure. "Who are you?"

"You sure you want to know?"

"Shit..." he heard Katsuki whisper next to him. 

Whatever had hit him had done severe damage to his balance from the way he was struggling to sit upright.

"Yes." Izuku said, getting up to put himself between Katsuki and Matsunaga.

"Alright." 

He raised his hands in front of him and, to his horror, Izuku saw Matsunaga's fingers extend at high speed, towards him. He jumped aside and they crashed on the ground where he'd been.

"What?" he whispered, landing on a big metal bin before jumping again, avoiding the extending fingers again.

From what he'd seen, Matsunaga's quirk was activated by direct touch, and then he could do something to the victims, mind control? Memory erasure? He wasn't sure. But for him to extend his hands and fingers was another type of quirk, which was impossible.

Unless.

"No." he said.

He couldn't let Matsunaga run away, his arrest was now top priority. Because now, he thought he knew who they were dealing with.

Somewhere to his left, he saw Katsuki get up again, shaking his head.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Shut up. Fuck this hurt."

Izuku landed next to him.

"We need to attack together, I think I know who's behind this, we need to capture him."

Katsuki looked at him, eyes still wide with the aftermath of what had happened. To his surprise, the blond nodded. Izuku nodded in return then, hoping to God the other still remembered how to do this, he launched himself high above Matsunaga, who still stood there. But Izuku didn't attack him, this wasn't why he'd jumped. He was trying to get out of range.

Beneath him, Katsuki was spinning very fast, a series of explosions coming out of his hands, so fast, it looked like flames. Deku smiled, relieved. Katsuki's explosions had created so much smoke that the second attacker couldn't target them. So he had also caught on with that. Then, Katsuki jumped as high as Deku and, both of them went down on Matsunaga. Deku hit him in the torso before jumping to the side and letting the blond hit him with his burning fist.

Izuku saw the man fall to the grunt, yelling in pain, half of his torso engulfed in flames. Now was his chance to catch him. He used Black Whip to try but, as the black strands of smoke were coming out of him, the man let out a guttural scream.

"TSUNADA!"

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Izuku heard a piercing scream behind him and his whole body went cold, He turned around to see that Katsuki had fallen to the floor, hands grabbing his head, screaming in pain.

"NO!" Izuku yelled, running toward the blond, leaving the other man on the floor.

He made it a few meters before he felt something explode in his head. It was like someone was twisting his brain with needles, and he too fell to the ground screaming. This was more than pain, this was agony. He couldn't tell what was up or down, was he standing up or rolling on the floor? He just wanted this to end.

As soon as he thought that, the pain receded, but he still couldn't move. His body was covered in sweat and his eyes were bulging out. Then, he saw someone walk toward him in his peripheral view, but his vision was blurred with unshed tears. He couldn't make out who it was.

"Let's take him now." he heard a female voice say.

"No!" Matsunaga shrieked. "I want the other one. He will be more useful."

Somewhere above his head, he could hear Katsuki grunting.

"Are you sure? This wasn't the plan."

"Screw the plan...This one...is better. Trust me."

"Okay. You deal with this after."

Again, the pain in his head began more intense and Izuku's body seized up. Then, he felt something touch his cheeks, cold and sweaty. A pair of hands.

No!

He tried to fight against whatever was going to happen to him, but he could already feel himself slip away, engulfed in darkness.

No...

Before he blacked out, he had one last vision, one last memory. He was three years old and sitting on the ground, laughing and crying tears of joy. In front of him, standing proudly, was Katsuki, holding up two unopened cards, All Might edition. He gave one to Izuku, smiling blindly, golden hair shining in the sun.

"I told you I'd get them!" he said. "Never doubt me again, I always win!"

Izuku looked down at the precious gift, heart swelling with joy. Yes, his friend had always been the best at everything. He was his model, his hero.

Even more so than All Might.

"Kacchan sugoi!" whispered the young Izuku, holding his precious card in his tiny hands.

He wanted to say thank you, but when he looked up, Katsuki's silhouette was fading away, turned to ashes.

He wanted to scream, but his younger self just sat there, looking up, eyes dazed.

And then, everything turned to black.

------------

Katsuki grunted as he tried to sit up, ears ringing, head pounding. What kind of fucked up attack was that? He had felt like his head was going to explode, he still felt like it might. He was struggling to open his eyes, but he was getting back feelings in his body.

Where was Deku? 

Somewhere in front of him, he heard a voice, new, female.

"Okay. You deal with this after."

Then, he heard someone scream in pain, and he recognized the voice.

"Deku!!" he yelled, fighting harder to get back on his feet.

Open your eyes, just open your fucking eyes!

He was on his knees, trying to get up, and, after several seconds, he was finally able to open his eyes. He didn't know if something was wrong with his vision or if it was the darkness of the street, but he could barely see in front of him.

"Deku!" he called again.

"Shit, Shouto is coming, look!" he heard the female voice say. "Hurry!"

"I'm almost there, shut it!" Matsunaga said.

Katsuki turned around briefly and, sure enough, he could see a ball of fire in the night sky making its way towards them. So his message had gone through. When he'd first felt that intense pain in his head, he'd hit the panic button he always had on the back of his phone, which gave his location to both Denki and Eijirou. One of them had probably called the Half-n-Half for backup. He found he didn't really care, anything that could help him get those two fuckers.

"We need to go now!" the woman shrieked.

"I'm done!" said Matsunaga. "Let's go!"

"You're not going anywhere!" Katsuki snarled, turning towards them again.

He could make out the silhouette of the woman, her long dark hair was pulled in a ponytail and she was wearing a white blazer. Beside her, Matsunaga was getting on his feet. They both started running after a brief look at the sky.

Katsuki raised his hands, prepared to attack, but, as he was about to throw an AP shot at them, something came between them. He blinked and, this time, he could see well enough to recognize the person standing in front of him and a wave of relief flooded through him.

"Get the fuck out of the way, Deku!"

He could still hear the footsteps of the others, meaning he could still get them. But Deku hadn't moved an inch, still standing between him and the villains, his back turned.

"I said move, stupid Deku!"

This seemed to have an effect, and he saw the other jolt, before he straightened up and turned to him. 

"Did you hit your fucking head or something? We need to get them!"

He walked to the man and put a hand on his shoulder, pushing him to the side. But to his surprise, the other wouldn't budge. It felt like he was trying to move a boulder. Then, Katsuki felt a gloved hand close on his wrist.

"What the..."

But before he could finish his sentence, his wrist was twisted and he almost hit the ground. Feeling a jolt of electricity through his spine, he twirled to the right, getting free of Deku's hold. Panic exploded in his body.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" he asked.

"What is wrong with me?" Deku finally answered, and Katsuki gaped at the sound of the other's voice.

It was all wrong.

Suddenly, before he could even blink, a burst of green and orange light lit the alley and, a second later, he was hitting the ground, head smacking the hard concrete. He grunted in pain but held it in. When his vision stopped swimming, he met a set of green eyes, and his own went wide. They looked so different, darker, thinner, with a strange glint to them that he couldn't place. 

Wrong.

Katsuki put a hand on the other's arm and let out an explosion hard enough to make him release his hold on him. But to his horror, Deku didn't move. He sneered.

"Haven't changed a bit, still the same little shit."

Before Katsuki could answer, he felt something smash against his left jaw. Light exploded behind his eyelids as he closed them on impact and he felt something crack.

"What are you doing..." he managed to get out before another punch, to the stomach this time, cut the breath out of him.

"I'm doing what I should have done years ago." he heard Deku say.

Unless it wasn't him anymore, something had happened while he had been unconscious. Was it that Matsunaga's quirk? Had he messed up with Deku's head somehow?

"You...you're not right, something happened to you..."

He raised his left hand and, gritting his teeth, let out a more powerful explosion where he thought the other's torso was. The hand gripping his shoulder let go and he heard the other hit the ground. Katsuki got to his feet and held up one hand, to stop the other.

"Deku, you got attacked by that Matsunaga fucker, he did something to you..."

"I don't care." the other said.

This time, the blow he got to the stomach sent him flying and he fell just right at the exit of the street. He could see people walking, oblivious to what was going on, focused on their festive night. Then, Deku was on him again. Hitting him once, twice.

"He freed me. I'm free now."

Somewhere behind them, voices started to rise.

"Ten! Nine! Eight!"

A blow to the stomach.

"I can be who I want." Deku said, face inches from his.

"Don't..."

Another punch to the face, Katsuki could feel himself lose focus.

"Seven! Six! Five! Four!"

"Bakugou!" he heard to his right.

Deku seemed to hear it as well, because he looked towards where the call had come.

"Guess that's my cue to leave."

"Deku..."

Katsuki grabbed the other's arm as he was straightening up and the other looked at him with those weird dark eyes.

He smiled, hair dancing around his face.

"We're not done." he said. "I'll see you soon."

"Three! Two! One! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!"

People around them kissed and hugged, and Katsuki could hear loud Pops of confetti cannons going out. A shower of color fell over them, sticking to the green hair, and the other gave him an amused smile, before bending down. Katsuki raised one hand to protect himself from another attack, but Deku grabbed it and pressed it down, before bending and kissing him softly on the cheek. He then pulled away, face a few inches from his.

"Happy New Year, Kacchan." he whispered softly.

Then, he stood up, letting go of Katsuki's hand, before bending his knees and jumping high in the sky above the blond, disappearing in seconds. Right after, he heard something land next to him.

"Bakugou." It was Todoroki, who came to kneel next to him. "What happened."

"De..." he said.

But before he could say anything else, he felt himself fall into darkness.

Happy New Year everyone! 

Chapter Text

Tamagawa Nissan Hospital, Setagaya city, 4 am.

Even before Katsuki could open his eyes, he let out an annoyed grunt. He could tell he wasn't in his bed, because the mattress he was lying on was too damn soft and the sheets smelled wrong. He couldn't hear the faint buzzing of the heating system and it was way too quiet. Had he fallen asleep in the resting room at the office? It almost never happened, but maybe he had been too tired to go home.

He tried to stretch his legs, but every part of his body loudly protested in return. He let out a hiss and tried to grab the right side of his chest, where a burning sensation was making it hard to breathe. The movement sent a jolt of pain through his entire body.

"Motherfucker!" he yelled in a strangled voice, eyes snapping open.

He took a deep breath and slowly tried to sit down, making sure not to upset his aching body. He looked around and immediately recognized his surroundings. He was at the hospital. He frowned, puzzled. Since he'd moved to Tokyo, he'd been to the hospital a few times for a quick patching up in the Emergency room. What had happened that had landed him in a hospital bed? He tried to think, to jostle his memory. What was the last thing he remembered?

He'd been patrolling with Deku, trailing that guy...Matsunaga. They'd split up, and he had followed Matsunaga, then Deku had joined them,and then...

And then...

He swore again and threw off his sheets before swinging his legs out of the bed. He needed to talk to someone, now. He stood up but his legs gave up on him and he fell on the little table near his bed, knocking a lamp aside, which fell to the floor with a loud thud. The room went dark and he blinked. He straightened again, focusing on his legs and hips, willing them to not wobble as he started to walk to the door. However, before he could take a single step, the door flew open and two people walked inside, making him tense.

"Bakugou! You okay??" he heard and he felt himself relax.

"Turn on the fucking light, Kirishima." he said.

He waited for the click of the light and immediately regretted his request when light flooded his vision and made his head pound harder. He snarled and blinked a few times before turning his eyes back to his two friends. He'd expected Denki to be trailing after the red-haired hero, however, the person who was with Eijirou wasn't Denki.

"The fuck are you doing here?" he snapped, body tensing again.

"We were waiting for you to wake up." Todoroki answered sternly. "What happened?" he asked in a tense voice.

"You should sit down, man. You don't look so good, you were unconscious for several hours." Eijirou said next to him. "Recovery girl is on her way, so you aren't fully healed yet."

Katsuki ignored him. Several hours? Already? What had happened after he'd been out? Had they managed to get Deku? He looked to the right, where the Half and Half bastard was standing. The fact that Todoroki was here meant that something was off. There was no way he'd go out of his way to come to his bedside unless this was important.

"Where's Deku?" He snapped at him.

"I was going to ask you the same question." Todoroki said, seemingly surprised. "When we arrived at the scene, you were barely conscious; you kept saying his name, but he was nowhere to be found. I've been calling him since but got no answer." He frowned. "Bakugou, what happened?"

Katsuki stared at the other for a few seconds, Todoroki was visibly shaken and worried, a look he hadn't seen often in the guy. He was always so composed and calm, something that irked Katsuki, however, now he could see something brewing behind the bi-colored eyes. But again, him and Deku were close...

"I don't know." he said, walking back to his bed in slow and careful steps. "We were trailing that Matsunaga bastard when he met with Sabura..."

"Sabura-san?" Eijirou interjected, leaning in to offer a helping hand, which Katsuki slapped away. "I heard he was also taken to the hospital, Denki found him in the middle of nowhere. He seemed to have lost his mind."

"According to Deku, it was Matsunaga who did something to him." Katsuki said, holding back a sigh in relief upon finally reaching his bed. He tried to stay composed, not wanting the Half-and-Half to see him weakened. "Apparently he can mess with your mind by touching you. We were trying to fight him, but someone else joined and had this crazy quirk that makes you feel like your brain is going to explode. I think it was a woman."

He looked at the fallen lamp, trying to sort through his fuzzy memories. He frowned, but this made the left side of his face ache. He raised a hand to touch it, but caught himself and just let his hand drop back on the bed.

"Deku tried to fight them, but they got him."

He closed his eyes and rubbed his temples as images of Deku flashed behind his eyelids. He pushed back against the jolts of pain he felt with each movement, trying to focus on his memories of the previous night. He had looked so different, eyes more intent, calculating...

Cold.

"And then what?" asked Todoroki, who hadn't moved from his initial position near the door. 

Katsuki didn't know if the other didn't want to look like he was intruding or if he was too shocked to move. Katsuki couldn't care less, not when Deku's voice was ringing inside his head, hard and cutting.

Haven't changed a bit, still the same little shit.

"He got all weird, but not like Sabura." he said, shaking his head slowly. "He attacked me."

From the corner of his eyes, he saw Todoroki jerk up.

"He what?"

"Midoriya did this to you?" he heard Eijirou ask in a strangled voice.

"Yeah, and he didn't hold back." he said, this time fully raising his hand to touch his cheek, knowing he probably had a huge bruise where Deku had punched him.

Kissed him.

"I was too surprised to..."

To fight back.

His hand closed into a fist. He hadn't been able to do anything, too stunned to react. Why? He was a quick thinker and even quicker to react, so why had he frozen in that alley? Why hadn't he tried to beat the other man to a pulp? To stop him?

He looked up at Todoroki, who was still standing in front of him.

"Go check his place, see if he went back there."

The multicolored asshole looked at him silently before answering, matter-of-factly.

"I don't know where he lives."

Katsuki blinked at him.

"What? The fuck are you talking about? What do you mean you don't know where he lives?"

"I have never been to his place."

"Wh...why? Isn't he your..."

"Because I'm not allowed to." Todoroki cut him off.

Katsuki closed his eyes, feeling the beginning of a headache. He knew he'd forbidden the bastard from entering his territory, but it was more of a professional thing, he hadn't expected him to never cross over, especially with Deku living over there! Katsuki didn't have the authority to ban citizens from entering Setagawa, this was the police's jurisdiction. And for all his shouting and fighting, Katsuki did have to go over to the other's area, because that was where the tax office was. He just did it when he knew for sure his two friends were busy patrolling.

"And you don't have his address in his contract or something?" he asked in a tired voice.

"Midoriya signed his contract before moving in here, so it's his mother's address."

"Shit." gritted Katsuki.

So, as they spoke, Deku could be lounging at home, somewhere nearby, and they couldn't do shit about it. Would he, though? Take that risk? The Deku he knew would probably find a more secure place to crash, just in case. But this Deku, the one who'd smiled as he was punching him, who had taunted him, this Deku might think and act differently.

I'm free now. he'd said.

"I don't get it." said Eijirou after a while. "Are you saying that, whatever those people did, they somehow turned Midoriya into a villain?"

Katsuki's eyes snapped back up to lock with his friend's widened eyes. He looked scared.

"Maybe..." Katsuki said in a low voice.

"There is no quirk that turns you into a villain..." Todoroki said, eyes calculating.

"Midoriya..." Eijirou whispered.

But Katsuki wasn't listening anymore. A thought had just crossed his mind, one that was so terrifying that it made his heart beat faster in deep, silent fear. He got up, not listening to the protests of his body, and walked straight up to Kirishima, who startled. But Katsuki didn't care, he didn't have time to explain, couldn't explain, all he could feel were the beats of his panicking heart and the sweat starting to coat his cold skin.

"I need to speak to All Might." he said in a tight voice.

"What? Why?" Eijirou said.

"Not your business, I need to talk to him now!"

He had been so focused on figuring out what had happened that it hadn't crossed his mind until now. And yet, the repercussions could be catastrophic. Because, if what he was thinking was true, and Deku had somehow become a villain...

Then what would happen to One For All?

Somewhere in Setagaya city.

Izuku was flying in the sky, high on adrenaline. He felt strong, awake, and grounded. He leapt toward the sky in a burst of orange and green and closed his eyes, savoring the feeling of freedom and power. He couldn't help the little giggle that escaped his lips.

He zoomed past a local bar, back flipped into the air and, in one final big loop, landed smoothly on a balcony. It was small, barely fitting one clothes hanger and himself. He got down and, in two steps, he was in front of the glass door. He tried the door but it was shut closed. With one small jerk of orange and green, the lock broke and, feeling joyous, Izuku stepped inside his apartment. He didn't have his civilian clothes on him, where his keys were, so he'd resorted to breaking in his own apartment. He let out an amused laugh and closed the glass door behind him, when he felt a buzzing on his left thigh. He fished his phone from his pocket and looked at the name on the screen: Shoto Todoroki. He turned the phone off and dropped it on the sofa.

"Sorry, bestie." he said before turning around.

He walked straight to his bathroom, shedding his hero costume and dropping it on the floor. Then he stepped into the shower and let the warm water wash over him. He felt like he was emerging from a long and dull dream, like he'd been trapped in a lethargy, walking through his life at an agonizingly slow pace, shackled by whatever it was that Matsunaga had freed him from. Now, he felt like he could finally breathe again, like his mind was unclogged, like he could think straight for the first time in forever.

Thanks, Matsunaga, I guess. he thought, rinsing off the shampoo from his head.

He stepped out of the shower, went into his bedroom. A few All Might souvenirs were carefully positioned here and there, his decoration way more sober than when he was younger. He walked to his closet and took a pair of gray pajamas. No All Might embroidered on them, good. He then went to his bed and let himself fall on it. He smiled to himself, thinking of all the new possibilities that were in front of him, but truly, only one of them seemed appealing right now. One he should have taken care of years ago.

He needed to make Katsuki fucking Bakugou suffer, to get back at him for everything he'd done to him during their childhood. He'd been way too soft on the bastard, how had he been so stupid? After all the horrible things that spoiled brat had done to him, he got to become a Pro-Hero?  To have a nice life? And Izuku had never done anything to get back at him, even after getting this amazingly strong quirk? What a fucking joke he'd been, too soft, too emotional. But that was gone now. Now he could finally do what he hadn't been able to do before: all the hate he'd received from the blonde, he was going to give it back. He was going to restore balance between the two of them.

"Whatever it takes." he whispered with a faint smile before falling in blissful sleep.

U.A school, Musutafu, two days later, 5 pm.

Katsuki knocked softly on the wooden door before opening it without waiting for an answer. He entered and closed the door behind him, before walking to the small desk on the other side of the room. He was alone in All Might's office, the older man was probably finishing his last class. Katsuki looked down at the papers covering his former teacher's desk, making out some words here and there. All Might was preparing for the 1st year's annual practical exam, where they were paired up and given a mission. The former hero couldn't participate anymore, his last time had been when Katsuki was in class 1A, where he'd been paired up with Deku.

He felt a wave of unease wash over him and he turned to walk to the window to try and change his train of thought. However, before he could do so, he heard the door behind him open.

"Young Bakugou." he heard a soft voice call behind him.

He turned and his eyes met the two ice blue orbs that were looking at him with a glint of joy and pride. Katsuki never understood how the blond could look at him like that, when he'd been such a brat during his first two years at UA. He'd gotten better during his third year, when he and Deku had managed to find some common ground and learned how to work together. All Might had been so proud then.

All Might walked to him and clapped his hands over the blond's shoulders, his trademark laugh echoing in the room.

"How are you, my dear boy? I hope life in Tokyo is not too hard on you."

He then walked to his desk and sat down, gesturing to the chair near Katsuki, who sat down as well. All Might's face became more serious then.

"I heard that you just got out of the hospital, are you all better?"

Katsuki startled.

"How did you know?"

All Might smiled softly.

"I keep track of my students. I know you work near young Midoriya and young Todoroki's area, I'm glad you three get the chance to work hand in hand. The area needs it after what happened to JetFist and Renova." 

Katsuki felt his insides twist with anguish, and he took a few seconds to collect his thoughts.

"There is something I need to tell you about Deku." he said, eyes coming up to lock with his former teacher's.

But All Might raised his hand to stop him.

"Before you start young Bakugou, I want you to remember what a great team you and young Midoriya can form." All Might interjected. "The work you accomplished together during your third year was all I could ever imagine and hope for."

"All Might..." Katsuki said, head bowed.

"And part of me thought, after seeing how much you both grew out of your former selves...part of me hoped that once you graduated, you'd..."

"Something happened to Deku." Katsuki blurted out.

He couldn't let All Might finish that sentence, not now, maybe not ever.

All Might looked at him, and Katsuki saw fear flicker behind his eyes.

"What? What happened?"

Katsuki looked up at his teacher, his hero, his idol, and for a moment, he thought he wouldn't be able to say it. But he took a breath, squared his shoulders, and continued.

"Deku and I were working on a case, some people are getting kidnapped in Tokyo. We managed to get one of the suspects, but we got attacked and..."

He swiped a weary hand over his face.

"Deku got hurt."

All Might stood up to walk towards the blond.

"Is he okay? I only heard about you getting hurt, I didn't know young Midoriya..."

"I don't know."

All Might looked at him, puzzled. There was a silence, then All Might's voice got dark when he asked his next question.

"Did they take him?"

Katsuki startled, he hadn't thought of this possibility, that maybe the others had followed Deku and abducted him.

"I don't know, don't think so. They...they did something to him, something that changed him. He attacked me, then he just left. He didn't look like himself, he seemed colder, more..."

He started fumbling and looked up at All Might again, doing his best to convey his meaning.

"More cruel."

It took a second for All Might to digest this information, before he straightened up to his full height.

"One For All." he said, and Katsuki nodded, solemnly. 

Izuku's apartment, Setagaya city, 2 am.

When he opened his eyes, it was dark all around him. He tried to move but found his body was enveloped in dark smoke. He tried to talk, but couldn't make a sound. Where the hell was he?

"Midoriya-kun." he heard and his head jerked back up, eyes locking with those of a woman standing in front of him.

She was looking at him, brows furrowed in silent worry.

"Something is wrong." she said, but he could tell she wasn't talking to him.

Izuku blinked, and suddenly, there were people sitting right behind her.

"You okay, kiddo?" a gruff voice said and he turned to look at the man who had walked to stand near the woman.

"I don't think so, Banjo." said the woman. "Something's changed, his aura feels...wrong."

Izuku narrowed his eyes at her, what did she mean by his aura? 

"Something happened to him when that Matsunaga touched him."

He closed his eyes to try and focus. Some of his memories were still a bit blurry, like he'd lived them through someone else. This was not a dream, he knew these people, he'd seen them before. 

They are the previous holders of One for All. His mind supplied.

One for All...What was that again?

It's the power inside of you that All Might gave you.

Ah yes. Now he remembered, All Might had transferred his power to him. Why on Earth had he done that? Why give it to a poor, powerless, useless boy?

"Midoriya-kun." 

"What." he said without thinking and he jerked upon hearing his own voice. 

He could finally talk. He opened his eyes, which landed on a man with long white hair.

That's the first holder. 

"Something is happening outside. Something bad. Whatever happened, you need to fight it, to snap out of it."

"People need you." the woman said.

But he didn't care one bit about what they were saying. He didn't care about what was happening elsewhere, and he sure as hell didn't care about other people. He had just remembered something, a piece of information that was more important than the rest.

"Last night, I used another quirk, that black smoke..."

In his head, he heard the other bastard's voice.

"I never saw you use Black Whip like this." 

"Black Whip. That's your quirk right?" he said to the man, Banjo, standing in front of him.

Banjo looked at him intently before nodding.

"But there are seven of you." Izuku said, eyes wandering behind the man to look at the others. "Meaning seven potential quirks. Can I use them all?"

"No, so far you've only unlocked Black Whip." the woman said.

Izuku wanted to know more, to ask more, but he didn't. If he seemed too eager, he would make them wary of him and he needed them to trust him. If we could get his hands on those seven quirks, combined with One For All, he'd be unstoppable. A small smile started to bloom on his face, but he quickly caught himself and schooled his features into a worried look.

"You're right, all of you. I will do my best to fight this and to find out what happened."

"Whatever happens, you need to protect One For All." the First said.

Deku looked at him, studying him as best he could without looking suspicious. Then, after a few seconds, he nodded. 

"You can count on me."

He woke up with a startle and got up in a swift movement. He walked to his bedroom window and opened it, letting the cool air enter. He took a deep breath, taking in the early morning air, which cleared him mind of any remaining traces of sleep. He walked back to this wardrobe and pulled out some clothes, throwing his pajamas on his bed. He needed to find a way to unlock the remaining quirks without the other holders noticing. He didn't know what the extent of their power was inside of his mind, so it was better to be stealthy. He needed to know more about One For All and the past holders. But how could he do that? The obvious answer would be to go to All Might, but it was safe to assume his former mentor would be one of the first people to know about his transformation. And the guy was always within shouting distance of a pro-hero, so it was safer to stay away from him for now.

He was muttering silently when a sudden thought made him startle as he was putting on his shoes. Who was the next best person to know about One For All, someone who had been there during the time it had taken the quirk to become what it was today? It was very risky, but Izuku felt like taking bets now. He could handle himself even without the other quirks. He smiled, happy with his new plan and opened his door, stepping out in the morning light.

Endeavor Agency Tokyo, 6 pm.

Katsuki was in Todoroki's office, once again standing up next to the window, hands in his pockets. This time, it was more of a defensive stance, not the usual show of non-aggression between people who used their hands for combat. He hated being here, hated that he'd had to walk all the way over here, and hated that he was waiting for the other bastard to finish speaking. Todoroki was standing in front of his desk in his hero costume, ready to take his afternoon shift, but he had asked Katsuki and his team to meet so they could come up with an action plan. Before Katsuki had been able to answer with a Fuck no, Kirishima had eagerly agreed and begged him to tag along. When he'd seen the stubborn look of defiance in the blond's face, Kirishima had sighed.

"Come on dude, it's about helping Midoriya. I know you and him are not in the best place right now, but he's still our friend, you know?"

But the truth was, he didn't know shit. He hadn't known that stupid Deku had left for the US until after he had already integrated Captain fucking Celebrity's agency. One day he'd logged in to their class Facebook page, only to find a post published by Round Face announcing that Deku had made his first catch in Los Angeles. Katsuki had opened the link she'd uploaded, which led to an online article titled Newest Captain Celebrity recruit makes his grand debut!

He'd felt his inside burn with rage, loathing, and a hint of something else, and he'd thrown his phone on the coffee table at his parents' house with a loud Bang. Since that day, he hadn't logged in the group again, not wanting to see the idiot's name or face pop-up in his feed. He didn't know what he'd done over there, but he'd sometimes hear bits of stories during the stupid Class A get together diners Kirishima insisted on attending. How much had Deku changed? How much stronger was he now? His mind flashed back to that evening at the Hero Gala, when Deku had stood in front of the journalists, speaking in an easy tone, like he was used to being in the spotlight. Then he'd turned to him and called him...

"...Bakugou?"

Katsuki's head snapped to the left, his eyes meeting a bi-colored questioning gaze.

"Why the fuck are you asking me?" he snapped, trying to hide his embarrassment at being caught deep in thoughts.

"Because you are the one who knows Midoriya's mom the best. Maybe you can call her and ask for his address."

Katsuki grimaced at the prospect of speaking to Deku's mom. He hadn't spoken to her in years, and he wasn't sure if he could bear to hear her voice right now. Also, what could he tell her without making her suspicious? There was no reason for him to ask her for her son's address when he could ask Deku directly. He didn't want her to know something was wrong. Not now.

"We don't even know if he went back home." he muttered.

"It's best if we rule out that option." Todoroki insisted.

Katsuki knew the other was right, he knew that. But something inside of him was burning slowly, threatening to spill out of his mouth. He felt tired, angry and something else that he couldn't really understand, and the only way he knew how to deal with that was by fighting.

"If you want to call his mom, do it yourself." he told the other defiantly.

That seemed to get a reaction out of Todoroki, who frowned slightly.

"Like I said, you're the..."

"Shouldn't you be super close to your boyfriend's mom?" Katsuki snarled.

Todoroki sent him a puzzled look.

"I haven't spoken to her directly in years, and what do you..."

"Well, neither have I, so I ain't doing it now."

Todoroki paused for a second before frowning again. Next to him, Katsuki could hear Kirishima sigh heavily. Kaminari was silent and not in his field of vision.

"Dude..." Kirishima whispered.

"Why are you behaving like that?" Todoroki asked.

"Like what, Shitface?"

"Like you don't want to help." Todoroki said, taking a step towards him.

Katsuki took that step for a challenge, and he felt the rage take over his body. He straightened up and lifted his head to stare down at the other.

"Maybe I don't want to. Maybe I don't give a shit about Deku and his newfound villainy!"

"Dude!" Kirishima warned.

But Katsuki was too far gone for that to have any kind of effect.

"Then why are you here?" Todoroki enquired.

"Because fucking Shitty Hair dragged me over."

"You could have refused to come. I assume you being here means you care about Midoriya."

This time, Katsuki heard Kaminari make a strangled sound, but he didn't care. His ears started to ring and he felt his hands start to sweat inside of his pockets.

"Oh yeah? Well watch me fucking leave."

He turned and walked towards the door in rapid steps.

"Dude, come on!" Kirishima called behind him.

"Bakugou, don't go!" Kaminari whined.

"Shut up." he gritted, almost in front of the door.

"Let him go." Todoroki said, catching his attention. "I'll call Midoriya's mother and lead this project. We don't necessarily need him."

At these words, Katsuki stopped, his right hand hovering above the door handle. He turned his head slowly to glare at the Half and Half bastard.

"What did you say?" he said in a dark voice.

"I said we don't really need you." Todoroki said, not fully facing him. "We three can continue to investigate, and I will ask my team to look for him. You can go."

Katsuki felt a shudder travel his whole body and he turned fully. 

"Fuck you. You think you can handle this shitshow without me? That you can find Deku without me?"

"Yes, I think it's fair to say that him and I are closer than you two, so I can try and find him with my knowledge of him and his habits." Todoroki said, still not looking at him.

Katsuki walked back to stand right in front of him, but the other didn't flinch and looked at him with a calm coldness. Still, Katsuki could see a hint of annoyance in the other's eyes.

"You think you know a damn thing about me and Deku? Whatever he's told you, whatever you think you know, it doesn't bring you any closer to understanding a fucking thing about us. "

His chest was heaving. The bastard thought that because him and Deku were joined at the hip lately, that he knew what Katsuki and the green-hair man had gone through? What they had shared? What they had lost? Did he even know about One For All? Katsuki didn't think so, otherwise he'd have come to him or All Might with the same fear that had gnawed at Katsuki's guts for the past two days. As much as it killed him to say, he knew the other was smart enough to make the connection. So if Deku hadn't felt comfortable sharing this with him...

"I don't understand you Bakugou." Todoroki asked, taking another step towards him. "You say you hate him, that you don't want to help him, but whenever someone mentions him, you seem to lose your temper. Why do you always get so worked up whenever it's about Midoriya?" 

This was the last straw for Katsuki, who quickly grabbed the other by his collar. Behind him, he could hear his friends call his name, but Todoroki raised his hands to stop them. Katsuki hated him even more.

"What the fuck did you say to me?" he seathed.

"Whenever one of us talks about him, you seem to lose control." the other answered, seemingly unperturbed. "I don't understand how you can be so on edge when talking about him and still tell us you don't ca..."

Katsuki moved so fast that nobody had the time to react. He just needed him to shut up and stop talking about him and Deku, to stop looking at him with those empty eyes. He threw his right hand in a wide arc and aimed an explosion at the other's face. The blast he caused pushed him backwards, but he straightened himself quickly and he lifted his head on time to see a hand coming out of the smoke, also aiming for his head. 

"Fuck." he grunted, only managing to dodge because Todoroki couldn't see him through the smoke and aim properly.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Todoroki emerge from the smoke and turn to face him. The left side of his hair was standing up where Katsuki's blast had hit. The blond had aimed for that side, knowing the other wouldn't get burned from the heat of his explosion. During their second year at U.A, they'd spared together a few times, and had discovered that Todoroki could handle most of his low-power explosions when they were aimed at his left side. This was probably due to his fire abilities in this area, and Todoroki had looked as surprised as him at the discovery. Now, he looked really pissed, looking at him with fire in his eyes. Katsuki felt a wave of pride and apprehension at the sight.

"Guys, stop it!" Kirishima yelled!

"Shut up, Kirishima!" Katsuki snapped.

"Stay out of this." Todoroki said in a tight voice. "I think it's time someone put him in his place."

Todoroki had just finished his sentence that Katsuki was running towards him again, both hands out, ready to strike.

"Put me in my place, huh? Let me see you fucking try!"

Katsuki aimed another blast at the other, who raised his right arm to block with some ice, but Katsuki dodged at the last minute and hit him with his other hand. Todoroki was able to block most of the attack but was still thrown against his desk. He looked up at Katsuki, eyes filled with barely suppressed anger.

"I'm tired of your attitude." he said through gritted teeth. "I'm trying to help someone I care about, but you only think of yourself!"

"Stop talking like you know shit about me!"

This time, they both raised their arms, ready to strike at each other, Katsuki was going to put more strength into this blast, and this time he aimed for the other's right side. Todoroki raised his left hand, and they both met in a powerful blast, making the sofas behind him slide on the floor. Katsuki coughed and tried to back away to put some distance between them both, but found he couldn't move. He felt an iron grip on his right arm and frowned. When the smoke dissipated, he saw a hand tightly closed around his, skin cracked and unnaturally hard.

Kirishima had somehow put himself between them at the last minute, taking the force of their attack. He was holding Todoroki's right hand in his left one, and Katsuki's wrist with the other. Some of his hardened skin fell off from both his chest and torso, but he just gritted his teeth and looked up, first at Katsuki, then at Todoroki, his red eyes burning with anger.

"What the hell are you two doing?" he said in a tight voice.

"Let me fucking go!" Katsuki grunted, pulling on his hand, but the other didn't budge.

"NO!" Kirishima screamed in his face, and the blond felt himself freeze.

"Kirishima..." Todoroki said in a much calmer voice.

"No! I'm sick of this! Sick of you two fighting!" Kirishima yelled, still holding them by the wrist. "I don't know why you guys have never been able to be friends, but it all seemed to be going well during our last year of school. And now it's all gone to shit again, and I can't stand it!"

"Kirishima." Katsuki called, feeling something drop in the pit of his stomach.

His friend had always been so understanding of him, of his temper, of his anger. He never tried to change him, to make him fit to society's standards. He knew Katsuki was a rude piece of shit and liked him for it. So for him to get to this state meant something. Something Katsuki couldn't ignore.

"No." Kirishima answered, in a calmer but unwavering voice. "Todoroki is right, we need to help Midoriya, he's our friend. If the villains did something to him and he hurts someone, how do you think he'll feel when he's back to normal?"

Katsuki stared at his friend, unable to answer. He had been so focused on One For All and on the bigger threat, that he hadn't thought of that at all. If somehow Deku ended up hurting someone, or worse...how would he feel after they managed to save his ass? Katsuki knew perfectly the answer to this question and he felt a shiver run down his spine. Deku would never be the same, he'd think of himself as unworthy of being a hero, he'd lose himself in a never-ending spiral of self loathing and punishment.

"Whatever this is about, put a lid on it." Kirishima said, finally letting go of their hands. "Until all of this is sorted and Midoriya is safe. Then we'll deal with you two."

Katsuki took a step back and looked away, the acid taste of shame and resentment filling his mouth. He wanted to massage his wrist but didn't want to show the others that Kirishima had hurt him. He knew the other would end up apologizing, and found he didn't want him to.

"What do you suggest we do then?" Todoroki said, turning away from Katsuki.

"I have an idea." Kirishima said, skin going back to normal. "Denki and I were talking about it earlier and he said something about Sabura-san."

Kirishima turned to Denki, who was still standing a few steps away, looking wildly between Katsuki and Todoroki. He startled when all eyes settled on him.

"Ah...uh, yes. So, when I found him, he was saying weird stuff that sounded completely random. But now I wonder..."

"What was he saying?" Todoroki asked.

"He was talking about needing to go somewhere, that his family needed him."

"So? That doesn't seem weird to me." Katsuki said, walking towards the window, away from the others.

"Sabura doesn't have a family." Kirishima answered, which made the blond stop. "His entire family died during the Hiroshima bombing in 1945. Only his mother survived and gave birth to him a few months later. He never married and didn't have kids, so he's the last on his name. He doesn't have any living family members."

"And where did he say he was going?" Todoroki asked, curious.

"I don't remember." Denki said. "But he was heading somewhere, I had to restrain him until the ambulance arrived."

"Maybe wherever he was going has a link to those villains." Kirishima said, turning to Katsuki, who frowned.

"Or maybe he's just batshit crazy. Maybe he said those things because Matsunaga messed up his mind."

From what he'd heard about the older man, it seemed like his brain had been impacted and he couldn't form coherent thoughts. Was Kirishima reaching?

"It doesn't hurt to check." Denki said, shrugging. "Right now he's the only witness we have, we should at least talk to him to find out if he does know something."

Sabura's testimony would indeed be valuable if they could get anything from him, and since he had talked to Matsunaga before getting hit by his quirk, maybe he knew where the victims were taken to? Kirishima was right, they needed to start somewhere, and right now this was their only lead. They needed to act fast, they needed to find Deku before he did something stupid, like hurting someone, or worse...

"Which hospital is he at?" Katsuki asked.

Tamagawa Nissan Hospital, Setagaya city, 8pm.

He tried to land as silently as possible, his feet barely making a sound as they touched the glistening tiles of the white floor. He crouched to the ground, looking around swiftly to make sure no-one was there before slowly getting back up. He could feel the cold air caress his back from the open window behind him as he started walking towards the bed on the other side of the room. Once he reached it, his eyes looked down at the silhouette lying asleep in a hospital gown. The white sheets were pulled all the way up to his chin, making him feel like a kid afraid of the dark. The only thing visible was his wrinkled face and gray hair, which gave him a vulnerable look. As if on cue, a pair of gray eyes opened, looking slightly dazed. After a few seconds, they settled on the newcomer and seemed to focus.

"Are you a doctor?" the old man asked in a cracked voice.

He gave what he hoped was a reassuring smile.

"No, I'm a hero." he whispered.

The old man blinked several times.

"Really? What's your name?"

"My name is..."

He stopped, his mouth closing in a thin line. His hero name was Deku, but there was no way he could keep this name, not with the heavy history it held. What had he been thinking, taking that for a name? The more he thought about some of the decisions he took in the past, the angrier it made him. Deku was the personification of that poor, useless boy that Katsuki fucking Bakugou had hated so much. It was a reminder of all the times he'd been kicked, punched, and burned by the blond, of all the hours he'd spent locked in a cupboard, in the toilets, waiting for the other to leave so he could be safe. It was a burning mark etched in the deepest part of his soul, so why on Earth would he take that as his hero name?

"It's Izuku." he answered curtly.

The old man tried to sit down, but something seemed to hold him, pinning him to his bed. Izuku took the bedsheet and raised it slightly, and he could see that the other's hands were tied to the bed. Probably some security measure to make sure he didn't hurt himself or try to escape. He remembered finding the guy in that dark alley and how lost he had seemed.

"Can you help me find my family?" the old man asked in a slurred voice.

Izuku's eyes darted back to his face and he smiled again.

"Of course I can, do you know where they are?"

When he'd found Sabura, the older man was clearly trying to go somewhere. If what he remembered about the case was correct, then there was a possibility that, after attacking them with his mind quirk, Matsunaga could somehow send his victims somewhere, probably so that he wouldn't be caught with them. That would explain why they never saw him come back to Todoroki's area, he could just control them and send them wherever he wanted. But then, why hadn't this worked on Izuku? 

"I'm not sure, I was told...told..." the other stuttered.

"What?" he asked, bending forward to hear better.

"I'm not sure..."

"That man you were talking to at the restaurant, did he give you an address? A specific place?"

"No...Maybe? He said..."

Izuku tried to hide the frustration that was starting to build in. He put his hands on each side of the older man's face, forcing him to face him, their eyes locking.

"Focus, try to focus Sabura-san, what did he say?"

The old man looked at him, eyes still unfocused.

"Close your eyes." Izuku said. "This will help you focus, I need you to focus Sabura-san."

The other man closed his eyes and frowned. After a few seconds of muttering nonsense, he blurted out:

"He said to follow the eight fiery stars." 

"The eight stars? What does that mean?" Izuku asked, eyes intent.

"He said...he said the stars would show the way..."

What was he talking about, what stars? He did a quick calculation, all 22 missing people had disappeared at different dates, every time, the sky had looked different and the moon had been in different stages. Besides, Tokyo was such a bright city that it was almost impossible to see the stars at night, and even if they could, how did Matsunaga expect people with no astronomy knowledge to find a place using the stars?

This doesn't make sense. 

"Are you sure that's all he said? Think!" he said, jerking the other's head.

Sabura opened his eyes and looked at Izuku with watery eyes, filled with fear and confusion.

"Yes! Yes! Follow the eight fiery stars!" Sabura started to scream. "Follow the stars! Follow the..."

If he kept screaming like that, someone was bound to come and check on him. Izuku needed to leave before he was found.

"Shuush! It's okay Sabura-san, it's okay. You did good."

He waited until the other had calmed down before continuing.

"Thank you for your help. I will take it from here."

Sabura blinked at him.

"Are you going to help me find my family now?"

Izuku removed his hands from the old man's face and nodded.

"Yes."

He then took a deep breath and clapped both hands on the old man's nose and mouth. Sabura's eyes shot wide open, and his hands tried to come up to hold onto him, but the bindings on his bed made that impossible. All he could do was wriggle widdly in his bed as Izuku pushed him back, putting his entire weight on the palm of his hands, sealing the other's airway shut. He couldn't let the old man live, not if what he'd told him contained any information that could lead him to Matsunaga and the others. He didn't want anyone to follow him, to find him, not until he was done with this part of his plan.

"I'm sorry about this, Sabura-san, but don't worry, I will keep my end of the deal and reunite you with them."

The old man kept thrashing, screaming in the palm of Izuku's hand, but he was no match. Izuku didn't even have to use One For All to hold the other man down. It didn't take long before Sabura's movements became sluggish, until finally, his arms fell back on the bed and his body stopped moving.

Suddenly, Izuku could hear footsteps in the corridor. Someone was coming their way, he only had a few seconds to escape.

"Goodnight, Sabura-san." Izuku whispered, eyes glistening in the dark.

He quickly turned around and, as fast and silently as he'd come in, he climbed on the window and jumped into the already darkened sky. His first jump got him on the rooftop of the opposite building, and he turned to watch as the light of the room he'd just left turned on. From his position, he couldn't see who had come in, nor could he hear the yells of the nurses, who probably had just discovered the dead body of Sabura Yuiichiro. He turned his back on the hospital, his mind already focused on the next step. He needed to find those eight fiery stars so they could point them to the right location, where he'd find Matsunaga and his friends.

Where hopefully he'd find some answers.

Chapter Text

Setagaya Memorial Hospital, 8pm

A hush came over the room when Katsuki pushed through the door, walking inside of a packed hospital hall. He walked with his usual fierce, unyielding presence, his footsteps steady and sure, the heavy clack of his boots echoing in the quiet corridor. As he moved, the atmosphere seemed to shift. Nurses and doctors paused mid-conversation, their eyes instinctively turning to him. Patients, too, couldn't help but glance up from their beds or wheelchairs. Ground Zero didn’t need to do much to command attention, it was just the way he carried himself. There was a sharpness to him, an unspoken confidence that made it clear he was no ordinary hero. But he didn't acknowledge any of the people present, already used to this kind of attention. He was the top hero of Setagawa, and quite famous already, so he knew how he looked, especially in his hero costume. He kept his head high, eyes focused in front of him as he walked purposefully toward the main desk, where a young man was looking at him in awe.

"Ground Zero! Wha...What are you doing here? Are you hurt? No, you don't look hurt, otherwise you wouldn't be strolling in from the front door..."

The young man had short black hair that clashed with his white coat. His cheeks were pink with embarrassment and he couldn't seem to be able to look at Katsuki for more than a few seconds before bowing his head shyly. His green eyes locked with Katsuki's, who glared at him in return.

"Ahhh I'm sorry! I talk too much when I'm nervous...which I am... because it's you..."

The young man turned a deeper shade of red, scratching his head nervously, and Katsuki was reminded of another green-eyed man who liked to mumble when he was nervous. He stomped hard on the memory and his eyes got even harder. Now was not the time, he was here for a reason.

"I need to see Yuiichiro Sabura. What room is he in?"

"Sabura?" The young man looked down for a moment to type the name in his computer. "Oh yes, the old man with incoherent speech. He's in the psych ward on the 7th floor, room 329."

Katsuki turned to the left, where he knew three elevators were located at the far end of the hall, right behind a double panel door.

"I'm a fan!" he heard behind him, but just gritted his teeth and kept walking.

People around him stepped to the side to let him through, sending quick glances his way. He kept walking, not sparing them a glance. He knew he had a reputation of being rude and prompt to outbursts, so people usually left him alone. He only got approached by younger people and fans, and would usually throw a snarky comeback at them, which they always seemed to enjoy for some reason.

He took the elevator to the 7th floor and, upon walking out, checked the metallic map that was fixed to the wall. Room 329 was the fifth door to his right. He looked around, the corridors were silent, so much so that he could hear his own breathing. He felt a wave of unease run through him; Several months ago, he'd had to fight a villain with a quirk that allowed her to manipulate people with certain types of mental illness. Katsuki and Kirishima had had to fight their way out of a room full of people who had been doing their best to try and kill them. It was only thanks to Kaminari that they had been able to get out of there without hurting anyone. Dumb Face had zapped everyone in the area in one go, using just enough electricity to put everyone to sleep in a matter of seconds. Kirishima had been uneasy for a week after this.

Katsuki took two steps to the right, before stopping. He'd heard something. He took another step, standing before the door of room 325, and closed his eyes, listening. If he'd been in any other floor, he probably wouldn't have caught it, but in the silence of the 7th floor, it was easy to hear even the smallest noise. He moved to the door marked Room 326 and pressed his ear to the wooden surface, but heard nothing strange. Then, as he was walking to the next door feeling annoyed, he heard it again. It was faint and slightly muffled, but he could definitely hear it. 

And it seemed to be coming from room 329. 

Katsuki felt a shiver run down his spine and, before he could think of anything, he started running. He didn't know why, but he could feel that something was off. He arrived in front of the door and kicked it. The door burst open with a loud sound and banged on the wall. The air felt heavy, too still, as if the space itself was holding its breath. The sterile scent of disinfectant mixed with something faintly off, and the silence felt suffocating. Katsuki stood in the doorway, a gnawing unease twisting in his gut. The light was off, and the room was eerily quiet, but something about it didn’t sit right. His instincts, sharp as a blade, were screaming at him that something was wrong. He raised a hand in front of him, ready to attack in case he got jumped.

"Who's here?" he barked, taking a careful step in.

He quickly noted the open window, before turning to the bed, and he froze. Sabura was on the bed, sheet thrown aside and revealing his bound wrists. Even in the dark, he could see the marks the leather had made on the pale skin, like the old man had tried to free himself. His face was red, his eyes opened wide, his mouth stuck in what looked like a silent scream.

"No!" Katsuki shouted before running to the man.

He put two fingers underneath his jaw, checking for a pulse, and found none. However, the skin was still warm under his fingers. Whoever had done that had just fled the room, probably when they'd heard Katsuki in the corridor. He turned to the window, his eyes wildly checking the sky for a fleeing silhouette. If he jumped through the window now, he might have a chance at catching them. He turned back to Sabura and swore under his breath, before putting his joined hands on the old man's chest.

"Don't fucking die on me." he said, starting CPR.

He pumped hard, only stopping to bend down and perform mouth-to-mouth. 

"Shit, shit. Stay with me old man!"

He alternated between 30 compressions and 2 sets of breathing, then took a few seconds to press the call button located above Sabura's head. Katsuki resumed CPR until he heard footsteps in the corridor.

"Don't die, don't you fucking die." he kept muttering.

"Sabura-sa...what is going on?!" he heard to his right and he lifted his head to see a nurse run towards him.

"Somebody attacked him, he was in cardiac arrest, here, replace me." he said before turning around and running towards the window.

"What...Wait!" yelled the nurse.

But Katsuki wasn't listening anymore, his blood was burning beneath his skin, his own heart beating fast, eager to chase after the bastard who'd done that. He jumped on the small table that was right under the window and propelled himself out. He quickly scanned the area for anything suspicious but couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. Shit, had this Matsunaga bastard sent someone to off Sabura? Why? What did the old man know that was worth killing him for? Katsuki landed on the building facing the hospital and turned around. He briefly caught sight of the window from which he'd just launched, but didn't linger on it, looking around him frantically. But whoever had done that had vanished without leaving a single trace.

"Fuck!" He snarled, hitting the edge of the rooftop with his boot. "Fuck this shit!"

What the hell was going on? Who were these guys? What were they doing to those people?

What had they done to Deku?

He looked around one last time, eyes sweeping over the sea of buildings and houses that made the city of Setagawa. Somewhere in one of those houses was Deku. What was he up to? What was he going to do now that he was a totally different person? Had he hurt someone? 

Was he hurt?

Katsuki snarled again and shook his head. He needed to keep his focus, to find out what was happening and find Matsunaga and his allies. And then, he'd find stupid Deku and turn him back to his useless sniveling self before he did something stupid.

Katsuki made a sound of frustration, then, wasting no time, he jumped into the dark sky again, determined to find some fucking answers.

Somewhere in Shinjuku, 11 pm

Izuku tugged on the hems of his dark blue hood, trying to blend in the sea of people who were flooding the streets of Shinjuku on Saturday night. If his memories were correct, it was Aki's turn to patrol the area, so he needed to keep a low profile. It still felt weird to him when he tried to remember things, like he was watching someone else's memories through a glass. He shook his head, focusing back on his surroundings. He had been walking for hours and he had only covered half of the area he was searching. He couldn't stay in the sky for too long without attracting attention, since only heroes were allowed to use their quirk. Besides, people would instantly recognize him by the streak of green and orange light that trailed behind him. Aki was a quick thinker and good observer, making a move during his shift was dangerous, but he didn't have a choice. He'd been looking for those Fiery stars for two whole weeks now, with no luck. He wasn't even sure of what he was really searching for: was it a building? A park? Was it in Shinjuku? Setagawa? Nakano? It didn't make sense for it to be anywhere else, given that the activities of Matsunaga seemed to be centralized in these three areas.

"Look, it's Aki and Shouto!" he heard someone yell in front of him.

He pivoted to the right, pretending to look inside a clothes shop, only to be met with his own cartoonish smiling face embroidered on a t-shirt. He froze, hands in his pockets, waiting for the two man to walk past him.

"...need to check with her. She said she's close." he faintly heard Shouto say.

"I want to go." Aki answered quickly, the tone of his voice leaving no room for objection.

"Aki, we don't know if..."

But the rest of the conversation got drowned in the excited chatters of the crowd. For a second, Izuku thought about following them, this was a good opportunity to know what they were up to. But this was too dangerous, even for him, so he waited a few more seconds before turning and walking in the opposite direction. He walked for hours, checking restaurants, streets names and maps. After a while, he entered a small alley, checked that nobody was there and, in a flash of green light, he propelled himself on the roof of a business building. He was surprised to find the rooftop so bright he took a few steps back. He looked up and froze. In front of him was a huge billboard with Katsuki Bakugou's face on it. He looked like he was scowling at the city, features stuck in his eternal angry signature expression. Izuku's fist closed in response, and he felt the power of One For All gather there, but then he shook his head, flexing his hand. The last thing he needed was to bring attention to himself right now by smashing a billboard in the middle of the city. Instead, he extended his arm to touch the frame, eyes intent.

"You've got such a good life, Kacchan." he whispered. "It's so fucking unfair."

He turned to look at the city. From the rooftop, Shinjuku sprawled out like a glittering sea of lights, the city pulsing with energy beneath a canopy of stars barely visible through the smog. The neon signs flickered and flashed, casting hues of red, blue, and green across the streets, while the constant flow of people and cars below seemed almost like a living organism, never stopping, never slowing down. His eyes landed on a red glow not far from where he was standing: the restaurant where Sabura and Matsunaga had met. He had gone there last week, but hadn't come in, afraid that people would recognize him. A sudden thought came to him: what if the answers where there?

He jumped down again, walking fast to mix with the flow of walking people in the overcrowded street. He needed to find a way to get in that restaurant.

But not as Hero Deku.

Ground Zero Agency, Setagaya, 5 am.

Katsuki was bent over his desk, holding several papers in each hand, deep in focus. The room was dark, the only source of light emanating from the bent bucket foot lamp on his left. He was muttering to himself in a low voice, only pausing to scribble a few notes on one of the papers, before setting it on one of the two piles in front of him. He had only stripped the top half of his hero costume, his mask resting on his spiky hair.

Behind him, Kirishima was getting dressed, readying himself to start his shift. The red-haired man was throwing quick glances towards his friend, unsure of whether or not he should talk. After a few minutes, as he was zipping up his boots, he heard Katsuki sigh.

"Fucking talk already."

He could feel Kirishima jolt at his snappy comment, probably because he hadn't spoken to either of his friends in days. After the incident at the hospital, Katsuki had started looking into anything that was remotely connected to their case: he'd gone over each file, each missing report, he'd done background research on every one of the missing people. Todoroki's agency had already done that before they'd decided to follow Matsunaga, but Katsuki wanted to do his own research. Kirishima and Kaminari were doing their best to help him, but he had been doing most of it on his own, and only slept or ate when his two friends pestered him about it. Those two didn't understand, every day that went by meant the possibility of someone else getting kidnapped, it meant the possibility for Deku to do something stupid, for him to give in to the sudden darkness that seemed to have inhabited him. Neither Kaminari nor Kirishima knew Deku like Katsuki did, they didn't know how far the green-eyed man could go when he set himself on a given path. Once he was sure of something, he went all the way, and nobody could change his mind.

And with the power of One For All at his disposal, almost nobody could stop him.

Only Katsuki knew how dangerous Deku could become if they didn't get to him as soon as possible. All Might was calling him every day, eager for some news, and everyday, Katsuki had to tell their mentor that he hadn't found his successor yet. And every time he'd have to listen to his idol's cracked voice as he thanked him for trying.

It was unbearable.

"Nothing, man. I was just..."

The other was struggling to find his words, which only made Katsuki feel worse. He hated it when people got awkward with him, and one of the things he liked about Kirishima was that he never tiptoed around him. Since they'd became friends at U.A, Kirishima had been the only one to find the right balance when it came to him; He knew when to push and when to let go. And right now, Katsuki could tell he was struggling to decide on which approach he should use.

"You just what?! Fucking spit it out Kirishima, I don't have time." he said, waving the papers at him.

Kirishima sighed.

"Just, are you okay man? You seem really withdrawn since the hospital incident."

Katsuki tensed.

"I'm fine." he grunted.

"Man, you don't look fine." Kirishima said, walking towards him. "I mean, we're all super worried about Midoriya and we're doing our best to find him, but you...you look worse."

Katsuki felt a hand on his shoulder. It spoke volumes of the bond he shared with the man that Katsuki didn't shrug away from the touch.

"You know it wasn't your fault, right? You didn't let Midoriya escape."

And that was it. The cord that he didn't want touched. The subject he wanted to avoid at all costs. And his friends knew it, of course they did, everyone seemed to know just how much he did not want to talk about it. And yet, for some twisted reason, nobody seemed to let that go, not even Icy-Hot.

"Whenever one of us talks about him, you seem to lose control."

Without realizing, he got up, his inside burning with rage and a twinge of something else. Kirishima took a step back, surprised by the sudden movement. Katsuki turned to glare at him.

"Oh really? Not my fault? Then who’s fucking fault was it?!" Katsuki spat. "You weren't there, you don't know how..."

Katsuki raised one hand to tug at his already messy hair.

"He tried to fuckin warn me..."

"We need to attack together!"

"I think I know who's behind this, we need to capture him."

But Katsuki hadn't listened, he'd been so angry at him, so bitter and determined to show the other man that he didn't need him, that he was better alone. Ever since Deku had reappeared in his life, it was like he'd reverted back to his 15-year-old self: he'd been driven by his anger and resentment. And now, because of him...

"Because of me, he's gone!" He yelled at Kirishima. "Because I was too fucking stunned to react properly! And now... Now he could be fucking anywhere, hurting people as we speak, or worse! And all I can do right now is look through these fucking papers!"

He grabbed the two piles of papers and threw them at Kirishima, who disappeared in a shower of photos, birth certificates and bank accounts. When he reappeared, Kirishima looked at him like he wanted to hug him. This time, Katsuki would punch him in the face if he tried.

"Katsuki." Kirishima said, walking around the papers thrown on the floor. "It's not your fault. I know you think it is, because you're always so hard on yourself, but it's not. How could you have known that was going to happen?"

"I didn't." Katsuki answered bitterly. "That's why I should have been more careful. I was..."

Stupid. Reckless. Jealous.

Hur-

"What you're doing now is not really smart either." Kirishima said, and Katsuki looked up to throw him a seething glare. "Overworking yourself will do more harm than good."

"Then what am I supposed to do, wait until he kills someone?" 

"I think if he wanted to do that, he would have already."

Katsuki sighed and bent down to get the papers back into a neat pile. He would have to sort them all over again now, what a pain. He was holding the bank history of two different victims, when he froze. His eyes went over the papers again, and he got up with a jolt.

"What is it?" Kirishima asked, still gathering papers.

Katsuki didn't answer, he looked at the account number written on the paper in his right hand, then the one on the paper in his left hand. It was the same account number, both victims had deposited money to the same account, several weeks before they vanished.

"Katsuki?"

"Shut up. Help me find the bank history for all the victims." Katsuki said, walking back to his desk.

His heart was beating fast in his chest, but he tried to calm down, not wanting to get his hopes up. But part of him knew, that he may have found something, because, if he could find the same account number in all of the bank history papers, then it could be the beginning of a lead.

Sushidokoro Kiraku restaurant, Setagaya city, 10 pm.

As Izuku stepped through the restaurant’s grand entrance, there was an almost tangible shift in the air, a subtle yet undeniable sense of attention as he entered. His posture was impeccable, shoulders squared, head held high, exuding a quiet confidence that drew eyes without him needing to try. His tailored suit moved with him seamlessly, the fabric catching the soft light as he walked across the polished floor. His blue eyes scanned the room with an assured calm, as though he was perfectly at ease in this world of fine dining and high society. His blond hair, neatly styled, were standing out just enough to make him memorable without disrupting the elegance of his appearance. 

He had spent the day shopping for this undercover mission, spending half of his salary on this suit and a good quality wig. Then, he'd spent an hour in his bathroom styling it and making it look as natural as possible, something he'd learned in the US, when he'd done his one and only undercover mission. He'd had no problem putting on his contacts, but he'd had to try three times before being able to use the foundation he'd bought correctly. He had used the sponge the lady at the cosmetic shop had suggested, and gently dabbed his face, covering the freckles there. When he'd stood up in front of his mirror, he hadn't been able to hide a satisfied smile.

He could tell that people were intrigued by his presence here, Izuku's appearance seemed to have attracted the attention of all of them, and he caught several interested glances as he was walking towards the host stand, where a well-dressed hostess greeted him with an elegant smile.

"Good evening, sir, do you have a reservation?"

"Yes." he said in a calm voice. "The name is Yamamoto."

The woman looked down at her tablet to look for his name, and Izuku took the time to look at her. She looked like she was in her mid-forties, her features were sharp and well-defined, giving her a timeless, composed appearance. Her skin was fair, almost porcelain, and her dark hair was neatly pulled back into a simple, elegant chignon, revealing a long, graceful neck. When she looked back up at him, her eyes were a piercing gray, intense and observant, giving her a cool, almost distant air. 

"Your table is ready, sir." she said, gesturing for him to follow her.

He walked behind her to a small table and sat down. A few seconds later, the waitress came back and gave him a brand new looking grey menu; the heavy, finely textured pages had a soft sheen, and, when he opened it, each dish was described in precise detail, almost like an art form in itself. Before he could look at it in details, the waitress spoke.

"For appetizers, may I recommend the Tartare of Ahi Tuna. It's fresh, clean, and enhanced with yuzu and sesame. We also offer a Foie Gras en Croûte, a classic paired with fig compote and microgreen. For something more daring, the Miso-Glazed Octopus, with its smoky-sweet glaze and a sharp kick from the pickled daikon."

Izuku looked back up at her. This really looked delicious, and part of him wanted to try that Miso-glazed octopus, but he closed the menu, looking back up at her. He thought quickly; there was no way this was just an ordinary restaurant, but if there was more to this, then he needed to act like he already knew. The secretive aura around this place suggested whatever was going on here wasn't displayed in plain sight. He chanced a quick glance behind the waitress at the other tables, looking desperately for a clue, for something that would help him, but everything looked normal. Then, as he was about to look back at her, he saw it, at the table nearest the bar: a simple detail, so small, that it was easy to miss it. He wasn't sure this was something worth mentioning, but he didn't have anything else to work on.

"I'm sure this is all delicious, but I'd like to have a look at the other menu." he dared. 

He didn't elaborate, mainly because he didn't know how to approach this or even if he was in the right decision. What he had seen on the other table was another kind of menu, smaller and less pristine than the one he was holding. But the person holding it was looking at it with an air of wonder and excitement that didn't match what he had seen in the one handed to him.

The hostess seemed taken aback and her posture slightly changed, she stood up straight and looked at him with her calculating grey eyes. Izuku knew there was something going on in this very exclusive restaurant, but he didn't know more. One misstep could put him in a dire situation, and he didn't want to blow his cover. If words came out of Pro Hero Deku being on a mission in this restaurant, then Ground Zero and Shouto would definitely be on his trail. He'd been lucky so far that they still hadn't been able to pinpoint his location, but he knew that eventually, he would be found. 

"Who is your sponsor?" she asked.

Izuku felt his heart plummeted. He had planned this to a certain point and, from what he had observed these past days, he had assumed that he may need a certain keyword to enter, but not this. What she meant was that he needed a regular client to invite him in. So there was something going on here. He tried to stay still and composed as he frantically searched for a name, any name. And then, before he could stop himself, he said:

"Sabura-san sponsored me."

The hostess raised a dubious eyebrow, and Izuku swore internally. This was too much of an obvious choice for him to pick, Sabura was well-known. A sense of dread went down his spine, did she know that Sabura was dead?

"Really? I heard he was at Tamagawa Nissan Hospital." she said.

Izuku held back a smirk, seeing the clear trap there. If he hadn't gone to kill Sabura, he would probably have fallen for this.

"Actually, he was at Setagaya Memorial Hospital." he corrected, happy to see something flash in her piercing gaze. "I went to visit him a few weeks ago." He shook his head, looking saddened. "What happened to him shocked us all."

She looked at him for a moment, and the intensity of her stare made Izuku briefly wonder if she didn't have a mind-reading quirk. If she did, he was really done for. However, after a few seconds, she put a hand inside of her apron and got a smaller, meticulously crafted menu, which she carefully put on the table. His heart skipped a beat: it looked like the one he'd seen at the other table.

"Please let me know when you've made your choice." she said, before bowing low and walking away.

Izuku held back a sigh of relief, then took the heavy leather menu and opened it. The finely textured pages had a soft sheen, and each section was handwritten with a beautiful calligraphy. There were only four dishes, and no description for either of them.

Appetizers

Jeux d'enfants

Entree

Main de Fer

Main dish

Femme fatale

Desert

Etoiles ardentes

Izuku had no idea what any of this meant. He tried to school his expression, not wanting to show his surprise in case someone was observing him. What was that? None of these looked like dish names. He didn't know French, but could understand a few words: Femme meant Woman, and Enfants meant Kids. That was it. What could they mean by that? If this wasn't food, what could it be? Weapons? He quickly went over all the facts he had gathered so far. He knew Matsunaga was part of a group that kidnapped people and somehow brainwashed them. Izuku hypothesized that Matsunaga could mess with people's brain and probably control them, to a certain extent. His best guess was that he could give people a push, an idea, or a strong feeling to do something. That's why he'd found Sabura wandering on his own. He was going somewhere, but something must have gone wrong when Matsunaga used his quirk on him, because the old man had been totally confused. Only when Izuku had attacked him, and the other had been fighting for his life, had he been able to remember a few things. But from the looks of it, the whole restaurant was involved in something that was outside of the law. So, Sabura had most likely been working with Matsunaga, using this restaurant as a meeting point.

Izuku smiled softly, so this guy really deserved to die. But if Matsunaga and Sabura had been working together, why attack the old man? He was the director of Tokyo's most influential bank, surely it was best to have him as an ally? 

Izuku gestured to one of the four waiters, who came gliding from the other side of the room.

"May I help you, sir?" he asked, standing straight.

"Point me to the bathroom." he asked coldly,

The waiter gestured for him to follow and both men walked towards the far end of the room, stepping behind a large rosewood curtain.

"This way, sir."

Izuku didn't answer and just entered the restroom and walked straight inside one of the stalls. He listened in, just in case someone was there with him and, after a few seconds, he whipped out his phone and pulled out a Japanese-French dictionary.

Jeux d'enfant, Main de Fer, Femme Fatale and Étoiles ardentes. Jeux d'enfant, Main de Fer, Femme Fatale and Étoiles ardentes. 

He kept repeating those words in his head, trying not to forget them. He typed in the first one: Jeux d'enfant. The website refreshed and the Japanese translation appeared: Child's play. Izuku frowned, but started typing again, Main de Fer meant Iron Hand.

"What the hell..." he whispered.

These were definitely code names for something, something that couldn't be written plainly. He took a few seconds to compose himself, he felt like he was on the verge of something big. He didn't need to type Femme Fatale, he'd watched enough movies to get a sense of what it meant. But Deadly Woman did not ring any bell. 

He needed to get out before he brought attention to himself. He used the hand not holding his phone to flush the toilets and kept typing with one hand: Étoiles ardentes. This one he really didn't know what it was about. As he waited for the website to refresh, he started getting out of the stall, and walking towards the sinks. He had been in there for long enough. As he was running the water and pretending to wash his hands, he looked down at the translation, and felt himself freeze, hand hovering above the faucet.

Burning stars.

"He said to follow the eight fiery stars."  Sabura's voice echoed in his head.

He closed the running water in a sharp movement and opened a new window on his phone. He typed Etoiles ardentes in the search bar and got a list of books, jewels and other irrelevant results. He sighed and locked his phone before exiting the bathroom and walking back to his table, where a glass of wine was waiting for him. As soon as he was seated, the hostess came back.

"Did you make your choice, sir?"

"Yes." He said, pushing the menu back towards her. "I'll have the Etoiles Ardentes." he answered, trying his best at a French accent.

She looked at him with interest, then bowed slightly before picking up the menu.

"Someone will be here in a minute." she said before leaving.

Izuku crossed his legs and picked up the glass, looking at the red beverage inside. He swirled the wine in his glass, its deep red hue catching the light. He took a cautious sip, expecting something smooth and rich. Instead, the taste hit him like a punch—sharp, bitter, and overwhelmingly dry. He swallowed, hoping it would somehow improve, but the aftertaste clung to him, making him wish he hadn’t bothered. He put the glass back on the table as a young woman came to meet him. She stood across from him, her posture straight and her expression unreadable. Her brown hair was neatly styled, falling just below her shoulders in smooth, controlled waves. Her brown eyes were steady and focused, giving nothing away. There was no warmth in them, just a quiet intensity. She wore a white suit, the cut sharp and professional. The jacket fit her perfectly, the lines sharp and clean. She had the air of someone who was confident, almost to the point of being untouchable. Izuku looked at her, with the impression that he had seen her somewhere. 

"Good evening, my name is Yukiko." she said, looking at him.

When she spoke, her voice was calm, even, and without much inflection.

"Mr Yamamoto, follow me please."

Izuku stood up, smoothed his jacket and followed her back towards the bathroom. However, instead of walking behind the thick curtain, they turned right, where a small door stood, closed. Yukikoopened it and stepped outside, holding it open for him. He walked past her and saw a black berlin parked in the small alley. Yukiko opened the back door for him and he hesitated for a moment. He had questions and reservations, however, this seemed like a prepared scenario, and if he asked what was going on, he was afraid they'd realize he didn't know as much as he was pretending.

He shrugged internally, if anything happened, he could use One For All to punch her into oblivion.

He climbed in the car and Yukiko closed the door before walking around the car to get in the driver seat. She put her seatbelt, turned the engine on, and slowly drove away from the restaurant.

Ground Zero Agency, earlier that day

Katsuki was standing in front of his window, fully clothed in his hero costume. His back was straight, his shoulders squared, and his arms were crossed tightly over his chest, as if to physically brace himself for a potential confrontation. His gaze remained fixed on the main door, his eyes narrowed just enough to betray his annoyance and disdain, yet sharp enough to suggest that he was in control and fully prepared for a fight. His jaw tightened slightly with each passing second, but his expression remained controlled, just barely. He didn't want to do this, didn't want to be here with this person, but necessity was a cruel master.  

Kirishima entered first, chatting happily with the person behind him, although Katsuki could tell by the quick glance in his direction that his friend was anxious. A few seconds later, Todoroki stepped inside Katsuki's office, also wearing his hero suit, and looking hesitant. His eyes directly snapped to Katsuki's silhouette and both men looked at each other, not saying a word. Katsuki's glare was hard and full of suppressed anger, and he had to bite the inside of his cheek in order to keep his cool and not throw everything away.

"Make yourself at home!" Kirishima said, offering him a seat.

Todoroki thanked him, but stayed where he was, looking directly at Katsuki. 

"Kirishima said you had some news."

Katsuki kept glaring at him, then, after a moment, he nodded at Kirishima, how went to the desk to grab the two piles of documents.

"Okay so, we went through all the documents we had on the 22 victims, and we found something interesting."

He went to sit on the single-seater sofa next to Todoroki and put the papers on a small table, he gestured for the other to seat as well.

"Well, it was Bakugou who found this out really, I just helped putting this in order..."

"Get to the fucking point!" snapped Katsuki from his spot.

Todoroki looked up at him silently, then turned back to Kirishima, who smiled.

"Don't mind him. So, remember we were struggling to find a link between the victims? They're all different age, gender, social status, etc."

Todoroki nodded.

"Bakugou was looking at their bank account history, and he realized that, at some point in the past three months, all of them had received money from the same bank account."

Todoroki looked at Kirishima with surprise written all over his face, and Katsuki silently gloated at the idea that they'd been able to find something Todoroki and his group of sidekicks hadn't.

"Who owns this bank account?" Todoroki asked, looking interested.

"It's not a who, but a what." Kirishima answered, pulling a paper from the second pile and setting it on the table. "They all received a refund for a reservation to this super expensive hotel in Shinjuku, for hundred thousands of yens."

"Hundred thousands of yens?" Todoroki asked, clearly taken aback by this information. "Half of the victims can't afford this type of expenses."

"Exactly, that's why we figured out something was fishy, so we checked the bank account, and guess where it is hosted?"

"The JP bank." Todoroki said after a few seconds. "Sabura's bank."

Katsuki grimaced at the speed at which the other had answered. God, he hated that guy.

"Bingo." Kirishima said. "So, we think Sabura was involved with Matsunaga's group."

Silence fell in the room as Todoroki was processing all this.

"Why attack him then?" he asked.

Kirishima looked at Katsuki, who hadn't moved.

"The old fuck probably tried something fishy with the money, so they sent Matsunaga to teach him a lesson." 

Todoroki looked at the paperwork, trying to absorb all of it.

"What's the name of the hotel?"

Kirishima showed him his phone, where he'd already opened a map with the location of the hotel and itinerary.

"It's called Moeru Hoshi Hotel." Kirishima said.

Todoroki looked up at Katsuki once more.

"You want to go there." he said. This wasn't a question.

Katsuki nodded. He hated that he had to team-up with the bastard, but they needed all the firepower they had if they wanted a chance at taking them down. They seemed like an organized and powerful group of villains, more so than they thought.

"What do you suggest?" Todoroki asked, standing up.

Katsuki glared at him for a few more seconds, before finally moving from his spot and towards them.

"First recon." Katsuki said.

Moeru Hoshi hotel, Shinjuku, 10:30 pm

The car stopped after a thirty minutes’ drive, during which Izuku and his driver crossed over from Setagaya to Shinjuku. Yukiko got out of the car first, walked over to Izuku's door and opened it. Izuku stepped out, closed his jacket against the crispy January cold and looked up. The building standing in front of him was made of weathered brown bricks, their surfaces chipped and worn, bearing the marks of decades of use. The façade, though unremarkable at first glance, carried an air of elegance that had long since faded into the past. Nestled quietly in a quiet street, it didn’t demand attention, but those who looked closely could see the remnants of its former opulence. Izuku's gaze wandered to the left, right above the entrance, and his heart started beating faster.

Above the entrance, eight red stars burned, although their brilliance had dimmed with time, giving off only a faint glow. The stars were a bold, fiery emblem, their shapes slightly warped by age, as if they had once been alive with energy but now flickered only in memory. The name Moeru Hoshis Hotel was etched in gold above the door, the letters slightly tarnished but still legible, like a proud, old banner that refused to fall.

Moeru Hoshis, Fiery stars.

Follow the eight fiery stars.

A thrill of anticipation ran down his spine as Yukiko gestured for him to follow her. Both of them walked up the stairs and stepped inside of the hotel. Izuku looked around: the hall's marble floors looked like they had been worn smooth under countless footsteps, the velvet curtains that had once draped the windows now looked thin and threadbare, and the chandeliers that had once sparkled with brilliance now caught only the faintest glimmers of light. There was no mistaking the sense of faded grandeur, the Moeru Hoshis still carried an aura of luxury, but it was a luxury that had long since begun to fade.

The man at the reception bowed to them upon seeing them.

"Good evening, Yukiko-san."

Yukiko nodded to him and continued her walk to the elevator, just as the doors opened. She stepped in and Izuku followed with feigned insurance. The elevator was small and dimly lit, with a soft glow that barely reached the corners of the space. Its golden doors gleamed faintly, reflecting the faint light as they slid close. Inside, a large mirror covered one wall, stretching from floor to ceiling.  As the doors closed, a sudden sense of dread overtook Izuku. What if this was a trap? What if that was part of their plan? Was he being kidnapped right now?

Don't worry. You are more than powerful enough to get out of this. he thought.

Hi wig was starting to make him sweaty, but his contacts were fine. He chanced a look towards the large mirror; he looked fine, and his makeup was still in place even after a few hours. The ding of the elevator snapped him out of his thoughts, and he followed Yukiko inside the very short corridor. The red carpet muffled his footsteps as he walked. There were only three doors, one on each side of him and another one facing him . Yukiko knocked on the right door and waited. After a few seconds, the door opened a crack, and she poked her head inside to whisper something. This seemed to satisfy whoever was on the other side, and the door opened all the way. Yukiko turned to Izuku, gesturing for him to go inside, and this time, he couldn't suppress a dubious glance towards her.

"Don't worry, you're safe." she said.

Izuku threw her one last glance before stepping inside. He hesitated at the threshold of the royal suite, his hand lingering on the doorframe as he took in the scene before him. The room felt like a relic, caught between eras, heavy with the weight of history and the unmistakable scent of forgotten luxury. The moment he stepped inside, the air shifted, colder somehow, as if the room itself had been holding its breath. The suite stretched out before him, vast and imposing. High ceilings loomed above; their intricate moldings etched in gold that had long since dulled to a muted sheen. The walls, lined with dark wood paneling, seemed to close in slightly, as if they too were wary of what he might find here. The opulence of the place was still present, but it was the kind of opulence that no longer tried to impress, just a faint echo of something grand, now faded and forsaken.

He eyed the mahogany table in the center of the room. A few bottles of champagne sat uncorked, their contents reflecting dim light from the tarnished chandelier overhead. Flutes rested in haphazard arrangement, some filled, some emptied, as though they’d been abandoned in haste. 

A bar stretched across one side of the room, its bottles gathering dust, as though untouched for years. The sight of it made him uneasy, the presence of luxury now strangely out of place, given the silence that hung in the air. Everything here,the furniture, the decor, the faint smell of old liquor, felt like a time capsule, a place that had been left to rot in plain view.

His eyes moved toward the tall window at the far end of the room, slightly ajar.

A potential escape route.

He turned, the sound of movement drawing his attention. Two men sat on the old, worn sofa across the room, their posture stiff and alert. Security, he assumed, though there was something off about them, too rigid, too watchful. They didn't move, their eyes never straying from the door, the space around them seemingly ignored. He took a slow step forward, his gaze flicking once more toward the two men on the sofa. They hadn’t moved. Still, he couldn’t help but feel the weight of their watchful eyes on him. This was no place for a casual visit. There was something else here, something he hadn’t yet uncovered. And he didn’t know whether that discovery would be worth the risk.

He heard Yukiko enter behind him and close the door. He didn't hear the sound of a lock, which made him slightly less anxious.

"Call him." she said to one of the security guys, who huffed loudly before getting up.

He walked towards a corner of the room Izuku couldn't see, and he heard a strong knocking sound. There was a door over there, and judging by its position, it was communicating with that other room, the one in the center of the corridor.

After a few seconds, someone walked around the corner, and Izuku froze in anticipation. He had been right; he had made the right call. In front of him, Matsunaga was putting his jacket on, before looking up at him.

"This is Yamamoto-san, he's interested in the Etoiles Ardentes offer." Yukiko said.

Matsunaga looked at him with interest, something briefly flashing across his features.

"Yamamoto-san, please sit down."

Izuku hesitated a moment before choosing to sit in the red velvet sofa. Matsunaga sat across from him, still eying him.

"What do you know about the Etoiles Ardentes?" he asked politely.

"Only the basics, that you can help me with that." Izuku said noncommittally. "Can you?"

Matsunaga smirked.

"We can. Do you have someone in mind yet?"

Someone, not something.

"Yes." he answered quickly. "Now what?"

"Simple, you give us their name, then we track them, get them here, steal their quirk and pass them on to you." Matsunaga said, looking at him intently. "The whole package includes a one-week stay in this hotel where you can learn how to use your new quirk + the update of your quirk declaration in prefecture."

Izuku blinked.

Wait, what?

What had he just said? Steal their quirk? Pass them on? This was so far from anything he had expected that he was stunned silent. So that was what they were doing? Kidnapping people to steal their quirk and sell them to other people? Izuku was suddenly reminded of that night, in that alley, when he'd figured out that Matsunaga had more than one quirk. The memories of what had happened right before he got hit by Matsunaga's quirk were still a bit blurry, but he remembered this. And he had been right, again. He was pulled out of his thoughts by sudden movement in his peripheral vision and reacted in the blink of an eye, catching the hand that was reaching towards him.

"What are you doing." he said coldly, still holding the other man by the wrist.

Behind him, he heard the two security guys move, but Matsunaga raised one hand to stop them. Izuku didn't turn to them, not wanting to take his eyes off Matsunaga. Right now, the man in front of him seemed to be the bigger threat.

"You seem to know about my quirk." the other man said. "Or at least that I can activate it with my hands."

He pulled away and Izuku let him go. Matsunaga was looking at him with an almost gleeful expression now.

"You know, I have another power, one that doesn't come from my quirk." the other said, one hand coming to rest on his chin.

Izuku looked at him curiously.

"I happen to have eidetic memory."

Izuku froze. Matsunaga was seizing him up, waiting for a reaction

"I remember everything: dates, images, sounds. But most importantly, I never forget a face."

Izuku stood up, taking a step to the right, towards the window. He knew he could get out of here in one carefully aimed jump. But if he left now, he would lose his chance at getting to the bottom of whatever this was. He would lose the opportunity to talk to him, to get answers. And so, he chose to ignore every fiber of his being screaming at him to escape, and just stood there.

"You may have altered some of your features, but your nose, chin and ears are the same size and form. Also, your left lateral incisor is chipped." Matsunaga continued to say. "I didn't think I'd ever see you again, Midoriya Izuku."

Behind him, Izuku heard Yukiko make a strangled voice.

"What?" she spoke.

"You brought us an even better thing, Tsunada." he told her.

Izuku tensed, Tsunada, that was the name of the person who had been with Matsunaga in that alley, the one who's quirk had made him feel like his head was about to explode. He took advantage of her surprise to make his move, activating One for All, he blasted across the room in a flash of green and orange and hit her at the junction between her neck and shoulder. She didn't have time to understand what was happening and fell limply on the floor. Once he made sure she was completely out, he turned to face Matsunaga again, who was turning to him with a smile.

"You are so smart, Midoriya." he said, raising his hands. "We don't want to hurt you."

"What do you want then." Izuku asked in a cold voice.

But Matsunaga didn't seemed bothered by the situation, he just put one hand in his pocket and walked towards the bar to grab a bottle of what looked like beer. He turned to Izuku and casually opened the bottle with his teeth before taking one long drink, eyes still on him. Once he was done, he spoke again, a twinge of excitement tainting his voice.

"We want to offer you a deal."

-------------------------------------------

Katsuki landed on the rooftop of an old bakery, his boots hitting the concrete with a hard stomp. He grimaced on impact, he'd had to drop from further up so that his explosions wouldn't be heard. A few seconds later, Todoroki slid next to him, gracefully stepping off his iconic ice ramp. Both men hadn't said a word to each other, still unnerved by their last fight. Katsuki wanted nothing more than to turn around and punch him in his impassive face, but he swallowed it and looked down at the darkened alley instead.

"Moeru Hoshi Hotel," Todoroki said, looking down as well. "This is it."

As if on cue, Katsuki's earpiece crackled and he heard Kirishima's voice in his right ear.

"I'm at the back door."

Then another voice, colder.

"I'm on the east wing, right above the parking lot."

Katsuki scowled. Shinjuku was technically Todoroki's turf, but the bastard had allowed both Katsuki and Kirishima to come with him, which had surprised the blond. Since this was recon, they didn't need a lot of people, but Todoroki had insisted on bringing one of his sidekicks with him. He'd chosen the white-haired dude that Katsuki had seen at the Hero Gala, a cold looking bastard who had glared at Katsuki upon seeing him. Katsuki had walked towards him, ready for a fight, but Kirishima had stepped in front of him with a hard look on his face, and Katsuki had greeted his teeth and thrown one withering look at the guy before turning away. What was that fucker's deal?

"Stay put, Aki." Todoroki said, one hand on his own earpiece. "We need you outside in case of an emergency."

"Copy that." Aki answered curtly.

"Red Riot, do you see any entry point?" Katsuki asked.

A minute of silence, while Kirishima was probably walking the perimeter.

"There's a back door that seems to lead to the kitchens, but I can hear people talking in there."

"There's a smaller door further to your left." Aki said. "Right behind that white van, there's a sign on it."

Another minute of silence.

"Yeah, that's the laundry room. I can't hear anything apart from machinery."

"Aki, can you tell us if there is someone in there?" Todoroki enquired.

Another beat of silence.

"All clear, you can go through there."

Katsuki looked around for any sign that they were not alone and was about to launch himself off the building when he stopped. This was exactly what he'd done with Deku last time, he'd left him behind, gone on his own and refused to work with him. And it had gone horribly. He gritted his teeth, as much as he loathed the Half-and-Half bastard, this was an important mission, and he couldn't let his personal feelings get in the way, not this time.

He turned to Todoroki.

"Don't use your ice." he told him, and the other looked at him, surprised. "Our quirks are too visible, let's use that ladder over there instead."

"That's...a good idea." Todoroki said, clearly taken aback.

"Whatever." Katsuki grunted, walking to the edge of the rooftop where he'd spotted the ladder.

They went down and walked towards the laundry room, carefully hiding behind cars. As they arrived at the door, where Kirishima was waiting, their earpiece crackled again.

"I can see several rooms are occupied." Aki said. "The people in the kitchen are making dinner for some VIP guests in the Royal suite. They seem pretty anxious."

"Where's the Royal suite?" Todoroki asked.

"I don't know yet." answered Aki.

"Let's get in then." Todoroki said. "Aki, make sure our path is clear and keep us posted on that Royal suite."

"Copy that."

They tried the handle to the laundry room door, but it was locked. Katsuki turned to Kirishima, who hardened his left arm and pulled the handle down in a swift motion. They heard a small crack, and Kirishima pushed the door open. The laundry room was dim, lit by flickering fluorescent lights that cast a cold, uneven glow over the rows of industrial washing machines and dryers. The hum of the machinery filled the air, a low, constant vibration that seemed to reverberate through the concrete floor beneath their feet. As they walked across the room, the scent of detergent and damp linen hung heavy in the humid air, a mixture both sharp and stifling. 

Katsuki spotted a door to his right, and he walked towards it, trying the handle. This time, the door opened on a dark and empty corridor. Todoroki stepped outside of the laundry room and pointed to the far end of the corridor.

"There's a staircase over there, might be safer than the elevator."

Just as Katsuki was about to answer, Aki's voice filled his right ear.

"The Royal suite is located on the fourth floor. I can see several people there; I think there are several different rooms."

They walked to the staircase and climbed slowly to the third floor. They were about to climb the last set of stairs when Aki's voice came in, this time more pressing.

"Incoming, get out of the staircase." Aki's voice said in a tight voice.

Todoroki opened the door leading to the third floor and they all stepped out of the staircase. Automatically, light flooded the corridor.

Motion triggered lights. Katsuki thought. Shit.

"Stay put." Aki said curtly.

"For how long?" Katsuki grunted. "Someone could be there any minute."

"There are only two people on this floor, and they are not moving towards you." Aki answered.

After a few minutes of silence, they heard hurried footsteps coming down. After a few more minutes, Aki's voice gave them the okay, and they silently made their way to the fourth floor. This time when they stepped out, the light in the corridor was already on. Katsuki saw that there were only three doors, just like Aki had hypothesized. 

"There are five people on your right." Aki's voice provided. "Two people in front, and nobody inside the left room."

Kirishima was about to ask something, but Katsuki raised his hand to silence him. They were too close to potential enemies at this point, and they didn't know what quirks they could be using. It was best to keep silent for now.

"I can see a balcony that leads to the right room." Aki said. "There's an escape staircase right next to it."

Kirishima turned around and pointed towards a steel door behind them before walking towards it and trying the red handle. Thankfully, it wasn't locked and the door opened wide when Kirishima pushed. They stepped outside and Katsuki shivered at the cold air on his sweaty skin before turning to where Todoroki was looking at. There was a gap between the staircase and the balcony, too wide for them to jump. From where they were, they could see that the balcony of the Royal Suite was flooded with light, which meant that the only place they could hide was on both sides of the window. Meaning, only two of them could go.

Kirishima patted them on the shoulder and gave them the thumbs up. Katsuki understood him and nodded, gesturing for Todoroki to go on. Years of teamwork at U.A made it easier for them to communicate without words and, as much as Katsuki hated to admit it, they were really good when they all worked together. Todoroki nodded and lifted his right hand, producing a glittering white dust, which solidified into a thick layer of ice, connecting the staircase to the balcony. Todoroki stepped on it first, carefully walking towards the other end. Katsuki hesitated for a second before following, testing the ice with his foot first, making sure he wouldn't slip. His boot barely moved when he gave it a push, so he fully climbed on the ice bridge.

Suddenly, there was a commotion inside of the room, which made him jolt. In front of him, he saw Todoroki pause for a second before walking faster. They made it to the balcony and both men huddled on one side of the huge window. Todoroki nodded his head towards it and Katsuki noticed it was slightly opened. Because he was in front of him, Todoroki could get a glimpse of what was happening inside. Katsuki nudged him with his elbow, gesturing for him to go to the other side of the window, but the other shook his head, indicating that it was too dangerous. Katsuki gritted his teeth, and he was about to argue, when he heard someone speak.

"My boss is very interested in you. At first, he was mad at me for not sticking to the plan, but I can tell now that he will be thrilled by this turn of events."

Katsuki recognized Matsunaga's voice, and he felt a shiver run down his spine. He had been right; all those sleepless nights, all his research, had led to this. This hotel was their headquarters, hence the money being laundered through fake reservations. Now that he was here, it was obvious that the prices indicated on the hotel website were way more expensive than they were worth. Matsunaga and his group were probably using it as a way to transfer money without being caught. He felt a moment of pride, but pushed it aside quickly. He could gloat later.

Todoroki raised three fingers to indicate he could see three people. Katsuki remembered that Aki had said there were five of them. They needed to have a visual on all five before they could make a move.

"I can see you now." Aki's voice echoed, as if on cue. "When I tell you to, one of you run to the other side of the window."

Inside, he heard Matsunaga's voice continue.

"I'll be direct with you: we want you to join us. My boss wants to meet you as soon as possible."

Someone else started to speak, but Aki's voice drowned it with a sharp "Now!" and, without thinking, Katsuki crouched low and ran to the other side of the window. He got up quickly and stuck his back to the brick wall, out of view.

"You can't imagine how thrilled I am about this." Matsunaga said. "I've never seen anyone react to my quirk like that."

Katsuki bent slowly to peer inside. From where he was, he could see a man standing in a defensive posture: He was wearing a nicely tailored and expensive looking suit, his blond hair carefully styled. He could only see half of his face and didn't recognize him, yet for some reason, a chill went down his spine and he felt the hair on his neck rise. He couldn't see Matsunaga nor the two other people from where he stood, only that guy. But with the addition of that guy, they had located four people now. Where was the fifth person?

Just as he was about to try and crane his neck to the other side to get a glimpse at the other side of the room, he heard Expensive Suit Guy's voice.

"I'm glad it made you happy."

Katsuki froze, and his heart started to pound loudly in his chest. He knew that voice, would recognize it anywhere; that once soft, almost fragile voice, which used to tremble with excitement and wonder, now sounded cold and distant.

"But I can't risk you undoing what you've done."

Katsuki moved before he knew it. He turned around, facing the window, before crouching low and throwing his arms behind him. He let a perfectly controlled, yet powerful blast which propelled him forward. He used his momentum to kick the window fully open and landed on top of a small table, knocking glasses and bottles down. He wasted no time and blasted himself upwards again, quickly scanning the room: Matsunaga had been knocked to the ground and was being held down by the dark silhouette. The two other men were standing a bit further. They had fallen to the ground and were scrambling to get back on their feet. 

"Todoroki!!" Katsuki yelled, before jumping on the man directly beneath him.

The other man turned right as Katsuki was about to land on him and used his momentum to drop on his back to the floor and roll them to the side. Katsuki could hear someone scream behind him, but he was unable to tear his gaze from the person under him. The blond and silky hair had been tipped sideways during the fall, revealing a mop of green sweaty hair. The freckles on the pale skin seemed to have been covered by some kind of makeup, but he could see the distinctive three freckles on the man's collar, which was exposed now that Katsuki's hand was gripping his clothes to keep him down. A pair of deep blue eyes met his bewildered and fiery ones, and the man smiled softly. 

"Hello, Kacchan. What a surprise."

"What are you doing here, Deku?" Katsuki snapped at him.

To his surprise, instead of fighting back, Deku just winked at him. Katsuki felt something twist in his stomach at the gesture. It felt wrong, so wrong.

"It's a secret. And I really don't want you butting in."

In a quick movement, he aimed a punch at Katsuki, who reacted as quickly, letting go of him and crossing his arms against his chest in a defensive stance. The blow wasn't very hard, mostly because the green-haired man couldn't pull his arm back while on the floor, but it was strong enough to send Katsuki flying on the other side of the room. He fell on the small table, which broke on impact, but quickly got back up, just as Deku was doing the same. His two top buttons had come undone in the struggle and his wig fell off his head when he got up. From the corner of his eyes, Katsuki saw Todoroki fight with the two men who'd been in the room. Matsunaga was getting up, his right arm clutching his left one, seemingly hurt.

"Why are you attacking him?" he asked Deku, who stopped smiling. 

"None of your business." he said in a cold and menacing voice. "Leave. Now."

"I don't care if you're a villain or whatever now, don't think you can talk to me like that, Shitty Deku." he said quickly.

Katsuki snarled in frustration. He hadn't expected Deku of all people to be there. What was going on? From what he'd heard, it sounded like Matsunaga was trying to recruit him? Why? And who was his boss?

Deku threw back his head and laughed, jolting him out of his thoughts. Katsuki looked at him, bewildered. He had never heard him laugh like that, it sounded too high pitched, too strong,  almost unhinged.

"And what are you gonna do about it, huh?" Deku said, looking back at him with a mixture of disdain and amusement.

Katsuki launched himself at him, and quickly ducked when Deku aimed another punch at him. He heard the furniture behind him get blasted by the aftershock and he grimaced. Stupid Deku was not holding his punches. But after years of sparring with him, he too knew a thing or two about his fighting style. He flipped in the air above Deku's head, and aimed an explosion at his back, just like he'd done many years ago, during their first fight at U.A. Deku grunted and fell forward, and this time Katsuki did land on his back and pinned his head to the floor.

"Stop being a pain in the ass." he said. "Or I'm gonna beat you into a pulp before bringing you back."

Deku looked at him with fire in his eyes.

"Bring me back? who the hell do you think you are? Why the hell do you care?"

Katsuki's mind flashed back to his talk with All Might at U.A. The former n1 hero had looked so small, hunched over his desk, his frail hands gripping at his hair. Katsuki couldn't scrape the memory of his mentor looking up at him with pleading eyes, the once piercing blue orbs now swimming in unshed tears.

Bakugou-shonnen, please...I beg of you...

"Because All Might asked me to." he said, voice full of determination.

Deku seemed taken aback by this answer, and his body relaxed slightly. He looked at him, eyes wide with surprise, and mouth slightly opened. Katsuki's heart jolted, was the mention of All Might finally getting through to him? But his hopes were crushed when he heard that icy laugh again.

"You know for all your talk and beating, you really are a nerd." Deku said, voice full of malice.

"Takes one to know one, huh?" Katsuki said, pulling a pair of special handcuffs from his back pouch.

A few weeks ago, he'd received a call from All Might, asking him to go to the Marunouchi district in Tokyo, at the All Ends company. There, he'd met with Hatsume, who was the lead Industrial Designer there. She'd given him this pair of quirk canceling handcuffs she was working on for the police. It was still a prototype, but she assured him they would work. If he could get these on Deku, then he could haul his ass back to-

Dark smoke suddenly came out of the other man and created a bubble around the blond, plunging him in total darkness. He let go of Deku and looked around, the little shit had used Black Whip and the dark threads to create a sort of prison. Katsuki gritted his teeth, just how much had the other evolved in that year away? He had no idea Black Whip could be used like that, it made him think of Dark Shadow's ultimate move. Suddenly, he heard someone scream again and recognized Matsunaga's voice, then Todoroki yelled "Midoriya!" but got no answer. Katsuki joined his hands in front of him, if this worked like Dark Shadow's attacks, then getting out of here was easy for him.

"Get wrecked!!!" he yelled, and a blinding explosion came out of his hands.

The fog dissipated and Katsuki threw himself forward and out of the dark prison. He rolled behind a wide sofa to take cover and his hand landed on something warm. He turned to the left and saw a woman on the floor, seemingly unconscious. He froze, the fifth person, that's why they couldn't see her. She didn't seem hurt, so Katsuki turned back to the fight.

"Kirishima, get in there, someone seems hurt." he said in his earpiece before jumping back into motion.

A quick glance to the side showed the two security men had been pushed to where the window stood wide open, a tall ice wall preventing them from coming closer. Todoroki was facing Deku, who seemed annoyed by the situation.

"Midoriya, we've been looking for you everywhere." he said, his voice strained.

"Sorry about that." Deku replied, slowly taking his jacket off and putting it carefully on the wooden bar next to him. "I've been busy."

"Please." Todoroki said, and it was the first time Katsuki heard so much emotion in his voice, so much despair. Something inside him clenched. "Let us help you."

Deku was pulling the sleeves of his white shirt up and he grimaced.

"See, this is why I didn't want you to find me. You're just making this more complicated."

Before Todoroki could say a word, Deku disappeared in a flash of green and orange, but Katsuki was fast enough to follow. He aimed a blast towards Todoroki, right in front of his face, and it caught Deku's right arm, as he was aiming a punch at the other. The blow was deviated, but still hit Todoroki in the left shoulder, sending him crashing to the floor. Katsuki propelled himself forward without hesitation. Deku had aimed for the left side, the one where he knew Todoroki couldn't use ice to shield himself from attacks. With the small bits of information he'd gathered from his interactions with him, he could conclude that somehow, Deku still had memories of his past, he hadn't been completely brainwashed. He didn't know what to make of this.

"Get up!" he yelled at Todoroki, who was looking at Deku with wide eyes.

It looked like he was only realizing now that what Katsuki had said was true, that Deku really had gone bad. Deku's right arm was still steaming from the attack, and he shook it with a pained expression on his face. He turned to Katsuki, eyes ablaze with fury and hate, it was like staring into the heart of a storm. The look was so intense it felt like the air around them had thickened, the tension crackling with an energy that made Katsuki’s blood boil. He saw it in Deku’s eyes, the sharp, unforgiving fury that sliced through him like a blade. It wasn’t the kind of anger that came from frustration or misunderstanding anymore. This was something darker, more personal, and it stung with an intensity that Katsuki couldn't ignore. Katsuki had never seen this face contorted that way, it unnerved him.

"You wanna play it like that?" Deku said, fully turning towards him.

He disappeared again, and only Katsuki's extensive knowledge of Deku's abilities and fighting style made him dodge the devastating blow that was aimed at his head. Katsuki held his breath, Deku really was fighting with the full might of his power. One wrong move from them, and they could be in serious trouble. But that part of him that always reacted to Deku, that part of his soul that seemed attached to Deku's, it was telling him to push harder.

"Damn it Nerd, even going to the dark side didn't make your aim any better!" he yelled, as Deku's punch hit the wall next to him.

Deku snarled and aimed another punch in his direction, but was stopped by a wall of ice, which quickly exploded into thousands of small pieces. 

"I don't have time for this." Deku said, walking towards Katsuki.

But the ice, which was falling around Deku, suddenly solidified and created a prison that kept him in place. Katsuki turned to Todoroki, who's right hand was raised towards them. Just like Deku had used Black Whip to imprison Katsuki, Todoroki had used his ice to do the same. He'd probably counted on Deku punching through the wall of ice and planned to use the little debris of ice to shape this ice bubble. Katsuki ran to Deku, who was struggling to get out.

"I'm gonna kill you." he spat at Katsuki, once he was close enough.

"Shut up." he said, looking into the hard blue eyes. "You don't seem to realize in what deep shit you put yourself. If One For All falls into the wrong hands..."

"You can't do shit with it unless I willingly give it to you." Deku said in a menacing voice. "And that will never happen."

"Well, we can't trust you with it right now." He looked to the side, where Matsunaga laid, unmoving. "We need Matsunaga to undo what he did to you-"

"The hell you will!!" Deku shouted, voice shrill with anger.

Katsuki looked back at him, eyes narrowing in suspicious.

"That's why you attacked him." He said in a disbelieving tone. "You don't wanna risk him undoing what he did to you."

A horrible feeling tugged at his inside.

"Do you realize what you could have done? What if you had killed him! Would you have been able to live with yourself, stupid asshole?!"

Deku looked at him with a cold stare.

"He wouldn't be the first one." he said in an emotionless voice.

Katsuki froze, his brain working quickly. He hadn't heard of any murders in Setagaya, and him and Todoroki had been keeping an eye out for anything that could indicate Deku was involved in a crime. Also Deku didn't seem like he'd lost control and would go on a killing spree, he wanted to kill Matsunaga because he saw him as a danger.

He suddenly looked back him, eyes wide with understanding.

"Did you...was it you? At the hospital? Did you attack Sabura?"

Deku whistled with feigned admiration, before smiling at him. 

"What's wrong Kacchan, are you disappointed in me? Do you still want to be my friend now that I'm a murderer?"

"You're not-" 

But Katsuki couldn't finish his sentence, as the entire left side of the room exploded, engulfed in hot blue hellfire. He was thrown to the side and felt a wave of heat above his head. When he finally got on his knees, he saw Todoroki on the sofa, a darkened arm holding him by the throat. Katsuki watched in horror as the newcomer turned to look at him with piercing blue eyes. His long coat, worn and weathered, fit him like a second skin, its black leather cracked in places, almost as if it had been molded by the heat of his own flames. His face was a twisted mask of burn scars, the skin uneven and charred, stretching across his features. His lips were curled into a smirk, but there was no warmth behind it, just an unsettling calm, like he was on the edge of a destructive outburst. 

"So, we're having a little party here?" he asked gleefully.

"Dabi..:" Todoroki choked. 

Dabi raised a hand towards Deku and the ice around him melted. He fell to his knees but got back up quickly, turning to Dabi to throw him a disdainful look. Dabi smiled in return.

"Heard you wanted to meet the boss. I'm here to collect you."

Todoroki took advantage of this interaction and put his right hand on Dabi's forearm. Dabi swore and let go as his arm was enveloped in a thin layer of ice. He shook it off and bits of ice fell next to him.

"You really are a little shit."

The two of them started fighting, ice against fire, but Katsuki didn't have time to assist. He turned to Deku, just as the other was turning to face him.

"You need to come with us." he said, getting up.

"I'm not going anywhere with you." Deku spat.

The hotel room was a disaster. The walls were cracked, the furniture overturned, and the faint smell of smoke lingered in the air from the explosions Katsuki had already set off. His chest was heaving with the adrenaline rush, his hands crackling with barely contained energy as he glared at Deku across the room. Only, this wasn’t Deku. This guy looked more dangerous than any of the villains he'd encountered since he'd moved to Tokyo.

Katsuki gritted his teeth.

“I don’t care what they did to you. I’ll break through that damn brainwashing myself if I have to.”

Deku’s only response was a tight-lipped smirk, and then, without warning, he charged. Katsuki barely had time to react before Deku was on him, his fist swinging down with the force of a damn sledgehammer. Katsuki dodged, but the shockwave from the punch still sent him stumbling back. The entire room trembled under Deku’s power. The floor cracked, tiles splintering beneath his feet as he moved, and the walls buckled slightly from the impact.

“Tch,” Katsuki hissed, gritting his teeth as he regained his balance.

He was faster, but Deku was stronger. Stronger than anything he’d ever faced. It didn’t matter how many times they fought. This was different.

"You wanna go all in?" Katsuki muttered, already charging his palms with raw energy. His hands blazed with light, a familiar hum of power that made the air shimmer. “Let’s see how you handle this!”

With a snarl, he thrust his hands out, and a massive explosion filled the room, the air crackling and popping. The force of the blast tore through the furniture and sent a shockwave that blasted a hole through the wall. Smoke billowed in every direction, choking the air.

For a moment, there was silence. A stillness that made Katsuki’s heart pound harder in his chest. Had it worked? Suddenly, coming out of the cloud of dust, Deku swung his arm—too fast, too powerful—and hit Katsuki square in the chest. The blow sent him flying back into a side table, shattering it into a thousand pieces, his body bouncing off the floor with a painful thud. Pain flared through him, sharp and unforgiving. His ribs ached with every breath, but he forced himself up. His temper roared, louder than any explosion he could create.

"You're just throwing punches left and right like a goddamn idiot." He spat. "That quirk really is wasted on you."

Deku’s face twisted into a smirk. The entire left side of his body was bright red, the skin seared and blistering from the heat, but he was still standing. His breath was heavy, strained, but there was no sign of giving up. The way his eyes stayed locked on Katsuki, with that unwavering focus, made the hair on the back of his neck stand up.

"Ah, I see what this is. You're jealous?" Deku said, walking towards him, slower than before. "You wish All Might had chosen you as his successor? The great Katsuki fucking Bakugou?"

Katsuki’s blood boiled. He hated it. Hated hearing those words come out of his mouth. As much as it pained him to admit it, the Deku he knew would never say something like that. Even when they'd fought at Ground Beta, after All Might had revealed his true form, even when Katsuki had been the one in pain, the one vulnerable, Deku had not said those words. The pain in his chest was momentarily forgotten as fury took over. Katsuki slammed his hand into the ground, sending a shockwave of energy rippling through the floor, the walls buckling with the force. He charged forward. He felt the pressure build in his hands, felt the heat burn through his skin as another explosion surged toward Deku’s face. The blast was huge, even by his standards. He wasn’t holding back.

But Deku did something unexpected. With a terrifying roar, Deku punched straight through the explosion with his good hand, his fist cutting through the flames and smoke, landing a crushing blow against Katsuki’s stomach. The air was forced out of him in a violent rush, and he was sent hurtling into the far wall, his back slamming into it with enough force to make the plaster crack and dust fall from the ceiling. Katsuki’s head spun, vision blurring for a moment. He barely registered the sound of Deku’s heavy footsteps as he approached, each step shaking the building. He was ready to collapse, to fall unconscious. But that fucking fire, that rage inside him—it wouldn’t let him.

Deku stopped in front of him, his massive frame blocking out the light.

"You always thought you were better than everyone else." Deku said, his voice strained.

Katsuki raised his arm to aim at his head, but Deku grabbed it with one hand and twisted hard. and Katsuki heard the sound of his wrist breaking before he felt the pain and he gritted his teeth, swallowing a scream of pain. Deku bent down and put one leg on each side of his torso, straddling him.

"You don't know how much I fucking hate those hands of yours."

He took his right hand and Katsuki tried to retaliate, only for a small explosion to come out of it, Deku chuckled softly, it sounded almost fond.

"This is the hand you loved to start hitting me with." he said, before snapping it in a flash.

Katsuki groaned in pain and looked as Deku placed a small kiss inside his palm before pinning his arms to his side. The blond turned away from him, trying to hide the pain that was contorting his face, and he saw Todoroki fall to the ground, part of his face and chest burned, his body a mess of fire and ice. The sight hit him like a punch to the gut, knocking the air out of his lungs. He suddenly realized that the room was being engulfed in blue flames.

The left side of Todoroki’s body was a patchwork of charred, blackened skin, the burns so severe that the flesh seemed to melt away in places. His costume was burned through, revealing the raw, tender flesh beneath. There was no ice, no cool blue that usually protected him on that side. Just flames, curling around the edges of his body.

Todoroki’s right side was worse in a different way. His skin had frozen solid, coated in jagged ice that glinted unnaturally in the light, almost like some twisted sculpture. But even the ice couldn't protect him from the damage done. His hand was twisted unnaturally beneath him, his fingers bent at an odd angle as though his own power had turned against him. Blood pooled beneath him, mixing with the melting ice, the sight of it making Katsuki’s stomach churn. His breath hitched at the sight of Todoroki’s face—one eye squeezed shut in pain, the other half-open, glazed with the kind of dazed confusion that made Katsuki’s chest tighten.

The air was thick with smoke, stinging his lungs, burning every breath he took. Katsuki blinked, trying to clear his vision, but everything around him was a blur—flames licking the edges of the room, the crackling sound deafening. His body was on fire, each breath feeling like a jagged knife in his chest, the heat from the flames suffocating, closing in from every direction. 

Katsuki’s throat tightened, his fists clenching at his sides. He wanted to scream, to do something—anything. Where was Kirishima? Where was that Aki bastard?

"Don't look at him, look at me." Deku's voice tore through the flames.

"Get off." he snarled, trying to dislodge the heavy weight pinning him to the floor.

"You always liked to boss me around." Deku said, in a softer voice.

Katsuki turned and their eyes locked. The color was all wrong, the soft green he'd been used to all his life replaced by a piercing icy blue glare that made his body tense. This was wrong, so so wrong.

"Deku..."

"Do you remember the day you found out I was quirkless?" Deku asked, eyes focused on Katsuki's face.

"No." Katsuki lied, but Deku didn't seem to realize.

"Hum, of course not. It was just another normal day for you. And I was just another person you discarded."

Deku slowly got up, one hand still holding Katsuki's right forearm.

"You beat me again, and again, until some part of me started to believe I deserved to be beaten."

He started walking, pulling Katsuki with him, his heavy body sliding on the hot floor. 

"You told me I was useless so many times, that I started to believe I was."

His body hit the remains of a chair, but Deku kept going, not throwing a glance his way.

"And when you told me to kill myself." He said in a voice full of hurt and anger. "A small part of me couldn't help but think that maybe you were right."

Deku walked past Todoroki, who had opened his eyes and was trying to get up. Deku put a dusty leather shoe on his chest and pushed hard, making him groan in pain.

"Stay down." Deku said in a warning tone. "This isn't your fight."

Katsuki’s heart pounded in his chest, his entire body screaming in pain. He could feel the flames creeping closer, feel the heat clawing at his skin. His body felt like it was shutting down, his strength draining by the second. The room was closing in on him, the fire spreading like a living thing. But Katsuki gritted his teeth and, in one last effort, he pushed with his feet hard enough to propel himself upward. He turned mid-air, which made the pain in his wrist almost unbearable, but he focused really hard on his left hand, hoping that it'd work.

"Holitzer Impacto!" he yelled, as his hand smashed against Deku's face.

An explosion made the other man stumble to the side, but to his horror, Katsuki realized that he'd produced more smoke and heat than anything. Deku turned to look at him with fury deforming his traits and an angry red mark on the side of his face. The arm that was holding Katsuki's forearm closed on him and he heard the distinct snap of his elbow. This time he couldn't stop the pained groan that escaped him.

"You always thought you were better than me, than anyone." Deku said, stepping over some debris on the floor.

A few seconds later, Katsuki could feel the cold air hit him and, fighting to stay conscious, he could see that they were back on the balcony. He looked around him for Kirishima and Aki, but could only see the black sky. He could hear sounds of fighting somewhere behind him, but couldn't tell who it was.

Deku finally stopped and bent to grab Katsuki by the collar, pulling him up with apparent ease, orange and green streaks of lights dancing around his body. He walked over to the edge and turned his body so that Katsuki was dangling in the air. Katsuki’s breath hitched, his heart hammering in his chest as he dangled helplessly from the balcony, his collar gripped tight in Deku’s hand. The cold air sliced against his exposed skin, making him shiver involuntarily, but the chill was nothing compared to the dread pooling in his gut. His feet hung helplessly above the ground, and every instinct screamed for him to fight, to break free, but Deku’s hold was unyielding, and his body felt heavy—like it wasn’t even his own anymore.

The wind whipped through the space between them, tugging at his hair, and for a moment, he swore he could almost hear the city below—the hum of life continuing on, unaware of the nightmare happening above. But none of that mattered. Not when he was staring into those eyes.

Deku’s eyes.

Cold. Hollow. The warmth, the kindness, the unwavering optimism—gone. In their place, something darker. Something twisted. Deku’s face was as blank as a mask, his expression locked in that frigid calm that made Katsuki’s chest tighten. The Deku he knew, the one who had always believed in saving everyone, who had never given up on a friend—that Deku was nowhere to be seen.

Now, there was nothing but cold, unfeeling hatred.

"Deku...Don't..." he managed to grit out.

Deku didn’t answer right away. His gaze stayed locked on Katsuki, unblinking, as if he was examining him, like Katsuki wasn’t even a person anymore—just an obstacle, something to be disposed of.

“I never needed you to begin with,” Deku said, and his voice was so flat, so empty, it made Katsuki’s blood run cold. It was a tone he had never heard before—so foreign, so wrong. “You were always the weak one.”

Katsuki’s heart skipped a beat, the words sinking in deeper than he wanted to admit. 

"Always whining about surpassing me when you know damn well that, whatever you do, no matter how strong you become, you will never be a match for One For All."

"Shut up." Katsuki slurred, and he realized he couldn't move his body anymore.

Deku smiled, and this time, he looked ecstatic with glee.

"Do you get it? You're the useless one now, Kacchan, you're the extra."

"Don't..."

"So why don't you take a swan dive out this balcony and try to reincarnate into a fucking decent person in your next life?" he said, with a full smile, like he'd been waiting his whole life to say this.

"Dek-"

But before he could say anything more, before he could begin to process what the other was saying, he was falling. Like in slow motion, he saw Deku's silhouette get farther and farther, and the other turned around and walked away. Katsuki knew he was too badly hurt to make an explosion that would keep him in the air, and even if he could, Deku had made sure to break his hands and arms, so Katsuki's fall would be his last. As he watched the other's back retreat inside of the room, he felt something clench painfully inside his chest.

You're not even going to bother to watch me die? 

This was his last coherent thought before he finally, let himself be swallowed by darkness.

Maybe it was better this way.

Chapter Text

Katsuki’s eyelids flickered open, the world around him hazy and distant. For a long, breathless moment, all he could hear was the soft, rhythmic lapping of water against his ears. It was peaceful, almost soothing. He blinked, trying to shake the disorienting sensation, but all he saw was big fluffy clouds making their way lazily through the azure sky. For a brief second, he just stared at them, mesmerized by their peaceful, indifferent flow. He could tell he was lying on his back, flat against something solid. But it didn’t matter. His body felt numb, as if the weight of the world was too much to move. He didn’t want to move. The faint light of the sun filtered through the clouds above, casting a warm, soft glow that made everything feel gentle, tranquil. It was as if time itself had stopped. There was nothing but the endless sky and the whisper of water. Nothing could touch him if he stayed like this, unmoving, unbreathing.

God, how he wished he could stay here forever. Just stay, and let the world drift away.

"Kacchan!"

Katsuki's body jolted, as if answering to the shrill voice that was calling him. He really didn't want to move, but this voice, it pulled at the deepest thread inside his soul. Whatever he did, he could never deny this voice when it was calling, even if it was to throw harsh words at him, he couldn't never not answer.

Without even realizing it, Katsuki found himself sitting up, his muscles stiff and reluctant to move. He blinked at his surroundings, confused by the sudden shift in position. When his gaze drifted downward, he noted that he was still wearing his hero costume, soaked through with water that clung heavily to his body. He was in a pond, the water lapping gently against him, but strangely, he didn’t feel the cold or the dampness that should have been clinging to his skin. His senses seemed dulled, distant, as if he were floating in a dream. A sudden splash broke the illusion of stillness, and Katsuki’s gaze snapped up instinctively. The sound of small, hurried footsteps reached his ears, and his eyes locked on a tiny figure racing toward him through the water. The figure was small, child-sized, and moved with the unmistakable awkwardness of a young boy. His legs were short and unsteady, but his determination was written all over his face. His hair, messy, untamed, and green, was a dead giveaway.

It was Deku. A younger version of him.

The scene unfolded like a memory, vivid and sharp despite the surreal haze surrounding him. It was just like when they were kids, back when everything had been so simple and complicated all at once. The time when he’d fallen into the pond—just a stupid accident—but a moment that would stick with him forever. He could almost hear the voice calling his name, the frantic worry in Deku’s tone. He could almost picture the little hand extending, offering to help him up. And little Katsuki had felt so angry by that simple gesture, how could a useless person like Deku think he could be of any help to him? That they were on the same level?

But deep down, beneath the anger, something else had stirred. It was a feeling he didn’t like to admit, even to himself. Shame. Shame for needing Deku to pull him out of the water. Shame for not being able to do it himself, for not being as strong as he’d always told himself he was. Katsuki Bakugou, the unstoppable force, the wonder boy, the one who could do anything. Everyone had said it. Everyone had believed it.

"I don't need your help." Katsuki said, his voice sounding tired and small, almost lost in the rush of the water beneath him.

Deku's mouth opened, as if to say something and, for some reason, Katsuki’s heart started thumping wildly in his chest, a strange unease tugging at his stomach. He wasn’t sure why, but something felt off. He realized the other had his arms pinned against his body, and that detail was wrong. Why wasn't he extending his hand? Why wasn't he asking him if he was okay? That was how it went, wasn't it? And Katsuki, he would reject that tiny hand, reject Deku and his big bright eyes and too good of a heart. And he would keep rejecting him again and again, until the other disappeared from his life, shipped off to another country, another continent.

He was pulled out of his thoughts by the child's voice.

"You told me I was useless so many times, that I started to believe I was." Deku said, his high pitched voice devoid of all warmth.

Katsuki startled and his eyes focused back on the little silhouette standing a few meters from him. The words weren’t the familiar high-pitched voice he knew, the voice of the Deku he’d grown up with. This one was colder. Empty. Flat. And as the figure moved closer, Katsuki’s chest tightened with dread.

"Huh?" was all he managed to say.

"You beat me again, and again, until some part of me started to believe I deserved to be beaten." Izuku said, walking towards him.

The words hit him like a punch to the gut, and his heart skipped a beat. This wasn’t right. This wasn’t how it had happened. This wasn’t the past. Was he even reliving a memory? Katsuki’s mind raced as the reality of the situation began to settle in, twisting into something darker. But those words, they hadn't been said by this version of Deku, they'd come from an older version, colder and more dangerous. Deku stopped a few centimeters from him and Katsuki could finally see those eyes he'd known forever. However, instead of the warm and vibrant green he was used to, he was only met with coldness, emptiness. He couldn't bear to see that look on this Deku.

"Dek-" Katsuki whispered.

His voice faltered as he extended one arm, trying to reach out, trying to grab the small body before him. But before he could do anything, Deku’s tiny, cold hands shot forward, slamming into each side of his face with terrifying speed and strength. Katsuki’s eyes widened in shock as the force of the blow sent a wave of confusion and panic through him. He tried to move, tried to push Deku away, but the other boy was unrelenting. Izuku’s eyes bore into him with an intensity that felt like it could consume him. The words that followed were nothing short of a hammer to his chest.

"Do you get it? You're the useless one now, Kacchan, you're the extra."

Katsuki’s breath caught in his throat, and his heart skipped a beat. His voice broke, cracking under the weight of the words he couldn’t even process.

"Deku, please stop." he could hear his voice breaking. 

But Deku didn’t stop. His fingers dug into his skin, pressing harder, deeper. The pain was excruciating, like it was pulling him apart, tearing him open from the inside out. It felt like he was being ripped in two, his very soul being torn apart by the pressure of those tiny hands.

"Deku stop!" His voice was louder now, filled with despair. 

But Deku’s eyes remained unblinking, unwavering. And his fingers only pressed harder, deeper, until it felt like everything was breaking.

"STOP!!"

"Bakugou!! Bakugou calm down!!" the voice echoed, cracking through the darkness like a knife.

And suddenly, just as quickly as it had appeared, the pressure on him was gone. Katsuki turned back to look at Deku, but Deku was gone.

Gone.

Gone.

Katsuki’s chest tightened, the weight of it crushing him, and his heart skipped a beat. He couldn’t breathe. What had just happened? Where had he gone? The emptiness was suffocating. His body felt heavy, like lead, and he couldn’t make sense of anything. The world spun around him, dizzying, blurring into a black hole of nothingness.

"Someone call a nurse!"

Before he could make sense of what was happening, he could feel himself get swallowed by darkness. Was he going back to Deku? Would he be dragged into that same void, that same cycle of torment? Would he try to kill him again? The thought made his stomach twist. He didn’t know if he was afraid of it or drawn to it. Part of him, the twisted part, wanted to go anyway. Maybe it was the only thing that made sense. Maybe it was the only thing that ever had. Maybe if he could just reach out, just let himself fall into the darkness, he would finally find something, anything, that could make all the confusion stop.

But the fear gnawed at him. He didn’t want to go back. Not like that. Not again.

Still, part of him ached to, anyway.

At the same time, somewhere in Shinjuku.

Izuku was trying to walk down the dimly lit corridor, his steps steady but strained, each one a silent protest against the pain that tugged at his side. The bruises and burns beneath his shirt ached with every breath, but he kept his posture rigid and his shoulders squared, as if he could will the pain into submission. His hands were clenched at his sides, the knuckles white, not from anger, but from the force of holding himself together. Every muscle in his body screamed, but he gritted his teeth and held back the tremors that wanted to betray him. He couldn’t afford to break, not now, not in front of them. A few steps in front of him, three figures were talking in low voices, one of them turning every few seconds to throw him a inquisitive look.

"We're almost there!" said the man, then right after. "No we're not!"

Izuku kept his gaze forward, eyes fixed on the end of the corridor, trying to ignore the throbbing in his ribs, the sharp sting in his right arm. His fight against Katsuki had left him with more wounds than he'd expected, and he hadn't had time to properly treat them before he'd been asked to follow the three members of the League of Villains. He growled internally, he'd been too cocky, too blinded by his rage towards the blond that he had fought him straight on, not caring about his own safety. He should've been more strategic, more calculated, but instead, he had thrown himself into the battle, relying too much on the power of One For All, too little on his own instincts and his ability to think ahead. Katsuki had pushed him past his limits, and now, his body was paying the price. He hadn't had time to properly tend to his injuries before the three men walking in front of him had told him to follow them to another location. How many of these hideouts did the League of Villain have now? He hadn't heard from them for years now and he'd always known that he would face them again someday, but he hadn't expected to find them in Tokyo. What were they up to?

He tried not to snarl in frustration when Twice turned to look at him for the hundredth time, as if making sure that the green-haired man hadn't vanished. He just wanted to go home, take a shower and treat his bruised and injured body. He knew he didn't have the luxury to go see Recovery Girl anymore, so any hopes of a quick healing process was off the table. Fucking Katsuki Bakugou.

"How much longer." he asked in an annoyed voice.

"Shut up." Dabi said in the same tone.

They finally arrived in front of a large metal door, and Dabi pulled on it. The old metal door groaned as it slid open, its rusty hinges protesting with every inch of movement. There was a deep, guttural screech, like nails dragging across a chalkboard, followed by the heavy thud of the metal scraping against the floor. Izuku flinched at the sound, his head protesting heavily as he stepped inside. The warehouse’s main space was vast, its high ceiling supported by exposed beams. The floor, swept clean of debris, still held faint traces of dust in the corners. Moonlight filtered through grime-covered windows, casting a muted glow. Mismatched furniture where scattered around: an old leather couch, a wooden coffee table, and a few worn chairs. The air smelled faintly of rust and old wood, a lingering reminder of the building’s industrial past. 

"Well, I'll be damned." a voice echoed to their right.

Izuku whipped around quickly, already taking a defensive stance, ignoring the protests of his body. Just near the door they'd just walked through, standing in the shadows, was Shigaraki Tomura. He was dressed in a beige winter coat with a fur-lined hood that looked both cozy and stylish. The coat’s neutral color stood out against the deep, dark jeans he wore, and his boots, large and sturdy, thudded loudly against the floor when he lazily started walking towards them. Izuku noticed that he didn't have his signature hands on him, leaving his face open.

"Izuku Midoriya. The very last person I expected here."

Izuku watched him carefully as he walked to the leather sofa and sat facing him. Dabi, Twice and Spinner walked to a small corner, which seemed to have once served as a kitchen. The fridge stood against one wall, its white paint chipped in places but still intact. Next to it, a microwave sat on the counter, its surface scratched but surprisingly clean, as if someone had made an effort to maintain it despite the surrounding decay. Several cupboards lined the wall above, their doors slightly crooked but still hanging on. The area, though aging, had an odd sense of cleanliness and order. Dabi opened the fridge and got several beers out, which he offered his teammates.

"To a great night!" he toasted.

Izuku turned back to Shigaraki, who was holding a phone in his hand. He looked at the screen, then back at Izuku, seemingly surprised.

"You don't have any equipment on you." he said, still holding the phone. "I thought you might be on a mission, but you really are here alone, without any gear or weapons?"

Izuku narrowed his eyes in suspicion, which earned him a cold smile from the other.

"What, you thought I'd let you stroll in here without checking? I had someone trail you from the moment you stepped it, checking for anything that would indicate you were on some kind of recon mission."

"I'm not a hero anymore." Izuku said matter of factly. 

"Hum, that's what Matsunaga said." Shigaraki said dubiously. "He said you're different now."

Izuku straightened his posture, despite the aches and pains pulsing through his body. "I am," he said simply, as if the statement could explain everything. 

Shigaraki observed him closely, narrowing his eyes as he shifted his weight on the couch, crossing his legs with an air of casual indifference. His voice came out slow, almost mocking.

"Just like that?"

"Just like that." Izuku responded, his gaze unwavering, though his hands tightened at his sides in an attempt to hide the trembling.

Dabi’s voice cut through the tension from the kitchen space, carrying a bit of a chuckle with it.

"You should’ve seen what he did to Ground Zero." He paused as if relishing the moment, and Shigaraki turned his head at the mention of Katsuki. "Didn’t seem like they were pretending."

Shigaraki's smirk faded into something more intense, his eyes narrowing as he locked onto Izuku with renewed interest.

"Now that is interesting." His tone shifted, no longer casual but probing, as if testing the truth of Izuku's transformation. "If you're willing to hurt Katsuki Bakugou, then you must be different indeed."

Izuku’s jaw clenched at the mention of Katsuki. His body tensed, the memories of the fight still fresh, the injuries still stinging. He fought the urge to let the bitterness show.

"And you don’t seem to be very different," Izuku shot back, his voice steady despite the pain that lanced through him. "Still hiding away in dumps?"

Shigaraki’s expression darkened, his scowl deepening. He didn’t appreciate the jab, but Izuku didn’t care. The discomfort of his injuries was nothing compared to the weight of the conversation. He just wanted to push through it, to get past the part where Shigaraki tried to prod at his past and turn it into something ugly.

"We were living nicely in that hotel before you and your friends butted in." Shigaraki replied, his voice laced with annoyance.

His arms spread out as if to emphasize the point, his casual attitude slipping for a moment.

"They're not my friends." Izuku snapped.

He wanted to get over this conversation as soon as possible. He hadn't imagined it going like this, not with him injured and in a difficult position.

Shigaraki raised an eyebrow, his gaze sharpening. "Then how come they were also there?"

Izuku shrugged nonchalantly, though his body still ached with every movement. He refused to let it show, maintaining his composure as best as he could.

"They probably found you on their own," he said flatly. "You're not really good at hiding."

Shigaraki's lips curled into a faint, displeased sneer.

"That's not a very nice thing to tell someone when you want to ask for a favor."

A beat of silence.

"Who says I'm here for that?"

"Why are you here then?"

There they were. Izuku needed to walk that rope very carefully. They'd been dancing around each other, trying to figure each other out. This was a dance of wills and wits, and the first one to figure out what the other wanted would have the advantage, and potential leverage. But Izuku couldn't answer that question. He couldn't tell Shigaraki that he wasn't the one he was after, that what he truly wanted was a chance to talk to All For One and learn how to unlock the other user's quirks without them blocking him. Right now, Shigaraki was probably the only one who had direct access to All For One, and if he knew what Izuku wanted, he would definitely take control and blackmail Izuku into becoming one of his handymen. And so, Izuku needed to be smarter than him, he needed to throw him off his scent. What was Shigaraki's weakness?

Izuku’s mind flickered back to every encounter he'd had with Shigaraki, every moment where the villain had revealed just a bit of his nature. He remembered the attack at the USJ, how Shigaraki had been so consumed by his desire to defeat All Might, relying on his Nomus to do the heavy lifting. Even then, he had been frustrated, impatient. He couldn’t stand the idea that his plans could be thwarted by something as simple as a hero’s intervention. He was so focused on control that he let his temper get the best of him.

"You know what, I think I was wrong." he said, raising his arms in mock surrender. "I thought I was dealing with a carefully organized crime association, but now that I see it's just you, I think I'm gonna pass."

He gave a little shrug, as if the whole thing was a waste of his time. Then, without waiting for a response, he turned on his heel and began walking back toward the door, his footsteps deliberately measured.  He hoped nobody would try to physically stop him, as he would find it hard to fight them all at once. He just hoped that Shigaraki would take the bait, and he was betting on one thing: his ego. The air around him seemed to thicken as he reached the door, his hand hovering over the handle. It would be so easy to just walk out, to leave this whole situation behind. But part of him hoped Shigaraki wouldn’t let him. Part of him wanted to push just a little further.

"We are an organized crime association!" Shigaraki called back, clearly offended. "Who do you think is in charge of the Tokyo Thugs!"

Izuku stopped just short of the door, his hand still hovering over the handle, then turned slowly, giving Shigaraki just enough time to watch him with growing frustration. The air felt thick now, charged with the tension of unspoken threats.

The others three were all staring at him, their beers still clutched in their hands. Their eyes flicked between him and Shigaraki, uncertain. There was a visible unease in the way they shifted, like they weren’t sure if they should jump him or hold back, unsure of how this little encounter would unfold. They looked like they were waiting for a signal, trying to decide whether to fall in line or to let Shigaraki handle this himself. Shigaraki stood up from the sofa with a sharp motion, his face twisted with a mixture of anger and irritation. He started walking toward Izuku again, his steps measured, deliberate. The tension in the room thickened with each stride.

"You're really pushing it," Shigaraki sneered, his voice a low growl that could cut through steel if it had to. "You think you can just walk in here, insult us, and leave?"

Izuku stood tall, not backing down. He met Shigaraki’s gaze with a quiet confidence, even though his mind was racing, trying to figure out how to get out of this without letting his intentions slip. 

"The Tokyo Thugs." Izuku said.

He didn't want to show the other that he had no idea what he was talking about. Shigaraki seemed to think he knew more than he did, and so he just went along with it.

"Yeah, it took us some time to infiltrate the four branches, but once we were in, we just took over their villain network. And now, I'm the boss." Shigaraki said, spreading his arms wide.

Izuku’s mind raced. The words "villain network" echoed in his head, but it was as if something was tugging at the back of his thoughts, urging him to connect the dots. He wasn’t sure exactly why it felt so important, but the words stuck with him, and he couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that this was bigger than he’d realized.

It wasn’t until a sudden flash of memory hit him, a conversation with Shouto when he had returned from Los Angeles, that things started to fall into place.

A villain network...

"Jetfist and Renova were the main heroes involved. But they were killed two months ago."

"By taking them down, those villains harmed the entire Hero Network. Since then, crime has risen again and is more difficult to contain."

Izuku’s eyes flickered as the realization hit him with brutal clarity. His gaze snapped back to Shigaraki, studying him intently.

"So that's why you killed Jetfist and Renova."

Shigaraki smiled, his pale, almost sickly skin stretching tightly over his sharp features, giving his face a gaunt, unsettling look. His eyes flashed with a cruel, mocking light, as if he was savoring the dark and twisted memory. 

"You're really smart, I'll give you that."

He walked back to the sofa but didn't sit.

"We killed them to destabilize the hero network in Tokyo and take control of the Tokyo Thugs in the process. Then we merged with other groups and now...well, you've seen what we can do."

Izuku was listening with sharp interest. Shigaraki said they had infiltrated four branches, did that mean that what Izuku had discovered was only one of them?

"So, do you want to join us or not?" Shigaraki said, pulling him out of his thoughts.

Izuku’s gaze hardened, and he allowed a slight smirk to tug at his lips, despite the chaos inside his mind. 

"A few minutes ago you were afraid I was a spy, and now you want me to join you?"

Shigaraki flicked his hand dismissively, the movement fluid but somehow full of arrogance.

"If what Matsunaga says is true, then you are a whole new person now. And I must say, I prefer this version of you."

Izuku didn't answer.

"I was really pissed to learn you were the one taking over Shinjuku, you of all people." he looked at Izuku again, trying to find something in the green eyes. Then something seemed to change in his own eyes, like he was making a decision. " You see, my original plan was to get to Shouto, steal his quirk and then kill him. Then I would have done the same to Ground Zero, and I would have taken over their territories. But then..." Shigaraki paused, his lips curling into something that could have been a smile, but it was more of a grimace. "Matsunaga decided to try and get to you because he thought you would be a great addition to our group. But he said you reacted to his quirk in a way he'd never seen."

"Yes I know, I feel very special." Izuku said, voice full of sarcasm.

Shigaraki’s piercing gaze locked onto him, analyzing every inch of his posture as if trying to read his intentions. After a long, tense silence, he finally spoke, his voice sharp and demanding.

"So, are you in or not?"

Izuku hesitated, taking a moment to carefully consider his response. He didn’t want to seem too eager, nor did he want to come off as weak. Standing taller, he took a deep breath before answering.

"I have two conditions," he said, his voice steady but firm.

Shigaraki let out a short, dismissive laugh, clearly unimpressed.

"Conditions? You were the one who came crawling to us."

Izuku didn’t flinch. He knew he had to play this right.

“And you don’t want me walking out of here. Trust me on that."

Shigaraki’s eyes narrowed, clearly intrigued now.

“What conditions?”

"First," Izuku began, choosing his words carefully, "I don’t work for you. I’m my own person. I’ll join, but I’ll remain independent."

Shigaraki snorted, clearly amused.

"Everyone here is their own person, kid. That's the whole damn point of the League."

Izuku locked eyes with him, not backing down.

"And second… I want Matsunaga dead."

At that, Shigaraki's expression shifted. He raised an eyebrow, a mix of curiosity and suspicion crossing his face. "Why?"

Izuku’s eyes darkened, but he kept his voice calm. "That’s my business."

Shigaraki leaned back, considering the request. "Matsunaga’s a key player. We need him to subdue our targets."

Izuku let out a sigh, frustration creeping into his tone. "I don’t care. And I’m not asking."

Shigaraki turned to the other three, but Izuku's eyes stayed on him. In this room, he was the biggest threat. He looked at the other man's features as he silently communicated with his friends, before turning back to him.

"I’m willing to part with him if you find someone who can do the job for him." Shigaraki's voice was casual, but there was an edge to it, like he was testing the waters.

Izuku didn't hesitate. "Anyone can kidnap people."

Shigaraki scoffed, clearly unimpressed.

"Not like that. The point is to avoid violence. We can't afford to leave a trail, not with the heroes always breathing down our necks. It’s actually a good time for us to shift our methods. We need someone who can subdue our targets without leaving a mark. No harm, no noise."

Twice shuffled across the room, his arms loaded with a plate stacked high with a sandwich, a bag of chips, and a cold beer in hand. Carefully balancing the items, he walked carefully, trying not to spill anything, his eyes focused on the sofa ahead. "That's why mind-controlling quirks are so handy." he said, before dropping his items lazily on a small table.

Izuku’s heart skipped a beat. A mind-controlling quirk?

In the distance, he heard a voice from the past, and a memory flashed before his eyes, distant yet still very clear.

He knew exactly what to do.

Setagaya Memorial Hospital, 2 am.

When Katsuki's eyes fluttered open again, the world around him was plunged in darkness. The air felt heavy, and there was a strange stillness, the kind of silence that pressed down on his chest. He could tell right away he wasn't in the pond anymore, but where was he? The overwhelming disorientation made it hard for him to even process his surroundings. He couldn’t feel his body, no weight on his limbs, and the strange lightness he had felt earlier was now gone, replaced by a thick, oppressive weight in the air.

His throat was dry, and when he tried to speak his voice came out rough, distant, almost a whisper.

“Deku?”

The darkness shifted to his right, and a voice answered him—but it wasn’t the one he’d been expecting.

"Bakugou? You awake?"

Katsuki’s breath caught. He closed his eyes for a moment, letting the voice wash over him. He recognized it immediately. Kirishima. That familiar, tight, worried tone made him feel something stir inside, though he couldn't tell if it was relief or disappointment. He didn't know which.

He tried to speak again, forcing the words out despite the fog clouding his thoughts. "Where are we?"

"We're at the hospital," came the answer, the hesitancy in Kirishima’s voice more obvious now.

Katsuki could sense his friend's concern, but it only made the confusion swirling in his head grow worse.

“What’s wrong?” he managed to croak.

"Dude!" Kirishima’s voice dropped to a tight whisper. "You’ve been in and out of consciousness for two days, I was so scared."

Katsuki’s mind went blank. Two days? That didn’t make sense. His mind whirred as the words slowly settled. 

He had been out for two whole days?

"You kept waking up screaming and calling..." Kirishima’s voice faltered. "I thought you were going mad or something. You almost broke your casts."

Huh?

Katsuki tried to wiggle his fingers, but they felt stiff. Slowly, cautiously, he could feel something hard and unyielding around his hands. Casts. He was injured? His mind struggled to catch up. 

“It doesn’t hurt,” he mumbled, half to himself.

"Yeah, that's because they had to pump you with sedatives so you'd stop thrashing around," Kirishima explained, his voice soft but filled with relief.

A sound from his left made Katsuki’s heart race—a soft groan, pained and low. He froze, the familiar voice breaking through the haze.

"To...ya..."

Katsuki’s head snapped to the side, and Kirishima was quick to explain.

"That’s Todoroki," he said quietly. "He was also out, but he woke up this morning. He was severely burned by Dabi's fire, so they healed him enough for his ice quirk to take over and cool down his body. Then they’ll be able to treat him properly."

Katsuki absorbed the information with a quiet grunt. His mind scrambled to put the pieces together. What happened?

Kirishima’s voice cut through his thoughts again. "Aki and I were fighting the two security guys when Twice and Spinner appeared with other people. We fought them off, but I barely got out of there alive. Aki had to extract me and that woman you found."

A woman? Katsuki furrowed his brow. His memory was a patchwork of flashes and fragments, but a sliver of understanding was beginning to form. He’d found someone… had he saved them? Was that the reason he’d gotten hurt?

He tried to clear the fog in his mind. "Is she okay?" he rasped.

"Yeah, Aki dropped by to tell me she’s at Todoroki’s agency. She’s still in shock, but unhurt. You did good, Bakugou."

The praise, though sincere, felt distant. It didn’t sink in, not with everything else swirling around in his mind. He tried to muster the strength to respond, but the weight of exhaustion was already creeping in, pulling him under again.

"Hum," he mumbled, barely able to hold his thoughts together. His eyelids grew heavy, the dark, quiet embrace of sleep pulling him back into its fold.

And for a moment, just a fleeting moment, he allowed himself to drift away, away from the questions and the worries, into a place where everything was silent again.

Shouto's apartment, Nakano, one week later, 8pm

Shouto sat in the quiet of his living room, his gaze fixed on the crackling flames in the fireplace. The flickering light cast shadows across the room, dancing over the walls as if trying to escape the stillness that filled the air. In his hands, he absentmindedly turned the pages of the files Aki had brought him from the office. Technically, he was still supposed to be resting for another week, but the quiet was suffocating. His body had healed enough in the three days he'd spent in the hospital, the worst of his burns now reduced to fading, tender scars. But no amount of medical attention could heal the deeper wounds. The emotional damage from the last fight, the weight of it all, had left him feeling shattered—like a glass cup that had been dropped.

The fight with Dabi had turned into chaos in ways he couldn’t even fully grasp. He had meant to take down Dabi and then help Bakugou with securing Izuku, but everything had spiraled so fast, so violently, that his mind couldn’t keep up. His memory of it was fragmented, the edges blurred as if it were someone else’s nightmare. But even more than the physical pain—the burns that were starting to subside—what truly hurt was the echo of Dabi’s words.

Dabi, or Touya.

Shouto’s eyes closed slowly, his breathing tightening as he tried to control the wave of pain that threatened to overwhelm him. No matter how hard he clenched his teeth, no matter how hard he willed the thoughts away, his heart still ached, as if something deep within him had been set on fire, and nothing could extinguish it.

Touya was Dabi. The realization rang in his chest like a hollow bell, the truth reverberating louder with each passing second.

A memory hit him, sharp and uninvited. He was back there, on the ground, his body battered and aching, unable to move. Dabi stood above him, surrounded by a hellish blaze of blue flames. His eyes glinted with unrestrained delight, that cruel, manic smile stretched wide across his face like a predator savoring its kill.

"Shouto, my dear Shouto," Dabi had taunted, his voice dripping with false sweetness. "No matter how much Dad has trained you, you're still a weak and pathetic little kid."

Shouto had wanted to scream, to deny it, but when he looked into those cold, flame-filled eyes, something struck him like a thunderclap. There was a flicker of recognition, something so familiar in Dabi’s eyes that it nearly took his breath away. And with that fleeting moment of clarity, Shouto had felt the floor drop away beneath him, like the world itself had crumbled.

“No,” he had whispered in disbelief, his voice cracking. “That’s not possible. Touya-nii is dead. He died years ago.”

Dabi’s smile had only widened, his laughter like the crackle of fire. "Oh Shouto, trust me, I wish I had. But fate had me survive for one purpose only: to destroy our father. And where better to start than with his precious little Shouto?"

The words, the truth of it all, had hit him harder than any physical blow. His mind had reeled, unable to catch up, while Dabi’s fiery power had pummeled him relentlessly, throwing him to the ground. Yet, in that moment of vulnerability, when Shouto thought it was over, Dabi had leaned in close, his hot breath ghosting across his ear.

“Tell him,” Dabi had whispered, the words cold and venomous. “Tell Dad I’m alive, and I’m coming for him.”

Shouto’s heart clenched tightly, and his throat burned with the weight of the words. He could still hear the taunt, still feel the weight of the truth hanging in the air like a thick fog, suffocating him. It was as if his entire world had shifted under him. The brother he had mourned, the brother he had thought was gone forever, had been standing right in front of him, his enemy now. And that truth, that betrayal, was what hurt him the most.

"Touya-nii..." he choked, hands tightening on the pages he could barely see.

"Damn, you look like hell." he heard behind him.

He jumped to his feet, sending his pile of papers tumbling to the ground. He tried to ignore the wave of dizziness that overtook him as he stood, and raised his right hand in front of him, a thin cloud of ice already forming around his wrist. He locked eyes with a silhouette that was laying on the doorframe leading to his balcony, and he froze.

"Don't shoot, I come bearing gifts." the person said, raising one hand in surrender, the other one holding a white box.

"Midoriya?" Shouto whispered in disbelief.

Izuku waited a few seconds, to ensure Shouto wouldn't attack, then he walked carefully to the glass table in front of the fireplace and placed the box there. Shouto couldn't believe it, after weeks of them looking for him with no result, there he was, in his apartment. He was speechless. Izuku smiled softly before gesturing for him to sit down.

"I heard you had just been discharged from the hospital."

Shouto stood frozen, his mind struggling to process the situation unfolding before him. His gaze flickered from Izuku's familiar face to his eyes. Was he back? Was this truly his friend standing in front of him? But as he continued to study the man before him, all he could sense was an unsettling energy, something off, something different. The silence hung heavy between them, and Shouto’s voice broke it, sharp and defensive.

“What are you doing here?”

"I came to check on you."

The words didn’t sit right with Shouto. The air around them felt thick with unspoken tension. He narrowed his eyes, his mistrust growing.

"Why."

"Because you're my friend." Izuku gave a slow, almost weary shrug, as if the answer was self-evident. 

Shouto eyed him with suspicion.

"Are we?"

Izuku sent him a deadpan look.

"I'm different, not evil."

"You tried to kill us."

“No.” Izuku’s voice was firm, but not harsh. “I tried to kill Katsuki Bakugou. Not you.”

The words hung in the air between them, and Shouto was left struggling with the conflict swirling inside him. But before he could say anything further, Izuku straightened his posture, casting a quick glance over his shoulder toward the kitchen.

"We need some spoons for this." Izuku said matter-of-factly, before beginning to move toward the kitchen. But then, just as quickly as he had begun, he stopped and turned on his heel, his green eyes locking with Shouto’s once more.

“Don’t even think about calling for backup,” Izuku warned, his voice cold and cutting. “I’ll be gone before you finish dialing.”

Without another word, he vanished down the corridor, leaving Shouto standing there in a daze, confusion clouding his mind. What was happening? Why was Izuku here? Was he truly the same person? What was he planning? Moments later, Izuku returned, now holding two spoons in his hands, his expression unbothered. He dropped into one of the chairs, leaning back casually as if nothing had happened. With a small gesture, he motioned for Shouto to sit. But Shouto remained rooted in place, uncertainty freezing him where he stood.

Izuku’s gaze softened, but the intensity remained. “I’m not here to fight, I promise.”

Shouto’s gaze remained fixed on Izuku, his eyes studying him intently, as if trying to read some hidden truth behind his words. After what felt like an eternity, he finally sank into the chair, the weight of the conversation pressing down on him. His phone was in the other room, on his bed, so he couldn’t call for help or try to reach out to anyone. But Izuku didn’t seem to be here for anything more than to talk, to share something Shouto wasn’t sure he was ready to hear.

He watched as Izuku's hands trembled slightly as he reached for the white box he had brought with him. The movement was almost tender, as though the box itself held some deep, personal meaning. He opened it slowly, and for a brief moment, Shouto could only stare, utterly stunned by what was inside. Two Shouto-cakes, exactly like the ones they had seen that day in the cafe, sat nestled in the box, their small, mismatched eyes gleaming up at him under the dim light. It was a surreal sight, one that sent a jolt through his chest.

He could still hear Izuku’s laugh from that day, the way his eyes had sparkled with sincerity and warmth as he’d pointed out the cakes. It had been such a simple, innocent moment, yet now it felt so distant, like a memory from another lifetime.

"Happy belated birthday." Izuku’s voice broke through the silence, and Shouto’s heart skipped. His body jerked slightly, the words catching him off guard.

"What?" he asked, his voice betraying the confusion in his mind.

Izuku’s lips curled into a soft, almost sad smile.

"Your birthday. It was last week, but you were in the hospital." He lifted the box slightly, offering it to Shouto. "So here. I told you I'd get those someday."

Shouto stared at him, his chest tightening as another wave of pure sadness washed over him. It was like a hole had opened up inside of him, one that only seemed to deepen with every word Izuku spoke.

"Midoriya..."

Izuku’s expression shifted, becoming more serious. He leaned forward slightly, as though he was preparing to reveal something even heavier.

"You need to understand something," he said, his tone low but steady. "I’m me, but not the one you’ve known until now. I’m different, and I like it."

He took a breath, as if gathering the courage to say what was next.

"And I would like you to stop chasing after me."

Shouto’s heart sank at the words. It was a request, but it sounded like a command. He wanted to argue, to say that he couldn’t just walk away, that they were friends, but his throat tightened, and the words got stuck.

"You know we can’t do that," he finally said, his voice softer than he intended. "You’re our friend."

Izuku’s eyes flashed, a flicker of something sharp crossing his face, but his expression quickly softened again.

"Then listen to what I’m telling you and respect my wish." he said, his voice thick with a mix of desperation and finality.

Shouto shook his head, his thoughts spinning. "How can it be your wish when it’s the result of a quirk?" The question slipped out before he could stop it, a desperate attempt to make sense of the chaos that was unfolding between them.

Izuku’s face darkened at the mention of the quirk, his eyes narrowing, but there was a heaviness in his gaze.

"Never mind," he muttered, standing up abruptly. "Maybe coming here was a mistake after all."

He started walking towards the window he'd left open, but Shouto was back on his feet and he grabbed his arm as he walked past him. Izuku whirled around, his eyes flashing dangerously. There was a coldness in them now, a sharp edge that sent a chill down Shouto’s spine. He'd never seen these eyes directed towards him.

"Let me go." Izuku’s voice was icy, laced with an anger that wasn’t there before.

But Shouto couldn’t let go. Not when it felt like everything was falling apart. He held onto Izuku’s arm, his grip firm, though his heart pounded with fear and uncertainty. He wasn’t sure what would happen next, but he couldn’t just stand by and watch his friend slip away into something darker.

"I can't. You're my friend." The words felt heavier than Shouto expected, and they hung in the air between them, thick with the weight of everything unsaid.

Izuku's expression faltered for a second. "I'm not the same person anymore." he replied, his voice soft but firm.

Izuku tried to pull away, his body tensing, but Shouto held onto him tighter, his grip almost desperate. He wasn’t going to let him slip through his fingers so easily. The raw emotion in Izuku’s voice, the resignation, made Shouto’s chest ache, but he couldn’t let him go. Not when everything seemed so fragile, when everything was on the edge of breaking.

"Dabi...he's my brother." he blurted out.

Izuku’s face was unreadable, but there was a flicker of something in his eyes—shock, disbelief. He turned his head slowly, his gaze locking onto Shouto’s wide, startled eyes.

“What?” he whispered, as if he couldn’t quite believe what he had just heard.

Shouto swallowed hard, his throat dry, as the words he had kept buried finally spilled out.

“Do you remember my big brother, Touya?” he asked, his voice quieter than he meant it to be, but there was a tremor in it that he couldn’t hide.

"You said he died in a fire." Izuku’s voice was steady, but there was an edge to it, as though he was still trying to process the unexpected weight of Shouto’s words. 

"I thought he did, but he didn't. It was Dabi all along, and I...I don't know what to do."

The words hung in the air, heavy and suffocating. Izuku was silent for a long moment, his eyes not leaving Shouto’s, studying him as though trying to understand the depth of the torment he was now sharing. There was a soft, almost imperceptible flicker in Izuku’s gaze, but his expression remained unreadable.

Finally, Izuku spoke, his voice quiet but firm. "You should forget about him. He's not your brother anymore, and he's clearly messed up in the head. Chasing after him will only hurt you more, and you'll end up losing yourself."

The weight of Izuku’s words felt like a punch to Shouto’s chest, as though the air had been knocked out of him. His throat tightened, and for a brief moment, he couldn’t breathe. He didn’t want to hear this, didn’t want to face the truth that Izuku was presenting. Dabi, his brother, was a broken man, consumed by something Shouto couldn’t understand, and Izuku was telling him to let go. But how could he? Shouto looked back at Izuku, his eyes glistening with unshed tears, his voice thick with emotion.

"Even like this, you're the only one I can talk to," he whispered, the vulnerability in his words raw and exposed. "And you're wrong. You are still the same person. Even now, you're willing to help your enemy."

Shouto’s mind flashed back to their fight during the Sports Festival in their first year. He remembered the way Izuku had spent most of the battle trying to help him instead of trying to defeat him, even when he had every reason to. Shouto had been confused, unable to understand how someone could be so selfless, so determined to help even when it meant going against their own instincts. 

"You're not the enemy." Izuku said, his voice softer than before, almost regretful. "Last time, I was pissed, so I wasn’t really nice. It wasn’t about you."

"And Bakugou is?" he asked, his words steady, but his mind racing.

He had always known that the tension between Izuku and Bakugou ran deep, but this—this was something more. Something that Izuku still hadn’t fully explained. He could feel the weight of those unspoken words hanging in the air, the truth that neither of them had dared to confront.

Izuku’s eyes hardened at the mention of Bakugou’s name, his posture stiffening as if the words had cut deeper than intended. There was a flash of something—anger, frustration, perhaps even regret—but it was gone before Shouto could fully process it. 

"Midoriya, he's been helping us find you this whole time. Even with all your history, he's trying."

Shouto's voice was quiet but insistent, the weight of his words pressing down on them both. He knew how complicated their past was and understood the bitterness that lingered between them, but what Izuku didn’t seem to see was that Bakugou was trying, however hard it was for him. Izuku’s lips twisted into a bitter smile, the emotion in his eyes hardening.

"He's trying, huh." His voice was thick with disbelief, and this time, he didn’t hesitate to pull away from Shouto’s grasp.

He stepped back, his posture shifting to one of closed-off frustration, and Shouto stood there, watching, unsure of how to reach him, unsure of what to say. But Izuku spoke again, his tone heavy with years of unresolved anger.

"You wanna know why him and I were never able to get along?"

Shouto’s heart tightened in his chest, the question hanging in the air like a challenge. He nodded, even though he already knew part of the answer, or at least he thought he did. He remembered the tension between them—the rivalry, the insults, the pain that had always been simmering beneath the surface.

"You told me you fell apart in middle school." Shouto’s voice was hesitant.

Izuku’s jaw clenched, and his eyes grew distant as he let out a quiet, almost hollow laugh

"You know what, let me show you."

Shouto blinked, surprised at the sudden shift in Izuku’s demeanor. He watched, his breath caught in his throat, as Izuku raised his shirt slowly, revealing the scar beneath. The red mark on his shoulder stood out starkly against his skin, old but unmistakable.

"You see this?" Izuku's voice was low, tinged with a quiet bitterness. "When he learned I was applying to U.A., he burned through my vest and shirt. And this…" He dropped the shirt, and then pulled his hair back, revealing a small, faint scar on his scalp. "This is from when we were 8, and he pushed me down the slides because he said I was too useless to follow him."

Shouto’s heart sank as Izuku continued, his voice calm but the pain clear in every word. "And this," Izuku said as he rolled up his pants, revealing a scar on his left calf. "Is from where he kicked me when I got a better grade in algebra."

Shouto looked at him in horror. Each mark, each scar, was a testament to the cruelty Izuku had suffered. They were the physical remnants of years of torment, the emotional scars that had shaped him into the person standing before Shouto now. It was a story Shouto hadn’t fully understood until now, a story of violence, of abuse, of betrayal—not from an enemy, but from someone who was supposed to be a friend. In all the years the two men had been friends, the green haired man had never talked about this. Sure, all of class A had known that the two of them shared a very complicated history, and Shouto remembered how arrogant and rude Bakugou had been during his first year, yet he could never have imagined something like this. Was that how Bakugou had treated his friend? For so many years? His hands trembled at his sides, and his vision blurred as guilt and shock collided within him. The Izuku he knew, the one who always smiled through everything, who kept pushing forward no matter the odds, was now revealed to be someone who had borne so much pain alone.

How many nights had the both of them stayed awake with Shouto recounting the horrors his dad had made him go through? The constant pushing and training, the terrible abuse of his mother, which had culminated in her attacking Shouto and being put in a mental institute? He remembered the night he'd finally been able to talk about Touya, and how his death was still his biggest scar, even more so than the one on his face. Izuku had silently cried next to him, one hand holding on to him, his warmth sipping through his clothes. Why hadn't he said anything then? The thought twisted in his gut like a knife.

"Katsuki Bakugou has been my biggest bully since I was six. He repeatedly beat me, burned me and insulted me, to the point where I thought of suicide on several occasions. Do you think a ten year-old should want to jump off the roof of his school during lunch time?"

"I-" Shouto blurted, his heart hammering in his chest.

"This scumbag may have fooled everyone into thinking he was hero material, but I know what kind of person he truly is." Izuku said icily. "He's rotten to the core. And trust me, whatever happens to him now, he deserves it."

Izuku started walking towards the window again, but Shouto, still in shock, could feel his body slowly snapping back to reality. The numbness that had overtaken him started to fade, and before he knew it, he was running—his feet carrying him toward Izuku with urgency. He planted himself firmly between Izuku and the window, blocking the path, his chest tight with a mix of confusion and frustration.

"Move. I'm done talking." Izuku’s voice was barely above a whisper, but there was a finality to it, a coldness that sent a shiver through Shouto.

But Shouto couldn’t just let him go, not like this. He couldn’t let Izuku walk away from everything he had just revealed. However, he didn't know what words he could say that would help his friend. He'd always been bad with words, with emotions, and he'd never thought that someone would ever rely on him for moral support. Up until now, Izuku had seemed to be okay with this side of him, but today, he wished he was a different person. And so, instead of the warm words he wanted to say, he blurted out: "What is One For All?"

Izuku froze, mid-step. His back stiffened, and for a moment, it seemed like time had stopped. He slowly turned his head to face Shouto, his green eyes wide, but there was something deeper there—something unreadable, a flicker of hesitation. The silence stretched on, thick with unspoken thoughts.

Shouto pressed on, unable to stop himself. "You mentioned it during your fight with Bakugou. Is this why you’re working with the League? Don’t you remember what they did to you? To Bakugou?"

Izuku's expression shifted, and a cold laugh escaped him, though it sounded more like a broken sob than anything else.

"Yeah, they saw the truth of his soul."

"No, Midoriya," Shouto’s voice cracked, the words slipping out before he could stop them. "You did."

Izuku’s face faltered before he regained his composure. He stepped back, shaking his head slightly as though trying to shake off the pain that lingered in the air between them.

"And look what it got me." he muttered bitterly, his voice hard, his gaze distant as he looked past Shouto. "Let me go."

"I can’t." Shouto whispered, his voice barely audible, but it was firm, the weight of his words hanging in the air. "Please, let me help you."

Izuku glanced back at him, his eyes glowing with a fierce intensity, a fire that burned brighter than Shouto had ever seen. There was no trace of the boy he once knew, just this new person, dangerous and lost.

"I'll make it simple for you. Let me go, or I blow up half the building."

But Shouto shook his head.

"You wouldn’t kill innocent people." he said.

Izuku’s eyes darkened, and his voice was ice-cold. "I already did."

The words hit Shouto like a punch to the gut. His mind flashed to the hotel fight again, unlocking another part of Izuku's conversation with Bakugou.

"You're the one who went after Sabura...Midoriya, he's alive, Bakugou saved him. You're not a murderer yet!" Shouto’s words were desperate, a final plea for Izuku to understand the weight of what he was about to do.

But it seemed to have the opposite effect on the man in front of him.

"That bastard, always getting in my way." he spat.

Shouto’s heart clenched, a pit opening in his stomach. He really was lost, wasn’t he?

"Midoriya, you have to fight this!" Shouto cried out, willing his friend to see reason.

"Fight what?" Izuku snapped, his frustration boiling over. "You guys seem to be under the impression that I’m a victim of whatever happened. Well, new flash: I haven’t felt this good in my entire life! I’m not the helpless Deku anymore. And that feeling of freedom, of power, it's worth killing anyone who gets in my way." His voice was hard, a defiant edge to it that made Shouto’s blood run cold.

Izuku stepped towards the window, preparing to leave, but before he could fully escape, Shouto grabbed at him again. His hand clutched at Izuku’s shirt, the fabric slipping between his fingers as he tried to hold on.

"Izuku. Please."

Izuku sighed, a long, drawn-out breath, and turned to face Shouto again. There was sadness in his eyes now, mixed with something darker, something Shouto couldn’t quite reach. "Let me go, Shouto. Don’t make me hurt you." The words were softer, but the threat still lingered in the air, a warning that Shouto couldn’t ignore.

But Shouto didn’t let go. He held on, not knowing what else to do, his heart aching with the loss of the Izuku he had once known. Then, without warning, flashes of green and orange danced across Izuku’s body, the light crackling with dangerous energy. It was too much—too fast. In the blink of an eye, Izuku broke free. His body moved with a force Shouto couldn’t match, soaring upward with a sudden, explosive power. The force of it sent Shouto stumbling back, his hand ripped away from the fabric of Izuku’s shirt.

For a moment, everything was silent. Shouto looked up, still processing what had just happened. But his body betrayed him. His knees buckled, and he collapsed to the ground, unable to support himself. His vision blurred, and the weight of his emotions—of helplessness, fear, and sorrow—crashed over him in an overwhelming wave.

Izuku was gone.

Setagaya Memorial Hospital, 9 am.

Katsuki took slow, deliberate steps toward the wardrobe next to his hospital bed, trying not to fall on his face in the process. He winced slightly, the dull ache from his left shoulder reminding him to move with care. He opened the door with the tip of his fingers, the motion jerky but controlled to avoid straining his injured arms. He gently pulled out a small stack of clothes that had been neatly folded, every item carefully arranged. The fabric felt soft against his fingertips, a small comfort amid the sterile hospital air. As he walked back to his bed, his focus shifted to the mountain of gifts that were neatly stacked at the foot of his bed. The news of Ground Zero being injured had quickly traveled to Setagaya, and people had been shocked. Since he'd arrived in Tokyo, he'd never lost a fight, never been injured to the point of being admitted to the hospital. He usually came to get a quick patch up, then he was on his way, already back on the field. Being undefeated was what would ensure him his future spot as Tokyo's Number 1 Hero, the beginning of his journey to success. To believe that he'd get his first critical injury from Deku of all people...

He had been completely taken aback when he'd gotten up a few days ago to find boxes of chocolates and teddy bears wearing his costume carefully set on his bedside table. What the fuck? But then Kirishima had arrived with even more gifts, and he'd explained the situation to him. The people of Setagaya were sending their best to their hero and wishing him well. Kirishima had been teary eyed when he'd delivered the message, but Bakugou had kept his eyes on the various gifts and candies, unable to speak. He felt like he didn't deserve these, somehow.

Katsuki grunted when he put his clothes on his bed, the movement jolting his right shoulder. It wasn’t just the pain that worried him anymore; it was the limited mobility, the annoying sensation of being forced to rely on others. He gritted his teeth. A week at the hospital had felt like an eternity, and it wasn’t even the physical damage that had him on edge—it was the long, drawn-out process of healing without Recovery Girl or anyone else with the same potent healing quirk. The bones and joints had to heal the slow way, and that meant waiting. His hands were free from the casts now, but the slings holding each of his arms were a constant reminder of that terrible night and of his failure.

The sound of footsteps behind him pulled him out of his thoughts. He didn't have to turn around to know who it was.

"You need a hand?" the voice asked, calm and steady, but Katsuki wasn’t in the mood for it.

"No." he snapped, his tone sharper than he meant. His voice, though rough, lacked the usual venom, a strange hollowness in its edge.

The person behind him, however, was persistent, as usual. " Iida and Uraraka want to come see you today. They're worr-"

Katsuki cut him off, his impatience bubbling to the surface. "What the hell do they want to see me for?"

"Because they're your friends?"

Katsuki scoffed drily, shaking his head, and let out a short, bitter laugh. "No, they're not. They're De—"

He stopped mid-sentence, the word catching in his throat. His jaw tightened as he clenched his fists, still unable to fully say what he had been thinking.

"They're not." he muttered, shaking the thought away.

There was a moment of silence before the voice spoke again, softer this time. "They just want to make sure you're okay."

"Bullshit," Katsuki scoffed, his gaze flicking toward the window, unwilling to meet his companion’s eyes. "They only wanna know what happened to their actual friend. They don’t give two shits about me."

"Bakugou..." the voice said, a hint of concern creeping into the words.

Katsuki felt a pang of irritation flare up. "Why are you here anyway? I can handle myself just fine."

"You need someone to take you to physical therapy." Kirishima said, his voice calm and patient.

It was clear this wasn’t the first time they had this conversation. Kirishima had been repeating it for days, trying to convince Katsuki that some help wouldn’t hurt, but so far, his stubborn friend wasn’t having it.

"I can go alone, I’m not a fucking kid," Katsuki snapped, his tone sharp, the same defensiveness that always made Kirishima bite back a sigh. 

"It’s not about that, and you know it." Kirishima replied, trying to keep his voice even, though the words had a familiar edge of frustration that came from years of trying to get through to his hard-headed friend. 

The door of the room suddenly flew open, banging against the wall, making them both jump. Before Kirishima could react, Katsuki had spun around, and his still-healing right arm shot up instinctively, but the motion sent a jolt of pain through him, his face contorting with discomfort. Kirishima also turned to see who was walking in.

"Todoroki?" Kirishima asked, his voice tight, worry creeping into his tone as he took in the way Todoroki was standing. 

There was an almost eerie stillness to the air. Something was off. Todoroki had been discharged from the hospital a week and a half ago after suffering severe burns. The hospital staff had quickly treated him, using a cooling gel specifically designed for burn victims. His quirk—an inherent resistance to fire—had, thankfully, helped to slow the spread of the damage, and he had been stable enough to go home early, though his recovery was far from over. The mental and emotional toll it had taken on him was something no one could see on the surface, but Katsuki couldn't care less about that. But now, Todoroki was standing in the doorway, a sight that caught both Katsuki and Kirishima off guard. His body, still slightly marked by the burns, looked strangely stiff, like a man carrying some heavy, invisible burden. His expression, usually calm and composed, was now something different—an intensity in his gaze that was anything but comforting.

Katsuki instinctively bristled, a knot of confusion and irritation forming in his gut. Todoroki’s eyes burned with an emotion Katsuki couldn’t immediately place. The unspoken words hung between them like an electric current, making Katsuki’s skin crawl.

"Da fuck you doing here?!" Katsuki yelled, his hand still up.

"What is One For All?" Todoroki asked bluntly, his voice cutting through the tension like a knife.

Katsuki froze, his entire body stiffening as the words registered. His mind went blank for a split second, before the familiar wave of irritation surged up.

"Don't know what you're talking about." Katsuki lied, his voice sharp.

"Liar," Todoroki snarled, his words dripping with frustration. His eyes glinted with a mix of anger and something else, something Katsuki couldn’t quite place. "I heard you talk about it with Midoriya. Tell me."

His chest tightened. Why the hell was Todoroki bringing this up? He hadn’t expected this kind of conversation, not now, not after everything that had happened. The last thing he needed was Todoroki sniffing around in places that didn’t concern him.

"Why the fuck would I tell you anything?" Katsuki spat, lowering his hand slowly, but his eyes never left Todoroki’s. His heart was pounding in his chest, frustration building with each passing second. His mind raced, but all he could focus on was the unrelenting look in Todoroki’s eyes.

"Because this might be useful to us!" Todoroki shot back, his tone sharper now, more insistent.

Katsuki let out a bitter laugh. "Not my fault he doesn't trust you enough to tell you his secrets." he said, his voice thick with disdain. 

Todoroki's face darkened, and the quiet venom in his next words cut deep. "And he trusts you? The man who bullied him all his childhood?"

The words hit like a punch to the gut, and for a moment, Katsuki could only stand there, stunned. The room seemed to shrink around him. He heard Kirishima let out a strangled sound from behind him, but it barely registered. His mind was still reeling from Todoroki's accusation, each word feeling like it was chipping away at something Katsuki had tried so hard to bury.

Katsuki’s eyes narrowed, a bitter fire igniting inside him. "What the hell do you know about that?" he growled, his voice low and dangerous.

The sting of Todoroki's words still burned, and now the urge to defend himself flared up like an uncontrollable blaze. He wasn’t about to let Todoroki get away with this, especially when he barely understood the man in front of him himself.

"Midoriya came to my place yesterday," Todoroki said, his voice low and filled with something dark. He took a few steps forward, closing the gap between them. "He showed me his scars and where you burned his clothes into his skin!"

Katsuki’s blood ran cold, his chest tightening as a wave of rage washed over him, so intense it made his vision blur. The familiar fury surged in his veins, but it was mixed with something else—something raw and terrible. This wasn’t just anger; this was something personal, something he never allowed anyone to talk about. Hearing Todoroki, of all people, speak about it sent a jolt of nausea through him. His hands clenched into fists, the pain in his left shoulder momentarily forgotten.

"Midoriya came to your house?" Kirishima asked, his voice high with disbelief.

"Yes," Todoroki replied, his gaze never leaving Katsuki. "And he told me all about how Bakugou treated him when they were little."

Katsuki felt something dark and heavy twist in his gut, a feeling he hadn’t experienced in a long time. The mention of Deku and his past brought up all the things he’d buried—the anger, the guilt, the confusion. He could feel his teeth grinding as he bared them, his eyes narrowing, fury flickering behind them.

"Since I woke up, I kept thinking about that fight, and the things I was hearing him say." Todoroki went on. "He said you bullied him because he was quirkless..."

"Quirkless?" Kirishima exclaimed, bewildered. "How is that possible?"

Katsuki backed up slightly, feeling like a cornered animal. Deku had gone to the bastard's house? Why? Why now? The question gnawed at him. He'd been hiding from them for weeks now, and was clearly at an advantage, so why show up out of the blue? Was his relationship with Todoroki so strong that, even in his current state, he still felt a pull towards the other? For some reason, the thought made him nauseated. And angrier.

"Hey, answer me!" Todoroki yelled, taking another step up.

Katsuki's jaw tightened as his breathing slowed. He wasn’t ready for this. He wasn’t ready to confront his past, not here, not like this. But the way Todoroki was closing in, the weight of his stare—it was too much. His throat tightened, and for a moment, he didn’t know what to say.

"Listen Fuck Face." Katsuki spat in return. "Just because he's your boyfriend, it gives you zero rights to butt in matters that don't involve you. Whatever happened between me and Deku are none of your fucking business! So you can fuck off right from where you came from!"

"Why do you keep-"

Todoroki froze, seemingly startled into silence, and Katsuki could almost see the gears turning inside his head, like he was figuring something out. Then, his whole face contorted in fury and he launched himself at Katsuki, who raised his right hand in defense. However, he was still on the mend and was strictly forbidden from using his quirk, pending enormous pain. So he could only grab on Todoroki's shirt and clench his jaw seconds before the other's fist collided with it. It wasn't as strong as he knew Todoroki could be, but it still felt his head was going to explode.

"Todoroki-kun!" someone yelled, and Katsuki heard hurried footsteps.

"You despicable son of a bitch!" Todoroki snarled, and his eyes were shining with fury. "You stupid asshole!"

Katsuki headbutted him as he was being pulled backward, and he felt something splash on his face. Good.

"Todoroki-kun! Stop! What are you doing?!" Katsuki heard a female voice scream.

He blinked through the haze of pure anger and saw that Iida was the one holding Todoroki back. Uraraka was standing a few steps behind, looking shocked.

"Let me go, Iida!" Todoroki yelled, sounding desperate, the bottom half of his face covered in blood. "If anything happens to Midoriya because this guy is just too dense, I'll kill him myself!"

Katsuki watched as Iida dragged Todoroki to the door, feeling like he was missing something. Something important.

Endeavor-Shouto Agency, Nakano, 1 am.

Izuku moved cautiously, his footsteps echoing faintly as he descended the fire stairs outside the agency. His every movement was deliberate, careful not to cast a single shadow through the closed windows that lined the stairwell. The cold night air clung to his skin as he descended, his mind sharp with focus. He came to a silent stop at the landing, his eyes scanning the dimly lit exterior of the building. His body was tense, alert to any sound that might betray his presence. He jumped lightly to the edge of the door leading to the third-floor corridor, his feet barely making a sound.

Next to the heavy metal door stood a digital pad, its keyboard sleek and cold, paired with a small screen that flickered softly. Izuku studied the pad for a moment, noting the slight buzz of electricity in the air. His eyes flicked to his pocket, where he pulled out a small keycard. He'd stole it from Shouto while pretending to fetch the spoons during his visit a few days ago. Now that he had confirmed the other was not due at the agency for some time, he could use his access card freely. He slid it smoothly in front of the screen, and a series of rapid beeps followed, sharp and quick. The door’s lock clicked with a faint but unmistakable sound. Izuku’s lips curled into a small, satisfied smile. He pulled lightly on it, making sure the metal wouldn't creak and attract attention, then peeked inside. The corridor was dark and he couldn't hear any sign of activity, so he opened the door all the way and entered the building. It was Thursday night, which meant everyone but two people were out for the usual team diner. Only one person was left to work at the agency, and another one had just started their patrol, which would end at 6am, leaving him all the time in the world. 

Izuku sped past the meeting room, keeping next to the wall, but he knew there were no cameras here, only in the lobby. He turned left and stood in front of a wooden door, also harboring a keypad. He used the keycard again and pushed the door open, stepping inside Shouto's office. He looked around once, then walked straight towards the desk, which was neatly arranged. Izuku opened the computer and the screen turned on automatically, displaying the message: “Enter ID and Password.”. Izuku took the card again and pressed it to the little grey box connected to the computer, and after blinking once, the screen turned green and was unlocked.

Izuku navigated through the folders and opened a software called Hero Network. He clicked the search bar and typed in the keywords:

Shinso Hitoshi

He pressed Enter and waited. The page reloaded in an instant, revealing a list of information accompanied by a picture of his former school mate. Izuku scanned the data with practiced ease, his sharp eyes catching every detail. As he read through the information, a faint smile tugged at the corners of his lips—he had what he needed. With quick, methodical movements, he logged off the Hero Network application and shut the computer down. Izuku placed the keycard gently beside it, his eyes lingering on the small object. Attached to the card was a keychain, and on the keychain, a photo of himself, Shouto, Ochaco, and Tenya. The four of them stood together, their faces bright with youthful optimism, smiles full of hope and dreams of the future. He tore his eyes off the object and turned his back, walking silently towards the door, where he slipped back into the darkness of the hallway.

Chapter Text

Izuku's apartment, Setagaya, 10 am

Izuku’s footsteps echoed through the stillness of his bedroom as he moved quickly toward the wardrobe. He pulled out a pair of pants and two sweaters, then hurried to the living room and shoved them into his black sports bag. He then went to the TV stand, opened the first drawer, and took out his passport, hero license, and a thick bundle of cash. His past self had been saving money to buy a new support item to replace the ones he had on his feet, but he didn't need those anymore. Now, with that much cash, he didn't need to use his credit card or ATMs, meaning he would be untraceable for a while. For this purpose, he had also ditched his old phone and bought a new, cheaper one with a new disposable SIM card. After this mission though, he would need to think of something to get easy money. There was no way in hell he'd accept to become Shigaraki's errand boy, but maybe he could sort out something. He was intrigued by one thing the white-haired man had said about the Tokyo Thugs group during their encounter.

"It took us some time to infiltrate the four branches, but once we were in, we just took over their villain network."

Four branches.

So, Shigaraki wasn’t working alone. His actions—abducting people, stealing quirks, and selling them to wealthy individuals—were part of a much larger operation. He recalled the strange menu he’d received at the restaurant: Children’s Play, Femme Fatale, Iron Hand, and Burning Stars. Now, he understood the last one, but the others were still unclear. Was it possible that these were names of the other three branches Shigaraki had taken over? Or perhaps they were code names for specific factions within the organization? The idea gnawed at him, but the overall picture was still incomplete.

Izuku shook his head slightly, stopping the mumbling spilling out of his mouth. He couldn’t afford to stay here any longer. It had now been a month since the New Year "incident", and every day brought him closer to being found. He knew it was only a matter of time before Shouto and the others tracked him down, especially if they contacted his old employer. Mirio Togata had visited dozens of apartments with him, including this one. He’d left for L.A. before Izuku had made a final decision, but Mirio could still potentially provide the list of places they’d seen—and that could lead them straight to him. And so he had to move on, find somewhere else to live, somewhere no one would think to look. Maybe he could find himself a spot in one of the other three branches? He didn't think he could do that without Shigaraki knowing about it at some point. And that's why he still needed to extend an olive branch to the man.

And this particular olive branch was going to be hard to get.

He'd spent several days and nights thinking about a plan, and he believed he had come up with the most practical solution:

1. Abduct Shinso and deliver him to the League.
2. Have Toga extract his blood so she could transform into him.
3. Use Shinso’s quirk to acquire new victims.
4. Izuku finally gets to kill Matsunaga and erase any risk of him undoing what he'd done to him.

When he'd laid out the plan for Shigaraki, it was clear the idea had pleased him. Matsunaga's quirk seemed to be unreliable, given that he couldn’t truly control people. His ability only seemed to destabilize their minds enough to send them with Tsunada to the Moeru Hoshi hotel, where their quirks were then stolen and given to wealthier clients. But Matsunaga’s quirk had its flaws. It didn’t always work as intended, as shown by the effects on both Sabura and Izuku. Sabura had been left incapacitated, while Izuku had felt no harm at all, just different.

With Shinso’s quirk in play, however, they would have the control Matsunaga’s ability lacked. Izuku had emphasized to Shigaraki that, in addition to being used to manipulate people more effectively, Shinso’s quirk could be a powerful weapon against rivals and enemies, giving them a serious advantage. In the hands of the League, Shinso's quirk would become a dangerous tool—one capable of wreaking havoc. There was no way Shigaraki would say no to that. Izuku had been careful not to mention the name of the person involved, in the chance that Shigaraki could somehow access hero intel, which could lead him straight to the target without Izuku's help. If that happened, Izuku would lose his leverage entirely.

"I know you're here," the man’s voice echoed ominously through the room. "We need to t—"

But before he could finish his sentence, Izuku gathered One For All in his right arm and elbowed the back of the sofa, sending it hurtling towards the man. As the sofa collided with him, Izuku sprang to his feet and dashed toward the balcony, planning to leap over the edge and escape. However, as he was gathering One For All in his legs, he heard a sharp clank at his feet, and he barely had time to register the metallic object before it snapped onto his right ankle. A second later, a violent jolt of electricity surged through his body. His whole system went into shock, his body locking up and sending him crashing to the floor with a hard thud. The world around him blurred as he shook on the ground.

A second figure stepped on the balcony, calm and deliberate. The sound of heels echoed sharply against the silence as the person moved toward him. Izuku gritted his teeth and tried to shift his gaze, but his limbs felt as though they were made of lead.

"Stay down, Deku." a woman’s voice rang out, cold and steady, the words hanging in the air with an eerie finality.

The man who had first entered the room shouted from somewhere inside the apartment, his voice tinged with frustration and urgency. "We said not to hurt him!"

"And risk him escaping?" The woman’s voice was sharp, calculating.

Izuku’s vision swam, but he forced himself to focus as the woman stepped fully into view. His breath caught in his chest. It was Enilla, Shouto’s sidekick, the one with the tracking quirk he'd pissed off by letting Katsuki catch that villain in Shinjuku several months ago. Her blonde hair whipped around her face as she knelt in front of him, her green eyes intense and focused. But there was something in her gaze that sent a chill through him—a flicker of pity, like she almost regretted what was happening, even as she went through with it.

"Sorry, kiddo," she said, her voice a bit softer now, but not wavering. "We need to get you back before you screw up more than you already have."

Izuku’s heart pounded in his chest. He could barely process her words before he heard the sound of something scraping across the floor, probably his sofa being pushed aside as someone else moved closer. Then a face appeared in front of him, blocking out the light. Dark eyes were searching his face with worry.

"We've been looking for you everywhere." Aki said, voice full of relief, mixed with concern. His white hair was blowing around his face, giving him an almost angelic aura. "Please, come with us."

Izuku gritted his teeth, fighting the jolts of electricity coursing through him sent by the device shackled to his ankle. His body twitched involuntarily as another shock hit, and his mind swirled with frustration.

"Less talking, more lifting," Enilla’s voice cut through the tension, her tone sharp and impatient. "Let’s grab him and go."

"No," Aki interrupted firmly, holding up a hand. "Hang on, I want to talk to him first."

Enilla scoffed, a hint of irritation rising in her voice. "What for?"

Aki ignored her, his attention once again focused on Izuku. His eyes softened, the intensity of his words carefully chosen.

"Please understand we just want to help you."

Izuku stared back at him, his gaze fierce and defiant. What was up with everyone trying to help him when he didn't ask for it?

"He can't understand you, he's been brainwashed." Enilla said.

Aki shook his head.

"Shouto said it was different, that he remembers us."

Izuku slowly shifted, trying to get his right arm free from where it was pinned beneath him. His muscles trembled with the effort, each movement calculated to hide the true intent of his actions. He was inching closer to the device on his ankle, trying to keep the movements casual, like they were just side effects of the shocks.

"So? You barely spoke to him, why do you care?"

Izuku’s fingers brushed the edge of the device, his heart racing. He was moments away from doing something reckless, but he couldn’t help it. He needed to get out of here before anyone else showed up. For all he knew, those two were sent ahead and more people were coming.

"He's my friend." Izuku heard the man say, and Enilla let out a scoff.

"Since when? Aki you're not making sense!"

"You don't understand." Aki said in a strained voice. "He's-"

Before he could finish that sentence, Izuku joined his fingers and gathered One For All in them- just 2% —but it would be enough. He then fought the shocks of electricity to bend his fingers and flick the device on his ankle. A powerful gust of wind erupted, strong enough to knock both Aki and Enilla off their feet. The explosion of air and sound was deafening as the device on Izuku’s ankle shattered into pieces, tiny shards of metal flying in all directions. Izuku was on his feet in an instant, his body already moving before they could react. He barely felt the aftershocks from the device’s destruction; his adrenaline was already taking over. His mind raced as he steadied himself, his gaze burning with a mixture of defiance and determination. This time, he managed to jump high in the air, and a wave of relief washed over him as he soared through the sky. But the relief was short-lived, as he felt something close around his left leg and pull him back. He turned around mid-air, but before he could raise his hands to retaliate, something pinned them to his side. Pain lanced through his body as he crashed to the floor of his living room. Dazed, he looked up, struggling to push himself up, but a sharp sense of dread froze him in place.

Aki was standing over him, his expression somber, his movements controlled and deliberate. The heavy coat that had been draped over him was now discarded on the sofa, revealing his bare arms, which were covered from shoulder to wrist in dark, intricate tattoos.

Shit. Izuku thought again.

This was the reason why he had chosen to flee instead of fighting. Aki's quirk was a powerful and volatile thing: he could control the tattoos on his skin. The tattoos weren’t just markings; they were an extension of him, and far more dangerous than anyone knew. All of the times when both of them had met in the locker room, Izuku had seen how the other's entire body was covered in them: weapons and other useful tools that the white-haired man could summon at any time. Aki’s footsteps grew closer, his gaze never wavering, and Izuku could see the tattoos on his arms shifting, the patterns twisting and morphing, each one ready to react at the slightest provocation. Aki’s face was tight with something unreadable—regret? Concern? But his whole body exuded a cold determination to keep him from escaping.

"I told you," Aki said quietly, his voice low and firm. "We’re not here to hurt you, Midoriya. But we will do what it takes to get you back."

Izuku groaned in frustration, still unable to move.

"What is up with you guys? Just leave me alone! I didn't ask for your help, so why the hell do you keep meddling in my business?!"

Aki’s gaze softened for a split second, a flicker of something deep passing through his dark eyes, something Izuku couldn’t quite place.

"Because meddling when you don't need to, is the essence of being a hero."

Izuku froze as the words echoed in his mind. His heart skipped a beat, and a chill ran down his spine. He blinked, unable to tear his eyes away from Aki, really looking at him now. That was something he had said once, wasn’t it? But he didn’t remember saying it to Aki specifically. They'd never had a deep conversation, so how could Aki know those words? Where had he heard it?

"You don’t remember me," Aki said, his voice suddenly softer, full of something buried just beneath the surface, something Izuku couldn’t name. Aki slowly knelt in front of him, lowering himself until their eyes were on the same level. "But I remember you."

Izuku's brow furrowed, confusion seeping into his mind.

"What?" he asked, his voice tinged with disbelief.

Aki’s face shifted, the layers of emotion beneath his calm demeanor becoming more apparent. His next words came slowly, like he was dragging something painful from the depths of his memory.

"You and I, we met before," Aki said, his voice thick with suppressed feelings, almost as though the admission weighed more than just the words themselves. "But it wasn’t on this continent."

Izuku could feel something unfold inside his head, and when he looked back at Aki, the other man could tell he remembered. Aki could control his tattoos, which were essentially drawings etched on his skin. He remembered dealing with people who could control drawings, this was during his first mission as an intern to Pro-Hero Captain Celebrity.

One year ago, Los Angeles, USA.

Izuku's legs were burning as he sprinted, each step pounding against the pavement with urgency as he fought to keep pace with Mirio. His breath came in ragged bursts, sweat beading on his forehead as he pushed himself harder. Behind him, he could hear the heavy, uneven footsteps of the other sidekick, her breathing shallow and fast. The younger heroine was trying her best to keep up, but even with her quick reflexes, she was clearly outpaced by Mirio’s raw speed. Mirio was always faster, always ahead, and it was a constant challenge just to remain in the race. Izuku could feel the weight of his exhaustion settling in his legs, but there was no time to slow down. Not when the mission was on the line.

Suddenly, a crackle echoed in his earpiece, cutting through the pounding rhythm of his heart and the rush of the wind. A voice, low and commanding, filled the channel.

"The targets are being pushed toward the back garden by Team A. There should be a small wooden door leading to the garden from behind. LeMillion, Deku, Stardust, use that entry to seal the escape and assist Team A."

Izuku’s mind went into overdrive, processing the new directive. He glanced at Mirio, who didn’t even break his stride, his expression focused but calm.

"Roger." came LeMillion's voice.

Behind him, Izuku heard Stardust’s quick reply, signaling she was on the same page.

"Remember," the voice said. "The targets must be secured as quickly as possible. Taking the fight to the street would be too dangerous. The area is full of people tonight."

Izuku could feel anxiety creeping up his spine. Tonight was a Saturday, so the streets of Los Angeles would be packed with people heading to local bars, restaurants or clubs. Initially, they'd planned for this mission to be carried out two days later, on Monday. However, some recent events had pushed them to launch the operation as soon as possible.

The big wooden door finally appeared in front of them, and they stopped for a few seconds to catch their breath. It was then that Mirio, who'd been so focused on looking ahead, turned to look at Izuku. Their eyes spoke more than what they could say, and Izuku felt his throat close up as flashes danced in front of his eyes. He wondered if Mirio was experiencing the same thing. This mission meant the same thing to both of them, and Izuku, although the newest addition and youngest of the team, was determined to help the others the best he could. He nodded at the blond, who nodded in response and gave him the thumb up, before phasing through the door. Izuku and Stardust waited for a few seconds, and then, the door swung open, and they silently walked past Mirio.

"Team A lost one of the targets." The voice suddenly said in his ear. "Keep an eye out and get them!"

The garden stretched out before them, bathed in the dim light of a half-hidden moon, its faint glow casting long shadows across the neatly manicured space. Izuku could see the dark outlines of stone lanterns scattered throughout the garden, their edges softened by age. A koi pond rippled gently ahead, the surface reflecting the moonlight like liquid silver. Izuku’s gaze swept to the far side of the garden, where a small wooden bridge arched gracefully over the water, its beams aged with time and care. The scent of damp earth and greenery and the serenity of the place felt like a world apart from the high-stakes mission he was in the middle of.

Izuku was pulled out of his thoughts by a commotion to his left, and the three of them ran to intercept the people who were coming their way. However, as Izuku was passing by the koi pond, he saw something in his peripheral vision. His head whipped to the right, and he saw a shadow run on the other end of the garden. He brought his finger to his earpiece.

"There's someone running away." he said. "I'll go check."

Mirio turned to him and grabbed his arm as he was taking a step to the right, and Izuku's eyes locked with his senpai's. He knew the other two couldn't go with him, and that they were needed on this exact position. He on the other hand was a more disposable asset, and so had more freedom to switch positions. However, he was under Mirio's supervision, and he knew the other felt bad about leaving him on his own.

I'll be okay. He tried to say with his eyes, and Mirio's hand squeezed his forearm once before letting him go.

Moving swiftly between the tall, thick trunks of the trees, Izuku carefully avoided the glow of the lanterns scattered across the garden, their flickering light casting long shadows that he would have to maneuver around. He stayed low, trying to mask his presence as he sped across the gravel path, his boots barely making a sound. His eyes scanned the area, narrowing in on movement ahead.

And then, he saw them.

A silhouette dressed in a white t-shirt was running, their long silky black hair dancing behind them. The person was heading straight for one of the vine-covered walls encircling the garden—a solid brick wall. There was no door there. What were they trying to do? Izuku didn't want to wait and see, so he crouched low and gathered One For All in his legs. The familiar surge of energy crackled through him like lightning, and he launched himself forward with a speed that cut through the air. The sound made the other turn, and for a split second, Izuku caught a glimpse of something in their hand, but it was too late. Before he could close the gap, an invisible barrier slammed into him, sending him crashing to the ground. The air was knocked out of him as he landed hard on his side, the world spinning for a moment. Before he could get up, he felt something grab his right arm, and he turned to see a vine, thick and green, curling around his wrist like a trap. It squeezed tight, holding him in place. A cold rush of panic shot through him, but he fought it down. Streaks of orange and green light danced around him as he yanked hard, causing the vine to snap off the nearby tree. He turned just in time to see the mysterious figure stand before the vines, their body being lifted off the ground as several thick tendrils wound themselves around their waist, pulling them upwards.

"No!" Izuku yelled, his voice cutting through the night air as he jumped again.

This time, though, he didn’t waste any time trying to close the distance. He pulled his right arm back, gathering as much power as he could in his fist. With a cry, he unleashed a 20% punch into the air. The force of the blow created a sharp, explosive gust of wind that ripped through the garden like a storm, tearing at the plants and pushing the air before it. The ground seemed to tremble as the shockwave hit the figure.

The person was thrown backward, crashing to the ground in a heap. Izuku wasted no time and sprinted toward them, but the vines reacted instantly, snaking around his legs and arms like living creatures, binding him in place. He yanked with all his strength, tearing the tendrils off, but there were too many, too fast.

This couldn’t be possible. How was this person controlling both the plants and creating barriers? That was two completely different quirks, something that didn’t add up.

Frustration boiled inside him as he continued to fight against the vines. He could feel the weight of the garden pressing in, the branches and roots like living chains, restricting his every movement. The force of the vines yanked him down to the ground, but Izuku managed to free his left arm. In one last desperate motion, he extended it out in front of him and flicked the air, sending another blast of wind.

This time, the person fell again, something slipping from their hand as they collapsed to the ground. Izuku could hear their breathing—shallow and frantic—mingling with the quiet rustling of the garden.

“Please… let me go…” The voice was small, strained, and broken.

Izuku froze, his heart clenching at the sound. He’d heard the desperation in voices before, villains trying to manipulate him with their words, but this… This was different. There was something in their tone that made his chest tighten.

“I don’t want to hurt you!” he shouted back, his voice echoing in the stillness of the garden, now a battleground of roots and vines.

"Liar," the figure rasped, struggling to rise again. Their words cut through the tension like a blade. "You killed my dad. Now you want to kill me and my brother."

Izuku’s mind raced, confusion flooding him as the other person struggled to sit up. “What?!” His voice cracked with disbelief.

The figure paused, patting the ground frantically, as though searching for something.

"But I'm not going to let you obliterate my family. We did nothing wrong!"

He did something Izuku couldn't really see in the shadows, and in response, he aimed another, more powerful blast at him. The young man fell hard against the brick wall and didn't get back up. Izuku struggled against the roots and branches, and when he was finally free, he ran to the silhouette slumped on the ground. He absentmindedly picked up the item that had dropped from the other's hands before leaning above him. Dark hair was hiding the other's face, and Izuku pushed that away to check him up. The figure was young—barely younger than him. His heart skipped a beat as he noticed the pale skin, the softness of it betraying how fragile they looked. He looked Japanese, but mixed, and as Izuku touched the back of his head for injuries, he opened his eyes. They looked dazed and glassy.

"Eiji-nii?"

"Are you okay? You took a bad blow to the head."

The eyes came into focus and the other scrambled backwards, his hands frantically feeling the ground for whatever he had been holding. Izuku took it out of his pocked and the young man's face crumpled with dread.

"I picked it up, sorry. I just wanted to talk to you without the entire garden attacking me. You use it to draw things and they come to life, right? That's super cool!" He came closer and smiled softly, extending his arm to offer the sketchbook back to the young man. "I promise I don't want to hurt you. My name is Deku."

Finally, the other's eyes seemed to take in his hero suit and he said. "Are you a hero?"

"Yes. And I promise I'll do my best to help you." he said before getting up and extending his hand. "What's your name?"

.

.

.

Back in his living room, which was littered with shattered glass scattered across the floor, Izuku lay frozen, his gaze locked onto the man before him. The man who was now standing tall and composed bore little resemblance to the frightened young man Izuku had met in the chaos of LA. His once long jet-black hair was cut shorter and dyed white, and he was taller and more muscular. Yet, when Izuku focused his attention on the man's eyes, he saw it—the same unmistakable innocence that had once filled them.

"Akihiro..." The name slipped from his lips before he could stop himself, the sound of it echoing in the stillness of the room.

Aki’s lips curled into a soft, almost nostalgic smile, his expression gentle as he nodded slightly.

"See? I knew you'd remember," he said, his voice carrying a quiet relief.

But Izuku’s eyes, which had widened for the briefest of seconds, quickly hardened again. A tension thickened the air between them as his thoughts spiraled. His expression grew distant, the flicker of recognition replaced by something colder, more guarded.

"That was another me... from another life." Izuku spat, the weight of his words hanging in the space between them.

But Aki shook his head.

"If you remember all of this, then you're still the same person. Do you remember when we sat together after that terrible fight? The talk we had? The words you said?"

Izuku didn't want to remember, but flashes of that night came unwanted. Images of him and Aki sitting near the koi pond, the sound of the water lapping gently against the rocks as the dark-haired man cried, the story of his family coming in through sobs.

"My family was the biggest rival to the Shie Issakai group." the now fully grown Aki said. "We had a strict pact of non-interference with them, but when Overhaul took over, everything changed. He killed my father. My brother and I... we escaped to the United States."

Aki’s expression darkened as he crouched down in front of Izuku, looking into his eyes like he was searching for something, perhaps the remnants of the connection they once shared.

"When Overhaul was defeated, my brother wanted to go back to claim his place as leader. I didn't want to go back, didn't want to be in the mafia, but Eiji-nii..." his voice trailed off.

For a moment, he seemed to be battling his own flashes, before he looked up at Izuku again.

"You guys managed to stop him before he went back. I thought I’d be sent to prison. But you... You talked to me like I was a person, not just some heir, not a threat. And when I asked why you cared, you told me that meddling when you don’t have to—that’s the essence of being a hero. I never forgot that. Afterward, I asked LeMillion about you, and he said you’d be going back to Japan after your internship. So... I worked hard to become worthy of meeting you again. And here we are."

He was looking at him with hope in his eyes, probably thinking that he could somehow tell his little speech and suddenly Izuku would be cured. But just like the other, he didn't understand that the person he was looking for wasn't there anymore. Izuku’s expression twisted into something bitter as he sneered at him.

"So what, you're some kind of fan?"

Hurt seemed to flash through the other's eyes, but he recovered quickly. Izuku was looking at the black tattoo coming out of his right arm, which was encircling him. He needed to find a way to get away. Aki was about to answer, when footsteps echoed behind him.

"So that's why you insisted on being part of the search team." Enilla's voice echoed, laced with disbelief. "You gotta be kidding me."

Aki spun around, his expression softening at the sound of her voice. "Enilla..." He said her name pleadingly, his tone desperate.

"Save it." she snapped at him. "I've already sent a message to Shouto and the others, they're on their way. We need to take him now. You can talk to him when he's at the agency."

Izuku felt a shiver run down his spine at that. If Shouto arrived before he managed to run, then his chances of escaping them would be very thin.

His lips curled into a sharp, defiant smile. "You mean sedated."

"Yes. And if there's any part of you left in there, it knows it's the right thing to-."

But before Enilla could finish her sentence, Izuku’s body erupted with dark, swirling black smoke. In the blink of an eye, one of the thick threads of his Quirk lashed out, ensnaring the blonde woman’s body.

"Deku, no!" Aki’s voice was full of panic, but Izuku acted with swift precision.

Seizing the moment of surprise, he harnessed the momentum of his quirk and with a powerful surge, sent Enilla hurtling through the shattered window behind her. Her shocked cry echoed in the air before it was quickly swallowed by the cloudy sky. Izuku knew with grim certainty that she didn’t have the means to survive the fall. She’d likely used Aki’s Quirk to get there in the first place, and without that, she was helpless. He turned just in time to see Aki’s eyes flash with shock and fear, and in a split second, Izuku lashed out with Black Whip, ensnaring Aki’s leg just as Aki had done to him a few minutes ago. Several more threads shot from his body, anchoring themselves to various parts of the living room, effectively trapping Aki in place. Izuku’s silent message was clear: if Aki didn’t release him, Enilla would fall to her death. Aki hesitated, his gaze flickering from Izuku to the balcony, his face contorted in a mixture of horror and indecision. With a final, terrified glance at Izuku, the black ink surrounding his body retreated, folding back into his arm. Izuku let go of Aki at the same time, his threads retracting as Aki stretched his arms out, dark wings made of ink erupting from his back. Without wasting a moment, Aki threw himself out the window after Enilla, his wings unfurling as he shot into the sky.

Without wasting a breath, Izuku bolted to the duffle bag on the floor, snatched it up, and rushed toward his bedroom. He threw open the window, leaping out into the fresh air. He free-fell for a moment, heart pounding in his chest, before using Black Whip to slow his descent, landing with precision in a small alley below. He quickly pulled the hood of his jacket over his head to conceal his signature green curls, and walked to the bustling crowd on the street, merging swiftly into a group of young people to mask his presence. Without looking back, he descended the stairs of the nearest train station, disappearing out of view.

It was only when he sat on the train heading toward Shinjuku that he allowed himself a deep, weary sigh.

"Shit, that was close."

Izuku's appartement, later that day.

Katsuki stared up at the towering building looming above him, its sharp lines cutting into the overcast sky. A low, simmering rage twisted in his gut. So this was where Deku had been hiding—tucked away in the heart of the city, in a building so large and anonymous it practically swallowed identities whole.

Smart. Cowardly, but smart.

Most of the apartments here were rented to students from the local university: kids with headphones in and eyes down, too wrapped up in their own lives to notice anything that didn’t directly affect them. Perfect cover. No one would question the quiet guy with messy hair and tired eyes slipping in and out at odd hours. Especially not if he worked nights. Deku probably returned at dawn, just as the rest of the building started buzzing with life. A shadow among shadows. Hidden in plain sight.

And the worst part—the part that twisted like broken glass in his chest—was that Katsuki knew this building. He’d fucking used it. It was one of the tallest in the district, and he’d stood on its rooftop more times than he could count, scoping out the city with a predator’s eye. From up there, he had a clean view of the crumbling old bus station where Setagaya bled into Todoroki’s turf. It had been one of his favorite surveillance points—high, quiet, out of reach. He’d paced those ledges in silence, radio crackling in his ear, searching for threats, for patterns, for meaning in the recent chaos threatening his city.

And all that time, Deku had been just beneath his boots. Just a few floors down. Living, breathing, hiding—so close he could’ve spit and hit the damn window.

His jaw clenched, hard. How many times had he wondered where the nerd was hiding, a ghost slipping through shadows he’d never catch? Since that fateful night where Deku had let it slipped that his actually lived on Ground Zero territory, it had been stuck in the blonde's head. Where was he?

Fucking where?!

Had they crossed path early mornings after Katsuki would spend half of the night chasing after him? Did they go to the same grocery shops, the ones who had their favorite sorts of noodles (the ones with the different top heroes you could collect, even though Katsuki hadn't told a soul). Had they been crisscrossing around town, always barely missing each other?

Katsuki turned his attention back to the building, but didn’t rush going inside. There was no point. Deku was long gone, probably a step ahead of them, as usual. But some part of him wanted to linger, to absorb every inch of the space Deku had claimed as his own. Maybe it was curiosity. Maybe it was something uglier. He stepped into the sterile lobby and made his way to one of the elevators, its doors dulled by fingerprints and time. He pressed the button for the 10th floor and leaned back, letting the slow hum of the elevator buzz in his ears. The thing moved like it was wading through molasses, and he knew—knew—that Deku probably never used it. The nerd probably vaulted in and out through his window like some kind of parkour freak. When the doors finally groaned open, he stepped into a long hallway washed in artificial light, lined with identical doors. It smelled faintly of floor cleaner and old takeout.

"Bakugou!" he heard on his right. "Over here!"

Katsuki turned and spotted the unmistakable red spikes of Kirishima’s hair in the doorway of one of the apartments. He approached slowly, boots quiet on the dull carpet. Just before crossing the threshold, his eyes caught the name on the door, not laminated yet, just a piece of white paper duck taped to the frame: Midoriya Izuku.

His stomach twisted, sharp and low, like something had curled up inside him and clenched its teeth. It didn’t make sense, it was just a name. Just a door. But his fingers itched. His jaw locked. This was it. Deku’s home. Not a battlefield, not a training ground, just... this. Quiet, hidden, painfully normal. He forced the feeling down like he always did. Shoved it into the pit where the rest of his regrets lived.

"You okay?" Kirishima asked, his voice lower now, more cautious.

"'Course I am," Katsuki snapped, too fast, too sharp.

Kirishima didn’t push. He never did, not when Katsuki was like this. But his eyes lingered. He hadn’t been really himself since the hospital incident. Too quiet. Thoughtful. Since Todoroki had barged in spitting things that about him and Deku that he didn't even understand. Things that turned questions into suspicion, and suspicion into silence. Katsuki could feel the pressure building between them, unspoken and heavy.

"How’s the arm?" Kirishima nodded toward the sling.

"Good." Another lie.

Kirishima sighed and stepped aside. Katsuki hesitated a second longer before stepping inside.

The moment he crossed the threshold, it hit him. The scent, warmth, familiarity, memory. For a split second, he was four years old again, lying on the floor of the Midoriya’s childhood bedroom, trading All Might cards until he and Deku fell asleep. The scent of old books, detergent, and something soft. Something safe. Something that felt like home. It was dangerous. It made his chest tighten, his breath hitch in his throat. He shoved the memory aside with a violent shake of his head, as if trying to physically force it from his mind. His eyes darted around, seeking something else, anything else, to focus on.

The apartment was a mess, the large window to the left had been shattered, its shards strewn across the floor like glittering confetti. The couch had been flung against the wall, half-upended near the TV, the fabric torn and battered. A table stood crooked, a deep crack cutting through its middle like a scar, as if the room itself was bleeding.

There were voices coming from further inside, so Katsuki followed them into the kitchen. Todoroki stood near the counter, facing Aki, the pale-haired sidekick who had helped them during the Moeru Hoshi operation. Katsuki hadn’t seen him since. Aki’s head was bowed, his white strands of hair spilling forward like a curtain, hiding the expression on his face. Katsuki noticed a shiny dark tattoo curling over Aki’s shoulder, its design intricate and slightly unsettling.

Todoroki’s voice was calm, trying to soothe whatever storm was brewing inside the other man. “You did everything you could.”

But Aki shook his head, the movement sharp and quick, as if he couldn’t shake off a heavy weight pressing down on him. He was defeated, utterly drained.

“Enilla was right. He’s a completely different person now. I tried, but I couldn’t reach him…”

The words hung in the air, and Katsuki’s eyes narrowed, skepticism curling at the edge of his thoughts. He couldn’t help it. His mouth moved before he could stop it. “What the fuck made you think you could reach him? The guy barely knows you.”

Aki’s head jerked up, and for a second Katsuki was caught off guard by the look in his eyes: black, sharp, burning with something dangerously close to grief. He stepped forward, and Katsuki tensed instinctively.

"You don't know anything about me, Ground Zero." His words were like a slap, sharp and unforgiving.

Katsuki was taken aback, but the jolt quickly morphed into something far darker, a pulse of irritation, his temper flaring like a spark. He stepped forward, unwilling to back down, his posture bristling with readiness.

"He knew Midoriya from when he-" Todoroki tried to interject.

"Don't." Aki said with an edge of despair. "This guy doesn't deserve to know anything about us."

Us. That word struck Katsuki like a physical blow. It hit somewhere deep inside him, somewhere he couldn’t quite place, but it made something in his chest tighten painfully. His defense mechanism kicked in and his lips curled into a sneer, a bitter laugh escaping him.

“Oh, you a Deku fanboy or some shit?”

Aki tensed, his eyes widening for a second before he reined it in and started walking toward the blond. Katsuki could feel the intensity of the other's emotions, and for a moment, he thought Aki was going to try and hit him, but the other man just walked past him, making sure not to bump the blond's right arm. This made Katsuki even more angry.

"I'm going to check on Enilla." Aki said over his shoulder.

"Okay." Todoroki said. "Keep me posted on her state. I will drop by when I'm finished here."

Katsuki didn't hear an answer from behind him, but after a few seconds, he heard the other man start walking again. Katsuki took a deep breath before turning to Todoroki, who was watching his sidekick walk away, worry etched on his eyebrows. It was odd, seeing him show emotions, but lately, Todoroki had been showing a lot of emotions: worry about Deku, anger and frustration towards Katsuki, and something else that had appeared after the fight at the hotel, something darker that would make the bastard's eyes suddenly go unfocused. But the other hadn't talked about it and Katsuki certainly wasn't going to ask. He couldn't care less about the Half-n-Half's feelings. The two of them hadn't seen each other since their fight at the hospital, but Katsuki knew it wasn't the end of it. Todoroki seemed determined to know about One For All, but Katsuki would die a thousand times before he told the fucker anything.

Finally, Todoroki turned to face him.

"He's gone." he said.

Katsuki’s jaw clenched, the words hitting him harder than expected.

"I can fucking see that," he spat, his temper flaring once more.  “Maybe he wouldn't be if your stupid sidekick had called us before intervening."

Todoroki's sharp gaze cut through him, a scathing look that made Katsuki’s insides seethe. But he didn’t care. Not now.

"Aki and Enilla are more than capable of handling..."

"They can't handle Deku on a good day." Katsuki interrupted, his voice biting with frustration. His heart was hammering now, a mixture of anger and a nagging worry he couldn’t shake. "What do you think they can fucking do against him now?"

Todoroki's gaze hardened, and for a moment, Katsuki thought the two of them were about to come to blows. Again. There was something in Todoroki's eyes, a dangerous flash of resentment, like he was just waiting for an excuse to hit Katsuki, like the blonde had done something to him personally. But then, it flickered, and the heat in Todoroki’s expression softened slightly.

"We need to search the apartment for clues."

Katsuki quickly looked around the small apartment.

"And you need me for that?"

He saw the familiar flash of anger in the other's eyes and he decided not to push it. Unlike him, Todoroki had fully recovered now and, as much as it killed him to admit it, Katsuki would be at a disadvantage if they were to fight. Finally, the blond scoffed and turned, walking back to the living room. The apartment wasn't that big, and the door at the end of the room could only be Deku's bedroom. Katsuki felt a shiver run down his spine, dread filling his veins. Part of him had hoped that he wouldn't have to do this, that someone else would have searched the room. But everyone had seemed determined to avoid it, for some reason.

What was his?

After a few seconds of standing in the middle of the living room, he slowly started walking towards the closed door. His hand hovered near the door handle, fingers trembling, and he didn’t know if it was the chill of the air coming in from the window or the tightness in his chest. Either way, it felt like his blood was turning cold. He hated how the room was calling to him, beckoning him to understand, to face the truth he didn't want to admit. It was as though the door itself was some kind of threshold, separating him from the reality he didn’t want to confront.

He opened the door.

The first thing he saw was the open window, and he knew this was where Deku had escaped from. The room was cold, the window wide open, letting in a chill that bit at his skin. The bed was a mess. Clothes tossed carelessly on the floor. It didn’t look like Deku, at least not the one he remembered. The one who organized notebooks by category and color-coded his life. But the biggest surprise came from the closet. When Katsuki opened it, he noticed that someone had rummaged through it in a hurry, and he pictured Deku picking up clothes and stuffing them in a bag, small enough to carry around. He probably had taken enough clothes for a change or too, as well as enough money to not have to use a credit card. Todoroki had tried calling him but the number had been disconnected, meaning Deku was going full under the radar. He blinked as something caught his eyes and his gaze flickered down to a pile of All Might related merchandise thrown at the bottom of the closet. From where he stood, he could see at least three collector figurines and one minted box he knew had a Silver Age All Might card deck. He felt his throat close suddenly. The Deku he knew would never have treated these expensive items so poorly. If anything, this was the final proof that the Deku they'd known was gone. Katsuki felt like a cold hand had closed around his heart and was squeezing painfully. He closed the closet and turned to the desk at the opposite side of the room, trying to focus on something else.

A few papers were scattered on it, and Katsuki swept everything with his valid hand, stuffing them in his own backpack. He'd have a look at the office. He opened the drawers but didn't find anything interesting. Clearly, Deku had been set to leave when Aki and the other chick had found him. They would have been too late anyway. Katsuki gritted his teeth at the thought and, as he turned to walk out of the room again, his eyes fell on a shelf above the bed. On it, perfectly aligned, were Deku's notebooks, the one he'd been writing since he'd been a kid. His eyes caught notebook number 13, which still looked blackened from the time he'd blasted it back in middle school. Number 14, 15 and 16 were the ones the nerd had kept during their time at U.A. And after those, stood number 17, which looked significantly newer than the others. It was probably the one he'd been keeping when he went abroad. Katsuki's gaze was stuck to that last notebook and he only tore his eyes from it when he heard someone's voice in the living room.

Katsuki’s boots made no sound on the floor as he walked back toward the living room. His frustration simmered under his skin, but the moment he saw Todoroki standing by the broken window, staring out with vacant eyes, a cold jolt ran through him. Todoroki’s stance was rigid, his back straight, and the fire in his gaze unsettled Katsuki. He had his phone pressed to his ear, the words low and clipped.

“Can you please have a look? Alright, thank you, Demba.”

He hung up and turned to look at Katsuki. Todoroki opened his mouth like he was going to speak, but no words came. Instead, he narrowed his eyes, gaze sharp, demanding.

“So, did you find anything?”

Katsuki’s teeth clenched at the question. He felt like the walls were closing in on him, the tension crackling in the air like static before a storm. Did he find anything? Of course, he hadn’t. There was nothing here that would lead them to Deku, no answers, just cold emptiness. And Todoroki fucking knew that. But the other bastard seemed like he was demanding something from Katsuki, and the blond knew exactly what that was. He was punishing him for keeping his mouth shut about One For All. Well he could fucking suck it.

"No. He obviously had planned to leave. Probably knew we'd find him soon. There's nothing for us here."

The silence that followed was thick, heavy with the things neither of them was saying. Todoroki’s gaze didn't soften, didn't waver. He was still looking at Katsuki like he was measuring him, eyes hard and unreadable. It felt like the world had paused, the air too thin to breathe.

With one final scoff, Katsuki brushed past Todoroki without another word, shoulder stiff, jaw clenched so tight it ached. The apartment felt colder now, like the very walls had been emptied of presence, of warmth. He moved through the wreckage, shards of glass crunching beneath his boots, the stifling scent of dust and memory clinging to the air like smoke. Every step felt like wading through something heavier than gravity.

The broken table. The scorched journal. The closet full of discarded All Might relics.

Ghosts, he thought. That’s all this place was now. Just ghosts of a person who no longer existed.

He reached the door and hesitated just for a second. Behind him, the silence stretched, thick and accusatory. He didn’t look back. Couldn’t.

His hand found the doorknob, cool and unfamiliar under his fingers, and he stepped out.

The hallway was too bright. Too clean. Too normal.

His chest tightened, like a vice clamped around his ribs. The air caught in his throat and refused to move. His heart pounded against the inside of his ribcage, furious and useless.

He couldn’t breathe.

He leaned against the nearest wall, eyes burning, trying to swallow the sour taste rising in his mouth. The building felt like it was closing in on him, like every concrete wall, every sterile white light, was pushing against him, trying to break every bit of his soul.

He was too late.

Again.

Just like at the hospital. Just like Kamino. Just like every time before.

He was useless.

Katsuki's appartement, Setagaya, 9pm.

Katsuki slammed the door open, the safety catch the only thing stopping it from denting the wall. He kicked off his shoes in the genkan without thinking, letting them land haphazardly. He didn’t close the door. Didn’t care. His head was pounding and his shoulder throbbed with every heartbeat. He trudged into the living room and collapsed into the nearest armchair, his backpack sliding off his good shoulder and hitting the floor with a dull thud. His coat was still on, trapping heat against his skin, but he couldn’t bring himself to peel it off. Not now.

He was tired and his right shoulder was aching. He couldn't wait to go see Recovery Girl and have it fixed. All Might had called him right after he'd gotten out of Deku's apartment, and when Katsuki had reluctantly filled him in on the situation, the fallen hero had urged him to come to Musutafu to get his arms fully healed.

"Bakugou-shounen." he'd said in a grave voice, which still sent shivers down the blond's spine. "You might be the only one who can help Midoriya-shounen right now."

Katsuki hadn't answer, and the words he really wanted to say had stuck to his throat. All Might didn't know about the extent of their cursed history. He didn't know what Katsuki had done to his precious successor, couldn't fathom the things he'd said to the young boy.

His stomach twisted.

"Where do you want me to put your suitcase?" he heard and he snapped out of his thoughts, back to the present.

"Put it wherever." he mumbled, and he watched as Kirishima walked to the small table next to his window and gently placed the suitcase holding his hero costume.

It took a few seconds for the red-haired man to turn around, and when he did, his eyes found Katsuki's, hesitant, almost scared.

Here we go.

"Bakugou...was it..."

He closed his eyes, swallowed, then opened them again to look at him straight in the eyes, this time with more purpose.

"Was it true? What Todoroki said."

Katsuki didn’t move. He just stared straight ahead.

“You gotta be more precise,” he said lazily, voice hollow with fake boredom. “That bastard's been feeling real chatty lately.”

"You know what I mean." Kirishima said, seeing clearly through the blond's defense. "About what happened with Midoriya. Did you...bully him?"

Katsuki didn’t flinch, but the heat under his skin surged. He scoffed, trying to laugh it off.

"Were you not there at U.A?" Katsuki said, raising one eyebrow. "You saw exactly how I used to treat him. Never heard you say shit about that."

"That's not!" Kirishima exclaimed, before reigning it in. "That's not what I meant."

"Then fucking get on with it! I need to go to sleep." Katsuki snapped, punching the side of his armchair with his good hand.

He was overheating. Not just from the coat, though it clung to him like a vice, but from the weight of it all. From the dread pressing down on him like gravity.

Kirishima exhaled shakily. “Todoroki said... you bullied him when you were kids. That you burned his clothes. That you burned them into his skin.”

The words hit Katsuki like a gut punch, knocking the wind from his lungs. His throat tightened, and something cold and dark twisted deep inside of him, coiling around his heart like a vice. He barely heard Kirishima’s voice anymore, just the pounding of blood in his ears as his world narrowed to the pain in his chest. It felt like something ancient, buried for so long, had been dragged to the surface, and it was ugly—too ugly to face, too ugly to even acknowledge.

In a flash, he saw Deku standing over him at the Moeru Hotel, his eyes wide with glee as he punched the lights off Katsuki.

"You don't know how much I fucking hate those hands of yours."

Katsuki’s hands clenched into fists, nails digging into his palms until he could feel the sting of it, the burn of it. He never wanted to remember this. He never wanted to remember him.

The boy he had been, the worst version of himself, was a part of him that he couldn’t erase, no matter how hard he tried. He'd buried it deep inside, hidden it away behind walls of anger and pride, locked it in a place he never dared to go. He was supposed to be a hero, someone who could stand tall, someone who could protect and help people, but that boy, that dark version of him, didn’t belong in the world of heroes.

"You beat me again, and again, until some part of me started to believe I deserved to be beaten."

But Kirishima had opened that door, and now, those memories—of him pushing Deku, of the hurt in Deku’s eyes, came crashing back, like they were happening all over again. He could feel the heat coming from his hands and licking at Deku's skin, the sound of Deku’s voice begging him to stop, the sound of his own voice as he cackled in sadistic glee.

Burning him. Crushing him.

The guilt, sharp and suffocating, clawed at him from the inside, and for a moment, he could barely breathe. The shame hit harder than any punch he had ever taken, twisting his insides with a sickening force.

He could feel his pulse racing, his chest tight with something hot and raw that he didn’t know how to express. He wasn’t proud of the things he’d done. So he'd learned to bury it all. He couldn’t look back at that boy anymore. He couldn’t be that boy anymore. But Kirishima’s voice cut through the haze like a whip, sharp and clear, pulling him back to the present, refusing to let him hide in the shadows of his mind.

"Bakugou!"

"Yes!" Katsuki snapped back, leaping to his feet, the words coming out like a burst of flame. "Yes, it's fucking true. There, you happy now?"

Kirishima reeled back in shock, but Katsuki didn’t stop. Couldn’t now. He walked towards him menacingly.

"I did bully him because I thought he was quirkless." he spat, every syllable laced with bitterness. "I did think he was beneath me, that I was better than him." His voice dropped to a low growl. “I burned his clothes.” He grabbed a fistful of Kirishima’s hoodie, pulling him in close, eyes wild, a fury bubbling up that he couldn’t suppress. “His hair,” he tugged at a red strand, as if trying to pull the words from his very soul, “and his fucking stupid notebooks!”

Without thinking, he grabbed his backpack from the floor and hurled it across the room. The bag hit the wall with a thunderous crash, bursting open. Papers flew out like they were trying to escape, fluttering to the ground in disarray.

Silence. Except for Katsuki’s ragged breathing. Sweat beaded at his brow, his hands trembling with adrenaline. Rage, guilt, shame, he couldn’t tell them apart anymore. He couldn’t look at Kirishima now. Couldn’t bear to see the disappointment in his eyes. Because as much as he hated the boy he used to be, as much as he wished he could pretend it never happened, the reality was that it had.

And he wasn’t sure he could ever forgive himself for it.

“There,” Katsuki snarled, voice cracking under the weight of everything he’d just spilled. “You fucking have it. I’m a terrible person. Hope that helps you sleep at night.”

But Kirishima’s voice still came, quiet and steady.

“Bakugou…”

There was no anger in it. No judgment.

Katsuki chanced a glance, and what he saw made his throat tighten.

Kirishima wasn’t furious. He wasn’t disgusted.

He looked heartbroken.

Sad.

And somehow, that was so much worse.

“Don’t look at me like that,” Katsuki muttered, jaw clenching. “Like I’m—like I’m some fucking tragedy.”

“You’re my friend,” Kirishima said gently, stepping closer. “And you’re in pain.”

Alarms started ringing in his head. This was getting too emotional, too out of hands, he couldn't handle this.

"Get the fuck out."Katsuki snapped.

"No." Kirishima said, firm now, standing his ground.

"I said-" Katsuki growled, walking towards him, ready to strike if that could make him leave.

“I’m not going anywhere!” Kirishima shot back, the first spark of fire in his voice. “You’re my friend, and you’re in pain! I don’t care how many times you tell me you’re not, I’m not gonna leave you like this!”

Katsuki felt his face turn red, and he convinced himself it was from rage and not embarrassment. Not anything that made him feel weak.

"I'm not in pain you fucking dimwit!"

And still, Kirishima didn’t flinch. Didn’t leave.

He just stood there.

Present. Steady.

Unbreakable.

“Really?” Kirishima stepped forward. “Then why have you been acting like this for two weeks?"

Katsuki said nothing. His eyes flickered away.

"You don’t talk, you don’t sleep. And today, at Midoriya’s place…”

“Don’t—” Katsuki growled, his voice low, warning.

But Kirishima didn’t stop.

“You looked defeated, dude.”

Katsuki froze.

“I’ve seen you pissed,” Kirishima continued quietly. “I’ve seen you reckless. I’ve seen you explode over the dumbest shit, terrified out of your mind but still pretending you weren’t. But this…”

He paused, and his voice softened.

“This was different. This was empty. Like you’d already lost and just hadn’t realized it yet.”

Katsuki’s eyes dropped to the floor, and that’s when he saw them. The notebooks. The two most recent ones, the ones Deku had written during his last year at U.A. and in the US. They had spilled out of his backpack when he threw it. Their covers were scuffed, the corners bent, but they still looked heartbreakingly familiar.

He stared at them like they might catch fire.

“How can I not feel defeated, Kirishima?” he whispered.

There was a pause.

“What do you mean?” Kirishima asked in the same tone.

Katsuki’s voice was hoarse now. “Everything that’s happened… it’s my fault.”

“What?”

“He got hit with that quirk because I couldn’t work with him. Because I couldn’t put the past behind me. I broke protocol. I acted like a goddamn amateur—like a kid.”

He couldn’t say the next part out loud. It sat in his throat like glass.

He was forced to protect me.

Kirishima didn’t respond.

Didn’t argue. Didn’t try to comfort.

He just listened.

“And now… now he’s not even Deku anymore.” Katsuki’s eyes were wide, almost wild. “He almost killed Sabura. That blonde sidekick’s still in critical. And he, he’s just gone, Kiri. I lost him.”

When he turned back to Kirishima, his eyes were filled with barely hidden terror.

"What happens if he does end up killing someone before we can stop him?"

Kirishima stepped in and laid a steady hand on his good shoulder. Firm. Grounding. Like a rope pulled taut, anchoring him back to something solid.

“We won’t let it come to that,” he said. "we'll find him."

Katsuki looked at him, searching his face for something, maybe doubt, maybe judgment, but all he found was quiet determination.

"And then what?" he asked, voice barely more than breath.

"Then we cure him, and you two finally sort this out for good. For both of your sake."

Katsuki’s mouth opened, a protest on the tip of his tongue—but it never came. The fire had gone out of him. Just for a moment.

And for once, he didn’t argue.

Chapter Text

Shinkansen, Tokyo-Shizuoka line, 9am

Izuku was seated in the middle of the wagon, his head pressed against the window. It looked like it was uncomfortable because of the vibrations on the glass, but the young man didn't care. He was in the middle of a power nap, his baseball cap drawn down to hide the upper part of his face, a surgical mask hiding the rest. Only a few green curls were escaping the hat, but nobody aboard the train could tell that Pro-hero Deku was sitting amongst them. To anyone looking, he looked like an exhausted young man who was commuting to work, just like so many others. Izuku Midoriya was blessed with a fair, plain face that made him blend in the mass. He wasn't too big, nor too small, had a general build and, when uncovered, his face didn't seem to belong to a professional fighter at all.

As soon as the train started slowing down, the young man jolted awake and his eyes rapidly scanned the people around him, sharp and calculating. When he felt satisfied with what he was registering, he relaxed back in his seat, eyes lost outside the window. He didn’t spare a glance to the woman who was sitting three rows behind him on the opposite side of the wagon, who had been scrutinizing him, tuned in to his every move. Her face too was covered by a surgical mask, and she was wearing a blonde wig that covered her long black hair. She looked way different from the woman Izuku Midoriya had met at Sabura’s restaurant and who had driven him to the Moeru Hoshi hotel.

Tsunada sat in the corner of the train car, her eyes fixed on the back of Midoriya's head as he stared out the window. The rhythmic clatter of the tracks beneath them matched the steady beat of her heart, each thump a reminder of the dangerous game she was playing.

She adjusted the brim of her mask, ensuring her face remained partially obscured. The last thing she needed was for him to recognize her. Not here. Not now.

After a few minutes, a female voice echoed in the silence.

"This train will arrive at Shizuoka station in 15 minutes."

Tsunada tensed, readying herself for the difficult moment where both of them would have to get off the train. She had been tailing him ever since he’d escaped from his apartment, and she feared he might realize the same woman was taking the same road as him. Maybe she should remove her wig after getting off, just so he wouldn’t pick up on her blonde hair. She sighed slightly, getting inside a train and leaving Tokyo had not been part of her plan when she’d walked up to the former hero’s building. She had thought finding his place would be the hard part, especially given how tedious it had turned out to be.

One week ago, Shinjuku, 1pm

Tsunada was walking fast in order to keep up with the sea of people around her. It was lunch time and employees were pouring out of buildings to hunt for food and catch a few minutes of rest before going back to their dull life. Most of the time, Tsunada pitied them, she could never do this: wake up early, go spend the day in a boring job that paid just enough money to pay the mountain of bills that waited at home. And then two days per week, hopefully, get some human contact, some semblance of control over her life and destiny. But that was not how she had been raised, she was born 23 years ago in a rich family, and, as the only girl in her generation, she had been the princess of the Tsunada clan. As her parents’ only child, she knew her destiny was already set in stone: she would inherit the family business. Now, to most people, knowing that they wouldn’t have to struggle to find a job and that they would become the head of a business that was really lucrative would be a relief, a dream come true. Who wouldn’t want to grow up, evolve and die rich and powerful?

However, when she was 14, Tsunada had learned the full history of her family’s heritage, and that day, she had decided she would break free of the family tradition. Even though she knew the repercussions she would face, her mind was set: she would not become the future head of the clan. And so for years, while still playing the part of the perfect daughter, the perfect granddaughter, she had looked for a way to escape. It had taken a long time for her to come up with the perfect plan, to find the right people and to set everything up. Finally, one year ago, the date had been chosen, and she had gotten ready.

But then, nothing had gone according to plan.

She was pulled from her thoughts by the sight of the 7-Eleven coming into view. In front of the doors, a man was standing, talking loudly above the crowd.

“The time to repent has come! Repent! Grab him! The river never forgets!”

People were trying to circle around him, carefully avoiding walking too close to him. The man was taller than everyone and wearing a long ragged coat, which looked like it had seen better days. Shades of greys, washed-out blues and faded browns painted patterns on the long coat, and thick gloves were hiding his hands. From where she stood, Tsunada couldn't see anything underneath the pile of clothes.

As she walked past him, Tsunada heard him yell out again.

“Repent! The river never forgets!” he yelled in a gruff voice.

As she walked past him, she quickly whispered “Then let the tide carry me.” 

She walked a few meters ahead before entering a closed pachinko place from the side door. A short middle-aged man came into view, frowning, but she waved him off. He looked like he was about to answer when he spotted something behind her and she saw his eyes widen before he quickly ran back and closed the door his left. Tsunada turned to face the imposing figure. His big hat covered the upper part of his face, his red scarf the lower part. Only by looking closely could she make out some of his features. The first surprise was that the man was Black, which probably explained why he covered so much of his skin. A huge mountain Black man wasn’t something usual, even in Tokyo. The second surprise came from when he removed his glasses: his eyes had a blueish glow to them that seemed unnatural. .

“I have a mission for you.” she said, in a confident voice.

His eyes narrowed and bore into hers, making her shiver. She tried to keep her composure.

“I do not receive requests from kids.” He answered in a deep, commanding voice. “I only take orders from Generals.”

The sound of his voice made her almost shrivel, and she felt the walls close in on her. For some reason, she felt like a little girl in front of this man. Luckily for her, she had grown up in this world, and so even as a little girl, she'd known how to hide her emotions. She could almost hear her grandmother's voice, hard and unyielding.

"A poker face can take you a long way. People must always think you're in control, especially when you're not."

“The request comes from General Tsunada.” she said, then. “You’re the Memory Keeper, right?”

The title hit like a switch. His eyes, hard and glassy a heartbeat ago, lost their predatory glint, shoulders easing a fraction under the weight of recognition. Tsunada tasted the shift in the air, that hush that always followed her family name. She despised the trick, brandishing pedigree like a weapon, yet a dark thrill still shimmered in her chest. Power, immediate and undeniable, blooming in the space between them. Even with a stranger built like a fortress, her surname sliced the tension like a blade.

She only wished it didn’t cut her, too.

The man, Memory Keeper, didn’t answer and for a second, his eyes went slightly unfocused. “You grabbed the wrong man.” He whispered, "Let him go.”

“What?” Tsunada asked, and the Memory Keeper snapped back to focus on her.

“What do you need?” he asked, not answering her question.

She drew the photo from her back pocket, a crisp, glossy print, and extended it between two steady fingers. The man merely stared past it. His pupils drifted, glassy, as if listening to a voice buried deep inside his skull. Then a slow blink, focus snapping back. Only then did his gloved hand close over the picture.

“We know you. We often see you at that coffee place. Talking to the Shouto hero.”

Tsunada’s heart thudded once, hard. She felt the blood rush to her ears.

Don’t flinch.

A single bead of sweat slid from her hairline, tucked itself behind her ear. She kept her chin high, spine straight, folding panic into the neat lines of her posture. She was doing the job, nothing more. She opened her mouth to reply, but the Memory Keeper spoke first, voice dropping to a rumble that vibrated through the empty arcade.

"It’s a dangerous line to tread, child."

She couldn’t quite place his tone, was it a warning or a threat? A prickle of adrenaline crawled up her spine, quirk simmering at her fingertips in case this turned ugly. She fixed her gaze on him, calculating distance, angles, exits. But the giant’s attention slid sideways again. His eyes clouded, head cocking as though a ghost had tugged his ear. Silence, then a low, almost amused breath, half-chuckle, half-sigh.

What did he just hear?

Tsunada’s question died in her throat. The Memory Keeper refocused, took the photo at last, and lowered his stare to the glossy print, like the earlier exchange had never happened at all.

Tsunada didn't answer, his words stung, but she lifted her chin, poker face locked.She kept her stance, crossed her arms around her chest and raised an expectant eyebrow. After a few seconds, he walked to the nearest pachinko machine and leaned on it.

“My quirk is called Infinite Memory. Everything I see, hear, smell, taste, feel, etched and catalogued up here.” He tapped his temple with two thick fingers. “A personal library. I pull a volume off the shelf whenever I need it.”

It clicked then: the street-corner sermons, the drifting eyes. He wasn’t ranting, nor was he crazy...he was recording. A human CCTV forever on standby.

“Shigaraki gave me one more quirk: Neural Tethering, the ability to link my consciousness with other people. I can link myself to up to five people at the same time. Those people are scattered everywhere in Tokyo, and I can tap into their memories and store them inside me.”

Tsunada was impressed, but also equally horrified. Placing people at specific locations in Tokyo assured permanent and full surveillance of the entire city. Shigaraki had seen the potential of the Memory Keeper’s quirk and found a way to extend its effect. Furthermore, it explained what was happening, why the man would suddenly break away and talk out of pattern. He just wasn’t talking to her, but to one of the person currently linked to him.

“So, what is the issue then?”

“I almost never link myself to the five others at the same time. This is very dangerous and can overwhelm me: neural collapse they call it. It breaks down the neural links inside my brain, and the only solution if I go too far is brain surgery.”

He removed his hat and Tsunada’s impassive mask almost slipped off her face, as her throat tightened. His skull was littered with scars, probably from his brain surgeries. This wasn’t a normal villain. This was a soldier— a man who’d carved pieces of himself away in service of something darker than duty. She swallowed her revulsion. If you want to play in this world, she heard her grandmother say. Then learn to stomach what it feeds you.

“Tracking down a regular person is easy.” He said. “Most people have a routine, they wake up at the same time, do the same things, take the same roads. It usually takes one or two of us to find them.”

He looked down at the picture again.

“But a hero is different. They don’t have a set pattern. They go where crime takes them, and so it requires more people, more power to find them.”

He pocketed the picture. “ We need to operate in pulses, short bursts, plenty of cooling time, or I risk another hole in my head. I will start looking into each of them individually, but we'll have to have a sharing session. We meet every Friday to share our consciousness.”

“Friday? But it’s in five days!” she couldn't help but shout.

He looked back at her, eyes imperturbable. 

“Then come back in five days. We'll meet at-”

"Shizuoka station. 5 minute stop."

Tsunada startled as the memory slipped from her mind. She turned her gaze to where her target was, just in time to see him stand up from his seat, bend down, and pick up a black sports bag from the floor before throwing it on his right shoulder. He then stepped carefully above the sleeping man seated next to him and made his way toward the train doors, which had just slid open. As soon as he stepped out on the platform, the young woman stood up and walked after him. She took her phone out and opened her GPS before throwing a quick look at where Midoriya was going. He was taking the Takajo exit, and Tsunada quickly realized this was the only door leading outside of the station. She gritted her teeth, stress flooding her blood and senses. She didn't want to risk him seeing her, so when he walked forward toward the exit, she turned left and took the stairs leading to the parking lot. This was a dangerous move, which could make her lose him, but she couldn't afford to be spotted at this stage. She'd checked her GPS and saw that the street in front of the station was undergoing some repair, so one end was totally closed. Midoriya could only go one way. Less risk of losing him.

While walking, she took off her blonde wig and stuffed it inside her handbag, then took out a pair of classy sunglasses that were big enough to cover part of her face. She removed her surgical mask and kept her hair tied up. When she'd met Midoriya at the restaurant, she had worn her hair down and a black suit. She hoped her new style would make her look different. Midoriya was a professional hero, so she had to  be very careful.

She walked between parked cars and finally spotted the parking lot exit. She quickly walked up the slope, passed the paying booth where an old man gave her a confused look, and finally, she was outside. Tsunada's boots clicked softly against the pavement as she emerged from the parking lot, the cool Shizuoka air brushing against her cheeks. She adjusted her sunglasses, ensuring they sat just right to obscure her eyes without drawing attention. Her heart pounded—not from exertion, but from the weight of the mission and the proximity to her target. She looked around without moving her head and, after a few seconds, she spotted him ahead of her. Midoriya walked with purpose, his posture relaxed yet alert. Tsunada recognized the gait of someone always prepared for the unexpected. Trailing him required precision; too close, and she'd be spotted; too far, and she'd lose him. So she maintained a steady pace, weaving through the crowd, using groups of pedestrians as cover.

As she was pulling up the collar of her dark blue duffle coat, her mind drifted back to the Memory Keeper's words.

We often see you at that coffee place. Talking to the Shouto hero.

The implication had been clear. Her double life was more precarious than she'd thought. She clenched her fists, nails digging into her palms. The pain grounded her, pulling her back from the edge of panic. She couldn't afford to lose focus. Not now. She'd think about this later and try to come up with a plan in case she needed a quick escape.

She saw Midoriya turn right at the corner and, after a few seconds, she followed a group of people who continued forward and crossed the street, taking the opportunity to follow him from the opposite sidewalk. At first glance, he seemed relaxed, unaware of the eyes watching him, but Tsunada knew better. Heroes were never truly off-duty and they were always alert, ready to throw themselves into battle in the blink of an eye. However, the man she was currently following wasn't a hero anymore, not after that night during New Year's Eve. Matsunaga had done something to him that had changed him unlike anything she'd witnessed before. Most of the people who were touched by Matsunaga became apathetic, empty, easy to manipulate into giving up their quirk. And if not, it was easy to attack and subdue them. But Midoriya, he was different, it was like he'd become an even more dangerous version of himself.

She hadn't had time to react or protect herself when he'd attacked her at the hotel. She just remember feeling a sudden dread at the back of her neck before everything had turned black. And when she'd woken up, everything was on fire. She'd then spotted a single figure walking through the flames, unfazed and smiling down. She couldn't forget that face, and it didn't belong to a hero.

Her phone vibrated in her pocket and she swiftly fished it out, stopping to look down like a normal pedestrian would do.

A message from Shigaraki. 

[Update]

The phone suddenly felt heavy in her hand with the weight of the mission that was entrusted to her. Tsunada raised her head and her eyes met her own perfectly composed reflection. She now realized how easy it was for her to hide her feelings behind cold dark eyes. Inside though, she was battling against a new wave of anxiety. Shigaraki was entrusting her with this mission, and, even though it hurt to admit, she did feel some kind of pride doing this, like her entire life and upgrowing was finally given purpose, like she was given purpose. She'd been born to do this, trained for this, and now she had the opportunity to showcase her skills and bring pride to the Tsunada name. Even as part of her was yearning for freedom, for closure, she couldn't help but feel important, useful, powerful. And she'd be lying if she said it didn't make her blood run faster inside her veins, and her heart beat harder with pride. She swallowed her rising shame and pretended to fix herself in a shop window, taking the opportunity to fully look at the man walking on the opposite sidewalk.

[On his trail. No contact yet.] she typed back.

You can do this. she told herself as she slipped the phone back into her pocket. Do this and then you'll be finally free.

U.A high school, Musutafu, 10 am

Katsuki was sitting in U.A's infirmary, thick-soled boots dangling just above the polished linoleum, shoulders loose but eyes restlessly wandering the familiar room. As a teenager whose quirk was to literally create explosions in the palm of his hands and who had a bad temper, he'd spent hours here getting patched up. The room smelled exactly as he remembered—antiseptic, gauze, and that faint medicinal sweetness from Recovery Girl’s candy stash. He’d bled on these tiles more times than he could count: mid-semester training mishaps, Sports Festival bruises, boot-camp fractures, quirk-control burns that blackened his palms. Every scrape had been logged, bandaged, and filed away in his memory like dog-eared pages in one of Deku’s old hero notebooks. Strange how the sting of alcohol swabs and hum of the vitals monitor felt almost… soothing now, like muscle memory of being put back together.

He found that surprisingly relaxing, comforting even, something he hadn't felt in the past weeks. Since Deku had disappeared, he'd been running on fumes, throwing himself into sleepless nights of half-decoded train schedules, street-camera feeds, messy cork. Because that wasn’t Deku out there. Not the muttering nerd who color-coded notebooks and mumbled hero trivia under his breath. This version was sharper, edges honed down to lethal points. Calculated moves, no hesitation, eyes that looked at Katsuki like he was just another obstacle to remove. Same face, same freckles—even the same damn stubborn set to his jaw. But twisted, offset by a few cruel degrees. Familiar enough to hurt; foreign enough to stay unreadable.

And Katsuki, for all his strategizing, kept arriving seconds late. Every breadcrumb he followed crumbled just before he could close a fist around it. That sliver of failure lodged beneath his ribs, a permanent, throbbing splinter.

It was unbearable.

And so being here—under fluorescent lights that buzzed like cicadas—was the first time in weeks he’d felt the phantom ache ease, if only because the room hadn’t changed even when everything else had.

Somewhere next to him, he heard Recovery Girl's footsteps as she made her way toward him, her tiny frame came into view, dwarfed by the gleaming cabinets and curtained bays. Even as he sat on the white bed, she still had to look up to speak to him. The thought landed heavy in his chest: she looked…smaller somehow, the white cap a shade duller, the lines around her eyes etched deeper than he remembered. A sudden, unwelcome image flashed across his mind—these halls without that brisk tap-tap-tap, bruised first-years waiting for a healer who would never round the corner. What happened to a place like U.A. when its living safety net finally retired? When the woman who could glue shattered futures back together wasn’t there to whisper “bite down on this candy and hold still”?

"It took a bit longer for me to heal your right elbow, because there were a lot of small broken bones."

He didn't say anything, and she sighed.

"Listen Bakugou." The gentleness in her tone cut sharper than any scolding. "You need to be careful with your arms, I can't heal this level of damage if it repeats itself. And every time, it will be harder for me to heal you, and it will take more from you to heal, until we'll reach a point where you won't be able to heal 100%. Do you get me?"

He nodded silently, and she turned away and started leaving before she seemed to change her mind and came back to him. He watched silently as her gloved hand—so small it barely spanned the width of his kneecap—rested there with a light, reassuring pat. The unexpected contact jolted him into lifting his gaze.

"You're one of the strongest student I've seen at this school." she said. "And I'm not talking about physical strength. You and Midoriya have a kind of strength that we seldom find in people. You'll find a way to sort this out."

Katsuki felt his throat close up and he silently nodded, dropping his eyes to the floor again. She finally turned away and left, her small feet barely making a noise on the tiled floor. Katsuki figured it was his cue to leave and he got up, extending his arms to do a quick warm up. He sighed in relief at the lack of pain, another thing that had been slowly driving him crazy. Memories of Deku’s grin—sun-bright, almost gentle—flashed behind his eyes, paired with the sickening pop of his own arm snapping under One For All.

"You don't know how much I fucking hate those hands of yours."

He closed his eyes to try and shake the memory off, but it clung to his eyelids like glue. He let out a frustrated growl just as the door opened again. He turned, expecting to see Recovery Girl, but it was another figure who entered the room, one that made his heart skip a beat, even after all those years.

"Bakugou-shōnen!" All Might boomed, voice brimming with relief. In two long strides the former Number One enveloped him in an unguarded hug.

For a single, awful heartbeat Katsuki’s muscles locked. Heat rushed up his neck; years ago he would’ve blasted backward, snarling about personal space. Now he simply stood there, arms trapped against his sides, drowning in a swirl of nostalgia and something too raw to name. Sensing the tension, All Might released him, stepping back with a sheepish grin.

"Apologies young man, I am just so relieved to see that you're alright."

Katsuki could feel his mentor's gaze on him, but couldn't find it in him to look up. He knew why All Might was here, he knew what he was going to ask. And so, not wanting to suffer through the Symbol of Peace tiptoeing around the subject, around him, he blurted out.

"We lost him." Katsuki’s jaw locked, the word tasted like rust. "Deku. He's gone."

There was a heavy silence in the room, even the monitors seemed to mute themselves.

“I’m aware,” All Might said at last, voice low. “Todoroki-shōnen submitted an extensive report on the confrontation—and on a few… earlier incidents.”

Katsuki’s shoulders twitched. Earlier incidents? Had that half-and-half bastard spilled about their blow-up at the hospital? About One For All?

“All he would confirm,” All Might continued, choosing each word with care, “is that Midoriya visited his home recently. Todoroki-shonen suspects the visit had a secondary motive.”

Katsuki narrowed his eyes. “And?”

“He stopped there,” All Might admitted. “Said he needed time to—how did he phrase it—‘verify certain patterns’ before burdening anyone with speculation.”

Katsuki let out a sharp, humorless bark of a laugh. “Of course. Ice-Prince gets to keep intel to himself, but demands we come clean when he's the one fishing for it.”

A broad palm settled on Katsuki’s shoulder. The contact was gentle, yet it anchored him like a lead weight. He nearly shrugged it off—nearly—but some traitorous part of him wanted to hold on to it for dear life.

“I’m sorry, young man,” All Might murmured, blue eyes soft with genuine concern. “Carrying this must feel unbearable. But it's going to be alright."

It's going to be alright. Those familiar words, Katsuki had heard them over and over again when he was a kid. For a lot of people, those words signed the end of their anguish, it gave them hope, gave them the strength to push on, to keep fighting. Those specific words used to set a fire under Katsuki’s feet. However, as he stood in the middle of the infirmary, Katsuki couldn't help but feel those beloved words pierce his heart and fill it with a sense of dread. 

"How? How is it gonna be alright?"

All Might dipped his chin, pulling that famous smile into place, too gentle, too practiced, and Katsuki’s stomach flipped. He’d memorised that expression as a toddler; it was the one that said Hold on, kid. I’ll carry the weight for you. It was also the mask All Might wore when the fear inside him was screaming.

"I smile to show the pressure of heroes and to trick the fear inside of me." the number 1 hero had told him and Deku, a lifetime ago.

"Because I know you're the best person to help Young Midoriya."

A beat. Katsuki actually blinked, stunned by the sheer absurdity.

"Are you serious right now?" 

"I know what you must think-"

"No you don't!" Katsuki snapped in a tight voice.

The words rattled the IV stand beside him. He surged to his feet, glare hot enough to melt the linoleum. Every shred of relief he’d felt at All Might’s arrival evaporated, leaving raw nerves buzzing.

"You have no fucking idea of what you're asking of me."

"Young Bakugou, I know that you and Midoriya have always had a strained relationship-"

"Strained? Strained?!" Katsuki’s laugh was a bark of gunfire. "Our relationship isn't strained, All Might, it's a fucking catastrophe! If you knew what I did to him when we were kids, you wouldn't be asking this. You wouldn't even be talking to me right now."

"Young Bakugou..."

“No.” Katsuki whirled, voice flaring like sparklers. “Don’t stand there and pretend you have any clue what went on between me and—” the name stuck in his throat, razor-sharp, “—him. What I did, the garbage I spewed at him… it’s—”

Unforgivable.

"You don't get it, All Might. I'm not his friend, I'm not his fucking guardian angel or anything. If anything, I'm the villain in his story."

All Might’s brows pinched. "You can't possibly think that."

"Yes I do! And if you knew about it, you would too."

He stalked to the window, knuckles white against the frame. Outside, first-years spilled across the quad in gym uniforms—laughter, whistles, a flash of curly hair that stabbed at his memory. He swallowed hard.

"For as long as I can remember, that idiot has been in my life. Always trailing after me, following me around and I..." he huffed, the glass fogging "I only treated him with contempt, I thought I was better than him, like a freaking supernova and he was some pebble on my trajectory to greatness.”

The confession tumbled out, ragged and raw.

"Back then, I ignored my own weaknesses, and I started bullying him. I'm the one who started insulting him, belittling him, calling him a Deku.  And everyone else followed. He was abused his entire life because of me."

All Might stepped closer, but his voice stayed gentle.

"I've seen how hard you've worked to get rid of that part of you. You are not the same person now. And the same goes for him."

"Why, because of One For All?" he said in a cold voice, turning to look at All Might. "You think this is a blessing for him?"

A look of surprise flashed on All Might's face, but he quickly recovered. Katsuki felt heat starting to color his cheeks and his shoulders started to slightly tremble with suppressed anger. All Might was used to his harsh tone, but this time, Katsuki knew he was crossing a line. He found he didn't care.

"This quirk of yours isn't a blessing. It's not a gift. It's a fucking curse."

The former Symbol reached out a hand toward him, eyes pleading. 

"Bakugou-Shonen..."

This time, Katsuki stepped away from the contact, shaking his head.

"From the moment he got this quirk, his life became even more fucked up than it already was." Katsuki continued, eyes flashing red. "He was just a stupid nerd, but then you come along and give him a glow-stick quirk and call it destiny. From the second he swallowed that hair, his life went from hard to hellish. Fifteen years old and every psychopath in the country wanted his head. What were you thinking, All Might?”

All Might reared back like he'd been slapped, eyes wide with horror. Katsuki felt his heart constrict with guilt and hurt, but he was unable to stop now, like the dams around his heart were slowly cracking and letting his emotions slip out. He started walking towards his mentor.

"And the worst part in all of this, is that even this is my fault!" his voice cracked, rage collapsing into anguish. "That day..." he said, voice now full of anguish and regret, "If I had been strong enough, if I had fought that stupid Sludge freak off, then Deku wouldn't have jumped in..."

To fucking save me again.

"You wouldn't have met him, and he'd have gone on to be a stupid nerd who dreams about being a hero!" he yelled, gripping at his hair with one hand.

Breath rasped in his lungs; the room tilted. He braced a palm on the nearest bed, head bowed, shoulders trembling.

"He would have been safe." Katsuki continued. "He would have gone on to live a normal life where nobody tried to kill him every other day. And eventually, our paths would have separated and he wouldn't have had to save my ass again, wouldn't have turned into the one thing he's always fought against!"

He lifted his head to look back at his mentor, barely registering the sadness in the other's eyes.

"You can't look at me and tell me I'm his best shot when all of this is my fucking fault." he whined, shoulders dropping in defeat.

"Bakugou-shonen..." All Might whispered, probably sensing that Katsuki was on the edge of a breakdown.

But Katsuki shook his head, backing away towards the window again. He could feel something clamp tight around his heart and his breaths came in short and sharp series. His vision was getting blurry on the edges and he could feel something crawl up his arms. Tears started to pool in and he closed his eyes to fight them off. Instead, Deku's face flashed before them again, a soft smile on his baby face, bright green hair flowing in the wind speckled with cherry blossom petals. He was holding his diploma in his hands and when he looked up at Katsuki, his cheeks were slightly pink.

"Kacchan, I want to ask you something..."

"I don't want to hear it, Deku." he'd spat at the young man. "From now on, we go our fucking separate ways. I never wanna see your fucking useless face ever again."

Katsuki opened his eyes, the ghost of Deku's stricken expression clinging on like a mirage. 

"I didn't...I didn't mean..." he croaked, barely able to speak.

His throat suddenly closed up as his back slammed against the wall near the window. He gasped for air but found he couldn't breathe. He was going to suffocate in his own guilt and self loathing.

"KATSUKI!" a booming voice echoed in the room, snapping him out of his panic attack.

His eyes shot forward, and attached themselves to All Might's, who was now holding his shoulders. He could barely feel it.

"You have to focus on breathing, son." All Might said in a steady voice, eyes unwavering.

That voice in that tone, pulled at something deep inside of Katsuki and he found himself slowly starting to breathe better under All Might's guidance. His back and neck were glistening with sweat and his palms slide on the tiled floor. When he was sure the blond wasn't going to collapse, All Might stood up, went to the other side of the room. Katsuki could hear him rummaging in the cupboards and then the sound of water. After a few seconds, his mentor came back with a glass of water that he tried to push against his lips. That brought his senses back and he finally managed to work his arms, grabbing the glass with his right hand. All Might seemed to understand and let go, before sitting next to him on the cold floor.

"You're right, One For All can be a curse." 

Katsuki's head shot to the side, eyes wide. He'd expected the former number 1 to defend it, maybe even scold him for saying those things. But now All Might looked small, human, limbs still aching from old injuries judging from the tight set of his lips.

"It's not just a quirk, it's a legacy, a will that's transmitted from one person to another. The only purpose for this quirk is to be a pendant for All for One, which means fighting against him. People have given up their life, their families in order to defeat him. The secret alone isolates you, and by trying to protect your family, you have to stay away, alone. And then, when we're done and too weak to fight, we hand the torch forward and pray the next runner is strong enough to keep it lit."

Katsuki felt like he was the first one All Might had talked about this in a while and his heart was hammering in his chest. When his mentor lifted his head to look him in the eyes, Katsuki could clearly see the deep sadness in those blue eyes.

"I need you to trust me on this: When I placed One For All in young Midoriya’s hands, I believed All For One was dead. Had I known he still breathed, I would have carried that burden until my own heart failed."

There it was, the sharpness, the steel, the unwavering will in those familiar eyes.

"And I want to be clear on one thing: it was me and Izuku who chose this, not you. None of this is on your shoulders."

Katsuki opened his mouth to argue, but All Might put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed hard. Katsuki wondered how much it took from him to do it.

"It was not your fault. And I know you feel bad, guilty for the things you put him through. But I never want to hear you say you're his villain again, not when..." he sighed. "Katsuki, don't you see how much he idolizes you?"

Katsuki froze.

"Your relationship is so complicated, full of mixed emotions, but at the core of it, I can see one thing clearly: your admiration for one another. And Izuku, he has this image in his head of what a hero looks is, I represent hope, peace, but you, you represent strength, resilience, victory. I've seen how he looks at you, and until you fully understand the feelings behind this admiration, you will not understand why he jumped in to save you from the Sludge villain, nor why he risked his life again after you hadn't spoken for a year."

Katsuki felt something hot rise from his belly to his hairline, but couldn't put words on the sensation. 

"Guilt can chain a hero in place." All Might carried on, turning his head to look at something Katsuki couldn't see. "If you truly carry the weight of those years… use that weight to pull him back, not to drown yourself. If you truly hate what you’ve done to him, Katsuki, then write a new page— one where you attone by dragging  him out of the dark because you know how it feels to put him there."

Katsuki felt something slowly build up inside of him but he tried to push it down.

"Are you sure I'm the best person to do that?" he almost whispered. "What if I end up hurting him even more?"

"Todoroki’s logic can locate him, maybe even catch him...but logic alone won’t reach his heart. And that's what we need, to reach him."

"And you think I will."

All Might turned back to look at him, eyes a pool of soft blue.

"Isn't it obvious? You’re the only one he still reacts to. Hate, rage, whatever’s fueling him right now, it seems like most of it is directed at you. Most of what he does is."

It was then, in the silence of the room, cowered in the farthest corner, that Katsuki finally voiced his deepest fear.

"What if I fail? What if I lose him before I can save him? Before I can...I have so many things I want- I have to say to him."

Again, All Might's hand rested on his shoulder, warm and appeasing. 

"You're one of the strongest heroes out there, you and Todoroki-shonen are his best hope. You are his best shot."

All Might stood up, letting out a pained groan, before he turned to Katsuki and extended his hand.

"That guilt you're feeling, don't let it consume you. Use that fire, and aim it the right way. You know One for All better than anyone now, use this to bring him home. Use it to save him."

Again, Katsuki felt that wave of something rise up in his chest, and he finally realized what it was. He'd refused to acknowledge it, afraid that he would fail again.

Hope.

He let out a deep sigh, which seemed to carry all of the fear and doubt he'd been carrying those past weeks, and he took his mentor's hand, getting to his feet before facing him. He used his right forearm to wipe his face from the tears that had spilled, unwanted, before looking back up.

"What now?" he asked. "I still have no clue where to start searching for him."

As if on cue, All Might's pocket started vibrating, and his signature ringtone A call is here! A call is here! tore through the heavy atmosphere. All Might fished it from his pocket and looked at the screen.

"It's Todoroki-shonen." he took the call and put the phone to his ear.

"Todoroki-shonen, how are-"

From where he stood, Katsuki could hear the bastard's voice, but couldn't make out what he was saying. He could tell the tone was tight though. All Might frowned before looking back at him.

"He's with me right now. Sure."

He tapped the screen of his phone a few time and put the phone between him and Katsuki. Before the blond could ask what it was about, Todoroki's voice was talking in a tight voice.

"I've been calling him several times, why isn't he answering??!"

"I'm not your fucking secretary!! Can't it wait until I-"

"Bakugou!" Todoroki cut him off, and the tension in his voice made Katsuki go silent. "We found him, we found Midoriya!"

"What?" Katsuki said in a strangled voice. "How"

"It's a long story, Bakugou, he's in Shizuoka, which means you're the closest to him right now."

This time, Katsuki could recognize the feeling that was swelling inside of him, making his heart beat louder, and his blood run faster in his veins. He looked up at All Might, who's eyes must have been reflecting his own new found resolve.

"I'm handling it. I'll find him."

Chapter Text

Gofukucho street, Shizuoka, 11pm.

Izuku was jumping from rooftop to rooftop, covered by darkness, again choosing to use BlackWhip to anchor himself. He had decided to arrive thirty minutes early so he could find the right place to hide, the right angle from which to attack. Because of his lack of physical quirk, Shinso seemed like a pretty easy target, however, his intense training with Aizawa made him way more dangerous than that, and Izuku knew better than to underestimate him. He hadn't seen his classmate since their graduation, but the meer fact that he was being given a one-week solo mission meant he was an efficient hero. Best be careful.

Finally, Izuku landed on a small cafe rooftop and he silently recalled BlackWhip before walking to the edge. He hid behind an electric box and, after a few seconds, peered down. At first, he could only see an empty alley, barely lit by the big neon board on the opposite street. But then, he saw it, something moved from the far end and finally came into view. Izuku recognized the purple hair and his heart started pounding in his chest in anticipation. This was it. Finally. Technically, he knew he could overpower Shinzo in the blink of an eye, the main issue laid in the fact that the other may contact the Hero Network and ask for backup. Not only would that make the fight more complicated if a hero was nearby, it would also expose his presence in Shizuoka. 

His eyes narrowed on his target. This meant he had to incapacitate Shinso as soon as possible. Then he would find a way to bring him back to Shigaraki and finally, finally, he would deal with Matsunaga for good. He let One For All gather in his legs, and let some of it flow in his arms.

One For All, 40%!

In a swift movement, he jumped from the rooftop and launched himself at Shinso, ready to strike. He aimed a punch towards the other's neck and released it.

BOOM!

Izuku froze as his fist caught something much harder than his intended target and he saw the wall in front of him collapse. Had he missed? He jumped to the side, away from the cloud of dust that was rising, and scanned his surroundings again, just in time to spot Shinso gracefully backflipping in the air, a purple light emanating from his boots in a low hiss. Izuku felt like he'd seen that before, but didn't dwell on it, because Shinso landed on a broken lamppost before staring down at him.

"Hey Midoriya. Long time no see. Heard you were looking for me?"

Izuku opened his mouth to answer, but clamped it shut just as quick.

Don't answer him.

"Shouto called me a few minutes before you arrived." Shinso went on, eyes fixed on him, looking for signs of an attack. "He briefly explained what happened to you. I'm sorry."

For some reason, Izuku felt anger rise from his belly.

Don't feel sorry for me. he thought. I feel better than ever.

"I don't know why you're here, but let's talk about this instead."

I don't want to talk!

Izuku launched himself at him, but again, Shinso managed to evade him, landing on a dumpster. Izuku turned to glare at the other's feet.

"Remember those?" Shinso asked. "These are the boots that Hatsume showcased during the Sports Festival. She's now selling them to heros agencies."

Izuku could tell Shinso was buying time, every word a fishing line cast for a response, every agile leap a stalling tactic while reinforcements closed the distance. If Shouto had phoned ahead, Endeavor, Best Jeanist, or any high-ranking hero might already be coming their way. He needed to end this before sirens filled the alley. If they showed up, it would be a nightmare for him to get out of there. 

Shinso fired the boosters again, propelling himself to a rust-striped fire escape.

Two, Izuku noted, eyes narrowing.

Izuku feinted left, forcing Shinso to kick off the wall in a tight arc. The thrusters shrieked a third time, white smoke curling from the vents before the cooldown shutters slammed shut.

Three.

Izuku blitzed forward, combining Detroit Smash footwork with flickers of Blackwhip to shorten the gap. A fourth burst flared, boots spitting sparks as Shinso vaulted over a dented dumpster.

Four.

Izuku pivoted, lashing a Blackwhip strand around the lamppost Shinso had just abandoned. He yanked, ripping the pole free and sending shrapnel skyward. The debris stalled Shinso’s next jump. The purple-haired hero hit the ground hard, boots whining in protest.

Five. There!

Izuku looked down at Shinso's boots, noticing the vents glowing cherry-red. Perfect. Before Shinso could reset the gel, tendrils of Blackwhip snapped around his wrists and across his mouth. Izuku landed in front of him, breath even, expression stone-cold.

"It's funny, I remember those boots." he spoke aloud but never once looked Shinso in the eye, words meant for himself, not for the quirk.

It was a dangerous thing to do, but he couldn't help it, brain switching to his natural analysing mode. He walked to the man on the ground and kneeled in front of the fuming boots.

"I remember going to Hatsume after the Sports Festival and asking about those. They’re great for snap-evasion and have been updated since, but the vents are still chromium-alloy, so after each burst the chambers spike to about 600 °C. That forces the throttle limiter to kick in—ten seconds of dead time while the coolant gel resets. And the pressurized nitro cartridges? Five bursts, six if you’re reckless, before the seals scorch and the fuel mix destabilizes. Once that happens the thrust cone warps and you lose vector control altogether. They're not made for a long fight, but they're still pretty cool."

When he finished his mumbling, he stopped talking and looked up at Shinso, whose eyes had gone wide, clearly surprised that Izuku had found a loophole to his quirk. 

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

Now all that was left was to incapacitate him, then he would be on his way before any hero could show up. Shinso was looking at him with pleading eyes, but they couldn't sway Izuku's hard gaze.

It's nothing personal. he thought, raising one hand.

Then, as he was driving his fist down, a thunder-crack explosion resonated behind him. The blast unbalanced Izuku and his punch missed Shinso's head by a few centimeters. The force of the blow was still enough to knock him unconscious and Izuku saw his eyes roll upwards before his head fell to the side. But Izuku's attention wasn't on Shinso anymore, he got up and slowly turned to the other end of the alley, not believing what he had just heard. Even now, even like this, he could recognize those explosions anywhere.

"You gotta be kidding me." he whispered.

"Yooo Darth Nerd-kun!" Katsuki Bakugou stepped from the haze, grin sharp enough to wound. "Heard your scrawny ass was in town, what a coincidence!"

Izuku gritted his teeth. Of all the people he'd expected to meet here, this one was definitely the last he wanted to see. He felt something ugly twist in his stomach.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he asked as Katsuki stopped right at the alley's entrance.

"Not as super smart as you think you are, huh?" Katsuki smirked, one hand on his hip.

Izuku observed him. He wasn't wearing his hero costume but his arms were covered in his signature sweat storing devices. But those were slightly different than the latest ones he was using, and after a few seconds, he recognized them. He also realized the blond's arms were completely healed, and there was only one person he knew who could repair the level of damage he'd inflicted.

"You were at U.A." he stated.

Katsuki looked down at his arms.

"Yup. My hands are all better now, and they want to say thank you!"

Katsuki’s gauntlet-clad hands cracked like firecrackers as he rolled his wrists. Izuku felt the static in the alley spike, nitro-sweat misting the air, mixing with the scorch-smell still rising from Shinso’s singed boots.

Izuku loosened the Blackwhip tendril wrapped around Shinso’s mouth and flicked it behind him, anchoring it to the alley wall. Katsuki inhaled, crimson eyes narrowing in on Shinso’s limp form. “Already took out the chatterbox, huh? Guess I should congratulate you, if I wasn’t about to wipe that smug mask off your face.”

Before Izuku could retort, Katsuki blurred forward, aiming an AP Shot: Auto-Aim at him, a tight cluster of micro-explosions that zig-zagged like hornets. Izuku hurled himself sideways, 25 % OFA lighting up his calves. Shards of shattered brick rattled across asphalt where he’d stood. He landed on one knee, fingers splayed.

Don’t let him draw this out. One clean disable, grab Shinso, and get clear.

He knew he could hold his own against Katsuki, but he also knew that the other had a gift to make him lose his cool, lose control. The ideas that were already dancing in his head made his heart pound painfully inside his chest, and he needed to stay focused on the current plan. Otherwise, he would get captured. He rocketed forward, right fist cocked and charged with 45 % of All for One. The pavement spider webbing beneath the launch. Katsuki didn’t retreat; he rose to meet him, palms detonating to cancel Izuku’s momentum mid-air. Concussive pressure rippled down the alley, windows shivering in their frames.

They collided shoulder to shoulder, sparks and green lightning crackling where skin brushed gauntlet. Izuku redirected, pivoting into a heel-kick aimed at Katsuki’s ribs. but the blond slid under it on a blast-propelled skid, snagged Izuku’s ankle and spun, flinging him toward a dumpster. Izuku inverted mid-flight, boots kissing the metal with a clang. 

“Still too fucking slow, Deku!” Katsuki barked, weaving through another flurry of Detroit-smash feints. Each near-miss left cratered masonry and blistered asphalt. The alley filled with pulverized brick dust.

Izuku ducked a sweeping right and drove his elbow toward Katsuki’s sternum, only for him to catch the strike between armored bracers. Nitro-sweat hissed, flash-igniting. Izuku felt the pulse of heat bite through his sleeve; he disengaged with a back-step, shrugging off smoldering fabric. He looked up at the blond, who was smiling at him widely, his shiny teeth clearly visible in the dim light. Something felt off, different from the last time they'd fought. The Katsuki he'd faced at the Moreu Hoshi hotel had been conflicted, mix feelings dancing in his eyes. But this time, even from where he stood, Izuku could clearly see the new fire that seemed to set the other ablaze. What had happened? 

He looked around, the alley had taken too much damage and was about to collapse on itself, and on them. Izuku needed to get out of here with Shinso before it was too late. He lunged forward, straight into Katsuki’s guard. The blond expected a punch; instead Izuku dropped, sweeping Katsuki’s legs with Blackwhip as support, using the recoil to whip under his center of gravity and tackle him bodily. Both slammed into the dumpster, grenades exploding harmlessly above, raining glittering shrapnel like metallic snow.

Katsuki wheezed, momentarily winded. Izuku seized the opening to climb on top of him, pinning him to the ground with his legs, fingers locking around Katsuki’s right gauntlet, fumbling for the release latch.

I need to get those off-

But a flare of heat blossomed at his collar as Katsuki detonated point-blank, launching them apart again. Izuku fell to the ground and rolled before getting back on his knees. He coughed, lungs filling up with smoke and dust.

"I don't have time to deal with you!" Izuku said through gritted teeth.

He couldn’t waste any more time. Backup would be minutes away. He drew a ragged breath, Full Cowl 60 % flooding his legs—cracks spider-webbed beneath his boots. But instead of lunging for Katsuki, Izuku’s gaze flicked sideways. Shinso.

Izuku blurred, Blackwhip firing like a grappling line to yank Shinso’s limp body into his arms. Without pausing he coiled the quirk around a distant rooftop gutter, preparing a slingshot launch skyward—one leap and he’d clear the alley, vanish into Shizuoka’s skyline with his prize. From the corner of his eye, he saw Katsuki thrust a palm down, detonating a point-blank blast that rocketed him upward in a jagged arc. He beat the Blackwhip’s recoil by half a second, landing on the target ledge. A heartbeat later Izuku shot toward him, Shinso cradled against his chest. The moment Izuku reached the alley mouth, Katsuki yanked the pin on a wrist-grenade and hurled it forward: a compact magnesium flash charge: Hatsume’s upgraded Stun Gamma.

Shit!

Izuku had a split second to close his eyes before a miniature sun blossomed between them, white-hot, retina-searing. Even with his eyelids slammed shut his vision went pink at the edges; for anyone caught unprepared, the blast was disorienting. Izuku’s Blackwhip faltered mid-air; the tendril recoiled, and momentum stalled. Izuku twisted, throwing his body around Shinso to shield him as the after-flash licked across the alley. They tumbled, hitting an adjacent rooftop in a tangle, Izuku blinking hard, spots dancing across his sight.

Katsuki was already moving, palms crackling as he landed a few meters away, stance wide. “Thought you could bail on me?” he barked, voice echoing across the tiles. "What happened to that confidence and swag form the hotel, huh?"

Izuku straightened, blinking tears from scorched corneas, clutching Shinso against his shoulder, the deadweight forcing every landing to be a controlled slide. He skidded across the roof, knees bent to cushion the impact; one mis-angle and Shinso’s skull would crack like porcelain. Katsuki was already there, herding, not striking. Each palm blast wasn’t aimed to kill, detonating behind Izuku’s heels or to his flanks, folding the escape routes smaller and smaller. 

The bastard was playing with him.

Hot rage coiled inside his guts, and for a split second, he was ready to toss Shinso aside and fight back, the urge to wipe the blond's smug smile from his face and taste his blood almost overwhelming him.

"I told you, I don't have time for you!" he yelled, frustration sipping into his words.

The smile on Katsuki's face grew wider, aware of his effect on him. He opened his arms wide.

"You're out of luck then. Because you've got all my time and attention."

"You know if I wasn't busy, I'd be kicking your ass right now." Izuku spat.

"Ah that's the dilemma, right? Are you going to fight me and risk losing Brainwashing Boy, or you try to flee, knowing I won't let you."

He jerked his head to the unconscious body still in Izuku's arms.

"What do you want with him anyway?"

"That's none of your problems." Izuku spat back too quickly.

Katsuki narrowed his eyes at him.

"You know, I almost like this bitty version of you." Katsuki scoffed before launching himself at Izuku again.

He vaulted over an exhaust vent, gauntlet canisters whining as they pressurized. Izuku’s teeth ground together. He needed to do something quick so he could escape. Katsuki would not let him go unless he fought seriously. But he couldn’t risk using One For All at more than 50 % with Shinso this close…The only safe solution was to use BlackWhip to bind Katsuki down, maybe even throw him like he'd done with Enilla at his apartment. Unlike her though, Katsuki would recover quickly, but by then, he could use 100% of One For All in his legs to propel himself far away and try to put as much space between him and the blond as possible. Maybe then he could try to blend himself in the dark small streets in the neighbourhood. It would be difficult for anyone to find him, especially if he clouded himself with BlackWhip. He looked back at Katsuki, who smiled.

"Finally decided to fight back then, huh." he said quietly, before taking on his familiar fighting stance.

Izuku lunged first, whipping a single strand of Blackwhip as bait. Katsuki read it, blasting sideways to flank. Good.

Izuku snapped a second tendril straight down, cracking a rooftop AC unit and spraying steam. In the shroud he pivot-kicked, sending a crescent of rubble toward Katsuki’s knees.

BOOM!

Katsuki met debris with a palm-burst, vaporizing the chunks and riding the recoil to springboard over Izuku’s guard, gauntlets cocked, sparks spitting. Mid-air, Izuku let the real net fly: five Blackwhip cords fanning out, tips barbed with crackling energy. For a split second, Izuku saw the familiar red eyes widen in shock, as the blond realized he wouldn't have time to duck. The black smokey strands hissed toward Katsuki’s torso like snakes and...

Stopped.

The cords trembled an inch from impact, thrumming as if they’d struck an unseen barrier, before the power recoiled up Izuku’s arm with a static sting.

“What—?” Izuku’s eyes widened.

His gaze met Katsuki's equally surprised one, and for a few seconds, both men stared at each other in silence. Katsuki's eyes searched his, and when he didn't find an answer in the emerald eyes, he gave him a feral smile.

“Bad luck, Deku.” he twisted, igniting a flash-bang grenade from his left gauntlet. White-hot light bloomed point-blank for a second time.

Izuku flinched, vision bleaching out, Blackwhip retracting on instinct to shield Shinso. By the time the spots cleared, Katsuki was already sliding across the roof, boots screeching, gauntlet leveled for the next strike.

But Izuku’s mind was still racing from what had just happened, his heart was hammering in his chest.

Blackwhip… didn’t obey?

A memory flashed in front of his eyes, and he could almost hear Monoma's familiar voice, taunting.

If you're his friend, then tell me this. How can Bakugou-kun smile so confidently?

Katsuki closed in on him, palm glowing red hot in the dark, like a beacon. His smile was almost crazed, just like it always was when he was going for the final attack. Izuku jolted out of his thoughts and tried to faint, but it was too late, he knew he'd get caught by the attack.

Shit. Shit!

"Take that you smug motherfucker!!" Katsuki yelled before swinging his arm downward.

Izuku put his left arm up and gathered 40% of One For All in his forearm, reinforcing it, ready to absorb the shock of the attack. However, just as his arm was about to explode Izuku's, Katsuki seemed to falter, explosion quirk hiccupping into fizzles. For an instant his pupils blew wide, focus yanked somewhere behind his eyes.

"What the-" Katsuki grunted, before his head snapped backwards, like someone had punched him. He reared back and dropped to his knees, a snarl coming out of his gritted teeth.

"Not that again!" Izuku heard him say and he turned on instinct, scanning his surroundings for a new danger.

After a few seconds, he saw it: From the shadowed rooftop of a nearby building stepped a slim figure in a deep-blue duffle coat, midnight hair twisted in a tight knot, and Izuku felt his eyes widen in recognition. It was the woman from Shinjuku, the one he'd met at Sabura's restaurant and who had taken him to the Moeru Hoshi Hotel. Tsunada. Her eyes, locked onto Katsuki, were glowing purple in the dark.

"You have to go now, Midoriya." she said, voice calm but thinned by urgency.

Izuku’s pulse thundered. She followed me all the way here? How?

Behind him, Katsuki was slowly getting up again, shaking his head to clear what Izuku knew felt like nails scraping his skull. When he looked up, his eyes also widened in recognition.

"You're the chick from the hotel..." he said in a low voice, then, yelling "I saved your ass back then! You might try to show a little consideration!"

"This isn’t your fight." she answered in a cold voice. "Walk away before your cortex pulses rupture.”

"The hell I will!" Katsuki snapped back before taking a step towards Izuku, who whipped around to face him.

But before he could take another step, Katsuki was hit with one of Tsunada's attacks again, and this time, he fell to the ground, screaming in pain. Izuku looked at the man on the floor before turning again to the woman.

"You're the one who attacked us in that street during New Year's Eve." he said in an ice cold voice. 

Tsunada seemed to sense his murderous intentions, but she kept her eyes on Katsuki.

"And now I'm on your side. Shigaraki sent me."

The anger that was simmering inside of him grew hotter at the words. So Shigaraki had him followed, since when? And why? Did he intend to betray him like he'd imagined? To snatch Shinso from him and kill him? If that was the case, then Tsunada wouldn't be the only one he'd send. He looked around him frantically again, searching for other hitmen.

"I'm alone." Tsunada said. "You have to trust me, let's go!"

Izuku looked back at her.

"How can I be sure I can trust you?"

"You can't." she answered quickly, her voice filled with something he couldn't name.

"How did you find me?"

"I can tell you all that when we're out of here. Heroes are bound to come shortly. Now let's go! Move while I hold Ground Zero down!"

Izuku looked down at Katsuki, who was fighting the intense pain blinding him. He then turned around, picked Shinso back and took a step towards Tsunada. Suddenly, he felt something close on his ankle and a grunt behind him.

"Da hell d'you think ya goin'?"

"Let go." Izuku said, trying to yank his leg free.

He heard the other yell in pain, probably under another of Tsunada's attacks, but his grip only tightened on Izuku, who whipped around, frustrated.

"I said let me go!" he spat.

"N-never..." Katsuki said between grunts of pain.

Izuku felt something yank inside his chest, and he hissed in disgust.

"What, you think we're friends now? You think that after everything you've done to me you have the right to play the hero? To be my saviour? You forfeited that right when you first laid your hands on me. Now let-me-fucking-go!"

"No..."

Izuku turned to Tsunada, who was frowning.

"Do something!"

"If I do more than this, I could permanently damage his brain."

"Then damage his brain!" Izuku shrieked in a crazed voice.

A few seconds later, Katsuki was screaming in agony, and Izuku finally managed to pull his leg off. Even in this state, Katsuki managed to hold on, and Izuku's shoe came off, clenched tightly in the other's hand. Izuku scoffed in annoyance before gathering One For All in his legs and jumping, landing smoothly next to Tsunada. He threw her a look and she turned to him, now facing the nearest danger.

"Get your shit together." he snapped, before stepping away.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tsunada looked at Midoriya as he walked away, stung by his words. She was helping him get out of a nasty situation and instead of thanking her, he was antagonizing her. 

"Watch it." she said, turning back to look at the silhouette on the floor. "Just because Shigaraki said to help you doesn't mean I can't fry some of your brain."

From the corner of her eyes, she saw Midoriya turn to look at her, but she kept her eyes locked on Ground Zero, who was trying to get up again. She knew the blond had lightning quick reflexes and she didn't want him to attack her by surprise. If he did, she knew the man she'd just helped wouldn't return the favor. It was hard to keep her back to him, but she told herself he wouldn't attack her, not when she was the only one who could keep Ground Zero at bay.

"Keep him here for a few more minutes then let him go." he said. "I'll deal with him in due time."

Then he finally turned to leave, jumping so high that he was quickly swallowed by the night. Tsunada threw one last static burst that pinned Bakugou to the ground. He let out a groan, and she held on the attack until he finally went limp. She turned her head away, blinking hard, purple fireworks exploding behind her eyelids. She'd almost hit her limit, she needed to be careful. She turned, ready to go back to the station, back to Tokyo now that she'd made sure Midoriya was alright. She went down the emergency stairs and landed in the main street. She took one of the small streets and passed a park. Her GPS showed that she'd gain fifteen minutes if she went through the park, so she entered it. It was nicely lit, enough so that a woman could walk alone with a sense of safety. Tsunada knew how to take care of herself though.

As she reached the center of the park, she felt a presence next to her. 

"Why did you follow me?"

Midoriya was on top of a gazebo, still holding his hostage with his dark smoke. The smoke around him made it difficult to make out his entire silhouette, and his green eyes were glinting with something dangerous, scary. He looked nothing like a hero.

"Shigaraki asked me to."

"Why?"

"I can't tell you that."

"I can make you."

He heart skipped a beat, but she swallowed her rising fear.

"You can try." she said, summoning her quirk again, even though she was starting to feel the premise of a migraine.

"You wont'-" Midoriya said, but he suddenly jolted and jumped, just as something crashed to the ground.

Tsunada raised a hand to shield herself from the dust that engulfed her for a second. When she could finally see in front of her, a man was standing there, and she could tell it wasn't Midoriya. He was taller, more muscular, his white hair pulled back into a ponytail. When his eyes landed on her, they grew wide.

"You're the woman that was at the agency, the one we rescued from the hotel."

Shit, one of Shouto's sidekicks.

She couldn't get herself captured, not now, not by them. Her mission wasn't finished yet. She let her quirk fill up her eyes and launched an attack towards the man. The purple lightning only she could see carved through the air, aiming at his face. However, just before it could hit its target, Tsunada saw something dark emerge from the man, deflecting part of the attack. She could tell he got at least partially hit by the cry he let out, but he did not fall to the ground like the others and, after a few seconds, he disappeared from view. Her quirk flared again, eyes glowing violet, but the line-of-sight was gone.

Shit.

Her quirk: Neuro-Pulse worked by hijacking the bio-electric connections inside a target’s brain by sending razor-sharp neuro-pulses. Anyone it hit got their synapses scrambled: vertigo first, then white-hot pain, muscles refusing every command, then loss of consciousness. Her quick, surprise attacks left no room for counters, and she could turn a healthy person into a neurological minefield. She did have one weakness though: Her quirk was linked to her eyesight, and so she needed to see her target for it to work. 

She looked around, trying to spot the newcomer, but couldn't see anyone. Even Midoriya had disappeared somehow. As if answering her, she heard an explosion somewhere ahead of her and she swore internally. Ground Zero had caught onto them and was probably fighting Midoriya again. She had to get out of here and assist him.

The night air warped slightly, cold rising from the concrete, but her vision stuttered again, like static on a cracked monitor. She swept her gaze across the park, zeroing in on every flicker, every edge of motion.

There.

A figure—no, a shadow darted past the lamppost. Tall. weirdly shaped. She fired. The pulse snapped like a whip, slicing through the air before striking the silhouette square in the middle. She heard the sizzle, saw the shape buckle, but no scream followed. No collapse. And then it unraveled, peeling away like smoke in the wind.

“What…” she whispered.

Another shape appeared behind the bench. She didn’t hesitate this time and sent a wide-burst neuro-blast across the clearing. Purple lightning danced through the trees, frying a pigeon mid-flight, but the figure was gone again. Gone before she could even register the hit. Her head pounded. The inside of her skull felt swollen. Like her brain was pressing outward, trying to split her face apart. She gritted her teeth and forced herself upright. She was reaching her limit, and, unlike the Memory Keeper, there was nobody to help her.

One week ago.

Tsunada stood beneath the flickering neon sign of the pachinko parlor, watching as the first traces of light appeared in the horizon. The buzz of electricity from the sign was drowned out by the occasional scooter zipping down the street and the distant rumble of a garbage truck turning the corner. It was just early enough for the street to feel half-awake, vendors setting up, school kids passing by, a salaryman slurping down coffee on the curb. Normal. Forgettable.

She wore a clean-cut wool coat in ash gray, collar turned up to shield from the chill that lingered even in spring sunlight. Simple dark jeans, pristine in their cut, and soft leather boots that barely made a sound. Nothing flashy, but everything about the ensemble whispered quiet wealth. Even undercover, the Tsunada name couldn’t help but show through in the details.

She checked her watch. Three minutes late.

Her jaw flexed once.

She hated waiting. Especially when she was leading such a sensitive mission. If she failed, Shigaraki would be mad, and...

She shook her head, chasing the dark thoughts that were creeping inside her head. She couldn't think about that now.

She was pulled out of her thoughts by movement in her peripheral vision and looked up to see people coming her way from all sides. One slipped in from the pachinko alley, pretending to fiddle with a vending machine. Another wandered down the sidewalk like a bored shopper, plastic bag swinging empty. The third crossed the street on a red light, earbuds in, nodding to a rhythm that probably didn’t exist. The last two merged from opposite corners, one lighting a cigarette, the other pretending to scroll on her phone. Another shadow sprinted along the far edge of the playground, low, crouched, almost beast-like.

They didn’t arrive together so that they wouldn't draw attention. Smart.

The last one to emerge from the shadows was the Memory Keeper, and he was the one who didn't stop in front of the pachinko, reaching in his pocket instead to fish for a key. He opened the door and gestured for Tsunada to come in. She raised an eyebrow at him. It was customary for the host to come in before the guest, to make sure they weren't walking into a trap. By standards, Mind Keeper should come in first, followed by Tsunada, then the others.

"For Christ's sake..." she heard someone whispered behind her and a silhouette rushed past her, swallowed in the darkness of the room.

The other followed, and, only when she saw a dim light flood the room, did she finally step inside. The pachinko was the same as she'd seen it a few days ago, and Tsunada could tell the place had been cleaned, although the smell of dust and cold tobacco clung stubbornly to the air. Mind Keeper closed the door and locked it, which sent a shiver down her spine, but she didn't let anything show. There were no windows here and the only escape was through the glass door that had just been sealed shut. She turned to look back at the group of people, most of which were already walking between the rows of now silent pachinko machines, heading for the back door. Only one person hadn't moved and was looking straight at her. An old woman.

“You alright, sweetheart?” she asked.

Tsunada met her gaze, expecting to see something aloof, aged. But there was nothing soft or slow in those eyes. They were sharp and unsettlingly still. Not the look of a civilian, but of someone trained to assess threats before they form. She kind of made her think of her grandmother. Tsunada gave her a stiff nod in response, and, as the older woman turned to leave, she let her eyes drag slowly from the granny cart to the reinforced boots just barely visible beneath the hem of her skirt. Not a single squeak from the wheels as she’d moved. No tremble in her hand. 

Tsunada followed after her and she heard Memory Keeper's heavy steps behind her. She went down the stairs leading to a small basement, lit by the small windows at head's level. She could still hear the distant traffic, which for some reason, she found reassuring. It was like she was still connected to the world somehow. The three people who had come in before them were already sitting on small iron chairs, and what appeared to be the youngest of the group stood up to bring one next to the not-so old lady.

"Here Nana-bachan." he said as she patted her shoulder affectionately.

"Thank you, Yuto."

Tsunada looked at the so-called Yuto. He couldn't have been older than nineteen, with sun-browned skin and a lean build that spoke more of manual labor than combat training. His sweatshirt was oversized, sleeves pushed up to the elbows, and the knees of his jeans were stained and fraying. A chipped, cartoon-themed phone charm dangled from his belt loop. But what caught her attention was the way he moved. Effortless. Quiet. Like someone used to not being noticed.

He smiled at Nana with genuine warmth, like he meant it. But when his eyes flicked briefly to Tsunada, the friendliness dulled into appraisal.

Not just a kid. Not just a nobody.

Mind Keeper took the last seat and put it between Nana and a middle-aged man, effectively closing the circle she hadn't noticed was being formed. Tsunada chanced a quick look to Nana's right. The man beside her looked plain at first: graying hair, quiet posture, thrift-store jacket. But his too-clean shoes and scarred knuckles betrayed him. Not harmless. Just practiced in looking so.

"You need to be outside the circle." Mind Keeper told her.

She quickly turned and walked between Yuta and a woman with a cheery face and sun-bleached bangs, the kind you'd expect to hand out tissues outside a train station. Her floral tote was stuffed with flyers, but her eyes flicked like radars, scanning everything. 

Who were those people?

When she reached the nearest wall, she turned back towards them and leaned on it. Only then, did Memory Keeper take off his hood and the scarves that were hiding his face, revealing deep brown skin and close-cropped hair that did little to hide the faint web of scars along his scalp. Tsunada felt a shiver run down her spine. She too used her brain as a weapon, and she new she had limitations. Now, the Memory Keeper was a living reminder of what could happen to her if she went too far in using her quirk.

Memory Keeper raised his hands and automatically, the others followed and linked hands together. After a few seconds of nothing, she saw Yuta's head fall backwards as his eyes took on that blueish glow. He seemed to be convulsing and Tsunada took a step closer, before reminding herself to stay still. Then it was the middle-aged man's turn, he seemed to take it better, his jaw locking in defense of the intrusion in his mind. But when it was Nana's turn, she looked like she was in real pain. Tsunada dug her nails in her forearm, willing herself to stay still, but when she heard the woman let out a cry of pain and slip from her chair, she lunged forward and threw one hand to catch her before she hit the ground.

"No!" she heard somewhere behind her, but it was too late.

She felt something change in the room and turned to see that everyone seemed to have come back to their senses, like whatever spell Memory Keeper had thrown was now broken. She turned to Nana to check on her, but she didn't find relief nor gratitude in her eyes. 

“What have you done, Young Miss?” the woman asked quietly.

The words seemed harmless. A term anyone might use for a younger woman.

But Tsunada froze and her entire being zeroed on the small lady laying in her arms.

Was she...?

However, she got pulled off her thoughts by a scream, this time coming from a much deeper voice. She whipped around to find the Memory Keeper kneeling on the floor, holding his head in his hands. She stood up and hesitantly walked towards him.

"What's wrong?" she asked to nobody in particular.

"You broke the connection." she heard behind her, and she turned to look at the young woman. "His brain is probably going into hyperdrive."

"We need to call the Doctor!" Yuta yelled over the screams.

"I can get him here in thirty minutes." the middle-aged man answered, taking his phone out.

"That's too fucking long, Kei!" Yuta snapped at him.

"We don't have another solution."

"I think I can help." Tsunada said, still looking at the man screaming in agony in front of her.

"Yeah, you've done enough!" Yuta yelled, but she ignored him.

She kneeled in front of him before putting one hand on each side of his face, which was coated in sweat. She closed her eyes and slowly released her quirk. Neur-Pulse it was called, and she could send neural pulses through someone's brain. Most of the time, she used it as a weapon to mess with her opponent's brain, but it wasn't just a weapon.

She imagined small purple waves coming out of her and washing over the agonising man, slowly stopping the ongoing neural damage. When she felt like she was holding onto something, she started to repair the neural paths that had just been destroyed. She felt some other gaps there, older, and knew she couldn't repair those, so she focused on the most recent damage. After a few minutes, she opened her eyes and let go, wiping her own sweat from her forehead. She waited for Memory Keeper to open his eyes and, when he looked up at her, it was almost like his eyes were smiling.

"So that's why they sent you." he whispered in a soft voice.

------------------------------------------------------------------

She blasted again.

Missed.

Or maybe hit. It didn’t matter.

The shadows weren’t falling.

“Come out and fight me, you coward!” she shouted into the empty park.

Nothing.

Just the gentle sway of leaves. The hum of a streetlamp.

And that twitch of movement near the swing set.

Her hands shook. Her vision trembled.

Were there two figures now?

Three?

A knot of blackness darted near the fountain, she fired. Another to her left, she turned, fired again. The first one reappeared, no, it couldn’t be, it had melted—she staggered, pulse still charged.

Too much. She was using too much.

But she had to. She couldn’t afford to be caught, not by this guy, not by Shouto’s agency. Anyone but him.

Her mission wasn’t done. She had to help Midoriya escape. She’d helped him. She was still useful.

She had to be.

And yet, every time she thought she’d landed a strike, it was nothing but darkness. Shadows that didn’t bleed. Didn’t scream. Didn’t fall.

“Why aren’t you falling?” she whispered hoarsely, staggering back toward the gazebo.

Her fingers twitched. Her eyes were boiling, the violet glow burning around her pupils. She tried another pulse, small, tight, just a dart—

Nothing.

Tsunada cursed, stumbling behind a low garden wall, bracing herself. Sweat slicked her palms. Her heart thundered behind her ribs like a warning drum.

She blinked, and again saw motion. A long-limbed figure shifting across the edge of the trees.

No features. Just shadow.

But it felt like it was watching her.

She lifted her hand, hesitated. Couldn’t see the head. Couldn’t see the spine.

Not a clear shot.

And her quirk… it was starting to feel numb. She fell to the ground, knees slamming hard against the pavement, one hand clutching her temple as the other scraped for balance. Her breath came in short, gasping bursts. The violet glow in her eyes sputtered, flared, then dimmed again.

Through the agonizing haze, she thought she heard footsteps. Slow. Measured.

“Don’t overdo it,” the man said, voice calm, cold, unbothered.

This time, she could tell it was the same man. He was bare chest and something seemed to be moving over his skin. What was that? She tried to get up.

“Don't move." he warned. "You’re done.”

Done?

Her body screamed to agree. Her nerves were static. Her vision fuzzed.

But her mind…

Her mind dragged her backward.

She was twelve. On the dojo floor. Her palms were skinned. Her knees bruised. Tears slipped from her jaw to the mat as she begged, “Please, Obā-san… please, I can’t…I'm done...”

“You’re not done until you're dead,” her grandmother’s voice echoed, sharp as steel. “And as the heiress of the Tsunada clan, giving up will never be an option for you.”

Her eyes snapped open and she raised her head. She’d never forgotten those words.

She hated them.

She lived by them.

The man took another step towards her. He was now in the perfect spot to use it.

Now!

She plunged her right hand in the inside pocket of her coat and her fingers brushed against cool metal. She took the weapon out and brandished it in front of her. The gun was compact and cold, an 18th-century Ladies’ Muff Flintlock pocket pistol, its polished ivory grip and hand-etched filigree still pristine after generations of Tsunada women had carried it. An heirloom, quiet and lethal, like a family secret made to kill. When Shigaraki and his men had come to collect her at her family's house, her grandmother had slipped it in her pocket while giving her one last hug.

"One shot for survival. One shot for justice." she'd whispered in her ear before someone had snatched her away.

The grip pricked her palm as she cocked it. A quick DNA sampling. The internal capacitor lit, humming low, hungry for discharge. She braced her hand against the concrete and slowly rose, the gun gleaming faintly in the park light with delicate scrollwork across the barrel. On her command, it would launch a special bullet that could track her target, making it impossible for her to miss. Once hit, the person would get the full effect of her quirk, strong enough to lose consciousness, barely non-lethal. She just had to infuse it with her intent, and the bullet would do the rest.

The man, close enough that she could clearly see him now, looked at the gun aimed in his direction and his eyes went wide, and she thought she saw recognition in them. But it was impossible, this gun was just as much of a family secret as it was a family heirloom. 

"You-" he said, already on the move to try and escape in the shadows again.

A loud BANG! detonated in the park before he could finish his sentence.