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Himiko looked around the room. She wrinkled her nose at the smell — it was like Papa on the nights he came home late.
She didn’t like that smell.
“Come, your quarters will be upstairs.”
Himiko… kinda liked Mr. Kurogiri. Don’t get her wrong, he was scary, but he felt… Safe. Safer than Mama when Papa got home late. Safer than her teacher when Himiko was too loud. Safe. Safe. Safe.
Mr. Kurogiri led her up the stairs behind the bar and down the hall. He stopped halfway through, opening the door in front of them, when suddenly the door beside it creaked open.
“H-hello?”
Mr. Kurogiri sighed. “You may come out, Izuku.”
Himiko backed up further, away from the voices that were getting closer.
It had all started when Sensei didn’t come back. After three days, Kurogiri had said they needed to move for a while. They’d been staying in a big old warehouse.
She’d been waiting outside for Deku when it’d happened. Heroes!
“Come out with your hands up, villains!” rang out from the other side of the warehouse. Himiko had started down the alley, but then she heard them there, too. So now here she was, stuck with nowhere to go but further behind the dumpster.
Himiko heard them get even closer. She took another step back.
The bottle she’d stepped on in her hurry shattered.
“Let me go!”
The Detective looked tired above all, despite the half-empty thermos of coffee he’d just put down on the desk. He rubbed his forehead, mumbling something Himiko couldn’t understand before speaking.
“Tell me what happened. From the beginning if you can remember. It’s been a long time since anyone saw you, Toga Himiko.”
And just like that, Himiko’s earlier anger at being caught was doused instantly. “Toga Himiko.” They knew who she was. Her parents no doubt knew where she was. This was real — the only way out was if her friends could find her. If
She was scared.
“…Toga, I said, are you okay?”
It was only then that Himiko realized she’d spaced out. She unclenched her hands, angry red lines where her nails had almost broken skin.
She didn’t answer the Detective.
After what felt like at least an hour, the Detective broke the silence.
“Toga, who did this? ”
He leaned down — close enough that Himiko could make out each slight wrinkle on the Detective’s face. Her confusion must have reached her face, because he continued speaking. “What happened to your quirk?”
His tone gave Himiko pause. It was sympathetic — angry — not at her. No. It was almost like he thought there was something wrong with her — broken. Sensei — he’d just tried—
“He was just trying to help!”
The Detective’s face flickered, but his tone stayed as calm as ever.
“Who is ‘He?’”
Himiko went silent.
Naomasa knew when it was time to stop for the day. All things considered, he was surprised he’d been able to learn as much as he had. The girl was traumatized, that much was clear. But there was something else to it — a piece of the puzzle that he hoped wouldn’t fit.
It would, somewhere deep down he knew it would.
But mysteries could wait till another day. Right now, there was a traumatized ten year old who needed help.
The Detective told Himiko her mother and father didn’t need to come back if she didn’t want them to. She didn’t need to think about how to answer him, for once.
“I'm Kayama Nemuri. And you must be Toga.”
That was why she was now sitting across the table not from the Detective, but from someone new. And she still couldn’t get away from them.
“D-don’t call me that!” she snapped. She knew it wasn’t ‘proper’… but she didn’t care. If she couldn’t get away from them here, she’d just lea—
“Himiko, then? Is that what you’d like me to call you?” the lady asked, cutting off Himiko’s beginning panic. Himiko just sat there, unsure what to say.
“It’s okay if you aren’t sure, yet. What would you like me to use for now?”
“i- h-himiko’s fine…” she finally said quietly.
“It’s a beautiful name,” the lady said gently. “Do you know what it means?”
“n-no.”
“Child of the sun. I think it’s a perfect name. You’ve spent enough time in the dark, hmm?”
“Y-you’re a hero!? ” Himiko asked doubtfully, like she didn’t believe Nemuri could be one — like ‘hero’ was a word that only meant harm. Nemuri frowned. “Would there be something wrong if I was?”
“You can’t be a hero!”
“Why not?”
“B-because you… you helped. ”
Oh this poor kid. If Nemuri ever got to meet who did this to her… But that wasn’t what mattered right now.
“Because that’s what real heroes are — people who help people.”
“B-but they don’t. Tomu— someone told me so — no one helped. He knows.”
“But I thought you just said I did help?”
“Yeah…”
“And I am a pro-hero,” Nemuri continued. “I’ve got the license in my wallet to prove it.” She crouched down and gently took Himiko’s hand. “I know there are heroes who aren’t very friendly, or don’t help when they should. And that isn’t right. But there are heroes who do, like my friends. Or vigilantes. They’re some of the best heroes I know, even if not everyone sees it. Anyone can be a hero in their own way.”
“Thanks, Aizawa! You’ve no idea how much this means to me!”
“Kayama, what’s going on—”
“Sorrynotime, dinnersintheoven!”
And with that, Nemuri was out the door, leaving a very confused Aizawa, and her.
Kayama had told him a bit about the little girl she was taking care of. It wasn’t much, though he did know Naomasa was involved, which meant proximity was likely to cause grey hairs.
“Hi.”
“Hi.”
“You must be Himiko.”
The girl nodded.
“Well I’m Aizawa. Looks like I’m your… uh. Babysitter until Kayama tells me what’s going on.”
“I don’t need a baby sitter, I’m already thirteen,” Himiko said with a scowl. Just then an irritating alarm blared from the kitchen.
“…I’m going to go check that,” Shouta finally said.
Himiko just rolled her eyes in response.
This was going to be a long evening.
Shouta sighed. Why was it that Kayama always got him involved with problem children? First it was teaching at UA, now it was running into the ball of teenage angst that was Himiko.
“Uh, are you gonna let go?”
Shouta eyed his capture weapon. Then Himiko. Then his capture scarf again.
“Maybe. First, do you want to tell me what you were doing in an alleyway at almost one in the morning?”
“Uh……”
Shouta pretended to check his watch.
He didn’t have a watch, but it got the message through.
Himiko sighed in that almost sorry way that teenagers seemed to do. “I just want to help people!”
“By lurking around hoping to be some sort of vigilante?”
“It’s not like I have a quirk…”
“Okay, correction. You’re going to help people like a vigilante, but without even a quirk to keep you from getting into serious danger, or apprehend villains. Do I have that right?”
“…Yes?”
Now it was Shouta’s turn to sigh. “Listen, I know how you feel, but this isn’t the way to go about it. Being a hero opens up opportunities that vigilantism doesn’t. Training, support networks, legal support items—”
“—There’s illegal support items?”
“Himiko. ”
She sighed again. “Look, I don’t even have a quirk, I don’t even know about any schools that would take me.”
“UA would.”
Himiko rolled her eyes. “Uh-huh. I’d totally have a chance of getting in. Not like everyone else there would have quirks.”
“It only costs you time to try. Besides, you could always transfer from General Studies if you don’t initially get into the heroics course, you’re smart enough to make it. Just have a good showing at the Sports Festival and you’d have a good chance getting into Heroics anyway.”
“…”
“At least consider it.”
“…Only if you don’t tell Nemuri about finding me here.”
Shouta thought for a moment, then nodded. If that’s all it took to steer her away from getting herself into trouble, it seemed more than worth it. Besides, what Kayama didn’t know wouldn’t hurt her.
Himiko wiped the sweat from her forehead and looked around. She’d been hopeful at first — maybe she’d manage to find some weakness to these stupid robots! Maybe she really was going to have to just—
Suddenly the ground started to shake. It didn’t take long to find the source — a giant robot! This was the Zero-Pointer Present Mic had told them about!? She had to get out of here, find some smaller robots and try to get some points in the time she had left—
“TWOOO MINUTES REMAINING, LISTENERS!”
Calm. Breathe in, breathe out. Just like Deku had taught her. Himiko was just about to dash off down another street when she heard it. Someone behind her, and they sounded like they were in trouble. She turned around, catching sight of someone stuck under some rubble from when the Zero-Pointer had smashed up one of the buildings.
Thinking quickly, she grabbed a piece of rebar and ran over to the examinee. As she got closer, she remembered seeing her earlier — the one she’d bumped into before the written exam.
Normally she’d take time to make sure the girl hadn’t broken anything, but there was no time for that now. She quickly began using the rebar to pry the rubble off the girl’s legs. She quickly helped her up and together they got out of the street. Himiko looked around. She could at least try to get some points—
“TIIIME’S UP, LISTENERS!”
Himiko looked again at the disk she’d received, still not quite believing what Principal Nedzu had declared.
“W-wait, did he just say…”
“You made it, Himiko!” Nemuri cheered. “ And you’ve got an admirer!”
“I-I did— Wait, what? No! She was just being grateful!”
“Mhm.”
“Nemuri.”
“Tch, you’re no fun,” Nemuri said with mock indignation. “I’m just happy for you, Himiko.”
“I… thanks. For— For everything.”
The school year had barely begun when it happened.
Villains had attacked class 3-A. All Might had shown up just in time, but not before the villains had managed to injure some of 3-A, including one of the Big Three!
But worse than that… Tomura and Kurogiri were the ones leading it.
Himiko tried not to think about the implications, but she couldn’t help but wonder…
“Himiko, is everything okay?” Nemuri asked. “You’ve hardly touched your rice.”
“I just… it’s nothing.”
Nemuri perked an eyebrow. “Really ? Because I know that face. That’s the same face you made when that girl started stalking you — what was her name?”
“Mongoose.”
“Yes, her! You kept trying to tell me everything was fine—”
“—It was!”
“That’s not how that Asui girl told it.”
“…”
“I just want you to know I’m here if you need to talk,” Nemuri continued. “I know that villain attack has shaken everyone up.”
Himiko finally relented. “I just… I can’t help but wonder if Deku was there? For all I know he’s still with Sensei and Tomura and I just— What would I have done if I’d been there?”
“First of all you’d make sure he wouldn’t be a danger to you or anyone else.”
“And then what?”
“Well that would entirely depend on whether he was a threat, but assuming he wasn’t… Just try to reach out. Sometimes that’s all it takes.”
“And what it wasn’t?”
“Sometimes these things take time.”
Himiko couldn’t help but grin. Sure, they’d lost, but it had been a tough fight.
“I’m sorry, Himiko, if only I’d held on a little longer—”
“—Don’t apologize, we all did our best—” Himiko began, only to catch Todoroki’s eye.
“Uh, I gotta go. Meet you in the stands, Asui?”
“You sure you don’t want me to wait for you?”
“It’s fine, this should only take a minute!”
Shouto wasn’t sure why he’d followed Himiko when she’d pulled him aside. By all rights he should be waiting for his match to be called, but here he was all the way down one of the halls.
“What did you want?” he finally asked. “I need to get going.”
“Listen, I don’t know what your problem is,” Himiko began, her eyes narrowed as she glared at Shouto. “But if you’re ever going to be a hero , you gotta actually try. Everyone else has been giving it all they’ve got, but you keep acting like this is just some sort of game.”
“Isn’t it?” he asked flatly. “It’s all just a show — even UA knows it. The Sports Festival is just about making yourself look good. I don’t care about that.”
“And you think I do?” Himiko replied. “I don’t even have a quirk, Todoroki. You do and you aren’t even using half of it!”
“I don’t need to.”
“And what about when you do? Because heroes do, Todoroki.”
With that, Himiko turned to leave. She was halfway down the corridor when Shouto finally answered.
“I don’t need to be like my father, either.”
“Then don’t.
“But didn’t you say—”
“They aren’t the same thing, Todoroki.”
“What’s that supposed to mean—” he began.
But she was already gone.
When Himiko returned, it turned out she’d missed Iida’s match — apparently it was pretty funny. Unfortunately he had to leave right after for some reason.
The next day she found out why, when the attack of Ingenium — Iida’s older brother — finally broke the news.
The cut on Deku’s cheek still stung, but he could move now… Not that he felt like doing so at the moment.
“So you want me to be part of your crumbling little league.”
Stain hovered over Tomura. One knife was planted just above his left shoulder, but the other cut directly into his right. Just like Kurogiri, he still seemed to be frozen in place.
“But you won’t accomplish anything if you don’t have conviction. And desire,” Stain continued. “Without those, you have no hope of doing anything more than being stomped back down. By me, or even those false heroes — it doesn’t matter in the end.”
“Just who do you think you are, spouting off like that?” Tomura rasped.
“Look,” Stain said, suddenly turning to Deku. He ducked instinctively, but no knife was thrown this time. “Is your league so pathetic that you’re relying on children to fill your ranks? Perhaps I should cut all of you down before you have a chance to cause any more aimless destruction.”
“You’ll leave him out of this if you know what’s good for you,” Tomura warned. Stain moved to cut him with his free blade, but suddenly Tomura’s arm was moving, stopping the knife dead in its tracks and turning it to dust. Stain leapt back, barely missing Tomura’s follow-up attack, leaving him back near the exit..
“You talk about conviction — I don’t have anything as loaded as that,” Tomura said as he stood back up. “But if people keep wanting to worship trash, I’ll tear it down around them!” He turned to Deku. “Anyone with me… They’ve earned their place. Now get out!”
“It seems our goals are fundamentally incompatible,” Stain mused. “But we agree that we must destroy the present.”
“Are you deaf?” Tomura growled. “Kurogiri, can you take this trash out yet?”
Kurogiri finally stood up. It seemed Stain’s quirk had run out for him too by now, but no portal opened. “Tomura, he would be a powerful ally, I do not recommend—”
“—Shut it, Kurogiri. It’s obvious that he hates us.”
Deku was surprised to see that Stain seemed thoughtful more than anything else. “I was testing you. A person’s true colours are revealed when their life is on the line.” He turned his gaze to Deku. “Perhaps I will let you grow, see if you have potential for change.” He then turned to Kurogiri. “But now, take me back to Hosu.”
“There are many false heroes that I must still attend to.”
Shouto wasn’t quite sure why Himiko had sent just a set of coordinates in the class chat. He’d added himself to the group… For some reason. But the coordinates were surprisingly close, and with these strange villains that had shown up…
He didn’t even spare a glance behind him when his father called him back.
Himiko thankfully made it just in time, swinging her staff in a clean arc that hit the Hero Killer across the face, knocking him back. She took the brief respite to catch her breath after running for so long.
“H-how’d you find me?” Iida gasped. “D-don’t… Not your fight.”
“Not. Now,” Himiko said through gritted teeth. She eyed Stain angrily. Luckily he seemed to be watching for now. That meant time. Time for someone to show up.
She’d apologize to Aizawa for running off later.
“You remind me of someone,” Stain finally said, eyeing Himiko with… was that curiosity? “Are you another disciple of Knuckleduster?”
Himiko didn’t even answer the question. She didn’t know who this ‘Knuckleduster’ was and frankly, she had more important things to worry about. “What do you want? I’ve heard about you, Hero Killer. Since when did you start murdering kids?"
Stain’s previous interest seemed to wane, his eyes narrowing. “I do not differentiate between the Unworthy. Leave now, or I can’t guarantee that your blood won’t be among theirs.”
“I can’t do that,” Himiko answered just as surely, despite how much her heart wanted to leap out of chest. “A hero doesn’t give up just because things are getting hard, and neither will I.” She pulled her staff out in front of her, daring him to attack.
Stain stayed silent for a long moment, before slowly grinning.
“Maybe I will spare you after all.”
Himiko couldn’t contain her relief when Todoroki showed up, a burst of flame cutting Stain off from Iida at the last second.
“Next time you should send more than just your location, Himiko,” he said, surveying the area quickly. “I almost didn’t make it.”
“Well, well, well, the spawn of Endeavour! I look forward to squashing part of his flame!” Stain jeered.
“Don’t listen to him, Todoroki, he’s trying to get under your skin!” Himiko warned.
“We need to leave, now,” Todoroki answered tersely. “I’m not sure how long I’ll be able to hold him off.”
“Can’t move. It’s his quirk,” Himiko answered quickly. “Don’t get cut — I think it has to do with him getting your blood.”
“Noted.”
“Have your teachers not taught you to not leave yourself OPEN?” Stain shouted. Todoroki drove him off with a burst of flame but Himiko noticed how he hesitated to do so. She was sure Stain would have noticed the same.
Todoroki threw up a wall of ice, blocking off Stain and then summoned a ramp to quickly move them to the other end of the alley.
“I can’t believe I’m getting credited for the defeat of that villain,” Father grumbled. “If only you hadn’t run off against my orders.”
“Himiko needed my help.”
“Shouto, if I tell you to leap , you do it. I told you to stay. What if the Hero Killer had prevailed? What if he’d injured you like that Iida boy. Do you know how much training you’d miss out while in recovery? Because I do.”
“I thought you wanted me to be a hero.”
“Don’t get smart with me, Shouto . This conversation is over.”
‘Yes, it is.’
The boy couldn’t have been any older than Ochako.
He almost just looked like a student. Except for the knife he held out as he glared at her.
He must be with the villains who had attacked the training camp.
“What do you want?” she asked.
“You’re Uraraka, aren’t you?” he asked, completely ignoring her question.
She nodded.
“Good, that should help…”
“What do you want?” she dared ask.
“You.”
Suddenly he sprang forward. Ochako went to flip him, just like Gunhead had taught her, but suddenly she was the one flying before suddenly hitting the ground. Hard.
When Ochako came to, the boy was gone, the only evidence of him being there were the footprints in the dirt, the ache in her head, and the bruise on her… arm?
Deku stared at Mik— Toga. He’d be lying if he said he hadn’t been hoping at least a bit to see her here.
He shouldn’t have come. He just. He felt so. So… messy. He was angry. So very angry. But he couldn’t help that hope… No matter how many times Tomura told him to give up.
He hated being alone, in the middle of so many people.
The flickering flames unnerved Himiko. The way they kept casting the villain as nothing more than a silhouette. Ochako’s silhouette. But Ochako shouldn’t be anywhere near her — something felt wrong but… familiar, too.
“You… you aren’t Ochako, a-are you?” she asked tentatively. The figure paused for a moment before shaking their head.
“No, I’m not… I wish I was.”
Toga took a deep breath, just like Deku had taught her. One, two, three, four in. Three held. Seven out. She could do this. She just had to stay calm.
“What do you want?” she asked not-Ochako. The expression that followed looked… wrong . She’d seen Ochako angry, but this— this was different.
“I just… had to check… Miko.”
…
But… but this couldn’t be…
“Deku? ”
“You don’t— You don’t get to call me that — not after you left us!” He emphasized the last two words harshly. “Y-you just left. You never tried to find me. I-I saw you at the Sports Festival. W-with her.” He pointed to himself. It was unnerving hearing him speak with Ochako’s voice.
“I— They were real friends, D- Midoriya,” Himiko stuttered. “Th-they weren’t trying to-to use me — Sensei did. W-where did you get that quirk, h-huh? Where?”
Deku’s face contorted. Himiko swore she saw a tear glistening in the dark. “S-so I. I wasn’t your friend?”
“What? No! That’s not what I meant! I—”
“—Then- Then why didn’t you come back?”
Himiko started to speak, but no words came out. After all, how could she explain? Explain that going back would have made things worse? Explain that if anything, she wanted to help him get out too? Explain all the things she didn’t know when the only family she had were Izuku and a gang of super villains?
A tear slid down her cheek as she prepared for what she could already feel coming. D-Midoriya reached into his jacket and pulled out a knife that glinted in the fiery haze. His stance shifted, planting his right foot behind him and his left forward slightly. He brought his knife out in front of him, daring Himiko to make the first move but all she did was ready herself. Right hand up, left hand out, right foot in, left foot out.
Without her support items, this could very easily go wrong. Sure, she was fighting her own quirk, but who knew what details D-Midoriya might have figured out that she hadn’t had the chance to? She’d prepared for situations like this with Aizawa, but it could only go so far, especially when going up against someone with a knife.
But what else could she do—
Her thoughts were interrupted by an unfamiliar voice calling out.
“You’ve played your part flawlessly, Deku! I can handle her from here!”
Midoriya’s eyes widened. “Wait, Compress! What are you doi—”
Himiko spun around to face the newcomer, but all she saw was a gloved hand before everything disappeared.
Ochako was confused when Kirishima pulled her aside in the hospital hallway. She followed him out a side door, surprised to meet Momo there as well.
She noticed Himiko’s absence more than ever. If only Ochako had been there… been able to do something…
Krishima caught her eye and this seemed to spur him on. “You want to too, don’t you?”
“W-want to what?”
“Save them.”
He made it sound so simple, but she knew it wasn't. They had no idea where that warp villain could have gone and she said as much.
That was when she found out that Momo could help them find Himiko and Bakugou. Kirishima wasn’t just here to talk — he wanted to take action. To have a shot at helping.
That’s when Iida finally revealed himself.
“You-you can’t be serious!” he exclaimed, unbelieving. “I’m not as surprised about you, Kirishima. But Uraraka! I thought you were better than this! Neither of you were there for Stain — you didn’t— Himiko wouldn’t want this!”
“I don’t know what happened with you guys and Stain, Iida,” Kirishima said, walking toward Iida holding a hand out. “But she and Bakugou need saving, can’t you just—”
Ochako had never seen Kirishima get caught off-guard before. Iida’s punch connected with his face before he could even activate Hardening.
“I am frustrated, and concerned too, how could I not be?” Iida shouted. “Maybe if I’d been there… Maybe I could have helped save them — could have helped all of our classmates! I’m the class rep, damnit, I care about them all!”
“Exactly!” Kirishima started. “And now we can make up for—”
“—No, Kirishima,” Iida snapped. “No. We’re only students. We know the heroes are already aware of the situation. Our best course of action is to let them do their job.”
“…But what if they don’t, Iida?” Ochako finally said. “What if the heroes aren’t enough — just like they weren’t at the training camp? I know Bakugou’s got his quirk… But what about Himiko?”
“I— I know,” Iida admitted. “But you weren’t there, Uraraka. Himiko told me a hero helps people — how would us getting in the middle lead to anything but hurt… Like my brother?”
There was a tense silence at the reminder before Ochako found her words. “We weren’t planning on getting caught in the middle, Iida.”
“Yeah, we’ll be stealthy,” Kirishima added. “I’m talking real careful here. Rescue them without breaking the rules.”
Momo finally spoke up. “And I’m coming to help make sure of it. First sign of trouble and we leave.”
“Y-you can’t be serious!”
“I— I’d be lying if I said I didn’t agree with you, Iida,” Ochako admitted, but the memory of the Zero Pointer refused to leave her mind. “Even then, if there’s anything I know about Himiko, it’s that she always tries. And right now, I’m not sure she can.”
“Toga, it’s sooo nice to see you…”
“Could have fooled me, what with your pals trying to murder me,” Himiko spat.
She realized almost instantly that she should have bitten her tongue — Tomura’s hand was around her neck, four dry fingers squeezing her windpipe.
“You better cut the attitude, Toga,” he rasped. “Be a good girl and maybe Sensei won’t let me dust you after he realizes how useless you are now. You got that?”
“Y-yes,” she stammered.
“Good,” Tomura said and suddenly let go. Himiko fell to the floor, gasping for air.
“You better hope I don’t see you again anytime soon,” Tomura warned as his footsteps got farther away. Then the door slammed shut.
Deku had waited for Tomura to leave. Then waited even longer, just to be safe, before he went to where Himiko was being kept. He reached toward the lock, then paused. Did he really want to talk to her again…
Would she? After all, Mr. Compress had made it sound like Deku had just been stalling — that none of what he said was real.
But if there was anyone who might get through to her, it was Deku.
He turned the key and opened the door.
Himiko was sprawled out on the floor. Was she… asleep?
The noise seemed to wake her, quickly getting up and turning around. Her eyes locked on to him. He can’t quite tell what she’s thinking.
“Does he trust you?”
“Huh?”
“Sensei. Does he trust you?”
“What do you mean? Of course he does! That’s—that’s why he gave me this quirk.”
He regretted his words almost as quickly as he said them, noting the way Himiko’s face turned at the mention of what they both knew was her quirk.
‘He didn’t mean to take it, it was just an accident,’ Deku assured himself.
“…That isn’t what I meant,” Himiko finally said. “Does he trust you ?”
Deku opened his mouth to answer, ‘I already said he did’ on his lips, but the sound of footsteps stopped him. A moment later the door opened to admit Mr. Compress.
“Ah, having a heart-to-heart I see?” He asked. His tone seemed friendly, but Deku couldn’t really tell due to his mask. “Apparently your ‘Sensei’ wants me to escort Miss Toga here to him.”
Before Deku even had a chance to speak, Himiko was gone, a marble now sitting in Mr. Compress’s hand before he tipped his hat and left.
“Ah, Toga—”
Himiko cringed at the mention of her old name, but she recognized that voice.
It was Him.
“—It’s been a while, come sit,” Sensei continued, gesturing toward a chair beside his hospital bed. Various tubes and wires snaked away toward various machines. Himiko did her best not to jostle anything.
She couldn’t help but wonder who did this to him.
“Quite a sorry sight I must be,” Sensei said, gesturing to himself. “Of course, I can’t quite tell, you know. Infrasight makes up for my lost vision to a point, but it’s not all that good at discerning details.”
Himiko stayed silent. What did he want? He’d already taken her quirk.
Sensei shook his head. “I’m sorry, where are my manners? I hope you are in good health.”
It surprised Himiko how… normal he sounded. Like he really did care. It was all she could do to remember the thousand tiny things that betrayed him — they were so easily muted in the face of his voice.
“Himiko?” he asked, sounding confused on why she hadn’t yet answered. “Are you alright? I could ask the Doctor to take a look—”
“—N-no, I’m… I’m fine.”
“No need to lie — I know these aren’t the best of circumstances,” he said. “Midoriya missed you, you know. Have you had a chance to speak to him?”
“I— Yes. He wasn’t happy. He— he thinks…”
“What does he think?”
“That I abandoned him,” Himiko admitted.
Sensei sighed. “I wish I were surprised… Things are often warped in the mind of a child. But I’m sure you can mend things. With time.”
Himiko didn’t miss the assumption that she’d stay.
Sensei continued, either not noticing — or caring. “I know you must be tired after all that's gone on. Perhaps we’ll have a chance to talk further later.”
“To be clear, I still don’t agree with what you all are planning on doing,” Iida said as they made their way to the close train station. “I’m only coming to make sure that this doesn’t get any more dangerous than it is. The moment there’s a chance of combat, we leave.”
He turned to Shouto. “I’m not sure whether to be glad that we’ll have you along, or disappointed.”
“It doesn’t matter to me either way,” Shouto answered flatly. “It was my choice.”
“Don’t you remember what she said that night? How is this any different? Surely your father wouldn’t—”
“—It was my choice, Iida,” Shouto said, cutting him off before falling back into silence.
Deku wandered aimlessly around the bar.
No, that wasn’t entirely true. He very purposefully avoided the actual bar where Tomura had decided to keep Bakugou. By this point, he’d been away from Bakugou longer than he’d known him, but seeing him brought back many memories he’d like to forget.
He thought about what Himiko had asked him. “Does he trust you?” What had she meant by that? Part of him wanted to ask her.
Part of him was scared of the answer. That whatever the heroes had used to convince her would convince him — cause him to abandon Kurogiri and Tomura and Sensei.
He turned away from the door, heading to a very different room.
“Can you give her back her quirk, Sensei?”
Sensei tilted his head. “How can I give back what was broken, Midoriya?”
“S-so my quirk isn’t—”
“Of course not,” Sensei assured him. “It’s just a coincidence that both quirks involve ingesting blood.”
“R-really?”
“Do you not trust me, Midoriya?” Sensei asked. He sounded… hurt. Shame bubbled up Deku’s throat.
“O-of course I do! I just…”
“Toga planted this notion, didn’t she?” Sensei asked suddenly. He sighed and shook his head.
“She didn’t say—”
“Are you so sure she didn't? There are many ways to say something — to plant a dangerous seed. It isn’t always obvious to one so young.”
“I… I don’t know.”
“And you don’t have to, it was my responsibility,” Sensei assured him. “I was hoping to speak to her again anyway — perhaps she’ll listen to me. You should get some rest.”
And with that, Deku was dismissed.
Katsuki watched the small TV. It had all seemed like a bunch of useless fluff to satisfy the stupid reporters.
“We’re relieved that a burgeoning class of heroes still has a future,” Principal Rat said in response to the latest blabbermouth to poke at them.
“Can you say the same for the abducted students Bakugou Katsuki and Kayama Himiko?” the reporter asked. “Young Bakugou has proven to have a powerful quirk, getting excellent marks at your school and going on to win the Sports Festival. Before that he survived the attack of a powerful sludge villain who only All Might managed to defeat. A strong, heroic candidate for sure… On the other hand, the violence he displayed in the finals and his attitude at the award ceremony both show that he cannot control his temper. What if this is the real reason the villains kidnapped him? What if they’re brainwashing Bakugou right now, pulling him toward the path of villainy?”
Katsuki wanted to blast Crusty’s smug-looking mug at that one. “How can you sit here and tell us he still has a future? And then there’s young Kayama, a quirkless student without any method of self defense. Some are even questioning whether it was wise for UA to actually take on such a liability- after all, what are the chances of her even being able to become a hero? Surely the space would have been better utilized with one of the many quirked students who apply to your school each year? Or was it just nepotism considering rumours that she’s the ward of one of your teachers?”
This time, Sleeping Bag stood up to answer. It felt good to see that stupid scowl of his aimed at someone else — that bastard reporter was about to regret running his mouth like that. “As their teacher, I take responsibility for them both. However, young Bakugou’s actions at the Sports Festival were born of his deep-seated convictions. He’s trying harder than anyone to become the top hero. If the villains think they have a chance with him, they are sorely mistaken, I can guarantee you that much.”
Katsuki thought he was done, but it seemed Sleeping Bag wasn’t done there.
“And I disagree with the insinuation that young Himiko is a student for any reason beyond her own potential. It would be foolish to disregard the advantage a quirk affords, but it would be equally foolish to assume that one can’t be a competent hero without one. I have my full trust in her abilities because of the time I’ve spent teaching her.”
After overhearing Glasses and Fangs talking after whatever the hell went down with that Stain bastard… Katsuki wasn’t sure he entirely disagreed.
The reporter bastard just frowned. “That doesn’t amount to real evidence though. I didn’t ask how you feel, I asked you if you have concrete information.”
“We’re doing our best with the intel we currently have available,” Principal Nedzu answered. “I have no doubt the police will break this case very soon. We won’t rest until both our students are returned to UA.”
Katsuki grinned at the so-called ‘League.’ “Ha, you hear that? Sounds like the teachers get me better than I thought. I’ll never join your League of Bastards, and good luck with Fangs!”
When Deku finally convinced himself to go see Himiko and stepped into the room, something wasn’t right. He remembered huddling like that after Bakugou had hurt him. Hoping no one would notice how helpless he was if they just didn’t see him .
But what if it was just a trick?
What if it wasn’t?
It was the second thought that finally won out. He walked up toward her slowly before sitting down beside her.
The two sat in silence for he didn’t know how long. He didn’t want to break the silence.
So much had been broken.
He wasn’t sure how long he’d been sitting there when Himiko finally broke the silence.
“i-i’m sorry, d-midoriya. i’m sorry for not trying to find you. i just…” she trailed off into silence.
“What… what did you mean?” Deku finally asked. Her question from earlier had refused to leave his mind. “About trust?”
He heard Himiko start to speak, then stop. Another false start, and then he could barely make her out muttering “One, two, three, four, five in. Five out.” He could hear her slowly breathing in and out before she finally managed to answer.
“I-I just. What I mean is… does he trust you to come to the right answer… o-or does he t-tell you what the answer is — what his answer is? Because that last thing… that isn’t trust — that’s… that’s control.”
And Deku didn’t know what to say to that — he didn’t get a chance to.
Suddenly an explosion rocked the building, and he knew even Bakugou’s quirk couldn’t have done that.
“We need to get out of here — something’s wrong.”
A few minutes earlier
One moment, Katsuki was in a stand-off with the League, then was interrupted by a pizza delivery of all things. He almost wanted to laugh at the absurdity of it all — the villains looked like deer stuck in the headlights and it was priceless.
Wait, why did they all look so surprised?
“SMAAASH!”
And like the goddamn hero that he was, All Might came crashing through the wall. And no matter what the villains tried, they kept getting dunked on by the heroes that had come.
Damn, that old man was fast.
But just as it looked like the freaky Hand Dude was giving his last pathetic speech, Katsuki felt sick to his stomach — literally. Black sludge burst out of his mouth, and before All Might could grab him, he was gone.
One moment Midoriya was leading Himiko out of the building while the sounds of the fight in the bar rang out. The next they both started coughing. Black sludge began pouring out of their mouths, and suddenly they weren’t outside the bar anymore.
Himiko gagged as soon as the warp was over. She could hear Bakugou coughing beside her.
Cough “Damnit, what the,” cough “hell?”
“My apologies, Bakugou.” Himiko’s insides twisted at the sound of Sensei’s voice. Suddenly other sludge-like portals opened, depositing the rest of the League and Midoriya close by.
“Sensei,” she heard Tomura rasp.
“So, you failed once more, Tomura?” he asked as he stepped forward. “Still, don’t be discouraged — you’ll try again. That’s why I brought your associates back with you. Even young Bakugou, because you judged him to be an important piece for your game board.”
“What about Her?” Tomura asked sharply, casting his gaze inHimiko’s decision for a brief moment.
A shiver ran down her spine.
“I leave that decision to you, Tomura. Think of it as… a test.”
Ochako could barely move. The new villain had taken out even Mt. Lady without even seeming to break a sweat.
And now Himiko and Bakugou were caught between him and the League. They had to do something! But what? If she got to them, she could float them all above the villains — but could she get there in time? How would they get away?
They had to save them!
They needed a plan!
They couldn’t wait!
She took a single step forward,
And Iida had suddenly grabbed her by the arm. He looked determined to keep her there.
“Ah, there you are.”
For a moment, they all thought the villain had found them, until All Might came blasting toward him.
“I’LL HAVE YOU RETURN MY STUDENTS, ALL FOR ONE!”
“Have you come to kill me a second time, All Might?”
Deku couldn’t help but flinch when Bakugou stared at them and grinned , pounding his palm with his fist just like he had so many years ago.
“This is gonna be fun!”
The rest of the League — except for Dabi, what with being unconscious — prepared to fight.
Tomura was faster. He rushed toward Himiko, hand outstretched. He missed as she jumped back, but it was close enough for Deku to realize this wasn’t Tomura trying to make a point. If Deku didn’t do something, Himiko was dead.
He hadn’t even realized he was already moving when he was suddenly right up close, knocking Tomura back. Tomura seemed stunned, taking a moment to get back up before turning to Deku, head tilted and eyes narrowed.
“Deku,” he said warningly. “What are you doing?”
“I— You could have killed her!”
“She was never going to join us. The sooner you get that through your head, the better, Deku.”
Dek—Izu— He hadn’t heard that name said like that in so long . Deku — useless — not ‘I can do it,’ like Himiko had said so long ago.
“Wait… Deku ?” It was Bakugou that said it the second time. But… he sounded more shocked than anything.
“Took you long enough, brat,” Tomura jeered. “Still think you’re too good for us, Bakugou Katsuki?”
“To hell with you, Crusty,” Bakugou snapped. “I ain’t him!”
“Shigaraki, we don’t have time for this—” Mr. Compress was interrupted by another blast from one of Sensei’s attacks before he continued. “—I’ll restrain them and we can figure this out later.”
“I’m only taking Him,” Tomura said firmly, pointing at Bakugou. We’re better off if Toga’s out of the picture — she’s nothing but trouble. Besides, nice parting gift for the ‘Symbol of Peace,’ don’t you think?”
“L-leave her alone, Tomura!” De-Izuku demanded. “J-just leave her alone!”
“You better stop, Deku, now’s not the time for a heel-face turn,” Tomura warned.
A tear slipped down Izuku’s cheek as he activated Transform. He had a theory — if there was any time for this to work, now was the time.
Izuku pulled out his knife and pointed it at his once-friend. The look in Tomura’s eyes would haunt him forever.
“Big mistake, Deku,” Tomura growled. He turned to the League. “Don’t touch Deku or Toga— they’re mine.”
Izuku took off like a villain out of Tartarus. He ducked under Tomura’s outstretched hand before reaching out himself, pressing all five fingers to his leg. Nothing. He felt a touch to his back as he passed behind Tomura, pulling back just as Ochako’s costume started to crumble off him. That was close.
He turned back around to try again.
Katsuki couldn’t believe what he was seeing — Deku had been working with these freaks! But now he’d grown a spine? And he had a freaking quirk ? He wouldn’t believe it if he hadn’t seen him turn into Round Cheeks right in front of his eyes.
Questions could wait till later. He wasn’t stupid — Deku was always a crybaby. He wouldn’t fake something like that, and Crusty looked pissed.
He didn’t get any longer to think about it, being forced on the defensive as Magnet Chick and Lizard started closing in.
Almost instantly Himiko was separated from Bakugou by the appearance of ‘Compress.’ He swiped at her, barely missing as she leaned out of the attack.
“Come now, this would be far easier for both of us if you’d follow the script,” he complained. “Then we can go home.”
Himiko only glared in response, constantly on the move to keep distance from the acrobatic villain. One misstep and she’d be right back where she started.
“Hmph, everyone’s a critic.”
Deku tried yet again to activate Ochako’s quirk, except this time, something happened.
“What kind of cheats are you using!?” Tomura snapped as he began to lift off the ground. He swiped at Deku again but fell short.
Deku was already starting to feel sick. He knew he had to act quickly. He ran toward Himiko, coming up behind Compress and tagging him as well. The feeling in his stomach worsened as he also managed to tag Magne and Spinner, but finally he was ready.
“Release!” he said, pressing his fingertips together.
Himiko could only stare wide-eyed as the League of Villains fell. They were probably okay, but without someone like Recovery Girl, she had no doubt they’d have a tougher time once they came to. She started walking toward Midoriya. They had to leave before it was too late!
But then he started coughing, and black sludge enveloped him.
“My, my. You’re more clever than I gave you credit for, Deku,” Sensei said, clapping slowly.
“Of course,” he said, stopping mid-clap, “It’s quite unfortunate that you chose to squander the opportunity.”
Suddenly Deku was afraid. He knew he should run — but he couldn’t — his body refused to move.
“Perhaps Tomura will be able to make better use of this,” Sensei said, and before Deku could blink, Sensei’s hand was holding his face.
He wanted to scream, but he could barely breathe with how tightly Sensei held him.
Himiko watched in horror as Midoriya fell limp like a puppet whose strings had been cut.
She remembered how that felt.
A moment later, All Might was there, pushing Sensei away from them, but now she was down an ally, and just as she worried that things couldn’t get worse, Tomura groaned.
“We’ll use Iida’s Recipro Burst and Kirishima’s hardening to break through the wall. As soon as we’re clear of it, Todoroki will create a ramp, just high enough to keep away from the villains, but low enough that Bakugou and Himiko can grab onto the handles on the rope. Ochako can use her quirk to reduce the strain so we don’t lose altitude.”
“Are you out of your mind!?” Tenya exclaimed when Yaoyorozu had finished explaining her plan.
“All Might can’t risk going all out while Himiko and Bakugou are right there,” Todoroki countered. “Right now the villains are still recovering from this ‘Deku’s’ attack. It’s our best chance to get them out safely.”
“It is a gamble,” Tenya said, holding his hand up to his chin as he contemplated what they’d said. “…But all things considered, there’s not much risk to us. More importantly, it could change the tide of this fight.”
“I’m in.”
—
“Are you sure the rope will hold?”
“This harness Yaoyorozu made is solid, it’ll hold,” Kirishima assured him. “Now c’mon, we gotta get moving!”
Tenya nodded, making sure both he and Kirishima had a good grip on Uraraka before giving the okay.
Tenya revved his Engines, using Recipro Burst and Kirishima to create a battering ram. They blasted through the wall and soon were gaining height thanks to the ramp Todoroki had created. And then they were airborne. Just as they reached the peak of their climb, Uraraka called out.
“HIMIKO, BAKUGOU, JUMP!”
As soon as Sensei had been forced away, Himiko didn’t waste a second, rushing toward where Midoriya lay.
“Hey, are you okay?” she asked worriedly, taking a moment to confirm that he was still breathing. “Say something!”
Midoriya groaned, eyes slowly opening as he took in a few harsh breaths. “I’m… was a stupid idea. You were— you’re… right about S— sen,” he mumbled.
“Hey, Midoriya, we’ll figure it out later, okay? We have to move before anyone—”
Just then she saw Tomura stand up out of the corner of her eye—
But suddenly the sound of concrete being destroyed rang out once more. And it could have been Sensei and All Might — they were on the opposite side of the crater. Could one of the noumu had survived—
“What are those brats doing here?” Tomura growled, looking upwards. Himiko gasped as she realized what he was looking at.
“HIMIKO, BAKUGOU, JUMP!”
She looked toward Midoriya. There wasn’t even a question in her mind.
“Midoriya, take my hand!”
Midoriya just stared at her blankly. “i… i don’t deserve—”
“—I didn’t either,” Himiko said, cutting him off. “Just… what do you have to lose?”
Midoriya looked around. “One, two, three, four, five in. Five out,” he murmured.
Then, hesitantly, he took her hand.
“Hold on!” she warned, and then Himiko jumped, just managing to take hold of one of the rope’s handles. Bakugou already held the other. He looked at Midoriya with a face she couldn’t quite decipher.
She didn’t know what the future held for her — for Midoriya — for the fight that raged between two old superpowers.
All she knew was she’d saved someone no one else had.