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Chapter Text

Izuku Midoriya stirs awake, his head feeling heavy as he wipes drool from his face. How long had he been asleep? He remembered arriving back in Japan after a long flight and falling asleep on the ride to their new apartment. 

But he doesn’t feel like he was in a moving car. In fact, he felt like he was sitting upright, his head resting on his arms on a hard surface. Immediately he jolts awake and finds himself inside of a classroom. One that was painted blue on every surface, with velvet material coating the walls. Looking around he spots posters in the room as well, reminding him of those cheesy ones that would be plastered on the walls of his old school overseas to encourage the students. 

But instead of cheesy encouragement messages, they all looked to be familiar posters of All Might, only all sharing the blue colour that was consistent with the rest of this strange room. Looking outside the windows he spots no school grounds, but endless thick fog that cloud his sights.

Where… just where was he?

“Ah, our guest is finally awake.” the voice of a man startles him as Izuku turns towards the front of the room to find a bizarre bald man with greying hair, a long sharp nose and a black tuxedo. He sits at the teacher’s desk with his arms folded in front of him, bulging and bloodshot eyes staring at him.

Next to him was a young woman with platinum blonde hair tied into a bun with a blue ribbon, wearing a strange blue dress and holding a closed file in her arms, that was blue like everything else in the room. Something about her stirs his mind, like she looked familiar.

“It’s been so long since we last had a guest. And one with a strange destiny like yours.” the strange man continues as Izuku stares at them blankly in shock, 

“W-where am I?” Izuku asks, finally recovering his voice as he frantically stands up from his seat, looking around in a panic, trying to find a way out, “Who are you people? How did I get here?!”

“There is no need to fear, young man.” the man chuckles before spreading his arms, “And to answer your question, welcome to the Velvet Room. My name is Igor, and beside me is Agatha. Delighted to meet your acquaintance.”

At this the young woman, Agatha, bows in greeting towards him.

“A pleasure to meet you.” she says in a soft, almost melodic voice, “I look forward to assisting you in the future.”

 Izuku wasn’t sure how to respond, so his body moved on its own and gave a little awkward wave.

“As for your last question, this place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter. And what a peculiar location it has taken form of. It must hold some considerable sway in your heart.” Igor explains as he gazes around the classroom, “Only those who are bound by a “contract” can enter this place. A fate that awaits you in the near future.”

“Contract?” Izuku asks confusedly, “I… I don’t understand.”

“You will, in due time.” Igor assures before continuing, “Now, why don’t you introduce yourself?”

Izuku hesitates but he senses no hostility from either Igor or Agatha. What were those names anyway? He was supposed to be in Japan now, but those were definitely Western names.

“Izuku… Izuku Midoriya.” he hesitantly responded as Igor grinned.

“Izuku Midoriya… A pleasure to meet your acquaintance. We are inhabitants of the Velvet Room, Agatha is my attendant, and our duties are to provide assistance to ensure your safety.”

“Safety?” Izuku asks, starting to get worried again, “Safety from what? I don’t understand what’s going on!”

“You will eventually, Izuku Midoriya.” Igor assures, “We shall attend to the details at another time.”

With a snap of his fingers, the doors to the classroom swing open revealing a near-blinding white light emanating from it.

“I ask you to remember this, Izuku Midoriya, some advice.” Igor adds as the light begins to overwhelm Izuku, “I urge you to accept responsibility for your choices, no matter how they end. Good day.”

***

Izuku snaps awake with a scream, falling out of the car seat as the door he was leaning on was opened. His mother jumps in surprise at this before rushing to aid him,

“Oh my, I’m so sorry Izuku!” she hastily apologises, “Are you alright, did you break anything?”

“Ugh… Mom, I’m fine.” Izuku groans and rubs his arm where he had landed, looking around in a bit of a daze before he realises they are parked outside of a small apartment building. A white building with three floors, “Is this…?”

Inko smiles as she helps him to his feet, “Yes it is, welcome to our new home. Come on, the moving company’s already set everything up. Let’s go check it out.”

“...Is dad already up there?” Izuku asks as he looks around trying to find his father, but seeing no signs of him. He wasn’t in the car with them either, but he recalls hearing he was supposed to meet them here.

His mother instead gives him a forced smile, “He… couldn’t make it. He’s still trying to look for his next job and is held up by an interview. But he has a great feeling about this one!”

A month ago the Support Item company that his father worked at went under, the boss fleeing overseas with millions of dollars that belonged to the company. Despite efforts being made, they were forced to be declared bankrupt, and Hisashi Midoriya lost his job.

It was why they were forced to return to Japan; they couldn’t afford to live in the States anymore. So they decided to return, hoping to start over again from the beginning. 

Not like moving bothered him that much, there wasn’t really anything he was leaving behind. There were plenty of things that were good while they were living in California, memories of the only friend he made there flashed through his mind before he remembered everything else.

The discrimination, both because of his country of origin and also because of his Quirkless nature. And most times it would get physical. Explaining to his mother and father why he returned home limping was not rare.

Most times they did just enough not to leave bruises, but when they did it was areas well hidden. And when he did fight back to defend himself, it would be even worse. There was only so much throwing a few punches could do when his bullies had Quirks that gave them an advantage.

Not to mention during one of the times he did, he was labelled the aggressor. Forced to apologise for his ‘aggressive behaviour’ in front of the bullies and their parents for attacking them. His parents weren’t having that, though, so they transferred him to another school.

Unbeknownst to them nothing had changed. He just got better at lying to them to ease their worries.

The elevator takes them up to their apartment on the third floor, carrying their personal luggage with them as they enter their apartment room. It was quite small but just enough to fit the three of them, filled with the bare minimum essentials. 

The moving company had already unpacked most of their furniture, arranging the tables, chairs and whatnot. The place was definitely smaller than their old home in California -- he was sure there was less than half the space -- but it was home for now.

“It’s not bad, don’t you think?” Inko asks with a smile, “It’s only temporary anyway. Until things get better. Why don’t you go check out your room? I asked them to leave your stuff in the boxes in case you wanted to decorate yourself. Get some rest after that, and I’ll wake you up once dinner’s ready.”

“I’ll do that,” he says, giving her a smile as he walks into his room. Like the apartment, it was small, with only a single bed, closet, desk and chair squeezed together. A cardboard box was set on the floor taking up even more space, so he kneeled down and began searching through them to unpack.

He didn’t bring much anyway, just a few posters and figurines, a few volumes of books, and to his surprise a pair of old boxing gloves.

He remembered joining the boxing club at some point in his old school. A way for him to try and enrol into a Hero School without a Quirk, was his thought process at the time. It didn’t last long and he left soon after. Not that he was good at it or anything, but he still tried to keep practising every now and then. 

Picking them up, he throws them into the closet before resuming unpacking his items. Arranging them on the desk and plastering posters on the walls, all of them merchandise of Pro Heroes he had collected, especially All Might.

Now that he thought about it, the posters were quite similar to the ones he saw in that weird dream of his. And what was up with that classroom and strange people?

…Maybe it was just stress at the thought of transferring to another school. He had to head to some middle school called Aldera Junior High tomorrow to finish his last year before heading to high school.

He was already dreading it, but there was nothing he could do about that. Sighing, he flops down on his new bed to get as much rest as possible. He could tell that tomorrow was going to be a long day.

* 2XXX April 4th/Monday *

“Did you hear? Apparently, we’re getting a new transfer student today.” some student in the class gossips to her friend.

“Yeah, from America I think? Do you think it’s a cute foreigner?” her friend whispers back. They weren’t the only ones, a lot of the class was chatting with each other, curious about this new transfer student.

“Ooh, I hope so. What do you think their Quirk is anyway?”

“Don’t know. Do you think it’s probably cooler than Bakugou’s?”

“Shh! Don’t let him hear you damn it, you want to get your ass kicked?”

Katsuki Bakugou scoffs as he hears all the gossip occurring all around the classroom. These losers, kicking up this much of a fuss over something so little. The hell was the big deal of some stupid transfer student anyway? And what the hell was that about them having a stronger Quirk than he did?! He was going to have a stern talking to with that extra after this.

The class quiets down as the door to the classroom slides open and their homeroom teachers walk through followed by another student they didn’t recognise. He had dark forest green hair and wore an uncomfortable expression on his face as he nervously eyed the class.

“Alright, alright, settle down kids.” their homeroom teacher calms them down, “I’m sure you’re all excited to meet your new classmate, so let’s not waste any more time. He just moved back to Japan from America, make sure to give him a warm welcome.”

 Their homeroom teacher says quickly but without any passion, waving at Izuku dismissively while heading towards his desk.

“Come on, introduce yourself and tell them something about yourself. We haven’t got all day,” he says as the boy nods and clears his throat.

Izuku Midoriya… something seemed very familiar about him, but Katsuki didn’t know what. Something about his face pissed him off for some reason, but he just couldn’t nail it down.

“Er… good morning everyone, my name is Izuku Midoriya.” he introduces himself with a bow, “I hope we can get along for the rest of the year. I’m pleased to meet you all. I’m happy to answer any questions if you have any.”

“Tell us about your Quirk!” one of the students immediately asks and everyone, even those who weren’t paying much attention before, focused on Izuku for his answer. It was just how the Aldera students’ social hierarchy worked, the more impressive your Quirk was the better you have it. More people would want to be your pal, and less people would want to mess with you. 

It was how Katsuki Bakugou had reigned at the top all these years, by simply being better than all the other shitstain losers beneath him. He listens closely, thinking that if this nerd was going to be uppity about having a halfway decent Quirk, he was going to be shown his place. But the answer surprised all of them.

Izuku Midoriya looks downcast as if avoiding eye contact with everyone before muttering out his barely audible answer,

“It’s…I’m actually Quirkless.”

Katsuki’s eyes widened at that, the words triggering an old memory from long ago and suddenly he realised who this person before him was.

“Deku…” he growls under his breath.

***

Classes ended without much of a problem, although he had a few issues almost dozing off in the middle of lectures, but he forced himself awake anyway to listen. It was a bit hard acclimating to listening to lectures in Japanese since all the lessons he learnt back in California were in English. Still, he felt he learnt something at least, so it just meant he needed time to get used to the change.

As for the classmates… 

Well, they were sadly about as he expected. The usual comments were already heard,

“Jeez, Quirkless in this day and age?”

“Hey, when was the last time we met anyone Quirkless?”

“I can’t imagine being born without a Quirk. What does that feel like?”

None of them were spoken directly to his face yet, so that was a plus. It was all just gossiping and muttering behind his back, that was something he was used to. Their words chip away at his spirit despite his efforts, but he’ll just push forward like always, 

He begins to pack up his things when he sees a blonde classmate approaching him, glaring down at him while standing up. Izuku can see an aggressive look in his eyes and begins to worry. He wasn’t going to have a confrontation on his first day, was he?

“Can I help you…?” he asks, confused as the blonde glares.

The blonde student scoffs in disbelief, “Ten years, and that’s all you gotta say, Deku?”

Izuku’s eyes immediately widened upon being called that. He hasn’t heard that name in so long, no one’s ever called him that since he was a kid. And only two people did that anyway, while they were both blonde one of them was a girl. So that means this was…

“Kacchan?” Izuku mutters in realisation, his eyes widening in shock.

“Can’t fucking believe it.” Katsuki glances at him up and down, “It really is you. What the fuck are you doing here?”

Izuku can’t help but swallow a gulp, remembering the times Katsuki and him would play as a child. If one would consider being bossed around and always delegated the role of either side-kick or villain for the former playing. Never mind that sometime after his Quirkless nature was declared, he would be constantly berated and beaten by the blonde to show his supremacy.

“...My father lost his job.” Izuku responds after a pause to consider his answer, “We had to move back to Japan. I didn’t know you were studying here, Kacchan.”

“Hey Bakugou, what’s going on?” two other classmates walk up to Katsuki with their bags in hand, “You two know each other or something?”

“Fuck off, he’s just a shitstain from the past.” Katsuki growls and glares at them, causing the two to sweat nervously before backing off like ordered. Once they did so Katsuki turns back towards Izuku, “I don’t give a crap why you’re here Deku, but let’s get one thing straight. A Quirkless shit like you need to learn his place, and around here it’s bottom of the barrel. I don’t need you mucking things up for me, so as long as we’re clear on that, this school year’s gonna pass by peacefully. Am I clear?”

Something about Izuku’s face infuriated Katsuki, it was almost a combination of boredom and disappointment. Memories of similar eyes looking at him from the past flash through his mind as he reaches and grabs Izuku by the collar, pulling him up,

“The hell are you doing, looking at me like those damned eyes?” he growls, “I asked you a damned question. Are we clear?”

“...Crystal.” Izuku nods his head and Katsuki drops him back onto his seat, walking off with a huff.

“Damn bastard, wasting my time with this…” he mutters as he leaves the class and leaves Izuku alone in the class.

Izuku sighs at this, slumping back in his seat as he takes in the whole day he is having. Honestly, even with just now, it was slightly better than his old school was.

Still to see what was once a close friend remains practically the same over the course of ten years… He doesn't know why, but part of him genuinely thought Katsuki Bakugou would’ve changed in those ten years. It was disappointing that he didn’t.

 The more things change, the more they stay the same.

***

“-yes sir, I’m very sorry sir!” a businessman apologises frantically over the phone as he bows out of habit despite no one being there with him in the dead of night, “I’ll get the reports written up as soon as possible! Yes, I’ll definitely be working overtime for the next week, you can count on me, sir. Thank you very much.”

The call ends soon after and the tired businessman lets out a groan, tugging at his tie. This was just too damned much, the dumping a project on him that he wasn’t even a part of just because the ones that were quit the other day. Everyone was jumping ship from this company after a few questionable decisions made by the higher-ups, and it wasn’t as if he could blame them. Honestly, he should put in his resignation form eventually, but perhaps after he receives his bonus.

For now, he just has to tolerate doing more work than he could handle. God damn it, he needed a strong drink but he also needed to get as much sleep as he could, work was in a few hours after all.

His stomach aches and he winces, perhaps he should also take his dinner as well. He was sure that the convenience store near his apartment would still be open at this time of the day. 

Sure enough, it was, and he bought him a small microwave meal with a can of beer using his meagre salary. Sighing at the pitiful meal he walks back home, trying to keep himself up with prospects of a better job soon.

“...ungry…”

“Huh?” the businessman snaps to attention as he glances around but all he can see are closed shops and a barely lit sidewalk, windows reflecting the light from the streetlamps, “What the hell? Could’ve sworn I heard something…”

He was going to continue his walk home when he heard it again, soft whispers all around him like he was surrounded. Nervous he steps back towards the light to give him comfort, edging close to the glass planes of a shop selling clothing.

“Who’s there! This isn’t funny!” he shouts with worry, hand reaching for his phone. His Quirk was just a simple one that let him project snowflake patterns not at all useful in a fight, so it wasn’t like he could defend himself, “I’ll call the cops!”

The whispers silence themselves and then he sighs with relief, glancing down at his phone to realise the time is nearing midnight. He really needs to get home now and-

He sees movement in the reflection on his phone screen, but before he can react he hears glass breaking and black arms wrap around him like a web, pulling him backwards. He screams out as he struggles futilely.

He was inside the shop now, he thinks at least, and that’s when he spotted them. Black mounds looked like shadows emerging from all around and wrapping over him, wearing strange masks as they slithered closer.

“Stop this! Let me go!” he screams as he tries fighting back but he is held too tight and suddenly feels the energy drain from him, “Let…me…go…”

But before his eyes could close forever, a loud crack was heard sounding like a gunshot. One of the shadows burst apart and all the others immediately dropped him like they were scared or surprised. He sees a hooded figure step up, grabbing him by the arm and pulling him up. From her voice, he could tell it was a woman,

“Come with me if you want to live!” she shouts as she throws him behind her and fires into the darkness with what looks like a sniper barrel emerging from her elbow. The businessman stood up and was prepared to run, to call a Pro Hero or something, anything to get him out of this mess.

But as he stumbles to his feet and looks at his surroundings, he feels something immediately wrong. It wasn’t dark like it was just now, in fact, it looked quite well-lit, but the buildings were different. Still similar but distorted in a way, different shapes and sizes and the wordings on signs were illegible.

And the moon! It was pitch black instead of white, and the night sky was the opposite. Where the hell was he?!

The woman with the strange gun Quirk grabs his arm and starts running, “That’ll take care of them, but more will come. I’m getting you out of here, so keep up or die!”

He can only helplessly nod and try running to keep up with his mysterious saver, but then she skids to stop and he almost trips forward if it wasn’t for her stopping him.

“Damn it… of all the times,” she mutters in frustration as out of the corner of the street, the galloping of a horse could be heard as something large steps around to face them.

He wasn’t ashamed to say he almost pissed his pants at the sight, who wouldn’t? 

A large snarling horse bigger than two cars was covered in black shadows, with predatorial red eyes glaring at them. On its back was something that looked like a giant twisted version of a European Knight, a menacing halberd in hand pointed at them that was longer than a lamp pole.

To make matters worse, more of those small dark slimy things were coming from the buildings, crawling out of gaps in the doors or bleeding out from the bricks. They were surrounded.

But instead of shooting, the strange woman for some reason withdraws the barrel back into her elbow making it return to normal. He was about to ask but she turned and silences him,

“Just stick by my side and we’ll get through this, and don’t get in my way.” she warns as she raises her right arm, which was now covered in blue chains he was sure weren’t there before, “Don’t worry, you won’t remember much from this. Just think of it all as a bad dream once it's over.”

She takes a deep breath as her left arm is used to grab the chains on her right, closing her eyes and muttering under her breath,

“Alright, let’s try this one more time. Don’t fail me now… Lend me your power…” she whispers as the air starts shifting around her like it is distorting, her eyes flashing blue as she opens them and snaps the chains off her right arm, 

“Persona!”

Chapter Text

*2XXX April 5th/Tuesday Daytime *

Izuku Midoriya yawns as he slaps his alarm, hitting the snooze button on the second try while struggling to force himself out of his comfortable bed. Cramped as it was, he could barely resist the desire to lay there for just another few minutes, but that would make him late for school.

After changing into his uniform, he quickly brushes his teeth and gargles with mouthwash before heading to their living room where he was surprised to find both his mother and father chowing down on breakfast.

“Dad?” Izuku looks at the man surprised, considering that even last night he didn’t see his father return home before sleeping. It must have been pretty late before he returned.

“Isugu?” his father asks through a mouthful of rice before chewing and swallowing, “Great to see you, I hope you slept well! Sorry I couldn’t greet you when you arrived, but I finally landed some work.”

“Isn’t that great news, dear?” Inko asks excitedly as Izuku sits down to eat his breakfast, scooching over to give her husband a peck on the cheek, “I’m so proud of you darling!”

“It’s nothing.” Hisashi says looking a bit embarrassed, “It’s just… entry-level stuff. Pay isn’t gonna be as good as my last one, but it’s just temporary!”

“I’m just happy things are finally looking up.” Inko smiles proudly, “We’re going to have a big dinner once you come back, I’m so happy for you! Why don’t you tell me where your new office is? I’ll bring us lunch like the old days.”

“Yeah…” Hisashi chuckles awkwardly for some reason and Izuku raises a brow at this.

“What’s your new job about anyways, Dad?” Izuku asks, realising he hasn’t mentioned that yet. But before his father could respond, an alarm rang from his phone.

“One moment… damn it, I have to run.” Hisashi says after taking a peek at his phone screen, eyes widening as he stands up and grabs his briefcase, “I’ll try to see you all at dinner, work’s gonna be tough for a while so I may be late. Good luck at school, Izuku!”

“Hm? It’s still pretty early isn’t it?” Inko mutters, “He looked so worried, I hope his new workplace isn’t treating him harshly or something.”

“Yeah, me too.” Izuku nods, sharing his mother’s thoughts, “Maybe it’s just stress? He’s used to working in America after all.”

“I hope it won’t be much of a problem.” Inko says, sounding worried before thinking in silence, “If he’s so worried over funds, and the new job isn’t paying well, do you think I should get a job to help him out as well?”

“But he said it’s fine, didn’t he?” Izuku points out, “I think we should trust Dad knows what he’s doing.”

“You’re right, I’m probably just overreacting.” Inko sighed before pointing at him with her chopsticks, “And you better hurry up and eat, you need to get to school quick don’t you?”

“Eh?” Izuku glances at the clock on the wall before realising his mother was correct, he was indeed going to be late for the train to his school’s district! Shoving down as much of his breakfast as possible, he then gets up to leave, “Sorry to leave in a rush, Mom! I’m going now, take care of yourself!”

“Remember to watch both sides of the road when crossing!” Inko yells after her son as he dashes down the apartment’s staircase.

As Izuku jogs towards the train station, he can’t help but think of his mother’s words, about his father worrying about the lack of money. He trusted his dad, but he did honestly look stressed and worried behind that big smile of his. If that was true could there be some way for him to ease the burden?

He does recall seeing some employment information magazines on the way to the train station during yesterday’s trip. Perhaps he can have a look. Even if it doesn’t pay much, if it can at least pay for meals then it could ease the burden on both his parents.

*2XXX April 7th/Thursday After School *

“Thank you, come again.” Izuku drones as he packs up the purchases of the customer before handing it back with both hands. 

It wasn’t the most glamorous, but it was a paying job with his hourly pay being nearly 1,200 yen. It was pretty good for a part-time job, and he could pay for his own meals. Maybe if he got a better-paying one he could help with rent as well?

“Alright kiddo, it’s closing time.” the manager walks out with a bored look on his face, “Make sure to finish stocking up before you close up. And be careful on your way back, I don’t need a hard worker like you going missing.”

“Pardon?” Izuku looks at his boss confused who waves him off,

“Pick up a paper sometimes, it’s not exactly front-page anymore but people are still talking about it.” the boss says, “Remember to shut off the lights before closing up, I don’t wanna come back to see the power still on, you hear me?”

“Yes sir.” Izuku nodded and was ready to begin the last batch of work left when he looked at the newspaper on a nearby stand. The words of his manager had him curious so he decided to take a quick break before he started, putting some coins into the cash register before taking a newspaper to read as he leaned on the counter.

The front page was the standard stuff, Pro Heroes taking down villains and rescuing civilians, this time it had the Buster Hero: Airjet. He saves that for later and flips through the pages, wondering what his manager could be talking about, before coming across a headline.

Ten New Mysterious Disappearances in Shibuya. How Many More Before Action Taken?

What he read was worrisome, according to the article, there was a huge increase in the rise of missing person cases not just in the city but all across the country since the year began! Civilians, Pro Heroes, it didn’t matter. Whoever was behind these didn’t discriminate.

Those that were found, were left shells of their former selves. Dramatic loss in motivation, emotions and apathy were common in those found after their disappearance as if sapped of the will to live. As a result of this, there was also a worrisome rise in suicide rates. And there were those still missing.

There have been no culprits identified or caught so far, but there are theories that it was caused by a Villain with a teleporting Quirk of sorts. 

“And it’s still rising?” Izuku mutters in disbelief, “Why isn’t this on the front page?”

“Because people would rather not know that there’s something that could make them disappear any minute and that the Heroes can’t help them.” a woman’s voice came from beside him as Izuku screamed, falling backwards.

But before he could hit the ground, the woman’s arm reached out and grabbed his before he could fall,

“Hey, watch it kid!” the woman says as she pulls him back to his feet, “Sorry to bother you, but is this place still open?”

“Er- I- I’m sorry, I didn’t hear you come in.” Izuku stutters out as he takes a good look at the woman. She was wearing a thick hoodie with the hood pulled up, a cap under it as well as a face mask. The only features visible to him were her purple eyes.

“Forget it, look, are you open or not?” she asks, sounding frustrated and Izuku gulps.

“Well, I was just about to close up…” Izuku mutters before noticing something under the woman’s sleeve when she helped him to his feet, “Are you- are you alright? You’re bleeding!”

Bandages with fresh blood staining were wrapped around her arm as she winced.

“I’m fine.” she grumbles before pulling out a wad of yen, “Look, I’ll just be quick. Just give me five minutes, and there’s a little extra for your time. Please.”

“...Go ahead,” Izuku says after a second to think. This woman felt off wearing clothes that cover up like that, and if anything the money made him even more suspicious. But there was a look of desperation in her eyes.

She nods in thanks and immediately walks hurried between the shelves, grabbing items such as instant noodles, energy drinks, coffee, water, bread, bandages, some medicine and other essential items. Once she brings it to the counter, Izuku scans them all while trying to think what kind of person needs all these

Izuku scans all of the items as fast as he can in silence, occasionally glancing over worriedly at the strange woman who seems to be glancing towards the clock on the wall nervously.

“Is everything alright?” he asks again just to make sure and she sighs,

“It’s fine, I’m just… I need to get ready before midnight,” she mutters, sounding exhausted. 

What was so special about midnight? Besides, it was only a few hours before midnight, so there should be plenty of time, right? Still, Izuku hurried his pace just in case this was some kind of emergency.

Her eyes wandered around before settling on the newspaper he was just reading, “...Worried about what’s been going on?”

“...A bit.” Izuku admits, “I only just found out.”

“You've been living under a rock?” the woman asked, “This was front page stuff for a week at least before the HPSC started trying to hide how bad it’s getting.”

“The HPSC is suppressing this? Why would they do that?” Izukua asks doubtfully. He knew they were the government agency responsible for managing the interaction between society and Pro Heroes, enforcing laws and regulations on them. They watched the watchmen, so to speak.

“They want to keep everything running squeaky clean. This ‘perfect’ society and status quo of theirs." She explains sounding bitter, “Believe what you want, but their priority isn’t really helping people. It’s just keeping things as they are.”

“...” Izuku kept himself silent, thinking it probably wasn’t a good idea to get into a political argument with a woman like this. He bags up the last of her items, “Alright, will that be all, ma’am?”

“Thanks.” She takes the bag and leaves a wad of yen. A quick count confirms it was all there, and surprisingly a big tip as well, “By the way, you happen to know any nearby drugstores still open?”

“I’m sorry, I’m kinda new to this area.” he shrugs unsure, “I just moved back here with my family after ten years.”

“Hm, welcome to Musutafu then.” she takes the bags from him, “Or rather, welcome back. Take care of yourself on your way home, and I reckon you stick away from mirrors. Anything reflective really.”

“Huh?” Izuku looks confused at the warning as the woman leaves,

“Just a theory, but the broken glass is seen wherever someone goes missing.” she waves goodbye, “Like I said, believe what you want.”

…Well that was his strangest customer by far. Izuku sighs to himself as he heads off to begin restocking, hoping he doesn’t have to deal with any more weirdos like that anytime soon.

*2XXX April 11th/Monday Day Time *

“Alright everyone, settle down, settle down.” their homeroom teacher calls out as he enters the class, hearing all their commotion. The class only quiets down after a few more tries, and brings out stacks of papers, “You’re all in the third year now, so act like it. I’m sure you’re all excited to graduate soon but it's now or never for you to start planning for your futures. I’m handing out career aspiration forms but I can already predict your answers. You all want to be Heroes don’t you?”

The class continued their cheering and some began displaying their Quirks, caught up in the excitement. 

“Now, I’m sure you all have awesome Quirks, but this is still a public area so don’t go around using them without permission, alright?” the teacher insists, but then Katsuki speaks up.

“Hey teach, don’t go around lumping me in with the rest of these losers!” Katsuki gloats and some of the braver students are about to yell back when a glare from Katsuki cowers to them, “We’re not even close to the same level.”

“Ah yes, Bakugou.” their homeroom teacher flips through the papers, “You wanted to apply for U.A isn’t that right?”

“Hell yeah!” Katsuki gets up and steps on his desk triumphantly, “I alone aced the mock tests, I have the best Quirk in this entire district, and I’m the only one in this school who has a damned chance of getting into the best school in the country! And if anyone thinks otherwise, feel free to disagree with me after school.”

Katsuki sets off his Quirk in his palm despite the teacher’s initial warnings, his implications clear. However, almost as if he was bored and wanted to stir things up, their homeroom teacher looked at another document.

“Well not exactly.” he corrects, “Izuku Midoriya aced the mock tests for U.A too, just a bit lower than yours actually. He’s applying for the Hero Course as well, looks like you got competition.”

Silence reigned in the classroom as all eyes turned towards Izuku Midoriya who winced in his seat, already dreading what was going to happen. Most of the class just laughed their heads off, as if they were just told the funniest joke in the world.

Izuku clenches his fist under his desk at this. He was used to this laughter and mockery already, but having his choice exposed knowing it would’ve incited this reaction angered him. He avoids glaring at the teacher though, knowing it’ll just get him into trouble. He just needs to bear with it…

“Hah! Midoriya of all people?”

“The Quirkless? If people with Quirks can’t even make it, then how can he?”

“Hey dumbass, just studying isn’t good enough for you to be a Hero, you know?”

“Quit while you still can!”

*2XXX April 11th/Monday After School *

“Deku… what the fuck was that?”

Katsuki stomps up to Izuku as he is packing up, stopping him from proceeding further as the rest of the class leaves the room in a hurry after seeing the mood he is in. Izuku decides to keep his head down and continue shoving books into his bag,

“I applied to U.A, so what?” he asks while avoiding looking at the blonde as he stands up, but before he can leave, Katsuki grabs him by the collar and pushes him against his desk, “What the hell?!”

“I thought I was clear?” Katsuki growls, “You stay out of my way, and I stay out of yours! But there you were, trying to show me up by applying to U.A.”

“Hey, I wasn’t the one who yelled it out for the whole class!” Izuku yells back, annoyed by this treatment, “What’s the big deal?”

“The big deal is that you’re fucking up my origin story? I’m the future Number One Hero who was the only one from middle school who got into the U.A! The only one good enough, skilled enough, to get out of this shitty school and be a Hero!” He roars at Izuku, pushing him again, “And here you are trying to muck things up for me! Can you imagine reading the history books and seeing a Quirkless loser like you applying to U.A. like I did?”

“Who cares?!” Izuku pushes Katsuki off him, surprising the latter, “Nobody remembers what middle school Heroes go to! Can you remember the one All Might went to? Endeavour? Hawks? So what the hell is your problem?”

“You tearing up my future glory, that’s what! Now go apply somewhere else before I-?!” Katsuki grabs his shoulder and reels back a fist crackling with explosives, but is taken by surprise when Izuku sends a quick jab to his face.

It was truly accidental, and the move shocked even Izuku. But the aggressiveness that Katsuku was displaying made him fear for his safety, triggered his fight or flight reflexes and combined with muscle memory made him lash out without warning.

Katsuki takes a step back and touches his cheek, even if it didn’t leave so much as a bruise he still felt it like a slap to the face. Nobody in the school ever dared touch him like this, so the fact this happened confused him for a moment before he fully processed what just happened.

“Why does that matter?!” Izuku yells back, carried by his pent-up emotions, “Heroes are supposed to save people! I want to be a Hero to save people! You’re only caring about yourself!”

“...Looks like you grew a spine.” Katsuki growls as he activates his Quirk, “I guess that means you’re not crying as easily as when you were a kid, Deku.”

Izuku braces himself for a beating as he raises his fists, trying to remember the right stance. There was no way he was winning, but he was at least going to defend himself. But before the two could clash, a voice was heard as a person entered the classroom.

“What’s going on here?” a random teacher asks, “School’s over! Get back home if you don’t have any extracurricular activities, or I’m writing you two up!”

Katsuki growls as he stops using his Quirk, turning his back to Izuku,

“Save people? Don’t give me that shit, a Quirkless loser like you can’t save anyone.” Katsuki says as he storms out, “Even you know that. You just want to try being a Hero because you don’t want to admit it.”

His words strike something in Izuku, stepping back like he has just been hit in the stomach by a hammer. Unsatisfied but unwilling to grab more attention from the remaining teachers with how loud they were, Katsuki takes his leave but not without parting words.

“Face it Deku, you’re just being a spiteful dumbass.” he scoffs, “Quit now, or you’re gonna get yourself killed.”

***

“We were going to be Heroes together! We promised!”

“But we don’t need to be Heroes to help people! We can’t-”

“I thought you understood! Out of everyone!”

“Stop shouting, Izu-!”

“Shut up! Just shut up!”

***

Izuku kicks a trash can under the bridge on his way home in a fit of rage. The conversation with Katsuki left him remembering things he’d rather forget. Remembering his shameful behaviour towards the only true friend he ever really had.

He wanted to hit something and scream, punch something until his knuckles bled, anything to feel anything else.

But after seeing the mess he made he sighs, disappointed in himself as he bends down to pick up the spilled trash. He didn’t want to cause any unnecessary trouble for the garbage disposal workers.

Still, the words of his former ‘friend’ were etched into his mind. 

He knows it was true… God damn it, he knew. But every time it was brought up, every time someone reminded him how impossible his dream was, every time someone pitied him for how he was born, hated him for how he was born…

Izuku felt he was close to tears, choking back a sob. It still hurts even to this day, even when he realised the truth years ago. There was no realistic way for him to truly become a Pro Hero without a Quirk. 

But he wanted to anyway, even if it was unrealistic, he still wanted it desperately. The thought of proving everyone wrong, even if it was unlikely, even if for a brief second, was what kept him going. His impossible, unreachable dream of being a Hero. 

Otherwise what else was left?

He punches himself in the face at that thought, what was he thinking? He should be grateful to be born into a loving family like his parents. He shouldn’t think thoughts like that… he shouldn’t, but it was hard not to on bad days.

Before Izuku could finish cleaning up the mess he made, he heard something behind him, like the sound of flowing water. But just as he was turning around to investigate, he was swept up like being hit by a strong wave.

“Look at this! A convenient meat bag just in time!” a sinister voice laughs in relief as Izuku feels strange liquid pour down his nose and nostrils, slowly filling his lungs, “You saved me, kid! I thought for a moment I was done for. You’re a real hero!”

Izuku desperately swiped at the slime to try and divert the flow but it was useless, his hands passed through like they would with any liquid. In his peripheral vision, he could see this slime villain’s solid eyes, making a desperate gambit to try reaching for them.

But they were too far. This was exactly what he had thought, if he had a telekinetic Quirk he could pull them towards him. If he has a strength Quirk he could kick off the ground and reach them, or just power through out of the grip. If he had a fire Quirk he could set everything ablaze.

But he didn’t, for he was Quirkless. And against a Quirk like this, there was nothing else he could do but become a victim. Or…

A loud bang was heard as a manhole cover was punched upwards, and a large figure crawled out,

“Have no fear, young man! You are safe now…” a voice he had heard so many times speaks out in the ever-familiar words, “Want to know why? Because I am here!”

***

Izuku retches out slime from his guts as he feels his cheeks repeatedly tapped by a large hand,

“Oh you’re awake! Thank goodness, I was going to administer CPR had you not responded.” a familiar voice he heard before he blacked out said, “I’m sorry for catching you in the crossfire of my chase! The slippery villain led me on a merry trail, but thanks to you I was finally able to catch him.”

“You… you’re All Might…” Izuku’s jaw dropped in awe as he gasped for air. There were many things in the world one could mistake for another, but there was never mistaking someone with an aura like this.

“HAHAHA! Yes, it is I, All Might.” he let out his signature laugh as he stood up with two bottles in his hands containing the slime villain that attacked him, “I must thank you again for helping me out young man, and apologise for that terrible situation. If you need help getting to a hospital…”

“No! I mean, no…” Izuku stumbles onto his feet as he stares up at the towering Pro Hero, “Oh my god… it’s really you…”

“It is. Ah, can’t forget this.” All Might reached for his pocket and handed Izuku a notepad, realising it was his #13th notebook for his Hero Analysis, “I found it among your belongings that were spilt out with my punch. Apologies for that, but fortunately there’s no permanent damage. I couldn’t help but notice your work here, mighty fine notes you have there young man. And I left you something in one of the blank pages.”

Izuku flips through the open notebook towards the page he is pointing at, realising it was a large signature that took up the entire page.

“Think of it as my apology for getting you caught up in this mess.” All Might says as he begins stretching, “Now if you don’t mind, I have to get going. There’s no telling when this villain may wake up.”

Izuku hesitates. This… was not something that happens every day. Meeting the Number One Hero like this, the statistics were impossible! He needed an answer to a question he had been dying to ask, and this could very well be his only chance. It may never come again…

“All Might, wait, please! I have one question!” he pleads at All Might ready to leap away.

“Apologies, but justice waits for no man! I-” All Might was about to jump off when Izuku desperately asked his question anyway, not caring how rude it was. This was his only chance to ask…

“Do you remember me?!” his question surprised All Might enough that he hesitated, and Izuku continued with his tone shuddering, “We met… We met eight years ago. Do you remember me, All Might?”

Chapter Text

He could remember that moment clearly to this day. The day his dreams were shattered the second time. The first was the day he was told he was Quirkless, and that he should give up on his dream. The second time may have been the nail in the coffin. The day he met his idol for the first time in California, the day he heard the words that still echo in his head;

“...can’t be a Hero…”

Hearing those words at that age still fresh from having his dreams of having a strong Quirk to be a strong Hero broken, it hurt him more than he would like to admit. And because of that, he said hurtful things to the only friend he had in that country. It was probably that moment when it all started to go downhill.

But he slowly picked himself back since then, training his body even as the fire in him slowly burned down to embers. This…he needed this.

If All Might changed his mind, just the slightest affirmation, maybe it could be what he needs to reignite this faltering resolve of his. He was desperate and he knew that, but he needed to hear it just once, from anyone…

That even someone like him could be a Hero…

“I’m sorry, eight years ago?” All Might scratched his head, “Sorry, you’re putting me on the spot- Gak!”

All Might suddenly cough roughly, alarming Izuku as he is waved off, “Pardon me, just a bit of a sore throat. I really do have to be going young man, I’m sorry but I cannot waste any time.”

“...Of course.” Izuku mutters, sounding dejected, feeling his legs turn weak, “You have things to do… More important things… I’m sorry for bothering you again, sir.”

All Might hesitates, extending a hand and wanting to say something before wincing, his arm going for his side and gripping it. With reluctance he leaps away to the distance, trapped villain in hand ready to be delivered safely to the police, leaving Izuku alone as he walks home dejectedly.

* * *

“Izuku, welcome home.” His mother greets him as he walks into their apartment, “Are you hungry? I can whip up some-?”

“I’m not hungry, Mom.” he cuts her off, before hurriedly entering his room and slamming the door shut. Inko stares at the closed door with worry, her son has never shown such an attitude before.

…Maybe it was best if she left him alone? He didn’t seem to be in the mood for a talk, perhaps a bad day in school? She’ll have to speak with him later should he be up for it.

Meanwhile, in Izuku’s room, he throws his bag to the corner and plops down straight to his bed. His dejection turns into frustration as he lets out a scream that is muffled by his pillow. 

What was he thinking would happen? That All Might would recognise some kid he met eight years ago? That he would magically change his mind and agree that Izuku can become a Hero despite the massive disadvantages he had? That his entire life would change because of just this one meeting?

It was just his desperation speaking. His insane desperation for anything to validate his dreams. But who was he kidding? What was there to validate? A dumb pipe dream he clung onto to give him meaning in his pathetic life? 

…Why did he still cling to this, damn it? Why can’t he just let go? Look towards a real goal he can actually accomplish. A real job he can do, just like…

“...support them… be Heroes that way…”

“...Heroes together! …Why are you giving up?!”

“...Izuku…”

“Leave me alone!”

…Damn him. God damn him. Even after that he still selfishly clung on to his dreams, like it was the only thing keeping him alive. And even now, he still wants to cling to it. Was this his curse? To forever chase something beyond him? To forever uselessly dream of climbing above his stations that life decided for him?

Why did he still dream? Why did he still yearn for this? Why was he born like this?

His eyes struggle to keep open, his body yearning to sleep. To just stop thinking for one brief moment.

Yes, he needs to sleep…

*2XXX April 11th/Monday || Afternoon *

“Damn nerd! What the hell was he thinking messing with me like that?” Katsuki yells as he kicks an empty can down the alley, “Told the fucker to stay in his place, and what does he do? The complete opposite.”

“Yeah, you said it man.” one of his lackeys, whose name escapes him, cheers him on, “So what are we doing today, heading to the arcade?”

“Shut up, not in the mood.” he dismisses, “Dumbass…”

“Sheesh, he’s really hung out about that isn’t he?” Lackey #1 mutters to the second one, thinking he couldn’t be heard, “What’cha reading anyways?”

“This? Just the latest trend right now, you know those horror ritual things people do in sleepovers?”

“You mean like the Fortune game or something?”

“Yeah, this new one’s been on the rise recently.” Lackey #2 nods sounding frightened, “And I hear real people are actually disappearing. Break a mirror in the dark at midnight, and you’ll be dragged and killed by a ghost. But if you survive you get a reward or something, like a wish. Freaky…”

“Come on, that’s what all of them say.” Lackey #1 sighs, “When has that ever happened?”

“It could be serious, I heard from a friend of a friend that their cousin knows someone in their school who had a classmate go missing trying it out.” Lackey #2 insists, “This is scary shit man, especially with those kidnappings recently.”

“Can’t be too bad. Hey, how about we all come over to my place this weekend and try it out?”

“No! Hell, I don’t think even Bakugou would want to do this.”

The last part gets his attention and immediately he stops, spinning around and glaring, “The fuck did you just say dipshit?”

“Uh- I mean-?” before he could spit it out, Katsuki grabs his collar,

“You think that since you saw Quirkless Deku fuck with me, you can do that too?!” he shouts as he pushes him against a wall, “Unless you want a beating, don’t say shit like this again, got it?! I ain’t scared of some ghost story or some shit.”

“G-got it!” Lackey #2 nods quickly, “But I mean, I wouldn’t say anything if you were, this thing could be real you know?”

Katsuki throws him onto the ground, “Fuck off, you little scaredy cat. It’s just some dumbasses wanting attention, so what if I break a mirror at midnight? I tell you what, if there really is a ghost I’d kick its ass.” 

“We get it Bakugou!” Lackey #1 insists, “Come on, let him go, he’s just saying dumb stuff no need to be all mad at him.”

Katsuki growls. This was what he thought would happen. With Deku disrespecting him in public, dumbasses like these feel a bit bold, or at least bold enough to say stuff like that within hearing range. 

He needs to start by proving them wrong first. Katsuki releases his grip and turns to glare at Lackey #1, “You. Buy me a mirror, now.”

“What?”

“You heard me!” Katsuki shouts, intimidating him into obedience, “Find me the nearest mirror right now and buy it! I’ll show you that you’re all just a bunch of pussies.”

*Bakugou Household || 2XXX April 11th/Monday || Night *

This was fucking stupid, Katsuki thought to himself as he stared at the handheld mirror in his room. The lights were turned off and he had a hammer right next to the mirror on his desk, ready to bash it.

He was supposed to have those two as eyewitnesses and prove this is just another stupid ritual kids make up to scare one another, but those two chickened out at the last moment saying their parents wouldn’t let them stay that long. Pussies.

Katsuki checked the clock on his phone once again, only a few minutes left until midnight sharp. Seriously, why did all this dumb shit have to happen at midnight, why couldn’t it be in the morning or something? This was going to mess with his sleep schedule.

Normally he’d just call it a night, but his pride and reputation were on the line here. If word gets out he didn’t he’ll be known as the coward that backed out of this stupid ritual thing. What kind of future Number 1 Hero backs out of something like this?

He rubs his eyes and yawns, trying to stave off his exhaustion from the training he did earlier. As he did he saw something move in the mirror in front of him. Quickly he turns back only to see nothing, cursing under his breath. Was he seeing things? Probably because he needs to sleep soon.

Raising the hammer he waited until the timer struck midnight and brought it down hard, shattering the mirror. For a brief second, he feels his body subconsciously tensed for some unknown reason. It can’t be because he actually believed this shit… right?

A minute passes and nothing happens. He lets out a chuckle, what the hell was he thinking would happen? Did he actually believe a ghost would come out or something? He probably needs to cut back on the horror movies he was watching recently. This was as he predicted, ridiculous.

“Hey brat, what the hell was that?!” his mother roars from the other side of his room’s door, “You better not be practising with your Quirk at night, you hear me? Get some sleep already!”

“Shut up, you damned hag!” Katsuki roars back as he starts sweeping up the mirror shards with his hands, “I’ll be done in a minute, just go the fuck back to sleep you-?”

He pauses, startled as he feels something wrap around his hands, looking down to find a set of chains wrapping around and pulling at his arm. Before he could blow it to pieces, before he could even fight against it, he felt his entire body pulled in by a force he couldn’t fight against.

On midnight of April 12th, Katsuki Bakugou disappears.

*Aldera Middle School || 2XXX April 12th/Tuesday || Daytime *

Izuku felt something immediately off when the police were found at the entrance of the school, talking with one of their teachers. The students were allowed to enter but he could feel their watchful eyes analysing their every movement for whatever reason.

He sits down at his seat in class, with all the other students murmuring amongst themselves about the police outside. Some were thinking a student was involved in a crime or something. Maybe drugs or gang activity. He was left out of this as usual, but he could overhear them clear as day.

But one thing felt odd like there was something missing. Gazing around he realises that Katsuki wasn’t in class yet. In the week he has been here, he never once saw the blonde late to class, always arriving right on time and usually before Izuku. So where was he?

At this moment, their homeroom teacher chooses the moment to walk in, a slightly miffed look on his face.

“Alright everyone, quiet down, quiet down.” he insists before clearing his throat, “I’m afraid I have bad news for you all. This morning, the police reported that Katsuki Bakugou has officially gone missing.”

Deafening silence filled the room as the students heard this before they immediately began asking questions. Izuku was stunned at what he just heard, even having trouble trying to process it.

Katsuki Bakugou went missing? Immediately his mind went to the news article he read last week, with people disappearing only to return as shells of their former selves. He was no friend of Izuku’s but it still didn’t mean he would wish that fate on anyone.

Some of the class looked panicked and worried, specifically two he saw hanging out with Katsuki often. One with slender and elongated fingers, and another who smokes frequently. The two looked panicked but were trying to be subdued about it, glancing at each other with worried looks. What was that about?

“I know this must be distressing for you to hear, but nevertheless we have class to continue.” the teacher says as he pulls out a checklist, “We need to trust that the Heroes and police will bring Bakugou back safe and sound, and until then class will resume as always. Now for attendance…”

Not that anyone could focus in class after a bombshell like that. During lunch he could overhear gossiping students wondering fearfully if this was connected to the kidnapping spree, and who would be next to suffer from these mysterious kidnappings.

It didn’t help that police officers were seen all over the school, questioning the teachers and students alike if they heard or saw anything suspicious the day of Katsuki’s disappearance. And for some reason, he saw the two of Katsuki’s followers wince whenever an officer looked their way or passed by. Something was up…

He thought of bringing this to the attention of the officers, but then he saw a pair of them talking with the homeroom teacher who pointed in his direction. Izuku was confused for a moment before realising he was the one being pointed at, with the officers approaching.

“Excuse me, Izuku Midoriya?” one of them asks and Izuku nervously nods, wondering what this is about, “We need you to come with us, we have a few questions regarding Katsuki Bakugou’s case.”

* Police Station || 2XXX April 12th/Tuesday || After School *

Izuku nervously waits in the interrogation room of the police station, looking around trying to understand just why he was here. There was no way they thought he was involved somehow, right?

He takes a breath to calm down, the reason they had him waiting was probably to make him nervous. He needs to keep his head cool and answer any questions honestly to make them know beyond doubt he is innocent.

Izuku rubs his eyes, feeling exhausted already. However, he saw something as his eyelids were fluttering, thinking it was the officers at last, he opened them wide only to see nothing. But he could have sworn he saw something move, especially on the two-sided mirror in the room. 

Before he could wonder, the doors to the interrogation room swung open with two detectives walking in.

“Sorry for taking our time kid, we hope it wasn’t too long.” The first one says as he takes a seat with a file in hand, “We just have a question about your friend, Katsuki Bakugou.”

“Classmate.” Izuku can’t help but correct, “We’re… not really friends.”

“Really?” the second detective asks, sounding suspicious, “We had a talk with his mom, and apparently you two were thick as thieves once upon a time.”

“Ten years ago, before my family moved.” Izuku mutters but doesn’t mention the bullying he received also being another reason, “Why am I here detective?”

Detective #1 sighs, “I’ll be honest kid, it’s not looking good. Apparently, word around your school is that the two of you don’t exactly like each other. Got into an argument didn’t you?”

“Yesterday actually.” Detective #2 specifies, “Heard it got pretty heated. Two of you were about to throw hands at each other, am I right?”

“I was defending myself.” Or that was what Izuku wanted to say, but with his experience with using that excuse and lack of success with it, he doesn’t. Instead, he bites his tongue and keeps silent.

“We have some school records Aldera gave us. Records of your time in America.” Detective #1 says as he flips through the file, “Went to America didn’t you? And got into a few scuffles it looks like. Kicked out of boxing club for attacking classmates.”

Izuku tries not to grit his teeth at the memory. That’s what they call trying to defend someone from getting bullied, only to be pounded to the ground by the bully’s friends? 

“You gotta see how this looks from our point of view.” Detective #1 continues, “Violent kid comes back home, meets childhood friend, jealousy brews, sparks fly and almost fists. It’s pretty fishy, don’t you think.”

“You think I did something to Kacchan?” Izuku asks incredulously.

“Your words, not ours.” Detective #1 shrugs.

“Kacchan? Some kind of nickname?” Detective #2 asks as he leans on the table, “Whatever it is, we know you’re involved somehow. The gig’s up, so the best thing you can do right now is confess.”

“I didn’t do anything. I went home after school and I stayed there the rest of the day!” Izuku insists, trying his best to stay calm and not get provoked. But before Detective #2 could continue pressing, a uniformed officer knocks on the door as he enters, walking towards the detectives who look surprised before huddling into a corner.

“What, you’re serious?” Detective #1 asks, “God damn it, I thought it was going to be a simple slam dunk case.”

Detective #2 sighs, “Come on, I told you he didn’t do it. A Quirkless kidnapping someone with a Quirk like that? Just stupid and ridiculous.”

Sighing in frustration, Detective #1 turns to Izuku and speaks up like he didn’t just overhear their loud mutterings, “Hey kid, sorry but security cameras at your apartment put you right where you said you were. You’re free to go.”

***

Izuku steps out of the interrogation room and into the police station’s lobby, glancing around at his surroundings before he is suddenly tackled.

“Izuku!” a familiar blonde woman hugs him to the point of near strangulation, “Oh it’s been so long, you’ve grown so much! Are you alright, those bastards didn’t try to arrest you, did they? I keep telling them there was no way you were involved!”

“A-aunt Mistuki?” Izuku chokes out as she releases him from the chokehold, 

“I heard they think you did something, and I said that was ridiculous! They have to be complete dumbasses to think someone like you did it!” she says as she glared at the pair of detectives, “So they should stop harassing random students and start actually looking for my kid! What the hell do I pay your taxes for damn it?! Do you damn jobs, you lousy sons of bitches!”

“We’re covering all our bases, ma’am.” Detective #1 insists before pulling out a card and handing it to Izuku, “If you think you come across anything, be sure to let me know. Get back home safely then.”

They walk off, discussing with each other about the case as Izuku looks up at the woman that was Katsuki’s mother.

“Aunt Mitsuki… are you alright?” he asks noticing the stress she was displaying on her face, before she shakes her head and tries to hide it.

“I- I’ll be fine.” she nods trying to smile, patting Izuku on the head, “You look like you need more sleep than I do. Go home Izuku, maybe I’ll call your mom for a drink once all this is settled. Once the Heroes get involved it’s only a matter of time before Katsuki comes home.”

He knows when someone is faking a smile, he’s done it enough times. The way her lips were tensed, the way it was slightly too wide. He had enough practice that he could tell.

But what on earth could he say or do to make her feel better? Words of comfort were useless, just empty platitudes that she wouldn’t want to hear.

Instead, he responds with his own fake smile as he leaves, sighing once he exits the police station. There was nothing he could possibly do except leave this in the hands of professionals. What else could a Quirkless like him…

His thoughts trail off as he spots someone on the sidewalk opposite of him. The kid with long fingers who followed Katsuki around, and one of the two who kept acting weird when the police stopped by.

It could be nothing, maybe an overactive imagination, or something the guy smoked before coming to class. But something in his guts tells him otherwise. He knew something was up, and if so why didn’t he report it to the police the first chance he got?

Izuku needs to speak with him. Crossing the road as soon as he could, he starts to trail his classmate until he gets close enough, tapping him on the shoulder.

“What the fuck?” he suddenly turns, surprised by the contact as his eyes widened at the sight of Izuku, “Wait, Midoriya? What the hell are you doing-?”

“You know something don’t you?” Izuku asks, cutting straight to the point, “You kept acting weird when the cops arrived like you knew something. What happened to Kacchan?”

His eyes widened and immediately tried shoving Izuku away, but without warning Izuku grabbed him with both arms and started pushing him into a nearby alley and against the wall.

“Hey!” the student exclaims as Izuku glares at him, “What the hell do you think you’re doing Quirkless shit?”

“Our classmate is missing! His mom is worrying herself sick because of this, and you know something!” Izuku yells at him, “You did something, didn’t you? What did you do?!”

The student was surprised at the curiosity Izuku was showing, and even more at how intimidated he felt. Confronted with this, he immediately spills,

“I-it’s not our fault alright! In fact, we told him not to do it!” he stammers out defensively,

“Do what?” Izuku asks, confused at what he is talking about.

“The ritual!” the student exclaims as he takes out his phone, showing Izuku a website chat forum, “Some kids were talking about it, and I mentioned how stupid and scary it sounded, and that not even Bakugou would do something like this. He got pissed, bought a mirror, and I think he tried it himself!”

“What?” Izuku mutters in disbelief at how ridiculous this is. He sighs and lets go of the student in disappointment, he really thought this was connected but turns out to be just someone being paranoid about the supernatural.

He was about to walk home after this, thinking it really was for the best if he just let the Heroes get involved and solve it themselves. But then he remembers something from last week, a weird conversation with a weird woman,

“Take care of yourself on your way home, and I reckon you stick away from mirrors. Anything reflective really.” 

…It couldn’t be related. Can it?

“Just a theory, but the broken glass is seen wherever someone goes missing.” she waves goodbye, “Like I said, believe what you want.”

*Midoriyas' Apartment || 2XXX April 12th/Tuesday || Night *

Izuku sits in his room, looking over all the websites and talking about the rumours. There wasn’t much to be gathered, but plenty of sites were talking about the “Mirror game” and how they swear they knew “friends of friends” that disappeared because of this. But there was nothing on official news sites.

It couldn’t be possible, the Pro Heroes and police would’ve figured out something this simple wouldn’t they? It’s been going on for four months, they had to have a clue or be aware of this.

But what could be responsible for the disappearances anyway? Some kind of teleportation Quirk related to reflections? Teleportation from reflections? Was that how they got around the entire country that fast? It would make sense…

He compiles the relevant information, the locations of disappearances mentioned in these discussions and where disappearances were reported in real news. Maybe bringing this information to the police would be what the police need to find Katsuki somehow?

Izuku rubs his eyes, feeling exhaustion start to take over. It was almost midnight by now, so it was best for him to call or at least send a message using the card he was given. But as his eyes turn away, he spots something in his peripheral vision, like movement across his computer screen.

He turns back just as he could’ve sworn a black blur moves across the screen. But after blinking to clear his vision, he sees nothing still. He must really need his sleep that bad if he is starting to hallucinate.

The clock then hits midnight sharp, and suddenly the lights flickered in his room, startling Izuku. Even his laptop that was charging suddenly powered down, the dark screen reflecting his confused face.

It was likely just a problem with the lights, the apartment they were living in wasn’t exactly top-of-the-line or anything. He should probably turn it off or something first. As he stands up to do just that, the lights turn off by themselves, further frustrating Izuku before the sound of breaking glass can be heard.

Chains erupt from the screen of his laptop, wrapping around his arms and legs. He tried to scream, but they wrapped around his throat as well, nearly strangling him as he was pulled into the screen of his laptop.

*??? || ??? || ??? *

The first thing Izuku realises when he opens his eyes is that he isn’t in his room any longer. In fact, he doesn't think he’s anywhere close to his apartment. He finds himself in some kind of playground, but it seems wrong. The colours, the lightning, it was unnatural in a way he struggled to describe. 

He tried to stand up but was stopped, looking down to realise he was on his knees and wrapped in chains embedded in the ground. And what was more frightening was the figure that stood before him, sitting at the end of a plastic spiral slide, chin resting on an arm like he was bored.

The figure was roughly around his height, but covered entirely in shadows appearing like dark flames shrouding him, with only unnatural red eyes peering through them

“You’re awake, that’s good…”

“Who… who are you?!” Izuku demands, trying to sound brave, “You’re the one that kidnapped me aren’t you… Did you kidnap Kacchan as well?”

The shadowy figure chuckles as he picks up a nearby stick, scratching on the ground like he was scribbling something, “Kacchan… pretty weird we still use that name don’t you think? But I guess we’re just too used to that. Old habits die hard and all.”

“What…?” Izuku mutters confused before glancing around him, looking at the sky he felt a shiver down his spine as he realised the colours were inverted. A pitch white sky with a dark moon hanging above their heads, so that was the source of the unnatural lightning…

“Where am I?” he asks, confused and worried.

“Many call it a Mirror World, you could call it a place where the Collective Unconscious is reflected and warped, but those words have no meaning to you. Not yet…”  the shadow figure answers cryptically, not even giving Izuku a look as he continues his scribbles into the dirt.

“...Why did you bring me here then?” Izuku asks. This figure didn’t seem to exert any hostility but in fact, sounded very amused by his situation, “Is Kacchan here?”

“Always worrying for the other person, right? Never you. No that would be too ‘greedy’ and ‘selfish’ for you.” The shadow figure laughs at him before gesturing around, “Maybe he is, maybe not? As for your first question, you brought yourself here. To them you look like a delicious and defenceless meal, they were stalking and biding their time to bring you in for dinner.”

The figure drops the stick and points to the sky, “Midnight is the time when the barriers between our realms are weakest. Where the weakest points around this Mirror World could be shattered, allowing something in, or rather allowing them to pull something in. Something like you. I simply brought you in first to give you a chance. You’re lucky, not everyone’s as nice as I am…” 

“What…?” Izuku couldn’t understand a word he was babbling about, “So… you’re not a villain or something?”

“I am not your enemy, Izuku Midoriya.” the shadow figure corrects as he stands up and approaches the kneeling Izuku, “But I am not your friend. I am the record of all your sins. I am the record of all your virtues. Your triumphs and your struggles. I am reward and punishment both.”

“I am the personification of your Greed as you desperately cling to dreams that you could never hope to accomplish. As you strive to achieve goals beyond your stations that were set the moment you were born into this world. As you carry that flickering flame that you call your soul, constantly wavering but never breaking truly…” The shadows began dispersing as the figure kneels before Izuku, mirroring how he was held by the chains. Izuku found himself face to face with a perfect replica of himself, down to the last detail save for the hair that was pitch black and piercing red irises that stared into his soul, “I am you, Izuku Midoriya… And you are I…”

Chapter Text

“You’re… me?” Izuku asked confused as his own reflection smiled and nods,

“I am. Your Shadow. Your Greed.”  he smirks as Izuku frantically wracks his head to think of a possible explanation for what was going on.

“Alright, so what kind of Quirk is this?” he mutters to himself, “I got here by a mirror, probably a teleportation Quirk then. This is different, a hallucination type? Maybe it’s not one Villain but-?!”

Izuku was interrupted by a finger flicking his head as the ‘Shadow’ stood up and paced around him,

“It doesn’t matter if you believe me or not, what matters is what you came to do isn’t it?”  his reflection asks,  “To save good ol’ Kacchan from being mauled and eaten alive didn’t you?”

“What?!” Izuku asks, immediately alarmed, “What’s going on?!”

The reflection frowns and looks into the distance,  “Not all Shadows are alike, you know? When I say they aren’t as nice as I am, I was severely understating it. They’ll act on the usual base instincts of any creature, kill and eat, group up with those of relative strength, rinse and repeat. And speaking of which, here comes some now…”

He points to the distance and Izuku follows the finger as best he could, eyes widening at the sight of several black slimes with strange masks emerging from the nearby buildings, eyes turning to stare at him hungrily.

“What are those…?” Izuku mutters out loud.

“Like I said, Shadows.”  he shrugs,  “And they’re hungry. I won’t be able to protect you, The best I could was bring you over before they could touch you. Now the rest is up to you.”

“What are you talking about?” Izuku pleads, “I just want some clear answers!”

“Oh, then how is this for clear?”  the reflection asks sarcastically as he points at the approaching mounds of darkness,  “They are coming to feed off you. Everything but your nasty little body, drink it all up like juice and leave you an empty husk. Is that clear enough?”

Izuku feels a chill down his spine at the declaration. Now he feels that this wasn't just a normal Villain kidnapping, it was something bigger. And if what this thing in front of him, his ‘Shadow’, was saying was correct then it was life or death.

“Or perhaps you want it that way?”  his Shadow shrugs uncaringly,  “That’s what you think, don’t you? It would be simpler if you stopped feeling anything. That if you weren’t born the way you were. Quirkless. Pathetic. Burden. A greedy child that clings onto his crumbling dreams, throwing away even a bond you made to chase after it…”

Izuku freezes upon hearing those words. The same words he often thinks about himself every day since eight years ago. It was like hearing himself speaking from the darkest pit of his heart. This was no illusion… whatever was in front of him, it knew things only he would know.

But then he remembers the faces of his parents, struggling as they tried to provide him a good life. And how strained Mitsuki Bakugou’s smile was as she feared for her son’s safety. He was somewhere here, likely suffering the same fate as he was. While he may not like him, he couldn’t allow this to happen.

“I don’t know…” Izuku mutters as he tries getting up, pulling against the chains wrapping around his body, “I don’t know what’s easy or not, but I know somewhere here Kacchan needs help… I want to be a Hero… I  need  to be a Hero! If so then how can I just sit down and die… When someone needs help?!”

The chains crack to his surprise as the Shadow before him laughs hysterically,

“Is that so?! Then our contract is sealed! Take it then, use it to climb higher than where the world demands you to remain! Beyond the stations set for you by birth, aspire for nothing less than the greatest power, the greatest skill! Nothing else is enough!”  the Shadow laughs as it begins dispersing into blue light and disappearing with one final word,  “Just remember you only have yourself to blame for everything in the end…”

Izuku stares at the blue motes that float around him before imbuing themselves into the chains restraining him. Then they begin glowing blue, flowing through the chains and his body. At that moment Izuku knew what to do, like a dormant instinct that was awoken.

“Per…so…na…”

Standing up, he uses all his might and pulls the chains apart, shattering them into a million pieces. As he does so, a voice echoes as each piece of chain swirls together and collides, 

“I am Thou… Thou art I…”  the pieces began taking the shape of a man on a horse with European armour and a spear,  “From the sea of thy soul, I cometh…”

One of the Shadow creatures was now close enough, lunging at Izuku but the knight thrusts his spear at it, releasing a blast of wind that tore it apart before it could get close. The rest began to falter as Izuku stood on his feet, eyes glowing blue as the knight circled him with his horse,

“I am Don Quixote!”  he declares with a raise of his spear, rearing his horse on its two hind legs,  “Knight Errant! Let us dream the impossible dream together!”

Izuku stares at the blobs of darkness surrounding him and points at the closest one, a thought filling his head along with the image of Don Quixote blasting one of them apart with a blast of wind,

Garu!

Don Quixote pulls back his spear and dashes at the targeted Shadow, thrusting his spear encompassed with green wind as it tears it apart with a single stab. If they were all this weak, then it didn’t matter their numbers, he could win this!

Garu!

Garu!

Garu!

Stab after stab, Don Quixote slays all Shadows that approach him. Circling to protect Izuku from the Shadows attempting to flank him, but none made it past the knight errant. But as this continued, Izuku felt his head begin to ache, like it was splitting in half.

Groaning in pain, he falls to his knees grasping at his head. But while he is distracted, a Shadow manages to slip past Don Quixote and leaps at him. 

Izuku raises his hands to try to defend himself, his head suffering too much ache to call upon Don Quixote to defend himself. His concentration wavers and the visage of the knight errant shatters into blue shards. But before it could reach him, a loud crack was heard as something tore through it.

All across him, more and more of these Shadows were destroyed as cracks were heard. Izuku stares around in shock before something lands near his foot, startling him. He realises that it was some kind of bullet made of strange purple material with a small communication device at the end.

“Pick me up!”  a strangely familiar voice speaks from it and Izuku does as ordered, holding the speaker close to his ear,  “Listen we don’t have much time! I’m covering you right now, but the noise you made is bringing an entire colony to your location!”

“W-what?” Izuku stammers as he looks around confused, “A colony? What’s going on?!”

“I don’t even have time to explain why there’s no time to explain!”  she shouts down the device, causing Izuku’s ears to ache,  “Head North now before you’re cut off!”

“North?” Izuku mutters unsure where the direction was to the woman’s exasperation,

“On your right!”  she sounds frustrated as Izuku begins making a mad dash towards the direction with the woman occasionally throwing him more directions to follow, such as down an alley or which turns to take at intersections.

All around him, Izuku finds himself surrounded by odd warped buildings that reflect the downtown of Musutafu. Some buildings were too tall or bent at an angle that would’ve caused them to realistically collapse, and nothing on the signs was readable.

And what was worse was the number of Shadows that he narrowly avoided. The first he saw was a group riding nightmarish horses that galloped across the streets in search of something, then mechanical humanoids on large wheels with spikes protruding from their centre, as well as more of those slime things.

He was nearly caught if it wasn’t for the woman’s warning, telling him to hide behind a warped-looking dumpster in an alley. Peering out of the corner, he cringes as he spots large bird-like creatures flying through the skies.

“Alright, just keep calm kid.”  the woman says in a voice trying to be assuring,  “It won’t be long before the streets are flooded with more Shadows, so we need to get you out there. Do you see that building in front of you? The one with a white and blue sign?”

Izuku looks for that and finds it on the street opposite of him, “Yeah, I do. Am I supposed to hide inside? Won’t any building do?”

“No, they’ll search everywhere eventually.”  she explains,  “But they don’t often check the roofs, it’ll be safer up there. I’m making my way there now, so when you see an opening make a break for it and get up.”

Izuku looks up at the building and pales, realising it is at least twenty floors high.

“I hope you love cardio, kid.”  the woman jokes, trying to insert some levity into the tense situation as Izuku sighs and braces himself.

***

Izuku gasps as he finally climbs up to the roof of the building. It turned out that apparently, the rooms on the inside were much bigger than they looked on the outside, so making it up was harder than he initially thought.

As he fell to his knees, exhausted by everything that was happening, a bottle of water was extended in front of him.

“Here, drink up.” the woman who was talking to him earlier orders as he looks up at her, eyes widening to find the same woman that came to the store a week ago! She was still dressed the same, but even with the mask on he could recognise her by the intensity in her eyes.

“Honestly, I didn't think I’d be seeing you again, especially in this place.” she says as Izuku takes the water from her gratefully and drinks it, “Didn’t I tell you to stay away from mirrors?”

“It was my laptop…” Izuku pants out before looking at her again, “You’re that woman…how did you get here?”

“Same way you did, at first at least.” she shrugs as she sat down to get on his eye level, “But after that, I found my own way in and out of this place. Honestly, if you ignore the fact that there are colonies of Shadows hunting for humans 24/7, it’s not a bad place to live.”

“...You live here?” Izuku asks, flabbergasted as he gazes at the strange inverted sky.

She shrugs again, “I only come out to get supplies and save folks like you that got dragged in. But this time it looks like you saved yourself, didn’t think I’d meet another Persona User like me.”

“Persona…?” Izuku mutters before realising what she meant. That Knight he summoned just now… the chains he broke…

“Who are you?” he asks as the woman stands up, “Are you a Hero?”

“Just some passerby.” she dismisses, “Call me Kaina. Now listen, there are only a couple ways to leave this place, but all of them are always guarded by Shadows. I’m going to do a little scouting to find us an exit, and then you’re going home. Sorry to say but if you’re like me, then it means you won’t be forgetting what happened like a bad dream. Tough luck.”

But before she can leave Izuku stops her, 

“Wait!” he pleads, causing her to stop, “There’s someone else here, a classmate, he went missing yesterday!”

“Another one?” Kaina mutters before realising, “Yeah, I think I know what you’re talking about. There was one that popped up almost twenty-four hours ago. Around here you can tell when someone gets dragged in, the sky cracks a little and you hear an echo of glass breaking. Sorry to break the news to you kid, but he’s as good as dead.”

Izuku freezes at the news, “What… how do you know?”

Kaina sighs and points to the distance, “Over there’s another colony of Shadows, smaller than this but they’re all grouped together in one building, and the one on top’s hidden deep inside so I can’t exactly snipe it. I’m not as good as I once was, so even with both my Quirk and Persona I wouldn’t make it far.”

“But he could still be alive?” Izuku asks and Kaina turns to him with a glare,

“Don’t get your hopes up kid, it just leads to disappointment.” she advises, “Look, most times Shadows don’t kill. They just feed off their victims leaving them husks…”

“Like in the newspaper.” Izuku realises as Kaina nods and continues,

“Precisely. It takes a while, usually weeks or even months, so there’s maybe a fifty-fifty chance he’s still alive.” she explains, “So wait for the Shadows to get their fill and toss him out. He may be a husk, but at least he’ll be alive. Maybe the hospitals or psychiatrists could fix him up.”

“...Has that ever happened?” Izuku asks doubtfully. Kaina pauses for a moment before reluctantly revealing the facts,

“No. Most husks choose to end their lives after they leave.” she explains to Izuku’s horror, “But it's the highest chance he has of making it out alive, even in the barest sense. And who knows, they may come up with something this time.”

“Not unless we save him.” Izuku points out, “You said it yourself! They don’t kill, they feed off humans, so there’s still a chance he’s alive!”

He gets up to his feet, ready to go looking for Katsuki when Kaina gives him a shove with an angry look in her eyes,

“Did you not hear a word I say? That place is crawling with Shadows, even if I fight my way through I’ll only barely make it to where their boss is. They aren’t your run-of-the-mill Shadows, each of them is on their own level. I can barely fight one off, let alone after fighting an entire colony!” she yells at him furious, “If there’s a way to get you both out, even without me, I’d take it! But there isn’t, so I’ll just focus on the one I can save instead of the one I can’t. Got it?!”

“...You said you can’t save him by yourself.” Izuku mutters and Kaina believes he is finally coming around only for his next words to shock her, “Then what if I help you?”

Kaina stares at him silently, her eyes wide before grabbing him by the collar of his shirt,

“Do you have a death wish or something?” Kaina looks at him furiously, “What, did I waste my time saving some suicidal dumbass? Don’t you have a family or something back home? Do you want to break their hearts by going on a suicide mission? Are you prepared to die that badly to save some classmate?”

“...I don’t know if I’m ready to die to save Kacchan.” Izuku replied honestly, “It’s not like we’re friends or anything. But I told myself if I ever had the power like I do right now, like this Persona thing, then I’d use it to be the Hero I always dreamed of being. A Hero that saves people with a smile on his face…”

How long has it been since he declared that with true belief in his own words? It felt almost strange for Izuku but this was different now. He had power now, whatever this Persona was, it was his power. How can he dare dream of being a Hero if he doesn’t try to save someone the chance he has?

Kaina stares at him in the eye, and while she sees fear she sees conviction as well. To her disbelief, this kid was serious about wanting to save his classmate. Those eyes of him burning 

“My god, you really are serious…” she mutters to herself like she couldn’t believe it. Gritting her teeth she paces in a circle before groaning and pinching the bridge of her nose, 

“Alright, fine!” Kaina exclaims in defeat, “I’ll take you to where I think your friend is, we’ll figure it out from there. But I hope you don’t regret it, kid. In case you die, just remember this, it was your choice.”

As Izuku nods, he recalls something he heard before. It felt familiar and unfamiliar at the same time like he heard it in a dream or something.

“I ask you to remember this, Izuku Midoriya, some advice.”  A voice echoes in his head as he remembers a bright light overwhelming him,  “I urge you to accept responsibility for your choices, no matter how they end. Good day.”

***

“There it is, the nest of a Shadow Colony. Nasty isn’t it?” Kaina asks as she peers over the edge of a roof at a familiar building covered in some sort of spiky dark crystallised matter with the occasional orb of yellow decorating it on the outside.

Meanwhile, Izuku was recovering from their method of travel, traversing through the rooftops was much harder than it looked, especially with the gaps sometimes being nearly too long for him to jump over.

However, Kaina had no such problem, manoeuvring with such ease it almost looked like she was out for a simple jog. No doubt she would’ve made it there in half the time it took if she didn’t have to stop and help Izuku along the way.

Izuku winces at the sight of the building, “Aldera Middle School…”

“You study here?” she asks and Izuku nods, “Then you’re probably familiar with the insides. Good, that’s another advantage. Now do you see the problem?”

“I do.” Izuku winces at the sight of numerous slime-like Shadows through the stained windows of the building, “There’s probably more on the inside then?”

“It’s bigger on the inside than you’d think.” Kaina grumbles, “So double or even triple what you’re thinking. Got any ideas on how to sneak it, it’s your school after all.”

Izuku looks nervous, “I’m… not sure really. I only went there for a bit more than a week.”

“Figures.” Kaina sighs as if bracing herself for something, “...I can buy you time then. Fire a few shots and grab as much attention as I can. Seeing a fresh human, they’ll go nuts and follow me. That’ll buy you time to search for your friend and find me a safe spot I can enter from. After that, I’ll keep their boss busy while you free your friend, and then we make a break for it. Clear?”

“So sneak in, find a way to get you in, find Kacchan, free him while you’re distracting the Shadows’ leader and then run?” he asks to clarify and Kaina nods,

“Good. Now just sit back, once you see Shadows stop leaving their nest, that’s your chance. And remember that comm piece you picked up earlier? Make sure to keep it with you at all times. If I don’t hear a response I’m assuming you’re dead and leaving. Am I clear?”

She asks with a cold and serious glare that has Izuku gulping, “Crystal clear…”

Kaina nods again and rolls up the sleeve of her right arm. Before Izuku could ask what she was doing, a long rifle barrel made of purple organic material emerged. As this happens, Kaina removes the black cap she was wearing revealing messy purple hair, pulling out a handful like it was clay and moulding them until they were in the shape of bullets.

“You… is that your Quirk?” Izuku asked as he stared in amazement, “It’s so cool.”

“Maybe.” she mutters unhappily as she loads a round, “And one last piece of advice. You’re not gonna get far fighting them physically. The weaker ones sure, they go out easy, but the stronger they are the less effects your Quirk and body will do.”

“Really?” Izuku asked nervous, not wanting to declare one of his crippling weaknesses at such a crucial time.

“Yeah, even with my Quirk it can only do so much.” she grumbles, “So you gotta use your Persona, but here’s my advice. All that wind stuff you were throwing around? Those special attacks drain your psyche quickly, so you want to use them in reserve.”

Izuku remembers how much his head was splitting after a few times using it, nodding in understanding, “Alright I got it.”

“You can have your Persona attack physically though. Looks to me like it can do some damage with that spear.” Kaina points out, “But with physical attacks, they drain your stamina instead. You’ll feel like you’re doing everything your Persona just did, like stabbing at a couple Shadows for example.”

“So special attacks drain my psyche, and physical attacks drain my stamina. I have to find a balance in using them carefully.” Izuku mutters to himself.

“That’s what I’d do.” Kaina nods, “But there’s also no shame in running past your enemies, or hiding until they go away. Remember, this is a rescue operation, not an extermination. Got that?”

“I’ll only fight if I have to.” Izuku nods before bowing to Kaina’s surprise, “Thank you very much for helping me out like this! I can’t thank you enough, Miss Kaina.”

“...” the woman stares at him surprised by his thanks before turning away, “Just get ready for your opening.”

Without further ado, she leaps over the edge of the roof, firing as she jumps. A few Shadows lounging outside were suddenly hit with bullets made of her hair, destroying them in an instant. This gets the attention of more Shadows, turning their heads towards Kaina who lands on the street.

“Hey boys, would you look at this!” she calls out towards them, “Fresh human meat delivered right on a silver platter! Come and get it!”

Immediately a wave of Shadows began surging out of the school’s entrance, directed towards Kaina as she made a mad dash away from them, leading them further and further from the school. Just as Izuku was readying to make his way down (through the fire exit since there was no way his knees were surviving the jump), a voice spoke from behind him.

“Leaping into the unknown in such a state? Bold, or possibly stupid.”

Izuku turns around in surprise to find a figure in a tattered, dark cloak with a hood that covers their face only revealing piercing red eyes. In arms wrapped with bandages was a large tome with black leather cover and ember runes engraved on its cover and binder.

“Who are you?” he asks in worry, wondering if he is in for a fight when the figure raises a hand.

“Peace. I merely wish to inquire if you sincerely wish to dive into a nest of Shadows." The figure says while pointing behind Izuku, “No matter how many fled in chase of your comrade, there are bound to be some remaining. Do you think because you have the power of Persona that you can face them?”

“What?” Izuku asks, alarmed that this figure knows what power he possesses, “How did you-?”

“How I know is irrelevant.” they wave off his question, “I ask again, do you wish to dive into this pit of despair armed with merely your Persona and bare hands? Or perhaps you would wish for something additional to add to your arsenal? Something to aid you in your quest?”

The figure opens the tome, ember runes glowing with power as suddenly weapons of all kinds materialise out of thin air, surrounding them.

Knives and swords of all makes, bows and arrows, maces, shields and more hovered with orange auras. Izuku takes a step back and glances at all of them confused,

“I offer my services to you.” the figure bows slightly, “These are weapons I possess in my ledger. The ones I am willing to part for free of course, can’t give you the good stuff right off the bat.”

They chuckle as Izuku stares at the weapons in confusion, “So… you want to give me a weapon? Why?”

The figure nods in respect, “Smart to ask. Consider this a trial run of sorts, to see if you are worthy of my continued services. Inside this nest is a strong foe that shall prove challenging. Bring me proof of your victory, and I shall expand my selection of wares for future purchases.”

“Proof of victory?” Izuku mutters as his eyes go back and forth between the wide selection of weaponry, “And why do you think I’ll need to buy more things from you?”

“Perhaps because of your peculiar fate? All will be clear in time.” the figure says before gesturing again, “Now choose. Or do you wish to head in empty-handed, young wanderer?”

Izuku pauses in thought before nodding. It would be better if he went in with at least one weapon so he could defend himself if he was unable to use his Persona. 

Should he use a sword? No, he has no training at all with bladed weapons so the best he could do was swing them like bats. A bow and arrow would be even harder. He thought of going for a mace or hammer until his eyes set on a pair of metal knuckle dusters.

If he needs a weapon, he should pick something he is at least proficient at. Taking them from the selection, he slides them on to find they are a perfect fit. He gives them a few practice punches as the figure nods.

“An intriguing choice. I expected a blade, the weapon of heroes.” The figure strokes their chin beneath their hood, “But an excellent choice nonetheless. May they prove useful in bringing you victory, young traveller. For now, I bid you a good day and good luck in your conquest.”

“Wait!” Izuku calls out as the figure begins fading away in a thick fog, “I still have questions!”

“And I have answers to share… for the next time we meet.” the figure tips their hood, “Farewell, young traveller.”

The mysterious figure disappears, along with the weapons that they were displaying. Looking around for any signs and finding none, he turns his attention back to the nest, now a bit more confident with weapons in his hands.

“Hang on Kacchan, it’s going to be fine now.” he mutters to himself for courage as he looks at the corrupted image of his school, “Because I am here.”

Chapter Text

Izuku roars as he punches right through a Shadow in his path, the strength of his blow aided by the knuckle dusters shatters the mask-wearing slime Shadow, destroying it instantly. Instead of staying behind to face the other four Shadows lingering at the entrance, Izuku chose to run past once he had an opening.

The Shadows chased after him, snapping at his heels but Izuku was able to keep ahead of them. These Shadows were slow compared to him so he was easily able to cut a corner and hide in an empty room while the Shadows ran by, thinking he was still ahead of them.

Once they were gone, Izuku peeked his head out of the classroom to check if the coast was clear before proceeding. He carefully tiptoed his way through the maze of halls that was this warped reflection of Aldera, stepping through cracked floors with roots of black crystallised material growing out of the floor, barely lit up by the glowing yellow orbs sparsely decorating them.

Like Kaina had said, this place was not as it seemed from the outside. The hallways were unlike the original which he was starting to get used to, instead being twists and turns like a labyrinth that defied the shape and size it had on the outside.

He takes the wrong turn and instead of a staircase leading upstairs, he runs into a group of those slime Shadows patrolling the halls. They lashed out with their hands as Izuku raised his arms to defend himself, yelling in pain as the surprisingly sharp claws flayed his flesh.

Izuku backed up and grasped his injured arms, prepared to run the other way when another pack of them blocked his exit. Dripping  from cracks in the ceiling before reforming, they were drawn in by his screams of pain.

Gritting his teeth he looks around to find an exit, only to realise he was now surrounded. He might fight his way out with bare hands, but if even a single scratch can do this much damage to him then it was risky at best. He needed his Persona.

As he thinks this, blue chains are generated and formed around his body. Knowing instantly what he needs to do, he grips them hard and pulls, shattering them like they were made of sugar glass.

“Don Quixote!” He calls forth his Persona, the knight emerging from the fragments of the shattered chains and taking a guard stance. Now with his back covered he at least had a chance.

As Don Quixote stabs at the Shadows behind him, Izuku charges at the three Shadows before him with arms raised. This time he was prepared, backstepping when a Shadow leaps at him with claws swinging wildly, before delivering a powerful strike that shatters its mask and punches through it instantly.

These Shadows were pretty dangerous with their claws but were also weak in terms of durability which added to Izuku’s chance. However, while his attention was on the first Shadow, the two others didn’t wait for their turn and rushed at him while he was distracted.

One tries clawing at his legs but Izuku steps on it before turning to the last one, unfortunately a second too late as it scratches his right leg, forcing him to his knees and was prepared to strike at his face if Izuku’s fist had not been faster.

Behind him Don Quixote was having an easier time, slicing and stabbing with his spear, wiping out twice the Shadows he was facing. His job was done, and the Persona was dismissed, fading away and leaving Izuku bleeding in the hallway.

He now understands what Kaina had been talking about, the fatigue he was feeling now feels tripled as if he had done all the work Don Quixote had. The bleeding certainly wasn’t helping matters, his breath accelerating at the sight of his blood leaking out despite applying pressure on his arms’ wounds.

This place was dangerous… but he had no choice but to continue forward. If Katsuki was here then he had to get him out quick before the Shadows were done with him. But as he was about to get up, screeches of more Shadows could be heard echoing around the halls.

***

“Kid?” Kaina’s voice came through the comm piece she had given him as Izuku sat leaning against the walls of the janitor’s room on the second floor, “I led them on a merry chase, but I think they got bored and went home. Trying to make it there before they can, found me an entry point yet?”

“I… I think so…” Izuku pants as he looks out of the window leading into the room, “Janitor room on the second floor… There’s no Shadows on the outside so I think it’s safe…”

“Are you alright, kid?” Kaina asks in concern after hearing how exhausted he sounded.

“...No.” Izuku answers after a moment of hesitation, looking at the torn sleeve of the green jacket he used to bind his wounds, blood still leaking out despite his best efforts, “I’m bleeding… a lot actually…”

“...I’m almost there, just hang tight. You’re gonna be alright, kid.” Kaina assures as he hears her start running faster, “Where’s the room you’re talking about?”

“I don’t know.” Izuku tries to keep his breathing under control. All he was concerned about when he was running from the Shadows was just keeping ahead of them and finding a safe place. From all the twists and turns in this unfamiliar labyrinth, he lost track of which direction he was facing.

“I’m sorry.” he apologises before wincing as the pain in his wounds flared again.

“That’s fine, don’t worry.” Kaina keeps assuring him, “You have a phone, don’t you? Flash some light from the window, I’ll keep an eye out for it.”

Izuku grunts and pulls his smartphone out, turning on the flashlight and pointing it outside the window, hoping it was bright enough to get Kaina’s attention. It took a few minutes and for a moment Izuku felt dread until her voice was heard again.

“I see it. Can you get it open?” Kaina says and Izuku pushes himself up, unlocking the window and sliding it up. A moment later, a grappling hook made of homemade material was thrown into the room, hooking on the edges of the window as Kaina climbed through with a backpack slung over her shoulder.

“Sorry I’m late, had to grab some equipment on the way.” she says before looking at the condition Izuku was in, “God, they got you bad didn’t they?”

“I can’t stop the bleeding…” Izuku says, trying to keep the panic out of his voice as Kaina bends down, pulling out bandages from her bag.

“Yeah, you’re not doing it right.” she mutters as she unbinds Izuku’s hastily improvised wrappings, using proper bandages and wrapping them tightly, “You’re lucky it didn’t get an artery, or you’d have been killed in two minutes or less.”

Izuku pales at that as Kaina tends to his wounds, before pulling out a green vial with writing on it he couldn’t read, similar to the signs he saw passing through the Mirror World.

“Here, drink this.” she insists and he doesn’t argue as she pours it down his throat, swallowing the bitter liquid.

To his surprise, he feels better upon drinking it. The pain fading and although the wounds weren’t completely closing he felt them closer compared to how gaping it felt initially.

“What was that…?” he mutters in awe while flexing his arms to test their movement.

“Mirror World medicine.” Kaina explains, “Sometimes items get reflected as well, you can find them lying around. Kinda like those knuckle dusters you got, right?”

She gestures to the weapons in Izuku’s hands as he remembers the strange figure that gave them to him.

“Yeah…” Izuku decides now isn’t the time for that mystery and just nods his head.

“And sometimes so do items we bring into the Mirror World.” Kaina continues her explanation, “Why did you think I bought all those supplies the first time we met?”

“...Honestly, I thought you were some crazy lady.” Izuku admits with an embarrassed look, “Sorry.”

She shrugs, “Don’t blame you. Now, have you found your friend yet?”

Izuku shakes his head in disappointment, “No I didn’t. This place is very different from what I imagined. It’s like a maze instead of a school.”

Kaina grimaces, “Like I said, this place is a deathtrap. Nests are almost impossible to map out, and with the numbers, they are almost impossible to clear out. If you wanna save your friend still then we got at best fifteen minutes, ten at worst, before the other half I lured away comes back.”

“But we can’t search the entire building in ten minutes!” Izuku says alarmed, “And we can’t go back, who knows if they’ll fall for the same trick next time!”

Kaina raises her hands to silence Izuku, “Good thing I’m here then. My Persona’s not just good for combat, but it has some other skills as well. I might not be able to see them, but I can get a feeling of the Shadows now that I’m inside.”

“You can tell where Kacchan is?” Izuku’s eyes widened in surprise as she shook her head.

“Not exactly, but I can guess.” she explains, “I’m getting powerful signatures coming from the first floor. I can guess that’s probably where the strongest Shadow is at, and probably where your friend’s at.”

“Why would you think that?” Izuku asks, wondering why they would be at the same place.

“Because the top dog always gets the first bite and biggest portion.” Kaina says with her eyes looking away, “I see it all the time with the people I’ve rescued. Could never beat one on my own, only grab and run… Success varies even with that strategy.”

Izuku understands what she meant with the look of guilt in her eyes. Even if they grabbed Katsuki and avoided combat, there was a chance of not making it out alive.

But before he can say anything, Kaina ruffles his hair, “But don’t worry yourself over this. There are two of us here, so you can grab this Kacchan guy and run while I hold the big one back.”

“But you’ll-!” Izuku’s eyes widened at the thought of leaving her behind but she could feel her smile behind her face mask, 

“Relax kid, I’ve been in tougher spots.” she assures Izuku, “Just get your friend out, and head West. You’ll find a building I marked with a big red ‘X’. It’s one of my safehouses, you’ll find your way out there.”

“...Are you really not a Hero?” Izuku asks quietly. There was no way that she wasn’t. The look in her eyes matches those of Heroes he’s seen in the past, resolute and determined.

Kaina’s eyes shifted at those words, looking full of bitterness and regret now as she avoided his eyes.

“I don’t think I ever was.”

Her answer confuses Izuku as she stands up and offers him a hand, “Now we got a kid to rescue, are you good to go or not?”

Izuku nods, questions and answers could wait for later. Accepting her hands, he gets back onto his feet.

“Of course I am.”

***

The two of them sneak their way back to the first floor of the nest, carefully but quickly to get out before the rest of the Shadows return. Kaina made sure to guide Izuku on how to sneak past some Shadows that were blocking their way, and how to carefully step to make the least sound possible.

“As long as you don’t make too much noise like running or shouting, Shadows won’t notice you.” she whispers while picking up a stray piece of dark crystalised matter, and chucking it down another hall to get the Shadows’ attention, “They’re pretty stupid as well. If they can’t see prey they’ll hunt by sound, but their hearing is terrible.”

After passing through the blocked corridor they find themselves approaching an area that Izuku found very familiar.

“The gym.” he grimaces at the sight as they hid behind a corner, two Shadows standing by the entrance. But there was something different about them, red auras glowing around them making them feel dangerous to Izuku.

“Red Shadows, that’s what I call them.” Kaina explains sounding worried, “They’re often leading smaller packs of Shadows. Tough and better discipline, meaning they follow orders pretty well. They’re ordered to stand guard, meaning they won’t be lured away. We gotta take them down.”

“How? You said they’re stronger.” Izuku asks concerned as Kaina reaches into her bag, surprising Izuku by pulling out bottles of alcohol with rags attached to the tip, “Are those molotovs?!”

“Shh!” she warns as the Red Shadows glance their way, but they hide just in time. Glaring at Izuku she continued explaining while lighting them on fire, “Yeah, they are. The Shadows in this district are pretty weak against fire as I found out. My Persona doesn’t have fire, and neither does yours I assume?”

Izuku shakes his head as Kaina hands him one, “Here. Once they get hit, they’re usually staggered and defenceless after that, so we use that chance to jump them. Save your Persona, at that state even basic weapons can do a lot of damage. Got that?”

Izuku nods as the two ready their own bottles, before turning around the corner and throwing them. Caught by surprise, the Red Shadows didn’t have time to react before the bottles shattered and their contents were set ablaze.

Like Kaina said, the Red Shadows screech as the flames burn their dark flesh, going almost limp. Both of them then charged, with Izuku targeting the first one with a barrage of punches. Once sufficiently weekend, Kaina used her Quirk and fired a bullet that pierced through the first Shadow’s mask and struck the Red Shadow behind it. The shot cracks its mask, allowing Izuku to finish it with a single powerful strike to the head.

“Not bad. Not bad at all.” Kaina praises as she watches the Shadows dissolve, leaving behind only broken masks. Izuku breathes quickly from the exertion, catching his breath and rubbing his sore hands, “First time fighting, kid?”

“Kinda.” he shrugs, “I was in the boxing club once, but got kicked out.”

“Really? What for?” Kaina asks out of curiosity and Izuku looks down, almost embarrassed.

“I beat up three of my classmates.” he says before quickly adding, “They were bullying this other kid, I had to step in! But the teachers didn’t like that, and I got expelled.”

“Well, at least this means you’re accustomed to fighting with terrible odds.” Kaina shrugs before gesturing at the door to the gym, “Because behind that door are some pretty bad odds.”

“I’ll be ready.” Izuku nods determined as Kaina pushes the door open. The two of them walk inside the large gymnasium, far larger than Izuku last remembered. But what caught his attention was the one in the centre of the room, on his knees with chains binding his arms and pinning him down.

“Kacchan?!” Izuku shouts and is about to approach when Kaina suddenly grabs and pulls him back. Right where he was standing, a pillar of fire suddenly bursts out nearly incinerating him. Izuku pales at the sight, feeling the heat scald his skin from the proximity.

Even Kaina was intimidated by such an attack, even among the few Shadows she faced that led Colonies this was on another level.

“What the hell’s that ruckus?” a familiar voice was heard as a Shadow manifested behind Katsuki Bakugou, matching his appearance save for having paler blonde hair and glowing red eyes, “Intruders? The fuck I keep those lapdogs around for then?”

“That’s the Shadow…” Kaina mutters under her breath, “But those chains… You’re telling me this kid has the potential too?”

“Potential?” Izuku whispers back at Kaina.

“Don’t you remember?” Kaina asks, “When you woke up here in chains, and some copy of you talking shit? It happened to me too, and looks like this kid as well.”

“And look who it is!” Shadow Katsuki laughs in recognition as his eyes land on Izuku, “It’s the nerd! Are you seeing this?!”

With a flick of his hand, the chains wrap around Katsuki’s body and force his head up like it was a puppet, “Useless Deku’s come to save you, can you believe it? Holy shit, as if once wasn’t enough. How pathetic do you have to be to have some Quirkless dumbass take pity on you, you little shit?!”

Spinning around, Shadow Katsuki delivers a vicious backhand against Katsuki’s cheek, leaving a deep bruise as he glares at Izuku.

“Fuck… fuck off you little dipshit!” he roars, “Get the fuck out now! I’ll take care of this cheap copy my-!”

With another flick of his fingers Shadow Katsuki forces the chains to smash Katsuki’s face into the dirt, “Sheesh, that’s how you speak to someone trying to rescue you? No wonder you don’t have any friends. No, it’s just the great Katsuki Bakugou against the world, isn’t it? And quit calling me a copy damn it, how many times do I have to explain things?”

Shadow Katsuki raises the barely conscious Katsuki’s head once more and jabs a finger at his forehead to punctuate his words, “I. Am. You. And you are I, simple as that. Would’ve thought the top student in Aldera could easily figure it out, but nope!”

“Let him go!” Izuku demands after a stunned silence at how brutal the Shadow was being to Katsuki. This was nothing compared to how his Shadow treated him, and then its words played back in Izuku’s head,

“When I say they aren’t as nice as I am, I was severely understating it.”

Shadow Katsuki snaps back to glare at Izuku, sending chills down his spine from the killing intent.

“Stay in your place, Deku.” it growls before stomping Katsuki’s head into the ground again, “I’ll be done in a moment, just sit tight won’t you?”

“Shit, I don’t remember getting my ass kicked by my own Shadow.” Kaina mutters in surprise, not expecting this at all, “Hey dumbass, are you trying to kill yourself? What about the whole ‘I am Thou’ thing? Won’t killing him mean killing you?”

Shadow Katsuki cackles, “Come on, you really think I’ll go that far? This is just tough love!”

He kicks Katsuki down and stomps on him again repeatedly, “It’s the only way this piece of shit will learn, won’t it ‘Kacchan’?! But if you wanna die that badly that’s fine with me! I'll just absorb you and keep on living!”

“...But then what will happen to him? The real one.” Izuku asks, not liking the implications.

“Did I give you permission to speak, Deku?” Shadow Katsuki glares with a wicked smile, “But since you wanna interrupt so badly, go ahead-!”

A gunshot rings out as Kaina quickly engages her Quirk, loads a bullet and fires before Shadow Katsuki can finish the sentence. Its head whips backwards but then instead of falling over, it twists its head back into position, smiling at Kaina with a bullet between its teeth.

It spits the bullet out before wiping its mouth, “Heh, cocky bitch, aren’t you? I have no time to play with you, but I guess I can let the dogs out to play.”

With a snap of his finger, a Shadow manifests and before them stood one that was larger than either of them. It wore a jester-like hat with long flowing robes and one of the masks that all Shadows so far seemed to wear. Two giant hands wrapped around its body as it floated in the air, staring at them.

“Kid, dodge now!” Kaina shouts, her battle-hardened instincts warning her of something dangerous. 

Izuku hesitates, not knowing where to dodge and what is coming, but Kaina pushes him away in time before a glacier erupts from where Izuku and Kaina were just standing. She pulls him by the arm as he stumbles, the Shadow hovering in the air as it summoned an array of icicles circling behind it like a halo before launching themselves at high speed.

She pushes Izuku away at the time she throws herself in the opposite direction, avoiding most of the icicles except for one that almost strikes her head, tearing off her face mask.

“Shit! That thing’s just as strong as any other Colony leader…” she curses before getting back on her feet just as the Shadow was charging an ice blast. But before it could be released, a blast of green wind energy strikes it, knocking it back a few feet as it turns its attention to Izuku.

“Hey! I’m over, you… er… dumb, ugly clown!” he shouts, trying to distract it.

Irritated by him, the Shadow turns his attention and fires a beam of ice towards Izuku who tries countering with Don Quixote’s Garu. Unfortunately, a single blast of wind does nothing as the ice beam washes over both of them, dispersing the Persona and freezing the lower half of Izuku’s body.

As it was about to finish off Izuku, Kaina used the time granted to charge up her Rifle Quirk, the barrel bulging with kinetic energy build-up before releasing, firing a single shot with speed and force stronger than most anti-material rifles. 

The bullet pierces through the Shadow, but instead of dealing heavy damage like presumed, it seems to look unfazed by the shot and turns its attention to Kaina.

“Damn, looks like it's resistant to piercing attacks.” she mutters before withdrawing her Quirk, “Guess I’ll have to bring him out then.”

Chains manifest around her right arm as she gripped them tight, with the Shadow charging another ice attack, “Heed my call… Hodr!”

The chains were pulled and shattered, and from behind Kaina a male figure dressed in grey robes with armour reminiscent of Norse Vikings worn over it. Bound around his eyes was a blindfold and in his hands a curved wooden longbow with an arrow made of mistletoe nocked.

“Eiga!” Kaina orders as the Persona draws the mistletoe arrow back, black and red energy swirling around it before it fires, the arrow travelling at high speeds towards the Shadow’s mask. This time the attack staggers it, forcing it back and dealing noticeable damage.

“Kid, catch!” she shouts while throwing something at Izuku. 

Despite the freezing cold, he was able to catch some kind of smooth stone with red runes engraved into it. Upon contact he suddenly feels warmer as the ice around him was melted away, freeing him.

“What…” he mutters confused before Kaina urges him,

“Go!” she shouts while Hodr draws another mistletoe arrow, “I’ll hold it off! Try getting to your friend, if he tames his Shadow he can get out of here!”

“I’m not leaving you, Kaina!” Izuku declares as he summons his chains again to shatter, “If we fight together, we can beat it!”

Before Kaina can respond, the hands surrounding the Shadow unfurl, performing a sweeping gesture that creates gusts of ice-cold wind that blasted them back.

“Persona!” Izuku calls out and tears the chains of his body, summoning Don Quixote again, generating his own blast of wind to counter the Shadow’s. It brought them only a brief relief as Don Quixote struggled to sustain his blast, each second draining Izuku’s psyche.

But the opening created by the clash of the wind blast was what Kaina needed, channelling her Persona once more as she chanted.

“Rakunda…” she mutters as indigo energy swirls around her opponent, the defence of the Shadow weakening as Hodr draws another arrow, “Eiga!”

The dark-infused arrow pierces through the Shadow once more but despite the additional damage it was still not doing anything but chip away at it. Still, it forces the Shadow to stop its blast of ice wind.

“Scatter!” Kaina orders as both she and Izuku make a break for it in separate directions to split its attention. Deciding to target the weakest one first, it focuses its attention towards Izuku and starts summoning glaciers from beneath Izuku who was barely dodging.

He directs his Persona to charge full speed. Icicles were launched once more but Don Quixote weaves between them and bats away them with his spear and shield, before leaping into the air to cleave with his spear.

But the Shadow intercepts, blocking the spear with one of the giant hands before using the other to clap hard, crushing the Persona.

Izuku staggers and trips, the exhaustion of using his Persona catching up with him. But before the Shadow can take advantage of this, Kaina leaps on top of the now-exposed Shadows, clinging onto its jester hat.

“Persona!” she shatters the chains around her right arm once more, Hodr appearing on top and nocks two arrows before firing at point blank. As Kaina and the Shadow struggle, Izuku pants while pushing himself off the floor.

Even with this power, he was still this weak? He can’t leave a scratch on this Shadow, instead of the two of them fighting together it was more Kaina fighting it while trying to keep Izuku safe. Even with power, he was still useless…

As Hodr continues unleashing barrages of arrows, the Shadow uses two of its giant hands to grapple it before throwing it off, causing it to shatter to pieces as Kaina feels the backlash of all the physical exertion her Persona did on her behalf.

Weakened, she was easily thrown off, landing next to Izuku. The two of them lay there weakened as the Shadow looms over them. 

Izuku’s panting accelerates at this, caused by the fear he is feeling. The fear of death, never to go home and see his family again. The fear of failure, knowing if they die then it wasn’t just his parents that would mourn but Katsuki’s as well. And the fear that Kaina will die, a woman only here because of his request.

The Shadow prepares to finish them off, and with the last bit of energy she has, Kaina throws herself in front of Izuku, closing her eyes and bracing herself. Izuku’s eyes widened at the sight of this as time almost slowed to a halt for him.

“If there’s a way to get you both out, even without me, I’d take it!”

Kaina… She says otherwise but she was a real Hero, wasn’t she? Leaping in to protect others, unafraid of death, with a drive to save as many people as she could. How long had she been in this Mirror World, fighting to save people from the Shadows just by herself?

She was a true Hero… He was just someone playing Hero, compared to the likes of her.

And now she was going to die to save him…

No!

He refuses! If she can still fight, then so can he! The Shadow was overwhelmingly powerful but it was slower than both of them, he just needed more speed! More power! More skills!

He needs more…

“Now you get it…”

A voice echoes in his head. The familiar voice of his Shadow, his self-proclaimed Greed, emerged from the depths of his mind.

“Now you begin to understand your power! Your potential!” the voice says louder as something deep in Izuku’s soul resonates, “I am Thou! Thou art I! With this new bond of yours you grow closer to throwing off your shackles, one step closer towards freedom! The Arcana of the Tower… shout its name from the depth of your heart, and bring forth this new power!”

“Yes…” Izuku’s eyes glowed blue as he pushed himself to stand up, chains wrapping themselves around his body once more. But instead of Don Quixote, something else was in his mind as the chains shattered, 

“Cu Chulainn!”

A powerful and large icicle launches at them as Kaina braces for death, but instead, something rushes forward at near-blistering speeds, thrusting out a silver spear that shatters the ice in a single blow. But it wasn’t Don Quixote that did the deed…

“I heed your summon and respond in kind…” an Irish man dressed in silver armour twirls his spear before standing in front of the two defensively, “I am Thou. Thou art I. From now on I place my spear, Gáe Bulg, in your service!”

Chapter Text

“Zio!” Izuku chants as Cu Chulainn thrusts his spear into the air, a bolt of lightning striking from above and shocking the large Shadow. Yellow electricity coursed its body as it became unable to move for the moment.

“A second Persona…” Kaina looked at the figure, stunned at the sight before shaking her head, “Got any more tricks up your sleeve, kid?”

“I’m not sure how long I can maintain it…” Izuku pants from exhaustion before Kaina chucks something at him from her bag. Catching it, he realises it was a bottle of iced coffee.

“It’ll take the edge off.” she explains before summoning her chains and snapping them, “Now let’s take it from the top then. Hodr!”

The Persona resurfaces and fires off multiple arrows rapidly, sacrificing power for speed and turning it into a pincushion. As it does this, Izuku has Cu Chulainn take stabs at it with its spear, attacking with such speed that was above Don Quixote’s.

But once the electricity wears off, the Shadow roars in agony as it reaches out with both giant hands to swat them away with blasts of icy wind. 

“Sukukaja.” Izuku chants as a green aura emit around Cu Chulainn, disappearing in a blur before appearing right in front of the exposed Shadow, “Now!”

At his command, the Persona thrusts his spear repeatedly with speed and power akin to that of a machine gun while at the same time, Hodr flanks it with a barrage of mistletoe arrows. Despite its resistance towards physical attacks, the sheer volume of attacks from both Personas meant that eventually its defence was overwhelmed and something critical was struck.

A spear through the throat later and the Shadow falls on its back, defenceless and wide open. Seizing this opportunity Kaina glances at Izuku, and when their eyes meet the two immediately agree on the next course of action.

Both charged in with their weapons and Quirk respectively, ready to take advantage of its vulnerability when a voice interrupted them.

“Maragion.”  Shadow Katsuki chants with a snap of his fingers, summoning two flaming orbs the size of basketballs, speeding towards the two humans much too fast to avoid in time. Even the Shadow they were fighting was caught in the blast, incinerated from the flames.

Waves of fire cover half of the stadium, catching everyone in the blast radius as it goes up in flames.

“Deku!” Katsuki shouts in shock at the sight as his Shadow laughs.

“What? Is that concern in your voice?”  Shadow Katsuki chuckles,  “Where has that been all this time?”

“You son of a bitch…” Katsuki growls before the flame dies, his Shadow raising a brow.

“Well, what do we have here?”  she chuckles at the sight of Kaina with her body thrown over Izuku’s to shield his body.

“Ugh…” Izuku groans as he regains consciousness, the explosion of flames having knocked him out a bit, realising who was on top of him, “Kaina? Kaina!!”

He shakes her trying to wake her up as he looks at her scorched back. Third-degree burns covered her and she was passed out from the agonising pain. He feels sick just looking at the sight, quickly getting her off him and searching her bag for the same medicine she had given him.

“Reminds you of old times doesn’t it, Deku?”  the Shadow taunts as Izuku searches the contents of the spilt open bag, pouring half a bottle of medicine on the burns and the other half into her mouth. To his relief he sees the wounds begin to heal, although not completely and Kaina has yet to regain consciousness. 

“You getting your ass kicked, needing to run away and get someone to help you.”  Shadow Katsuki chuckles as he approaches Izuku and the unconscious Kaina,  “Even with your Persona you’re still pathetic Deku. And this bitch was even more pathetic! What was she thinking, giving her life for someone like you?”

“You…” Izuku growls in anger, seeing red as the Shadow continues his taunting, grabbing his chains and shattering them, “Cu Chulainn!”

“That’s how you want to play it, huh?”  Shadow Katsuki grins before snapping his fingers. Immediately the chains surrounding Katsuki were loosened to free him before they were used to manipulate his body like a marionette,  “Then let’s play…”

In a flash, Katsuki was forced to activate his Quirk, launching him towards Izuku and his Persona. Hesitating, Izuku instead chooses to dodge as Katsuki swings an arm and delivers an explosive punch that nearly takes his head off.

“Kacchan!” Izuku shouts as he dodges and avoids the wild explosive-propelled swings, “Stop it! You need to fight this!”

“You dumbass, what do you think I’m doing?!” Katsuki roars in frustration as his body moves on its own, “Just get lost, you Quirkless bastard! I’ll handle this by myself! I don’t need a useless Deku trying to help me damn it!”

Izuku grits his teeth as a haymaker comes right at him, but he raises a hand to block it before returning a punch across Katsuki’s cheek, “Are you  serious  right now?!”

Aided by the knuckledusters, his punch was able to get through Katsuki’s naturally durable skin and stun him enough for a blow to the guts, “It’s always like this with you, even back then! You and your damn pride! I’m trying to help you and you’re still on my ass for being Quirkless?! What’s wrong with you damn it?!”

But it was a feint, Katsuki’s chains forced him forward and grabbed the arm Izuku used to punch, activating his Quirk at the same time and delivering the explosions point blank. 

Izuku screams in pain as the heat burns his skin and the force breaks his bones, commanding Cu Chulainn to bat Katsuki away as he checks the damage, wincing at the sight of his mauled left arm.

“You still haven’t figured it out haven’t you?”  Shadow Katsuki laughs as he continues puppeting Katsuki to fight Izuku,  “Katsuki Bakugou can never accept help from anyone, that would be showing weakness. How can he be weak? He’s born with such a great Quirk. He’s so talented, so smart, so skilled, so strong, so fucking perfect isn’t he?”

With a twitch of his fingers, Katsuki leaps at Izuku and blasts him with another point-blank explosion that Izuku blocked with Cu Chulainn, however the attack shatters the Persona leaving Izuku open for another swing to his stomach.

“But then you happened, Deku.”  Shadow Katsuki growls and says sarcastically,  “Oh just had to come in and start showing pity for the poor guy. How could he handle such a thing, what a poor child? Boo hoo, useless Deku showed pity on me so that must mean I’m the most pathetic thing in the universe.”

“What…?” Izuku mutters confused before Katsuki leaps at him again with explosions used to propel him. He didn’t want to hurt Katsuki too badly and thus refrained from using his Persona, but he wasn’t going far with his pure physical skills so he had no choice. He can only hope Kaina had more medicine stashed away somewhere,

“Persona!” he breaks his chains again and Cu Chulainn emerges, “Zio!”

As the Persona charges, Katsuki is forced to use his explosions to propel himself over it, however, Cu Chulainn is faster and spits around to intercept, striking Katsuki with a spear augmented with electricity and sending him flying.

“Now you… If I take you down, he’ll be free, right?” Izuku mutters looking towards the Shadow who wore a look of amusement.

“Is that what you think?”  Shadow Katsuki smirked before its flesh turned ink black and looked like it was melting as its voice became more distorted,  “Then show me how much the useless Deku has grown in the past ten years.”

The Shadow reforms into another shape, with a glowing red aura similar to that of the blue aura emitted by Personas. To his surprise, it appeared to be a female dressed in orange and gold robes, with the head of a female lion. Hovering behind it was a small orange sun, and in her hands was an amulet in the shape of the ankh with a sceptre in the other.

“Witness my true form…”  it roars as she raises the sceptre, the sun behind it flaring with power,  “Witness the wrath of Sekhmet, the Eye of Ra!”

“Sukukaja!” Izuku chants once more before his Persona grabs him, pulling him aside as Sekmet blasts beams of fire strong enough to incinerate the floor.

Sekhmet remains unimpressed before waving her sceptre again, summoning a minefield of fire orbs in front of Izuku and Cu Chulainn, forcing them to desperately dodge to avoid setting them off.

When they detonated, Cu Chulainn shattered from taking the brunt of the blow. Even with that, the force of the explosions was still enough to send Izuku flying into a wall" He forces himself back up, grabbing his chains just as Sekhmet charges three orbs of fire that grow larger by the second.

“Don… Quixote…!” Izuku snaps the chains as the Knight Errant leaps forward, blasting Garu to counter the fire orbs just as they were launched. But instead of impacting, the orbs of flames split up into multiple smaller missiles and home into Izuku. 

Izuku was barely able to have Don Quixote blast him away with Garu in time to evade the swarm of fire missiles, blowing up the portion of the wall as Izuku landed roughly in the middle of the wrecked gym.

“Cu… Cu Chulainn!” Izuku struggled to bring out the Persona, forcing it to charge at Sekhmet as it deflected the fireballs launched at him with extreme precision.

“Why go so far to save such a wretched child?”  Sekhmet asks as it raises its ankh emblem, manifesting a yellow energy shield. The moment Cu Chulainn’s spear thrust forward and made contact, Izuku coughed out blood as he felt a sharp pain in his abdomen.

He looks down and to his horror, he sees a growing stain of red, like something sharp had pierced him. It hits him that Cu Chulainn’s attack has been reflected back at him.

“He holds nothing but disdain for you.”  Sekhmet or Shadow Katsuki continues, their voices distorting and overlapping,  “Nothing but hate at the pity you’ve shown him since you fished him out of that shallow river as a child.”

“What?” Izuku asks before remembering what it was talking about.

A decade ago when they were playing… He remembers Katsuki falling off a log they were using as a bridge, falling into the shallow river and hitting his head… He remembers rushing down and asking if he was alright, only to be pushed away… That was when the bullying began until he moved away.

“That was why?” he mutters as he turns to face Katsuki who is starting to move again with the electricity wearing off.

“What did you expect?”  the Shadow asked,  “He hates you for pitying him so much he rather threw away the bond you two shared in order to assert his power. Because he was afraid of being weak, he tormented those weaker than him. Are you willing to risk your life over him?”

“...I don’t know.” Izuku grunted as the pain was starting to get to him despite the adrenaline, it was all he could do just to stand straight, “But it’s what a Hero would do…”

So that was why he lost one of the only friends he had? Because he didn’t want to be seen as weak? Because he hated that? What did he think Izuku felt then?! Every time someone overpowered him with their Quirk, every time he saw a Hero accomplish miraculous things with their Quirks, every time he dreamed his impossible dream of being a Hero… He hated being weak more than anyone. Did Katsuki think that he wouldn’t be able to understand that?!

His head aches once more, but it wasn’t a different type of ache than overusing his Persona…

“Back again aren’t you?”  the voice of his Shadow echoes in his head,  “As you begin to understand him, as you risk your life to save him, you begin to form a new bond… or rather, repair one that was broken so long ago…”

Izuku forced himself to straighten his body, glaring defiantly at the Shadow before him who looked slightly impressed,

“I must admit, you went beyond my expectations, low as they were.”  it chuckles as it points its sceptre as Izuku’s eyes glowed blue,  “I will burn you to ashes so quickly you won’t have time to realise.”

“I am Thou! Thou art I! With this new bond of yours you grow closer to throwing off your shackles, one step closer towards freedom! The Arcana of the Magician… Those that possess initiative, action and immaturity, but guided by stern will and unfailing determination.” 

“Jack Frost!” Izuku shatters his chains once more, and an imp with snow-white skin leaps out into existence, wearing a blue cap with two horns and a yellow button on it. On its face, it had cartoonish features with a wide smile that exposed two small fangs.

As a beam of fire explodes from the sun hovering behind Sekhmet, Jack Frost opens its mouth and releases a torrent of ice-cold wind that clashes with the beam of fire.

“What?! Another?!”  Sekhmet exclaims in shock before readying another attack. However, Jack Frost was quicker, unleashing a spell quicker than it could.

Ice begins growing all over Sekhmet, as it tries melting them off only for the ice to grow faster until it completely encapsulates it. Before it could break free, Izuku charged it and threw his fist as hard as he could, shattering the ice and pushing a stunned Sekhmet back.

“You… you utter-!”  it roars before being interrupted by a gunshot to the back of the head.

Across the wrecked gym, Kaina loads another bullet with a second empty medicine bottle next to her,

“Seriously, you’re just full of surprises aren’t you?” she grumbles before firing another shot at the stunned Sekhmet, “Don’t let up! Just keep pouring it on!”

She fires another shot to keep the Shadow destabilised, while Izuku throws the strongest punches he could. A bullet strikes its leg and as it staggers, Izuku throws a haymaker across the Shadow’s face that sends it spinning as another bullet strikes it in the head, pushing it back towards Izuku as he delivers another punch to the face.

This all-out attack from the two pushes Sekhmet to the brink, not being given time to react or think with the constant barrage of blows that was finished off with Izuku summoning his Persona. 

Don Quixote’s horse breaks into a gallop at full speed giving more power to its blow as it strikes Sekhmet in the face with its shield, sending it flying. 

Its form was now destabilising, returning to that of Shadow Katsuki as it stumbled onto its feet.

“You… you fucking assholes!”  the Shadow rages as it pants heavily, its hair dishevelled, face bruised and clothes torn from all the damage it took. Its eye stares at them manically as it continues ranting, igniting several orbs of flames around him,  “You think you can beat me?! I’m the strongest Shadow in the entire district! You think because you have some cheap trick with your Personas you can-?!”

But as it was ranting, its attention fully on both Izuku and Kaina, he failed to notice Katsuki sneaking behind him and wrapping his chains around its neck,

“The fuck?!”  it roars before Katsuki smashes its head into the ground, the distraction enough for the flames to dissipate.

“Paybacks a bitch, isn’t it?!” he asks with a manic and satisfied grin, “Fucker, you spent a full day kicking my ass! Not so fun now is it?!”

The Shadow laughs,  “Hah! What do you think this will accomplish exactly? I’m your Wrath, as long as you exist so will I. I am you and you are I, it’s a fact as certain as gravity you dumb piece of shit!”

“Maybe…” Katsuki growls before his stare turns to both Izuku and Kaina, “But from what that bitch said, they got these ghost powers and something like you… So I’m thinking you can do the same, can’t you?”

“Heh, so you want me to be your Persona is that right? I am Thou and Thou art I, Katsuki Bakugou, but you still continue to reject that. How can you even think about using me if you can’t accept such a simple fact?!”  Shadow Katsuki bursts out laughing before calming down after Katsuki smashes his head into the ground again.

“Shut up, there’s no way a piece of shit weakling like you can be me.” Katsuki growls, “You’re just a shitstain who got his ass kicked by a Quirkless loser.”

“Hehehe, you’ll never change, will you?”  His Shadow chuckles,  “But fine, I’ll play along for now, see how it goes. I can’t wait to see the look on your face when this backfires.”

Katsuki’s chains glowed, however instead of blue it was a sinister red as the Shadow vanished. Instead of the chains shattering as both Kaina and Izuku had seen, they seem to bury themselves inside Katsuki and disappear.

“And that’s how you do it…” Katsuki pants in exhaustion as he rubs the area where the chains were wrapped around his arms tightly, “Shit… I told you I could handle it myself, fucking Dek…”

He trails off upon hearing a thud, turning to find Izuku had fallen forward and collapsed face first, a pool of blood leaking out from where his stomach was.

“...Deku?”

***

“Ah, you have returned.”

Izuku’s eyes slowly open as he feels himself resting on a desk. Pushing himself up and rubbing his eyes, he suddenly realised he wasn’t in a wrecked and half-burnt-down gym anymore, but inside a blue classroom with a strangely familiar old man and a young woman at the front of the classroom.

“Welcome back.” the woman with silver hair in a bun and ethereal yellow eyes nods at him, “To think he has already discovered his ability…”

“Indeed, discovering the power of the Wild Card on the same day you awoke your Persona is surprising.” the old man nods, “Your thirst for strength and desire for growth has been nothing short of amazing, Izuku Midoriya.”

“Who are you…?” Izuku asks warrily, “How did you know my-?”

He cuts himself off as a memory resurfaces. One of the strange dreams he had on the day of his arrival in Japan.

“I see your memory is coming back to you.” Igor nods, “As I said back then, Izuku Midoriya, we of the Velvet Room are here to ensure your safety in order to guide this power of yours to its full potential.”

“Power… you mean my Persona?” Izuku mutters, “What are they? I don’t understand what’s going on!”

He asks with building frustration at his lack of understanding. Igor merely nods his head in understanding,

“Yes, today’s events must have been quite harrowing for one who just recently awoke their potential.” Igor says before gesturing at the whiteboard in the room, “Agatha if you would please?”

“Of course, Master.” Agatha bows, sounding a bit excited with a glint of glee in her eyes, before taking out a blue marker and begins drawing a familiar Don Quixote, “To answer your first question, you must first understand the relation between that of a Shadow and Persona. Both are formed by the inner subconscious of inner thoughts, while a Shadow is a malevolent manifestation, a Persona are those thoughts tamed and trained.”

Izuku flashes back to when he saw his Shadow disappearing before he summoned Don Quixote, “But wait… then the Shadows I destroyed were all like the one I had? They looked so different.”

“Incorrect.” Agatha shakes her head before erasing the drawing and replacing it with a red marker drawing of a dozen stick figures and arrows pointed from them towards a pool, “Most inhabitants of the Mirror World, as you call it, are formed from the collective inner thoughts of humans instead of one specific human. I’m sure you can tell by the difference in power and intelligence.”

Izuku nods, remembering how talkative both his and Katsuki’s Shadows were compared to the numerous ones he had seen and fought.

“You may think of a Persona as a mask…” Agatha continues her lecture, now sketching what appears to be a blue carnival mask on the board, “One to protect your heart against the hardships of the world.”

“I… I’m not sure I understand that.” Izuku admits feeling a bit embarrassed, “Then that thing you called me, a Wild Card? Is that not my Persona or something?”

“Not quite.” Igor answers this time, “The Wild Card are those that have signed a “contract” that allows them entry into the Velvet Room. But not just that, it also grants the ability that goes against the grain, the ability to wield more than one Persona.”

Agatha opens her binder and holds out a hand, causing a glowing card to emerge and float upwards. It was a card numbered zero with the image of a figure holding a bag accompanied by a dog,

“The Arcana of the Fool…” she holds it out to show Izuku, “It represents the beginning, from where all things begin, where infinite possibilities will spring from without boundaries to contain. That is the Arcana that you have been blessed with, Izuku Midoriya.”

“A power… my power…” Izuku mutters in disbelief, looking at his hands, “It’s like a Quirk of my own…”

He didn’t have a chance to properly register that back then, but it did sound like a Quirk didn’t it? A unique power that only he possessed… It was a dream come true.

“Did you give me this power?” he asks unsure as Igor lets out a chuckle,

“No, no, of course not, I do not have the power for that. But if you are curious about the origins of it, I’m sure I can… No, perhaps it is too long of a tale with such a short lifespan.” Igor thinks to himself and confuses Izuku, “But nevertheless, we of the Velvet Room are in charge of watching over your growth Izuku Midoriya, as well as providing services to aid in said growth.”

“But why?” Izuku asks, still unsure, “Why are you helping me? Does it have something to do with the Mirror World? The Shadows?”

“You can say we are observers of sorts. We will not be able to give you all the answers you wish for.” Igor explains before snapping his fingers, and suddenly Izuku’s desk was lit with blue flames causing him to jump back, “But alas time grows short, you are due to return to the waking world. Until then, keep this close will you?”

The fire dissipates and Izuku looks to find a silver key on the desk, picking it up as it glows a strange blue aura around it.

“The next time we meet here it will be on a day of your own choosing.” Igor explains as Izuku feels his eyes grow heavier, “Until that day, Izuku Midoriya.”

“Farewell,” Agatha says as the door to the Velvet Room swung upon, revealing blinding white light.

***

“Wait!” Izuku shouts, almost jumping up as he surprises Katsuki who was dozing off on the other side of the room.

“What the fuck?!” Katsuki snaps awake before glaring at Izuku, “Shit, you got a nightmare or something?”

“I… It was just a dream…” Izuku mutters before trailing off upon seeing the silver key in his hand, jaw-dropping in shock.

“The hell is wrong with you?” Katsuki grumbles annoyed as Izuku raises the key.

“You… can’t see it?” He asks unsure and Katsuki looks at him like he is crazy.

“...Must’ve hit your head hard.” he mutters before lying back on the mattress, “Took a long ass nap, didn’t you? Almost an hour sitting here waiting for you to wake up.”

Izuku looks at the apparently invisible key again before pocketing it. He had plenty of questions, most of all how was he supposed to use this thing, and whether he’d see those two strange people again, but most of all…

“Did you wait for me?” Izuku asked, surprised before Katsuki glared at him.

“Fuck off. Had no choice, the bitch said the only way I was getting out was with you.” He growls frustratedly, “Took your damn time.”

Izuku sighs. Of course, that answer made much more sense for Katsuki. He was about to respond when suddenly the door to the room they were in opened as Kaina, now with a new black jacket that wasn’t burnt, entered.

“Oh hey, looks like you woke up just on time.” Kaina says looking pleased before rummaging through a plastic bag she was holding, “One moment… Catch.”

She tosses him another bottle of medicine and a can of coffee before pointing at them proudly, “Better be grateful, I don’t usually leave this place more than once a week.”

“Thank you, Kaina.” Izuku says before chugging down the bottle of medicine first, feeling his body become less sore and the coffee bring his mind back to full alert, “But if you don’t mind me asking, why don’t you leave more often? Is the Mirror World really that good?”

“Who the hell stays here on their own free will?” Katsuki mutters under his breath as Kaina leans against the door frame.

“Well, when you’re a wanted fugitive there aren’t plenty of places you can keep hidden with how the world is nowadays.” Kaina says looking away as Izuku almost spat out the coffee he was drinking, “Hm? You haven’t figured it out yet?”

Katsuki’s eyes widened as well, looking like puzzle pieces clicked in his head, “Shit, I was right wasn’t I…? Fucking knew I saw you somewhere before, you’re Lady Nagant!”

“What?” Izuku asks, confused at the situation before Katsuki stands up, looking ready for a fight.

“You’re kidding me! The Hero nerd doesn’t know who that is?” he points at Kaina still leaning on the doorframe with a grim look on her face, “Ten years ago she killed another Hero and got her ass sent to Tartarus!”

Izuku pales at that before recovering and standing up, despite the pain in his stomach, “That can’t be true! She risked her life to save the both of us! She can’t be a killer!”

“Oh but I am. I won’t deny that.” Kaina admits, shocking Izuku as she continued, “Ever since I got my licence that’s what I did.”

She made a firing gesture with her fingers and Izuku couldn’t help but stare slack-jawed. But Katsuki continued glaring at her, “So we got saved by some psycho-killer bitch. Great.”

“Shut up, brat.” Kaina snaps at him with a glare, “Don’t start talking like you know everything, it just makes you look like an idiot.”

Katsuki growls but quiets down as Izuku couldn’t help but ask,

“...Why?”

 Kaina’s glare softened before sighing, “You think a sane person with a Hero Licence would just start killing for no reason? I did what I was ordered to do, by the Hero Public Safety Commission.”

“The HPSC?” Izuku mutters. Even if he hadn’t been in Japan for ten years he was still aware of the government body that manages the interaction between Pro Heroes and society, leading dangerous investigations into criminal groups and working internationally with Pro Heroes overseas.

“Things aren’t as squeaky clean as you think they are, kid. I took down who they pointed me at, Villains, corrupted politicians, cops, even other Pro Heroes…” Kaina explains with a dark look in her eyes, “Let’s just say I had enough. Of the killing, of the lies, so I stormed up to the President’s office and handed in my resignation. But it wasn’t going to be that easy.”

She gritted her teeth, hand shivering with anger, “They told me I could quit if I wanted to, but that if I did, they’ll just find someone else to replace me. Someone who can tie up loose ends for them. But it was obvious what he was really saying, that I’d just be another loose end to tie up. I could continue working with them and live, or quit now and die later… So I chose a third option. Take the bastard down with me.”

Kaina sighed and scratched the back of her head, “The only thing I didn’t count on was them throwing me into Tartarus instead of killing me. And that’s where I spent ten years in that hell, until one day when they were serving me dinner. Let’s just say that spilt water from a cup was enough to get myself dragged in.”

“That’s how you escaped Tartarus?” Izuku asks and she nods.

“Yep. Woke up here and you can tell what happened.” she says as she manifests the chains on her right arm before dismissing them, “I’m sure you’re wondering why I just told you all that, right?”

“Cause you want some pity?” Katsuki asks roughly like always, however, his tone isn’t as loud as it could’ve been.

Kaina chuckles bitterly, “Hell no. But just think about this, if you try talking to the cops about who you found here, the HPSC might catch wind. If they somehow catch me and throw me back to Tartarus, I might let it slip that you two are in the know of their dirty little secret. If they were willing to throw me there, who knows what they’ll do to keep you quiet…”

She says with a cold look in her eye as Izuku feels a shiver down his spine, recognising the implications. Kaina then moves out of the way and gestures above,

“Take the stairs on the right, you’ll find a shatter point on the rooftop. Get out and don’t come back, you hear me?” she asks as Katsuki scoffs and storms past her, “And don’t tell anyone about this!”

She yells at Katsuki’s retreating figure who shouts back, “Fuck off, not like anyone would believe me anyways.”

“Charming fella isn’t he? We seriously almost died to save that ungrateful brat?” She grumbles annoyed before turning toward Izuku who was looking at her with a conflicted expression. For some reason, she looked sad at that before explaining, “Same goes for you. From what I know the Pros would just come in thinking the Shadows are just Villains to be beaten. But from what I’ve seen even strong Pros can get taken down by the weakest Shadow, they aren’t immune to getting drained like we Persona Users are. Got it?”

“...Yeah.” Izuku nods weakly as Kaina stares at him, sighing before sitting down on the bed opposite Izuku.

“I wasn’t what you were expecting, were you?” she asks and Izuku looks down, “Or maybe you just don’t believe a villain’s words?

“No… I think I believe you. I don’t think anyone who would risk their lives to save two strangers would lie like that.” he says, surprising Kaina, “It’s just… ever since I was little, all I wanted to do was become a Pro Hero. Even when I got diagnosed Quirkless, it was all I wanted. Even when everyone in the world told me otherwise, it was what I wanted…”

“And after hearing what I just said?” Kaina asked, crossing her arms, not mad but curious.

Izuku looked ashamed, “...Does it make me a bad person if I said yes?”

Kaina sighs and stretches out, surprising him by ruffling his hair, 

“Listen, Quirkless or not, I saw you risked your life to save some asshole who looked like he’d rather die than say ‘thank you’. I think you’d make a great Pro Hero…” she says, her answer surprising him before she continues, “If it was a perfect world. But that’s not how the world works. It’s terrible, built on lies and falsehoods. Those in charge keep lying to keep their broken machine running just how they like it, and if you try changing that you’re just thrown away like broken tools. Being a Hero means you’re protecting that broken machine and keeping it running, is that what you want?”

“...” Izuku found himself without an answer, only weakly responding with, “I just want to help people.”

“I know you do, kid.” Kaina nods with sympathy in her eyes, “But you don’t need to be a Hero to save someone. I think you’re brave and smart enough to do that. Be a cop, firefighter, or doctor. Just stay out of the Hero business kid, trust me on that.”

Izuku stayed silent as Kaina hoped her words were reaching the kid, “Listen, you best get home now. You don’t want to make your parents worry in case they wake up to find you missing, don’t you?”

Izuku nods and gets up to leave, but as he leaves the bedroom he realises he is in some rundown apartment building, or at least the reflection of one in the Mirror World. In the corner he could see familiar packaging of empty instant noodles and microwave meals in large garbage bags, it was evident that she was living here for quite some time.

“Kaina?” he speaks up, “Why do you keep saving people? You keep saying you aren’t a Hero anymore, but you still save people like me and Kacchan ever since you escaped, didn’t you?”

“...Maybe old habits die hard. Or maybe there’s still that dumb kid in me who had the same look as you did in her eyes the day she dreamt of being a Hero.” she shrugs dismissively, “Either way, I couldn’t just look away. Not when I could do something about it.”

“...I think you’re still a Hero.” Izuku says after a pause, his words surprising her, “At least… you’re my Hero. So thank you for what you did.”

Kaina stays silent at this, almost stunned as Izuku walks away. Before he leaves, she shouts to him one more time,

“Hey! I never got your name did I?” she asked and Izuku realised she didn’t as she introduced herself fully, “Kaina Tsutsumi.”

“Izuku Midoriya.” 

Kaina smiles warmly at him before waving goodbye, “Take care of yourself out there, Midoriya.”

Chapter Text

Izuku walks up to the roof of the apartment building as instructed, surprising himself by finding Katsuki Bakugou waiting on the roof with a phone pointed at the white sky and black moon. Next to him was a crack in the air leaking white light, possibly the shatter-point Kaina mentioned.

“I don’t suppose you were waiting for me?” Izuku snarks as Katsuki grunts in annoyance.

“Fat chance. Take a look.” He shows Izuku a photo he tried taking of the sky, but instead of a black moon and white skies, it shows a distorted picture, as if reality and the Mirror World were blended together in a nonsensical image. It was more like modern art actually.

 “I guess if it’s a Mirror World, things get reflected…” Izuku mutters under his breath, “So since cameras take in refracted images, it gets distorted?”

He guesses and Katsuki grits his teeth as he pockets his phone, “So we really can’t get any proof. Ah fuck it, they would’ve thought it was photoshop or something anyways. If the villain bitch really wants to handle this herself, let her.”

“She saved our lives.” Izuku says, not liking how insulting he is to their saviour, “She almost died to save you, Kacchan.”

“Oh, I guess we should give her a medal then?” Katsuki asks sarcastically, “She’s a fucking  villain.  She literally admitted to killing not just one, but god knows how many Pro Heroes! Hell, she’s probably making all that bullshit of the Commission up, we can’t trust her! Stop thinking with your dick, Deku.”

Izuku sputters out trying to deny Katsuki’s absurd words before sighing in defeat, there probably wasn’t a way to change Katsuki’s mind. He always was a stubborn ass, it was either his way or the highway even back when they were kids…

“But then you happened, Deku.”   Shadow Katsuki growls and says sarcastically,   “Oh just had to come in and start showing pity for the poor guy. How could he handle such a thing, what a poor child? Boo hoo, useless Deku showed pity on me so that must mean I’m the most pathetic thing in the universe.”

Izuku remembers the Shadow’s words and pauses before asking Katsuki,

“Kacchan… Was your Shadow right?” he asks, surprising him, “All this time, you just didn’t want to be seen as we-?”

Katsuki doesn’t let him finish, stomping over angrily and pointing a threatening fist at Izuku, “You watch your fucking mouth, Deku! Every word that came out of that thing’s mouth was bullshit! I ain’t scared of being weak or something, I’m strong and I know it! The strongest! The one who’s supposed to surpass All Might! The next Number 1 Hero!”

He screams and shouts at Izuku, and while once upon a time he might have felt intimidated or angered by such a display, today he feels something else.

Pity.

He feels the Magician Arcana stirring within him, thanks to Jack Frost, feeling it empathising and resonating with his words granting him a level of understanding. Katsuki’s voice was full of desperation to reassert his position of power over Izuku, desperate to appear strong, desperate to appear as anything but weak.

“Leave me alone!”

…He knew what that was like.

“...” Izuku keeps silent as he chooses his next words carefully, “You don’t think I know what it’s like to be weak? I was born weak every moment of my life, and I don’t take it out on those weaker than me just so I can feel strong.”

“That’s because there’s no one weaker than you!” Katsuki screams before tripping over his words, realising he was basically admitting Izuku was right, “Just shut up!”

“It doesn’t make you strong, picking on the weak doesn’t make you look strong, it makes you look pathetic,” Izuku says before Katsuki has enough and decks him across the face, sending him falling to the ground.

Immediately afterwards a look flashes across Katsuki’s face, guilt perhaps? His body twitches like he is about to move towards Izuku before relenting, clicking his tongue and walking towards the shatterpoint.

“Did that make you feel better?” Izuku grumbled as he rubbed his sore cheek. 

Katsuki hesitates as he is about to leave, putting his pants in his pocket and rummaging through it before throwing something at Izuku, “Here!”

“Huh?” Izuku catches the object, realising it was a blackened trading card with a once gleaming silver sheen now covered in soot. A memory was triggered inside Izuku, remembering the old times when they would spend their meagre allowance on trading card packs as kids, “This is…”

“It dropped from Sekhmet, or whatever that Shadow thing was…” Katsuki trails off before resuming his exit, “I already got mine back home, so this is just a fake or some shit. I don’t need a fake copy, so keep it. This makes us even now, got it?! Now shut the fuck up and leave me alone!”

“...So you’re basically equating the worth of your life to a burnt trading card?” Izuku asks, half sarcastic, half confused. 

Katsuki sputters out an answer before deciding with a simple, “Shut up!” as he leaves the Mirror World through the shatterpoint.

Izuku sighs as he stares at the burnt card. He hoped whatever Katsuki was doing, he was at least considering his words seriously. Although he seriously doubts that, he hopes so. 

He pockets the card for later, thinking what kind of use could he get out of some burnt trading card, before wondering what kind of excuse was he going to tell his parents about his torn jacket and scars?

But most of all he was thinking about what Kaina had told him. About the society built on Heroes having a foundation of blood and lies, created by the same government body they were supposed to trust in the regulation of the Pro Heroes that protect said society.

A broken perpetual and stagnant machine… One he would have to defend as a Pro Hero should he choose to become one.

…Was that what he wanted? His dream of being a Hero had been his fickle light at the end of the tunnel that had been guiding and pushing him towards his entire life…

What the hell did he have now, waiting for him at the end of this dark tunnel?

* Midoriyas’ Apartment || 2XXX 13th/Wednesday || Dawn*

Izuku sneaks his way back inside his apartment, carefully unlocking the door with his spare key and is about to tiptoe back into his room when he surprisingly finds his father lying on a couch, his jacket strewn over him like an improvised blanket.

He doesn’t know why he’s out here and not with his mother in their room, and wanted to shake him awake to warn him not to sleep like that as it gets him arthritis early. But he hesitates, knowing it would just lead to complicated questions and answers.

Instead, he bites his tongue, deciding to head into his room. This was probably just some long overtime or something, and his father didn’t want to risk waking his mom so he slept in the living room.

He stops by their joint washroom first, opening the tap at low pressure to avoid making a sound as he splashes some water to clean the soot and dried blood off his face. As he glances up at the mirror, he is startled at the sight of a familiar grinning figure staring with red eyes.

“Miss me?”  His Shadow asks teasingly as Izuku covers his mouth to avoid shouting in shock,  “Careful, mom was always a light sleeper wasn’t she?”

Izuku clenches his teeth as he stares back at his twisted reflection, dressed in a jacket that was torn the same way he was, the matching scars that were leaking black and red smoke.

“...What do you want?” Izuku asks trepidatiously, “I thought you were gone…”

“When you summoned your Persona, right?”  His Shadow laughs,  “So it was Don Quixote who answered the call, huh? Fitting isn’t it? A deluded knight responding to the call of a deluded child that yearns for an impossible dream.”

“So why are you still here?” Izuku asks, trying to suppress the urge to lash out knowing it would just break the mirror.

“Are you backpedalling already? Have you forgotten again?”  Shadow Izuku snorts,  “I’m you, and you are me. I’m your Greed, your hunger for power that pushes you forward. Did you not get my messages?”

Izuku flashes back to the moments when he unlocked the other two Personas, Cu Chulainn and Jack Frost, remembering each time a voice was heard. His Shadow’s voice.

“It was you… You sent those Personas my way?” Izuku asked and his Shadow nodded.

“Not directly, I just made sure your pitch was heard across the Sea of Souls and they responded. You can say I hastened the process a bit.”  the Shadow explains to a confused Izuku,  “You’re doing pretty well, think, don’t you feel stronger?”

Izuku paused to think before nodding, remembering the rush of power each time he summoned a Persona and how it was still resonating through his body even now. But it had a terrible drain on his energy as a result.

“I won’t keep you up any longer.”  his Shadow shrugs before whipping out a card, one similar to the Fool Arcana he saw Agatha display,  “But here’s another one for the road.”

He throws the card towards Izuku who flinches, but upon making contact with the mirror it disappears. Yet Izuku felt something strike him in the head with enough force to send him stumbling back towards the bathroom door.

“This Persona was the hero of another story.”  his Shadow smirks as Izuku stumbles back to his feet,  “Searching for the answer to life against death itself… May it serve you well in your struggles.”

“Why are you helping me?” Izuku asks before cringing as his Shadow smiles, “Let me guess, I’m just going to get another weird non-answer?”

“Look at that, you’re starting to understand me.”  his Shadow chuckles before beginning to fade away,  “Remember our contract, remember your desires, remember yourself. I’ll see you again soon…”

There was nothing there. Just a reflection of Izuku backed up against the door with a mystified look on his face staring back at himself.

It was just him… It was still him…

Right? 

* Aldera Middle School || 2XXX April 14th/Thursday || Daytime *

Izuku Midoriya immediately felt that something was different about the atmosphere at school, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. Perhaps it was when he entered the classroom there was no immediate gossip about whether the Quirkless loser was still applying for UA, how pitiful he was, or whether he was connected to Katsuki Bakugou’s disappearance.

This had happened even yesterday, but he assumed that it was because everyone was too busy talking about Katsuki’s ‘miraculous’ return. The newspaper said that he had amnesia over the whole thing, but both of them knew otherwise. Surprisingly he was keeping it a secret, but then again who would believe an outlandish tale like the Mirror World, Personas and Shadows?

Back to his class, the lack of negative attention felt strange, even more so when he approached his desk to find it hadn't been vandalised yet. In the week since he arrived, it hadn’t been long before people started drawing graffiti on it with degrading messages and drawings.

He looked towards some of his usual suspects as if wondering if they were planning something else. But the moment he made eye contact with them, instead of the usual snickering and sly looks he was met with eyes that averted with shame.

…This actually made him feel more on edge as he sat behind Katsuki, whose face still looked bruised from the beating he had last night. Their eyes met when he had entered but he just clicked his tongue and turned his attention back to his textbooks, likely wanting to catch up with what he missed in his absence. Say what you will about him, Katsuki was a dedicated student.

Powerful Quirk, excellent grades, and the looks. Practically the genetic lottery jackpot, if you didn’t account for his temper and personality. And yet with all that it wasn’t Katsuki that won the battle, but the Quirkless Izuku Midoriya.

He looks at his own hands with curiosity and doubt before trying to manifest the chains once more. Stretching out an arm he tries to recall what he experienced, but as he expected nothing happens. Izuku sighed in disappointment as the door to the classroom slid open their homeroom teacher walked in,

“Settle down everyone, I know we’re all glad to see Bakugou back and safe, I sure am too.” their homeroom teacher says as he sets down his books at his desk, “And I hope you all haven’t let this incident distract you from your schoolwork, especially with the midterms next month. Now, let’s start with attendance…”

* Aldera Middle School || 2XXX April 14th/Thursday || After School *

“The fuck?” Katsuki asks, baffled at the sight before him.

One of the lackeys that followed him, the one with the long fingers, was seen throwing the pack of cigarettes he kept hidden around the school. The guy was practically addicted, and here he was throwing them away?

“Huh?” the guy looks at Katsuki startled before calming down, “Shit, sorry you scared me Bakugou. What’s up?”

Katsuki scoffs, “The hell’s going on? I haven’t seen you two the whole day, where’s the other guy?”

Every day those two would hound and pester him for the chance to hang out. He’d allow it because he finds their antics mildly amusing, and they paid for his meals to garner his favour. But since yesterday he hasn’t heard them try to kiss his ass the whole day. And now he finds that smoke addict throwing away his cigarettes?

It was just… bizarre.

“Oh, he’s pretty worried about his studies.” the long-fingered guy shrugs, “He went home early, wanted to get ready for midterms and finals as best he could. His grades aren’t doing well.”

Katsuki almost let his jaw drop, “...Since when was that dumbass ever concerned with his grades? And what about you?”

He cringes, “I… Well I’ve been thinking, I probably shouldn’t be smoking these anymore. Lung cancer is a serious problem, and I don’t wanna know what that feels like. I’m still young, I should stop while I can ya know?”

“...” Katsuki couldn’t hold his jaw up anymore but sighed and rub his head, “Fuck, whatever, I don’t care. Come on, I’m starving for some ramen-”

“Actually, I got to bail too.” he says, and if Katsuki had been drinking something he’d spit it out by now, “My gram’s in town, and my parents want to have lunch with her so I’m coming along.”

“What the fuck?!” Katsuki shouts in disbelief, “But you hate her! You called her an annoying old hag that just keeps pestering you and shit!”

“...The doctors say she doesn’t have much time left.” he shrugs, looking down almost ashamed, “I…wanna at least say sorry for how crap I’ve been. Besides, not like you love hanging out with any of us anyways, I don’t think you even remember what our names are, why are you so upset?”

Katsuki can only stare at this former lackey in silence before growling in frustration, “...The fuck happened to everyone? It’s like the entire school changed or something! I even got called out for using my Quirk today in class!! When the fuck was the last time that happened? What the hell is going on?”

“...Well I can’t say for them,” the former lackey shrugs unsurely, “But… I just felt like I took a long look at myself in the mirror, and didn’t like what I saw. Take care Bakugou, I’m glad you’re safe, and I won’t bother you anymore. Sorry.”

* Trionak District, Musutafu City || 2XXX April 23rd/Saturday || Afternoon *

“Next…” Izuku deadpans as he hands over the bag of items towards the next customer before the one behind them steps up and hands over the goods they wish to purchase. 

Right now he was working his second part-time job in the district of Mustafa famous for the number of electronic shops. It wasn’t too different from his job at the convenience store, just scanned Item A, bag Item A and so on. 

A week… that’s how long it has been since his ‘adventure’ to the Mirror World. Probably the only worthwhile thing he’ll ever accomplish in his lifetime.

He still hears about strange disappearances in the newspaper, in cities all over Japan. Part of him rashly wants to inform the police and Heroes of everything, but the rational part wins out. If Kaina was correct, none Persona Users simply lose their memories after exiting the Mirror World which would make any operations ineffective. Never mind that they were all vulnerable to being preyed on by Shadows as Kaina said.

It was basically a lose-lose situation. The only effective way to rescue people would be to send Persona Users but if there was no way to identify them in the real world like with Quirks, it would be practically impossible to get together enough Hero-level people to conduct rescue operations.

It was most logical to have Kaina do as she’s been doing, but it was frustrating for Izuku. Here he was finally with powers but they could only work in a Mirror World that he was barred from entering.

It basically confirmed the truth he was avoiding facing the whole time. He barely survived with three Personas in the Mirror World, how can he survive with just his body and fists in the real world as a Hero? And if Kaina was right about society’s corruption… should he even be one?

If he still tries to become a Hero after all he’s heard, won’t it be equivalent to saying he doesn’t care how corrupted their society is as long as he gets what he wants?  

“-ey? Hey!” someone snaps their fingers, trying to get his attention, “You zoning out?”

“Wha-?!” Izuku suddenly snaps back to reality, seeing a girl his age in front of him with short purple hair and strange earlobes reminiscent of aux cords.

“You’ve been scanning nothing but thin air for the last minute.” she explains, gesturing at his empty hand and the other holding the scanner, an annoyed but concerned look in her eyes, “You alright, man?”

“Er, I’m fine.” he answers as he grabs her items to scan them, a bunch of music discs, “Will that be all?”

“Yeah, that’s it.” she nods as Izuku silently scans the items, “So… I heard retail was soul-sucking, but I guess it’s really that bad, huh? You look dead inside.”

“Oh no, this was before the soul-sucking retail job.” Izuku snarks, “I just got my hopes and dreams crushed for the third… no, fifth time.”

“...So bad week?” she asks awkwardly and Izuku shrugs,

“It was more two really, really bad days.” he sighs before handing her the discs in a plastic bag, “Here, we hope you enjoyed your…”

Izuku trails off as his eyes glanced behind the girl at the shop’s window, which allowed him to glance at the street outside full of people going about their own business. But one person catches his eye, with silver hair in a bun and yellow eyes, wearing a blue wool blazer that stretches down to her knees, binder tucked under her arms.

“Hm?” the girl follows his eyes and looks outside the window, “See someone you recognise?”

“I…sorry, I have to go.” he drops the bag on the counter before shouting for his boss, “Hey, I’m taking my break now! Gotta go, bye!”

“Wait, it isn’t even time-!” his boss shouts after him as Izuku makes a mad dash outside to where Agatha is waiting for him, leaning against the wall of an alley, looking up at him with a glint in her eyes.

“Ah, it is a pleasure to see you again, dear guest.” Agatha curtsies in greeting.

“Agatha, right?” Izuku asks as he pants a bit from his rush, “W-what are you doing here?”

The Velvet Room Attendant simply look around and gestures, “Simply put, I was killing two birds with one projectile as you would say. One of those birds was observing your progress, but it seems you have not made any venture into the Mirror World as of late. Why is that so?”

“I-?” Before Izuku could answer, Agatha stepped forward until there was practically no distance between the two, sending Izuku’s face flushing red.

“Hmmm,” she hums in thought with a finger on her chin, “Could it be that you were injured in your last battle? I don’t see any lingering wounds.”

Then as if to make things worse, she suddenly grabs the black shirt that was part of his uniform and lifts it up to check, “Ah, a previous injury to the abdomen, but one that appears healed. Hm, built but not exactly in peak physical condition, perhaps you should undergo training. Exercise, I believe your people call it?”

“Stop! What are you doing?!” Izuku exclaims as he pushes her back a bit and rushes to pull back down his shirt. Immediately Agatha looks surprised before quickly backing up and bowing,

“My apologies, I did not mean to offend in any way.” she apologises hastily before looking downcast, “I… I’m not behaving like a proper Attendant should, am I?”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to shout.” Izuku says as he clears his throat, trying to forget what had happened, “Do… Do you want something to eat?”

***

“Oh, this must be traditional Japanese street food I’ve heard so much about.” Agatha looks at the cardboard container of takoyaki, “My sister mentioned this, made from a creature called the octopus correct?”

“I mean, there’s other things too but yeah.” Izuku nodded as he ate his own order of takoyaki before realising what Agatha said, “Wait, sister?”

“Yes. I have a sister that explored the waking world of humans.” she nods as she scarfs down the plate with ease, a proud smile on her face before it turns bittersweet, “Most of my older siblings became excellent Attendants with various Wild Cards throughout the ages. This will be my first assignment…”

“Really?” Izuku asks in surprise, “So your entire family, they just become Attendants like you?”

“It is what we were made to do.” Agatha says, confusing Izuku so she explains, “I may look like it, but I am the furthest thing from a human like you and everyone else. We were made to guide those of the Wild Cards and aid them in their journey, providing assistance whenever we can but never directly intervening.”

“Created? Like… like a god or something?” Izuku stumbles over his words, trying to wrap his head around the fact that apparently this girl next to him wasn’t 100% a human being. Agatha doesn’t answer immediately, rubbing her chin in thought.

“Hmm, humans would classify a god as something all-knowing, possessing great power that can be used for great change, but never intervening directly. Like a silent invisible force that is always overseeing…” she mutters under her breath, “I suppose that wouldn’t be a completely inaccurate statement.”

“...Cool.” that was the only thing Izuku could say as he nodded his head, “...So which religion got it right?”

“Pardon?” Agatha asked, not having heard the last part while scarfing down on the last of her takoyaki.

“Nothing.” Izuku shakes his head. At least with that explanation it certainly explained a few of her strange behaviours, “So… being an Attendant, that’s what you always wanted?”

“Yes.” she nods her head enthusiastically, “I may have been created for the role, but hearing my siblings talk about their own experiences with their Wild Cards… It made me envious. Ever since I heard from Elizabeth and Margaret, it’s all I ever wanted to do. Become an Attendant with…”

Agatha trails off, a distant look in her eyes before correcting herself, “You can say it is my dream to be just like my siblings.”

“...You really look up to them.” Izuku recognises the admiration in her voice as he sighs, “I get that, looking up to people and wanting to be just like them… It looks like you got what you wanted, but if I’m supposed to be this Wild Card, then I must be the worst that ever existed. Sorry, you got stuck with me.”

He looks downcast, poking at his takoyaki as Agatha looks at him confused.

“Pardon, what do you mean by that?” she asks curiously and Izuku decides he might as well tell her since she’s been telling him a lot about herself already.

“Am I really the best choice? Be honest.” Izuku mutters as he gestures at himself, “I’m Quirkless, and even with these Personas I barely survived fighting a few Shadows. I nearly dragged someone else to the grave with me, and nobody would’ve known what really happened to Kacchan, me or Kaina… I couldn’t cut it as a Hero, and I don’t think I can cut it as whatever this Wild Card thing is supposed to be. I’m just a useless Deku at the end of the day, I’m not strong enough, fast enough or smart enough for whatever you need me to be.”

Agatha was silent for a moment before saying, “There seems to be a mistake.”

“Obviously,” Izuku mutters before Agatha corrects him.

“No, I meant in your understanding of the power of the Wild Card.” Agatha says as she opens her binder, “It does not  grant  power. It grants the   potential  for power.”

The familiar card of the Fool Arcana floats up and Izuku was at first worried that people would notice, but they appear to be oblivious.

“Do not be alarmed.” she assures, “People may acknowledge our presence, but they would not be cognisant of what is truly happening.”

Izuku decides to take her word for it and focuses on what she is saying,

“Remember your first lesson on the Arcana?” she asks before reminding him, “The Arcana of the Fool is the one that you have been blessed with. It signifies a new beginning and infinite possibilities, not infinite power.”

From the binder came twenty-one more that encircled the two of them, surprising Izuku with the display.

“It is merely the beginning of a journey, Izuku Midoriya. You, like the Fool, are unaware and unprepared for what awaits you but through your journey, you will come to understand your true potential.” she explains before pulling at card number one, “And like the Magician, now you are realising that you already have all the tools you need to accomplish your dreams. That with creativity and resourcefulness you can surely become a force of good that you so desire.”

With a snap of her fingers, the cards returned to her binder as she snapped it shut, turning to Izuku with a warm smile on her face.

“Your journey will be fraught with challenges and tragedy, but I believe you have the strength to overcome it all. Whether or not you possess these strange ‘Quirks’ or not, know that you carry the ability to bring about great change. So do not let others decide your fate for you. You, and only you, are solely responsible for that.” she says as she stands up, “Whatever choice you make, my Wild Card, know that I will be at your side to support you as an Attendant.”

“...Thank you.” Izuku says, struggling to contain his emotions, “I… I think I needed that.”

No one has ever said that before. That they would support his dreams no matter what choices he made, not even his own mother who could only simply apologise and blame herself for him being born the way he was. Not his father who despite, retains some distance between the both of them. Not his teachers who all encouraged him to be ‘more realistic’ in his dreams and desires.

The words of his Shadow from the week before echo in his mind,

“Take it then, use it to climb higher than where the world demands you to remain! Beyond the stations set for you by birth, aspire for nothing less than the greatest power, the greatest skill! Nothing else is enough!”

“I know what I need to do now.” he says with affirmation, looking up gratefully at Agatha, “Thanks. For talking with me.”

She gives him a small bow, “I am pleased that you found an answer in our conversation. I will await all future visits from you with great anticipation, Izuku Midoriya.”

“Do you need help getting back?” he asks, not even sure how she got here in the first place. Instead of answering, she simply smirks and beckons him to follow which he does. They return to the alley where he found Agatha waiting for him, surprised to find a glowing door made of blue wood in the middle of the path.

“Throughout your world you will find doors such as this, leading to the Velvet Room.” Agatha explains as it swings open, revealing blinding white light, “I shall await you at each of them, should you so require my services. Do you still possess the key?”

Izuku nods and pulls it out of his pocket. Whatever the reason, it always returned to him, even when he remembers leaving it at home.

“It’s not a normal key is it?” he asks and she nods.

“That is correct. Consider it a part of your psyche.” Agatha explains, “Use it to access the Velvet Room at your leisure. If you so wish, you can enter now.”

“That’s fine.” Izuku pockets the key again, “I… have something to do first. You said I have a journey ahead of me, right? I think I need to take the first step then.”

Agatha nods in understanding as she enters the Velvet Room, “Then I will await your eventual return. Farewell, dear guest.”

The door swings shut behind her and remains there. Izuku turned around and looked outside the alley as people walked by, unaware of the strange door just standing there. Perhaps it was similar to the key, some part of his psyche as Agatha said.

Whatever the reason, he knows what he has to do now. He needs to return to the Mirror World. He needs to visit Kaina Tsutsumi.

Chapter Text

* Midoriyas’ Apartment || 2XXX April 24rd/Sunday || Night *

Izuku zips up the backpack full of supplies as he puts on another jacket from his closet, a black hoodie this time. Grabbing two more plastic bags full of items, he carefully steps out of his bedroom and into the living room.

Once he made sure the coast was clear, he quietly left the apartment and started making a dash towards where he remembers dropping back into the real world after his adventure in the Mirror World.

It was a populated apartment building, and it took a lot of explaining for both Katsuki and him to get out without further questions. Fortunately for him, it was only a twenty-minute run from his location. Unfortunately, he didn’t have the additional baggage so the trip took a bit longer as he was forced to make more stops to rest.

But finally, he makes it, sneaking his way towards the back he finds the fire escape, leaping up and grabbing the ladder before pulling it down. Afterwards, he climbs all the way up to the roof, careful not to make too much noise to disturb the inhabitants of the apartment.

Once he was there, he grabs his phone, double-checking the time and being relieved he left early in case he was delayed.

Izuku watches time tick down on his phone as he brings out a handheld mirror he bought from a nearby shop, hoping it was enough. According to all rumours, if a mirror was broken at this time of the night, there was a chance he’d be brought over to the Mirror World.

Holding a breath as the seconds ticked down, he threw it hard against the floor the moment before it struck twelve. Immediately he winces, bracing himself for the sudden rush while closing his eyes.

*??? || ??? || ??? *

“Midoriya, what in the absolute fuck are you doing here?”

Izuku blinked and groaned from the nausea he was feeling, realising that Kaina was looking over him with a very pissed-off look on her face.

“Er… hi?” he greets awkwardly before pointing at the plastic bag full of goods he dropped on his way here, “I brought you some stuff.”

She just looks at him in disbelief before pinching the bridge of her nose and sighing heavily, “For the love of… Just get in before a flyer spots you.”

Moments later the two of them were in the apartment she made her hideout, with Kaina setting the items on the tabletop of a kitchen.

“Look kid, I really appreciate the supplies but I thought I told you to never set foot in this place again?” she asks while searching through the bags. It was the usual stuff she’d buy like coffee, energy drinks, pre-made meals and whatnot, but she noticed something odd amongst them, “...You brought me ice cream?”

“Er, yeah.” Izuku nods embarrassed, “I didn’t know what kind you liked so I just went with vanilla. I figured you probably only ate all those instant noodles and microwave meals so I thought I should buy something different… You’re not allergic are you?”

He asks, trying to hide the awkwardness he was feeling buying ice cream for someone who is pretty much a Villain. Kaina stares at him oddly before turning to the pint of ice cream, and putting it in the freezer with the rest of her food.

“No, it’s just… I don’t think I had anything like that after escaping Tartarus. Not exactly swimming in funds right now.” she mutters to herself in realisation before chuckling dryly, “Heh, guess I’m still trapped one way or another. Whether it’s prison or some fucked up dimension.”

“But can’t you leave anytime?” Izuku wonders, “I mean, you were in prison for ten years. You probably have a lot of things you want to do, don’t you? Do you have a family-?”

Kaina slams the freezer door shut loudly, silencing Izuku who sweats nervously as she steps into the living room and plops down on an armchair and crosses her legs, all while glaring at him.

“That’s none of your business, Midoriya.” she says harshly before relaxing her tone, “Look, thank you for the supplies, but did you really have to risk yourself entering the Mirror World? How did you get back here anyway?”

“Well, I wanted to avoid the Shadows so I went back where the shatterpoint dropped me off.” Izuku explains, “I had to sneak out of home before midnight, get a mirror and break it.”

“Why’d you have to wait til midnight?” Kaina wonders, confused.

“What? But isn’t that how you get here?” Izuku asks before Kaina shrugs,

“Well yeah, for the first time. But pretty much after that, as long as you’re near a shatterpoint you can enter whenever you want.” she explains, “Midnight’s just the time Shadows can pull in their prey. It’s why I wanted to get back before midnight the day we first met.”

“Ah…that makes sense.” Izuku nods in understanding.

“Well, glad that you at least have the sense to try that.” Kaina nods, “If you just broke a mirror anywhere there’s a chance you might’ve gotten pulled into a completely unknown area surrounded by Shadows.”

Izuku gulps at the image of being swarmed by an endless swarm of Shadows as Kaina continues,

“So… now that I got your stuff, again I appreciate it, I've been running dry on funds lately. But I think it’s time to go home.” she gestures upwards, “It’s Monday tomorrow ain’t it? Go home, get your sleep, and then do whatever kids your age do. Video games, manga, underage drinking, dating or whatever.”

“That’s…actually what I came here to ask you about,” Izuku says, his nervousness building up to an all-time high as he struggled to put together his words. His pre-planned speech was already falling apart.

Kaina raises a curious brow before assuming that she realises what he was talking about,

“...Look, you’re a sweet kid but you’re way too young-” she starts before Izuku cuts her off.

“I want you to train me!” he exclaims, letting it out in a rush and surprising Kaina before adding, “...To be a Hero… I want you to train me to be a Hero…”

Kaina was silent for a full minute, staring at Izuku blankly before letting out a quiet, “What…?”

Before Izuku can answer, Kaina stands up and walks towards Izuku with a cold fury in her eyes.

“After everything I told you, about the HPSC, about how the world really works, you want to ignore all that just for the chance to play Hero?” she asks before raising her voice, “And you came to me looking to help you? Of all people?!”

Izuku tried to say something but it was all he could do to not let out any noise from the intimidating aura Kaina was displaying.

But then he feels something resonating in his heart. The Tower Arcana within, amplified by Cu Chulainn, made him feel something from Kaina’s words. 

“After everything I said, why the hell do you still want to be a Hero?” she demands to know, the pain in her voice hidden behind the anger and bitterness evident to Izuku. 

“...Because I was just a selfish hypocrite.” he says after a pause, confusing Kaina before continuing, “A few weeks ago, Kacchan told me that the only reason I still try to be a Hero is because of spite. I wanted to reject that but he was right…”

He grips his hand tightly in frustration of admitting that, “I was just… so angry with how the world worked. I wanted to prove everyone wrong just because I hated they were right, that a Quirkless like me can’t save anyone… I even hurt someone close to me just because I was so selfishly focused on my dream.”

Memories of a blonde girl with glasses flash through his head before he refocuses back on reality, looking up to meet Kaina’s glare,

“But I realise, that was just for the wrong reason.” Izuku says as he raises his hand, manifesting the chains, “And then this happened… For whatever reason I got this weird power. I’m one of the few people who actually knows what’s going on with the missing people and can actually help them! I once told myself that if I ever had a power I wouldn’t let it go to waste like others would! I’d use it to save as many people as I can to become a Hero like my dreams.”

To Kaina’s surprise, he gets on his knees, bowing in desperation, “I’m asking you to teach me because people will keep getting hurt as long as these Shadows are around. I might not be able to become a Hero in the real world, but maybe here I can be a Hero, helping you save people and actually do something meaningful with myself. I can actually make a difference somehow… So I need you to train me, please…”

“...Fucking hell, I can’t believe I’m even considering this.” Kaina puts a hand on her face as if trying to wipe away her frustration, “You know the last time you tried saving someone, you almost died, right?”

“A-and so did you.” Izuku reminds causing her to flinch, “Both of us would’ve died but we worked together and took Sekhmet down!”

“Because you got lucky with whatever bullshit power you had.” she waves at him, “I mean, think about it, without those extra Personas we wouldn’t have made it out alive! You think the next fight you get into you’ll somehow awaken a convenient Persona that just so happens to have its exact weakness?”

“No… I think?” Izuku looks unsure, “I’m not exactly sure what’s the full extent of my powers yet, but it doesn't mean I can’t help! If you’ll have me along, I can target more weaknesses on strong Shadows! I might get more Personas in the future and get stronger! I can help you rescue more people lost in the Mirror World!”

“It’s not fun and games, kid!” Kaina tried to argue but Izuku was relentless,

“I already know that!” Izuku says as he grabs the part where he remembers being his by his own attack, “I know… I know dying is a risk, but it’s better than staying at home doing nothing while I have the power to do something! So please, let me help you save people!”

Kaina grits her teeth in frustration, evidently thinking over Izuku’s words before groaning in frustration and pacing in a circle. After a while of thought, she takes a deep breath to calm herself and turn back to Izuku,

“Fine. You wanna be a Hero so badly?’ she asks rhetorically before gesturing towards a board she has in the living room, plastered with maps of the entire city with multicoloured lanyard strings and pins, “Look over here, what do you see?”

“...String and pins?” Izuku answers unsure as Kaina taps on one red pin that has multiple red lanyard strings spreading from it like a web. On the map of Musutafu, it was the biggest web out of the rest.

“It’s a map of how many different Shadow factions I’ve kept track of in Musutafu alone.” she explains and Izuku pales at how much of the map was covered with string, “They’re not exactly friendly with each other but right now Red’s been singled out by the rest.”

“Wait, factions?!” Izuku asks in alarm and confusion. Were these creatures even intelligent enough for such an organisation? The only Shadows he’s fought were mostly animal-like acting on instinct and external stimuli.

“More like large packs than anything.” Kaina shrugs before holding out a hand below her waist, “Here’s how Shadows are organised, first we have the run-of-the-mill Shadows that spawn from Nests. Bottom of the barrel and always the last to feed.”

She raises her hand by a level, “Then we have the Leaders who run Colonies, large groups of Shadows that join up under the strongest. These Colonies are either wandering the city or holed up in Nests.”

Lastly, she raises the hand above her head, “Then there’s the Warlords. They lead factions of Shadows that rule portions of the city. Strongest of the bunch that make Leaders like Sekhmet look weak in comparison.”

Once she was done explaining she pointed back at the map, “So when there’s more than one Warlord and they’re on an equal level? Let’s say diplomacy or negotiations isn’t a thing. At best the other three factions are willing to ignore each other until they take down the Reds.”

“I haven’t really noticed,” Izuku mutters, not recalling any large-scale battles on his last incursion into the Mirror World.

“That’s because we’re right here.” she points at a white pin right dab in the middle of the web of green string, “They’re pretty quiet, most of their main force is on the front lines, which makes getting around a bit easier. And it's why independent Nests and Colonies began sprouting all over their territory, like the one your pal’s Shadow was leading. They don’t even have enough power to maintain order in their own territory, so pretty soon this safe zone won’t be as safe as it is anymore.”

Tapping on a green pin near the front lines with a look of dread she continues, “This right here’s a Nest I’ve been scouting for a while. Full of say a dozen missing humans, and if I’m right then they just got a new batch last week. The front lines are pushing closer every day, and sure Shadows won’t go around randomly killing humans if they can capture and feed, but it’s war out there. If you can’t capture enemy supplies, you destroy them. I’m sure you can understand what we need to do.”

The look on Izuku’s face spelt out worry and fear, which was exactly what Kaina wanted. He needs to understand how lucky they were to survive their battle with Katsuki’s Shadow, and that there were more dangerous things in the Mirror World. The sooner he realises this, the sooner he goes home and forgets this-

“...Alright.” Izuku nods after having a moment to steel himself, surprising Kaina with the determination in his voice, “When do we leave?”

***

“Trouble keeping up?” Kaina asks as she waits for Izuku to leap across the gap between two buildings, landing roughly and rolling on the ground, “We’re not even halfway there, kid.”

“I… I can keep going.” Izuku pants, out of breath, before getting back up. Honestly, if she wasn’t annoyed it would’ve been impressive. Sure she wasn’t as fast as she once was, ten years of prison would do that to you, but the kid was able to keep up quite well. He even started learning some of her tricks like he was copying her movements. 

She kept ahead of Izuku, leaping through rooftops with practised ease as the teen struggled to catch up. Kaina forced herself to go faster than her usual pace, she didn’t want this to look too easy for Izuku after all. The whole point of this was to show how rough her missions in the Mirror World could be. 

His friend’s Shadow was plain luck, who could plan to randomly unlock a Persona specifically geared towards countering their foe? Sure an arsenal like that would be potent against the forces of Shadows roaming this distorted reflection of their world, and if he thought that was enough to let him play Hero she was going to prove him wrong. She wasn’t going to have some kid risk his life again after nearly dying once. If he really did die under her watch, she would never forgive herself for that.

But to her frustration, there was no deterring him. Despite the distance between them he only pushes himself harder until Kaina is forced to slow down so he doesn’t burn through all his energy just getting to the location,

“You’re gonna exhaust yourself before we even get there.” she points out once he was in hearing range, “Your breathing needs work, those are more important than you think. Try not to force yourself to breathe, let your core relax when breathing out, but don’t force it out. You’re also going to want to stop breathing in before an impact, it’ll tense you up too much. Exhale before you jump.”

“Un…derstood…” Izuku forces before trying to do as Kaina advised. The woman felt like slapping herself after that, this was supposed to get him not to come here but the advice just slipped out.

She rationalises it as just making sure he’ll still have the energy to run away when necessary. 

After a few more minutes of travel across the rooftops, they start to hear explosions in the distance and both stop.

“Was that…?” Izuku asks, tensed with a worried look on his face as Kaina nods. 

She gestures towards the horizon where smoke is visible, with flashing lights of various elemental attacks bombarding all over the area. Tornados of green energy erupt, storms of lightning strike down, pillars of fire and ice rise explosively. It was far away but Izuku could still feel slight tremors from the impacts.

“Welcome to the front lines, or at least the closest we can get right now.” Kaina explains as a building collapses from an explosion as if to punctuate her sentence, “Think of it as a gang war but if gangs have high-grade artillery-level Quirks. Now see that over there? That’s our target.”

His attention turns towards an office building nearby, one covered all over in familiar black crystalline matter, dotted with orbs of yellow material wrapped in jagged crystals. The two Persona Users climbed to a vantage point of a nearby building and Kaina whips out her Rifle Quirk, using its scope to get a closer look.

“Looks like it’s not time yet. Get some rest and stay hydrated.” Kaina advised and Izuku nodded, unslinging one of her spare backpacks she gave him and taking out a bottle of water.

“Time for what?” he asks as he kneels next to Kaina, trying to peer at the Nest with his normal eyes.

“For fresh meat to join the grinder.” Kaina says before clarifying to a confused Izuku, “I told you Nests are for making more Shadows, right? With it this close to the front lines they’ll be constantly throwing out new waves of fresh Shadows to join the war effort. If we don’t do anything quick the humans they’re feeding off on would be drained dry in a few days.”

Izuku pales at the image before steeling himself, “Then… then how do we save them?”

“Tell me, you remember your friend’s Shadow right?” Kaina asks and Izuku nods, “Ever wondered what happened once we took it down?”

Izuku pauses before realising he hasn’t thought of the aftermath of the Shadow’s defeat. As he was wondering this, Kaina filled him in.

“After you collapsed all the dark crystals just broke apart. I’ve never taken down a Leader before so it came as a shock to me too.” she explains, “But after that night I went back to scout it out and colour me surprised when I didn’t find a single Shadow in the vicinity. It looks to me that taking down a Leader disrupts Shadow activity in their territory, forcing them out probably to join other Colonies.”

“Then if we take out this Nest’s Leader we won’t have to deal with the rest. The Shadows will scatter and let us save the prisoners without being disturbed.” Izuku realises and Kaina nods.

“Got it in one.” she says before standing up, “I’ll go ahead to scout the area, you stay behind until the moment is right. Still, got that comm piece I gave you?

Izuku nods and reaches into his pocket for it, “Yeah, I was thinking of returning it since I was here.”

“Hold onto it for the moment, I’ll call you on it when I find us an entry point,” she explains before leaping off the building. Izuku panicked for a moment before looking over the railing to see she landed on a shorter building, heading towards the Nest’s directions.

He lets out a sigh as he watches her run off. Even with the exercise he did, he wouldn’t be able to keep up if she was serious. And this was all without a speed or agility-based Quirk! 

Izuku knows that she wants to drive him away by showing the difficulty of all of this, but it only makes his desire burn brighter. He was going to prove that he could keep up, that he wasn’t going to be dead weight or a burden. 

“You have returned…”

Izuku almost falls over the railing from surprise before catching himself, turning to find a familiar blue door behind him with Agatha leaning against it, a blue binder in her arms and a warm smile on her face.

“Agatha?” he whispers before turning hoping that Kaina didn’t see her. 

“Do not fear, unless I permit it only you can see me at the moment.” she assures, “My master wishes to speak with you, should you desire. I believe it would be fruitful considering the hardships you may face.”

Izuku looks back at the large Nest. It wasn’t as big as the school but if their Leader was as strong as Sekhmet was then it would be a problem. Kaina was right that he only won by pure chance, if he wanted to succeed he needed all the help he could get.

“Will it take long?” he asks, worried that Kaina may return to find him missing. 

“Not at all, at least to the outside world.” Agatha explains, “The Velvet Room exists between dream and reality. Time spent in the Velvet Room differs from time spent outside. You may take as long as you like.”

With that settled he nods his head and approaches the door. He looks at the keyhole and pulls out the silver key given to him, unlocking it and pushing it open. Bright light greets Izuku as Agatha offers the hook of her arm and an embarrassed Izuku takes it before being guided within.

*The Velvet Room*

“Izuku Midoriya, welcome back to the Velvet Room.” Igor greets him as Izuku awoke to find himself back in his usual seat within the room, “I am pleased that you have returned.”

“It’s nice to see you again, Igor.” Izuku says standing up and bowing gratefully, “I hope this isn’t much of a bother, but I’m going to get into another fight soon. Agatha told me you would help me?”

“Of course, our services are always open to you, Izuku Midoriya.” Igor says with his ever-present toothy smile, “To celebrate your return I have made one such service available to you. The Fusion of Personas.”

“Fusion…?” Izuku mutters confused as Igor looks to the Attendant,

“Agatha?” he urges and she nods before drawing on the whiteboard.

“Fusions are a service that we of the Velvet Room provide.” she explains as she draws two figures with a plus sign between them, “Your Personas will be sacrificed and combined into one to become one that is usually of higher power and of a different Arcana.”

“Wait, sacrifice?!” Izuku asks in alarm, “You mean I have to kill them?!”

Agatha shakes her head, “Incorrect, a Persona sacrificed during Fusion does not die. They are an archetype that exists within the hearts of all humans in the Sea of Souls. Should they be sacrificed they simply return to where they once were, awaiting future calls. Meaning if you like, you may call forth their services again. For a price of course.”

“Oh… well that’s a relief.” Izuku says relaxing a bit before noticing her last words, “Price? Is it another metaphorical thing?”

“Oh no, it is quite literal.” Agatha says as he hears the sound of a cash register ringing somewhere, “It is a monetary price, paid for in that currency you call ‘yen’.”

“...Do you take I.O.Us?” Izuku asks sheepishly as he realises he doesn’t have much on him. He was insistent on using as much of his money earned from part-time jobs to help around the house like with groceries.

“Do you even need money anyway?” He asks curiously and Agatha shakes her head.

“No, but you humans as a collective place surprisingly great importance on the value of metal coins and paper slips.” She explains, “Because of that we use it as a sacrifice to summon Personas from the Sea of Souls. Unless you rather sacrifice body parts or sections of souls…”

“No, money’s good! I’m fine with that!” Izuku hurriedly says before they start getting ideas, as he makes a mental note to start saving up, “So… when do we start?”

The door opened once more and he was met again by bright light. 

“If you would follow me then…” Agatha asks and offers her arm for Izuku again.

***

“This… is this the school gates?” Izuku steps out of the doors to find a courtyard with twin metal gates in front of them, and thick obscuring fog beyond it, “I guess the Velvet Room really is a school?”

“The Velvet Room takes the shape determined by the state of your heart. I’ve also found strange posters of a smiling muscular man plastered through the hallways.” Agatha explains as she looks back at the blue school building, “If I may ask, what do you think tells you about yourself?”

Izuku pauses to think as he glances at the building, “Well… I guess it’s because I’ve always dreamt of being a Hero. To do that I needed to enrol in a Hero School to learn how to be one. Since All Might’s the greatest Hero out there, I guess my heart always wanted to be taught by him… Just a fantasy, I guess.”

He mutters to himself disappointed as he remembers the words of his idol seared into his heart. Both from eight years ago and from weeks ago. The words from almost a decade ago were faint but he hears them still, and the recent ones even clearer.

“Quirkless…can’t be a Hero…”

“I’m sorry but I cannot waste any time.”

“Oh? An academy for future champions then?” Agatha looked interested before opening her binder, “I must make note of that. Perhaps she would be interested in such a thing…”

“Huh?” Izuku looks at her confused as she jots something down with a silver pen before closing her binder,

“Ah, nothing of importance to you, dear guest.” she says quickly, before changing the subject, “Now…which Persona do you wish to sacrifice?”

She opens her binder to Izuku and he sees pages begin filling up with possible combinations of all his Personas which he studied intently.

Izuku hesitates and starts thinking, “Well… Currently, I have a total of four, and three of them are balanced between physical attacks and magical, with one fully dedicated to magic. Out of them all Jack Frost is the strongest with magic and a wide radius of attack, I don’t think I should give him up yet. Cu Chulainn is the best physical fighter on the team too with electric attacks that can stun, and he’s speed outclasses everyone. But then there’s the new one…”

He mutters frantically as he considers the pros and cons of each of his Personas before his eyes land on one of the choices. If these skills were what he thinks they are then it would be a huge help. But he cringes as he realises it required both Don Quixote and Cu Chulainn, and with the funds he has now, he could only afford to summon one of them once again.

As he was about to skip over it, he heard a voice come from behind him. 

“Do not let sentimentality cloud your judgement, young squire.”

Izuku turns and widens his eyes in surprise to see both Don Quixote and Cu Chulainn strolling towards him, with the former on his horse.

“These old bones will only slow you down. I’m too weak and you know it, and you have a long journey ahead of you. I am thou, your other half, so I know what your heart desires. And I agree with what you are planning.” Don Quixote assures.

“I…” Izuku hesitates but feels his Persona’s desire mirroring his. Still, this was the first Persona he unlocked, a part of himself, it felt almost wrong.

The Knight Errant chuckles, “Do not weep, young squire for I will watch from the depth of your hearts, ready to return shall you call for me again. Let her aid you in thy quest to save innocents from clutches of villainy.”

“...Thanks for saving me, Don Quixote.” Izuku smiles bittersweetly, “I’ll see you again one day.”

“And I, you.” the Persona bows his head before laughing jovially as his horse charges towards the open gates and into the fog. As this happens Cu Chulainn follows on foot, sparing Izuku a glance.

“I see what you desire in thy heart, and I will await your call.” Cu Chulainn nods as he walks into the fog, disappearing.

“The choice has been made, and the Personas are Expelled from you.” Agatha nods as she slams her binder shut, the gates closing to mirror her action. Izuku felt something sever from within as the gates creaked open once more, a figure floating in the air approaching from the fog.

“I am Leanan Sidhe…” a beautiful woman with long blonde hair and a purple dress floats towards, him hands holding two metal objects intertwined with each other, “Hmm, very well. I shall share my power with you… If you don’t leave my side, of course.”

She giggles and Izuku forces himself not to blush as the Persona dissipates into motes of blue light and flies into him.

“A successful Fusion!” Agatha celebrates with a clap of her hands, “It’s my first time doing so out of practice! I’m glad it went well!”

“Me too.” Izuku says happily before realising, “Wait, went well? What does-?”

“Ah that’s right, you wanted to summon back a Persona correct?” Agatha quickly changes the subject and opens her binder, “Which one shall I recall? Choose wisely, dear guest.”

“I’ve made my decision already.” Izuku nods, “I’d like Cu Chulainn back, please.”

“Very well.” she smiles and waves a hand over the binder, “From the compendium you have assembled, I shall bring forth the expelled Persona and re-enroll him.”

Before Izuku can react, he feels his wallet suddenly rush out of his own pocket and into Agatha’s hand. It glowed blue for a moment before she handed it back to Izuku, now feeling way lighter.

Footsteps were heard from the gates as a familiar armoured figure walked back into the courtyard.

“I heed your summons once more, Izuku Midoriya.” Cu Chulainn salutes him and Izuku hastily returns it, “Once again my spear is in your service.”

The Persona breaks up into several blue motes and like Leanan Sidhe, flies into Izuku as he feels their bond reconnecting.

“This will help me a lot.” Izuku smiles satisfied before turning to Agatha, “Thanks for helping me, Agatha.”

“I am pleased that you are pleased.” Agatha curtsies towards him, “I look forward to providing my services to you again. If that is all for today…?”

Izuku nods, “Yeah, I think I’m ready. I’ll get going now then.”

Agatha nods and turns to the doors leading into the building, snapping her fingers to open them. As she does so Izuku remembers the conversation they had earlier today.

“And… I want to thank you again, for talking to me earlier.” he says, “I’m not sure how long it would have taken to get the confidence and come back here if it wasn’t for you. And I’m still not sure if I’m worthy of this power, but I’ll strive to use the Wild Card the best I can to make you proud.”

“Your words are kind, Izuku Midoriya…” She smiles warmly before putting a hand over her heart, “Then in response I will reiterate my vow, to be the best Attendant I can ever be, to support and guide you on your journey.”

Izuku smiles back at her, feeling like he has gotten closer to the Attendant as a voice enters his head. Agatha notices something as well, something blossoming within her and Izuku.

“Well, well, colour me surprised. An Attendant like her… Let's get this out of the way then. ” his Shadow chuckles within himself, “I am Thou! Thou art I! With this new bond of yours you grow closer to throwing off your shackles, one step closer towards freedom! An Arcana, unlike the standard… The Arcana of Aeon, one who has yet to fully understand themselves and the world around them…”

“Oh, to think you would establish a bond with one such as I.” she giggles as Izuku’s eyes widen in surprise, “But if it helps you on your journey, then I will accept. Wield this new power as you see fit, Izuku Midoriya.”

“You heard that too?” Izuku asks but she shakes her head, “What was that?”

“No, but I could sense the link between us sprouting and beginning to bloom.” she explains to a confused Izuku, “You wield the power of the Wild Card, while it allows you to possess multiple Personas it also allows you to strengthen them with the bonds you form.”

“So…the more friends I make the more powerful my Personas will be?” Izuku asks, finding the concept strange but intriguing.

“A bond does not necessarily mean friendship.” Agatha says, “One can be formed through mutual beneficiary relationships, a common goal or simple understanding of each other. I’m sure my eldest sister would say such bonds forming with Attendants would be scandalous.”

Izuku blushes as she giggles once more. It was kind of cute but he doesn’t voice his thoughts.

Chapter Text

The door to the Velvet Room slams shut behind Izuku as he strolls out, flexing his hand wrapped with chains. The new Personas within him would prove useful in his upcoming fight, he swears it won’t end like the last one…

“It took you long enough…” a voice speaks out, emerging from the corner of the roof as a figure appears before Izuku in a flash of ember light, “I thought you were never going to leave.”

“It’s you…” Izuku mutters in recognition of the cloaked figure with a tome under their arms.

“A shame they got to you first.” the figure sounds disappointed as they clench their tome tightly, “But I digress, you may still prove useful.”

“Who are you?” Izuku asks bluntly, not feeling at ease with this stranger’s presence and tone.

“Merely a purveyor of armaments that you will find of use, Wild Card.” the figure bows their head before gesturing to the knuckle dusters on his hands, “I trust you find them useful?”

“...They were.” Izuku carefully nods as the figure chuckles.

“I’m glad, very glad. And to top it off you survived against a powerful foe. I trust you brought your proof?” 

Izuku was confused for a moment before realising what he meant, pulling out the burnt silver trading card that he kept all those weeks ago. Immediately it flies out from his hands and into the stranger’s hands.

“Ah, this trophy burns bright with flames of ambition.” the figure studies the card impressed, “I shall forge a mighty weapon out of this for you.”

“What?” Izuku asks as the stranger opens their black and ember tome once more, orange light emitting from its pages.

“I provide a service, young Wild Card.” they explain, “Across this realm of reflections are powerful foes. Hunt them and bring proof of their defeat to me, and I can either grant you an item befitting the fallen foe.”

Services… It sounded a lot like what the Velvet Room offered him, but this figure didn’t look like they belonged there with how they dressed. He can’t even see their face, let alone guess what gender they were from the way the voice was distorted. That sends his guard up.

“Why help me? I think you promised me answers if I survived.” Izuku remembers and the figure strokes their chin.

“Yes, I did. Answers…” they mutter before nodding, “I assume you wish to ask my intent?”

“Well yeah, what do you get out of this?” Izuku asks.

“Vindication.” the figure says confusing Izuku, “Consider this a sort of… experiment, Wild Card. You know the power Bonds can bring, don’t you? I’m sure the master has explained it to you.”

“Igor?” Izuku mutters as the figure continues,

“Weak links bind together to form a strong chain. But what if each link were strong by itself?” the stranger asks rhetorically, “I offer the power of self-improvement through the power of Isolation. Form a contract with me and I will serve as the proprietor of the equipment you will require for your journey ahead. You know there will be times that your Persona cannot aid you, I offer a chance for you to defend yourself and your allies should the time come.”

Izuku is hesitant to accept at first, but then thinks deeply and remembers the strain of using a Persona. The drain on both psyche and stamina as of now were immense and he’d need a way to keep fighting should he not have access to them. 

“So you just want to run an experiment? That’s all?” Izuku asks unsure.

“I wish to prove a point.” the stranger corrects, “Now do you accept it or not?”

“...Alright then.” Izuku nods, “I accept.”

As he says this his head rings with the familiar voice of his Shadow, the stranger flinching as this happened.

“You caught a strange one this time.” the Shadow chuckles, “I am Thou! Thou art I! With this new bond of yours you grow closer to throwing off your shackles, one step closer towards freedom! The Arcana of Strength… one who has the power to endure difficulties to hide the weakness buried within.”

“You form bonds that easily?” the stranger asks, baffled before scoffing, “Fine. I will simply consider this part of the experiment. I simply ask you to try not to develop it, this is purely contractual and for self-profit to the both of us. Now for the first of many…”

The tome hovers in the air as the stranger uses both their hands to cast a sort of spell, the silver card burning with orange flames before turning into some kind of sludge that was moulded until it took solid form.

Two pairs of black leather gloves hovered in the air, with metal studs on the knuckles decorated with flaming runes. With a snap of their fingers, they were sent flying towards Izuku who barely caught them.

“What are they?” Izuku asks, amazed at the sight of them. From a glance he could tell the workmanship in them was impressive, they actually looked like types of Support Items a Pro Hero would be seen wielding.

“Weapons containing a fraction of the defeated foe’s power.” the stranger explains, “Wield them well, and remember to bring any proof of victories to me. I will be waiting.”

“Wait!” Izuku calls out before they can leave, “How do I find you again? Heck, I don’t even know your name.”

“...I am merely a Merchant that provides you your equipment.” the stranger says after a moment of thought, “As for my location.”

Another snap of their fingers and a burning ember lock etches itself on the ground, “Look for this sign anywhere you go and await my arrival. Do not mention my trade to anyone you call allies, for my business is simply with you. Doing so would breach our contract, understand?”

“I guess so…” Izuku nods, still finding himself perturbed by the ‘Merchant’ as they leave as suddenly as they arrived, vanishing in a flash of amber light. With them gone he studies his new weapons, taking off the knuckle dusters he wore and sliding on the new gloves.

These ones felt lighter than the knuckle dusters but he somehow felt they were stronger, giving them a few practice punches before nodding in approval. If it made him stronger he wouldn't refuse them, no matter how suspicious he felt about the Merchant. For now, it seems they have no ill intent other than to study Izuku for their ‘experiments’. He’ll have to play along for now.

“Midoriya.” Kaina’s voice floods through the comm, “I found an entry point near South East of the building. Meet me there, and get a move on. The next wave should be coming out soon and we need to get in immediately.”

“Got it.” Izuku affirms before hesitating, “But…where’s South East?”

***

“You really need a compass if you wanna keep coming here.” Kaina mutters as Izuku finally makes his way to the alley behind the office building-turned-Nest, “Patrols aren’t frequent here, every available body’s being thrown into the meat grinder.”

“They’re just trying to use overwhelming numbers?” Izuku asks and Kaina nods,

“Yep. No other strategy in these guys’ heads.” Kaina says as she pulls out what looks to be a handgun at first but Izuku recognises it as a somewhat crudely made grappling hook using an airsoft pistol as a firing mechanism and a small cylinder of gas to power it.

“Now watch what I do.” she demonstrates, firing a hook at an open window twenty metres above them. Once the windowsill was hooked she then triggered a mechanism of gears within the grappling hook, drawing in the cable as she used it to aid in scaling up the building.

Once she climbed through, Kaina poked her head out and looked down at Izuku, “Alright, now you do the same.”

She drops the grappling hook and Izuku barely catches it, fumbling it in his hands as Kaina sighs.

“Okay, now what you want to do is-?” she starts to explain before Izuku pulls the trigger, firing it at the window, with Kaina barely moving her head in time to avoid the hook smacking her face. She looks down at an embarrassed and flustered Izuku with an incredulous look on her face.

“...Remind me to never give you a gun,” she mutters before guiding Izuku on how to use it to scale up the building. It took longer for him due to his inexperience and the fear that if the cable broke or his grip slipped he’d plummet and hit hard, but eventually he was able to scale up through the window.

“Easy, that was good.” Kaina grabs his arm and helps him through, immediately remembering she wasn’t being hard enough and deciding to compensate, “For an amateur I mean. It took you almost ten minutes to get up, and your feet kept slipping. On the field every second counts, got it?”

“I’m sorry, I’ll do better next time,” Izuku promises, looking a bit disappointed at his performance. Kaina has to bite her lip and stop herself from moving to reassure the kid before pointing at the door,

“Look, behind that door is gonna be a bunch of Shadows. We wait until the next wave charges out and then all there’s left is gonna be a skeleton crew, but even then only engage if there’s no choice. Our priority is the Leader, so keep it quiet and don’t go setting off alarms. Understood?”

“Got it.” Izuku nodded and after a moment of waiting, the entire building began to shake, “Is that…?”

“About fifty-something Shadows.” Kaina nods grimly, “This is just a moderate-sized Nest, you’ll see bigger.”

It takes some time for the rumbling to cease and once it does Kaina turns to Izuku, “Alright kid, it’s showtime.”

The two of them quietly made their way out of the room they were hiding in, carefully stepping as softly as they could to avoid making as much noise as possible.

“Where’s all the humans?” Izuku asks in a soft whisper as he looks around at the walls lined with black matter and crystals.

“...If I had to guess? A couple floors above us.” Kaina shrugs, “Hodr gives me limited abilities to navigate, but I can only sense Shadows in short ranges, not humans. All those stomping started above us, so it’s logical they’re up there.”

She then stops Izuku with an arm, “Hold. Two Shadows patrolling around a staircase ahead, but it doesn't seem like there’s any more on the floor.”

“Should we take them out?” Izuku asks, “I mean if we’re gonna bring people back down and out, we could run into them again even if the Leader’s taken out.”

“We’re gonna have to take them out anyways to get through.” Kaina agreed with his assessment, slightly impressed that he was thinking things through despite the worried look on his face, “I’ll take the one on the right, your’s on the left.”

She guides them to a hallway intersection and gestures for Izuku to take the left while she hides at the corner on the right, pulling out a survival knife. The two of them wait in silence as Kaina raises a hand with three fingers, counting down for Izuku.

Once it reached zero, two slime-like Shadows with masks lumbered through the hallway, not looking at the corners carefully enough.

Kaina reacts the quickest, grabbing a Shadow by the mask and pulling it over before slicing its head off from the neck (or more specifically the lob of slime that wore the solid mask).

Izuku quickly mimics her, wrapping an arm around its ‘neck’ and connecting the head to the rest of the slime. Surprisingly for a creature that looks soft and squishy, it was surprisingly solid. As it struggles in Izuku’s grip he punches it from behind the back, the force of his punches tearing a hole through it with ease.

But to his surprise, the body of the Shadow lights up on fire and he quickly releases it before it spreads to him too. The corpse burns away as Izuku stares at the glowing runes on his knuckles. So that was what the Merchant meant.

“Sloppy.” Kaina comments on his handiwork, “If it made a bit more noise or escaped it would have alerted the whole building.”

Izuku winces as he wipes the rapidly disintegrating Shadow slime off his clothes. “Sorry…”

“Where did you even get those anyway?” Kaina asked, looking at the new gloves Izuku were wearing, “I didn’t think you could find stuff like those lying around in the Mirror World.”

“Oh, this?” Izuku hesitates remembering the contract he agreed to with the Merchant, “It’s…from our last fight with Sekhmet. Kacchan handed a card to me and it became these after a while.”

“Really? I guess there’s still things I don’t know.” Kaina shrugs before moving on, “Now double-time, we have to get up while the next batch is still processing.”

***

“They don’t look like they want to move,” Izuku mutters as he peers around the corner of the tenth floor of the Nest. In front of them guarding the staircase to the top floor was a single Red Shadow.

“No, it doesn’t.” Kaina mutters as she engages her Quirk, plucking out some of her hair to mould into armour-piercing bullets, “I’ll keep it focused on me. You prod at its weaknesses with your Personas. Once it’s down, we go all out on it.”

“Got it. Ready on your signal.” he nods and readies himself. The moment Kaina fired her Rifle, he dashed through the hallway, 

“Wait, I didn’t mean-?!” Kaina cries out as Izuku runs closer towards the Shadow as she curses under her breath, “Damn it!”

The bullet strikes at the Red Shadow’s mask and startles it before screeching and morphing, taking the shape of a metal machine with a human-shaped top half and two spiked wheels below. Extended vertically from its arms were lance-like spikes and a golden mask on its face.

The mechanical Shadow accelerates forward hoping to ram Izuku into the ground or smash his face apart with its lance-arms. Izuku however slides downward as he shatters his chains,

“Orpheus!”

A figure with a blue torso and a speaker embedded into its stomach whips out a silver lyre with white limbs and strums the strings. The Persona’s eyes glowed red before the lyre launched a weak bolt of fire towards the speeding Shadow, which it practically ignored while skidding to a stop to realign and speed towards Izuku again.

However, Kaina stops it by firing a bullet at its wheels. While it does nothing more than scrape the metal, it catches the Shadow’s attention. But while it was distracted, Orpheus wields its lyre like a bat and smashes it behind the Shadow’s head.

“Fire and physical attacks aren’t working!” Izuku analyzes before summoning his chains once more, “Jack Frost!”

The imp leaps out with a cheer of “Hee-Ho!” before blasting a pulse of ice energy, freezing over the Shadow in a flash with a thick layer of frost. However, it does not freeze completely, spinning like a small tornado to break off the frost and nearly decapitated Izuku with its outstretched lance-arms.

Izuku heard the sound of static crackling and was reminded of the noise Cu Chulainn would make when gathering lightning. Immediately he has Jack Frost jump in front of him in time to take the blow, slightly reducing the damage as Izuku was sent flying backwards.

“Midoriya!” Kaina cries out in concern before breaking her own chains and summoning Hodr, “Eiga!”

A darkness-infused mistletoe arrow strikes the gold mask but it only chips at it. But as the Shadow turns towards Kaina, strange music can be heard as she looks to see Izuku getting back on his feet with a scorched jacket, Orpheus behind him strumming away aggressively at the lyre.

“Tarunda…” Izuku chants as a red aura surround the Shadow. It tries to gather electricity and shoot again but this time the bolt of electricity is weaker, Orpheus blocks it without being sent flying. Annoyed by this, the Shadow’s wheels whir again as it readies for a charge but Izuku was prepared this time,

“Cu Chulainn!” Izuku snapped his chains again, his feet getting shaky at the rapid summoning but he was steadying himself.

The Persona lunges forward and stabs its spear into the gears of the mechanical Shadow’s legs, halting its charge midway as the two struggle against each other. Izuku could feel his strength draining by the moment but then Kaina intervened,

“Rakunda!” she chants and Hodr casts its spell, weakening the armour of the Shadow enough that an electric blast from Cu Chulainn at point blank blew off one of its wheels. As this happens, another darkness-infused arrow pierces the joints connecting to the other wheel, rendering it incapable of movement.

It lets out a metallic screech as it gathers electricity again but is silenced when Hodr puts a dozen more mistletoe arrows directly at its mask within a few seconds.

The area falls silent as Izuku falls on his back, gripping his chest and panting as he checks the damage he received. The jacket he wore and shirt underneath were scorched, leaving a bad burn underneath that he was starting to feel even with adrenaline.

“That looks bad, hold on one moment…” Kaina hastily unslings her bag to grab medicine from only for Izuku to stop her.

“It’s fine… it’s fine… I got this.” he pants as he summons the chains once more and breaks them, “Leanan Sidhe…”

In a flash of blue light, the Persona appears and casts a spell, washing a wave of calm blue light over Izuku as his wounds suddenly repair themselves. Kaina watches with her jaw slightly agape before sighing,

“Right, of course, you have a Persona that heals,” she mutters before suddenly slapping him across the head, 

“Ow!” he cries out before Kaina starts rebuking him,

“What the hell was that?!” she asks, “I told you to prod it for weaknesses! Not run up and start blasting point blank!”

“B-but my Personas aren’t long-range like yours!” Izuku argues as he rubs the spot where he was struck, “I had to get close!”

“You still gave me a damn fright when you got struck by lightning!” Kaina yells before gritting her teeth, “Just… try not to do more dumb shit, alright?”

“Got it…” Izuku nods as he gets back up, looking at the staircase leading upwards, “So…how much do you want to bet whoever’s up there heard all that?”

“If they somehow miss all the explosions I’ll be impressed.” Kaina mutters as she senses something with Hodr, “Let’s get a move on, the Shadows below are getting agitated. We’ll have to get rid of their Leader fast.”

***

They take the staircase up…

The surprisingly long staircase…

The unnaturally long staircase…

 After some steps Izuku realises that it was beginning to spiral upwards, possibly reaching further than it looked from the outside. They really couldn’t trust how things appear in this Mirror World.

After give or take five minutes they finally reached the upper floor, and the sight stuns Izuku.

A dozen sacs of yellow liquid held in some kind of transparent yet organic membrane were attached to the walls of the wide circular room. Large black tendrils-like cables attach to the bottom of these sacs and lead towards a pool of bubbling oil in the centre.

But Izuku realises they weren’t oil, as a hand made of black goo reaches out before falling apart and back into the pool. This repeats all across its surface with more limbs reaching out desperately before dissipating.

“Is this…” Izuku mutters before Kaina nods,

“Yep. Welcome to the birthplace of Shadows… or at least one of them.” she says before looking at a figure hiding in the darkness of the ill-lit room, “And at the head of operations, their Leader.”

“Hmm…” a figure in black armour strides forward on a horse of all things, a red one with a black mane and a ferocious snarl. It gazes at them as one would at pieces of meat in a supermarket as if judging their worth, 

“Art thou fresh meat for my Nest?” it asks, sounding a mix between curiosity and amusement, “I must warn thee, even with thy strange powers thou shall find myself more than a match. Surrender yourselves, and you will be added to production…”

Izuku swallows a gulp as he feels himself sweat a bit in fear. This guy was almost as strong as Sekhmet was.

“How do you usually do this?” he whispers nervously towards Kaina who was staring ahead at the Shadow horseman.

“...Usually Hodr distracts it while I grab one. Two if I’m lucky,” she whispers back.

Izuku looks around them at the dozen sacs, each of them likely filled with humans before turning towards the Shadow, a scared but determined look on his face.

“Then…we just have to beat him.” Izuku declared out loud towards the Shadow.

“Very well then. Blame me not for thy suffering.”

Kaina quickly fires her Rifle Quirk at the Shadow, loading in a cluster of bullets before releasing them in a burst-fire mode exchanging accuracy and power for rate of fire. This barely affects the Shadow before suddenly it turns into a dark blur just as Izuku pulls at his chains.

“Valkyrie!” he shouts as the horse-riding Persona from the Strength Arcana emerges and blocks a gold trident with twin blades. Even with that the force and speed of the blow sends Izuku stumbling backwards, shocked at Shadow’s capabilities.

“Oh? A joust is it?” the Shadow asked amused before swiping its trident, easily shattering the Persona. But before it could target Izukun again a mistletoe arrow struck its head, turning to find Kaina running around as she flanks him, firing both her Rifle and her Persona’s arrows at the same time, but the Shadow seemed immune or at least very resistant to their piercing attacks.

It raises its trident again and in a blink, rushes forward and stabs Kaina in the shoulder, pushing her back and pinning against the wall.

“No!” Izuku shouts as he rushes to her and shatters his chains, “Persona!”

Again the Valkyrie launches forward and slashes at the Shadow, but it drops Kaina and easily intercepts with its own weapons. Blocking its strike before retaliating with its own, shattering it again with a single blow.

“Tell me, is that all thou have?” it asks as it strides towards Izuku before raising its trident. This time Izuku spots the pattern, immediately lunging forward as soon as the weapon made the slightest sign it was being brought down, having his hair scraped by the trident instead of it piercing his skull.

He drops into a forward roll before grabbing his chains again, “Orpheus!”

The Persona emerges and strums at its lyre, releasing a blast of fire at the Shadow, creating a cloud of smoke. As this happens he rushes towards a wounded Kaina,

“Ugh…see?” she grunts in pain, “This is why I can usually only save one person…”

“We’re saving them all this time.” Izuku insists as he summons Leana Sidhe again, casting the healing spell over Kaina to heal her wounds. But as he does so he hears a dark chuckle from the smoke,

“Is this the best thou can muster, thou has already lost the battle.” the Shadow and its steed walk through the smoke looking none the worse for wear. Izuku grits his teeth, the armour is too strong and it doesn’t look like physical attacks or fire can even scratch it.

It starts to raise its trident again and Izuku reacts accordingly, “Cu Chulainn!”

The Persona lunges forward at high speeds before the Shadow can charge. Its priorities changing, it decides to fend off Cu Chulainn’s attacks as Izuku shouts to Kaina,

“It has a tell! Every time it raises its trident!” he analyses, “And its speed when not charging is manageable! We can attack him then!”

Kaina nods and summons her Persona once again, “I’ll keep flanking it while you send one of your Personas to keep it busy. We’ll whittle it down until we kill it or you find a weakness.”

“Yes!” Izuku says as the two splits, each running in a different direction and flanking the Shadow.

It notices this and with a grunt of effort swings its trident, cleaving Cu Chulainn in half. But before it could select a foe to target, Izuku summons another Persona to distract it.

“Orpheus!” he calls out, “Tarunda!”

The strange music of the Persona weakens the Shadow who suddenly feels its body become much heavier and difficult to lift. As this happens Kaina pelts it with darkness-infused mistletoe arrows from Hodr. While they do pierce his armour they do little more than frustrate it.

“Agi!” the Shadow points its trident at Izuku before unleashing a bolt of flames. Too fast to dodge, Izuku could only raise his arms and brace for the blow. But to his surprise, it seemed to explode upon contact with an invisible barrier before it struck Izuku.

He looks down at his gloves in surprise, seeing the runes on the knuckles glow bright with fiery energy before he realises they were what protected him. He’d have to thank the Merchant the next time he saw them.

Annoyed with this, the Shadow decides to take out Izuku first, designating him the priority target with his wide array of abilities. It hefts its trident to throw, barely launching it in time as Hodr puts it in a chokehold with its wooden longbow.

Fortunately, its muscles were weakened meaning Orpheus has an easier time deflecting the trident with its lyre before rushing in to use it as a club, smashing its head while Hodr has it in its chokehold. 

But even with two Personas they could barely hold back the Shadow, and both Kaina and Izuku could feel their stamina rapidly dropping from the prolonged battle, their minds aching with every spell thrown.

True enough, the Shadow recalls its spear with an outstretched hand, flying back to him as if pulled by telekinesis. It then swipes away the two Personas with ease, shattering them all in one clean cleave.

“Damn it… Jack… Frost!” Izuku shouts as he shatters the chain, wanting to try freezing the Shadow in place. The frost imp blasts a beam of ice energy from its mouth but to Izuku’s surprise, the Shadow chooses to leap out of the way instead. It hasn’t done that even when both Kaina and Izuku poured on their previous attacks.

Kaina notices this as well, breaking her chains once more to summon Hodr to stall the Shadow. Swinging its bow like a club in close quarters, grabbing the Shadow’s attention while Izuku readies another attack.

“Bufu!” Izuku chants the spell but instead of ice spouting out Jack Frost simply vanishes, and suddenly Izuku falls to his knees wheezing and coughing. Kaina immediately recognises it as an overuse of his Persona, but before she can aid him the Shadow slashes away at Hodr before pointing its spear at her and blasting with another Agi.

The blast knocks Kaina off her feet as the Shadow turns to Izuku, lifting its trident. Now it was his chance to eliminate the troublesome brat before he recovers and blasts that ice attack again. He brings the trident down as his steed charges at full speed. But just as it was accelerating, he saw the chains manifest and shatter once again.

“Persona!” Izuku shouts as Jack Frost manifests and releases a built-up wave of frost, freezing the Shadow just as the tip of the trident is a hair’s breadth away. Izuku was almost hyperventilating at that, breathing heavily as he realised just how close he came to dying just now.

Then the ice shatters and Izuku freezes, but instead of attacking the Shadow looks dazed before falling off its horse which has also fallen unconscious. It grits its teeth as it tries to stand up using its trident as support, but Izuku acts quickly, scampering back on his feet and throwing a haymaker across the Shadow’s helmet.

The helmet cracks and chips as the dazed Shadow stumbles backwards, right into Kaina’s grasp she stabs it in the throat with her survival knife, before pointing her right elbow at its head ejecting her Rifle’s barrel and firing a shot point blank.

This forces it forward again, into a waiting Izuku that begins pummeling his torso with a barrage of punches, each hit releasing a small fiery explosion like a firecracker. The two continue their assault, fists, knives, and bullets raining down mercilessly on the Shadow before one last attack from the both of them sends it flying towards a wall and falling limp.

“Did… did we do it?” Izuku asks, his body aching from exhaustion, looking towards Kaina who is in a similar state.

“Maybe?” she shrugs, “I’ve never killed a Leader before…”

Then the body of the Shadow twitches and tries to get up. Both tense up, ready for another fight before the Shadow collapses, too weak to stand up.

“Well…fought…” the Shadow groans in pain as it pants, “I’ve never fought a foe as thy before… And I never would have… despite my skills, my superiors decide it best if I guard a pitiful Nest such as this… instead of facing glorious battle…”

“Well… they should’ve.” Izuku shrugs, not sure why he was suddenly talking to the Shadow like it wasn’t trying to kill them moments ago. Maybe it was adrenaline and exhaustion getting to his head, “You were pretty strong…”

“Hey, no fraternising with the enemy.” Kaina says as she plucks out another armour-piercing bullet from her hair, “Let's bag him and be done with it.”

The Shadow chuckles instead, despite death looming over it, “Hehe…tell me, did thou find our battle exhilarating? Does victory feel grand?”

“...I guess it does,” Izuku admits. Despite the near death, now that it was over he feels a near overwhelming sense of pride. He, the Quirkless loser, has defeated a monster as strong as a Villain! And he didn’t pass out from his injuries this time! What would Kacchan, or anyone back at school think about that?

The Shadow laughs this time, full-on bellowing and confusing the two humans before it quiets down. There was a look in its glowing red eyes that wasn’t bloodlust or fury, but instead some kind of understanding. 

“I see…thou are more like I than anticipated…” it mutters sounding confused before its eyes flash blue and an aura surrounds it, “I remember now! I am not some foul Shadow meant to guard a pitiful Nest!”

“What the hell…?” Kaina mutters confused as she aims her Rifle at the Shadow. She wasn’t feeling any killing or hostile intent, but she kept aim in case it made the wrong moves. The armour of the Shadow suddenly repairs itself as it kneels before them,

“I am Berith! I am a great duke of Hell! Commander of demonic legions!” the Shadow, Berith, declares as its body begins breaking up into several motes of blue light leaving behind only a broken trident tip, the sight of which stuns the two humans, “And I am Thou… Thou art I… Allow me to aid you in thy quest, as another link in your chains.”

The motes fly into Izuku’s body surprising the two as Izuku feels another space be taken up in his heart and mind. Kaina gives him a blank look before sighing and withdrawing her Rifle.

“Damn it, kid, at this point I shouldn’t be surprised at anything should I?” she mutters before turning to the sacs of yellow fluid, “Now how about we hurry up?”

“Right.” Izuku nods as both he and Kaina begin ripping apart the sacs of yellow fluid, cringing as they stain his clothes but pushing through to grab the humans stuck within and pull them out.

He and Kaina drag them out one by one, lining them up on the floor as they struggle to regain consciousness, but when Izuku reaches the fourth one his eyes widen at how pale the skin of this man looked, a glassy look over his eyes.

“...We’re too late for that one.” Kaina mutters regretfully, “Must’ve been here for a month. He’s a husk now, nothing we can do.”

“I…” Izuku hesitates, trying to figure out if he can do something, anything. He desperately summons Leanan Sidhe again, hoping her healing magic could be used to help but to no avail. Warm blue light washes over the body but there was no change.

“We have to keep moving, Midoriya.” Kaina insists as she continues cutting open the sacs and dragging out humans, “Focus on the rest, not the ones you can’t save.”

Izuku looks at the husk in his arms before regretfully placing him down with the rest of the unconscious humans. He moves on to the last sac before he sees the outline of the human in it. Smaller than an adult, smaller than even him.

He tears into it with speed he didn’t know he had, hurriedly pulling out a child from the sac. Dread fills his body as he sees the child’s pale skin, Kaina looks over his shoulder and freezes at the sight as well.

“No, no, no…” Izuku quietly pleads as he shakes the child, “Come on, wake up, open your eyes…”

Kaina watches silently with an aching heart. She was no stranger to being too late to rescue the Shadows victims, but she has learnt to accept that. But when there rarely were children involved… She doubts anyone, even All Might, can get used to the sight.

“Please…” Izuku pleads, tears threatening to flow from his eyes before he hears a noise coming from the child.

A choked sob comes from the child’s throat, tears leaking out of her closed eyes like she was having some sort of bad dream. Kaina let out a breath she was holding back, laughing in relief and stress.

“Oh thank god…” she lets out a breath she was holding, while barely holding back tears of relief, “If this kid has the energy to cry, then she ain’t a husk… Thank god…”

Izuku on the other hand wasn’t composing himself, freely letting his tears of relief flow and sobbing in relief. Odd as it sounds he was never more relieved to hear a child cry in his entire life.

* Kaina’s Safehouse || 2XXX April 25th/Monday || ??? **

Kaina finds the kid sitting at the edge of a roof, a distant look in his eyes as she approaches him with two cans of coffee in her hands.

“Here.” she hands one to Izuku, “Takes the edge off your headaches.”

Izuku wordlessly accepts it as Kaina sits next to him, “The bodies are on the other side now, in the real world. I called the cops and they’ll pick them up soon. Eleven people get to go home today because of us, don’t forget that.”

“...What about that one guy?” Izuku asks quietly as he holds the can in his hands, not opening it or drinking from it.

Kaina sighs, “Doctors would probably put him in a psych ward, keep him from hurting himself… It’s not a life, but he’s alive. And like I said, maybe they’ll find a cure somehow.”

Izuku stays silent as he ponders on that, Kaina staring at him with pity. It’s never easy seeing your first dead body. She knows that look on his face, the first time she failed to save someone…the first time she killed someone…

She puts a comforting hand on Izuku’s shoulders, “This is why I didn’t want you around… I admit, you’re strong for a kid but there are injuries you can’t heal from. There’s just things we can’t do, and we’ll hate ourselves over it.”

“...Am I too weak for this?” Izuku asks before Kaina glares at him.

“No. Caring isn’t something to be ashamed of.” she rebukes before softening, “But when you care too much, the weight builds up until you can’t handle it. Every time you realise you can’t save someone it hurts. It’s the worst feeling in the world. It’s not something I want a kid like you to feel.”

Izuku went silent again and Kaina ruffled his hair, “I’ll send you back as soon as you’re ready. Just let this go, think of it as just a bad dream. Go back and live.”

She urges, pleads, for Izuku’s sake. But then he shakes his head and turns to her with a determined look.

“I can’t… Not after this.” he insists, “Now that I know what people go through… How can I turn around and pretend like I didn’t see anything?!”

He asks, sounding angry, not at Kaina but at the very idea of abandoning people to their fate, “If I can save people like today I’ll keep trying, no matter how much it hurts!”

Izuku declares and Kaina once again finds herself surprised at the sheer determination he had in his voice. There was no persuading him, not even on the pain of death he may receive at the hands of the Shadows.

“...Just tell me one thing, why do you want to be a Hero so badly?” she asks.

“Because I want to save people, put a smile on their faces like All Might does,” he repeats himself and Kaina sighs,

“Something tells me that you haven’t really found the answer.” Kaina mutters confusing Izuku before she continues, pointing a threatening finger at Izuku’s face, “Fine. You want me to train you? I’ll do more than that. I’ll grind you to dust until you’ll beg for me to stop. It’s not going to be as hard as you think, it’ll be even worse. You really want to go through that?”

“If it means I become stronger.” Izuku nods determined and Kaina smirks almost evilly,

“We’ll see how long you keep that mindset after training starts. Trust me, the HPSC training regiment I was given was nothing short of hell. Almost a quarter as bad as being stuck in Tartarus.” she says before looking more serious than ever, “But I’ll only train you on one condition. Only one.”

“What is it?” Izuku asks as Kaina taps his heart.

“Never compromise. Your ideals, your kindness, your desire to save people no matter what.” she explains, “Never stop being who you are, and never let anyone change that. The world needs more people like you out there, you understand me?”

“I swear it,” Izuku says with conviction as Kaina smiles like she is relieved. She extends a hand and Izuku shakes it, and as they do he feels something blooming in his heart. The bond they were sharing through the Arcana of the Tower grew in power from this contract.

“Heh, you might be the real deal.” Kaina mutters under her breath, “Training starts tomorrow. After school you come right here, you hear me?”

“Yes! I’ll work… work…” Izuku says with an excited look on his face before suddenly losing energy, his eyelids struggling to keep open before he collapses into Kaina’s surprised arms, “...I’ll work hard.”

“Jeez, that fight took more out of you than I thought.” she mutters before realising what time it was, almost three in the morning in the real world, “Guess you’re not used to it yet. We’ll have to work on that.”

Izuku ignores her, sleeping too heavily for her to wake up. She wanted to shake him awake and send him back, but he was probably too exhausted to even walk home. With a sigh she picks up the kid and walks back into her safe house, putting him on the spare bed he was sleeping on the last time he visited. She’ll let him wake up once he gets a short nap at least.

She just hopes he has one helluva explanation to his parents if they wake up early and find him missing.

Chapter Text

* Aldera Middle School || 2XXX May 9th/Monday || Day Time*

“Oi, Midoriya! Pay attention in class!”

Izuku’s mathematics teacher shouts and snaps Izuku awake, having dozed off maybe ten minutes ago. His eyes widened as the teacher lifted his arm for a throw before chucking a piece of chalk directly at Izuku’s forehead.

Fortunately, honed reflexes from his time training with Kaina allowed him to react in time, narrowly moving his head so that it missed him by a few inches. 

Some of the class started murmuring among themselves about this as the maths teacher sputters before pointing to the board, where the shape of a star was drawn, “W-well since you’re awake now, how about you answer this question we’ve been discussing? Shouldn’t be too hard if you were paying atten-?”

“The angles for C is 28 degrees, and since we know A and D are 88 degrees we can determine angles B and E are both 64 degrees,” Izuku answers after looking at the blackboard for a few seconds, taking the teacher by surprise once again.

“...That is correct.” the teacher grumbles in frustration at his defeat, “But still that’s no excuse to slack off in class, understood?!”

“Yes, sir! Please forgive me.” Izuku says, standing up and quickly bowing before sitting back down. Even after this, he could still hear his classmates talk about him in hushed whispers,

“Did you see that? New kid dodged that like it was nothing.”

“Forget about that, he seems pretty smart isn’t he?”

“Yeah, think he’ll let me borrow his notes?”

“Better odds of success than asking for Bakugou’s notes.”

“He’s the smartest in the class but who would want to get near him with that attitude?”

Izuku sweats a bit at that, knowing if he could hear them so could Katsuki. And sure enough, the blonde in question was audibly growling in his seat, looking about to snap. But their teacher caught on to it quick,

“You focus too, Bakugou. I don’t want any distractions in my class, got it?” he says as Katsuki quiets down reluctantly, “I know your homeroom teacher lets you get away with it a lot, but you're in my class now, and everyone pays attention.”

“...Yes sir.” Katsuki barely gets the word out through gritted teeth as he looks back down at his notebook.

* Kaina’s Safehouse || 2XXX May 9th/Monday || ??? **

“Ow, ow, ow!” Izuku winces in pain as he feels his shoulder almost dislocate from the arm bar Kaina has him in, forcing him to tap out. 

The former Hero releases him as he rubs his sore shoulder, “Alright, pretty good. You lasted what, a couple more seconds than average?”

“I still ended up face-first on the floor,” Izuku grumbles.

“Eh, don’t sweat it, kid. You’re actually making good progress. Decently good at boxing, but you got talent in CQC.” Kaina says as she lets Izuku catch his breath, “Won any competitions before?”

“Not really…” Izuku pants as he grabs a nearby water bottle, “I wasn’t the biggest or strongest. My old coach said I learnt techniques quick, but I wasn’t exactly championship material.”

“Yeah, you need more muscles for that.” Kaina nods in agreement before pulling out a slip of paper in her pocket, “Here. I updated your training regimen for when you’re at home, as well as your diet.”

“Yikes… that’s more than the old one.” Izuku gulps as he sees his adjusted training regimen, “All that in one day?”

“Yeah, I was trying to remember the old regimen I got, but then I remembered you’re a boy so I needed to modify it a bit.” Kaina says looking embarrassed at how she overlooked that, “But hey, you wanted to be a Hero right? No pain, no gain.”

“Right.” Izuku nods with determination, “I’ll overcome any challenge you throw at me, Miss Tsutsumi!”

Kaina chops him on the head, “What did I say about this ‘Miss Tsutsumi’ stuff? Cut it out, it’s Kaina to you. We’re war buddies now. Accomplices.”

“Alright then… Kaina.” Izuku felt awkward using her first name now that he was aware of her full name, especially since she was way older than he was.

“Now, let's see what you got for me today.” Kaina walks over to the bag of groceries he bought for her, searching through them, “The usual, more of the usual, hey mind buying some mint chocolate chip ice cream next time? I think I got my sweet tooth back after the last pint.”

“Got it.” Izuku mentally jots that down before Kaina pulls something from the bag,

“Well, this is a surprise.” she says, pulling out a keychain of a fluffy white rabbit’s head, “Not that I don’t appreciate it.”

“Oh, we had to hand those out at the convenience store I work at, some kind of promotion or something. Must’ve slipped in by accident.” Izuku realises before reaching for it, “I’ll just take it back-?”

Kaina slaps his hand away before he can touch it, “Hands off, it’s mine now.”

“I didn’t know you liked this kinda stuff,” Izuku says surprised as he rubs his hand and Kaina looks slightly embarrassed.

“I like pretty and cute things, what about it? A girl needs a hobby besides running ops against Shadows in a messed up world like this.” she huffs before looking at the keychain fondly, “Man, I used to collect plushies back before I was even your age. Kept my collection even when I became a Pro, my apartment had a shelf full of them…”

Her voice trails off as her smile falters at the memory, “...Knowing the HPSC, they probably torched my apartment after searching it for any dirt I had on them. No loose ends left untied, that’s kinda their unofficial motto.”

“...Why did you join them in the first place?” Izuku asks after a pause and Kaina sighs.

“Same reason you asked me to train you. I really wanted to be a Pro Hero.” she explains while playing with the keychain, “You know our country’s not the biggest fan of guns, and back then it was hard being that girl whose Quirk was just a gun. Probably thought of it as a ‘Villain’ Quirk, even when I let them know all I ever wanted to do was to be a Pro Hero.”

Her smile turns bitter, “You know the feeling right? Seeing Heroes soar through the air, saving the day with their awesome and flashy Quirks, the feeling of safety and comfort it brought? Thinking that they were the coolest thing ever?”

“Yeah… I get what you mean.” Izuku nods, remembering how he felt the first time he watched the video of All Might’s debut, saving hundreds in the middle of a raging inferno.

“So when some government agents came up to me after school, offering me all the best training they could provide while making sure my parents were financially supported? I didn’t even think, or even ask what they saw in me.” Kaina was no longer smiling, “I thought they were talking about how much potential I had as a Hero, but as I found out they were thinking how much potential I had as an assassin.”

She looks towards Izuku with a stern look on her face, “Remember, if a deal’s too good to be true it always is. Keep asking questions, because the world isn’t that kind. People  always  want something from you, and sometimes it's not in your best interest.”

Izuku nods in understanding as he ponders on her words,

“Then… What do you want?” Izuku asks out of curiosity, confusing Kaina before clarifying, “I mean, for training me. Now that I think about it, this must be kind of a hassle, clearing up your schedule just to make time for me.”

“Please, I don’t do much before evening. Shadows are pretty much dormant when the light’s out, or rather when it's dark." She says gesturing to the sky, “To Shadows night is day, and day is night, so if they’re reflections of humanity I guess they have sleep schedules as well. And as for your question…”

Kaina finds herself smirking, “Maybe I just like the company? It helps that you’re buying supplies for me, which leaves me more time for recon and less risk being seen in the real world.”

“Well, I think you’re great company too, Kaina.” Izuku finds the courage in himself to say that, making her look at him weirdly. He can feel the bond between the two of them deepening from the Tower Arcana within.

“Sheesh, that’s kinda sad. You know I’m a wanted criminal that’s been in jail since you could barely walk? You need friends your age.” she says and Izuku laughs a bit at how blunt that was before she adds, “But…thanks for saying that.”

*Midoriyas’ Apartment || 2XXX May 10th/Tuesday || Evening*

Izuku groans as he limps back home, sore from his training with Kaina. She hadn’t been kidding when she promised that it would be hellish. If it wasn’t for the fact he could feel the improvement in just two weeks he might have given up already, but the training regimen that Kaina was putting him through was definitely working.

He unlocks the door and heads in, surprised to find his father lying on the couch with his jacket off and tie loosened, as well as a can of beer in hand.

“Dad?” Izuku looks at him confused, not used to seeing him home this early. This startles the man, taken by surprise and almost spitting out his drink as he sees his son enter the apartment.

“Izuku?” he chokes down a mouthful of beer before clearing his throat, “Sorry, didn’t expect you to find me like this. I thought you were in your room studying or something.”

His father tries to hide the can of beer behind the couch before changing the subject, “A-anyways, you’re home pretty late. I didn’t know you’d be out this long.”

“Well, I’ve been doing some part-time jobs here and there ever since we arrived. I also sometimes take the time to train.” Izuku explains as best he could without going into full-blown lies, which was something Kaina had taught him to do, “I would’ve told you, but you’re not exactly around much.”

He didn’t mean to sound that bitter with the last part, it simply slipped out and he could see the hurt on his father’s face. Izuku tries to apologise but his father stops him,

“No, I understand.” Hisashi sighs, “I’ve… I know it must’ve been stressful, moving back here after I lost my job. And I wasn’t around much even back then, always so focused on my work.”

He says with a self-deprecating smile, “Not exactly father-of-the-year material, am I?”

“But you do your best.” Izuku tries to assure him, “And work must’ve been hard, I mean you fell asleep on the couch a few weeks ago.”

Hisashi looks up at him in surprise, “...Wait, but I usually come back after 1AM. How late have you been staying up?”

“Well I… Wait, what?!” Izuku’s eyes widened in alarm, “That’s your usual?! Dad, are you working for some kind of black company or something?!”

His father’s eyes widened as if realising his mistake, “N-no, of course not! This is just over time! I… need to prove to this new company that I’m hardworking and trustworthy, that’s all! It’s just… that scandal at my old workplace? Well, being a former employee put a dent in prospects, I was lucky I got hired.”

Hisashi sighs in exhaustion before putting on a smile, “But you can relax. Give me another month and things should stabilise. Pretty soon it’s back to normal working hours, you get me?”

“Right…” Izuku nods with a smile on, trying hard to hide the small voice in his head that suspects otherwise. His father was a smart and reliable man, that was what Mom said about him, so there was no reason to doubt his words.

“Oh, that’s right!” Hisashi remembers something as he searches his jacket, “I saw this on the way home… Here!”

He tosses something towards Izuku who catches it, realising it is a fresh notebook.

“You’re always jotting things down in your journals, I figured you’d want a new one since we’re back home after a decade. Plenty of Heroes in Japan we don’t hear about in America, right?” Hisashi asks as Izuku flips through the blank notebook.

He doesn’t really need one at the moment, his thirteenth notebook still had ample blank pages to fill out but his father didn’t know that. But then he remembers his ‘extracurricular activities’...

“Thanks, Dad, I’ll make good use of this.” He gave his father a genuine smile as Hisashi looked a bit relieved.

“That’s good…” he mumbles, relaxing a little. As this occurs, a voice echoes in Izuku’s head.

“Dear old dad, never around when you really need him but still trying his best…”  the voice of his Shadow mutters, sounding strange like a mix of both pride and sadness before his usual message comes,  “I am Thou! Thou art I! With this new bond of yours you grow closer to throwing off your shackles, one step closer towards freedom! The Arcana of the Sun…”

* Trionak District, Musutafu City || 2XXX May 12th/Thursday || After School *

“Thank you for your purchase.” Izuku bags the items and hands them to the customer, humming to himself while waiting for the next customer. 

Since there was no one around in the shop he flips open the notebook his father brought for him, cleverly titled to avoid suspicion; ‘Ideas for Future #1’.

It would be bad if he titled his notebook ‘Persona Ideas for Future #1’, but putting it vaguely as ideas allows him to create an excuse that anything inside the book was just a creative exercise.

“Let’s see…” he mutters under his breath as he continues his doodle of his latest Persona, Berith, “He’s not as strong as when he was a Shadow, and in this state, he’s just a bit slower than Valkyrie but just as strong with magic potential she doesn't possess. He seems to be focused on strengthening to build up power before unleashing devastating strikes, whereas Valkyrie is more on speed. In terms of firepower, he’s ahead of Orpheus and Cu Chulainn but lacks the former healing abilities or any spells that weaken enemies. Overall he’s an excellent choice for brute force. Possible go-to Persona when facing unknown Shadows? Speaking of Shadows I should probably start another section dedicated to them… Maybe another notebook? There’s no telling how many Personas there are, I might not have enough pages for all of them, I should talk to Kaina about organising-”

“Hello?” a girl’s voice interrupted him and Izuku let out a scream of surprise.

“Gah! Oh, sorry! C-can I help you?”” Izuku hastily apologises to the frightened girl, before recognising her, “Wait… it’s you.”

“Huh?” the purple-haired girl with elongated earlobes resembling aux cords looks at him confused before realising, “Oh yeah, you’re that depressed-looking guy from last month.”

“Y-yeah, that’s me…” Izuku felt embarrassed that that was how he was remembered, “I’m surprised you remember me.”

“Well, you don’t often see cashiers suddenly leaping over the counter and running off like they saw the devil.” she shrugs, “Anyways, I’m looking for a new set of headphones. Soundproof ones.”

“Oh? Well, we have a wonderful selection down there-” Izuku points behind her but she interrupts,

“I’m looking for ones specialised for enhanced hearing.” she clarifies, “The normal ones aren’t cutting it.”

“Oh, so you have some kind of enhanced hearing Quirk?” Izuku asks interested as the girl shrugs,

“Kinda, it’s definitely one of the functions.” she says as she willed the aux jacks to move, “It gets amplified if I plug them into objects, but even without that it’s still a pain trying to stop myself from hearing everything within the block.”

“Alright, let’s try finding something for you then.” Izuku nods before leaving the counter, “But first, why didn’t you try going for a proper Support Item?”

“Support Items are pretty pricey, especially if they’re custom.” the girl grumbles, “I just have to make do with whatever I can afford with my allowance. Why else would I come to a second-hand tech store?”

“Huh…” Izuku mutters as he searches through the selection of headphones, “Right so we should avoid any headphones that use in-built speakers to neutralise noise, you’d probably be able to hear that as well… Ah, there we go!”

He picks an old, borderline ancient model almost at the back of the shelf, “There. They used to make these back when Quirks became the norm, it’s old but still reliable.”

“That might be what I need.” the girl agreed before Izuku heard the sound of pages flipping, “By the way… what are all these?”

Izuku turns and to his horror he sees the girl flipping through his notebook,

“Pretty cool drawings.” She mutters under her breath before Izuku quickly snatches it from her grips, “You an aspiring mangaka or something?”

“N-no, this is just some personal project.” Izuku quickly says, “Why do you have it?!”

“Sorry, it was just lying on the counter. I wasn’t sure what came over me.” she apologises while scratching the back of her head, “They just looked…familiar.”

“Familiar?” Izuku asks as he tenses up.

She shrugs, “I don’t know, just that sense of déjà vu. I look at them and I feel I’ve seen them somewhere before.”

The girl looked just as confused as she was, but Izuku felt worried for some reason, “Do… Do you remember where you’ve seen them before?”

“Like I said, I don't know.” she insists, “Maybe some weird dream or some anime or something. Why?”

“...No reason.” Izuku shakes his head, this was probably nothing, “Come on, let's get this ringed up.”

He moves back to the counter where he scans the box before bagging it, not able to stop occasionally glancing at the girl, her words mentioning the familiarity with the drawing of his Personas felt odd…

“Here.” He hands the bag to her which she accepts while handing over slips of yen.

“Thanks… Midoriya.” the use of his real name startles him before she gestures to his nametag.

“Ah, right.” he sighs. Maybe he was just being too paranoid after all.

“I’m Kyoka Jirou, by the way.” she introduces herself, “Felt unfair, having you at the disadvantage.

“Well, it’s nice to meet you Kyoka Jirou.” he nodded to her as she left, “Hope to see you again.”

“Likewise.” she waves goodbye as the door closes.

** Internet Cafe || 2XXX May 13th/Friday || After School **

“So, this is what you usually do after class?” Izuku asked as he sat down at a computer with a couple of his classmates.

Somehow he was actually invited to join them after chatting with them and helping them out with some questions they were called up to answer during class. But they came up to him after school and invited him with them to the internet cafe as a way to say thank you.

He didn’t see a problem with that, in fact, he was eager for it. If what Agatha said was true, that he’ll grow stronger the more bonds he forges, then it was in his best interest to make as many connections as early as possible.

“Yeah, we’re grinding up in Mythic Kingdoms, the gang’s all on Silver Rank. Have you played before?” the classmate asks and Izuku nods,

“Yeah, the game’s pretty popular even in America.” Izuku recalls spending plenty of hours in the game, “I think I was in Diamond Rank a few years back. It probably reset with the new Seasons.”

“Damn, we got a veteran here!” the classmate chuckles, “Alright, let’s start gaming then!”

Hours passed as the small group played multiple competitive matches with each other, Izuku struggled at first but quickly adapted to the new controls, updates and characters but soon he was back on track.

Izuku admits it was fun, but he wasn’t really feeling any bonds forming between the four of them. They were just focused on the game, and not really chatting with each other on topics outside of it. But that was fine, he could feel his reflexes grow as he played, he’ll just consider this some kind of tactical training. 

All was well and good until they ran into a team of players all with Korean names.

“Ah shit, they’re taking Objective A!” one of the classmates screams out.

“What kind of start was that?! They’re kicking our ass!” another cries out, “Where’s our healer damn it?!”

“It’s this stupid map's fault! Who the hell designed this?!”

Maybe they just need better awareness, which was what Izuku thought to himself as he desperately tried to fight off two enemy players trying to capture the Objective he was guarding. It was tense and he used every skill as tactically as he could, but they were still chipping away at his health with his teammates too far away and too lost to intervene.

At least until their fifth teammate, a random player who joined meant to fill out the teams, suddenly came to his rescue and was easily dispatched. Izuku felt amazed by how quick this player took them out.

XxD3c4yL0rdxX: LOL the fuck you all doing?! This is what I get for playing comp, forced to team up with freaking n00bs. Might as well save time and leave.

Izuku hastily types out a message.

Dr34m_Kn1ght_09: PLS wait! I have a plan!

XxD3c4yL0rdxX: Why should I? If I lose I lose rank points.

Dr34m_Kn1ght_09: You quit, you lose Rank Points too. If you stay, you might win. What's the harm in taking the risk?

XxD3c4yL0rdxX: …

XxD3c4yL0rdxX: Fine. I just need a bit more points to Rank Up anyways. This is better work.

“Alright, everyone!” Izuku shouts to his classmates, “I got a plan, it’s risky but if we pull this off we can still win this!”

***

“I can’t believe we won!” one of his classmates shouted as the rest cheered and celebrated.

“I still can’t believe it! Midoriya really carried us, didn’t he?”

“Shit, I didn’t know he was cool like this…”

Izuku leaned back on the chair, letting out a breath as Victory was displayed all over his screen. Just as he was about to call it for the day, he realised he received a Message Invite from that player, XxD3c4yL0rdxX. He accepts it to see what he has to say,

XxD3c4yL0rdxX: Hmph. Not bad, pretty clever tricks. Your Rank and skills don't match, is this a smurf account?

Dr34m_Kn1ght_09: Nah. Just getting back into the game after a few years. I was Diamond back in Season 3.

XxD3c4yL0rdxX: No shit? That explains. Why are you playing with some dumb n00bs?! They were running around like they were headless chickens!

Izuku bit his tongue to keep himself from smirking as he typed a response,

Dr34m_Kn1ght_09: Just some classmates that invited me. And you were good too, we couldn’t have won without you. How long have you been playing?

XxD3c4yL0rdxX: Since it came out. It’s not LoL, the game’s pretty good even if no one plays nowadays, but Mythic Heroes is good enough. Plus the cinematic trailers were insane.

Dr34m_Kn1ght_09: I know right? That’s what got me into the game too.

XxD3c4yL0rdxX: Are you a fan of the Demon Lord faction? Guessing the Necromancer is your main?

Dr34m_Kn1ght_09: Yeah. Besides the awesome lore, he’s a fun character to play. It’s difficult, sure, what with sacrificing HP to summon better minions and hard-hitting but hard-to-hit spells, but it's a very rewarding experience.

XxD3c4yL0rdxX: So you love a challenge? My kinda guy. 

Izuku suddenly receives a friend invitation, surprising him.

XxD3c4yL0rdxX: If you ever wanna play with a real player and not some n00bs, ring me up. Got a lot of free time. Im aiming for Diamond too so let's help each other climb ranks.

Izuku thinks about it. Through playing this game he felt he became a bit more strategic and tactical. If the higher he gets the more challenges he faces, then it’s likely he’ll improve too. Fighting with a competent player like this would be beneficial

He types back his affirmations before clicking on the Accept button. But while doing so, his Shadow speaks up again from within.

“I am Thou! Thou art I! With this new bond of yours you grow closer to throwing off your shackles, one step closer towards freedom! The Arcana of the Devil…”  his Shadow chuckles deviously and confuses Izuku,  “You better watch yourself…”

** Aldrea High School || 2XXX May 20th/Friday || After School **

“It’s over! It’s finally over!” a random classmate cheers once they hand in their final tests for the midterms, letting out tears of either joy or despair.

Izuku meanwhile was fairly confident he got a high score with how simple he found the exams. Now that it was over he could redouble his efforts into training in the Mirror World.

Over the past month, the two have been steadily destabilising the Shadows. Through numerous assassinations of Leaders and rescue operations in Nests, they were able to reduce the amount of missing people cases by a tremendous amount.

With each battle, he grew stronger. Every battle has him either gain another Persona from a Shadow Leader, or a trophy for the Merchant to transmute into a weapon. It was a constant cycle that ended with him stronger and stronger, and every day since he has never felt better in his life. He has never felt happier-

“Deku!”

…And there went the feeling. With a sigh he looks up to see Katsuki with gritted teeth, the rest of the class has emptied out by now leaving the two of them by themselves.

“Kacchan.” Izuku nods at him as he packs up, “Sorry, I got to be somewhere soon. Can this-?”

I need!” Katsuki yells before pausing as if bracing himself, “I need…”

“...Need?” Izuku looks at Katsuki, confused as the blonde looks like he is having a stroke. Before he could ask if he needed a hospital, Katsuki finished his sentence.

“Your…help…” Katsuki pushed out painfully like it was physically harming him just to say those words. Just hearing that was enough to surprise Izuku even more than the words that came after,

“I need to get back to the Mirror World.” 

Chapter Text

Izuku blinked owlishly at Katsuki as he processed the blonde’s words,

“So…you want me to  help  you,” he emphasises the word help as hearing it come out of Katsuki’s mouth was almost on par with hearing All Might swear on live television. Might be possible but was improbable, “Get back to the Mirror World?”

“What, are you fucking deaf or something?!” Katsuki snaps, “Yes! I need to get back there, damn it!”

“W-well, why?” Izuku stammers out confused, “It’s been a month since we got you out there, why are you coming to me now?”

“Cause the damn old hag’s kept me on a tight leash since I went missing.” Katsuki grumbles, “Can’t even leave the house without  four  fucking trackers on me.”

He stomps hard and Izuku can see one tracking device sewn to each shoe, and two more under his sleeves.

“The stupid old man had to step in before she had one put in each of my molars.” Katsuki grumbled as he rubbed his jaw, “The point is, I couldn’t so much as take a piss without her knowing. But I managed to convince her a while back that I could take it off today. Stupid curfew still on though…”

“Well…I get that, but why do you want to go-?” Izuku asks before suddenly Katsuki throws a punch. It was not as fast or threatening as it could have been, but Izuku’s reflexes kicked in and he deflected it before putting Katsuki into an armlock in a flash.

Katsuki grunts before pulling his arm off Izuku’s grip, “You got faster. Stronger too. Don’t tell me it’s because you’re hitting the gym or something, because that’s bullshit.”

“...She’s been training me.” Izuku admits before looking around as if worried they’ll be overheard, “Shadows make good target practice.”

“...I’m gonna be applying to U.A., so I need every edge I can get.” Katsuki growls through gritted teeth, “Normal training isn’t enough anymore, I need  real  practice. I get the feeling wrecking those Shadow things would do plenty of good for me. But I also got the feeling that villain bitch doesn’t want me back,”

“I wonder why?” Izuku mumbles under his breath, to which Katsuki ignores and continues,

“And I ain’t dumb enough to try my own way there.” Katsuki admits reluctantly, “I…might get lost.”

“...You’re scared you’ll get hunted by Shadows.” Izuku realises before Katsuki snaps, slamming a fist on his desk and setting off firecrackers, 

“I ain’t scared of anything!” he roars before the distant voice of a teacher is heard, warning of Quirk use inside the school, taking a deep breath Katsuki resumes, “I’m just not stupid, it best to take the tried and tested path instead of one that might take me off a cliff or smack dab in the middle of an army of Shadows.”

“And…you just want some live fire practise with your Quirk?” Izuku asks, feeling the Magician Arcana within help in understanding the explosive blonde, there was something he was hiding, “Is that really all?”

Katsuki grits his teeth, looking about to instinctually deny and shout again before cringing, “...That damn Shadow, or whatever it is… I hear it every damn night muttering inside my head. It’s pissing me off!”

He roars as he kicks over a nearby chair in rage, “Damn piece of shit parasite! Acting like a damned know-it-all! Even during my training, it keeps annoying me, so maybe it’ll shut the fuck up if I’m back there kicking some actual ass instead of hitting some dummies made of trash!”

“That’s not going to help, Kacchan.” Izuku explains, “I think you need to accept it, just like what Kaina and I did.”

“Or did you…?”  the voice of his Shadow whispers in his mind before Izuku banishes the voice, focusing on what’s ahead of him.

Katsuki scoffs, “Spare me that bullshit, just because the two of you were so weak you need to do what it says, I have to be the same. I’ll do things my own way. So are you gonna let me in or not?”

Izuku pauses in thought, considering his words. If he refuses then it might push Katsuki to eventually try to find his own way in, and like he said he’d probably end up smack dab in the middle of Shadows, or worse in the front lines.

Katsuki sighs roughly, “Look… I don’t expect you to do this for free. If you do this… I’ll overlook you trying to apply to U.A. Fuck, go ahead, it’ll just make me look better in the history books helping a dumbass like you get in.”

“...There’s just one thing I need you to do.” Izuku says after a moment of consideration, not able to let this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity go, “It’s not a biggie, just one small thing and I’ll talk to Kaina.”

“Fine, what is it?” Katsuki asks annoyed at how this was dragging out, wanting this over with.

“I want you to ask me again.” Izuku says confusing Katsuki before he clarifies, “Politely. Without screaming and swearing. Add the word please, and use my real name instead of Deku. Just that and I’ll convince Kaina to let you use the Mirror World for training.”

“...” Katsuki looks at him flabbergasted. That was all he wanted? It sounded easy as hell but as Katsuki opened his mouth he suddenly found how hard it actually was in practice. 

“M….Mi…Dek…riya…” he grunts out, “CAN YOU…Can you…let me FUCKING…”

He grabs his throat as if he is choking on something, as if the very thought of not adding a single swear, raising his voice or not calling him Deku was an aneurysm to him, and Izuku fights to keep amusement off his face.

“Don’t worry, take as long as you need.” Izuku assures as he watches Katsuki struggle, “We have all day.”

* Kaina’s Safehouse || 2XXX May 20th/Friday || ??? **

“-and that’s how we got here,” Izuku explains to Kaina who was sitting in the safe house with a cup of instant coffee, with Katsuki looking around with distaste.

“...How long did it take for him to say just one sentence?” Kaina asks out of curiosity, and Izuku is about to open his mouth to answer before Katsuki interrupts.

“Not fucking important!” Katsuki insists as he stomps forward, “So what’s it going to be, hag?!”

“Hey, you better watch that mouth of yours. You’re not even dead last on my nice list.” Kaina glares at him, “You can start by using my name.”

Katsuki scoffs and looks away, appearing almost embarrassed.

“...You forgot it already, didn’t you?” she asked unimpressed.

“...Mai?” Katsuki guessed, “Look, I don't remember the names of fucking extras! The question’s simple, are you letting me train here or not?!”

Kaina looks at him with disdain before turning to Izuku looking like he was suffering from second-hand embarrassment, “Seriously? You want him with us?”

Izuku sighs, “Look, I know Kacchan is… Kacchan, but I think he’d be pretty good at helping take down Shadows. His Quirk’s strong and he’s a Persona User as well. Right now we need all the help we can get, we might be strong enough to take down Leaders but we haven’t made any strikes on Warlords yet.”

“Warlords?” Katsuki looks confused.

“Powerful Shadows that war with each other to control the city.” Izuku explains quickly before turning back to Kaina, “We can always use the extra firepower, and you saw how powerful Sekhmet was. If he has even a quarter of its power, it’d be a major help. Even with my Personas, none of them match that level of firepower yet.”

“Having more firepower would be useful. Especially if they’re close to that level.” Kaina considers this before making her decision, “Fine. He can stay as long as he helps out on ops.”

“Great.” Katsuki smirks but before he can celebrate, Kaina raises a finger.

“First things first, you follow orders.” Kaina says firmly, “The only way you can get out on live fire training or operations is when I’m around. If I’m either too sick or injured for the field that means no going out of the safe house. Clear?”

Katsuki grits his teeth at that but he is willing to let it slide, “Crystal…”

“Secondly.” Kaina raises a second finger, “Now that there’s more of us, we can switch things up. With the two of you watching each other’s backs, I can fight where I’m best, which is long-range. I’ll be providing overwatch and using Hodr’s navigation ability to guide you.”

“Wait, I thought Hodr’s navigation ability is short range?” Izuku asks, quickly flipping through his notes to make sure he got it right.

“It is, but there are other ways I can use it.” Kaina raises her arm, partially extending her Rifle Quirk to form a scope over her eye, “See this? Part of my Quirk that lets me zoom in on targets from long range. If I focus Hodr’s power through it, it’ll allow me to extend its range but narrow it to only what I’m able to see with the scope. I should be able to pick up your energy signatures as well as Shadows even through walls.”

Izuku mutters rapidly as he puts this down in his notebook, “Amazing that Persona abilities can be used to channel into Quirks. Then again I shouldn’t be surprised, they enhance physical abilities as well so it should be logical they can affect Quirks. Still seeing it first hand is-”

“Shut the fuck up,” Katsuki grumbles, annoyed by his muttering before Kaina continues.

“Which brings me to my next point.” Kaina points to Izuku, “Midoriya, I want you to take charge of field operations from now on.”

“Huh?/WHAT?!” both Izuku and Katsuki yell out in surprise.

“Hang on, I didn’t agree to have this fucking nerd boss me around!” Katsuki protests, “I came here for training!”

“And if you want to use the Mirror World to train, you need to participate in operations and make yourself useful.” Kaina crosses her arms, “And to do that you need to work with us. To work with us, you’ll have to learn to follow orders. Midoriya’s orders to be precise.”

“But wait, why me?” Izuku asks, “You’re the adult here! The former Pro Hero! You’ve got more experience than I do!”

“Yeah, but I’m not exactly commander material.” she shrugs, “Honestly back in the HPSC I pretty much go where they told me to go and shoot at who they want me to shoot. Besides that, I won’t have a clear line of sight of what’s actually happening from both your point of view. I can’t order you without knowing the full picture.”

“But why him?!” Katsuki roars, “Unlike him, I actually have a Quirk! I’ve got ten years of experience using it! This loser just got these weird Persona things a month ago!”

“And in one month he’s rescued about three dozen people and assassinated ten Shadow Leaders.” Kaina points out, “What have you been doing all month since we rescued you?”

Katsuki opens his mouth to argue but Kaina cuts him off, “He’s got more field experience than you, and in my opinion, that’s all that matters. So unless you want to find your own safe entrance to the Mirror World, train in an entire city filled with monsters without backup, you’ll jump when he says jump.”

Katsuki matches her glare, “Fat chance! And if fucking Deku can do all that, I can do it twice as good! No, four times as good!”

“Guys, guys!” Izuku tries to get between the two with raised hands, “I think we’re blowing this-!”

“Oh yeah?!” Kaina challenges, “Well let’s see you try and prove it then!”

“There’s really no need for-!” Izuku tries to cut in again.

“Fine! I will!” Katsuki shouts with his Quirk setting off in his palms, “What’s the challenge?!”

Kaina points out the door with her thumb, “I’ve scouted a few Shadows massing up in a few districts. I was planning to thin them out with Midoriya on the weekends, but I just thought of another use for them.”

***

“Alright boys, the rules are simple,” Kaina says as she looks over the rooftop where dozens upon dozens of Shadows were scattered through the streets, gathering in at most packs of five, each of them doing their own thing. From mindlessly wandering around, toying with other Shadows weaker than them, or searching every nook and cranny for humans. 

“Below us are roughly thirty Shadows scattered around the general area. They’re all wild, none of them are part of a Faction yet since we wiped out the Leaders in the sector.” Kaina continues, “But they’ll be drawn to a Leader eventually, those big guys are like magnets for weaker Shadows. Your job is to eliminate them all and get some practice using your abilities. The highest kill count gets to be the Leader.”

“So we just need to kill a bunch of weaklings? Piece of cake.” Katsuki scoffs, “If kicking ass is all I need to do we might as well skip to the part with the two of you calling me ‘Boss’. I’ve been looking for two new underlings anyways."

“Cocky, aren’t you?” Kaina mutters before gesturing down, “Don’t care particularly how you do it, just get the most kills. You can start whenever you’re-”

Before Kaina could finish, Katsuki was already blasting off towards the Shadows below using his Quirk to propel himself. But instead of jumping down, Izuku turns to Kaina with an annoyed look on his face,

“What exactly is this going to accomplish? I mean, I’m not even sure I’m ready to be a leader!” Izuku protests as explosions are heard below with Katsuki detonating a large blast that scatters a pack of Shadows, “Can’t you lead us? You’ve been leading me just fine!”

“Well too bad, if I’m to use my Quirk to my full potential it’s gotta be from long range. You know how hard it is to use a sniper in tight hallways?” Kaina asks rhetorically as a Shadow that appeared as some sort of doll made from wool gloves was thrown into the air by another explosion, “And it’s not like we can put  him  in charge. Besides, I think you do have potential.”

“I…do?” Izuku asks unsure as Kaina nods,

“Yeah, remember that operation a week ago?” she asks, “You came up with a plan that let us kill two Leaders at the same time by luring them against each other. We rescued four humans they captured because of it! It was a crazy plan, a risky one even, but you pulled it off.”

Izuku looks embarrassed at the praise, “It only worked because of your navigation ability, and I had the right Persona to confuse them both.”

“I wasn’t much of a team player, even back as a Pro. But I could tell you got a good head on your shoulders, you’re adaptable, dependable, and not a self-centred egotistical ass.” Kaina gestured at Katsuki below them, “Even if the two of you are on par with power and tactics, you’re the type of guy I’d let watch my back. He isn’t.”

“Kaina…” Izuku felt touched by the faith she had in him. He could feel the bond deepening between the two of them when suddenly and without warning she pushed him off the roof, “WHAA-?!”

“So unless you want him bossing the two of us around because I gave my word, get down there right now!” Kaina yells as Izuku fell.

***

“Shit… Where the hell are all of you coming from?!” Katsuki roars as he swings his arms and detonates his nitroglycerin sweats, creating an explosive arc to blast a wave of oncoming Shadows. But when the smoke cleared they appeared only slightly scorched with little damage otherwise.

A small pack of Shadows led by one that looked like a giant, red rhinoceros beetle with a purple mask on its horn stomps forward followed by a group of floating spectral-looking Shadows wearing masks and large tiaras on their head.

They screech as orbs of flames build up in front of their masks and Katsuki is about to leap away to avoid the blast when all of a sudden…

“Jack Frost!” a shout came from above as waves of ice crashed into them, freezing the Shadows solid.

The ice shatters and immediately they all collapse, shivering and ragged as Izuku lands with a punch to the ground, generating a blast of wind that sends the smaller tiara-wearing Shadows flying.

Recovering, the beetle Shadow turns to summon another blast of fire when Izuku punches behind him, using the wind to propel himself and grabbing onto its horn. As it struggles to shake him away, Izuku pulls at the mask with all his strength before it finally rips out, causing it to shriek in agony and giving Katsuki the chance to wipe it out with a strong blast

“...The hell?” Katsuki mutters to himself, stunned at the sight before blasting at a slime-like Shadow that was sneaking up on him.

“A lot of these Shadows have different affinities to elements.” Izuku says as he throws Katsuki the mask he tore off, and the blonde could see the strange gauntlets he was wearing glowing with green energy, “Those were resistant against high temperatures, and the beetle took the brunt of the explosive force. Going after the masks is pretty risky, but you can do a lot of damage and cripple them if you tear them off.”

“...Shut up, not like I need help from you. Don’t steal my damn kills.” Katsuki clicks his tongue as he blows up the mask, “I was just surprised that useless Deku wasn’t crying for his mommy.”

“Well, I’m not the weak, useless Deku you knew.” Izuku looks at him annoyed before walking past, “Now if you excuse me, I have a head start to catch up to.”

***

“Ah, a trophy collected from a bird of prey.” The Merchant analyses the handful of dark feathers that Izuku tore off, “It was such an ugly sight whenever I looked into the sky, very glad you took care of it. Although if I may ask, how did you do so?”

Izuku stared at the Merchant with a blank expression on his face, his hair blown back and his clothes clawed and torn up, “A lot of falling was involved. What can I get out of it?”

The Merchant opened their tome as they waved their hands over the floating feathers, “Hm, I can sense a great deal of wind essence from within… If you would like to choose, I can offer a piece of armour that protects against sharp gusts of wind, or a weapon that can empower your strikes with the power of storms.”

“Hmm, I think I’ll take the gauntlets.” Izuku says, “I’m lacking in Personas that can do wind damage, and I still got that charm from three days ago.”

He taps underneath his jacket where a silver brooch with a green gem is hidden, “It’ll take the heat off me if I get hit by wind attacks, so I’ll go for armour another time.”

“Very well.” the Merchant nods before transmuting and shaping the trophy into a pair of dark metallic gauntlets, “A weapon fit for a warrior like yourself.”

“Thanks.” Izuku smiles gratefully as he accepts the weapons, trying them on immediately, “Your work is wonderful as always.”

“And your compliments are ever appreciated.” the Merchant looked as if they were smirking proudly underneath the hood, “I will await your return with great anticipation, dear client.”

“...You know, the first time we met I thought you were mysterious and sketchy. Even downright suspicious.” Izuku laughs to himself, “But you really aren't that type, are you? I think you’re actually pretty nice.”

From this new understanding, he could feel the bond between the two of them deepening, however the Merchant could as well.

“Are you-? For the last time, stop that!”   they insisted as they took steps back looking annoyed.

“Sorry.” Izuku apologises sheepishly, “I can’t help it though.”

“You’re lucky I require your aid for my experiments.” the Merchant grumbled, “Idiot… If that is the ease you find in forming bonds, then I shall endeavour to make myself as inhospitable as possible! Now begone, pathetic… worm… thing!”

The Merchant struggles to come up with insults as they wave at him with sleeves too long for their arms, like they were banishing a spirit, causing Izuku to sweatdrop at the sight.

“...And come again soon- Damn it!” the Merchant adds almost on reflex before cursing themselves.

***

Izuku smiles as he punches again, delivering a blast of wind from his fist that sends another Shadow. The new gauntlets were working as expected of one of the Merchant’s wares. He’d thank them the next time he saw them, but he had a feeling they wouldn’t appreciate it.

In fact, he had a slight ulterior motive for asking these wind-based gauntlets. Every punch he delivers almost mirrors that of the way All Might generates shockwaves from pure brute force and the speed of his punches.

The sound of rolling dice interrupts his thoughts as he spots a trio of metallic dice rolling straight at him. He knows from experience that they hit like speeding cars, and would blow themselves up if pushed to the brink so he’d need to take care of them first.

“Smite them, Archangel!” he yells as he shatters his chains and a winged European knight rushes with a longsword in hand forward, “Mazio!”

Thrusting his sword into the air, storm clouds gather as lightning strikes all three dice at the same time, stunning them and allowing the sword-wielding Persona to easily dispatch them with a flurry of slashes.

“On to the next ones…” Izuku mutters under his breath before dashing off to find the other Shadows. 

The Shadows that were fleeing from him, Katsuki noticed amid his battle. Shadows flinch at the sight of him, pausing to consider their fight-or-flight instincts before making their choice. Some even fled in  his  direction as if  he  were the weaker of the two!

“DAMN IT!” Katsuki razors as he uses his explosions to dodge a blast of icicles sent his way before blasting apart a Shadow in the shape of a glove, “What, you all think I’m weak compared to him?! Come on then! Take a good look and see just how weak I am then!!”

He roars at the Shadows, screaming and raging at them, pushing his Quirks beyond his limit to destroy as many as possible. But in the midst of all that, a taunting voice could be heard echoing in his head,

“So you’ve finally returned… How about giving me the reins?”  his own voice laughs in his mind,  “I can feel you’re just itching to let me loose aren't you? Well, go ahead. Loser.”

Katsuki screams again, red flames burning from his eyes as chains of similar colour emerge from beneath his skin, wrapping around his arms and ceasing his Quirk like restraints. 

“Shut up… JUST SHUT THE FUCK UP!” Katsuki shouts at the top of his lungs as Sekhmet rises from behind him. Immediately the Shadows that were attacking him froze before immediately scampering away, “You fucking shitheads… Just who do you think you’re looking down on?!”

Sekhmet raises its sceptre as the sun hovering behind its head begins to flare, and Izuku’s eyes widen at the sight. He quickly manifests his chains and shatters them,

“Slime!” he shouts as he brings forth a viscous-looking pile of ooze, “Fire Wall!”

A red dome encompasses Izuku as he braces himself, the sun behind Sekhmet tethering on the brink before it explodes with the force of a bomb. Even Kaina on the rooftops was forced to take cover and shut her eyes, feeling the heat sear at her skin even from a distance.

Katsuki pants as he forces the red chains wrapping around his arms back into himself. The fire fades from his eyes as he looks around, eyes widened at the sheer destructive scale his Persona caused.

The entire street was scorched and covered with burning Shadows, the blast range probably would’ve been further had Katsuki not been instinctually holding it back to target the Shadows in the areas. Just then he realises Izuku was also caught in the crossfire, spinning around urgently before seeing him almost unscathed.

“Kacchan…” Izuku coughs with small burns covering his arms used to shield his face, small embers on the edge of his clothes, “What was that…?”

“...” Katsuki could only remain silent as he searched his own find for the damned voice, only to be strangely responded with silence, “Fuck if I know.”

“Well, I guess that’s that for the match.” Kaina calmly announces as she leaps down from the roof, surveying the mess, “Shit… Midoriya, what was your count?”

“...I only got fourteen, so if Katsuki took out the rest then he got sixteen,” Izuku mutters disappointed before Katsuki speaks up.

“Dumbass. You forgot the five…” he grits his teeth, “You did most of the damage before I finished off those five… from when you jumped in with that ice and wind attack.”

“...I thought you didn’t want me to steal your kills,” Izuku asks and Katsuki glares at him.

“I ain’t taking credit for half-assed work,” he grumbles before turning away.

“Well, then it’s decided. The winner’s Izuku Midoriya with an astounding nineteen kills! Looks like we’re in your care from now on, Boss.” Kaina laughs as Izuku looks embarrassed at the title, “Better get used to people calling you that, right fellow underling?”

She asks turning to a frustrated Katsuki, glaring at Izuku before stomping off.

***

Katsuki steps out of the crack in reality, returning to the real world with a frustrated expression. Just as he was going to take the fire escape down, he heard Izuku’s voice from behind.

“You know, that was a pretty powerful Persona you have there.” Izuku says as Katsuki turns to face him, “Haven’t got on that level yet. Control could use some work though, unless you were aiming to turn me into a scorch mark.”

“...Not today.” Katsuki grunts before pausing, “The hell do you want? To start calling you ‘Boss’ or some shit?”

Izuku smirks, “Come on, we both know you’d rather smash your head in than do anything like that. And I know what your answer probably gonna be, but if you need help with your Persona-”

“Don’t get your head up your ass so quick, Deku!” Katsuki snaps, “You must think it’s funny, don’t you? Seeing me lose control like some loser who can’t control a Quirk right?! Well, it’s not gonna last long!”

He was about to storm off when Izuku spoke up again,

“You know I never looked down on you right?” Izuku asks, sounding frustrated and annoyed, “Your personality? Definitely, but everything else? I admired  everything  about you! Your power, your skills, your smarts, your confidence! I’ve never seen anyone else more determined..”

“Of course not!” Katsuki yells, “And what’s that shit about ‘not looking down on me?! We both know you did! Even back when we were kids-!”

“The river incident?” Izuku asks, “Kacchan, you fell and hit your head! On a rock! Of course, I was worried, you idiot! I can’t believe that you thought that was me looking down on you, and I can’t even begin to believe that’s how all the bullying started! How you beat me up every time I tried playing with you after that! How everyone avoided me because of you!”

Izuku raises his voice, almost beginning to rant before fighting back his urge to. Through this Katsuki grits his teeth but surprisingly remains silent, looking anywhere but at Izuku’s eyes. Taking this as a sign, he continues speaking,

“But despite that, you’re the strongest kid I know.” Izuku sighs, “People are vanishing every day, and some of those cases are them ending up in the Mirror World. I know all you care about is getting stronger, to be Number One, but if the three of us worked together we could make a difference. We can save people, and be the Heroes we always dreamed of becoming. As long as we put aside our differences…”

He extends a hand towards Katsuki, “If you’re willing, we can put all this behind us. Start fresh again so we can put all our efforts into working together and saving people. What do you say?”

Katsuki was silent, staring at Izuku’s offered hand and for a moment Izuku almost dared to hope before he turned away.

“...I’m just here to get stronger. So I can be the Number One Hero.” Katsuki mutters as he begins to leave, “So I’ll play along for now, jump when you need me to. But don’t get comfy, the second I see you slacking off I’ll tear this leader spot right under you. Got that?!”

“Crystal…” Izuku mutters as Katsuki gets down using the fire escape. While it didn’t end how he wanted it to, he felt they came to a sort of understanding. He could feel their bond deepening thanks to Jack Frost. At the very least, this was a starting line for both of them.

**??? || ??? || ???**

A teenager screams as he runs down the streets of this warped version of the city he lives in. Monsters of all shapes and sizes snap at his heel, eventually overtaking him. One of them, an eagle-like one, slams down from above and pins him with unexpected power.

But before he could even fight back, he felt the energy draining from his body, as if suddenly he lost any and all will to fight back and resist. What was the point anyway? He was going to die here, alone, starved, and…

Before he could finish the thought, the sound of a sharp blade slicing through the air could be heard. After a few seconds, he feels the weight lift from his shoulders and exhaustion leave his body slowly.

“Hey, I got to you on time. Sweet!” the voice of a young girl was heard as he turned to find someone in a filthy middle school uniform that looked like it hadn't been washed in a while, “I mean it would've been really embarrassing, and a  huge  waste of time and effort.”

“You saved me…” he pants out looking around him to see the fading corpses of the creatures, sliced apart with black goo dripping from two knives that his rescuer was holding. He wasn’t sure if it was the trick of the eye, but he swore he saw another person hovering behind the middle school girl before vanishing after a blink, “Thank you…”

“Oh, it’s no biggie. Say, you look pretty lost don’t you?” the girl asks almost teasingly as the teenager pales.

“Yeah… Oh god, how long have I been stuck here?!” he starts panicking and sobbing, “I just wanna go home! I’ll never skip school again, damn it!”

“Hey, hey, chill out. I’ll get you home.” the blonde girl assures, “I know a lot of places in and out of this place.”

“You do…?” he asks, daring to hope before suddenly feeling unnerved by the girl’s creepy smile.

“Of course… I just need one favour, alright? Just a teensy little favour in exchange for helping you out. You don’t mind right?” she asks, kneeling to get on his eye level with his back on the ground.

“I…anything.” he pleads as the girl’s creepy grin grew wider before giving her request.

“I just need a few drops of blood…”

Chapter Text

** Midoriyas’ Apartment || 2XXX May 29th/Sunday || Morning**

“I won’t be home until evening, see you tonight Mom! Text me if you need anything!” Izuku calls out as he puts on his red sneakers, stepping out of his apartment to be greeted by the sight of Katsuki scrolling through his phone with an annoyed look, “You know, I’m still surprised that you’d be waiting here.”

“Shut up, your place is closer than mine.” he grumbles as he puts away his phone, “And I can’t train without you ‘watching my back’. As if I need someone to do that.”

“It’s better to be safe than sorry.” Izuku says, “You can’t control your Persona properly yet.”

“And I don’t need it to kick ass!” Katsuki yells as he kicks an empty can on the ground while the two descend the stairs, “I came to the Mirror World to train my Quirk anyways, what’s the point of using some weird ghost-thing if I can’t even use it in the real world?”

“Quirks can only do so much against Shadows, Personas are more effective.” Izuku reminds me as they start making their way towards the shatterpoint on a nearby apartment building, “If we can figure out how to get you to control yours, our missions would be way easier.”

Katsuki just scoffs, “If you can figure out how to use Personas in the real world, maybe I’ll put in some damn effort.”

Izuku sighed at that, being reminded how despite the impressive power he wields in the Mirror World he was still Quirkless. Even the weapons of the Merchant transmuted back to their original forms when they arrived in the real world, save for the original knuckle dusters.

The last time he brought back the Incendiary Gloves, they simply turned back into the burnt trading card. It certainly saved time explaining to his parents how he came across a small arsenal of gauntlets, but it saddens him somewhat.

He was proud of what he did in the Mirror World, don’t get him wrong, but some part was still sad that he couldn’t bring over all the power he gained and use it like he would a Quirk.

Sighing he simply decides to focus on the present and what he needs to do, not what he couldn’t have.

“Well let’s go then.” Izuku urges, “We got a Warlord to assassinate today.”

**Kaina’s Safehouse || 2XXX May 29th/Sunday || Morning**

“Alright, let’s go over what we’ve got.” Kaina rolls out a rough sketch of their target’s location, a walled area consisting of almost dozens of city blocks, “After weeks of scouting I’ve learnt one thing. Any direct route we take will be suicide.”

She points at a bunch of Lego bricks scattered across the area, “Packs of Shadows routinely patrol and they’re close together enough that if we take one down we’ll quickly alert another. With no cover on the surface, we’d be bogged down by sheer number before we even make it halfway.”

“I’ll just blow them all up to bits.” Katsuki growls before pointing at the three minifigures representing them, “And what the hell is this? Why am I the crappy one with a missing arm?!”

“Hey, if you actually brought good quality pieces we won’t have to use crappy second-handed Legos,” Kaina says while pointing at a box of mix-and-match Lego pieces.

“Fuck off, I’m not wasting any more money than I have to!” Katsuki screams back before returning to the map and tapping at the centre marked with a red Lego brick, 

“Here’s where I felt the strongest Shadow is. According to the map of real Musutafu, this is where a Pro Hero’s agency is located.”

“Yeah, that’s Dive Bomb’s agency.” Izuku nods, “He's been a Pro Hero for five years, his Quirk lets him leap into the air before diving at superspeed to deal a lot of damage. He’s got a few Sidekicks and he’s pretty well-known in that local area.”

“So some third-grade Hero with a third-grade Quirk.” Katsuki scoffs dismissively.

“Whoever he is doesn’t matter, but from the map of Musutafu I’ve found a potential entry point.” Kaina taps outside the agency, “There’s a service tunnel we can take to right outside the building. I have a feeling there’s gonna be a few Shadows in though, Hodr’s power couldn’t pierce deep enough so there’s no knowing what to expect and sniper support is not an option either.”

“So basically you’re saying that you’re useless,” Katsuki smirks tauntingly as Kaina growls at him.

“No, once I have both your signatures locked on I can sense things a short range from you guys. Not as effective as what I can usually do, but better than nothing at all.” she explains before sighing, “Damn it, back in my prime I could punch through all that concrete and steel with my bullets like a piece of cake.”

“Sounds like you just got old.” Katsuki continues mocking.

“Shut up, ten years of prison would do that to you!” Kaina snaps and before they can get into an argument, Izuku has to step in.

“Come on guys, we have more important things to focus on.” he encourages before gesturing at the map, “So the plan’s simple then. We get in through the maintenance tunnels to bypass the defences, if there are any Shadows on the way we’ll eliminate them, and if we find any humans on the way rescue becomes the top priority.”

Katsuki looks at him in disagreement, “You want to take the Warlord down with a bunch of dead weight? You’ll just get them killed.”

“Every day spent in this world is one day closer to them being husk, worse if they’re in the hands of Shadows.” Izuku argues, “Our main goal is taking down the Warlord, but rescue should become the priority if the chance presents itself.”

He looks to Kaina for support only for her to simply shrug, “Either way has its perks. Once the Warlord’s dealt with we can search without being hounded on by Shadows. But you’re right that people get closer to being husks the longer we take.”

“Running back and forth like damned rats would take too long!” Katsuki protests as he bangs the table, “They’ll get more chances to beef security, and then what? We lose our chance and we waste our time!”

“Saving people isn’t a waste of time!” Izuku insists, “Arguing is a waste of time! You said it yourself that you’ll follow orders right?”

Katsuki glares at Izuku who refuses to back down before gritting his teeth, “Tsk, fine. Whatever you say “Boss”.”

He adds the title sarcastically as Izuku sighs. Even if Katsuki accepted his role as the leader, he wasn’t very happy about it, often clashing with Izuku’s decision during their other missions. Opinions such as how they should approach a Nest, which target they should go after this time, and whatnot. To say it was vexing was an understatement.

Izuku sighs in frustration. He can only hope that he'll be more cooperative in the coming battle.

***

“...What’s that?” Kaina looks at the chicken sandwich Katsuki was scarfing down on while she was eating her cup noodles.

“My lunch.” he answers like she was an idiot, “Made it myself. Cup noodles taste like crap after a couple times of eating the same shit.”

“...I don’t suppose I can get a bite?” Kaina asks half-hopefully as Katsuki takes an extra large bite out of it.

“Fuck off, it’s mine! Go make your own!” Katsuki shields his sandwich with his body protectively.

“We don’t have power running here! I can’t exactly cook! I don’t even know how!” Kaina says annoyed, “Come on, just a bite! I haven’t had real chicken in ten years!”

“Hell no! Get your hands off it you crazy bitch!” Katsuki fights off Kaina as she struggles to get to his sandwich until Izuku intervenes.

“Guys, we need to quiet down. The coast is almost clear.” Izuku whispers as he looks over the railings of a roof, down at the horde of Shadows passing by originating from the walled fortress in the distance.

“...Can’t believe there’s this many.” Katsuki grumbles as he finishes his sandwich, “Breed like damn roaches.”

“How many humans would that take?” Izuku mutters under his breath.

“Best not to think about it.” Kaina looks darkly at the horde, “But definitely more than any Nest destroyed. The average amount is about five, with more than ten being outliers. Must’ve recalled the captured humans to this fort after we took down their Nests.”

“How the hell does no one notice then?” Katuki asks, trying to hide how disturbed he looks.

“Who do you think is out at midnight? Drunkards, overworked workers, homeless folk, the type nobody would bat an eye at when they go missing dead of the night.” Kaina sighs, “Coupled that with the fact the HPSC’s keeping the real numbers low to keep panic down. Besides, how many people do you think go missing from non-Shadow causes? In this society no one bats an eye, because like always they assume Heroes are gonna pick up after them.”

She mutters bitterly as Katsuki scowls but remains silent.

“...Whatever the reason, we still need to deal with the problem.” Izuku reminds, trying to divert his thoughts away from the ugly truth. He doesn’t want his thinking to be clouded at a time like this, “Once they clear away, we’ll head into the maintenance tunnels. And Kacchan…”

Izuku unzips his hands and pulls out a heavy-looking handaxe that surprises Katsuki. He hands it to the blonde who tests its grip before giving it a few swings to get the feel of it,

“Using your Quirk too much might draw unwanted attention. I thought with a weapon we could move more quietly.” Izuku explains, “I…got it from one of the trophies Leaders when killed. What do you think?”

The axe glows with red runes as Katsuki fought off a grin, pretending to hang it on his belt dismissively not wanting to give Izuku satisfaction,

“It’ll do. But don’t go thinking I owe you anything.” Katsuki says.

“Yeah, I never do.” Izuku mutters before addressing them both, “Right, make sure your comms are tuned in, and you have spare Life Stones in your pockets. Does anybody have questions?”

“None/Let’s just fucking go already!” Kaina and Katsuki respond at the same time, the latter looking very much annoyed.

“Good.” Izuku smiles before pumping his fist confidently, “Then let's move out!”

***

“Ten steps around that corner, three Shadows.” Kaina alerts through their comms as Katsuki and Izuku wait with their weapons drawn. The moment the trio of slime-like Shadows came around, Izuku immediately grabbed one and punched clean straight through their mask, while Katsuki leapt over and cleaved one in half with a swing.

The third made a mad dash away, crawling away with impressive speed and about to move into a vent when Katsuki threw his axe. He boosted its speed by propelling it with an explosive blast, killing the Shadow before it could get away.

“Kacchan, the whole point is getting in quietly .” Izuku chastises in a whisper, “We don’t know how many Shadows are here in the tunnels.”

“It’s a goddamned maze in here.” Katsuki grumbles as he pulls out the map again, “Where the hell are we now?! It looks nothing like the map says! What kind of shitty map did you buy?!”

“Hey, maps can only do so much here.” Kaina says, “The whole place is a warped reflection of the real world, so don’t expect things to stay the same. Still, I can see you’re getting closer, almost halfway there. Just keep heading Northeast.”

“North-East…” Izuku pulls out a cheap compass he bought and tries to find the direction, “Okay so that should mean we keep heading straight.”

Izuku says with some confidence as they continue down the labyrinth of tunnels before running straight into a dead end.

“Er… should that be there?” Izuku asks as Katsuki frustratedly looks at the map,

“Damned place isn’t even on the fucking map!” Katsuki snaps before tearing the compass from Izuku’s hands, “Give me that! I’ll find our way out since the two of you are so damned useless!”

Fifteen minutes and three dead ends later Katsuki was reaching his breaking point,

“HOW?!” he roars at the arrow they etched on the wall to mark their progress, “How the fuck does three different paths lead back here?! Who the fuck designed this place?!”

“You’re going to draw Shadows with how much you’re shouting.” Izuku groans as he marks an X on the wall to mark the wrong path, “Right so that leaves this path left.”

 As Katsuki mutters out a string of curses, the two of them make their way down the only path that hasn't led them into either a circle, a dead end, or a pack of Shadows. However, after a few minutes, they came to another crossroads with at least five different paths ahead of them.

“...” Both Katsuki and Izuku stare ahead in stunned silence before the latter taps on his comms, “Kaina… how far ahead did you say we are?”

“Almost halfway through. Why?” Kaina asks before tensing, “Hang on, I’m picking up a pack of Shadows nearby, heading your direction from the West!”

Before Izuku can react, Katsuki screams and blasts himself towards the direction, throwing subtlety out of the window in favour of venting his frustration.

Ahead of the passage, the Shadows were suddenly surprised as Katsuki landed in the middle of them, red chains sprouting from his arms as his eyes flashed red,

“GONNA KILL ALL OF YOU FUCKING-!!”

Izuku raises his arms to shield his face from the heat as a torrent of flames floods through the hallways for a solid ten seconds. After the fire fades, Izuku opens his eyes once more to see Katsuki standing alone in the hall with only scorch marks on the walls to show that there were Shadows there at some point.

Katsuki roars again as he forces the chains back into his body, the fire fading in his eyes before turning to glare at Izuku, “Fuck subtlety! Fuck quiet! The way forward is where all our enemies are! Let them come! The more they are, the closer our objective is!”

He storms ahead at full speed, using his Quirk to propel himself as Izuku sighs in frustration.

“Well…he’s not wrong.” Izuku face palms as he groans before running to keep up, “But he’s going to draw all the Shadows here!”

“Even the Shadows aboveground are getting agitated!” Kaina warns, “Shit, I’ll try to draw attention away from you two. Going dark, stay safe you two.”

***

“Kacchan! Damn it, wait up!” Izuku runs after the blonde as he rockets through the hallways, his patience long gone as a pack of Shadows emerge ahead of them, leaking through cracks and vents in the walls to block his way.

“Go to hell!” Katsuki uses his blasts from his palms to spin through the air, the other hand pulling out the axe as he slices through most of them in one pass while detonating a blast strong enough to finish them off.

Izuku pants as he tries to keep up, but there is only so much he can do without means to boost his speed like Katsuki. As he stops to take a breath, more Shadows emerge from ahead of him and behind him.

“Damn it!” Izuku curses as he raises his arms, wrapped in rubber bracers and metal gloves sparking with electricity.

One of the Shadows, twin zombie-like creatures held together by steel bars connecting their necks, arms and legs, sparkled with lightning as they channelled it through the steel bars at Izuku. 

He raises his fists, the gauntlets absorbing most of the blast before turning to one of the Shadows attempting to flank him from behind, combining the built-up electric energy with his own physical prowess to release a devastating strike that explodes a tiara-wearing Shadow.

“Phoenix!” he shouts as he shatters the chains, summoning a Persona of the Sun Arcana. The majestic creature rises from behind and flaps its wings, creating a blast of wind strong enough to knock most of the Shadows off their feet.

The ones that resisted received the steel knuckles of his gauntlets to their face, and from one punch Izuku could already tell they were a bit more durable than the ones he and his team had been picking off over the week.

He grabs the twin zombie-looking Shadows by the metal bar holding them together, pulling them forward and bashing their heads with rapid punches before Phoenix grabs both their heads with its talons, ripping them clean off.

A blast of ice strikes him from behind and Izuku yells out in pain before a breath of fire from Phoenix finishes off the lingering Shadow, turning it to ashes. He shivers and checks on his wounds before tugging at his chains,

“Pixie.” he summons, a small humanoid with translucent wings manifesting. The minuscule Persona then holds its hands to Izuku’s wounds and heals them with Dia, washing blue light over him and making him feel better.

“Damn it, Kacchan we need to…” He turns to the other end of the hall before finding that Katsuki has run off without him, leaving only trails of fire to mark his presence. With a groan, he pushes himself back up and takes off after his wayward partner.

***

He felt he had been running for more than thirty minutes now, and Izuku was getting frustrated. Thankfully the scars of battle left by Katsuki led him further down the labyrinth and he believes they’re actually getting closer to their objective thanks to him.

But on the other hand, it drove all the Shadows hiding here wild, and he had to fight dozens of them on the way by himself, slowly wearing down his stamina and psyche despite his training. He stops to drink a bit of coffee, boosting his performance as he continues down a hallway that is larger than any previous one with a bright room at the end.

As he enters the almost blindingly bright room, he hears explosions and fighting as suddenly Katsuki is sent flying and crashing into a wall next to Izuku.

“Kacchan?!” He looks surprised at the bruises his partner was sporting, turning to face their foe and releasing this wasn’t a Shadow that either has faced before.

It was a Shadow in the shape of a female wearing no clothes save for a flowing red piece of cloth on its head and a mask that all Shadows wore. It sat on top of an upside-down pyramid made of black stone, appearing to be meditating.

It chants something as Katsuki pushes himself off the crater he made from his crash, “Damn… Get clear, Deku!”

The two of them leap out of the way in time as suddenly the Shadow was surrounded by orbs of light, launching themselves with high speed as they home onto the two of them.

Katsuki barely evades by blasting and manoeuvring through the barrage as Izuku calculates the trajectory of each orb that homed onto him, timing his dodges to make it so they strike his surroundings instead of himself.

Still, each orb explodes with light magic, and while his Pixie Persona protected him from most of its effects they still burnt at his skin and clothing as he was caught in the blast.

“You’re the expert ain’t ya?!” Katsuki shouts as he lands next to Izuku, forcefully pulling him onto his feet, “What the hell is that bitch’s weakness?! My explosions are only scratching it, and that lousy Persona-thing is doing even worse!”

“We’ve never fought anything like that before…” Izuku pants as he looks at the wounds he received, “But it's throwing light magic around, it could mean it’s not strong against dark-based attacks.”

“Where’s the sniper bitch when you need her?!” Katsuki growls.

“Dealing with your mess because the noise you made is causing a ruckus with the Shadows above!” Izuku shouts back at Katsuki before he notices the Shadow chanting again, “Incoming! Get behind me!”

Katsuki looks about to argue but winces in pain. Before he can do anything, Izuku forcefully grabs his arm and pushes him behind as he uses his other hand to shatter the chains,

“Shield us, Archangel!” Izuku calls forth the Persona as red angelic wings wrap themselves around the two, protecting them from a barrage of blades made of light raining down on them. 

Once it was over, Archangel unfurled his wings and placed a hand on Katsuki’s shoulder, channelling his healing magic through his body and healing the bruises. 

Katsuki growls and shakes off the Persona’s hand, “Fuck off, I didn’t need your help.”

“Really? Sure didn’t look like it.” Izuku mutters before pulling out a skull and crushing it, suddenly his gauntlets transmuted to take the form of more metallic-looking ones made of dark metal, with skull imagery emblazoned on it, “My punches might be able to do something to it now, but I’ll need to get close. I need your help Kacchan.”

“Fuck off, I can handle this garbage myself!” Katsuki insists, but Izuku could tell he was doubting that fact, the foe before them was much more powerful than both combined so the only way to take it down was to target its weakness and pile in on it.

“I can’t do it myself, I need your help Kacchan!” Izuku pleads, hoping that a tad touch of desperation in his tone will play at Katsuki’s ego enough to convince him, “You’re the only one who can do this, I just need a distraction and opening so I can land a punch!”

“Tsk… Am I the only one who can do shit around here?” Katsuki scoffs before blasting towards the Shadow, “Watch and learn, Deku!”

This time he whips out the axe and uses the momentum from his explosions to spin in a circle and slash at the Shadow, leaving a deep cut across the face but even then it barely flinched. Instead, it waved around its hands and suddenly manifested two pairs of spikes out of thin air, launching them right at Katsuki with the speed of bullets.

He was too slow to react in time, the spikes tearing through his arm and stomach, stopping him midair as he coughed out blood. But then he grabs a crystal from his pockets and crushes it in his hands, instantly healing his wounds.

Life Stones were an object that they found scattered through Nests and other Shadow-infested areas, Kaina theorising they’re remnants of whatever the Shadows drain from humans to create more of them.

If that was true it made Izuku feel disgusted but the benefits of using them to heal their wounds outweigh the moral repugnance. With that, Katsuki resumes his assault with even more fervour, launching himself again at the Shadow with a roar of rage.

The Shadow erects an invisible barrier between the two of them, blocking the axe just as it is about to bury itself in its head. Then it senses something behind it, turning in time to manifest another barrier to guard against Berith just in time to avoid its golden trident piercing its guts.

However, it failed to notice Izuku in time, waiting behind Berith on horseback, leaping above and tackling it while it was distracted by both Katsuki and his Persona. He tackles the Shadow of the upside-down pyramid, delivering a vicious punch across its face as the two of them fall.

The two of them land, Izuku making sure that the Shadow does so first and cushions his fall, stumbling back to his feet and kicking the struggling Shadow while it is down.

Katsuki joins in, blasting downwards and landing feet first on the Shadow’s head.

“Well look at you now! Not so tough are you?!” he asks with a bloodthirsty grin before slamming the axe into its head, cracking its mask in half, “Had enough of you looking down on me from above! How’s the view now down here?!”

He flings the Shadow towards a wall, blasting it with his explosions to give it an added boost in speed. Izuku then dashes towards it, smashing his fist into its head before pummeling its stomach with a rapid flurry of blows while it is pinned. Once his arms tire, he grabs the Shadow and flings him back to Katsuki who drops the axe, raising both hands and slamming it down with a full-powered explosion.

“Heh, these guys make good punching bags,” Katsuki smirks victoriously as the Shadow twitches, picking up the axe and ready to finish it off. But then it let out a screech and just barely Katsuki was able to leap back in time before it released an explosion of holy light.

With room to breathe, the upside-down pyramid it was sitting on suddenly dismantled itself before reforming under the Shadow, lifting it back up into the air and rebuilding itself.

“Shit… Looks like we’ll just have to drag you back down for your beating, bitch!” Katsuki points his axe threateningly at the Shadow before it starts chanting again, and this time floating pages manifest and surround each of them.

Each page burns with yellow flames as both their instincts flare, forcing them to react at the same time. With Katsuki too far from Izuku to reach in time, he had to protect himself first, summoning forth Archangel to once again shield him with his wings.

Katsuki on the other hand lacked such defensive measures, instead deciding the best defence was the best offence, rocketing towards the Shadow again intending to disrupt whatever it was planning.

But it was too late, the chanting stopped and the Shadow snapped its fingers and uttered a single audible spell,

“Hama…”

The pages hovering and circling them explode with blinding light. As Archangel unfurls its wings, Izuku’s eyes widen at the state Kastuki is in, lying on the ground with serious burns all across his body. If it wasn’t for his chest heaving Izuku might have mistaken him for a corpse.

“Phoenix!” he calls forth as the Persona grabs Izuku with one of its talons, flying forward as fast as it can while dodging the blades of light sent his way by the Shadow, using the other talon to grab Katsuki before flapping its wings at the Shadow, blasting it with a concentrated blast of sharp wind, cutting into its flesh and pushing it away.

“Kacchan? Kacchan, say something!” Izuku urges as his Persona drops the two of them. Hearing no response from Katsuki who looks like he lost consciousness, Izuku casts a spell over him with Phoenix, “Recarm!”

The Phoenix hovers its head over Katsuki, a large blue tear dropping from its eye and splashing all over Katsuki’s face before coursing through his body, looking as if it was washing away his burns and injuries before Katsuki suddenly snapped awake.

“Fuck!” Katsuki pants heavily, “Shit…I thought I saw some kinda light.”

“Trust me, if you were dying you’d have seen fire instead. That was the Shadow’s attack.” Izuku explains before palling at the sight of the Shadow charging up for another attack, “We need to run. Now!”

“Fuck that! I owe that bitch a-!” Katsuki tries to get up but then collapses to his knees, “Shit…my damned legs…”

“Recarm didn’t fix everything!” Izuku pants heavily as he wills Phoenix to block a blast of light orbs from the Shadow, causing it to shatter and Izuku to fall on his back from the blast, “And I’m running on fumes after fixing you! We need to run now! We’ll come back another time!”

Katsuki looked about to argue but then from a passage that the Shadow was guarding, more and more minor Shadows began to emerge, drawn in by the ruckus the battle was making. Even Katsuki tensed up at the sight of enemy reinforcements,

“Guys, can you hear me?” Kaina’s voice suddenly came through their comms, sounding exhausted and injured, “Took a bad hit… distracted them all I could. Sorry, but I think we need to bail, you’re about to have a small army of Shadows on you.”

“You think I want to run and leave people to the Shadows?!” Izuku yells, snapping Katsuki out of his desire for revenge, “I don’t like it but we have no choice! We can’t beat it right now, so we need to run before they cut us off!”

“...God damn it.” Katsuki gives up and accepts Izuku’s hand, putting it across his shoulder as the two hurriedly limp away before the Shadows could reach them, but not before giving a glare towards the one sitting on top of the upside-down pyramid, “Next time…”

**Kaina’s Safehouse || 2XXX May 29th/Sunday || Evening**

“...So that was a bust,” Kaina grumbles in defeat as the trio lounge in the living room of the safehouse in similar states.

She had her right arm in an improvised sling, having it nearly torn off by a flying Shadow’s talons. While the healing magic of Personas did close the wound, the bones weren’t treated in time and as such couldn’t be affected, never mind that Izuku drained the last of his energy healing her.

Katsuki didn’t suffer from any permanent injuries, but his body still ached from all the blows he suffered, especially the last one that knocked him clean out requiring him to be saved by Izuku for the third time. The blow to his pride was considered worse than any injury he received.

Izuku suffered the least out of them but was the most exhausted, looking like he could collapse from exhaustion at any moment. The cup of coffee in his hands was barely enough to keep his focus up.

“I think we can all agree where we messed up.” Kaina grumbled before glancing at Katsuki, “None of this would’ve happened if you hadn’t blown our cover!”

“Fuck you!” Katsuki shot back, “Deku’s the one going on about how we should hurry up to save people.”

“There’s a difference between ‘hurrying’ and ‘letting every Shadow in the fortress know our exact position’!” Kaina yells, getting onto her feet, “I have no idea what he was thinking when he brought you in because frankly, your firepower isn’t worth the trouble! You can barely use your Persona, and you nearly got the two of us killed!”

Katsuki looked like he flinched at that before covering it up with rage, “Fuck you! What about you, huh?! Where the hell were you when the two of us were fighting for our lives?!”

“Keeping an entire fortress of Shadows from finding the two of you for thirty minutes!” Kaina shakes three fingers, “I was running from rooftop to rooftop nonstop, firing at Shadows and getting attention before I got my arm mauled! It’ll be a week before I can use my Quirk properly again!”

“Enough…” Izuku says, and although he sounded exhausted he still tried to inject every bit of authority he had as field leader into it, “Look, we’re all exhausted and stressed, but throwing blame isn’t going to help. We should just figure out what went wrong and do better next time.”

“I’ll tell you where it went wrong-!” Kaina was about to go on another tirade before Izuku raised his voice.

“Kaina!” 

This silences her and she sat back down with a sigh, “...Fine. I guess besides the obvious, the tunnels weren’t as simple to navigate as we expected. The maps were useless and my navigation abilities were limited due to the distance and barrier between us.”

“And somehow none of you thought they’d leave a guard down there.” Katsuki growls and ignores Kaina’s “Neither did you.”

“It was strong. Stronger than anything we’ve fought so far, and it’s not even our target.” Izuku sighs, “...We need more training, to build up both Quirks and Personas before we can tackle it again.”

“And another way in.” Katsuki adds, “I’m not fucking going down there again. Fucking maze…”

Kaina sighs, “I’ll do some more scouting then. Until then we need to delay any operations into the Warlord’s fortress. Thought we were ready, but it looks like we weren’t.”

Izuku cringes at that. The thought of leaving people to suffer in the hands of the Shadows was a bitter pill to swallow, but what could they do? They weren’t strong enough as of yet. Maybe if they had more numbers… 

He shakes his head, finding the idea ridiculous. It wasn’t as if another Persona User was going to conveniently land themselves on his lap or anything, right?

Chapter Text

**Convenience Store || 2XXX May 31st/Tuesday || After School**

“So we can maybe… No there’s too many, we’d be spotted…” Izuku mutters as he scratches out his latest plan of infiltration during a slow day at the store. There weren't many customers now so he decided to take some time to figure out their latest problem, “We can take out the patrols here and there to rush in, but their loss would be noticed after a while and we’d be noisy, security would be up after last time… Would that be worth the risk…?”

Frustrated he tears out the page covered in scribbles before crushing it and throwing it behind him. It was no use, above ground they would have the advantage of a clear line of sight on where to proceed, and Kaina’s guidance, but also the near 100% chance of being spotted by a patrolling Shadow given the sheer numbers.”

And below ground, they’d have to navigate a maze of tunnels similarly filled with Shadows, and if Kaina’s reports from yesterday were accurate then the routes were constantly shifting every day making navigating without her in their group difficult. There was also the insanely powerful Shadow guarding the exit.

Izuku sighs as he sketches the Shadow into his notes. It wielded powerful light magic that could defeat Katsuki with a single attack once they pushed it to its brink, and Izuku was sure if it wasn’t for Archangel he would have suffered a similar fate.

The thought of it all sends chills down his spine but he quickly shakes it off as he starts jotting down ideas in his notes. He would need to see Agatha and Igor about fusing Personas that are specialised with Dark-based magic, and perhaps try to prepare countermeasures for other Shadows inside the fortress.

He jots that down in his notebook as a reminder, as well as additional training sessions to make up for the disparity of strength. So to sum it up, they would need a means of entry, additional training, and countermeasures for that powerful Shadow and any other foes ahead.

Taking into account their progress… One month. That was the absolute longest they could take. They would need to train every day, and their homework and assignments would suffer for a bit but the people come first.

“Please…just hold on.” he prayed to whatever gods were listening, that the humans under the Shadows would be safe until then, “One month… Please just hang on until then…”

“Don’t you have better things to do?”

Izuku’s head snaps back up as he realises that a few more customers had entered the shop while he was so focused on his planning, instantly putting an arm over the pages before realising he wasn’t the one being spoken to.

To his shock, one of the customers who was browsing the sandwiches section of the shop was wearing a Pro Hero costume, a black bodysuit with a white cape and hood, as well as a purple vest carrying pouches.

His face was somewhat blocked by a mask made of translucent purple material and he had his hood up, but Izuku could tell by the way his lips were quivering that the person looked very uncomfortable by what looked to be a middle-aged lady belittling him.

“What do you think is happening while a Hero like you is lazing about? What do we pay our taxes for if you’re just going to do a little shopping while villains could be attacking right now somewhere?” the woman yells at him, “All of you are too busy with your merchandise, TV shows and whatnot!”

The Hero tries opening his mouth to say something but nothing comes out but stammers, and Izuku recognises this as social anxiety. Something he was intimately familiar with.

“You should all be doing more, with all those people going missing! Kidnappings are on the rise, didn’t you know that?” the woman continues yelling at the poor guy, “Useless I say, more so than the police! At least they’re out there doing their jobs instead of-!”

“Shut up…” Izuku finds himself muttering, although it was more audible than he intended. The woman’s eyes widened before turning to Izuku looking aghast,

“I’m sorry?” she asks, sounding offended.

The line was crossed already, and normally this would be where Izuku would decide to apologise and go back to being unnoticed. But he feels something burning in his heart, the Archangel seething at this, urging him to step forth and correct this injustice.

But it was also because he felt those jabs directed at him even when they weren’t. He knows things they don’t… About the ‘kidnappings’ and ‘disappearances’, the truth of it and yet he was useless as he found out days ago. So hearing the woman speak was like hearing every doubt he had become audible.

“He’s just trying to grab some food, what’s wrong with that? Sure he’s a Hero but that doesn't mean he can, or should, spend every waking moment of his life on the job! Haven’t you heard of breaks?!” Izuku finds himself yelling as he slams his hands on the counter, “They’re doing the best they can, and they don’t need someone like you pointing out every little thing you think is wrong about them! So leave him alone!”

“How dare you?!” the woman seethes at him before turning her fury towards him, “Where is your manager, young man? I’ll see you fired for this!”

“I’m right here.” a voice comes from behind Izuku, clearing his throat, “Midoriya, can I see you in the back?”

***

Izuku grumbles as he walks out of the store dressed in a green jacket, having turned in his uniform after being fired. That’s one of two part-time jobs down, and if he wants to keep up funds for both his personal needs and Persona needs, he’ll need to find another fast.

“...Thank you…”

“Huh?” Izuku turned, surprised at the sudden voice before realising who it was, “Oh, you’re that Pro Hero from just now.”

The guy looks sheepish at that before pulling his hood deeper to try to hide his face, “No… just an intern…”

“Really? That makes you a Hero Course student then!” Izuku realises excitedly, “Oh cool, I’ve never met one before.”

“Sorry your first one’s so pathetic…” he turns to face away from Izuku, resting his head against a wall of a nearby building, “I couldn’t even speak up…”

“N-no, I understand!” Izuku hurriedly assures him, “It’s a lot when someone’s shouting at you like that, truth be told I would’ve actually started crying if it was a few years back.”

He chuckles self-deprecatingly as he remembers the bullying he went through in America, “I… got used to it I guess… Sorry, that was a bit too depressing, isn’t it?”

The guy looked silent for a moment as if trying to find the right words to say before stammering them out, “You… Did you get fired?”

“Yeah. Turns out screaming at customers to shut up is a fireable offence, who would’ve known?” Izuku mutters sarcastically before looking back at him, “I don’t regret it. I’m sure you Heroes are already doing your best, you don’t need anyone bothering you for things you can’t control.”

Izuku smiled assuringly at the Hero student even if his face was staring at the brick wall meaning he was unable to see it.

“...The Pro I intern with…I can see if he can get a lawyer…” the Hero Student tries to offer but Izuku shakes his head,

“No, it’s fine. Going to court over this sounds like too much of a hassle.” After all, he can't afford to waste time in the following weeks, “I appreciate the offer, but I’ll be fine. I need to focus on training right now.”

“Training?” the Hero Student asks and Izuku realises the slip in his words.

“I-I mean for U.A.!” Izuku hastily explains, turning it to a technical truth, “It’s less than a year away! I need to get ready! Can’t slack off right now, am I right?”

He laughs awkwardly as the Hero Student pauses before turning, wrapping an arm around his eyes to cover it as he struggles to hold out his phone,

“T-then…Can we exchange numbers…?’ he nervously asks, “My friends and I train together on weekends. T-they can offer you pointers…”

Izuku’s eyes widened at the offer, “W-what?! But you’re all Hero Students, right? I’m just some kid!”

“You lost your job because of me, just take it okay?” he pleads, “Please… I’m reaching my limit for social interaction of the day…”

“I… okay.” Izuku takes out his own phone, and the two of them exchange details with each other, “This is a lot though. Thanks.”

This could work for him. Initially, he was surprised at the offer, but having more additional training, especially by Hero Students, could only help him. Heck, he’d take training from anyone if it meant that it would make him stronger.

“I don’t think I got your name?” Izuku asks, “I’m Izuku Midoriya.”

“...Tamaki Amajiki.” he offers, “C-call me Suneater…”

Izuku smiles as a voice he had come to expect rings through his head.

“Moving up the world, aren’t you? That’s the right idea, whatever the source, use all means possible to grow!” his Shadow cheers, “I am Thou! Thou art I! With this new bond of yours you grow closer to throwing off your shackles, one step closer towards freedom! The Arcana of the Star…”

Tamaki gets a notification on his phone, peeking from behind his arms to read it before beginning to panic, “Oh no… I was supposed to grab snacks for Fatgum for the meeting…”

“H-hey, calm down! I know a few other shops in this district.” Izuku quickly assures, “I’m sure you can make it if we rush.”

**Gym | 2XXX June 4th/Saturday || After School**

While usually after school he’d head to his part-time job or training with Kaina, this time he was jogging towards the gym that Tamaki said to meet up at. Both Kaina and Katsuki had been surprised when he announced he wasn’t heading to the Mirror World on this day, having mentioned he was going for extra training after meeting and befriending a Hero Course student.

“What, am I not good enough as a teacher for you anymore?” Kaina grumbles, sounding jealous for some reason before sulking on the couch, “Whatever, I’m not your mom. Just make sure you squeeze in time for Sundays.”

“Hero Course students?” Katsuki scoffs, “They must be losers if they think you have potential. Doubt you can learn a thing with them. Do whatever the hell you want.”

Izuku would have slightly conceded to the point that he might not learn anything new, at least if he hadn’t researched Tamaki. An intern under the BMI Hero: Fatgum and a student of U.A! The most renowned Hero Course School in the country! And not just a normal student, but one of the so-called ‘Big Three’.

According to what he looked up, they were called that because they were the ones most of the school believed to be capable of becoming Top 10 Heroes upon graduation. If everyone ranging from students to even the teachers thought so, then it was certain that Izuku would learn at least a thing or two.

To think that someone as nervous and anxious as Tamaki was that skilled was kind of surprising to Izuku. But that goes to show that looks aren’t everything. He wonders what kind of Quirks they all have, and how skilled they were at using them?

Izuku swallows nervously as he reaches for the door to the gym, with the sign above reading; ‘Sanada Gym’.

But before he can open it, a head with blonde hair and blue eyes suddenly phases through the door while it is still closed.

“Oh hello! You must be the friend Tamaki mentioned, nice to meet ya!” The boy introduces himself as Izuku falls back with a surprised scream, “Sorry about that, I saw you coming from the floor above and I wanted to be the first to greet you. Give me a moment to get decent.”

“Uh, sure- Wait, ‘decent’?” Izuku asks before the face phases back into the gym and after almost a minute the door opens he sees a towering and built guy wearing hastily thrown-on gym clothes. He would’ve mistaken him for an adult if he didn’t finally recognise who this way,

“Wait, you’re Mirio Togata!” Izuku remembers the articles he read before arriving, as well as during last year’s internationally broadcasted U.A Sports Festival. He was in the First Year’s section of the Festival, but they had to cut the feed after a little ‘incident’ with clothing.

“Heh, I guess you recognise me from last year’s Sports Festival?” Mirio chuckles embarrassed, “That’s the only thing I’m renowned for anyways.”

“W-well I’m sure everyone will forget about it eventually!” Izuku assures before trying to stop his nervous stutter caused by the meeting of someone as skilled enough for U.A. to consider a future Top 10 Hero, “I-I’m Izuku! Izuku Midoriya!”

“Yeah, I heard, nice to meet you.” The two of them shake hands before Mirio drags him in, “Come in, come in, usually the place’s empty on Sundays so the owner lets us reserve it for ourselves. He’s a friend of my dad. Lucky us, am I right?”

“This place looks old…” Izuku mutters as he looks around the gym before realising he said that out loud, “I mean-!”

“Hah, it’s fine. It is pretty old.” Mirio laughs as he looks around, “It’s been rebuilt and renovated more times than I can count, but the sign and name remain the same. Kind of cool, isn’t it?”

“Wow…” Izuku looks at the old gym with renewed respect, “That’s awesome. There aren't many things that can say they’re older than Quirks.”

“I know! Now come on, the rest are waiting for us upstairs.” Mirio agreed before guiding him upstairs, “So I heard you got fired shouting at an old lady who was being mean to our friend. Thanks for sticking up for him, social encounters aren’t really his forte.”

“It’s fine, I get where he’s coming from.” Izuku nods before sighing, “You Heroes have it rough, you don’t need anyone bothering you for taking breaks or something.”

If what he does in the Mirror World was even close to what Pro Hero work was like, then it was a pretty rough job. Constant patrols and being on the lookout for Shadow activity were draining, especially with school, part-time jobs and training.

“You sound like you’re speaking from experience.” Mirio notices and Izuku immediately becomes flustered.

“W-well I mean I’m experienced with overworking! Part-time jobs and all! Not Hero work, of course, that’s ridiculous!” Izuku laughs awkwardly and loudly to cover up his flusteredness, “I’m just a middle schooler, not even in a Hero Course! HA HA!”

“Er, right…” Mirio blinks at this, looking almost put off before regaining his smile, “Anyways, any friend of Tamaki’s a friend of ours! I’m glad he’s making more friends by himself! First Nejire, now you? Give it some time and he might just come out of his shell.”

Mirio laughs before slapping Izuku on the back goodnaturedly, “I’m more than happy to show you the ropes, I know how stressed I was while training for U.A’s Entrance Exam. Anything to help our future kohai.”

“Well… that’s if I get in.” Izuku smiles self-deprecatingly as the two climb the stairs to the second floor where a boxing ring is, along with two others waiting for them. One of them was Tamaki, eating something out of a bento box and the other was a girl with flowing blue hair.

“Ooh, is this him?” the girl asks before zooming up to Izuku, surprising him with how close she is. Izuku has to forcibly stop himself from blushing too much or a vessel would burst, doing his best not to stare at her curves, “Hi there my name’s Hado Nejire, it’s nice to meet you! Hey, is that hair all natural? Did you dye it? Is it because of a Quirk? It looks fluffy. Can I fluff it?”

“Er-?” Izuku was about to answer before suddenly she moved on to another question.

“Which grade are you in? What middle school do you go to? Hey, how mean was that lady to Tamaki? He wouldn’t say but he looked sad. Oh, what did you say to her? Was it really, really insulting?” she asks with almost child-like curiosity as Izuku’s brain was rebooting and processing all this, “Are those dark eyebags natural, or are you just tired? Why is your face so red? Tamki said you’re going to join U.A? What’s your Quirk? How does it work?”

“Well…” Izuku stalls as his brain finally completes loading and he counts down on his fingers hoping he got all those questions, “My hair’s natural, I got it from my mom, it doesn't have anything to do with a Quirk. Er… no, please. I’m a third-year student at Aldera Middle School. And she was being mean because she thought he was slacking off. I don’t think I was that mean but I did yell at her to shut up. I guess I’m not getting as much sleep as I used to. And…and it’s because you’re too close…”

Izuku stammers out the last part before all three of them blink in surprise.

“Huh, you made a good find, Tamaki!” Mirio laughs as he pats Izuku on the back, “We don’t see a lot of people keeping up with Nejire’s questions like that! You answered most of them!”

Izuku tries laughing with him, hoping that they didn’t think it weird he ignores the last question. He wasn’t sure what they would think of a Quirkless trying to be a Hero but with his past experience telling people around his age range…

They were nice, but maybe it was best for him to keep it secret for now.

“I can tell we’re going to get along just fine.” Mirio grins before gesturing at the ring, “So come on, how about I give you your first lesson?”

“Huh?” Izuku blinked owlishly.

“Just a little spar.” Mirio explains as he phases through the ropes, grabbing his clothes and making sure they don’t fall off too much, “What better way to get to know each other? From my experience, you can tell a lot about someone from how they fight. It’ll give me a good idea of what kind of training you’ll need. What do you say?”

Izuku might have faltered at fighting a foe with such skills in the past. But after his fight with the Shadow underground, he knew he would be constantly facing foes that overpower him. He needs to fight stronger and stronger foes so he in turn would grow stronger.

“Alright.” Izuku nods with a determined look in his eyes, one that surprised Mirio, “I’ll show you what I’m made of, Togata.”

The two of them get into the ring as Nejire cheers them both on, Tamaki sitting at the sidelines looking worried for Izuku. Mirio had been improving drastically in terms of combat since his internship with the Hero called Sir Nighteye. He knows Mirio wouldn’t go all out against an untrained middle schooler but he worries nonetheless.

“I hope you don’t mind, but boxing gloves would just slip off.” Mirio explains, “Feel free to use your Quirk, this is private property after all. I’ll do the same as well.”

“You don’t have to worry about that.” Izuku says as he gets into a boxing stance, “I’m ready when you are.”

“Well, you can start whenever you’re-” Mirio starts but is interrupted when Izuku suddenly lunges forward and throws a strike that he blocks, “Straight to business, huh?”

Izuku continues throwing a series of strikes at his midsection to which Mirio moves back to avoid or block with little effort, “Nice, I can see you got a lot of training already. And the way you punch without hesitating tells me you got experience as well.”

“I have a good teacher.” Izuku pants out between blows before finding an opening, breaking his guard and going for an uppercut. This surprises the two sitting at the sidelines, because even without using his Quirk yet and going easy, Izuku being able to push Mirio like that was nothing short of surprising. They really had underestimated his skills.

However, the punch simply phases through Mirio’s head, throwing off Izuku’s balance as Mirio retaliates with a lightning-quick jab to his solar plexus. Izuku tries to use his other hand to defend against it, but the hand phases through his arm before the tip of his fist re-solidifies once it passes through, making contact with full force.

The blow sends Izuku stumbling backwards, knocking him down as he wheezes, gasping for air. He remembers being shot at by Kaina’s Rifle for training, scaled back with weaker bullets that resemble rubber bullets, and this was almost comparable.

“Hey, you alright?” Mirio asks concerned, “We can stop if you-”

“No…” Izuku pants as he pushes himself up and takes deep breaths to recover, “I appreciate it, Togata… but I want to keep going. If I want to be a Hero, I can't back down because of a little pain, right?”

He shakily gets back into his stance, the fire in his eyes not diminishing one bit, in fact, they seem to grow in fervour. Mirio smiles impressed, “Are all our future kohais gonna be as tough as you? We might be in for a run for our money then. I’ll do my best to push you as your future senpai. Your skills aren’t bad, but your punches could use a little more power in my opinion. Let me show you a little trick…”

***

A few rounds of sparring later Izuku feels as exhausted and bruised as he would after a tough patrol in the Mirror World. But it was all worth it, he felt like he learnt a lot fighting with someone like Mirio. 

The tricks he learnt definitely put more power in his blows, he can’t wait to use them against Shadows in the future. It wasn’t just power but technique as well, fighting someone with a Quirk like that forced him to constantly expect the unexpected, and his reaction time was pushed to its limits trying to spot and predict where Mirio would pop up. He feels his overall combat ability improves just from these few spars. 

“A…another…!” Izuku gasps out as he lays on his back after the sixth round.

Mirio laughs impressed before bending down and offering a hand up, “I would but you look close to fainting there. That’s enough sparing for today, don’t you think? I gotta admit, in any other circumstances I’d have thought I was fighting a first-year Hero Course student, not a middle schooler.” 

“T-thank you Togato.” Izuku pants out as he gratefully accepts the hand up.

“Hey, call me Mirio-senpai!” he insists with a slap on Izuku’s back, “The way you are now, I think you’ll be acing the exam in a few months. Whatever you’re doing, keep at it. And if you ever think it’s not enough, go ahead and call this senpai. I’m willing to spare the time if I have any.”

Izuku flushed red at the praise as Nejire cheered and Tamaki clapped. As Izuku was leaving the ring, Nejire hovers in front of him with her Quirk,

“That was so cool!” Nejire praises, “You did super cool for a middle schooler, Tamaki didn’t mention you trained before!”

“I…didn’t ask.” Tamaki was suddenly on the other side of the room, facing the walls as if embarrassed for not asking, “I was thinking so little of you… I want to go home…”

“I-it’s nothing, you couldn’t have known!” Izuku tries comforting him, “I didn’t think it was important to tell you, sorry.”

Mirio just laughs, “Come on Tamaki, you can go home after training! I want to see what you learnt from Fat Gum, let’s go!”

“Not as much as you learnt from Sir Nighteye…” Tamaki laments.

“Wait… Sir Nighteye?! As in All Might’s former side-kick?!” Izuku suddenly turns to Mirio with a shocked and amazed look on his face, “People say that he was the brains to All Might’s brawn! And you’re studying under him?!”

“Yeah, it was actually because of him I’m able to use my Quirk like I do today.” Mirio smiles proudly, “Back then I could barely phase my face through a wall. See my Permeation Quirk allows me to phase through anything, but in doing so sound waves and light don't reach my ears or eyes. It was honestly terrifying when I first turned it on, but thankfully if I bury myself in solid mass it’ll just launch me out the moment I turn it off.”

“So that’s how you moved around so quick!” Izuku realises, “Thanks to that speed it allows you to punch way harder than a normal human should! And the drawbacks are crazy, trying to determine your location and enemies must’ve been insanely difficult!”

“Got that right.” Mirio nods, “But Sir taught me everything I know about anticipating the enemy, and because of that, I got way better than I was last year. Honestly, with the way you fight, I think he would like you. You tried anticipating my movements, and even accurately predicted a few of them.”

“Not that it helped me.” Izuku winces, remembering all his failed counterattacks, “You phase too quick for me to hit.”

“Don’t feel down, my Quirk definitely gives me an advantage in close-quarters combat. Speaking of Quirks, I couldn’t guess yours.” Mirio says and Izuku freezes.

“Ooh, does it have anything to do with prediction?” Nejire excitedly guesses, “Or toughness? You got back up pretty quick, most people stay down after one of Mirio’s punches, even after holding back.”

“Sorry again about that.” Mirio chuckles sheepishly.

“Well…” Izuku hesitates before answering, “The thing is… I’m actually Quirkless.”

This causes the three of them to look at him with surprise, even Tamaki turns his head away from the wall just enough for Izuku to see his eyes widen slightly.

“Quirkless? Really?” Mirio asks in surprise before slapping Izuku hard on the back, “Well that makes it even more impressive! Now I’m even more excited to see how well you do in the Entrance Exam.”

“We’ll be cheering for you all the way, Midoriya.” Nejire agreed before dragging Tamaki back by the collar to their group against his will.

“Wha-?” Izuku stumbles from the blow as he regains his balance, “Wait.. you think I can still go to U.A.? Even Quirkless?”

“...You shouldn’t look down on yourself…” Tamaki mutters while facing away.

“He’s right, I mean I barely got into the Hero Course with my Quirk. You should’ve seen how terrible I was before I met Sir. I bet you would have kicked my butt way back then.” Mirio claims although Izuku doubts that with how built he was, “Point is, you got more than a shot as you are now. I think by the time the exam comes, you’ll be more than ready.”

“...” Izuku was stunned and silent at this. He’s heard belief in his dream from really only one person before, and that was from Kaina after proving himself in a second near-death scenario. To hear it from someone near his own age, people who go to the school he’s been dreaming of attending and with such friendly smiles on their faces was almost too much.

“Er, did I say something wrong?” Mirio asks awkwardly as Izuku begins sobbing.

“N-no…” Izuku tries calming down and stopping the stream of tears, “I don’t think anyone’s said that before!”

**Gym | 2XXX June 4th/Saturday || Evening**

Izuku waves goodbye to the three of them after exchanging their contact details, walking back to the station with a satisfied smile on his face. With the things he learnt from all three of them in the span of a few hours he was confident that combined with practical combat training against Shadows they would be able to finish their operation by their deadline.

He also smiles at the new addition to the back page of his notebook, the 13th Notebook for his Hero Analysis for the Future.

For the future… Who knew that the future would look this close or this bright? It’s never been before.

Speaking of brightness, he couldn’t help but feel the bond deepening within the Star Arcana despite not speaking with Tamaki that much today, he actually spent a lot of it talking with both Mirio and Nejire, about fighting styles and preserving stamina respectively. He tried speaking with Tamaki but he must still feel embarrassed or drained of his social batteries, so he decided to leave him alone.

A bond that forms with a whole group instead of an individual… That was something he’d need to ask Agatha about when he had the time. Now that he thinks about it, he could feel a Velvet Door somewhere in the city, he might as well check it out while he still has the time.

He hums to himself as he walks down the empty streets of the city. It was almost desolated even with the sun only starting to set. He supposed that it was due to the kidnappings and disappearances.

He can only hope that when the Shadows are dealt with, a sense of peace will return.

But then he stops to think about it. If it was this hard to deal with one city, then what about the other cities that were under siege by Shadows too? This wasn’t limited to just Musutafu after all, it was the whole country.

…What if there wasn’t a way to permanently stop all the Shadows? Could he say with confidence that the three of them were enough to handle it all? 

He sighs, feeling his shoulder get a bit heavier upon thinking all that. He reminds himself that if they take out a Warlord, Shadows get disorganised and scatter. So theoretically if they wipe out all the powerful Shadows, they may scatter out of the city to parts unknown. They just need to repeat that and keep watch over… almost eight hundred cities.

He really needs to start organising which cities have to take priority soon. Another note to add to his growing list of worries. As he ponders upon this issue, he suddenly hears some kind of humming and looks to find a girl with blonde hair in twin buns and a middle school uniform skipping down the sidewalk.

Looking around he sees no one near her, and in the old days he’d probably mind his own business and walk off but now it was different. These days it was dangerous, with how Shadows were able to reach out once the clock hit midnight.

He walks up to her, clearing his throat as he builds up the confidence to speak to her, “Er, sorry to bother you, but are you by yourself?”

“Hm?” the girl stops and turns to Izuku with a curious look in her golden eyes, “Oh? Why so curious?”

She smiles slyly at him as he tries not to get flustered, “It’s getting dark and it’ll be pretty dangerous then. Aren’t you worried about all those recent disappearances?”

The girl laughs, “Oh? Those? You don’t need to worry about little ol’ me.”

“It can be more dangerous than you think,” Izuku says dreadfully serious, remembering his recent encounters with the Shadows. He sighs before continuing, “Look, I don’t mean to tell you how to live your life. I just hope you get to safety before it gets too dark.”

He hopes that the genuine worry in his tone can get to her, and suddenly she looks at him intrigued, “Hmm, awfully concerned for a girl you just met, cutie. Maybe you’re seeing something you like?”

She slithers up to him close and Izuku immediately backs off, cheeks red at the sudden proximity, “No! I mean…”

He stammers before taking a deep breath, “I just don’t like seeing people get hurt, alright?”

Her eyes widen at this before she bursts out laughing, “Oh wow, you really are serious aren’t you?”

She continues laughing for a moment before leaning in, her face inches from Izuku’s, “...And cute too, aren’t you?”

Before Izuku could react, she stepped back and gave him space, “I’m Himiko Toga.”

“Izuku Midoriya.” he introduces himself to the strange girl.

“Ooh, can I call you Izu?” she asks before suddenly linking her arm with his left arm, “Since you were so kind to offer, then maybe you can walk me to the station? It’s getting awfully boring out here, isn’t it?”

“...I guess so.” Izuku obliges although for some reason he feels off around the girl. The Pixie within his heart was reverberating like it was sensing something bad.

But he escorts her down to the station anyway, reluctantly with her clinging onto his arm. He was kind of used to it already with how Agatha would bring him into the Velvet Room, but this girl’s grip felt tighter compared to how gentle Agatha was.

“Huh, look at that. They replaced that window I broke last week already,” she says out loud and Izuku turns to look at a wide window leading into a closed clothing shop.

“Sorry, what was-?” Izuku asks before suddenly he is flipped over Himiko’s shoulder and smashing through the window.

But not into the store. Into somewhere else.

**Mirror World**

“Ack!” Izuku grunts as he lands into a roll before pushing himself back up and raising his fists. A reflex born from Kaina’s constant ‘ambush tests’ at the safehouse’s shatterpoint.

 Immediately after him, the girl steps through the shatterpoint with a casual stroll,

“Well, well, you reacted pretty fast.” she notices as Izuku doesn’t relax an inch, “Most people I throw in start panicking and crying for their mommies.”

Izuku doesn't respond and lunges over for a quick jab. But his muscles aching and exhausted from his training session left him slower than usual, allowing the girl to weave through his jab and get close to him, feeling something sharp just millimetres from his neck.

“Ooh, feisty.” she gives him a bloodthirsty smile inches from his face, “I like your eyes… So intense…”

Izuku tenses up as he eyes the knife, “...What do you want?”

“Oh relax!” she laughs as she pulls away the blade, “But you might want to stay close if you want to stay alive.”

A familiar screech was heard as Izuku’s head turned to the side and saw Shadows crawling out of the alley. Before he can manifest his chains, the girl suddenly wraps both arms around him and hugs him tight.

“What are you doing?!” He asks, trying to push her off so he can summon his Persona, but she shushes him.

“Shh, keep quiet,” she whispers before suddenly a black and red aura surrounds her. Izuku’s eyes widen as this strange aura wraps around the two of them just as the Shadows close in.

He was about to throw himself between the two of them, but to his surprise, the Shadow passed by as if uninterested. And so did the rest!

The Shadows prowl around as if in search, confused by something. His eyes trail back to Himiko’s smug face,

“You…What is this?” he asks, extremely confused.

“You want the abridged version?” she asks teasingly, “This is another dimension. One full of these friendly-looking fellows…”

She gestures towards the nearest Shadow slashing at the wall in frustration over lost prey.

“And the reason I haven’t dropped this cloak over the two of us and let them devour you? Well, you have a little something I need.” she says with a creepy smile, “Give me a few drops of your blood, cutie. And I’ll send you back safe and sound. Unless you want to say hi to the neighbours?”

“How are you doing this?” Izuku looks around at the Shadows not paying any attention to them, “This…is this your Quirk?”

She laughs, “What, you think this is some kinda hallucination Quirk? Sorry to say but this is all real.”

“No, you’re making us invisible somehow. How?” Izuku asks as he looks her dead in the eye. This has never happened before. If he could somehow find a way to replicate this, learn this, then the operation against the Warlords would be much safer! 

“Huh?” she looks confused at the situation, “Wait, what? Did you not hear me? You’re going to be stuck here with monsters if you don’t give me your blood!”

“I think I can handle myself.” Izuku says, giving them a quick look to gauge their strength, “Now how are you doing this? They notice us but they aren’t attacking. How? Is it a Quirk?”

“...” her eyes immediately narrowed in confusion, “Who the heck are you? Why aren't you-? You’re going to die if I leave you here, you know that? I can’t hold this with two people for long, so I wanna hear an answer!”

She says trying to sound threatening, and Izuku can’t help but let out a small smirk. He wonders if this confidence was what Katsuki felt every day?

“I think I’ll take my chances,” he says, confident in his chances against a small pack of Shadows alone. He stares the girl down unflinchingly before she sighs in defeat.

“Jeez, call my bluff would ya? Ruin my meal…” she grumbles disappointed, “Alright, alright, I’ll bring you back to the real world and-”

Before she could finish a low-pitched purr was heard as all eyes, even the Shadows, turned to look at a set of five floating eyeballs floating through the air. Immediately Toga freezes at the sight, while Izuku recognises it for what it was.

“A Leader…” he mutters to himself before Himiko tugs at him,

“Keep quiet and stay close, we need to get out of here!” she whispers towards him as she slowly takes steps backwards towards the shatterpoint. But only after a few steps did those five floating eyes turn towards their direction as all Shadows in the area suddenly became agitated.

“Shit! Run!” she immediately throws off the strange aura and breaks into a sprint, dragging Izuku by the arm towards the shatterpoint. 

But before they can take even a step, the set of five eyeballs let out a hideous screech as its true form of eyes being held up by invisible bats before a terrifying humanoid face with red hair.

It barfs out a trio of fireballs in their direction as Izuku quickly pulls Himiko’s arm with his superior strength and throws the two of them away in time to avoid getting blasted.

“Dang it!” she curses as the two of them get up, “First I’m not getting dinner, now this?! This is what I get for playing nice!”

Izuku opens his mouth to say something but Himiko silences him, “Shush you. I’ll get us out of this mess, so you just stand there looking cute and try not to die. You better be ready to cough out a few drops of blood after this.”

At this point, Izuku probably shouldn’t be surprised anymore, but then he sees blue chains form, wrapping around Himiko’s lower half of her face like a muzzle.

“Come out…” she mutters before tearing off the chains, “Carmilla!”

Chapter Text

“A Persona…” Izuku whispers to himself as he sees the pale-skinned figure draped in a white nightgown. Flowing white hair nearly covered up the Persona’s face, but piercing red eyes were visible through them. 

“Tentarafoo.” Himiko chants and Carmilla waves her hands, manifesting dozens of streams of light that home in and strike the Shadows causing most of them to suddenly halt their movement before turning on each other or driving them to do seemingly random things.

Izuku recognises this as some kind of mass confusion spell, finding himself impressed before Himiko casts another spell with her Persona.

“Mapsi!” she shouts as Carmilla’s red eyes flash purple, releasing a wave of psychic energy that shatters the fractured minds of the confused Shadows leaving them wide open. 

She then draws two knives and starts slashing at them, moving with speed and ferocity that seems akin to that of a wild cat. Kaina would say that her strikes were messy and inefficient, requiring multiple vicious stabs to kill a single Shadow before leaping onto the next.

But then the Leader Shadow, the floating set of eyes hiding an invisible face, manifests its true form once again as it fires a powerful blast of fire that Himiko was barely able to dodge.

“Crap!” she cusses as the blast knocks her back, breaking her Persona as the surviving Shadows begin to recover from her psychic attack. Seeing that she was beginning to be overwhelmed, Izuku decided now it was time to step in.

“That’s enough.” Izuku puts a hand on her shoulder as she starts getting up, “I’ll take care of the rest.”

“Are you kidding…?” Himiko pants out, sounding exhausted, “Whatever Quirk you have isn’t enough! If you had given me some blood just now we wouldn’t be in this situation, you-!”

Izuku cuts her rant off mid-sentence as he manifests glowing blue chains that are wrapped all across his body.

“Wait…you too?!”

“You’re not the only one.” Izuku can’t help but smirk before turning towards the Shadows, gripping his chains and tearing them off, “Orpheus!”

The Fool Persona emerges, gripping his lyre and using it as a club to smash away the wave of incoming Shadows, before strumming its strings intensely until they glowed orange hot.

“Maragi!” Izuku shouted as suddenly all the Shadows in the vicinity were lit on fire, burning them to a crisp save for the Leader who only looked slightly scorched before its main body returned to being invisible.

“Strong against fire then…” Izuku mutters before dashing forward as the Leader Shadow materialises its true form and blasts a barrage of dark magic at him. The cursed beams of red and black energy strike all around him as Izuku narrowly evades before leaping into the air, shattering his chains to summon Orpheus.

The Persona grabs his outstretched arm while midair before using all his strength to fling Izuku forward. While soaring through the air, Izuku reaches into his pockets to grab a pair of black gloves before crushing them, manifesting a pair of gloves covered in ice crystals.

He smashes into the Shadow thanks to the boost by Orpheus who strums another tune with his lyre, weakening the attacks as Izuku clung onto one of the floating eyeballs, using it as leverage as he pummels the true form of the Shadow with his gauntlets.

The blows leave frost marks for every punch but the Shadow only grows annoyed as it spins, trying to throw Izuku off while firing desperate blasts of fire and darkness.

“Not ice then. How about light?” Izuku mutters before releasing his grip and falling down from heights that would kill a normal man. But he was unfazed while shattering his chains once more, Archangel manifesting behind Izuku to catch him midfall as he used the other arm to thrust a sword at the Shadow, 

“Kouha!” Izuku chants as the Persona slashes an arc of light towards the Shadow, knocking off its main body’s invisibility as it collapses to the ground. Once it was stunned and grounded, Izuku commanded Archangel to fly downwards with its sword outstretched, stabbing into the Shadow’s forehead and twisting the blade infused with light magic as it screamed in agony before perishing.

The Shadow falls apart under Izuku’s feet as he takes deep breaths to steady his breathing. Fighting like this tired him out, especially after a day-long workout. Remembering he wasn’t alone, he then turns to a stunned Himiko Toga.

“Well, I guess you can see why I wasn’t really worried.” he smiles, almost bashful at how he was now bragging. The power has kinda gotten to his head, hasn’t it? God, he hopes he doesn’t turn out like Katsuki did.

“You’re bleeding…” Himiko points at her cheek and Izuku taps his own and realises he had been cut. Before he wonders how, he remembers the fire and dark magic being thrown around, cracking the roads and sending bits of rubble flying. Evidently one of them must’ve cut him.

“Oh, this isn’t-?” Izuku was then interrupted by the girl throwing herself at him, and to his shock, horror and confusion, licked the blood off his face.

“Delicious…” she purrs with a hungry look in her eyes. “Add a bit more blood, and I think I’d be in love. Hell, I think I already am…”

“W-wh-what?!” Izuku stammers out, his mind short-circuiting before shutting down and attempting a reboot as Himiko snuggles up as close to his body as possible, “WHAT?!”

**Kaina’s Safehouse | 2XXX June 4th/Saturday || Night**

“SHUT UP!” Katsuki slams his hands over his ears as the trio sits in the living room discussing what happened to Izuku, “I do not need to hear how you and the crazy girl got it on! Keep that shit to yourself, damn it!”

“No!” Izuku protests, “We didn’t ‘get it on’, I pushed her off!”

“Before bringing her here.” Kaina points towards the dining area of the apartment where said crazy girl was eating from a family-size bag of chips without a care in the world.

“Her name’s Himiko Toga. She’s a Persona User like us.” Izuku reiterates, “Look, you heard what I said didn’t you? She somehow hid both of us from the Shadows! It was like they didn’t know we were there.”

“Oh no, they did.” Himiko explains through a mouthful of chips, “They basically thought we were just other Shadows and ignored us. Pretty neat, huh?”

“And it’s not your Persona’s ability?” Izuku asks and she shrugs,

“Well not exactly. Just something I figured out,” she says before resuming munching through the bag.

“See?” Izuku says, “If she joins us we solve two of our biggest issues. Lack of manpower, and a way to get past Shadows without fighting them!”

“Hang on, you want to let someone on the team after they tried extorting you?” Kaina asks incredulously, “After they threaten to leave you stranded in the Mirror World, thinking it would’ve killed you?”

“She was bluffing.” Izuku shrugs sheepishly, “Besides it was just me-”

“Oh, sorry but you weren’t my first.” Himiko speaks up again, “Yeah, I was doing this way before I met you.”

“...Wait, what?” Izuku blinked owlishly.

“Great, so we have another villain on the team.” Katsuki rolls his eyes, “And it’s some crazy, literal bloodthirsty nutjob!”

“Hey, I’m not a villain.” she pouts, “I haven’t done anything villainous. You don’t see me robbing banks or killing anyone.”

“Blackmail.” Katsuki counts with his finger, “Extortion. Kidnapping. Threatening bodily harm. And god knows how many others.”

Himiko pauses as if in thought before laughing, “Oh wow, I guess they really are crimes when you think about it! Whoops.”

Katsuki waves at her with both arms as if to emphasise his point. Kaina sighs at this,

“Can’t believe I’m saying this, but he has a point.” Kaina reluctantly agreed, “Kid, are you sure about this?”

“I…” Izuku stammers before taking a deep breath to calm down and turn to Himiko, “Toga, let’s try to set this straight. I don’t think you’re a bad person, you didn’t want to kill me and you tried defending me from Shadows. So why do you want blood so badly you trap people in the Mirror World.”

“What, can’t a girl enjoy a cup of blood without being judged?” she asks, sounding playful, but there was a sharpness in her tone that wasn’t there before, “I can’t help the way I was born.”

“No, I mean why do you do all that extortion for it.” Izuku specifies and Himiko softens a bit, “It can’t be just for kicks.”

“Well, that is a bit of a long story. But the short version is because of my Quirk.” she tugs at her mouth to reveal sharp canines, “The doctors said that I might be ‘naturally inclined towards blood’ because my Quirk involves drinking it.”

“So you have a Quirk like that?” Izuku asks, suddenly interested, “How does it work? Does drinking blood-?”

Katsuki loudly coughs to interrupt his tirade before he can start. Izuku clears his throat at that, “Sorry, carry on.”

Himiko actually found herself surprised, having expected looks of disgust. However, in Izuku all she saw was fascination, in Katsuki was just pure annoyance, and Kaina just looked neutral.

“And ever since I discovered this place, I realise what I could do with it.” she continues explaining, “People here are all desperate to get out and away from Shadows, so I offer them a trade. They get a way out and me as a bodyguard, and I get to drink at least a cup of blood.”

“So you’re that vampire I’ve been hearing about.” Katsuki realises as all eyes turn to him, “What? I’ve been doing my damn research on the ‘mysterious disappearances’.”

“...I thought you said all you cared about was training?” Izuku asks, unable to keep out a slight teasing tone.

“Shut up!” Katsuki snaps before returning to his explanation, “So one of the stories I heard are people returning from being missing, confused and missing some blood with no memory of what happened. Guess that’s you?”

“Yeah, it’s one of the reasons I hang out here.” Himiko nods cheerfully, “Since no one remembers, they can’t find me! I can stay as far as I can away from them, and drink all the blood I want! And sometimes I do get thirsty and can’t find any humans here, so I go out and bring them in instead. Don’t worry, no one’s ever died.”

“Them?” Kaina asks, “Are you hiding from a specific someone, perhaps?”

“...My parents.” she grumbles, her smile dropping, “They won’t let me have a single drop of blood. Do you know how maddening it was? Having to put up with those cravings ever since I was four? How much it almost drove me crazy?”

She asks, sounding furious, grasping at her head, “Trying to be ‘normal’ like everyone else? It was hell, but then I found this place…”

The smile returned, an ecstatic and joyful look on her face, “All the blood I can ever want. No one to tell me what I can or can’t do. No one to pretend to be normal around. At least until I met you guys.”

“...Can you give us a moment?” Izuku asked as he gestured outside the room, “Just a quick team huddle.”

“Eh, sure. Take your time.” she shrugs as she leaves the apartment, closing the door behind her and leaving the trio alone.

“She’s not leaving.” Kaina notes thanks to her Persona’s ability, “So about her membership…”

“Fuck no.” Katsuki immediately casts his vote, “You want me to trust my back to some bloodsucking psycho?”

“She’s not a bad person!” Izuku defends, “I mean, yeah she’s done a lot of bad things, but it wasn’t without reason. If what she’s saying is true, she felt forced into doing all those things to get blood. She’s desperate.”

“Come on, just because she ‘had a reason’, doesn’t change the fact she’s a villain!” Katsuki argues, “First an assassin, now a serial kidnapper with a blood fetish, what’s next? A serial killer?”

Izuku sighed, “I can’t argue with the fact she still did villainous things. But honestly, everyone in this room did at least one villainous thing!”

“You… did some shady things with the HPSC.” Izuku gestures at Kaina who shrugs as if to say “Fair enough.”, before pointing at Katsuki, “You assaulted me with your Quirk when we were kids! Like you’d pin me down and punch my face with explosions, that goes beyond roughhousing and you know it.”

Katsuki clicks his tongue and looks away as Kaina glares at him, “I’m sorry, what?!”

“They were just firecrackers,” Katsuki grumbles, but it sounded like a weak defence.

“There’s a reason kids aren’t supposed to play with firecrackers without supervision! God, you know you could’ve taken an eye out or something!” Kaina yells before Izuku returns to the topic.

“And I have a criminal record for assault.” Izuku reminds me as Kaina nods, although this surprised Katsuki.

“Wait what?”

“Yeah, sometime before I moved back to Japan.” Izuku sighed as he rubbed the back of his neck, “Some guys were picking on a classmate so I stepped in. I got my ass kicked, but I did enough damage for their parents to sue me for assault. Thank god my dad knew a good lawyer, but I still got a black mark. And right now, all of us can add vigilantism to our records too.”

“...Didn’t know you had balls even before this.” Katsuki mutters, sounding almost respectful, “So what you’re saying is that we all did crappy stuff, even if they’re on different levels.”

“Yeah. So should we chase away someone who can help us just because they did bad things out of desperation?” Izuku asks, “And if you would look past that and at the main problem we have now, it’s clear there aren't enough of us. She can help with that. And we can’t get past the Shadows without being seen. She can help with that too! Like it or not, we need her help.”

“...Well, you said everything I wanted to say.” Kaina nods, “Bloodthirst aside, she can be a useful asset to us. If a special diet’s all she needs to stick around, why not? As long as she doesn’t hurt anyone besides Shadows, she has my vote.”

“I’m outvoted anyway.” Katsuki scoffs before sighing, “Fine! But if her fangs get anywhere near me I’m blowing her to hell.”

“Then she’s our official fourth member.” Izuku smiles with relief before raising his voice, “Toga? Can you come back in?”

The door opens once more and Himiko strolls back in with an expecting look on her face,

“So…from how pissy blondie looks, I guess you decided to keep me around?” she asks, sounding half-hopeful.

“Yeah.” Izuku nods, “If you’re willing to help us on our mission to stop the Shadows, we’ll be happy to have you around.”

“Hmm, I’m not all that cracked up about playing Hero.” she hums to herself as she walks closer to where Izuku is sitting in the living room, “But I can play along if you don’t mind a few conditions.”

“Let me guess, blood?” Katsuki rolls his eyes.

“Oh, he’s actually smart isn’t he?” she giggles as Katsuki glared at her, “But yeah. I want a constant supply, at the very least… two cups of blood per week.”

“I think we can manage that.” Izuku nods before hesitating, “I’ll have to find some blood bags and equipment then… But I think all of us will be willing to donate blood to keep you fed.”

“Sure.” Kaina shrugs.

“Touch my blood and you’re dead.” Katsuki snaps.

“...I’m sure the two of us will be willing to give blood.” Izuku corrects himself before turning to Himiko with a stern look on his face, “But you have to stop your extortion. No more kidnapping people and bringing them over to blackmail.”

“Ooh, so demanding.” Himiko says with a sultry tone before suddenly sitting on his lap, “I’m not sure I like someone taking charge, but I’m down for experimenting. Don’t worry, I won’t do anything naughty now that I got you.”

Katsuki gags at the sight as Kaina looks annoyed at this. Izuku meanwhile struggles to not appear fazed and fails to.

“Secondly…” her grin almost splits her face, “You’re my boyfriend from now on.”

“WHAT?” Izuku asks, alarmed as Kaina’s eyes widen and Katsuki looks caught between cringing in disgust and finding the situation amusing.

She tries stroking his chin as Izuku does his best to keep away, “That means whenever I get to drink your blood. You help me whenever I’m in trouble. And you promise to never, never, let me go.”

“I- wha- But-?” Izuku stammers out, his brain once again undergoing a reboot, “B-boyfriend? Y-you mean all those kissing, dating stuff?”

“Only if you want to…” she purrs.

“I-I er… I mean, I have someone else in mind already!” Izuku cries out in desperation but this doesn’t perturb Himiko.

“I don’t mind sharing, you’re free to go after whoever you want.” she waves off, “Just remember that you’re my boyfriend first.”

“...Just that?” Izuku winces before looking at his teammates for help.

Kaina gives him a confused shrug, as if not knowing what to do either. Katsuki looked to be having the time of his life and smiling smugly and unhelpfully.

Izuku looks back at Himiko’s eager eyes as he ponders his decision. He could feel Pixie, the Persona of the Lovers Arcana, stir from within his heart. Something tells him that there was something more to her request of wanting a ‘boyfriend’, the way she described it didn’t really sound necessarily like one to him, but he concedes anyway.

 “...Fine. I guess we’re ‘dating’ now.”

“Really?” Himiko’s eyes widened as if she could scarcely believe it, “Then let’s celebrate with a-?”

“No kissing.” Izuku quickly blocks her lips with a hand, “Just… no please.”

“Spoilsport.” Himiko playfully pouts before getting off his lap, “Welp, guess I’m part of your gang now. Hey everyone, my name's Himiko Toga. Looking forward to working with all of you!”

Izuku sighs to himself at this. The things one has to do to save others… He doubts any Pro Hero has to go through a situation like this.

“So when do I move in?” she asks eagerly, “I don’t have any stuff really, so I’m good whenever.”

Kaina sighs, “Well, I guess she’s rooming with me then? As long as you keep your teeth and knives to yourself…”

“Oh relax, I won’t bite… unless you want me to,” she smirks.

“How reassuring,” Kaina grumbles before reminding herself to sleep with a knife under her pillow.

“Then it’s settled.” Izuku says, happy to put this all behind them, “I’ll start adjusting our schedule again so we can start training this disguise skill of Toga’s. Patrol routes as well now that we have an additional member. Once we get the hang of it, we could start infiltrating the fortress to scout it better. Then after we have it mapped out, we move in for the kill.”

There was a murmur of agreement from Kaina and a grunt from Katsuki, while Himiko claps excitedly. He smiles seeing their group growing and with the possibility of learning new skills on the horizon greatly increasing their chances of future operations.

But as he thinks this, suddenly the room darkens. His eyes widen at this, thinking it was an enemy attack when suddenly a shadowy figure materialises before him. A familiar one at that…

“You…” Izuku recognised the Shadow before him, smiling as he sat on the couch.

“You.” he smirks as he looks around at the darkened room, “You’ve made a lot of friends, haven't you? Growing stronger as well.”

“I am.” Izuku nods but still with his guard up, “What are you doing here?”

His Shadow laughs, “Just came by to see how you’re doing. Glad to see you’re obliging by our contract, using any means necessary to get stronger. To take what you desire.”

“I need to get stronger to save people, it’s not about myself or my desire.” Izuku frowns as he feels the room shake just the slightest bit.

The Shadow tuts, “So close yet so far to understanding… No matter. Your journey’s just begun, hasn’t it? Tell me, why do you save people?”

Izuku opens his mouth to answer but the Shadow raises his finger to silence him,

“You don’t have to answer now, it’s a bad habit to lie to oneself.” he chuckles before flicking his hand and summoning a card and placing it on the table, one of a tower being struck by lightning and the number sixteen, “You’ve found someone to guide you. A woman whose tower has fallen, the course of her life forever changed, forcing herself into isolation to escape.”

He sets another card next to it, one featuring the number one with hands cupping a fire, “You reconnected with an old friend, immature and arrogant, but brimming with potential.”

A third card was placed next, a card with the number six and images of a man and woman with a heart between them, “And now you bonded with this lovely lady, one that maintains a warped sense of harmony, living for herself. Unlocking the Arcana of the Lover within you…”

He sets down the familiar card of the Fool on the table, under the three cards already placed, “And the Arcana of the Fool at last. You have all the pieces you need to begin your journey for real…”

“My real journey?” Izuku asks exhausted, “Can I get a hint this time?”

“Only this; Overcome this hurdle so you can rise against your first true challenge. Remember our contract and strive for your desires evermore. I’ll be watching as always, from the depth of your heart.”

“Well, that was vague and unhelpful like always,” Izuku mutters frustratedly.

“Sorry, what?” Kaina asks and Izuku blinks, realising everything appears to return to normal.

“...Nothing.” Izuku sighs before rubbing his eyes, “Exhaustion must be getting to me.”

“Something we agree on.” Katsuki grumbles as he steps up to leave, “I’m going home now, try not to get murdered and your blood-sucked rifle bitch.”

“Yeah, fuck you too.” Kaina waves goodbye at him before turning to Izuku, “I’ll be fine, you get as much rest as you can. As for our newest member, your room’s down there on the left. Try not to make a mess, alright? There’s a bed but no cover, if you want one you’ll need to buy one.”

“Ooh, I haven’t had a real bed to lie on for months! Talk about luxury!” Himiko looks excited as both Kaina and Izuku look at her worried.

“...Babysitting teenagers with issues and magic powers while fighting monsters.” Kaina sighs and facepalms, “This is my life now, I guess.”

Chapter Text

**Kaina’s Safehouse | 2XXX June 5th/Sunday || Morning**

“Wrong! You’re doing it wrong!” Himiko scolds as she watches the trio of Persona Users struggling, “Jeez, you’re all pretty bad at this aren’t ya?”

“Shut up!” Katsuki snaps in frustration, “It would help if you aren’t so damn vague about this!”

“I hate to say it but Kacchan’s right.” Izuku admits, “Look, how about you walk us through the steps you took before mastering this skill? I think it would help.”

“Oh? Making me spill my secrets before even a date?” Himiko smirks teasingly before obliging, “But sure, if it helps you, then listen closely.”

She clears her throat before pointing to her jaw, “You know all those chains that pop up whenever we use our Personas? They’re basically the same that our Shadows used to chain us down, right?”

Izuku nods at that, remembering how his own Shadow pinned him to the ground, as well as how Katsuki was manipulated by his own Shadow.

“Then I thought to myself; ‘Hey, what’s the difference between my Shadow and the others? If my Shadow can become my Persona, doesn’t it mean it can go back to being a Shadow too?’ And after that, I began experimenting.”

She manifests the chains wrapping around her mouth once more to demonstrate.

“If I could just kinda turn it a little bit back into a Shadow, maybe the other Shadows could ignore me? That was my thought process at the time.” she explains before gripping them tight, “I kept reminding myself of how I felt before I awakened Carmilla. Trapped. Restrained. Hungry. Angry.”

As she mutters those words, memories she’d rather forget surge inside of her, her grip on the chains tightening as they shift slowly from blue to red. Eventually, a Shadow-like aura began surrounding her.

“It’s disgusting how it feels, but you can’t deny it’s useful. Saved my butt a few times.” Himiko says as she dispelled the chains and the aura with it, before manifesting the aura again without the chains, “After a few weeks I could do it with a snap of my fingers. Neat, huh?”

“I see, so that’s how you do it.” Izuku mutters as he jots it down in his notebook, “Having a Persona already makes it so a Shadow finds it difficult to sense us, so it makes sense that slightly reverting it back to a Shadow and cloaking it around you essentially disguises you as one. We should’ve thought of that earlier.”

“Guess there’s more ways than one to use a Persona.” Kaina mutters as she manifests the chains on her right arm, “We were more focused on honing its attacks and conserving energy instead of stuff like that.”

“...Tsk, this is pointless.” Katsuki scoffs before turning away, “I’d just blow the crap out of anything that tries to stop me.”

“Yeah, look at how that turned out last time. Kaina recalls as a vein pops on Katsuki’s head.

“I got it!” Izuku announces after he jots down his notes, neatly averting another fight between the two.

Immediately he sets down the notebook and focuses, manifesting the chains that wrap around his body. But instead of shattering them, he kneels down and focuses.

On all the thoughts that filled his head when the chains wrapped around him.

Useless. Quirkless. Pathetic. Burden…

Immediately he feels a shift in the air, as the chains wrapping his entire body turned into a sinister red, feeling them tighten to uncomfortable levels as he begins to feel their weight. He could understand why Himiko thought of it as unpleasant.

He struggled to stand up as Himiko clapped at the sight,

“See? Simple as that!” she cheers before turning to the other two, “Now how about you guys?”

Kaina hesitates before forming the chains once more, and then she thinks deeply. It took nearly as much time as Izuku did before her chains changed to red, a Shadow-like aura manifesting around her like a cloak.

Katsuki looks further frustrated at this, growling under his breath as Himiko turns to him.

“Well? Let’s see you give it a try.” she encourages somewhat tauntingly upon seeing his hesitation.

“I don’t think we should!” Izuku quickly says, “Let’s… Let’s just say that he has a problem with his Persona. He can’t manifest it normally, most times he just explosively releases its power. He never really properly manifested his Persona, just… buried his Shadow for lack of a better term.”

“Really? That’s weird.” Himiko notes as Katsuki snaps.

“Fuck off! I’m not like any of you losers.” he shouts, “I just don’t need to give up like a little bitch. I beat it down with my own power and it’s been sulking ever since!”

“This again?” Kaina sighs, “Come on, accepting your Shadow isn’t ‘giving up’ something, or admitting defeat. After accepting mine I… it felt easier to breathe somehow.”

“Yeah!” Himiko nods enthusiastically, “It was the best thing that ever happened! You cannot believe how great it feels, to just tear your chains off for the first time.”

“I don’t care.” Katsuki growls, “I ain’t weak like all of you. I’ll overcome this and take its power for myself.”

“...Well, we can have one of us disguise Kacchan then.” Izuku says turning to Himiko, “You have the most control over this ‘stealth’ skill. Can you use it on both of you like you did last time?”

“Aw, getting tired of me already?” she pouts before getting close to Izuku, “I won’t mind if it’s you though…”

Izuku winces and takes a step away, “I think I have the basics down, Kacchan needs it more.”

“Fiiine…” she rolls her eyes as she pouts, “He’s mean though. I bet girls at your school hate your personality. You won’t find a date like that.”

“SHUT UP!” Katsuki roars defensively, “People love me!”

“I bet,” Kaina mutters under her breath.

“Well, I’ll do it since you asked me to.” Himiko relents before looking at Izuku with anticipation, “But I expect a reward…”

“What do you want?” Izuku asks, already dreading it.

“I want a date!” Himiko declared, “A cute, romantic, lovey-dovey date!”

“...If that’s really what you want.” Izuku resigns to his fate, “We have our schedules booked for today, patrols around the city since we can’t take down the Warlord just yet. I’ll see about it tomorrow. Everyone has their partner and routes?”

“It’s a date then!” Himiko cheers before skipping towards Katsuki and dragging him by the arm, “Don’t worry, I’ll bring him back safe and sound!”

“Hands off! Don’t make me blow you to bits you psycho!” Katsuki roars as he is forcibly dragged off, leaving Kaina and Izuku together.

The older woman pats Izuku on the shoulder sympathetically, “Your sacrifice is appreciated.”

“I can’t believe my first date’s gonna be like this.” Izuku sighs, “Got any advice?”

“Do I look like I had dates in middle school?” Kaina asks dryly, “Guys weren’t exactly lining up for me.”

“Really?” Izuku looks at her surprised, “But you look pretty beautiful now. I’m sure you looked just as good back then.”

His brain then caught up with his mouth, realising what he just said and turning away with a furious blush. Where had that sudden confidence come from? It wasn’t like he was this daring usually. 

But then inside his heart, he feels the Personas resonating within, specifically the ones of the Lovers Arcana. Immediately he swaps his current one with literally anything else. 

It felt similar to how Archangel flared last week when confronted by the sight of what he deemed unjust. The Personas and Arcanas… could they be influencing him somehow?

“Smooth talker.” she smirks as she ruffles his hair, “Save it for your ‘girlfriend’ tomorrow.”

“Don’t remind me…” Izuku dreads before making plans to stop by a certain room first.

**Velvet Room**

Izuku awakens at his desk in the Velvet Room, eyes blinking as he hears the rustling of paper. He looks to find surprisingly Igor was missing from the teacher’s desk and instead, it was Agatha hastily stuffing pages back into her file.

“M-my apologies, dear guest, I’ll be right with you!” Agatha promises, and Izuku realises her hair looks a tad bit frazzled, as she stands up from the desk and bows. But in her haste, the pages come spilling out once more.

Izuku gets up from his seat and helps Agatha bend down to pick up the stray pages,

“No, no! You do not have to do this!” Agatha pleads as Izuku picks up some of them.

“It’s fine.” Izuku says as he hands a stack of them over to Agatha, noticing some of them look like maps with scribbles, “What are these for?”

“It’s… a personal matter of mine.” Agatha says after some hesitance, putting the pieces of paper back into her binder before bowing, “I apologise to you for seeing such a disgraceful display.”

“No, I just caught you at a bad time!” Izuku assures her as he gets up, “You look busy. I can come back another time?”

“No!” Agatha suddenly yells before slapping a hand over her mouth in shock. The two of them remain silent as Agatha cools down before speaking again, sounding very embarrassed.

“I…once again I apologise for such a disgraceful display.” she says carefully and slowly, desperate to regain her composure, “I was in the midst of a personal project before you unexpectedly arrived. I should not have been doing so, for I have placed my desires above your needs. Now how may I assist you, dear guest?”

“Agatha…” Izuku says, trying to sound comforting, “It’s not a problem. My needs don’t come before yours, they must be important if they’re making you stressed like this.”

“But my priority is to aid you in what you-?” Agatha tries to protest but Izuku cuts her off.

“Agatha, I’ll tell you what I want only after you tell me what’s bothering you.” he insists before realising how pushy he must have sounded, “O-only if you don’t mind. I don’t want to force you to do anything you’re not comfortable with.”

“...If it satisfies you.” Agatha nods, “Do you recall the first time we met outside the Room?”

“Yeah, outside my part-time job.” Izuku nods, “You wanted to check on my progress.”

“I mentioned it was simply one of the two birds I aimed to kill.” Agatha nods, “...One of my sisters is missing you see. The youngest of us, specifically.”

Izuku’s eyes widened as Agatha continued, “We were both created at the same time you see, the latest to become Attendants of the Velvet Room. In human terms, you can consider me the eldest twin between the two of us. We both trained hard for this day, but as of four months ago she disappeared without a trace.”

She looks down in shame, “I…was planning to exploit any chance I have to search your realm for her, under the guise of observing your progress. If she is not here then surely she must be out there.”

“Is that why you’re always waiting outside the door?” Izuku asks, remembering all the times he visited she was always outside the door looking around as if she was searching for something particular, but he never questioned it.

“Yes…” Agatha nods as she avoids his eyes.

“Is that why Igor’s not here?” he asks, “Is he looking for her?”

Agatha shakes her head, “No, my master has never visited the physical world to my knowledge. Nothing happens in the Velvet Room without a reason, so he is likely reporting to his own master on the development. There are powers higher than that of the Velvet Room, after all.”

Izuku wonders about that as unbeknownst to him, a blue butterfly lands on the windowsill of the classroom.

“Then those maps?” Izuku asks, pointing at the binder in her hands.

“...Taken from your world. I was hoping to use them to find locations that she may find of interest.” Agatha explains as her grip on the binder tightened, “The thought of her not with me makes me feel as if there is a gaping hole within… I hoped that if I search these locations I may be able to understand her. I have no doubts that she is unlikely to be at any of them, but if I can understand her, I may come to understand the reason why she left. Perhaps maybe even leading to our reunion in future…”

She sighs as she pulls out the maps, “However I am at a loss. I can aid in the fusion of Personas with reliable success, but I do not know how to manoeuvre your realm.”

“...Maybe you can tell me what kind of places she would like?” Izuku asks, “I can help look for her.”

“Please. I do not wish to add to the burdens you already carry.” Agatha pleads and Izuku is at a loss on how to make her feel better before he feels the Aeon Arcana pulsing within, and an idea is devised.

“Wait… what if helping you out, helps me?” Izuku asks and Agatha looks at him confused as he taps his heart, “We share a bond, if I help you with this I’ll get to know you better, and you said bonds help my power grow. So by helping you, you help me.”

Agatha’s eyes widened, “You will do this for me?”

“Of course.” Izuku smiles at her, “You’re my friend.”

Agatha starts to smile back, “Then… If it is to aid my guest on his journey, I will perform this duty to the best of my ability.”

She stands up straighter than before, looking relieved before the usual calm and serene smile returns as she curtsies towards him, “Now… We have wasted enough time on me. Since my master is absent from his post, allow me to say this on his behalf. Welcome to the Velvet Room, how may I assist you?”

Izuku smiles seeing her stress has faded, feeling the Aeon Arcana grow in power within him from their conversation and promise. With that, he remembers the reason that he came here in the first place,

“There’s actually something I was worried about.” Izuku mentions somewhat hesitantly, “Earlier this week I felt one of my Personas, Archangel, flared up in the real world. I saw someone getting mistreated so I stepped in. I would’ve done something, but the way I settled it felt… I basically screamed at that woman. I don’t normally do that.”

He rubs his face, “Then earlier, I said some pretty embarrassing things. Things I would’ve been caught dead before saying in the past, and I felt that same thing only with another Persona. It’s like… an itch at the back of my heart or something.”

Izuku looks at her with a worried expression, “Are the Personas having an effect on me that I should know about? Are they… influencing me?”

Agatha raises a finger to stroke her chin in thought before taking a step towards Izuku. Before he could ask, she was suddenly face to face with him, grabbing his face gently and pulling it close to investigate.

He gulped at the lack of distance between the two of them as she stared into his soul with inquisitive yellow eyes. His own eyes drifted below to her lips and realised at the distance, or lack of it, just the slightest movement could mean crashing into them.

“Hmm…” she thinks to herself, “Did your eyes perhaps switch colour? Did you find yourself speaking with a completely different voice? Using language you should not have any idea about?”

“Er…No?” 

Agatha smiles before releasing him, and he lets out a breath he didn’t know he was holding, “Then you are normal. I only recall Personas overwhelming the wielder from a story my elder sister told me. Apparently, some research went awry resulting in a Persona stronger than anticipated. I have not fused any Personas that you would have trouble wielding at your current level.”

“Then…the way I’ve been acting?” Izuku asks.

“Tell me, are you aware of the human meaning of the word ‘persona’?” Agatha asks as she moves towards the whiteboard of the room, using a tone that Izuku has begun to call the ‘educator tone’ which occurs whenever he has a question.

“Yeah, an aspect of someone’s character that is presented or perceived by others,” Izuku answers, having looked that up the day after he first awoke his Persona.

Agatha nods as she sketches Izuku on the board with a blue marker, only with a mask on his face reminiscent of a masquerade mask, “Correct. And the Personas you wield are masks you choose to put on to shield your heart from the dangers of the world. In the Mirror World, you physically manifest them to fight and defend, but as you experienced in the real world they amplify the emotion you wish to represent.”

She erased the mask and instead drew a helmet reminiscent of Archangels, “During the confrontation you mentioned, Archangel must have been worn around your heart. And in doing so you chose to display your sense of justice and desire to right the wrongs you perceive.”

“So…you’re saying it’s just me choosing which part of myself to focus on?” Izuku asks, still unsure as he looks down at his heart, feeling the power swirl inside of him from the Personas.

“Correct.” she says before reaching over and putting a hand over his heart comfortingly, “There is much to be afraid of in the world, Izuku Midoriya. But there is no need to add your own self to the list. Your Personas are you, and you are them. Remember that.”

** Cafe || 2XXX June 6th/Monday || After School **

Izuku sighed as he sat in a cafe waiting for his ‘date’, tugging at the collar of the short-sleeved button-up shirt he was wearing, a rose in his hands because apparently, that was something dates do according to his few hours of research on the internet.

His mother was pretty weirded out when he announced he was going on a date, even more so at the look on his face appeared like a man resigned to his fate. Still, she was kind enough to offer him an old shirt his father wore that was just a size bigger than he was. A bit loose but nothing so obvious.

He checked the time on his phone to see if it was right on time for their date. So Himiko was supposed to be here any minute now. And as if on cue, said the girl came barreling through the cafe’s entrance,

“Izu~!” Himiko Toga skips towards where he is seated, surprisingly wearing not her school uniform but a casual yellow dress.

A very clean casual dress… That looks expensive, without any wrinkles or signs of wear, fresh from the store… With a price tag still on.

“Toga…where did you get that?” Izuku asked as she sat down in front of him, before noticing the tag.

“Oh, this thing?” She chuckles while tearing off the tag, “I got it from the same store we first met, Izu. Don’t I look cute?”

“...Oh my god, you stole it didn’t you?” Izuku sighed exasperated, “You went back to the same store the day after you broke its window and stole a dress?”

“How dare you?” she asks with faux anger, “Do you think I can’t get something like this through honest means?”

Izuku merely raises a questioning brow and Himiko breaks down in laughter almost immediately,

“Of course I can’t! You know me so well and it’s only our first date yet!” she says happily, “Relax, I knew you’d be kinda mad so left an IOU note.”

“You shouldn’t steal from small businesses,” Izuku says.

“So you’re saying if they’re big enough…?” Himiko asks with eyes gleaming.

“No! Don’t steal things. Period.” Izuku sighs, “Look, I’ll give some money to cover that IOU, how much is it?”

“Already buying dresses for me? You’re on a roll.” Himiko giggles before reading the ripped-out price tag, “Let’s see… 13,000 yen.”

Izuku sighs again as he mentally deducts that from his already dwindling reserves of cash. At that moment his priority for finding another part-time job rocketed to near the top of his list.

“Here… for you.” Izuku hands over the rose he brought as she gasps.

“For me? You shouldn’t have.” she looks actually surprised and happy as she accepts the rose, “How’d you know?”

“Well you asked for this to be romantic so I got roses.” he shrugs, “I didn’t know they were your favourite.”

“Eh, I like anything red.” she shrugs before placing it aside and picking up the menu, “Now let's see what they have here. Any recommendations?”

“I’ve never been here before.” he says as he scans the menu before looking at the cheapest thing, “I’ll go for the chicken salad then.”

“Ooh, then I’ll have this, and that, some of that, and a tall glass of pomegranate juice for a drink.” Himiko puts down her order and Izuku pales as he realises this would bankrupt him. But asking his ‘date’ to go for a cheaper option would kinda be rude. Internally he pleads for forgiveness from his wallet, swearing this was for the greater good.

Once their food arrives, Izuku takes his single plate while Toga messily scarfs down on three different plates and a large drink.

“This is really good!” Himiko says in between bites, “Oh man, it’s been so long since I ate anything like this!”

“...Is it because you ran away from home? How long ago was that?” Izuku asks in concern as Himiko shrugs it off, “How did you survive by yourself?”

“Eh, it’s been a few months.” she says dismissively, “Blood’s good and all but isn’t exactly a filling meal, so I just stole food whenever I can. Mirror World makes for an easy escape.”

“Speaking of the Mirror World, how’d you end up there in the first place?” Izuku wonders, “I…looked you up after we met. Himiko Toga, third-year middle school student who went missing after a sleepover.”

Himiko pauses eating before staring at Izuku with almost disapproval, “Jeez, stalking me online already? You’re lucky you’re a cutie.”

She angrily sips her juice before answering, “We were doing that stupid Mirror Game thing that’s been showing up on social media. All of us went by ourselves to an empty room, turned off the lights, waited for midnight and then smashed a mirror. You can guess what happened after that.”

“It must’ve been terrifying,” Izuku says sympathetically.

“Well, it was definitely shocking.” Himiko nods before letting out a sigh of relief, “But definitely worth what came next… My Persona…”

**Months Ago**

“P-please!” Himiko tries to scamper away from the horde of monstrous-looking Shadows approaching her, but the chains that wrap around her lower jaw pull her down to her knees, “I want to go home! I just want to go home!” 

“Do you…”

A voice came from below and Himiko stared at her own Shadow, piercing red eyes staring back at her like it was another being, tilting its head curiously.

“Wha…?” Himiko mutters terrified as the voice continues.

“You say you want to return home?” it asks mockingly, “Please, you’d rather die than go back to such an insufferable place would you?”

“I- I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Himiko protests while trying to tear the chains off her face, “Who are you?! Just let me go!”

“No one is holding you here but yourself…” her Shadow chuckles, “Why hold yourself back? You always wanted to feed but they wouldn’t let you, would they?”

“I…It’s not normal.” she argues weakly, repeating the words her parents and doctors told her, “It’s bad to drink blood! It’s wrong!”

“Lies!” the chains tighten around her mouth before the voice turns almost sympathetic, “Poor little thing, held back by society, forced to play a role you’ve been forced into. A role that you hated! A role that your parents forced onto you! Do you have the strength to tear these chains that hold you back? To let loose your thirst for blood into this world?!”

“...” Himiko remains silent. Everything this Shadow said was true. She hated everything about her life. She hated how fake it was, forcing herself to act like a stranger just to get people to like her. She hated that her parents forced her to keep the act up even at home because it shamed them of how her true self was. She wanted to stop this farce…

The Shadow chuckles as Himiko feels the grip on the chains looser, cracks appearing on them from just the slightest pull.

“No need for words then, your heart has already spoken. Our contract is sealed…” the Shadow says as Himiko pulls harder on the chains, “I am Thou! Thou art I! Wield my power and escape this farce of a life that has been forced upon you! My name is…”

“Carmilla!” Himiko roars out as the chains glow blue, shattering with a single tug as the Persona manifests itself.

The Shadows faltered at the sight of her awakened power, the vampiric Persona laughing madly with glee as she was released,

“The world is full of delectable things to be savoured…” The Persona says as Himiko climbs back onto her feet, “Seek them out however you please, and know my power is always at your call!”

***

“...Farce of a life, huh?” Izuku mutters as he stabs at his salad.

“Yep.” Himiko nods before cringing her face in disgust, “Screw being ‘normal’, pretending just to keep other people happy. After I survived, I decided from then on I was going to live my life however I wanted it. I do what I want. Eat what I want. And have whoever I want.”

She winks at Izuku, trying to look flirtatious as Izuku coughs into a fist.

“R-right.” Izuku nods, taking a pause before answering, “I think it’s admirable. Living how you want no matter what. That was surprisingly deep.”

“Well, I can be pretty deep.” Himiko smirks at him, “Maybe you’d like to find out somewhere private…?”

“I really rather not.” Izuku shudders at the proposal and Himiko pouts,

“Jeez, way to shoot down a girl.” she sounds disappointed, “Thought boys would usually jump at the chance… Unless you swing another way?”

“I don’t.” Izuku shakes his head, “It’s just… I’m not used to speaking with girls. Not my age at least. And definitely not someone as… forward as you are.”

“Ooh, would’ve thought a shy cutie like you would have girls swarming over you?” she asks leaning in, “Plenty of girls would like to gobble you up.”

Izuku looks away from her, “Not many are exactly lining up to date a Quirkless like me. Not when there are better options to pick from.”

“Huh, Quirkless?” Himiko actually looked thrown off by that, “Wow, you’re the first I’ve run into.”

“Glad to be your first,” Izuku mutters sarcastically before realising what he just said and flushed red.

Himiko cackles at that as Izuku struggles to regain his composure, “You know what I mean. Seriously, get your head out of the gutter.”

“You’re too fun to mess with.” Himiko’s laughter dies down after a while before pausing, “What’s it like to be Quirkless?”

“What’s it like to have a Quirk?” Izuku shot back before calming down, “I… Sorry, when you hear that question a lot… It’s a reflex at this point.”

“Yeah, tell me about it.” Himiko sighed, and for a moment Izuku thought she sounded genuinely understanding, “My classmates would always ask me how blood tasted, and if I enjoyed drinking it. They say stuff like how freaky I would be if I did.”

“...Guess whether you're Quirkless or with a Quirk, some things don’t change.” Izuku mutters as he feels the bond between them start to grow, “If you don’t mind me asking, what is your Quirk? It might be helpful in our ‘extracurricular activities’.”

“Oh, I transform into anyone whose blood I drank.” Himiko explains, “Not useful for sneaking past Shadows, since they want to hunt all humans transforming into another human doesn’t do me much.”

“Yeah, but it sounds like an impressive Quirk.” Izuku says taking Himiko by surprise once again before muttering rapidly under his breath, “You’d be perfect for spying and infiltration, and if you can copy stuff like their fingerprints then it would be a huge bonus since you can bypass biometric security-”

“That’s a motor mouth you got there. Do you think we can put it to use somewhere else?” Himiko asks teasingly as her joke snaps Izuku out of his muttering.

“Come on, quit joking like that,” Izuku mutters as he covers up how red his face is, trying to banish those thoughts from his head.

“Who says I’m joking?” she asks with seriousness that stunned Izuku as her hand inches closer to his with a suggestive look on her face, “We’re boyfriend and girlfriend now, we should do those types of things now, shouldn’t we?”

Izuku’s hand recoils immediately as he breathes hard to calm down, recalling Agatha’s words he focuses on his heart to bring out one of his Personas of the Strength Arcana. Immediately he felt his nerves calm as he answered,

“Look, Toga, I agreed to be your ‘boyfriend’, but you said it yourself we don’t have to do those…things if I don’t want to.” he says, “I…just don’t see stuff like that happening after the first date anyways.”

“Oh?” Himiko perks up, the disappointed look on her face vanishing in an instant, “So you’re saying we just need more dates before you’re ready? Well, why didn’t you say so?”

“Wait, that’s not what-!” Izuku tried stopping her but her mind was settled.

“Give me time and soon you’ll be the one begging for a chance.” she snickers mischievously as Izuku feels nervous despite the Strength Arcana focused within his heart. Just what did he unleash?

“Let’s…just get the bill,” Izuku says, seeing that they were almost finished with their food anyway. He raised his hand to call the waiter over for their bill and was handed the slip of paper. He was immediately concerned with how long it was, and briefly scanning it proved him right.

It looked like finding a new part-time job just went from ‘near the top’ of his list to the ‘very top’.

Chapter Text

**Restaurant || 2XXX June 7th/Tuesday || Evening**

“One order of large curry bowl, two orders of katsudon, one beef udon…” Izuku struggled to keep track of the orders from the large number of customers in the restaurant where he was working.

After he was fired from the convenience store, just one part-time job wasn’t enough to keep up with his spending habits, especially after his ‘date’ with Himiko Toga. If he was going to stay afloat he’d need another job, and this was the highest-paying available one there was.

But he can see it was high paying for a reason. This was his first day and it was already nearly overwhelming with the sheer number of customers yelling out their orders without giving him time to properly write them down in his notepad.

Why was he the only waiter here anyway? There’s gotta be another since this palace was pretty large, maybe they were late? He bites down a curse as he momentarily loses track of a customer’s order and asks them to repeat it.

Once he was done he quickly ran towards the kitchen with the latest batch of orders.

“Good job, new guy.” one of the cooks complimented him as they went to work, “You better get used to this, we usually have a busy day like this twice a week.”

“I’m barely keeping up.” Izuku pants. This was almost as hard as keeping track of Shadow attacks and weaknesses during combat. At least this was good practice for his perception and information retention.

“I can’t be the only waiter here can I?” Izuku asks in concern as another cook scoffs,

“No, but the other one’s late.” he says, “This keeps up and the manager’s gonna have to dock his pay.”

“No need for that!” a voice shouts as they come crashing through the back door, panting heavily as they are putting on the waiter uniform, and Izuku’s eyes widen in recognition.

“I…” Hisashi Midoriya trails off as he stares at his son who stares back with similar shock in his eyes, “Izuku?”

“Dad?”

*Later*

The night was soon over as the restaurant was closed for the night and Izuku received his first paycheck from this job. As well as making a pretty big discovery about his father.

The two of them remained silent as they sat next to each other on a bench nearby before his father awkwardly started the conversation.

“So…I didn’t know you worked here,” Hisashi says without looking at his son.

“...It was a recent thing. I lost my last job.” Izuku answered before turning to look at his father, “So…what happened to yours? You said you were working at some Support Item production company.”

“...” Hisashi remained silent, shame evident on his face as he let out a heavy sigh, “I…there was no job. Ever since we got to Japan, even before we arrived, I couldn’t even get an interview with any company within the Support Industry.”

“What?” Izuku looks surprised at that, “But why? I mean, sure the last company you worked at collapsed, but that can’t be the reason! You’re good at your job, you were the Director of Project Development, weren’t you?”

Hisashi smiles bitterly, “Yeah. And because of that I got caught up with the embezzlement scandal, most of the higher-ups did. Officially the CEO got blamed, but with how much money went missing that quickly most of the industry suspect it was more than just him. The company’s reputation was tarnished, and so did everyone like me. No one hiring a wash-out like me who could’ve been responsible for stealing billions of dollars.”

Izuku remained silent as Hisashi continued, venting the frustration he had been keeping ever since he lost his job, “It wouldn’t be a problem usually, the others I heard got cushy jobs in other companies. But no connections? No friends in the industry? Well… you can see how it’s going.”

He waves at himself with a bitter smirk before looking downcast, “...I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. Or your mother. I just… I didn’t want you to worry more than you had to. I wasn’t lying when I said this was temporary, I’ll find a real job soon enough. Just don’t worry about it, please… I know I’m asking for a lot, but please.”

He pleads to his son who stays silent in thought. It looked like Izuku was not the only one in the family to keep secrets. He had no room to judge his father for keeping this from them.

“...Of course.” Izuku nods after a moment, “I trust you, Dad. I’m sure you can get through this, I just wish I could help more.”

Hisashi’s eyes widened before looking at his son with relief, his hand reaching out to ruffle his hair before hesitating from the awkwardness and putting it back down, “I… Thank you. I’ll take care of us, don’t worry. But I need you to take care of your mom when I’m not here. Don’t worry about me, okay? Just keep studying hard, make as many friends as you can and keep them. Don’t end up like me, okay?”

Izuku only nods his head, as he feels the bond between the two of them deepen from their shared secret and understanding of his father.

*Aldera Middle School || 2XXX June 8th/Wednesday || After School*

“Alright everyone, class dismissed everyone.” the teacher announces as the bell rings, the students cheering as they rush to head home after a boring day of classes. 

Izuku was no different, packing up and ready to head to the Mirror World for another day of training. Their deadline was approaching fast and he’d need to squeeze in as much training as possible.

He notices Katsuki packing up as well. Despite the number of times they trained together, Izuku realises not once has there been any conversation outside of Mirror World-related issues like training schedules, patrol routes, and operations.

Their bond wasn’t exactly growing through that. Deciding to take the risk, he walks up to Katsuki.

“Uh, hi there Kacchan.” he greets awkwardly, “So, I guess it's another day of training, right? You want to get something to eat before our trip?”

Katsuki turns and glares at Izuku, “Fuck off, I’m busy.”

“You’re skipping a training session?” Izuku asks with surprise evident in his tone, “You never do that.”

“Something came up, Deku.” he growled as he slung his bag across his shoulder before speaking in a harsh whisper, “I’ll be there for evening patrols, so get off my back.”

“...If it’s important, do you need me to come help you-?” Izuku asks before Katsuki snaps.

“Shut up! I don’t need your damn help for anything, Deku!” he roars, “I’m not letting you take credit for this!”

“Credit?” Izuku blinks as Katsuki realises he said too much.

“...I got some shit to check out on.” Katsuki says through gritted teeth after realising there was no point hiding it now, “The maps said that the ‘fortress’ was right where that Hero Agency was, right?”

“You don’t think it’s a coincidence?” Izuku assumes.

“Who fucking knows?” Katsuki starts walking out of the class, “Just a thought that’s been nagging me since our last fuck up. At the very least, checking it out can give me an idea of what to expect. I’ll handle this so you can go fuck off.”

However, Izuku jogs to catch up and walks beside him, “I can’t do that. If this can help us out then I’m coming along too. Two sets of eyes are better than one after all.

“Tsk, do whatever you want. Just don’t get in my way, Deku.” Katsuki reluctantly obliges.

*Later*

“So what kind of connection do you think there is?” Izuku asks as both he and KAtsuki walk through the streets towards their location.

“Don’t gotta clue.” Katsuki grunts, “While I was looking shit up, I saw the jurisdiction of Dive Bomb’s Agency, I realise it kinda matches the Shadow’s territory. Can’t be a coincidence.”

Izuku’s eyes widen in surprise as Katsuki gives a cocky smirk,

“What, don’t tell me I was the only one who figured it out?” he scoffs, “Aren’t you supposed to be smart, Deku?”

“...I was focusing more on the Mirror World.” Izuku admits, “I didn’t think of checking the real world, but it makes sense. The Mirror World reflects reality but what does this mean?”

“Beats me.” Katsuki shrugs before looking around at the streets full of people with a glare, “The crime rate is supposed to be low here, isn’t it?”

Izuku follows his eyes and then he understood Katsuki’s question. There weren’t many but quite a few windows were boarded up. A lot of the people seemed to be walking about with a weight over their shoulders, and then there were a few lying on the sidewalk and ignored by the passersby.

Izuku approaches one to ask if they were alright, but gets no response. He then saw a discarded injector next to the person as they lay unconscious, new and old needle marks visible on their exposed arms.

“Is that Trigger?” Izuku looks surprised as Katsuki’s teeth clench,

“So people are just taking that shit in public, not afraid cops or Heroes would arrest them?” Katsuki glances around suspiciously, “I get the feeling they aren’t honest with the crime rates in this part of the city.”

“Maybe some cops are fudging the numbers…” Izuku guesses before turning towards the Hero Agency building in the distance with Kaina’s words ringing through his head.

“…Those in charge keep lying to keep their broken machine running just how they like it…”

 He could feel his world start to shake as he remembered the words,

“Or maybe…” Izuku hesitates, not able to bring himself to say the words that go against everything he believes.

“Maybe there’s a reason that third-rate Agency is the centre.” Katsuki finishes his thought as he comes to the same conclusion, “Let’s go then.”

“Huh? To the Agency?” Izuku looks unsure, “Will we even be allowed in?”

“Hell no. But the people here should know a thing or two.” Katsuki gestures to the crowds, “I’ll start talking, and you get to work since you’re here as well. We’ll meet up back here after an hour.”

“W-wait, hang on a moment!” Izuku yells out but Katsuki ignores him and leaves, “Great…”

***

It was every bit as hard as Izuku expected, actually even more so. For one he had no idea how on earth he was supposed to start talking about, never mind what the end goal of this little expedition was. 

In the end, he settled with asking them about the local Pro Hero. Immediately he would be greeted with strange looks but often he was ignored, thankfully some tolerated him enough to converse. The few he talked to were often critical of the Pro Hero, the most positive thing he heard was that the Pro Hero was trying, and failing, to quell the influx of Trigger that had been flooding the streets.

He also learnt that there was quite several Villain gang activity in the area before Dive Bomb set up shop here, and the Pro Hero formerly in charge was forced to retire after an accident that crippled them. Now the amount of organised crime in the area has dropped almost completely.

He might be reading too much into things but a nagging voice in the back of his mind told him it didn’t feel like an accident. And there was something more to this area of the city, it didn’t seem to match the description of a place with a low crime rate, with a hard-working Pro Hero watching over them.

 An hour has passed by now, deciding he had enough information and should head back to Katsuki and share their findings. To his surprise, when he arrived, he found Katsuki waiting there chatting with someone a few years older than them.

He couldn’t make out their conversation, and Katsuki looked pissed off as always but the man he was talking to didn’t seem angry or anything. As he neared his presence was noticed and Katsuki raised his voice, grabbing Izuku by his uniform and pulling him closer,

“Here’s the guy I was talking about.” Katsuki grits out before turning to Izuku with a very, very forced smile, “So Deku, old pal, you mentioned you needed another job right? Something that pays well?”

Izuku looks between Katsuki and the smiling man before back at the explosive blonde again. He wasn’t sure what was going on but for the sake of his health and safety, Izuku nodded confusedly.

“That’s great. We’re always looking for new workers.” the man says before handing Katsuki a slip of paper while addressing Izuku, “I already filled your friend in on the details, just do as he says and the two of you should get your pay. Looking forward to working with you.”

As the strange man left, Izuku turned to Katsuki confused,

“Kacchan, what was that?” Izuku asks as Katsuki grins victoriously,

“What do you think? Some shady shit.” he wags the slip of paper, “Guy was looking for workers for some ‘part-time jobs’, supposed to be some delivery thing. This is an address to a pickup point.”

He starts cackling, “Guess I made more progress than you did, didn’t I?”

“W-well, I got some info.” Izuku protested as they walked towards the location, “From what I hear there’s supposed to be practically no organised crime in this part of the city since Dive Bomb showed up.”

“Bullshit.” Katsuki scoffs, “This thing reeks of some gang, and they weren’t being subtle about recruiting. If that was real they’d be helluva more quiet about it, the Hero Agency’s literally a few blocks away.”

“...I also heard the original Pro who patrolled this area retired. Some kind of accident that left him in a wheelchair.” Izuku explains quietly as even Katsuki’s eyes widen at the news.

“Tsk, accident my ass.” he mutters under his breath as the two of them reached the place they were supposed to pick up a package from, entering a back alley where a cardboard box was, “There it is. So we gotta bring this to some locker in the station without looking in it. Our money’s there too.”

“So what’s the plan here?” Izuku asks unsure, “Cause I know we’re not actually doing this, right?”

“No, we’re just here to make sure.” Katsuki says before suddenly stomping on the box hard, breaking it open and kicking it over to reveal dozens and dozens of red vials, “And what do you know, I was right. This is an operation with brains behind it, not some run-of-the-mill gang.”

“That’s…how much Trigger is that?” Izuku wonders before a voice interrupts them from behind.

“About a couple hundred thousand yen worth.” The same man that approached them earlier, now backed up by two others, blocks their way out as he strolls forward, “If they were real that is. We always use fakes when testing out new recruits, to see if they really got what it takes to join. And something tells me none of you even want to join…”

“I guess that confirms it.” Katsuki grins, “I was right, that third-rate Pro’s up to no good. How much are you assholes paying him to ship all this shit across the city?”

The man’s smile twitches as he hears this, “...I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Izuku raises a brow at the man’s body language and eyes. Normally he wouldn’t pick this up but he internally wore a Persona of the Devil Arcana over his heart upon realising they were cornered. 

Greedy. Opportunistic. Cruel. Those were the signs he got from them, but there was also a hint of subtle fear in their body language at the mention of Dive Bomb. But why would they react like that if he was under their payroll… 

“Unless it’s the other way around…” Izuku mutters out loud in realisation as Katsuki looks at him confused, “They’re under his payroll.”

“No shit?” Katsuki looks amused at that, “A Pro Hero playing gang leader? What a bad joke.”

“Heh, we don’t know what you’re talking about.” the man lies as his lips twitch again, “But you all look like smart kids. I’m feeling kind today, so I might offer you another chance. How about you come with us and chat?”

“...I think by chat you mean ‘blackmail us into working for you’ or something?” Izuku asks, guessing this even without his additional understanding granted by the Devil Arcana.

“...I was thinking more of turning you into Trigger addicts instead of blackmail, but you’re right on track.” the smiling gangster says, giving up all pretence as he pulls out a vial of Trigger, “Boys, hold them down.”

The two behind him instantly leap at them, Katsuki reacting almost immediately and charging headfirst like always.

Izuku flinches as the other comes straight at Izuku, towering over him. This was the first time since arriving in Japan that he was getting into a fight with someone outside of sparring matches, but he did his best to stay calm as he remembered his training.

The thug lunges right at Izuku hoping to use his superior reach to grab him. But instead of dodging Izuku dashes forward and slides under his arms before springing back up with a fist aimed right at his guts.

He executes the punch as Mirio taught him, pulling it off perfectly with all the force he can muster. Even though he was larger, the man gets the air knocked out of his lungs as he stumbles over from the blow to his solar plexus.

Taking the opportunity while he was stunned, Izuku executes a move taught to him by Kaina and pins the man on the ground with an armbar with his legs wrapped around his neck. Normally this was where he would stop, but in his heart, he gets the dark thought he needs to make sure that this man doesn’t get up.

He banishes the thought the moment it enters, settling for breaking the man’s arm instead. The sight was a bit nauseating to look at, making a sound similar to that of tearing out a wing from a cooked chicken as broken bones pierced out of the flesh while the arm was bent at an unnatural angle.

The thug screams as Izuku gets up, pleading for the man to stay down while turning to Katsuki to see if he needs help. He wasn’t surprised to see he was on top of the thug and smashing his fists repeatedly onto his face while letting out a stream of cusses.

Seeing the tide turn, the gangster’s smile fell and started running. But then Izuku rushes up and tackles him before he can get far. The gangster struggles to push him off before elbowing Izuku in the face, who responds by gripping tighter.

“You son of a bitch-!” he shouts as he pulls out a knife only for Katsuki to stomp hard on the arm holding it, breaking it, “AAAGH!”

“Fucking dumbass.” Katsuki growls as he stomps on his face, breaking his nose and pinning him down, “Deku, you good?”

“Wow, was that concern I heard?” Izuku asked as he got up, rubbing his eye where he was elbowed, “I’m fine. You?”

“Never better.” Katsuki growls. While he did take a few hits, his naturally tough skin made to endure his own explosions allowed him to remain unharmed, “Now what the hell do we do about this guy?”

“Do we…call the cops?” Izuku wonders, “This is self-defence after all.”

“Fuck…you think the cops would arrest us?” the gangster mocks while Katsuki had him pinned down, “Thought you were smart, greenie…”

Izuku grimaces, “If they’re under a Pro Hero’s payroll… We have to assume the cops are too…”

"You don’t know who you’re messing with… When I get the boys I’ll-!”

“You’ll what?” Izuku questions, taking on a tone that sends shivers down the gangster’s spine, “The more I think about this, you’re probably bottom of the barrel, barely trustworthy enough to handle recruiting, am I right?”

The way the man flinched told Izuku it was that. He crouches down next to him and speaks closer. He could feel the understanding of them growing as the Devil Arcana pulsed within, the impulsive, the selfish, the violent…

“So go ahead and tell them you got your ass whooped by two kids who didn’t even use their Quirks. One who was even Quirkless.” Izuku continues, “What do you think they’ll do to you, then?”

“...Shit.” the gangster realises as Katsuki takes his foot off his face.

“Tsk, we’re done here Deku.” Katsuki storms off with Izuku not far behind, “Let’s go, I’m starving.”

Izuku walks off and follows Katsuki, as the gangster gets back up.

“Y-yeah, you better run…” he grumbles under his breath before the two glare back at him and he panics, “N-nothing!”

Once they left the two thugs regained their bearings.

“Ugh…who the hell were they?” one of them asks, rubbing his broken face while the other moaned in agony over their broken arm.

“Nobodies!” he shouted at them. The one with green hair was right, if those above him heard he got beaten up by two kids without using Quirks, especially for a simple recruitment job, it would be his head on the platter, “We got into a little accident okay?! Nothing else! Got it?!”

**Ramen Store || 2XXX June 8th/Wednesday || Evening **

“Happy?” Izuku grumbled annoyed as the two dug into their own bowls of ramen.

“Satisfied.” Katsuki answers, “...How’s the eye?”

“Think it’ll bruise.” Izuku winces as he presses an ice-cold bottle of water against it, “What were we even doing investigating this?”

“Answers.” Katsuki says before turning to Izuku with a serious look, “Come on, don’t tell me you haven’t thought of it. Of what the hell is up with that freaky Mirror World.”

Izuku gets silent before Katsuki scoffs.

“Of course you didn’t. Probably too happy getting your Persona thing to question why.” Katsuki scoffs and Izuku glare at him.

“Some of us don’t have the luxury of being born with powers.” he grumbles, “Sorry I was too happy for once in my life.”

“Tsk.” Katsuki clicks his tongue, “Whatever. But aren’t you curious at all? What do you think all this means?”

Izuku pauses in thought, gathering all the information they’ve discovered today,

“...We know the Mirror World reflects reality and maybe even people’s psyche.” Izuku guesses, “Those husks… They were drained of all emotions, all the drive that makes them want to live, and they’re used to creating more Shadows. Because of that, we assume that Shadows are manifestations of negative thoughts or something like that.”

"And the fortresses…” Katsuki grumbles, “There’s gotta be a reason why it’s built around that part of the city. And why that bastard’s Agency is our target in the Mirror World.”

“...Dive Bomb, he could have a Shadow. And that Shadow’s probably our target.” Izuku grits his teeth in realisation, “I still can’t believe it. Not only is he corrupted, he’s one of the causes of the disappearances. Warlords pull in lesser Shadows like a magnet, and the more they are the more kidnappings in an area…”

“How do you think it happened?” Katsuki mutters, “We know the bastard is linked to how Shadows act. But how?”

“...Think…” Izuku mumbles, “If the Mirror World reflects human thoughts and perspective as we theorised, then maybe it was because his thoughts were so warped it formed a Shadow that ruled over the others? Or maybe the people in his jurisdiction fear him so much their collective thoughts made a Shadow of him in the Mirror World?”

“So we’re no closer to getting an answer then?” Katsuki growls, “One step forward, two steps back.”

“But it’s still one step forward to understanding.” Izuku says before realising something, “You know, I think we just had our first conversation without your cursing or shouting at me.”

Katsuki looks surprised at this as well before growling, “Shut up. I can kick your ass right now if that’s what you want.”

“Speaking of kicking ass, why didn’t you use your Quirk?” Izuku asks, “You always used it for the smallest things, even in class. Why not just now against those guys?”

Katsuki growls, “Why do you think? A few months after I got back from the Mirror World, the teachers’ have been up my ass more than usual. Giving me detention if I use my Quirk in class. I use it in public and I could get a black mark. I don’t need that on my transcripts for U.A.”

He slams a hand down in frustration, “God damn it, just thinking of it pisses me off. What the hell happened? They used to kiss my ass every day to get on my good side, everyone in school did! After I came back it’s like they all changed their minds or some shit!”

“...Change their minds?” Izuku mutters in thought before remembering what Kaina said. About how after Katsuki’s Shadow was defeated the Nest collapsed on itself and the building returned to relative normality without Shadow activity.

Then the day after that everyone at school felt like they changed…

He voices his thoughts to Katsuko who listens with rapt attention.

“So if destroying a Shadow in charge changed the whole school…” Katsuki's eyes widened,

“Taking down a Warlord like this… It might change its entire territory.” Izuku realises, “I don’t know how, but people are definitely going to change because of this.”

He starts worrying. It was true it might change the minds of how criminals acted but what about the normal civilians? What would happen to them? What would happen if they don’t?

“...Fucking hell.” Katsuki mutters as he finishes his ramen, the weight of their discovery starting to get to him, “Just what the hell are we getting into?”

“I don’t know.” Izuku sighs, “But one thing’s clear. Whether we like it or not, taking out that Warlord is still a priority. If we don't, more people will get kidnapped, and more will get turned into husks the longer we take. And if taking him down means that those villains would change, all the better.”

“Whatever, you’re the Boss.” Katsuki mutters and for a moment, Izuku thought he didn’t hear a trace of sarcasm in his tone, “I’m just here to get real training in. Whose ass we’re kicking doesn’t matter. Just make sure they’re worth my time, Deku.”

“I’ll make sure of that, Kacchan,” Izuku smirks as he finishes his own bill, feeling the bond between the two of them. Despite the pain, he was actually satisfied with the overall productive day.

At least until the bill came along…

“...Thanks for covering this, Kacchan!” Izuku quickly hands it over and stands up, “I really appreciate this!”

“Hang on a fucking minute!” Katsuki roars, standing up and slamming the bill down, “Who said I was paying for this shit?”

Izuku however was already halfway out of the store, “I’ll be sure to pay you back. You’re a good friend!”

“Friend my ass! Come back here and pay your half, shitty Deku!” Katsuki shouts back, helpless as he couldn’t leave without paying the bill, “DAMN YOU!”

Chapter Text

**Trionak District || 2XXX June 8th/Wednesday || Evening *

“You want to visit what?” Izuku asks once more as he stands outside the Velvet Room with Agatha, in an alley hidden away from public view, 

“A place used to train great warriors.” Agatha repeats herself with a smile on her face, “I determine that shall be my first step in attempting to understand the mind of my sister. She has always placed great admiration in the origins of Personas during our studies, the life they led and the hardships they went through to gain strength and skill, the more exciting the better.”

“Great warriors, huh?” Izuku mutters as he scratches the back of his head, “Those words make me think ‘Heroes’, I’d say a school with a Hero Course but I doubt we’d be allowed to tour the grounds.”

Izuku racks his head for any ideas before coming to a simple solution, “Oh! That’s it!”

“Hm?” 

“There’s a gym I go to on Sundays.” Izuku explains, “It’s used by a few Hero Course students for training, they even do sparring, would that work?”

“That would be wonderful!” Agatha beams at him, “That would most definitely be a place she’d show interest in. The prospect of watching potential heroic legends and myths… Yes, she would find it fascinating indeed.”

“Great!” Izuku smiled, glad she was happy with that choice, “We only meet up on Sundays though, so we’ll have to wait until then. I’m kinda busy with other stuff as well, I hope you don’t mind.”

“I do not, I’m sure your time is well spent in improving your power over the Wild Card.” she says understanding before reaching into her opened binder, “And speaking of which, I have another ‘assignment’ for you.”

She hands him a slip of paper and he reads it out, finding it to be another Fusion request, “A Clotho with the Me Patra spell, getting tricky now are we?”

He smiles at the challenge while pocketing the slip of paper, as Agatha smiles back.

“I found it that you often have difficulties with attuning to the Fortune Personas at your disposal.” she explains, “I hope this assignment can aid you in understanding yourself better through your Personas.”

“Yeah, I can use those from the Fortune Arcana just fine but not well.” Izuku mutters as he pats his heart, “They’re just not… synching with me, I guess. And for some reason, Orpheus isn’t as well, there’s always this form of resistance I get when calling him. Do you know why?”

Agatha hums in thought once more before walking up to him and placing a hand over his heart, a gesture he was getting used to. Now not even the lack of distance between the two of them bothered him.

“Hmm, I can sense discord from where those of the Fortune dwell in your heart. What could it mean?” she wonders as she presses her head against his chest as if to get a better idea, “I believe it is something you will have to discover yourself on your journey. As for the reason for Orpheus, perhaps he is a Persona of high standards, I heard he was wielded by not one but two Wild Cards in the past.”

“Really?” Izuku looks at her surprised, remembering the words of his Shadow the day he was granted the Persona.

“A Persona of another story…”

Agatha withdraws her head from Izuku’s chest, “Yes, my elder sister would speak highly of the wielders of Orpheus whenever she visits. One was a great hero who sacrificed his life, and the other was not human yet gained the heart of a human. No doubt you came by this Persona from strange means, I remember every Fusion you and I went through. This was not one of them.”

She didn’t seem mad, but for some reason, she was pouting at him. Izuku would have found it cute if he didn’t feel nervous for some reason.

“Well, that’s a long story… I don’t know why, but my Shadow’s still lingering. None of my friends has that problem, except Kacchan but that’s a different story. After my first night at the Mirror World, it gave me this Persona.” Izuku explains as she looks curious at him.

“Hm, so you say your lingering Shadow placed a call to the Sea of Souls on your behalf?” Agatha asks looking fascinated while jotting this down in her binder and muttering rapidly under her breath, “Very fascinating. A lingering Shadow is not unheard of if doubt resides within a heart, even after unlocking a Persona. If he was truly summoned by such, Orpheus must be biding his time before he truly becomes another link in your growing chains. There may be hidden power to be unlocked should he finally choose so. I am sure Lavenza made mentions of this before regarding her Trickster… What did she call it? Picario?”

She went on for a while before realising Izuku was staring at her, immediately stopping and clearing her throat with a cough, a slight red tint on her cheeks.

“Forgive me, that was unprofessional.” she apologises, “You must think that odd.”

“N-no!” Izuku quickly assures, “It’s not weird, I do it all the time! It’s just, that I’ve never really seen it from the other side before. I guess that’s what everyone sees when I start muttering about anything.”

He laughs a bit, but not at her. Still, the red on her face grew a bit before she clears her throat,

“N-nevertheless, I’m sure you did not come by simply for idle chatter and hearing my requests.” she says after regaining her composure, opening the door with a snap of her fingers and offering the hook of her arm, “Shall we?”

**Sanada Gym || 2XXX June 12th/Sunday || Morning**

“So this is where you train to improve your body and combat skills?” Agatha asks as the two approach the gym arms locked together, “There is an aura around it. One that speaks of a storied past.”

“I guess it is pretty old.” Izuku nods in agreement, “Mirio-senpai said it was built before Quirks were even a thing. Amazingly, it’s still standing.”

 “Very.” she says before turning to Izuku, “Now, shall we enter?”

Izuku nods and detaches, opening the door for her to enter first. Stepping in she looks around at the empty gym and its machines,

“Ooh, so do these metallic monstrosities come to life?” she asks, glancing at one of the machines, “And you crush them with your own two hands, strengthening yourself in the process?”

Izuku laughs, “No, that would be good practice if that did happen, but no. We just use the machines, lift some weights and build our muscles.”

“Truly?” Agatha looks at a bench press set intrigued, “Can I get a demonstration?”

“Er, sure.” Izuku obliges, feeling a tad bit pressured to do so in front of Agatha. She always made it known how highly she thought of his abilities, he can only hope this doesn’t disappoint her.

He racks plates until it totals fifty kilograms, getting on the bench before beginning his set. The bar was lifted up and down as he grunted in exertion, Agatha clapping to cheer him on.

“Go on! You can do it!” she encourages as Izuku finishes the set of fifteen reps, grunting as he is about to hang the bar on his last rep but then a face pops down from the ceiling surprising him,

“Midoriya! Glad to see you, I was wondering what that noise-!” Mirio greets, eyes widening as a surprised Izuku accidentally lets slip of the heavy bar and is about to dive in and catch it or push Izuku away. But then Agatha reaches out and grabs it by one of its ends.

“Apologies, but I doubt that would have been pleasant if it landed.” Agatha says politely before lifting the bar to test its weight, “My, this was lighter than I thought.”

“Er…Wow.” Izuku looked amazed at how easily she was lifting it with one arm, and not even properly holding it as she placed it back safely, “Thanks, that would’ve crushed my neck or something.”

“I aim to please.” she smiles at him as Mirio clears his throat from above,

“Er, sorry about that Midoriya. Didn’t mean to disturb you. And I see you brought a friend.” he phases a hand through the ceiling (or floor from his point of view) and waves at Agatha, who waves back.

“Hello.”

A few moments later they were upstairs with the rest of the Big Three, Mirio still apologising for startling Izuku.

“-really, really sorry!” he says while bowing deeply as Izuku frantically assures him it is fine.

“It’s fine! Accidents happen!” Izuku assured once more, and once things calmed down between the two eyes were turned towards his companion. Clearing his throat, Izuku gestures to her and introduces,

“I…hope you don’t mind me bringing a friend. Everyone, this is Agatha, she’s a friend of mine. Agatha, this is Mirio Togata, Hadou Nejire and Tamaki Amajiki. They’re U.A students, and they offered to let me train with them.”

“It’s nice to meet you all.” Agatha bows in greeting towards them as they return the gesture, “Apologies for the bother.”

“Hey, no problem! Any friend of Midoriya’s is a friend of ours!” Mirio declared.

“S-same…” Tamaki looks as nervous as ever in front of a new face, avoiding her eyes by looking downwards.

“Ooh, you’re wearing a lot of blue. Is it your favourite colour?” Hadou asks, “What’s the binder for?”

“It is for carrying items of great importance. And yes, I find velvet blue to be a simply beautiful colour. Don’t you think so?” Agatha asks before the two girls start a rapid exchange of questions and answers.

“Wow, there’s two of them now.” Mirio jokes before pulling Izuku aside, “But dang, I didn’t know you had a girlfriend, Midoriya. Hey Tamaki, you could learn a thing or two from our kohai here.”

“Don’t remind me…” Tamaki looks depressed as if he is remembering an embarrassing memory, “I wanted to die…”

Mirio laughs at his friend’s display as Izuku almost choked on the air, “What?! N-no, it’s nothing like that. She just wanted to… She wanted to watch how I train. So I invited her here, that’s all!”

Mirio however just nods and smiles, “Alright, alright, I getcha… Say, you want me to take a dive so you can impress your lady friend?”

“Shut up!” Izuku flushes red before stuttering, “I- I’m just here to train like normal, alright?”

“Hehe, just having some fun, relax.” Mirio pats his back before looking at Tanaki, “Hey, Tamaki? Why don’t you take this one?”

“Alright…” he agreed reluctantly as he sulked towards the ring and Izuku looked at Mirio confused,

“You’ve already got power and technique down, so how about we test your reaction?” Mirio suggested, “Tamaki’s got the widest arsenal out of all of us so it’ll push you to react to different types of attacks. And it’ll be useful to help him switch out abilities on the fly. Don’t worry I’ll tell him to start with a little warm-up before he gets serious.”

“Right.” Izuku nods. He saw Tamaki’s Quirk in action before, using the abilities of anything he’s eaten that turns him into a superhuman Swiss army knife capable of all types of roles. As a matter of fact, it was quite similar to his Wild Card, wasn’t it?

He climbs into the ring with Tamaki on the other end, slipping on a pair of boxing gloves as he does so.

“I’ll be in your care, Amajiki-senpai,” Izuku says as he gets into a stance.

The Hero student raises a nervous hand, fingers morphing into the tentacles of an octopus, “I hope you go easy on me…”

***

“The card in the past is the Moon in a reversed position.” Agatha hums to herself in thought, “The Moon in that position may signify unhappiness, but also a mystery unveiled. I take it you were once someone that held their cards close to their chest?”

“Wow, you got that right.” Hadou looks at Agatha amazed, “I didn’t really have friends in my old school, they thought I was weird for asking too many questions so I stopped bothering everyone but it made me sad being alone. When I got to U.A. I thought it would be the same, but Tamaki came up to me. He and Mirio were the first not to be bothered by how I really was. I’m better now than I’ve ever been.”

“I am glad to hear that. It is always good to hear how one can grow with the bonds they made.” Agatha smiles before moving to the next card, “In the present, there is the Empress, symbolising beauty and creativity. It can represent the creation of something, art perhaps?”

“Yeah, you can say that.” Hadou nods again, “Yuyu and I have been making early plans for the Cultural Festival in a few months. There’s a beauty pageant every year, and she thinks it would be cool if I participated. Do you think I’ll win?”

“Perhaps, let us see what fate the cards hold for you.” Agatha says as she flips the last card facing up, “The Star… It is a card that represents hope, but not a certain win. It is a sign of good luck that encourages one to take risks to achieve their goals.”

“Really? I should tell Yuyu about that then, we’ll have to take bigger risks.” Hadou excitedly whips out her phone and starts texting her friend as Mirio approaches, sitting next to her on the bench.

“Hey, glad to see you two getting along.” Mirio says as he notices the cards, “Playing some card games?”

“She’s reading my future!” Hadou says excitedly, “I think if I take a big risk for the beauty pageant I might win this year!”

“Really? That’s awesome to hear.” Mirio cheers before glancing at Agatha, “So is that some kind of Quirk that lets you see the future? I know a Hero with that kind of power too.”

“It’s nothing as simple as that.” Agatha chuckles as she collects the cards used for Hadou’s reading, shuffling them into a deck of cards on top of her open binder before closing it shut, “The Major Arcanas are the means by which all are revealed. I simply divine and decipher the meaning of the fate entrusted by the cards.”

“Oh, those kinda stuff. Like horoscopes and all.” Mirio says before he notices the two in the arena about to begin, “Looks like they’re getting started…”

Immediately tentacles lash out from Tamaki’s fingers, jabbing at Izuku from different angles as he fights to counter and defend against the onslaught of blows. To his credit, he lasted for more than a minute before he tires and a tentacle strikes him, knocking him back into the ropes of the ring.

“Are you alright?” Tamaki asks worried he struck too hard but Izuku shrugs it off,

“Never better. The first round’s yours.” He pants while catching his breath and resuming his stance, “Ready when you are…”

Tamaki nods before resuming his barrage of strikes from a distance. However this time instead of defending Izuku rushes through, predicting paths that the tentacles will take and blocking or parrying tentacles away when appropriate.

The closer he gets the less effective the tentacle strikes are as they require winding up to build momentum before lashing, allowing Izuku to get close enough to throw a punch. But then the other arm of Tamaki was raised, morphing a crab’s claw around it and shielding him with its carapace.

But Izuku doesn’t stop there, grabbing the claw and using it as leverage to swing upwards to deliver a knee to his face. Tamaki falls backwards stunned but before Izuku can celebrate, Tamaki’s leg morphs to that of a chicken, using the talons to grab and drag Izuku down alongside him.

The two of them fell down in the ring, Izuku struggling to wrest himself free from Tamaki’s grip before reluctantly submitting and tapping out.

“He’s getting faster.” Mirio smiles proudly as he watches the sparring match, “Last time we fought it took a few rounds before Midoriya adapted to my attack pattern, now he’s doing so more quickly. Whatever training he's doing is definitely working out.”

“Yes, he is a hard worker.” Agatha smiles proudly, “Every day he pushes himself to his limits for the sake of self-improvement.”

They watch as Izuku and Tamaki untangle themselves, checking on each other to make sure they’re all right before getting back to their side of the ring, ready for another round.

“His biggest strength is his determination. No matter how hard he gets hit, he gets back up.” Mirio smiles as the two begin another round earnestly, “I thought it was some durability or recovery Quirk at first, but turns out it’s just sheer will to push past the pain and exhaustion. He’s got the makings of a fine Pro in him.” 

Agatha nods in agreement, remembering his every visit to the Velvet Room, always eager to take on her ‘assignments’ to master Fusion, most of the time coming in fresh from a battle covered in wounds but the burning determination in his eyes never quavering. 

“Yes, I suppose that is the type of person he is.” Agatha smiles, “Strong and determined, pushing himself beyond limits to catch up with his insatiable desire to change and grow. He will use every opportunity to grow strong and achieve his dreams.” 

“You sound like you admire him.” Mirio notices and she doesn’t refute that.

“He is a great man, despite his insistence. He thinks otherwise, but if only he could see himself as I see him…” Agatha sighed as she watched Izuku get up after being slammed into the ground once more, raising his arms as another round began with the fire in his eyes never quenching, “He is my Wild Card, and I am honoured to stand by his side, observing his progress.”

“Ooh, is that a nickname you have for him?” Hadou asks, “It sounds like you two are closer than friends.”

Agatha’s cool and passive face suddenly lit up with a surprised look on her face as she understood the implications, her cheeks taking on a slight blush.

“I- I am merely aiding and helping to guide him on his path.” She coughs into her hands while banishing scandalous thoughts from her head, turning towards the two once she regained her composure, “Truth be told, I came here for another reason besides observing his growth. I wanted to get the opinions of people such as you.”

“For what?” Mirio asked.

“I simply wanted the perspective on a… topic.” Agatha says hesitantly, “But first I must ask. Why do you train? And why do you train together?”

“Hm, well because we’re Hero students.” Mirio answers as if it were obvious, “We need to train so we can save people without Quirks. As for why we train together, we've known each other since we first enrolled at U.A. It makes sense to train together, doesn’t it? We’re friends, and there's only so much you can do training alone.”

“Precisely.” Agatha nods, sounding almost frustrated, “There is no need to be by yourself when you can be with companions that can help you in achieving your goals. Why would one want to struggle by themselves?”

She blinked before realising how passionately she was expressing herself, seeing the two Hero students looking at her surprised that her calm demeanour had cracked a bit, letting out what sounded like worry.

Agatha clears her throat, “Forgive my outburst. May I ask another question?”

“Sure, go ahead.” Mirio nods as Agatha thinks carefully before asking,

“Imagine this hypothetical situation.” She starts slowly, “There are two individuals close with each other, both of them have dreams and aspirations of a position that requires skill and power, yet one of them was… created without the power required. One day they leave without a word. Assuming that this person wishes to gain power by themselves, what would drive someone to do so when working with the other individual can just as easily achieve that?”

Mirio looks at her silently, glancing towards Izuku in the ring and wondering if that was who she meant by ‘created without the power required’. Hadou was having similar thoughts, wondering if something happened between the two of them.

“Well…maybe they had other reasons for leaving?” Mirio suggests with a shrug before considering her ‘hypothetical’ scenario, “I guess maybe this ‘hypothetical’ person didn’t want to be seen as weak? Pride can make people do a lot of things.”

“...But I never saw them as weak…” Agatha mutters softly to herself before sliding out of it, “Forgive me, thank you for answering my questions. I’m sure they must have sounded ridiculous to you.”

“Maybe you should try asking them?” Hadou suggests, “I mean, hypothetically. Isn’t that the easiest way to get answers?”

“...Yes. In the realm of the hypothetical.” Agatha mutters under her breath before a slam is heard from the ring.

“Oh my god, are you alright?” asks a panting Izuku as Tamaki lies down with his face flat on the ground, raising a thumbs up.

Izuku helps him up as Tamaki rubs his cheek, “You blindsided me with that…”

“Aw man, I was looking away when that happened,” Mirio says disappointed before Hadou explains,

“Yeah, you should have seen it! He was dodging crazy good before WHAM, goes for the legs then BAM!” Hadou says excitedly with almost child-like glee.

“As expected of my Wild Card.” Agatha claps her hands in congratulations.

“I just got lucky, he won most of the rounds anyway.” Izuku insists, looking embarrassed at the praise.

“Don’t look down on yourself…” Tamaki mutters, too embarrassed to meet Izuku’s eyes as he gives praise, “If you do it’ll make us both look bad… Just take the wins that come your way…” 

“You did awesome as well, Amajiki-senpai.” Izuku assured with a bright smile, “The way you keep swapping animal forms mid-fight was amazing! Do you think you can give advice on using multiple powers?”

“Why would you want to know?” Tamaki asks, confused. Glancing back at Izuku over his shoulder, “You don’t have a Quirk.”

Izuku sputters as he quickly pulls out a notebook, “W-well I just like taking notes of Quirks and all! Just want to get into the mind of someone who has something similar to multiple powers, that’s all! W-why else would someone like me ask that? Ha!”

He clears his throat and regains his composure before continuing, “Besides, getting to know that might help me improve my tactical thinking. Keeping track of different factors in a fight is important. Doing that with all the powers you potentially have must be difficult. That’s pretty amazing.”

“That’s what we keep telling him. Between the three of us, he’s got the biggest potential doesn’t he?” Mirio asks with a bright smile.

“...It’s like staring into two suns…” Tamaki mutters as he looks away from the near-blinding sight.

**Sanada Gym || 2XXX June 12th/Sunday || Evening**

“It was nice to meet you, Agatha! I hope we see each other again.” Hadou says as she enthusiastically shakes Agatha’s hand with both of hers, “I’d like you to read my fortune again, someday!”

“Perhaps, if fate deems it so.” Agatha smiles back at her enthusiasm, “I hope that all goes well.”

The Big Three say their goodbyes as they head off in the direction of their station while both Agatha and Izuku stay behind.

“They are a friendly bunch. I can see why you formed a bond with them, awakening the Arcana of the Star.” Agatha looks to him, “They radiate such hope and joy, even the one who struggles both internally and externally.”

“Yeah, Amajiki-senpai is pretty nervous, but he’s a cool guy.” Izuku nods, “So, did you find what you were looking for?”

Agatha’s smile falls a bit as she looks deep in thought, “...Have you ever wanted to be alone?”

“Huh?” Izuku looked taken aback by the question, “What do you mean?”

“The one named Mirio suggested that my sister may have left to seek strength by herself.” Agatha explains with a sigh, “But I cannot understand why. If that were true, why did she not go to me? We were always there for each other… Why would she want to do this alone?”

She looked sad as she spoke, and Izuku’s heart ached at the sight. 

“I don’t know, honestly. But about being alone… Sometimes when I have a bad day, I want to be alone. My parents, well most times it was my mom, would try to see me but I shut them out.” Izuku tries his best to answer, “It wasn’t because I hate them, it’s just… sometimes you want to gather your thoughts by yourself. You want space to breathe and process.”

“...” Agatha remains silent as she ponders on his answer.

“Sorry, I don’t think that helps.” Izuku apologises.

“It is alright.” Agatha assures as she looks up at the evening sky, “I leave with more questions than answers, yet I am glad I came with you today. Perhaps the path to my sister lay in finding the right questions to ask, only then can I find my answer.”

“I’m glad you came with me too.” Izuku smiles as he feels the bond between them deepen, and so does Agatha.

“...You aspire to be a Hero like them do you not?” Agatha asks and Izuku nods, “They all have their abilities, ‘Quirks’ they call it. Yet you do not.”

“I know it’s going to be dangerous, especially if I don’t have powers.” Izuku sighs, “But I’ve been dreaming of being one since I was a kid. Power or not, I want to save people.”

“Then perhaps I can aid you in that,” Agatha says before leaning forward and surprising him with a tap on his forehead, drawing out a blue-white wisp of smoke from his head.

“Huh?” Izuku looks confused before feeling lightheaded.

“As Attendant, it is my duty to aid you, be it in the Mirror World or waking world.” Agatha says as she twirls the smoke in her hands before they form a circle and in a flash of blue light they change into a small chain, "For you, my dear guest. Thank you for playing along with my request.”

She leans in close, wrapping it around his neck and linking it like a necklace. Izuku flushes in nervousness at how close her face is, realising the fact he was just given jewellery by a pretty girl. Wasn’t this supposed to be the other way around?

“You will come to understand my gift in time.” she says while making sure it’s fastened, “Now, if I recall you have an appointment with your compatriots in a certain realm.”

Izuku’s eyes widen as he realises the time, “Oh no, you’re right! I have to get to the station or I’ll be late for patrol!”

Izuku reaches out to pull her by the arm, but he misjudges and accidentally reaches for her hand instead. His eyes widen at his mistake the same time Agatha does.

“Oh my.” Agatha uses her other hand to cover her mouth, surprised at his boldness, “How scandalous.”

“L-let’s just hurry back.” Izuku’s face almost explodes from the blood rush as the two hurriedly jog, wanting to get her back to the Velvet Room first, all the while unknown to the fact they were being watched.

“Please… Stop licking my hand.” Tamaki pleads as he covers the blue-haired girl’s mouth, “I’ll let go if you stop screeching.”

He lets go after a second as Hadou quietly squeals, “But it was so cute! What do you think they were saying? Midoriya’s face looked so red!”

“Let’s just leave them some privacy.” Mirio chuckles, “Can’t believe we saw that because I left my towel in the gym.”

Chapter Text

**Internet Cafe || 2XXX June 17th/Friday || Afternoon**

‘VICTORY’

Izuku leaned back with a sigh of relief once the EXP and Rank Points totalled up, DecayLord whooping and clapping as his claps were heard over the microphone.

“Hah! Fucking dumbasses, can you imagine the looks on their faces after that?!” he cheers over the game’s online chat function, “They were cocky as hell at the beginning, turns out they’re no better than noobs.”

“Their coordination was pretty messy.” Izuku can’t help but join in with his laughter as well, “Did you see how they spammed the chat after we took all three of their capture points at the same time?”

“Who would’ve thought you were such a troll?” DecayLord cackles, “I saw the way you were playing with your food there. Letting them almost take their points back before pulling them away, crushing their hope.”

“Heh, their reactions were kinda fun.” Izuku snickers, remembering how pissed off the enemy players were. The private death threats were almost amusing to read.

“So we're gonna cue up another game?” DecayLord asked, “I need a couple more levels before I can get that sweet new skin.”

  “Sorry, DecayLord. I’m always busy when it gets dark.” Izuku apologises, “I got time for one more game but that’s it.”

DecayLord scoffs, “What, are you busy with school or something? Voice like yours I imagine you’re something like a high schooler? Middle schooler?”

“That’s accurate.” Izuku shrugs. They’ve been playing together for quite a while now, and he sees no problem letting a bit of himself be known, especially if it could help advance the bond between the two of them, “And you… I guess you are in college or something? Early twenties?”

“Heh, I don’t have time for useless crap like that.” DecayLord scoffs, “But yeah, twenty-one.”

“What do you do anyways?” Izuku asks curiously, “I’ve seen your playtime, you’re always online in a game and you’ve got hundreds of hours in dozens of different ones. All of them are like the Deluxe Edition too! What kind of job lets you afford all that and game every day and night?”

“I’d tell you, but then I have to kill you.” DecayLord says ominously before laughing and Izuku joins him, “Kidding, I still need you to grind up to Diamond anyways. And I don’t really work, most of the games are gifts from Sensei.”

“Sensei?” Izuku asks, “Didn’t you say you have no time for ‘useless crap’ like college?”

“Sensei doesn’t teach useless crap like that.” DecayLord scoffs, “I learn real things, DreamingKnight. Like how the world really works.”

“Er, like practical work experience?” Izuku asks, unsure why his tone suddenly shifts. Despite this, he could feel the bond between the two deepening from their conversation, as the two of them learnt things about each other.

“Hehe, you can say that.” DecayLord chuckles before a new game is loaded up, “Alright, onto the next match! Who do we have this time?”

“Looks like they’re all in the same clan.” Izuku notices but smirks casually before cracking his knuckles, “They’ll need every advantage they can get.”

“I know.” DecayLord audibly smirks, “They ain’t got shit on us.”

**Kaina’s Safehouse || 2XXX June 18th/Saturday || Early Morning**

Kaina woke up with a yawn, stretching her arms as she got up and cracking her sore neck. The bed in her Mirror World safehouse wasn’t too bad, leagues better than the one she had back in Tartarus which was designed to be as uncomfortable as possible, but the pillow just wasn’t for her neck. 

It was too bad she couldn’t change anything major. Moving that damn pillow too far would force it back to its original position. She found out pretty early that if there were too many differences towards Mirror World objects, such as moving a chair out of the room or breaking down a wall, it would be reset after a few moments.

Sure she can bring real objects over from the real world, but anything besides the necessities was a low priority. She can’t risk being out in the open, even if her escape hasn’t been publicised yet they were likely on high alert looking for her.

A quick scan of the general area with Hodr reveals things as they should. No Shadows in the perimeter, Himiko Toga still sleeping in and Izuku in the living room…

Wait what?

She checks the analogue watch she brought, electronics were finicky in the Mirror World and can see that he was an hour earlier than usual. Opening the door she peeks out and to her surprise, sees the kid with a mop in hand humming to himself as he’s wiping the floor.

“Hey, you’re early.” she greets, surprising him as he almost drops the mop, “Usually you aren’t here for another hour.”

“K-Kaina!” he greets while recovering from the surprise, “Sorry, I hope I didn’t wake you up.”

“Nah, you didn’t.” Kaina said as she yawned, “What’s up with all this? I wasn’t sure I had a mop and bucket here.”

“Well, I noticed it was getting a bit dusty. You’re the busiest out of all of us, always on patrols or scouting missions or training us, so I thought I could help out.” Izuku explained before realising how she was dressed and blushing, averting his gaze.

Unlike the usual garb she wears for operations, Kaina was now dressed in a simple purple t-shirt and shorts, showing an amount of skin that he was unused to seeing on the older woman. She notices this and scoffs,

“Come on, it gets hot here. There’s no air conditioning.” Kaina explains before heading to the kitchen to get her morning coffee, “Be grateful Toga sleeps in til the afternoon. I think she sleeps nude.”

That part was a lie, but watching Izuku’s face redden to the point it was almost solid red was amusing. She was about to grab the usual instant coffee before finding a thermos on the kitchen table.

“I got you some coffee too.” Izuku says as he returns to mopping the floor, “And some onigiri for both you and Toga in the fridge, we really need to get you stuff to eat that isn’t full of preservatives and sodium.”

“Huh…” Kaina opened the fridge, though there was no power for some reason there was still cold emanating from the fridge. If the theory of the Mirror World being constructed from cognition was accurate, then it could be due to it being seen as cold.

“...So what’s the occasion?” Kaina asks as she takes one for herself, “You need something? If it’s extra training you want, you could’ve just asked. Didn’t need to go through all this trouble.”

Izuku looks at her with a surprised and then sad look on his face, “Can’t I do something because I want to? Not everyone wants something.”

“Right, because you’re weird like that.” Kaina mutters before taking a sip from the thermos before spitting it out on the floor, “What the hell is this crap?”

“Huh?” Izuku’s eyes widened at the reaction, “I- Well there was a coffee machine at home. My dad brought it over from our old place. I never really used it before, but I heard you say you like it bitter.”

“There’s coffee bitter and then there’s medicine bitter, I don’t even want to know how you got it to taste like this.” Kaina glares at the thermos in disgust, “It’s even worse than that instant crap! God, I’d give my left arm for one good cup of coffee! Fucking…!”

She stops upon looking at Izuku who wears an expression of guilt, taking a breath and sighing.

“Sorry, it’s not your fault… Just stress I suppose.” Kaina rubs the forehead, “Finally out and still can’t even enjoy the simple pleasures.”

“I’m really sorry.” Izuku apologises but she waves it off,

“It’s cool. Didn’t know I’d be so worked up myself.” Kaina mutters before chuckling under her breath, “You know I came up with a bucket list of what I would do when I got out? Obviously, I wasn’t going to but it was a good thought to have. Got me through the worst days.”

“...And one of them was a cup of coffee?” Izuku asked and she nodded.

“Yeah, you’re still a kid. Let me tell you coffee’s a lifesaver once you’re an adult. I never really liked it myself, not until I got my first coffee machine. Showed up in my mail, sent by a fan back when I was still…” Her smile faded for a moment before continuing with a bitter smirk, “After I started experimenting with it, it turns out I can make a real mean coffee. From then on I only drank coffee if it was made from my own two hands. Until here of course.”

She gestures at the bag of instant coffee in the corner of the kitchen, “Only the crap stuff for us here. But hey, it’s better than the drugged shit they gave us to keep us docile in Tartarus.”

Kaina laughs it off but Izuku doesn't look amused, only horrified as her laughter dies out.

“I…only really knew about Tartarus after I came back.” Izuku mutters, “I didn’t know it was that bad.”

“Worse than you could imagine.” Kaina sighs, “You do everything in your cell under constant supervision, not an ounce of privacy. Every day you stare at the same walls, never allowed outside save for emergencies like if you decide to try hurting yourself. If you even think of using your Quirks then there's a bunch of machine guns in each cell ready to open fire if they detect a bit of Quirk Factor activity… Sometimes you’d hear gunshots in the night. If I had to guess, some folks decide to skip the hassle.”

She let Izuku silently consider the implications, staring at the floor with a disturbed look.

“It’s just another dark side of Hero Society.” Kaina looks distant, “The worst thing about Tartarus is that everyone knows about it. It’s an open secret the damned place is a violation of human rights, but who cares as long as the villains are put away forever? But people rather not know where the dirty laundry gets taken. Or how.”

“...It shouldn’t be like that.” Izuku tries to distract himself by returning to mopping the floor, “I know it's for the worst villains but… That’s terrible. It’s one thing to make sure no villains hurt people again, but that just sounds like torture.”

“There’s a reason it’s named after the Greek Underworld after all. The sad thing is, if you hear the stuff the prisoners did right out of their own mouths, you realise a lot of them really deserve to be in there… Fucking ten years of hearing those psychos next door…” Kaina sighs, rubbing her head in frustration, “That place shouldn’t exist if you ask me. Everyone who ends up in Tartarus is locked away with no hope of release, rehab or retrial. You’re as good as dead the moment they decide to throw you in, they should just save the hassle. It’s merciful that way, for everyone involved.”

“There has to be a better way.” Izuku mutters, “Life imprisonment, death, are those really the only options?”

“If you find a better option for supercriminals with deeds comparable to international war crimes or just too plain strong for normal prison, you let me know.” Kaina finishes her food before wiping her mouth, “That’s enough dark stuff for today, don’t you think? We need your head in the game in ten days.”

Izuku nods, remembering the deadline they have sent. Any longer than that and the latest batch of kidnapped humans would be beyond saving. He wanted to discuss with Kaina about their updated infiltration plans when one of the doors in the apartment opened,

“Wow, this is pretty early isn’t it?” Himiko yawns as she steps out of her room, dressed in pyjamas that come out of Izuku’s wallet as usual, before noticing the two of them gathering in the kitchen, “Oh Izu! Have you come to see me, cutie?”

She climbs onto his back, hugging him from behind as Izuku sighs, slowly becoming used to her behaviour.

“No, I just came to drop some food and clean up.” Izuku explains without looking back, “There’s food in the fridge if you want some.”

“Aw, that’s sweet of you.” Himiko tries pecking him on the cheek only for Izuku to duck and slide free from her grip. She pouts at this but doesn’t do anything else, “Meanie.”

She huffs in disappointment before heading to the fridge, passing by the thermos containing the battery acid coffee Izuku made.

“Ooh, coffee made personally by Izu?” she quickly snatches it from the table before Kaina can warn her, taking a big gulp from it. Suddenly her eyes widened and her face turned green,

“No, not on the floor, I just mopped it!” Izuku cries out as he grabs the bucket and hurries toward Himiko.

**Kaina’s Safehouse || 2XXX June 19th/Sunday || Morning**

“Bleh!” Izuku gags as he chokes down another cup of medicine, watching the self-inflicted cut on his hand heal, “Alright, write that down. It looks like there’s practically no difference as long as the medicine’s in a bottle, no matter what brand.”

“Can’t believe we’re wasting time on this stupid shit,” Katsuki grumbles as he walks into the living room, dumping a box full of old toys.

“I think it’s best we figure out how effective everything is, Kacchan.” Izuku says, waving at a row of medicine and tablets on the coffee table, “Toga, did you get that?”

“Huh?” Himiko glances at him, licking his blood off the knife he used, the notepad on her lap still empty, “Sorry, what?”

“...Never mind.” Izuku sighs as he takes the notepad from her lap and jots it down himself while Katsuki looks at her in disgust.

“Disgusting,” he mutters as Himiko glared at him,

“What, shaming me for drinking blood?” she asks.

“Fuck no, but do you have to lick it off a knife?” Katsuki asks, “It’s unsanitary damn it! You used it to stab a bunch of Shadows yesterday! We put the blood in bags for a reason, use them instead!”

“Oh don’t be a baby, it’s sterilised.” Himiko says before pausing, “...I think?”

She licks the blood on the blade once more to piss off Katsuki, before Izuku restores order.

“Guys, come on, we should try to not kill each other every five minutes.” Izuku says before looking at the box, “Thanks for bringing these over, Kacchan.”

“Tsk needed to clear the attic anyways.” Katsuki grumbles as Himiko looks through the box, “Why the hell did you want a bunch of old toys anyways?”

“Experiments.” Izuku explains, “If random bottles of medicine can heal us like that after being brought into the Mirror World, who knows what would happen to other objects? We should at least try it out.”

“Aw, was this yours?” Himiko asks as she plucks out an All Might plushie from the box. Katsuki immediately snatches it from her hands,

“Fuck off! I- I don’t know how that got here! Must’ve been some dumb birthday gift when I was a kid.” Katsuki insists before shoving it into his back pocket before muttering barely audible words, “So that’s where it was…”

“Really? It looks well-maintained for an old toy.” Izuku can’t help but join in, sensing Katsuki’s care towards the plush, “Doesn’t it look like the toy you got for your fourth birthday?”

“Who the hell remembers shit like that!” Katsuki roars before grumbling about ‘shitty Deku’ and that ‘stupid memory’ of his.

Izuku coughs to cover a smirk before returning to the box, “Anyways, it would be cool if something happens with toy weapons. If medicine becomes strong like that, who knows what would happen with stuff like this.”

He takes out a toy dagger that normally would’ve been made with plastic and painted over. He remembers this toy, used when they occasionally played ‘Heroes and Villains’. 

Izuku had always been the villain, and he remembers getting into trouble with a very realistic knife toy that Katsuki lent him. The blonde was so mad when the teachers confiscated it, and Izuku smiled at the memory of the two of them planning a heist to steal it back without being noticed.

“I can see why they were worried. It definitely looks real.” Izuku mutters as he touches the edge before wincing as he accidentally cuts himself, “Ow!”

“Well, I’ll be damned.” Katsuki can’t help but crack a grin, “Guess we ain’t too old for toy shopping yet.”

“Oh, oh! Can I-?” Izuku hands the ‘toy’ knife to Himiko before she finishes her sentence, giving it a few practice swings as the two boys wisely decide to give her space, “Thanks! This looks kinda better than what I have now, actually.”

“So if a toy knife becomes a real knife…” Katsuki starts searching the box with a bit of excitement, “Then what about this?”

Izuku and Himiko look at each other confused as Katsuki searches the box before pulling something out,

“The losers at school dragged me to this place a while back, to try airsoft. Thought it was dumb as hell, but they convinced me to give it a try.” Katsuki explains as he shows them a model gun, “Never went more than once, but I had to admit it wasn’t bad.”

“...Are you saying you could be holding a real gun right now?” Izuku asks, not feeling comfortable with how its barrel was pointed in his direction.

“Who knows?” Katsuki shrugs as he pulls out the magazine and looks inside, “Still BBs, and there’s still air in the cylinder…”

“Try shooting it!” Himiko encourages and Katsuki smirks and points it at the nearest window behind Izuku, who quickly ducks down and out of the way before the trigger is pulled.

Thankfully instead of a bang, a hiss of air was heard and a pellet bounced off the window.

“Aw, no bang?” Himiko looked disappointed and so did Katsuki.

“Guess I was hoping for too much,” Katsuki grumbled.

“...But then why did the knife work?” Izuku wondered, “Could it have something to do with how realistic it is? That airsoft gun looks obviously like a fake, even to someone without gun knowledge. Maybe if it's modified…”

His mind immediately went to an acquaintance before he winces in pain,

“Ow!” Izuku turns to Katsuki who fired at him, “Hey!”

“What? I might as well get my money’s worth with this thing.” Katsuki shrugs with a manic grin.

“W-wait, stop! Ow! Watch where you’re- Ow! STOP! Toga stop laughing and- Ow! Help me!”

**??? || 2XXX June 19th/Sunday || Afternoon**

“So you have finally arrived…” the Merchant, ever cladded in their black cloak and speaking with their strange voice, greets with a bow as Izuku enters a shop, pushing open a door and signalling his arrival with the bell.

“You made it kinda hard.” Izuku raises the note he found at their usual meeting spot, “There isn’t exactly a map or GPS here.”

“But I had faith in you as ever, dear client.” The Merchant smiled under their hood, Izuku found that he could roughly guess their expression with how their tone sounded and the way their glowing red eyes would shift.

Suddenly they cough and clear their throat before correcting themselves trying to sound rude, “I mean, of course! Only an utter moron would be stupid enough to fail in following basic directions. And I expected you hours ago for the opening of my new shop. No longer shall we meet in filthy alleyways.”

They put their hands on their hips, puffing their chest with pride as Izuku looks around the new store. There was a counter, behind which the Merchant manned, and in the store were shelves full of a wide variety of basic metal weaponry. But what caught his attention was a bulletin board with pieces of parchment pinned on them.

“That?” the Merchant asked when Izuku pointed at it, “Ah, another experiment you can say. Challenges for you to overcome.”

“What do you mean?” Izuku asks as he walks up to them and reads the writing, “Wait, these are locations aren’t they?”

The Merchant nods, “Yes. Powerful Shadows roam the area. Should you wish, you can eliminate them and bring their remains for me to forge into new, stronger weapons. But only by yourself with the weapons I provide, not your Personas.”

Their eyes flashed with intensity, “Trust me. I will know the difference.”

“I believe you.” Izuku gulps before returning to the reason he came here in the first place, “By the way, I needed your thoughts on something.”

He pulls out the airsoft gun that he borrowed from Katsuki, putting it on the counter as the Merchant picks it up to inspect.

“Ah, one of the model guns I hear you humans collect.” they said as they admired the piece and poked at the orange tip, “Evidently a replica of the M1911. I hear it is quite popular in a place in your world called Ahmehrikah.”

“America.” Izuku corrects before nodding, “My friends were experimenting with bringing items over from reality to the Mirror World, and we thought maybe fake weapons might become real weapons. But it’s just a normal airsoft gun still.”

“Hm, an excellent theory.” the Merchant nods, “The Mirror World reflects collective thoughts of humanity, so if one brings a sufficiently realistic replica, it could theoretically function as one. But as you can see there are many differences from a real weapon.”

The Merchants point at the orange tip, “Besides this, you can tell it is evidently made of plastic instead of metal. The safety mechanism is non-functional and for aesthetics. This wooden grip is painted plastic. It’s smaller and lighter than the real thing, and so on.”

“So it’s not realistic enough?” Izuku sighs, “Dang it. The more realistic they are, the more expensive they get. And I don’t even know any shops that can sell convincing replicas.”

“Hmm, perhaps you will not need to.” the Merchant hums before holding out a gloved hand, “Do you have a trophy that you wish to transmute to a weapon?”

“Huh?” Izuku looks confused before taking out one that he had for a while, a piece of a golden trident from the second Shadow Leader he’s defeated. The Merchant takes it and sets it on top of the toy gun before pulling out a small hammer from under their cloak.

Izuku watches as they give it a little tap and both items suddenly glow with an orange light before a flash of light forces him to look away. When he return to looking at the counter, his eyes widen at the sight of a realistic M1911 on the table made of golden metal.

“Is…is this real?” Izuku picked it up before realising how heavy it was compared to its original weight, “This is a real gun?!”

“So my craftsmanship is so impressive you can’t tell the difference?” The Merchant looks proud of their work, “I merely changed its properties so that it resembles a true weapon, on the inside it is still a toy replica. But now that most of the collective mass may see it as a weapon, it will function as such in the Mirror World.”

Izuku gulped as he held the replica gun in his hands. It felt so realistic that he was sure if it was brandished in public he’d be arrested immediately. He would have to keep it hidden when not using it, or his parents might suspect something.

“W-what about ammo then?” Izuku asks, “Does it run off airsoft pellets?”

“None. Most enemies would assume that when you brandish a gun at them it would be loaded.” the Merchant explains, “So even if you exhaust ammunition, they should find it fully loaded the next time you come across an enemy.”

He felt a bit terrified at the prospect of wielding a gun, but part of Izuku, who had spent ten years in America felt a bit excited at the prospect. It would definitely give them an edge in their battles if the team were armed with similar weapons.

“You’re amazing as always.” Izuku smiled satisfied as he felt the bond between them deepen. The Merchant groans and rolls their eyes at this,

“You deepen bonds far too easily, don’t you?” they sigh, “Idiot. But as long as it’s not ruining my experiment… Now is there anything else I can help you with, dear client?”

“Er, I guess so.” he points at the shining golden metal, “Can you make it less… gaudy?”

* Later *

“GO TO HELL!” Katsuki roars as red chains emerge from his forearms and his Persona(?) manifests, covering the entire street with intense flames. The surviving group of Shadows were stunned or recovering from the damage as they leapt from the rooftops, pouncing on them.

“Carmilla!” Himiko calls out with glee, ripping the chains off from her face and summoning the Persona that blasts them with flashes of light, stunning them all as she cuts through them with the twin daggers Izuku gifted her.

“That bitch’s a psycho,” Katsuki mutters as he sees the blonde girl leap from Shadow to Shadow, stabbing each of them repeatedly before moving on.

“She’s good at what she does.” Izuku tears out his chains and summons Phoenix who flaps its wings, blasting a gust of sharp green wind that sweeps the streets and blows away a swarm of Shadows.

However, a trio of slime-like Shadows, wearing more regal and fancy masks moved through the storm unimpeded. Izuku was ready to summon another Persona to prod at their weakness when a gunshot rang out, a bullet piercing through the first one before ricocheting off the flood and striking the second, punching through and bouncing off the wall of a building towards the third one.

“Thanks, Kaina.” he smiles in her direction before charging in with Katsuki, gauntlets and hatchet flashing as they quickly finished the Shadows off in a single pass.

“I had that,” Katsuki grumbles before blasting off to find more Shadows to pick off by himself. Izuku sighs and looks towards Himiko to check on her progress, finding her taking down a final Shadow with repeated stabs to the head. He feels nervous at the bloodthirsty smile on her face.

She flashes him a thumbs up while covered in slick black blood of Shadows and Izuku weakly grins and returns the thumbs up. But then he spots movement in the sewer grate behind her, and before Himiko realises a Shadow emerges from the grate about to wrap its tendrils around her.

Kaina, who had been keeping watch over Katsuki in case the arrogant blonde ran into more trouble than expected, notices this and quickly swings her scope back. But Izuku was quicker, having seen it first and was already reaching for the gun in his back pocket.

The now dull silver gun roars as a bullet fires from its barrel, the muzzle flashing and the scent of gunpowder fills Izuku’s nose. His arm flies up, the recoil knocking him back as he stumbles in surprise at the kick. Meanwhile, the bullet flies towards the Shadow, striking it dead on the mask just above Himiko’s head and shattering it.

Stunned by the shot, Himiko takes advantage and slashes it with her dagger, destroying it with a single swipe.

“Holy shit, where the hell did you get a gun?!” Kaina asks in shock as she watches this through her scope, 

“The hell?” Katsuki mutters as he approaches them, hatchet slick with Shadow blood as he stares at the smoking gun in disbelief, “Shit, so it actually works?”

“I…Wow…Didn’t know it had a kick like that.” Izuku mutters, stunned.

“That was so cool, Izu! You looked like a badass!” Himiko tackles him and holds tight, “I didn’t think you’d know how to use a gun! You just got way cooler in my books!”

“I…didn’t.” Izuku says awkwardly, “That was supposed to be a warning shot… I thought it’d scare the Shadow away so you could counterattack.”

“...” Katsuki stares at the dissipating corpse of the Shadow, “Well you’re a crap shot then.”

“Oh! Oh! Can I get a gun?” Himiko pleads, “I want a gun!”

“Hell no, I barely trust you with knives!” Katsuki roars, “Don’t tell me we’re giving the psycho a gun, Deku!”

“Come on, you want a gun too don’t you?” Himiko asks before taking on a teasing tone, “You want one like Izu’s?”

“Shut up!” Katsuki explodes, “If I’m getting a gun it’s gonna be better than some peashooter! Something bigger, and a bigger boom!”

“Oh, so you must really want to compensate for something. Poor you, is that why you’re so angry all the time?” she snickers as he falls for her trap. Katsuki blinked owlishly before sputtering, words caught in his throat before his face turned red.

“Get over here!” He roars as his hands spark with firecracker-scale explosions, Himiko laughing her head off as Izuku tries to stop Katsuki from committing murder.

“Kacchan, no! No killing teammates!” Izuku desperately holds him back while turning to Himiko, “And stop laughing, damn it! Kaina, help me!”

Kaina takes one look at the mess through her scope and looks away from her vantage point, “Er, oops would you look at that. A bunch of Shadows just popped up a few blocks from me, better go take care of that.”

“Kaina!” He cries out desperately as Katsuki tries climbing over him to Himiko, blasting his face more than a few times.

Yet despite the messy end of a hard day’s work, he can somehow feel the bond between all of them deepening.

Chapter Text

**Kaina’s Safehouse || 2XXX June 26th/Sunday || Morning**

“Alright, we all know what’s at stake.” Izuku declares as they gather around the living room, an updated map of their target on the coffee table, decorated with multi-coloured Lego bricks, “Thanks to Kaina’s scouting we figured out their patrol pattern…”

He trails off as Himiko bounces on her seat, stretching and waving her hand like a student asking for attention.

“Yes?” Izuku asks as she picks up a brick,

“Yeah, what do all the different colours mean?” she asks as she picks one of them up and toys with it before Katsuki snatches it from her hand and puts it back.

“They don’t mean anything. A brick’s just a pack of Shadows.” Katsuki grumbles, 

“You could’ve bought a set of black ones, instead of a dozen different colours.” Himiko points out, “Isn’t that less confusing?”

“Shut up!” he snaps, “Enough about the fucking Legos damn it! I just got a bunch for cheap!”

“He’s right Toga.” Izuku sighs, interrupting before this becomes a full-blown argument, “Back on topic, thanks to Kaina we found their patrol patterns as well as where packs of Shadows would pass by each other. Thanks to Toga’s training and the experiments we performed, I believe we can disguise ourselves and blend in with patrolling squads then jump to another when passing by. Rinse and repeat until finally, we get up to the main building.”

He draws a line from the walls sketched on the map, leading towards the Hero Agency building.

“After that, it’s unknown territory.” Izuku says looking worried, “We never made it into the building, our last run was a disaster.”

“What happened last time?” Himiko asks, not having been there during their last disastrous operation.

“Some fucking Shadow was blocking our way when we tried using maintenance tunnels.” Katsuki grumbles, punching his fist against his palm, “But the next time I see that ugly mug, I’m getting even.”

“Our priorities are the people inside.” Izuku reminds sternly, “Once we get in our following priorities are first, identifying where the humans are stored. The second is identifying the location of the Warlord. Then its elimination.”

He tips over the minifigure they put on the map to symbolise the Warlord, both Katsuki and Himiko sharing bloodthirsty grins as Kaina takes over.

“And while you’re at it, I’ll be providing support from here.” she taps a spot on the map not far from the main building, “Unfortunately there’s plenty of flying Shadows in the air, so if I fire once they’ll be on me. I can escape and hide before coming back, but it’ll take a while.”

She turns to Izuku, “I’ll leave it to your judgment if you need me to take a shot at something, just be clear that it might be a while before I can get off a second shot. Got it?”

“Understood.” Izuku nods before waving at a pile of items and backpacks, “Make sure you all stock up on what you need. This is our only chance. Any longer and the people inside will be beyond saving.”

“Fucking finally.” Katsuki looks pumped up, grinning enthusiastically, “Been waiting for this far too long.”

** Later **

“Next patrol’s coming on your right soon. You’ll be coming up onto the main building soon.”  Kaina informs as she looks down at them from her vantage point, scope zooming in on the three kids in the middle of a Shadow pack.

“Alright. Thanks for the heads up.” Izuku whispers back, his entire body wrapped with red chains before looking back at his friends, “Hear that?”

“Finally.” Katsuki grumbled impatiently as a Shadow bumped into him again, infuriating him, “I swear to god if I don’t blow something up soon…”

“You think you have it bad? I’ve had to keep this up for the both of us for fifteen minutes.” Himiko hisses as she clings onto him from the side, hugging him tight with red chains wrapped around her mouth, “But hey, I just realised something?”

“Huh?” Katsuki asks before Himiko starts sniffing him, “What the-?!”

“You’re the reason why the place smells like burnt caramel!” Himiko exclaims, “Didn’t take you for a perfume guy. You’re surprisingly feminine.”

“It’s because of his Quirk, nitroglycerin smells a bit like burnt caramel or so I’ve heard,” Izuku explains as Katsuki tries shoving Himiko away, his cheeks flushing red with either anger or embarrassment. 

“Stop sniffing me you fucking weirdo!” Katsuki tries pushing her off before the Shadows surrounding them start running in their direction. He immediately stops and reluctantly lets her keep hanging on, “Fucking hell…”

“Keep it down, here they come.” Izuku turns to the left down the street as a Shadow pack passes by, “Now, go!”

The trio quickly jogs away from the pack they were hiding in, rushing towards the next one and managing to slide in with them without alarming them. 

“Alright, just a bit longer,” Izuku whispers as they close in onto the main building. Just as the pack they were hiding amongst passed by, Izuku quickly signals his friends and the trio rush in as quickly as possible, pushing through twin glass doors blocking their way.

“Fucking finally!” Katsuki shoved past Izuku to get in first, barging into some kind of lobby that was too large for a building of its size judging from the outside. The lobby was dark and ill-lit, with the only thing in the room being a large statue in the centre and some kind of desk with a humanoid shape made of darkness and red eyes, wearing a suit and a domino mask on its face.

“Hey, isn’t that Dive Bomb?” Izuku mutters in recognition, “I think the website said there was a statue like this in his Agency, but it’s definitely not that large.”

The Shadow at the desk looks up at their arrival, “What is your business in these halls?... Wait, you are not slaves. If you are to offer tribute to-?”

Katsuki breaks free from Himiko’s grip and slams his hatchet right into the Shadow’s head. It screeches, backing off from the desk with Katsuki’s hatchet embedded into its skull and splitting the mask.

It then explodes into a burst of black ink before reshaping into a cloaked Shadow with a jester’s hat and wrapped with black hands. As it recovers, trying to pry the hatchet off its mask, Izuku whips out his model gun with a new silencer attachment on it, quickly emptying it directly into its head and killing the Shadow.

“Really?” Izuku whispers to Katsuki while pocketing the gun.

“What? I barely made a noise.” Katsuki scoffs as he pries the hatchet from the corpse of the Shadow, “I did it your way.”

“It was talking, we could’ve asked questions.” Izuku points out.

“It saw we weren’t the usual schmucks and something was up. You want it to sound an alarm?” Katsuki argued back.

“You have a point. But it could’ve been better if we got some intel from it.” Izuku sighs as he concedes.

“Hey, what’s up?”  Kaina asks over the comms,  “Did Bakugou screw things up again?”

“Hell no! Why the fuck do you think it’s always me, you-?!” Katsuki yelled before Himiko slapped a hand over his mouth and dragged Katsuki behind the desk as Izuku hid with them, the three of them squeezing against each other as a pack of Shadows passed by the entrance.

“Shh!” Izuku slapped a hand over Himiko’s to make absolutely sure no noise was made by Katsuki. They wait for a tense moment before the Shadows pass and the two sigh in relief before letting go.

“Hands to you damned self!” Katsuki throws them off and stands up, a furious look on his face, “I can’t take it anymore, I need something to die right now!”

“Can you not stare at me while you say that?” Izuku tenses up before he hears movement behind him leading deeper into the building, “Huh?”

“Hey, what’s going on?” a humanoid-shaped Shadow with a domino mask barges in, “Intru-!”

“Persona!” Himiko tears out her chains as the female vampire bursts into existence, eyes flashing bright light that stuns the two Shadows.

Katsuki barely restrains a scream as he leaps toward the stunned Shadows, grabbing each by the head before red chains emerge from his hands.

“Go to hell.” He says through gritted teeth, shoving them deeper into the building and disappearing within the hall before the sound of muted explosions is heard.

“Jeez, sounds like he’s enjoying himself,” Himiko notes as she hears cackling down the hall.

“Hey, at least it's not us.” Izuku sighs before tugging at his gauntlets, “Let’s just follow him and make sure he doesn’t get lost.”

“Just make sure you are careful.”  Kaina warns,  “I’m not sure, but your signatures just got weaker the moment you stepped inside. There’s a bit of interference, not something major, just noticeable.”

“I’ll keep that in mind, Kaina.” Izuku says as he readies himself, “Now come on. It’s showtime.”

**Later**

“Gah!” Izuku grunts as he raises his arms to block a beetle Shadow slamming into him, stumbling backwards from the blow.

“I got it!” Katsuki declares as he leaps over Izuku with an explosion boosting him, slamming his hatchet into a gap in the shell and prying it off, before slamming his hatchet into the exposed spot, “Die!”

“Damn it, this was supposed to be quiet.” Izuku curses as Himiko zips past him, “Wait!”

She cackles excitedly, zipping between Shadow to Shadow and leaving wounds with the daggers but not killing them with how shallow her cuts were. Meanwhile, Katsuki was fighting off the larger heavier armoured ones, but his explosions were doing little to dent them.

“Kacchan! Stop targeting them, switch up with Toga and take care of the crowd!” Izuku yells as he turns to Himiko, “Your daggers won’t do much against those numbers, use your Persona to stun the big ones.”

“Like hell!” Katsuki roars, blasting the helmet off an armoured Shadow riding a set of floating horse armour, “I came for challenges, not pipsqueaks!”

“That’s an order!” Izuku demanded with every bit of authority he could muster in his voice.

With great reluctance, Katsuki disengages from the knight Shadows and switches to the crowd of minor ones gathering around Himiko, building up his sweat before igniting them to scatter the Shadows.

“Thanks.” Himiko quickly says before passing by and tugging her chains, “Carmilla! Dazzle them!”

The Persona manifests, bright light flashing from its eyes and stunning before the eyes turn purple.

“Mapsi!” she calls out and a blast of psychic energy breaks the minds of the two stunned Shadows. Izuku then ran past her to close in on the Shadows before pulling at his chains, 

“Come forth, Rakshasa!” he calls forth the Hindu demon, drawing twin sabres that slash at the crippled Shadows, beheading them in one swing.

Katsuki scoffs at the display as he stomps down on a Shadow in the form of a wool glove, “So just leap in after the damage has been done, huh?”

“It’s called working together.” Izuku says annoyedly, “Because of that we took them down quick. This isn’t going to be like our usual skirmishes and patrols, these Shadows are stronger and organised.”

“Speaking of organised, you better make a break for it.”  Kaina pipes in,  “Two packs approaching from the higher levels, one from below. Head to the left and you’ll find the stairway up, they’re stretching themselves thin looking for you.”

“Copy that.” Izuku nodded before they followed the directions and ran, “Look, just keep close and don’t stray from each other. And we need to play with our strengths, Kacchan your Quirk’s good with crowds but not well against armour. Toga, your skillset’s good against foes with armour, Carmilla’s spells can bypass their defence effectively.”

“Then what will you be doing, huh?” Katsuki challenges before Kaina yells through their comms,

“Incoming just ahead, a powerful Shadow just split off from the others, I think they’re trying for a pincer attack.”  She warns,  “We’ve fought them before, weakness to electricity.”

A mechanical Shadow on two wheels with bludgeons for arms comes barreling through the stairs, changing its directions once it sees the three of them and prepares to charge.

“Cu Chulainn!” Izuku shatters the chains and the spearman jabs his spear, blasting a bolt of lightning that stuns the Shadow before jumping onto it with the aid of the Persona, latching onto its head and emptying his gun point blank.

The Shadow falls to pieces underneath him as he turns to Katsuki, “I’ll cover any gaps in the team, prod at their weaknesses. Whatever role is necessary to ensure we win. Got that?”

Katsuki grits his teeth in silence before nodding with reluctance, “Fine… Shit, I still can’t get used to the fact you’re barking orders.”

“Thanks for giving me the chance.” Izuku smiles warmly, “Now let’s go.”

“He’s so cool isn’t he?” Himiko swoons and Katsuki gags,

“As if, I’m way cooler than the nerd.” He grumbles.

***

“How many damned floors is this already?” Katsuki asks as he grabs a humanoid Shadow from around the corner, tearing its throat out with his hatchet, while Himiko takes care of the other with repeated stabs to the neck.

“We gotta be almost done right?” Himiko asks with a pant as she wipes the inedible Shadow blood off her daggers, “I don’t mind a little bleeding, but I hate sweating! I wish I had brought a towel!”

“You’re all in the finishing stretch, the top quarter.”  Kaina says,  “Midoriya, on your left there are three packs passing by. Judging from the path they’re taking, it'll pass by the stairs taking you up.”

He signals his friends and they nod, Himiko grabbing Katsuki to cloak the two of them while Izuku takes care of himself. They move out of their hiding spot, covered in red chains as they slip into the group.

“Kaina, how’s the Shadows on the outside?” Izuku whispers. With the amount of noise they made, he was sure that must’ve riled them up a bit.

“Surprisingly, not as active as I thought.”  Kaina informs, confusing the trio,  “Don’t get me wrong, the Shadows inside are searching top and bottom for you. But on the outside? Looks like everyday business.”

“So what happens in a Fortress stays in a Fortress.” Katsuki summarises with a smirk, “Then we can make all the noise we want without you nagging us.”

“Sure if you want to let every Shadow in said Fortress know your exact location.”  Kaina says sarcastically,  “Hey Leader, make sure you get them on a tight leash. You’re running into trouble up ahead.”

“What are you talking about?” Izuku asks.

“I’m getting only one Shadow signature from the floor above. A familiar one?”

“That old bastard, huh? Since there’s only one of them, they must've wanted to protect something important.” Katsuki grits his teeth, punching his fists together, “Good. I wouldn’t be satisfied without a rematch.”

“Ugh, let’s hurry up so we can go home,” Himiko complains as they near the stairs, breaking off from the pack and dashing up them the moment the opportunity arises.

“This is going to be tough, but it’ll be fine if we stick to the plan.” Izuku says as they get up the stairs, “Kacchan, Toga, the two of you keep pushing its defence and once I see an opening I’ll bring it down. Then we can pile on it with all we got.”

“Yeah, do the grunt work while you swoop in and take the glory,” Katsuki grumbled as Himiko flashed him a thumbs up.

“Got it Boss.” she says, “You know, I realise you’re way more confident at times like this. Gotta say I like the ‘nervous bean’ you, but the way you’re so assertive now...”

Izuku covers his face with a hand, “Just…focus on the mission, please?”

“Kill shit now! Make out later!” Katsuki shouts as they finally reach the next floor, finding a wide open area with familiar sacs of yellow liquid hanging on the walls, and a familiar figure on an upside-down pyramid at the centre.

“Well look who it is.” He grins as explosive sweat builds up on his arms, “I’ve been waiting for this!”

The Shadow screeches, almost in recognition and anger as it raises both arms to summon a volley of light orbs that fly in their direction.

“Principality!” Izuku grabs his chains and pulls, shattering and summoning the angel Persona. A figure dressed in purple and white robes with a green cloak draped around its body manifests, wielding a staff with a cross on its tip. 

It spreads its wings out to act as a shield, the orbs of light exploding upon contact to no effect. Once the volley is over, Katsuki leaps over the Persona and rockets towards the Shadow.

Seeing this, it summons multiple sharp spikes before firing only for Katsuki to expertly manoeuvre between the shots,

“You think it’s gonna be the same as last time?!” he mocks as he closes in and blasts it point-blank with a powerful explosion.

The Shadow reels from the blow, summoning a floating array of light swords that slash at Katsuki only for him to dodge. As it was distracted, Himiko managed to get around it and attack from behind.

“Carmilla!” She slices the chains off with her dagger, summoning the Persona who blasts it with a pulse of psychic energy.

The pulse slams into the Shadow who only looks momentarily disturbed before turning its attention to Himiko, prepared to cast a spell when the Persona tackles it and slams its fangs into its neck.

As it was distracted by the onslaught of attacks, Izuku pointed a hand at the Principality and chanted, “Change!”

Immediately it disappears in a flash of blue-white flames, returning to chains that wrap around Izuku as he walks closer towards the Shadow. The Persona he plans on using isn’t that attuned to him yet, due to lacking the proper Arcana of Death, he needs to make extra effort to wield it.

“I am Thou. Thou art I.” he chants under his breath as he grips the chains, “Come forth, Pisaca!”

A horrifying humanoid creature manifests, two tendrils emerging from where eyes should be with a giant mouth on its chest filled to the brim with sharp teeth. The Hindu demon lets out a screech before pointing both arms at the Shadow,

“Get clear!” Izuku orders and the two engaging the Shadow immediately break off just as Pisaca unleashes a blast of cursed energy from its chest-mouth, knocking the Shadow off its pyramid.

“Now!” Izuku shouts, sharing a glance at the two before they charge in at the same time.

Katsuki reaches it first, punting it with his explosions towards Izuku who intercepts it with a punch straight to the mask, sending it flying back towards Himiko. She greets it with both daggers outstretched, burying into the Shadow’s chest before pulling them out and delivering a series of cuts through its body.

She then kicks it towards Katsuki running up to it, burying the hatchet into the back of its head before striking it several times with explosive-infused punches as Izuku finally reaches and throws his own punches into the mix as well, combined with Himiko’s daggers.

It let out another screech and Izuku could tell what was coming, and so did both of his friends. They immediately break off and raise their guard as a blast of light energy comes from the Shadow, knocking them back.

But both Personas that Izuku and Himiko wielded reacted badly to the light, knocking them down and leaving them dazed as the Shadow recovered. But before it can do anything, Katsuki reaches forward and puts it in a chokehold.

“Forget something, asshole?” he asks with a manic smile as red chains emerge from his arms, “Burn in Hell!”

The Persona(?) manifests and immediately a pillar of fire erupts from beneath them both. Katsuki’s naturally innate resistance to heat along with his Persona(?)’s affinity to fire shields him, but the Shadow in his grasp struggles and screeches as it is burnt to ashes.

Once that was over he immediately forced Sekhmet back into him, panting at the effort before turning to a surprised Izuku and Himiko,

“And that’s how it’s done!” he shouts, trying to hide how much that took out of him before cackling in satisfaction, “God that felt  much  better than I thought it would.”

“I’m sure it did.” Izuku says as he gets up, dusting off his jacket as Himiko recovers, “Is anyone injured?”

“My head hurts.” Himiko groans before pouting, “If only someone could kiss it better?”

Izuku just gives her a disbelieving stare before she pouts harder, “You could just play along, meanie.”

“We have bigger things to worry about.” Izuku says as he turns to the sacs decorating the walls, each connected to tubes that lead somewhere else, “There’s like thirty of them… We need to start cutting them out now.”

They all get to work, using their weapons to tear open the sacs, exposing themselves to the strange yellow liquid as they tear the humans out from within. To Izuku’s relief, many of them were healthy but unconscious. He never felt such a weight lift off his shoulder as he did now, sitting down from exhaustion.

“They’re fine… Oh thank god,” he mutters to himself in relief.

“Bad news is that there’s too many.” Katsuki notes, “We ain’t carrying them out one by one without being spotted.”

“Yeah, I don’t think we’ll be even halfway done before we get too exhausted.” Himiko agreed.

“...Then our priorities are changed.” Izuku decides after a pause, “Taking down the Warlord’s our priority. Once we do that the Shadows should scatter, and we’ll be able to take our time with rescue.”

“That’s what I’ve been saying the whole time.” Katsuki smirks eagerly as he readies his hatchet, “Blow up the one in charge and we won’t have to waste time on extras.”

Izuku nods before tapping the comms, “Kaina, what does the situation in the upper floors look like?”

“Looks like they’re preparing for your arrival. Funny enough, none of the Shadows below are trying to climb up. Maybe some kinda security clearance thing, or they’re just scared.”  Kaina informs worriedly,  “I’d ask you to get closer so I can sense them more but it’s risky.”

“Oh, oh!” Himiko stretches her hand upwards, “I can sneak in by myself! I’m extra quiet when I do it alone. I can look for the best route to sneak past them.”

“That could work.” Izuku nods but frowns, “It’ll be risky though. Are you sure?”

“Aw, are you worried for me?” Himiko smirks, “I’ll be fine… But I think I’ll be even better if a certain boyfriend kisses me good luck.”

“Really?” Izuku sighs before bracing himself. He needs Himiko at her best and if doing this would boost her morale…

This was just for her morale, he tells himself as he closes his eyes and leans in to quickly peck her cheeks.

Himiko’s eyes widened at this, her cheeks flushing red as she stammered out confused, “W-wha- WHAT? You really did it?!”

“You asked.” Izuku blushes, looking away as he covers his blushing face with his arm.

“Hah! I guess I did!” Her attitude somehow got a lot chipper, running off to the staircase leading above with a skip in her steps, “One floor? I’ll do two floors!”

She hums to herself as she skips off and Izuku sighs.

“I never thought I’d see the day the nerd has more game than I do.” Katsuki mumbles to himself, “I guess something is appealing about skinny, stammering nerds.”

“Shut up.” Izuku pleads as he facepalms, “Damn it, that was my first kiss.”

“Fuck no, that doesn’t count, it was on the cheek!” Katsuki claims, “It’s only a ‘first kiss’ if it's on the lip.”

“Didn’t think you’re the type of guy to take romance seriously.”  Kaina suppresses a snicker as Katsuki shouts back,

“Fuck off, you gun-crazy hag.” Katsuki grumbled, “It’s not my fault. The old hag at home keeps going on about her tv dramas, filling my head with useless crap like that.”

The two of them continue arguing as Izuku sighs at the sight. But before he can intervene he notices something out of the corner of his eye, turning to realise a blue door was manifested in the corner of the room.

Izuku turns back to see that Katsuki is distracted by his argument with Kaina. Taking the opportunity he sneaks away and puts the key into the door, unlocking it and pushing it open.

**Velvet Room**

Izuku groans as he pushes himself up from the desk, waking up to find both Igor and Agatha before him.

“Welcome back, my dear guest.” Agatha bows to him.

“Igor. Agatha.” Izuku bows respectfully to greet the both of them, “What’s going on? I visited you guys just before we started this raid. Why did you call me here?”

“We merely believe that something fascinating is set to occur in your upcoming battle. You are on the cusp of an awakening of sorts, regarding a certain Persona of yours. I have seen nothing like this since a certain Trickster roamed our room.” Igor answers with his ever-present grin widening, “You may yet be surprised at how far you have yet to go. Soon you will be met by a challenge greater than any you have yet to face so far.”

“...I already knew it was going to be hard.” Izuku swallows a gulp at the ominous warning, “I’ve done all I can to prepare, and so did everyone else. I just have to trust that we’ll get through this together.”

“Such faith in your bonds. Well said.” Igor looks at him delighted, “We will be watching with great anticipation, Izuku Midoriya. If you have any business with us now, do let us know. We will do our best to prepare you for what’s to come.”

“And if you are willing to hear a piece of advice from this Attendant…” Agatha speaks up, continuing after Izuku nods, “Throughout your battles, you have faced near-death several times, and through all those times you will yourself to keep moving simply by thinking of others instead of yourself. I urge you to understand, there is a difference between overcoming one’s fear of death, and simply keeping death out of mind and out of sight.”

**Later**

“This is it,” Izuku says as the three of them stand in front of a pair of wooden doors leading into a room. The road they have taken was hard but they’ve finally made it to the top floor where their target lies, “Are all of you ready.”

“Don’t keep me waiting,” Katsuki says as he cracks his knuckles, his arms red and sore from using his Quirk as much as he did today but he was still rearing to go.

“Yeah! I wanna give this guy a piece of my mind for making us climb thirty floors!” Himiko declared with a pant of exhaustion, “And making us fight all those Shadows before getting here!”

“Sounds like you need more cardio.” Katsuki smirks in amusement.

“I’ll tell you where you can shove your cardio!” Himiko glares at him with a dagger pointed at him.

“Yeah, I think we should get a move on before they start trying to kill each other.”  Kaina wisely points out,  “I’m ready whenever you are. Just call the shot and I’ll make it.”

“Alright. Then let's go.” Izuku says as he pushes open the door and rush in together.

They were immediately greeted with an office that looked like it belonged to someone with more money than a middle-ranking Pro Hero. The floors were made of polished wooden planks, a round velvet red carpet in the centre with luxurious couches made of shining leather. A desk made of some kind of exotic wood, expertly crafted and looking like it costs more than an entire year’s worth of rent for his family’s apartment.

At the desk and writing with a pen made of precious metal was their target, the Pro Hero known as Dive Bomb. He was dressed like the photos of him showed, a metallic blue bodysuit with silver armour plating worn over it, and a silver helmet that covered his entire head save for an opening at the lower jaw and his eyes.

Eyes that were shining yellow as they looked up. The eyes of a Shadow. Izuku and Katsuki had suspected such a thing, but seeing it was still a bit unnerving.

“Well now, I don’t seem to recall getting new interns.”  the Shadow says as he gets up,  “Which are you here for? Hero work, or the other jobs? Bah, either way, you’ll be helping out with both.”

“Shut up!” Katsuki says as he stomps forward, pointing his hatchet threateningly at the Hero’s Shadow, “We’re here to fucking kill you! We already ploughed through all your goons on the way up-”

“A very long way up!” Himiko points out annoyedly, “Would it kill you to install an elevator?”

“Shut up! I’m in the middle of something here!” Katsuki roared back as the Shadow looked on amused.

“Why?” Izuku asks as he stares at the Pro Hero, “I’ve seen the streets you patrol, you work with criminals to sell Trigger all over your territory. Why would you do that?! You’re betraying everything it means to be a Hero!”

“Betraying?”  the Shadow scoffs and spits on the ground,  “Oh please, tell me you don’t buy into all that bullshit. Everyone knows, from the moment we get our licences, that being a Pro’s just a business. You understand? Do you know how hard it was for someone like me, someone who graduated from some bumfuck middle-of-nowhere school with a Hero Course, to get even an internship? It’s a dog-eat-dog world, this fucking industry.”

“Being a Hero shouldn’t be about making a profit!” Izuku shouts before the Shadow yells back,

“Spoken like a naive idiot.”   the Shadow waves at the window behind him,  “You know what I can say after years as a Hero? Nothing fucking changes! Did you stop a mugging? Five more happen. Did you stop an accident? Ten more happen. You arrest a drug dealer? A dozen more pop up because there’s fucking demand for that crap. As long as there’s demand there needs to be a supplier, and those villains fight each other to make themselves the supplier. If nothing changes then why shouldn’t I take advantage of that?”

“So that justifies taking over gangs and using them to push Trigger?” Izuku asks incredulously.

“If not me, someone else would.”  the Shadow shrugs,  “But because it’s me, I make sure violence stays down. Not a single villain gang fighting each other for territory because no one would dare to fucking cross me! This place is safer than ever because of me! There’s no better choice.”

“Yeah, you definitely had no choice but to buy this fancy office, right?” Himiko asks sarcastically as she glances around.

“I deserve a little reward for my hard work, don’t I?”  the Shadow smirks in satisfaction,  “Might as well reap the rewards. Because of me, crime’s never been lower in my territory.”

“Bullshit.” Katsuki cuts in with a glare, “Robberies, muggings, all that crap still happens, doesn’t it? All so they can afford to buy that crap you put on the streets. You didn’t change shit, you just swept it under the rug.”

“Especially with the police under your thumb, keeping things clean.” Izuku grits his teeth before pulling out his gun, “And you, the Shadow, you’re responsible for all those kidnappings as well. Once we take you down, it’ll solve two problems this city has.”

“Heh.”  the Shadow chuckles as his eyes drip black substance,  “You think you can take me down? I might not be that high in the ranks, but I’m still a damn Pro!”

The Shadow then bursts into a pile of slick black oil before reforming into a towering muscular figure with steel skin, wearing only undergarments and a mask, resembling a wrestler of sorts.

“Come on then!”  it bellows with a thunderous voice,  “Three? Five? A dozen? It doesn’t matter how many! If you think you can storm up and threaten my business, you have another thing coming!”

“Shouldn’t have wasted the time yapping,” Katsuki mutters as he readies himself.

“You were yapping too. And Toga needed to catch her breath.” Izuku whispers back before glaring at the Shadow, “And I needed to know…”

“All of you keep your heads in the game!”  Kaina warns,  “Power levels are above anything you’ve faced so far!”

“Everyone get ready!” Izuku says as he summons his chains and Himiko follows suit.

“Don’t need to tell me twice!” Katsuki says with a bloodthirsty grin before launching himself at the Shadow.

But then a metal arm swings forward faster than they could react, slamming him down and smashing the wooden desk faster than a blink of an eye. The force of the impact was strong enough that both Izuku and Himiko were knocked off their feet, sending them backwards a few feet from the shockwave.

“Heh.”  the Shadow smirks, looking at a winded Katsuki under his hand and a surprised Izuku and Himiko,  “Who’s next then?”

Chapter Text

To both their credit, Izuku and Toga reacted immediately after they got back on their feet, splitting up and attacking from both sides of the Shadow. 

Izuku fires his gun, emptying the magazine at the Shadow only for bullets to bounce off its steel skin. Himiko’s psychic blasts from Carmilla have similar effects, washing over the Shadow with little effect.

“Oi…What the hell do you take me for?” The Shadow looks down with mild amusement at the still-conscious Katsuki before he suddenly raises both hands, cupping one hand over his palm, “AP SHOT!”

It was a gamble with a move he’d ever experimented with before this, but theoretically, if he focuses his explosion through a condensed point then it’ll become more concentrated with a force enough to blow through armour.

He grins in satisfaction as the resulting blow knocks the Shadow off Katsuki, rubbing its chin in confusion.

“What the… Almost felt that.” The Shadow grumbled as Katsuki blasted off to get distance between the two of them, “Oh no, you don’t!”

The Shadow grabs Katsuki’s leg and spins before throwing him towards Izuku just as he is summoning a Persona, interrupting the process and sending the two flying into the wall.

“The audacity to try and take my life, but wreck my office as well?!” the Shadow punches both fists against each other, “I’ll take my time, tearing you limb from limb!”

Before it can get close, Himiko strikes from behind, shattering her chains as Carmilla blows a billow of purple smoke that covers its face. A Dormina spell to put one to sleep, but all the effect it had on the Shadow was making it cough.

“Didn’t you read the sign outside? No smoking!” the Shadow grabs the Persona by the throat and snaps it, shattering it into blue shards as Himiko stumbles from the backlash. Immediately it zips over and sweeps its leg, Himiko barely blocking with her daggers in time as she was kicked towards the window panes.

She smashes through but before she can fall, uses one of her daggers to stab into the ground just before the upper half of her body crosses the threshold. Her legs dangle outside as she tries to pull herself back up, only for the Shadow to loom over her.

“Kaina!” Izuku taps his comms desperately as he pushes a dazed Katsuki off him, “It’s eyes! Go for its eyes!”

In an instant, a crack was heard and a mistletoe arrow coated in dark energy struck it right in the eye, causing it to stumble back in pain.

“That’s my cue to reposition.” Kaina informs through their comms, “I’ll try to get back to you as soon as I can. Stay alive!”

“Gdon!” Izuku shatters his chains and the flaming tiger roars before charging at the Shadow at full speed, and so does Katsuki. Their combined might blast the Shadow out of the window just as Himiko pulls herself up and out of the way.

“Fucking asshole…” Katsuki grimaces as he rubs his sore chest before seeing the Shadow’s fall slow to a halt midair, “...Shit.”

Fortunately, he blasts himself away in time, Gdon however was not as lucky, the Shadow flying back through the window like a missile and tearing past the Persona. Izuku falls from the backlash, feeling his stamina drain before looking at the Shadow clinging to the ceiling.

“What did you forget about my Quirk? Dumbasses!” The Shadow cackles before dropping from the ceiling, hovering in the air for a moment before dashing towards Izuku like a missile.

Izuku rolled to the side, but the impact launched him away, smacking into the floor and bouncing off as ribs cracked. Before the Shadow can target him again, Katsuki bursts into the fray and blasts it with a point-blank explosion to the head.

“How many times do we have to do this?” the Shadow taunts as it swipes through the smoke to reach Katsuki, only for him to dodge, using the explosions to manoeuvre behind the Shadow and blasting another AP shot behind the head, “Now you’re getting annoying!”

It reels back a fist before spinning to strike back. Izuku stretched out his hand as the chains wrapping around him shattered, “I am Thou! Thou art I! Ara Mitama!”

The Persona of the Chariot Arcana, looking like a red magatama with an angry face, manifests in front of Katsuki, taking the blow as its body cracks but doesn’t shatter. The Shadow looks mildly surprised at that before Ara Mitama opens its mouth and blasts fire right into its face.

Irritated, the Shadow bats the Persona away as it tries reaching for Katsuki, but the blonde slides under its legs before delivering another AP shot to its back. As he does this, Himiko retaliates by sending Carmilla to slash at it manically with its claws.

“Are we even doing anything?!” Himiko asks while panting from exhaustion.

“Just keep at it!” Katsuki roars as he strafes around the Shadow, blasting AP shots again and again despite his arms almost breaking from the exertion.

“Change…” Izuku raised a shaking hand and pointed at Ara Mitama, returning it to chains wrapping around his body, “Come forth Principality!”

The angel Persona manifests once more, raising its staff as warm blue light washes over Izuku and his allies, their bruises and cracked bones mending in an instant.

“This is a pain.” the Shadow grumbles, not eager for a battle of attrition, “You guys can’t hurt me, and you can patch yourselves up. I can wait for your medic to get tired but…”

It leaps into the air once more, “But where’s the fun in that?! Megaton Raid!”

It strikes the ground like a missile, the entire floor crumbling apart as the shockwave knocks back everyone, causing them to smash into walls before falling down until they hit the floor beneath them. 

Katsuki was able to use his explosions to slow his descent, reaching forward and grabbing a stunned Himiko as he did so, although the extra weight caused him to lose balance and still crash.

Izuku was not as fortunate, having been too far to reach. He lands roughly on rubble, feeling his recently repaired ribs cracked once more. But before he could get up, the Shadow picked him up by the hood,

“How long do you think your pals would last without you?” the Shadow taunts before punching him in the chest directly, and Izuku feels his chest collapse as the wind leaves his lungs.

“Izuku/Deku!” Both blondes call out as Himiko breaks her chains, blasting them again with a psychic blast that has little effect before Katsuki makes a suggestion, “Do that sleep thing again!”

“But it won’t work!” she tries protesting but Katsuki insists,

“Do it! Cover this whole damn room!” he bellows out and Himiko realises his suggestion, holding her breath as Carmilla lets out a larger billow of purple smoke that clouds the room. The Shadow coughs and tries waving it away while Katsuki takes a deep breath before dashing through the room, grabbing Izuku.

“Fucking nerd…” he grumbles before pulling out a small bottle of medicine and pouring it down his throat, “Drink up, damn it.”

The bitter liquid travels down Izuku’s throat and he feels the injuries recovering. But before he can relax, a thundering clap is heard as the smoke blows away.

The giant Shadow stomps towards it only to be interrupted by Himiko leaping onto its back, furiously driving a dagger into its remaining eye. The Shadow screeches in pain before grabbing and throwing Himiko down,

“You little bitch!” it roars as it raises its foot, and Katsuki blasts towards it. However, the Shadow hears him coming, clapping its hands and creating a shockwave strong enough to send the two flying.

Izuku struggles back onto his feet. He knew their foe was going to be strong, but not like this. It was pure overwhelming power. They could only scratch at it while every strike it performs almost kills them. It was a losing battle no matter how you saw it.

His legs tremble not just from exhaustion but fear at this foe. Fear of death.

He tries forcing it out of his mind, he needs to focus. On his friends, on the humans that risk becoming husks if they lose. He tries stepping forward only to fall to his knees. His vision blurs as darkness clouds his vision.

“Is that all you can muster?” a familiar voice fills his head, looking down at his own shadow to see its head tilting towards him with glowing red eyes, “There is a difference between ignoring the looming spectre of death and confronting it. Don’t you agree?”

Before Izuku can respond, the words of Agatha return to mind.

“I urge you to understand, that there is a difference between overcoming one’s fear of death, and simply keeping death out of mind and out of sight.”

“So answer this question. Are you afraid to die?” his Shadow asks with an audible smirk, “Do not give a hollow answer, spouting empty words to cover up your fear, no more false bravado as you strive to mimic the Heroes you admire. Speak from your heart. Are you afraid to die?”

“...Yes. I’m terrified god damn it.” Izuku admits, feeling a weight over his heart, “But we’ve come this far… I won’t let my friends get hurt anymore! I won’t let those people down! I’ll put my life on the line if that’s what it takes!”

He declared as the darkness vanished and his perception returned to normal, returning to reality. Izuku manifests his chains and grabs them, but when he pulls he is met with resistance as the chains refuse to break.

“At last…” a foreign voice entered his mind, but it felt familiar somehow as Orpheus manifested behind him despite the chains remaining, “Forgive the long wait, but I had to make sure… Now I’m certain. You carry the same will to defy death as those before you… Wonderful.”

Izuku pulls harder and the chains start to crack, 

“I am Thou… Thou art I…” Orpheus continues as blue fire engulfs his body, the blue of his body switching to a shade of black as his limbs remain white. The red scarf worn over his neck sets ablaze as it changes to a shade of forest green, with a hood now drawn over his head. In his hands the silver harp morphs, the base of it growing a thick blade, “I now join you as a link in your chains, as you throw off the chains that death has over you. Let us seek the answer to life, through the corpses of our enemies!”

“I hear you… Orpheus Sicarius!” Izuku breaks the chains off as the power of the Persona is unleashed, strumming its lyre and releasing a concentrated blast of wind energy, “Garula!”

The Shadow senses something coming, raising its arms in time to block the blow as the force of the blast was strong enough to push it back somewhat. 

“Cadenza.” Izuku chants and Orpheus Siccarius strums a tune, the strings glowing blue and sparks of light rain over his fallen allies, healing their wounds and allowing them to get up.

“Shit… the hell is this?” Katsuki mutters as he flexes his fingers, “My body’s never felt this light.”

“Feels like I drank a buncha energy drinks at the same time.” Himiko agreed, feeling energy course through her body.

“You fucking pissants… JUST LAY DOWN AND DIE!” the Shadow roars before jumping into the air and flying at them like a missile. But thanks to the spell cast by Orpheus Siccarius, the three of them reacted to the attack quicker than before, leaping out of the way in time and guarding against the shockwave, “Any of you died that time?! Speak up!”

It jumps again and dashes in a random direction, smashing into the walls before repeating again and again.

“The moron’s blind now.” Katsuki grins before barely avoiding being rammed into, “But at that speed, it’s gonna hit us eventually.”

“I got an idea.” Izuku says before grabbing Himiko by the collar and jumping out of the way, “Kacchan! I need you to use all your power! Just pour out as much fire as you can!”

“The fuck?!” Katsuki looks at him confused, “You realise the two of you are still in the room, right?!”

“Trust me!” Izuku says before tapping his earpiece, “Kaina?”

“Yeah, just found a spot…” she pants out, “What the hell’s going on over there? The Shadow’s signature is just… What the hell is it doing?”

“I need you to slow it down! Can you make the shot?” Izuku asks as the Shadow keeps increasing its speed.

“Please. Who do you think you’re talking to?” she asks as the Shadow gets the right angle and flies directly toward Izuku, having cornered him with his own dodging attempts, but the moment it pauses to re-angle itself a powerful bullet punches through the thick walls and smacks it at the side of the head.

The sudden force disorients it enough to delay activating its Quirk, allowing Himiko a chance to summon her Persona and slash at the back of its knees just as it falls back to the ground. The strike causes it to stumble forward while in its dazed state, falling onto a knee.

“NOW!” Izuku exclaims as Katsuki summons the red chains that bind his arms.

“Burn in Hell!” he shouts as Sekhmet is summoned, roaring as it releases a wave of fire. However, at the same time, Izuku shatters his chains, bringing forth Orpheus Sicarius who strums hurriedly on the lyre’s strings.

Blasts of wind surround Katsuki and his Persona(?), guiding the fire into a concentrated blast that strikes at the Shadow. It roars in pain but the force of wind keeps it pinned down as the fire burns it alive. 

The two of them pour all their energy into their respective spells, the wind keeping the fire contained and concentrated, pumping in more oxygen to strengthen it as the Shadow struggles to escape. Eventually, both of them cease using their powers, the mental strain of doing so exceeding their limits, but it did the job.

The Shadow steps forward, steel skin glowing molten orange as it struggles to keep its form stable.

“You… fuck… stay away damn it!” it pleads as the trio surrounds him with weapons drawn, “Do you know who I am?! I’ll make you suffer! Not just you, your families too!”

“Wrong choice of words,” Izuku says angrily at the thought of his parents being threatened. They needed no signal, as the trio immediately leapt forward with coordination that hadn’t seen between them before.

Each strike carved away the molten flesh, perfectly coordinating an all-out attack without a single word being said. They carved away bit by bit until the Shadow collapses on its back, too injured to stand up, especially with its limbs crippled.

“Aichi Nakajima.” Izuku uses the Hero’s real name as he steps up to the fallen Shadow with his gun raised and pointed at the centre of its face, “You’ve hurt plenty of people, abusing your power as Hero just to satisfy your own greed.”

“Stop it…!” the Shadow pleads as it hears the gun click. The shift in its cognition makes the gun reload by itself as he assumes it to be fully loaded to threaten him, “You know what happens if I die? They won’t be afraid of me anymore! Do you want to start a war in my districts? The villains will be back to fighting each other for control, damn it!”

Izuku hesitates at that before steeling himself. He knows that it was a gamble over whether or not the people will change because of this, but he knows this would end the Shadows threatening them, 

“Maybe. But they’ll be safer with the Shadows gone. And people won’t be afraid of you anymore. People will step up and fight for the truth, to protect their homes. We'll make sure your hold over them ends now.”

“In short, shut the fuck up. We’ll take our chances.” Katsuki retorts as the Shadow tries crawling away.

“N-no! Stop! If you do this, the real me-!” The Shadow says but Izuku interrupts with a final shot to the head, silencing him. The Shadow bursts into a pool of dark ink and silence falls around them.

“...Shit. For a moment, that was kinda badass.” Katsuki mutters under his breath, mildly impressed.

“...I have never found you hotter right now,” Himiko says, a slight drool at the edge of her mouth as she stares at Izuku covered in dried blood over healed wounds.

“The Shadow’s signature’s gone. Hell, the Shadows all over this place are dispersing! All those dark crystal stuff are breaking down too!” Kaina says over the comms sounding excited, “Ha! We did it! Rescue the people and get the hell out at your leisure.”

Izuku sighs in relief, about to congratulate everyone as they notice something sticking out of the pool of Shadow blood. Curious at this, Izuku bends over and picks up what looks like a large shard of glass that barely fits in both hands.

“The hell is that?” Katsuki asks as he leans over Izuku’s shoulder and Himiko gets on the tip of her toes to look at it.

Before Izuku could answer, their eyes widened to see Dive Bomb, or rather Aichi Nakajima, unmasked revealing tired eyes staring at them. Izuku almost drops it in surprise as the visage starts talking,

“Look at you… You fucking loser…” he mutters, “What the hell are you doing?”

“The fuck you talking about?!” Katsuki explodes but there is no reaction as the visage continues, shaking his head.

“ …No, they deserve this. Hell, they want this! Why else didn’t they stop you? If they really cared, they’d speak up! But no, they keep their heads down! You’re doing a good thing, the right thing!” the visage says, sounding almost desperate, “You sell Trigger? They want the damn thing, it’s not your fault! So what if you earn a bit of side cash from this? You deserve it… You deserve it for putting up with all their bullshit!”

The figure smiles but it looks forced and desperate, “You’re good… You’re doing the right thing… Don’t forget it.”

“...What was that?” Himiko asks, sounding confused.

“His thoughts?” Izuku wonders, “I think this is how he sees himself, a kind of warped reflection. How he justifies it all.”

“Well, it sounds like bullshit.” Kaina scoffs, “If he really cared, he’d ask help from other Heroes to take down the gangs. But instead, he took over them and used them to sell drugs, buy himself a nice statue, office and building.”

“She’s right.” Katsuki says, “Take that with us. If it works in the real world, we can send it to some real Heroes. Might be proof they need to arrest that fucker.”

“You’re right.” Izuku nods as he pockets the shard, “If it does work in reality, we’ll be sure to send it to the authorities outside his reach. Along with the people below as well.”

“So I guess that’s that then.” Himiko yawns as she stretches her arms, “Man I’m beat after all that fighting. And hungry. Hey, we should go out and celebrate!”

Izuku thinks about her suggestion, “Well… It’s not a bad idea. That was our toughest battle yet, and we saved thirty people from becoming husks! I’d say that’s a good thing to celebrate.”

“I agree.” Katsuki says, surprising Izuku by how willing he sounded, before getting suspicious at his sinister grin, “How about we go for sushi? I mean the real kind, not the conveyor belt shit. Real. Fresh. Delicious. Expensive .”

“What?” Izuku asks, wondering why there was emphasis placed on the last words before he realises, “Wait, you can’t-!”

“I’m down for sushi! I call dibs on the fatty tuna!” Himiko cheers as the two of them start leaving the room, “Oh, and the salmon roe!”

“Just don’t touch the spicy tuna roll and you got a deal.” Katsuki cackles as he pats Izuku on the shoulder on his way out, “Thanks for covering this, you’re actually a pretty cool Boss if you’re paying for all this!”

“Wait! Are you trying to make me go broke?!” Izuku cries out in despair before tapping his earpiece, “Kaina! Talk to them!”

“Aw, I was actually looking for good sushi.” she audibly pouts, “You know, after being stuck ten years in Tartarus. But I guess that’s more dreams crushed.”

“That’s… that’s not fair.” Izuku feels his willpower crumble as he falls to his knees, “That’s not fair!”

“You owe me for the ramen anyway.” Katsuki cackles as he descends the stairs, “Now come on, we still got work to do, Deku! I bet the sushi will taste extra good after a long day’s work!”

“Forgive me, I couldn’t stop them…” Izuku pleads as he imagines his wallet being dragged to hell by hungry demons.

Despite the threat of bankruptcy, the wounds they received, and the exhaustion that made them want to collapse after they were finished, none of them could deny that they felt the bonds between each other deepening that night.

**Hospital || 2XXX July 3rd/Sunday || Morning**

Keigo Takami lands at the entrance of the hospital, his Fierce Wings furling up to allow him to squeeze through the entrance as hospital employees and visitors stare at him in awe.

“Good morning.” He greets with a smile and a wave of his hand as he heads straight to his destination, occasionally sending his feathers to sign autographs for fans trying to approach him, “Sorry, can’t stay long. Here on Hero business. Carry on with your day.””

He takes the lift to the floor where a certain patient was kept, under guard by two police officers ever since his arrest and subsequent hospitalisation.

“Morning gents.” he greets with a two-fingered salute towards the officers who stood to attention, “I’m here to talk with him. What’s his status?”

“The doctors said he’s fit for questioning, sir.” the officer responded quickly and Keigo nodded in thanks before entering the hospital room and making sure the doors were locked behind him. 

Inside he was greeted by the sight of the former Pro Hero, Aichi Nakajima, resting on a hospital bed that was put in an upright position as he stared ahead with a dead look in his eyes.

“Hey, good to see you’re up and awake.” Keigo greets with faux-friendliness, putting on a friendly facade for the former Pro Hero turned Villain, “Looking better since the last time I saw you.”

“...Where’s my lawyer?” Aichi asks with a tone that sounded like he was dead on the inside, “I wanna talk to my lawyer…”

“You’ll get one eventually.” Keigo says as he pulls up a chair to sit next to him, “Feeling up for a few questions in the meantime?”

“Know my rights…” Aichi mumbles while staring ahead, “What the hell did you do to me?”

“Hm?” Keigo raises a brow as Aichi turned agitated, 

“My Quirk… What the hell did you all do to my Quirk?!” Aichi yells as he stares at his empty hands, “I… I tried to use it to fight back, to escape… But I couldn’t… It was like I was four years old again just finding out my Quirk… What did you do to me?”

“That’s what I’m here to find out.” Keigo insists, remembering their battle a few days ago. He was sent to take down a rogue Hero and he didn’t expect much resistance, but his opponent was far weaker than his reports described. Besides not using his Quirk through their fight, he looked like he was having a breakdown of some sort.

It was a hunch, but he arranged for a doctor to check him out of curiosity. That’s when they found out about a damaged Quirk Factor within him. The Plus Alpha Element was deteriorating and degrading for some inexplicable reason, which got the attention of the big wigs of the HPSC.

“We’ll do our best to find out what happened.” Keigo says as he pulls out an evidence bag from his jacket, “Cooperate and I’ll see if I can do anything about your jail conditions.”

“First my empire… Now my Quirk and freedom…” Aichi mutters to himself as if still in his dazed state, “What more do you want?”

“For starters, I want to know about the villain gangs you had under your control.” Keigo pulls out a few news clippings and shows them to him, “ A week ago dozens upon dozens of people suddenly spoke out against you, quite publicly I might point out. Some braver ones reached out to Pro Heroes and police outside your jurisdiction, claiming that the local Pro who was supposed to protect them was in fact allowing questionable things to happen in his territory.”

Aichi remains silent as Hawks continued, showing another news clipping of recent sparks of violence between Villain gangs, “And then the gangs of criminals under your control suddenly went rogue, fighting among each other, ratting each other out to cops, some even turning themselves in out of guilt. For criminals that were under your thumb for so long, doesn’t it seem strange they broke up the band that fast in just a few days? What did you do, collectively piss them off all at once or something?”

Aichi grits his teeth, “I… I don’t know… Everything was going well, profits had never been higher. I was hard on them, sure, but I made sure not to squeeze too hard… What went wrong?”

“And there’s your former side-kicks.” Keigo takes out another file as his expression darkens, “One of them turned themselves in around the same time too. Told us about how you dragged them into crime, forced Trigger on them to make them addicted, and took photos to blackmail them with. Some of them were freshly graduated Heroes.”

Keigo sets them all on Aichi’s lap as he leans back into the chair, “Now I’m all for people coming forward like that, but something’s fishy about it. All this happened in the same week, it seems too much of a coincidence for that to happen in such a short period. Especially with this…”

He pulls out the latest newspaper, “Thirty people reported mysteriously missing were discovered at the same time, dumped in an alley and the emergency services notified from an anonymous tip.”

“I had nothing to do with that…” Aichi mumbles, “Sure I had a few people go missing… But not that many, it wasn't profitable…”

“I believe you.” Keigo says as he pulls out an evidence bag, “But then we found this in one of their hands. Recognise it?”

“What is this?” Aichi asks as Keigo uses his feathers to take out the giant glass shard from the evidence bag and flashes it in front of Aichi like a mirror. Immediately his eyes widened at the sight of himself in the mirror, eyes glowing yellow.

Then the ‘reflection’ starts speaking in his voice, going on a rant that Keigo has heard numerous times while reviewing the evidence.

“We think this has something to do with how your Quirk suddenly broke down, for lack of a better word.” Keigo explains as Aichi’s body shook, “None of the victims had a Quirk that could make something like this, so we assume it's planted by whoever dumped them there. What do you think this is?”

“This…” Aichi’s voice trembled as he started crying, “It’s me… It’s just me…”

“Yeah, we figured that out, but-?” Keigo tries asking again only for Aichi to interrupt,

“Fuck… Where did I go wrong, damn it?!” he cries as he clutched his head screaming, “I tried man, I really tried…!”

Keigo remains silent as he watches the former Pro and Villain have his breakdown before looking at him with eyes red from tears, 

“I did… I confess to it all… Everything I’m accused of. I hurt all those people for my own greed for so long…I’m guilty.” He says, sounding defeated and tired.

“That’s super helpful, but doesn't answer my question.” Keigo presses, “Did anything out of the ordinary happen before this week? Does this jog a memory or two?”

“...A dream.” he mumbles, “I had a dream… I can’t remember it clearly, but I think I was fighting. Kids? Teenagers? That’s all I can remember… I swear.”

“...Teenagers, huh?” Keigo asked before realising this man wasn’t of any help at all, “Well, thanks for your cooperation, I’ll be sure to talk to the judges about your sentence.”

He says insincerely before recollecting the files and evidence, closing the door behind him as he waves goodbye to the officers. As he does he picks up a call from his phone,

“Hawks, speaking.” he regrets as he recognised the voice,

“Hawks. How goes the investigation?” the President of the Hero Public Safety Commission asks over the phone.

 “Yeah, it was a dead end like we thought. It just confirms one thing, we might be looking at a bunch of vigilantes.” Keigo says as he takes the lift up to the roof, “The victims rescued mentioned something about teens as well, can’t be a coincidence.”

“The question is how this is linked. The rogue’s definitely not part of the events behind the mysterious disappearances.” the President points out, “We’ve been keeping the true numbers under wraps for quite a while, now suddenly those that mysteriously went missing are mysteriously re-appearing. If this goes on, people may start asking about how many are truly vanished throughout this country. We cannot allow them to fall into a panic.”

“Right, best to keep them oblivious.” Keigo nods without enthusiasm, “So I take it you want me to track down these ‘vigilantes’? Get some answers”

“At once.” the President affirms, “They are connected to this strange case. We cannot afford to have people lose trust in our Heroes at a time like this, and start placing their faith in outlaws. That would lead to chaos. Find and question them about everything they know about these disappearances.”

“Right. There goes my free time.” Keigo sighs as the lift finally reaches the roof, stepping out and taking to the skies and overlooking the city of Musutafu, “Now where the hell do I start looking for teenage vigilantes?”

Chapter Text

**Cafe || 2XXX July 3rd/Sunday || After School**

“Pro Hero arrested for Villainous Acts…” Izuku mutters as he reads the newspaper out loud, with Katsuki and Himiko at the same table drinking respectively a cup of coffee and a glass of juice, “They say his Quirk Factor’s found to be severely damaged during his arrest, doctors have no explanation as to what the cause is. His trial might be delayed with the possibility of both physiological and psychological issues.”

“I think it’s obvious…” Katsuki speaks in a whisper, eyes looking side to side as if worried about being overheard, “Our little scuffle did more than stop the Shadows, didn’t it?”

“It’s like we thought, it had an effect on the people. But I didn’t think it would have an effect on his Quirk.” Izuku mutters looking aghast, “...It looks like whenever we kill a Shadow, it cripples their Quirks as well. And that’s not all…”

He points to an article talking about the recent spike in crime in Musutafu, “It’s like the Shadow said, he lost control of the gangs and the infighting started. People are already getting hurt because of it.”

An expression of regret washed over his face. He can’t say they didn’t expect this, but it still left a bitter taste in his mouth that people got hurt. It was all for the greater good, stopping the Shadows from hurting more people, as well as the corruption, but still…

“Stop making that face, damn it.” Katsuki interrupts his thoughts with a growl, “It’s disgusting to look at. What, you think it would’ve been better if we left it alone? That asshole was like a rotting arm, you need to cut it off. Sure it’ll hurt but it’s better than having it rot, ain’t that right?”

“...We could have been more careful.” Izuku says, “Besides, we crippled his Quirk, that wasn’t something we thought would happen. What if there’s more we don’t know about? We could get someone killed by accident!”

“So?” Himiko shrugs as she sips her juice, “It’s not like the people we’re hurting are any good. I mean, that guy’s a Villain after all, who knows how many people he’s killed or hurt. What’s the problem?”

“The problem is we’re not like them!” Izuku insists, “We’re not Villains, we don’t kill people just because we don’t like what they do, even if what they do is terrible. We’re better than that.”

“We’re not Heroes either.” she shrugs while stirring her drink with the straw, “Don’t see the big deal. It’s not like anyone would know.”

“We would, and that’s enough!” Izuku says sternly.

“If it bothers you that much, just be more damn careful next time.” Katsuki sighed in annoyance, “That Shadow was begging for its life last time, right? Maybe next time you can scare it into giving up control of its territory instead of killing it?”

“...That could work.” Izuku says, looking at Katsuki with surprise at the suggestion, “They’re not mindless monsters, like the Shadows we’ve been taking down. We don’t have any sure way to know crippling a Quirk is the worst thing it can do. We have to test that out as soon as possible because from now on killing a Warlord Shadow should be our last resort.”

“Killjoy.” both Katsuki and Himiko mutter before the latter shouts, “Jinx! Owe me a soda!”

“Fuck off.” Katsuki says, “I ain’t paying for your crap. Go ask your ‘boyfriend’ to do it for you.”

“I’m paying for lunch again aren’t I…” Izuku sighs as he pulls out his very thin wallet.

“You’re the only one with a job. Two in fact. What else are you gonna spend that money on?” Katsuki snickers as he drinks from his cup of coffee and exhales with relief, “Ahh, coffee tastes better when it's paid for by someone else.”

“Speaking of my ‘boyfriend’...” Himiko takes on a teasing tone, “I’m thinking of a little more…private celebration.”

“Toga…” Izuku buries his face in both hands as Katsuki coughs while drinking his coffee, almost choking.

“And that’s my cue to leave before you ruin my coffee.” he raises his hand to get the attention of a waiter, “I’ll take my stuff to go.”

“Aw, running off already? Don’t be like that, you can join us, you know? I don’t mind having two boys with me…” Himiko teased and Katsuki’s eyes widened before his face flashed an uncharacteristically bright red, banging on the table as he got up,

“Fuck coffee, I ain’t in the mood for it anymore.” he storms off in a hurry, flustered and angry.

“I don’t think I’ve seen Kacchan run off like that before.” Izuku looked at her somewhat amazed before sighing, “Honestly, I can never tell if you’re joking or not.”

“Oh I thought you already knew, I don’t joke with stuff like that.” Himiko smirks, “For someone who sweats a lot he smells really good, and there’s those muscles. Seriously, have you seen those arms of his? I can imagine them wrapped around me while you-?”

“Okay, literally anything else, please!” Izuku desperately looks away as he tries purging the thoughts from his mind, “Look…just tell me where you want to go on our next ‘date’, okay? Preferably somewhere affordable.”

“Eh, I’ll let you decide.” she shrugs, “Take me somewhere you think is nice. It’s usually the boyfriend’s job to pick the date locations, right?”

“Usually?” Izuku raises a brow, “Is that a boyfriend rule I didn’t know about?”

“I mean, it could be?” Himiko looks away, almost unsure, “The boys do it every time in the shows…”

“Shows?” Izuku asks before realising something, “...Am I the first person you dated?”

Himiko blushes at this, “O-okay fine, you are… So what?”

Izuku can’t help laughing a bit, “Sorry, it’s just you’re always confident and flirting. Were all those lines just stuff you memorised from stories?”

Himiko flushes even redder, “H-hey! They work, don't they? Stop laughing or I’ll pick a really, really expensive restaurant! Then I’ll order the most expensive rare steak and dessert before leaving you to pay the bill by yourself!”

“Sorry.” Izuku apologises as he stifles his laughter, “In hindsight though, it’s kinda cute how you’re trying so hard to flirt.”

“...You think I’m cute?” Himiko asks excitedly but quietly and almost embarrassed.

Izuku flushed a bit, realising he said that out loud, “Oh, I did say that… Yeah, I guess so.”

Himiko screeches in excitement and almost leaps over the table onto Izuku, “I knew it, I knew it, I knew it! You do like me!”

“H-hey, stop that! This is a public space!” Izuku cries out as he fends off Himiko’s barrage of kiss attempts.

“So it's fine if we’re not in public?” she teases before Izuku glares and she pouts, “Oh fine… On one condition.”

“What?” Izuku asks, slightly dreading it.

“Call me by my first name.” she says, which confuses Izuku, “You call Tsutsumi by her first name, and you gave Bakugou a cute nickname, but not me! I’m just Toga! Call me by my first name, or make up a cute nickname!”

She demands, clutching his shirt tightly with an intense gaze in her eyes. Izuku gulps before nodding,

“W-well, okay then.” Izuku nods as he braces himself, “H-Himiko…”

She smiles at that, a look almost like relief in her eyes, “I’ll take it.”

**Kaina’s Safehouse || 2XXX July 3rd/Sunday || Evening**

“Alright, not bad.” Kaina comments after looking at the target range they set up on the roof, using pieces of paper with targets printed on them taped to cardboard pieces on sticks.

“None of them hit the bullseye…” Izuku sighs as he reloads the gun with a fresh magazine. While they were airsoft models, doing this action created a cognition that the gun was reloaded with live ammunition.

“Yeah, but look at the bullet grouping.” Kaina points out at how tightly clustered they were despite being nowhere near the bullseye, “You’re definitely getting the hang of keeping it steady, you just need to improve your aim now. Anything more than point blank and you’re off the mark.”

“Well, good thing I have the best shot in Japan teaching me.” Izuku smiled at her, embarrassed at the compliment he was giving.

“Flatterer.” she ruffles his hair again, something she has been fond of doing ever since they first met. While Izuku wouldn’t say it out loud he quite enjoyed the feeling, it was relaxing in a way, “Now back at it. I want to see you fire another fifty rounds before this is over. Then we can move on to the advanced stuff.”

“You mean I can start ricocheting bullets like you do?” Izuku asks, frankly excited by the prospect as Kaina shares his grin.

“Kid, when I’m done with you, ricocheting bullets would be the least impressive thing you can do with a gun.” she assures before holding out a hand for his gun which Izuku hands over, “Now let me show you how you can take down armoured enemies without armour piercing rounds, the trick is going for the joints. Their skin’s impenetrable but there’s still the force behind the bullets…”

She demonstrates on another target, one that was a cardboard cutout he found in a nearby dumpster, firing all seven rounds at the knees and shoulders rapidly and without hesitation.

“Take out the support and throw off their balance, unless they got super strength behind that invulnerable skin then they should be flat on their back,” she explains while handing Izuku back his gun.

“What happens if I run into ones with super strength then?” Izuku asks.

“Then go for the head.” Kaina whips out her Rifle and fires a shot, slamming into the cutout’s head, “Force of the bullet should scramble their brains. But at your skill level, I won’t recommend you immediately go for headshots. If you do run into any, just let your favourite sniper know and she’ll take them down.”

She points a thumb at herself before Izuku asks again, “Well, thanks but I mean in the real world. I’d be running into a lot of different types of Quirks there, I should be prepared to do it without you.”

The proud smile on Kaina’s face fell for a second before it turned bittersweet, “Right… You’re planning to join U.A eventually. I almost forgot.”

An awkward silence fell between them before she spoke up again, “I’ve seen how you are around the people we save from Shadows. If only there were more Heroes like you, maybe there wouldn’t have been a need for me.”

Izuku looks down as he remembers their last target, “...There’s a lot of Heroes like him out there, aren’t there?”

Kaina looks away in shame, “...I’ve killed my fair share of Heroes like him. Some even worse.” 

“How bad does it get?” Izuku asks, almost not wanting to find out. 

“...I’d say the worst was when a Hero Agency contacted a Villain group.” Kaina hesitates, wincing at the memory before she slowly tells the story, “The Heroes offered a large sum of money for the Villains to stage an attack that they’ll repel, boost their popularity and ranking. I was sent to take down both sides before that could happen.”

“I… They were still in the planning stages, it was raining and they were inside a bar. I’ve never killed as many as I did in one night… With that Hero Agency, some of them were just interns dragged into this mess.” Kaina then looks sick and disgusted, “I think about that night a lot… Every move I could have made, all the moves they could have made, and I know for sure I could’ve taken them all down without killing a single person… But orders were no survivors. No one can ever know that Heroes were up to this type of shit, and dead men tell no tales.”

“I… Wouldn’t the news have picked up something was wrong?” Izuku found himself at a loss after hearing that, “An entire Hero Agency sounds like something that would make headlines.”

“The official story was that the Heroes died valiantly fighting the Villains, stopping a terrorist plot before it could be enacted. Buried with full honours and whatnot.” Kaina explains bitterly, “Like always the truth’s buried. God knows how many ‘valiant sacrifices’ were just a lie to sweep them under the rug…”

Izuku felt sick himself as he processed her words, but also guilt, at the way Kaina looked ashamed of herself as she told her story.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have brought that up.” Izuku apologises, 

“It’s fine. Someone besides me and that damned organisation should know the truth.” Kaina says before turning to him, “...I’m sorry it had to be you. I shouldn’t be dumping my problems on a kid.”

“I don’t mind.” Izuku insists, “I…If you want someone to just listen, about things you want to get off your chest, then I’m here.”

“...You won’t like the things you hear,” Kaina says looking away, 

“So what?” Izuku asks, “You know Dive Bomb’s jurisdiction was a few stations away from my place, and yet I couldn’t see all the bad stuff that was happening. I was blind like everyone else.”

He says looking disappointed, “I… I always thought Heroes were the good guys, and Villains the bad, simple as that. But if that’s not true then… I want to understand. The world isn’t as simple as I thought it was, so I need to understand. So that when I become a Hero I can save people who are suffering in the dark.” 

“...The truth is an ugly thing.” Kaina mutters before pausing, “… I honestly don’t want to change the way you see me. I can’t remember the last time anyone’s looked at me the way you do.”

“Whatever you did, it doesn’t change how I see you.” Izuku promises, “You’re the woman who saved my life, the woman who trained me and protected me in these past months. You’re my Hero. If sharing your burden helps you in any way, I’ll do it in a heartbeat. I’m going to be a Hero after all.”

“...So better the painful truth than blissful ignorance, huh?” Kaina asks, still facing away from Izuku, “You better not regret asking to share my burden.”

“You said it yourself, if I want to be a Hero, then there’s no gain without any pain,” Izuku repeats her words from months ago.

“...You’re the real deal aren’t you?” Kaina mutters under her breath.

**Aldera Middle School, Basketball Court || 2XXX July 7th/Thursday || After School**

Izuku pants as he dribbles the ball between his hands as he jogs through the court, and repeats the drills he learnt in the after-school basketball club. There weren't any meetings on Thursdays so he took the time to practise by himself at the court, the experience and exercise would be good for warming up before heading to the Mirror World.

“So this is where Mr Popular’s been hanging out these days.” he hears Katsuki’s voice from the entrance of the basketball court, looking at the blonde in surprise, “Guess the nerd’s a jock now.”

“I think it’s good practice.” Izuku shrugs as he shoots the ball, managing to get it through the loop on the first try, “What’re you doing here?”

“Patrols.” Katsuki grumbles, “I ain’t spending another patrol listening to our vampire nutjob talk about her ‘relationship’ with you. It’s been going insane ever since you started using her first name, now she’s coming up with damn pet names for the two of you. If I have to listen to one more pet name I’m burning down the safehouse.”

“Yeah… She has been going a bit crazy. I’ll see about reorganising our schedule.” Izuku gulps at the imagery before picking up the basketball, “So any preferences then?”

“You.” he says, surprising Izuku, “Don’t give me that look, damn nerd! I can tell half the time that bitch wants to put a bullet in my skull. Besides, do you really want to spend more patrols with your crazy ‘girlfriend’? Who knows what she’ll think of with more ‘alone time’.”

Izuku shudders, “Alright, fine I’ll go on patrol with you!”

“Great. See ya then,” he says, about to storm off before Izuku calls out.

“But hey, before you go, wanna shoot some hoops?” Izuku asks, “Playing against someone would be good practice.”

“Why the hell would I do that?” Katsuki asks, “I don’t have time to waste throwing damn balls around for fun.”

“It’s good practice for coordination.” Izuku shrugs, “Think of it as some extra training.”

“Please, I’ve been in the basketball club way before you.” Katsuki scoffs dismissively, “I quit a while back 'cause it didn’t help me at all. Those dumbasses would keep begging me to rejoin, said the whole club went to crap without their best player.”

“Best player, huh?” Izuku smirks, “Care to test that?”

**Later**

“Damn it!” Izuku curses as he fails to block Katsuki’s shot, going over his head and through the hoop.

“Hah! Seven to three.” Katsuki smirks as he picks up the ball, “Still got it. What do you say to that, Deku?”

“Well, I guess I ate my words.” Izuku laughs, “Still the best player in the school, then.”

“Course I am.” Katsuki says proudly, “There was a reason they kept hounding me to rejoin for an entire year. Told them to fuck off, if it’s not gonna help me be Number One, then it’s a waste of time.”

“...” Izuku ponders on his statement as they resume their game, with Izuku struggling to steal the ball but Katsuk wasn’t letting him, “You’ve always been dedicated to being Number One, even back when we were kids. What do you want to do after that?”

“The hell you mean by that?” Katsuki asks as he uses a feint to throw off Izuku before launching the ball, scoring another point, “What else is there? I’ll be the best, and keep being the best until I die.”

“So no retirement plans, then?” Izuku asked as they went for another round, “What will you do as the Number One Hero then?”

“Beat all the Villains.” Katsuki answered simply before scoring another shot, “Why the hell are you asking all this crap?”

“I’ve just been thinking a lot. After  him. ” Izuku explains as another round begins, “...Why do you think there are Pro Heroes like him?”

Katsuki shrugs as he steals the ball from Izuku, “Competition’s rough if you’re a no-talent loser like he was. Add in desperation for cash and you got a Villain like him.”

“That’s just it. Competition.” Izuku grumbled as he tried guarding, “A Hero was so desperate and greedy they turned to a Villain to earn more money, hurting the people he was supposed to protect because he didn’t see his government-issued stipend as being enough. He wanted more.”

Katuki bypasses him and scores another point, “Get to the damn point already, twenty words or less. I ain’t got the time to be philosophical with you or whatever this crap is.”

“...When did Heroes become more concerned about fame and fortune than saving people?” Izuku asks quietly. Even Katsuki was silent for a while before answering with his usual annoyed attitude,

“Who knows? It’s always been a job.” he shrugs, “Maybe it’s always been like that. Everyone’s gotta look after themselves, being a Pro is another way of doing that. You put on your costume, take down Villains, and go home with your big paycheck.”

“What do you think All Might think about that?” Izuku wonders, “About heroics being more of a job, than actually doing something heroic?”

“...Am I hearing this right?” Katsuki looks almost amused, “All Might’s Number One fanboy questioning his idol?”

“I’d just like to know what he thinks about that.” Izuku shrugs, looking distant, “There’s nothing from him about dealing with rogue Heroes and the like. I realise it’s not enough to just look at Villains as the problem anymore. There’s more than just Villains hurting people out there and I want to figure out what kind of Hero I need to be to save everyone, not just those that are hurt by Villains..”

“It’s simple, just take down whoever it is.” Katsuki replied without hesitation, “That’s the type of Hero I’d be, whether it’s Heroes or Villains or whoever, I’ll take them all on. That’s what it means to be a Hero in my book.”

“Save by winning, huh?” Izuku smiles enviously at his attitude, “You’re really sure of yourself, Kacchan.”

“Course I am.” he scoffs, “You can’t be the Number One if you hesitate on anything. Now are we talking or playing, it’s one or the other damn it.”

“Alright, alright, I’ll shut up,” Izuku says as he resumes their game. He still lost at the end of the day, Katsuki’s previous experience and athleticism proved too much. Still, he was able to learn a lot, and he feels the understanding between the two of them depends on that day.

**Supermarket || 2XXX July 9th/Saturday || After School**

“You really don’t have to do this, Izuku.” Inko assures as the two of them walk down the aisles at the local supermarket, “I can handle a little shopping myself. You told me you were pretty busy.”

“And I told you, I don’t mind.” Izuku smiles at her while checking the list and picking out the items from the shelves, “And that was a while ago, I have a bit of free time now. So don’t worry about it.”

“How are your new jobs? They’re not overworking you, are they?” Inko asks worriedly, “You and your father keep coming home late, looking all exhausted. I’m worried.”

Izuku feels guilty, knowing most of his exhaustion stems from training in the Mirror World and performing their operations, “It’s… Really, it’s nothing that I can’t handle.”

“If you say so.” Inko concedes before smiling, “Whatever you are doing, I think it's good for you. You're happier than I’ve seen you in years.”

“Is it that much of a change?” Izuku chuckles a bit before looking back, “But yeah… I am happy. I’m making plenty of friends these days. I even joined the basketball club recently, and I think I’ll go for the drama club as well.”

“You’re certainly keeping yourself busy.” she smiles at her son before sighing, “Meanwhile the most I do is go out shopping for groceries and sometimes lunch with Mistuki while you and your father are out.”

Inko looks almost sad at this as Izuku realises something. He was mostly out of the house every day, for school, his duties in the Mirror World, and everything in between such as hanging out with the friends he made. His father worked almost every day, only ever seeing him at breakfast and their shared night-time job. That leaves his mother alone most times…

He wants to slap himself for not thinking about that sooner. He had been too worried about his own things, that he forgot about her. He knows what it's like to feel alone, and who knows how his mother felt?

Immediately he seeks to correct it, racking his mind about possibilities before an idea comes to mind, remembering all the advertisements on a bulletin board near their apartment. He pulls out the number and address for a flyer he had torn off and shows it to his mother,

“Hey Mom, if you’re free then how about we go here together.” he asks as she takes it from him, looking confused, “It’s for a sewing club, I saw a flyer near our apartment. It’s not far from us, and they meet up every week. We can go give it a try if you want.”

“A sewing club, is that something boys your age are interested in?” Inko looks unsure, “B-besides, I don’t think I’d be any good at it. The most sewing I’ve done in a while are a few loose buttons on both you and your father’s clothes.”

“We won’t know unless we give it a try. And even if we’re both bad at it, it’ll be a fun time still.” Izuku insists.

“...You don’t have to spend time with a boring old hag like me.” Inko says in a self-deprecating tone, “Kids like you should be out there with friends, enjoying your youth.”

“Well, I can’t enjoy youth without broadening my horizons.” Izuku smiles, “There’s a meeting tonight, let’s head there and check it out.”

“You don’t have to do this just because I’m lonely.” Inko sighed, but Izuku could feel her resolve wavering.

“I don’t have to, but I want to.” Izuku says before looking away sheepishly, “I… I realise we don’t talk a lot, do we? Even before we moved. I love you both, but I only ever knew you and dad as my parents, not the people you are, I want to change that.”

Inko went silent upon hearing this. It was true that even back then even with the love they have for each other there was a sort of distance between them all. A distance that has only been festering and growing lately.

“...I suppose my schedule’s pretty empty.” Inko relents with a smile on her face as Izuku smiles back, “I’ll give it a go, but it’s been a while since I touched a needle.”

“Then you already know more than I do.” Izuku laughs with her as they go on with their shopping.

**Later**

“Well, I was right.” Izuku chuckles as he stares at his bandaged fingers, “You knew more than I do.”

“You really need to be more careful.” Inko chastises as they left the building the club took place in, “Any more and I would’ve thought you were intentionally trying to prick your finger.”

“Guess I’m not as dextrous as I thought.” Izuku says, “But you were pretty awesome with a needle.”

Inko looks embarrassed at the praise, “Guess I’m not as rusty as I thought. Goodness, being in a club like that really brings back memories. I was part of the fashion club back when I was in high school.”

“Really?” Izuku looks impressed, not having known that, “Did you make any dresses?”

“Well, kind of, part of what we did was recycling old clothes and trying to turn them into something fashionable.” Inko smiles at the memories, “Mostly we were just chatting about the latest fashion trends, I actually met your father and Mitsuki there.”

“Wait, Dad was in the fashion club?” Izuku asks, sounding surprised as Inko laughed.

“Oh no, now this was quite the story.” she says, “See your father had a reputation back in high school, he was what he likes to call an ‘arms dealer’.”

“Arms dealer?” Izuku sweats a bit as he imagines his father selling illegal weapons on school grounds.

“Not real weapons of course.” she laughs at his reaction, “Little toys that more mischievous students would use for pranks. Paint bombs, smoke bombs, mechanisms that launch a web of silly string the moment you open your locker, those kinds of things. According to him, it earned him quite a bit of pocket money.”

“I can imagine.” Izuku smiles, thinking how chaotic a school must’ve been if his dad were supplying ‘weapons’ like those, “So how does that lead to you meeting?”

“Our club was preparing for a dress to be shown at a competition. We worked long and hard on it, but one week before the event it was wrecked by a paint bomb planted at our workplace.” Inko continues, “We didn’t know who planted it but everyone knew who sold them. Mitsuki had to keep me from strangling the life out of your father.”

Izuku almost feels nervous upon being told that, wondering how furious she must have been if Mitsuki Bakugou, mother of Katsuki Bakugou with the temper to match, was the voice of reason trying to de-escalate. He decides to thank whatever god was there that day that his father survived and he was born.

“I didn’t know the two of you were such menaces back then.” Izuku laughs along with his mother,

“Oh, we were more insane than you’d think.” she says as her laughter calms down, “Your father helped us track down the prankster, we got our revenge, barely scraped together a new dress with your father’s help, and the rest is history. Besides, you’re too young to hear how we celebrated winning the competition.”

“Ew!” Izuku tries wiping the image out of his mind as she smiles mischievously, “Mom!”

“Don’t be such a prude, sweetie.” Inko laughs before relaxing, “...This was nice.”

“It was.” he agrees, finding the night enjoyable despite his fingers aching, “Let’s do that again next week?”

“Of course.” Inko nods with a warm smile, “I think you can use a few sewing lessons. You never know when they can come in handy.”

Izuku smiles back before a voice rings in his head once more.

“Doesn’t it feel nice, seeing your mother smile? Raising a child with a father who spends most of his days at work can be hard.”  His Shadow whispers tauntingly into his mind,  “I am Thou. Thou art I. With this new bond of yours you grow closer to throwing off your shackles, one step closer towards freedom. The Arcana of the Empress…”

“Izuku, is something wrong?” Inko asks as he puts a hand on his aching head,

“No, I’m fine.” Izuku insists, waving it off, “Just a small headache. How about we go home?”

Chapter Text

Restaurant || 2XXX July 11th/Monday || Evening

“God damn, and here I thought last week was the busiest we’d ever see.” Hisashi Midoriya sighs as he leans back on the public bench with his similarly exhausted son next to him, 

“My mind’s still full of orders.” Izuku pants as the orders of various types of beef and curry bowls echo in his mind, “I thought it would never end.”

“You said it.” Hisashi mutters before turning to his son, “Now unless you want to end up with a job like this for the rest of your life, you better keep studying, you hear me? And making connections, trust me you’re never too young to start networking. Definitely useful for job hunting in the future.”

“Speaking of job hunting, how’s it going?” Izuku asks and his father looks at him with a hopeful smile,

“I’m getting an interview in a few weeks.” He explains proudly, “I got a company that’s willing to give me a chance, I just need to give them some proof I’m as good as I say I am. Gotta make something, a proof of concept at least. That’ll increase my odds.”

Hisashi explains looking a bit nervous as he starts mumbling, “I got my tools but nowhere to make stuff, it’s not like America where I had my own garage. And the materials, where the hell am I gonna get materials for cheap? We’re barely affording rent and food, maybe a scrapyard?”

“Dad.” Izuku cuts in, interrupting his mumbling, “What kind of materials do you need? Maybe I can help?”

“Come on, I can’t be asking my own son to help get a job.” Hisashi looks down, “It should be the other way around.”

“Well… how about this?” Izuku gave a suggestion, “Instead of being ‘helping you find a job’, it’s just me giving you some materials so you can teach me how to make some items. I heard from mom you were a bit of an ‘arms dealer’ back in high school.”

“She told you that?” Hisashi asks, burying his blushing face into his hands, “Oh my god, that was embarrassing.”

“I can get us some materials for lessons. Then whatever spare materials we have after that you can use for your projects.” Izuku continues.

Hisashi pauses to contemplate this before turning to Izuku confused, “Why the sudden interest? You’re not planning to sell them at school, are you? Cause let me tell you, I almost got expelled for that.”

“I just think it’s a cool hobby to have.” Izuku shrugs. Besides that tools such as smoke bombs might be very useful during the operations in the Mirror World. It could help cover their escape or give them edges in a battle if it calls for it.

“...Well, if you can get enough materials, I guess. It’s not a big list, I just need some strong metal plating, good-quality wires and gears. Right now with the funds I have, I can choose those basic materials but I won’t be able to afford some of the more critical components. It’s one or the other.” Hisashi shrugs, “But I’m not sure where you can get them for cheap with a salary like yours.”

“Metal plates and wires, huh?” Izuku rubs his chin in thought, “That’s easy enough. When do you need them?”

“Sunday I guess. Earlier the better.” Hisashi sighs, “But seriously, where are you going to get stuff like that?”

“I have my ways. Just remember our deal, Dad.” Izuku smirks as he feels the bond between them deepen.

**Mirror World || 2XXX July 11th/Monday || Night**

“Yatagarasu!” Izuku calls out as he lands in front of a large pack of Shadows after leaping off a roof, getting their attention as the Persona manifests in the form of a crow with a necklace of wooden magatamas.

The Persona lets out a screech, as all Shadows in the proximity suddenly see red, roaring in blind anger as they chase after him. 

Izuku quickly turned tail and ran, running towards an alley while vaulting and leaping over any Shadows in his way, adding their numbers to the pack that was chasing him. Once he was there he reached out and slapped Katsuki’s outstretched hand, who had been waiting in the alley for him.

“All yours now,” Izuku says as Katsuki smirks, pointing out both his hands glowing brightly.

“Stun Grenade!” he shouts as a blinding light erupts from his palms, briefly stunning the enraged Shadows and halting their charge as Himiko leaps from above them.

“Carmilla!” she slices off her chains with her daggers as the Persona is summoned, “Mapsi!”

Blasts of psychic energy struck all the Shadows, too stunned to resist and knocked onto their backs, helpless as they all drew their weapons.

Without a word needed from Izuku, merely a quick shared glance, all of them tore through the Shadows with blades, gauntlets and hatchets with perfectly executed strikes and not a single wasted move between them all.

“Shadows defeated. That’s all for this district.”  Kaina reports from her vantage point overlooking the area,  “After the Warlord’s taken down, it looks like Shadow activity dropped almost completely. Think we have this whole section of the city cleared.”

“Feels like it. The place’s definitely getting quieter.” Himiko hums as she wipes the black blood off her daggers, “Before it was rough trying to sleep with roads full of Shadows nearby.”

“That means we’re doing good work.” Izuku smiles proudly, “At this rate, I think we should start discussing the next Warlord. As well as what to do after the city’s cleared.”

“You mean how we’re going to stop all this from happening across every city in Japan?” Katsuki grumbled, “There are hundreds of them and only four of us. How long would that even take?”

“Well… if we take into account how it took us two months to train to clear a Fortress, assume that every city has four Warlords, that’s eight months a city. Round up to eight hundred cities in Japan… More than five hundred years...” Izuku counts out with dread.

Himiko sweats at that, “...So no retirement?”

“Maybe once we get stronger the amount of time it’ll take to clear a city will reduce?” Izuku guesses before sighing at their impossible task, “We have to find out how to put a stop to this eventually. There’s gotta be a clue somewhere in this Mirror World.”

“Maybe we can find a way to blow this entire world to hell?” Katsuki suggests, “Seems like the simplest way.”

“Yeah, and possibly cripple everyone in Japan.” Izuku says annoyedly, “The Mirror World’s connected to the psyche of humans, destroying it might do a lot of damage to everyone.”

“I think it’s something for us to talk about once we’re all rested.”  Kaina yawns,  “It’s four in the morning and a school day for you two isn’t it? Let’s call it a night and we’ll get back to it tomorrow.”

“Right. Let’s head home then.” Izuku nods before bending down and searching through the drop remnants of the Shadows.

“...What the hell are you doing?” Katsuki asks, confused as Himiko looks over his shoulders with curiosity.

“Oh, my dad needs some material for his inventions.” Izuku explains as he plucks out a plate of metal covered in sticky black substances from a mechanical Shadow, “Do you mind helping me carry these back?”

**Mirror World || 2XXX July 13th/Wednesday || Evening**

Izuku runs through one of the various buildings of the Mirror World, gauntlets equipped and pistol in hand as blasts of lightning shoot from outside of the building trying to strike him. Once the blasts of lightning cease, Izuku grabs a nearby chair and flings it outside the window.

As he had guessed, the knight Shadow outside was waiting for him and blasted the first thing it saw coming out of the building, destroying the chair with a single thrust of its lance, shooting out a bolt of lightning.

As it does so, Izuku leaps out from a different window, landing with a roll as Kaina taught him before unloading his gun at the Shadow at legs and shoulders to destabilise it, knocking it off its invisible horse.

Izuku leaps at it, gauntlets reeled back before the Shadow quickly recovers and thrusts with its lance. Fortunately, Izuku raised his arms to defend and at the same time, he twisted his body mid-air, allowing the weapon to only graze his gauntlets.

Falling on top of the Shadow, Izuku grips its mask as it pushes itself up, desperately trying to shake him off before the mask is torn. But it was too late, and the Shadow screeched in agony, stabbing with its lance everywhere in a blinded state as Izuku lept off.

Once it recovers enough to see again, it charges angrily at Izuku who calmly waits for it before plucking a magatama from his pocket, bursting with light energy as he throws it at its face, detonating in a flash and burning part of its head off.

He steps to the side as it stumbles to the ground, and Izuku reloads his weapon and finishes it off with a burst of fire to the head. Once it was done, he sighed in relief before looking up at the roof,

 “Enjoyed the show?” he asks, exhausted as the Merchant steps off the roof, falling and landing gracefully, not even making a sound as their foot touches the ground.

“Quite.” They nod as they open their black tome, jotting something down with a feathered pen, “It was educational to see one take down a powerful Shadow with simply their physical abilities and weapons.”

“Well, it’s mostly because of your weapons.” Izuku admits as he looks down at the gauntlets and gun in his arms, “Wouldn’t have been able to land a scratch without these.”

“I’m glad to hear that, dear client.” the Merchant nodded as they bent down, looking over the rapidly dissipating corpse, “Marvellous, the things I could have done with you if they hadn’t reached you first…”

“You mean Igor and Agatha?” Izuku asks as the Merchant pauses their writing, “How do you know them anyways?”

“...This is a simple, professional transaction, dear client.” the Merchant reminds in a neutral tone as they continue their work, “I supply you with equipment, and you supply me with data and materials for my experiments.”

“Experiments to prove what?” Izuku presses, “I’ve been helping you out with this for months. Shouldn’t I get a clue on what we’re working on together? What’s all this for?”

“To prove I was right!” they snap as they stand up suddenly, turning to glare with eyes flaring red like flames, before realising their outburst and calming down. 

Izuku was taken aback by the outburst, and especially the immense power that radiated from the Merchant, making him shudder in terror at the overwhelming disparity in strength

“...I confess, I am well acquainted with the residents of the Velvet Room.” the Merchant sighs as they continue their work, “We have a… disagreement, you might say. I do this to prove a point. Prove myself…”

“Prove yourself?” Izuku mutters before shaking his head, “Well, if you need anything else be sure to let me know.”

“Of course. You continue to prove your worth, client of mine.” the Merchant nods before reaching into the pile of goop and plucking out a shard of metal, dropping it into their open tome before slamming it shut. After a moment they open it again, putting a hand in and whipping out a card.

“Take it.” the Merchant says as Izuku catches the card, and it suddenly shifts into another gun. This time it looked to be a type of revolver, “Your reward for this contract. Now begone, I wish to be alone for the rest of my work.”

“...Alright.” Izuku nods reluctantly as he pockets the revolver, “Just let me know if you need anything else. I’ll do my best to help you.”

“And I look forward to your continued patronage and assistance.” the Merchant nods before sighing at the familiar sensation of their bonds deepening, “Note to self, avoid revealing unnecessary information about self in future.”

“Is it really that bad?” Izuku asks, “I mean, you said you wanted to see me get stronger, the more I get to know you the stronger I get.”

“But not in the way I wish…” the Merchant mutters before dismissing him, “Now, as you were, client. It will be a busy night for me.”

**Internet Cafe|| 2XXX July 15th/Friday || After School**

“No, no, no!”  DecayLord screams from over the headset Izuku was wearing as they fought hard against the foes, desperately hoping to go into overtime with a tie and then counter-attack. But it was all for nought, the enemy team’s defence was too strong.

“YOU LOSE”

Izuku sighed as the screen turned red, calculating their EXP and lost Rank Points from the match he heard smashing over the headset,

“Hey, you alright there DecayLord?” Izuku asks in concern.

“Fuck! Another fucking keyboard!”  DecayLord roars in anger before shouting to someone,  “Kurogiri! I need another damn keyboard! Then I want to find whoever these assholes are and fucking murder them! What the shit was that?! Those damn cheaters, they had to be!”

“Easy, easy, take a breath and calm down alright?” Izuku tries to sound soothing as DecayLord is heard taking deep breaths, “Better?”

“No.”  he grumbles petulantly before sighing,  “I broke my keyboard again. Kurogiri! Where’s the spare? …What do you mean that was the spare?! Get me another right now! …No, I don't want a drink to calm down, I want revenge!”

“Hey, I don't know who you’re talking to but you shouldn’t take your anger out on them.” Izuku says, “You’re just mad at losing, not at them, right?”

“...Yeah,”  DecayLord grumbles.

“So shouldn’t you apologise to them?” Izuku asks, “Come on, you wouldn’t like to be yelled at right?”

After some grumbling, he heard DecayLord yell out some form of apology,

“Fine. Sorry… Why are you so surprised?!”  DecayLord shouts before turning his attention back to the game,  “I won’t be getting a keyboard in a while… Guess we’ll call it a day.”

“We don’t have to end yet.” Izuku suggests, “We can just talk.”

“...I guess.”  DecayLord says non-committedly,  “So… what’s up? Still learning useless crap at school?”

“Guess I am.” Izuku shrugs despite them not being able to see each other, “What about you? How have you been doing this past month?”

“Good, can’t complain.”  DecayLord mumbles boredly,  “Not a lot of excitement really. The most important was the news of that Pro last week. You know, that Villain Hero.”

“...You mean Dive Bomb?” Izuku asks nervously and DecayLord laughs,

“Yeah, it’s a fucking joke, isn’t it? All those Heroes preaching about protecting and here they are doing villain crap. What the hell is the difference between them at this point?”  DecayLord says mockingly.

“Not all Heroes are like him.” Izuku sighs, “But there’s definitely plenty of bad apples like him in the world. Maybe worse.”

“Really?”  DecayLord asks, sounding amused,  “You know most of the comments I’ve read on the news all go on like he’s the sole exception. You’re not a braindead Hero lover, I take it?”

“What do you mean by that?” Izuku asks, confused.

“I mean you’re not like those dumbasses out there.”  DecayLord scoffs,  “Most of them go on about how Heroes are the best thing to ever exist and how they solve everything. Fucking bullshit I say.”

“...That’s a bit of a problem isn’t it?” Izuku sighs as he recalls his own thoughts and his talks with Kaina, “People are so dependent on Heroes that we look away from hard stuff. Because a Hero can solve anything, we ignore trouble in front of us. Did you know that the area Dive Bomb patrolled had people taking Trigger in public? Gangs openly recruiting in broad daylight?”

“No shit?”  DecayLord snorts,  “Fucking hilarious. These morons are so blind that they ignore the real Villains in front of them.”

“I think it's sad.” Izuku says not liking how cavalier his attitude is, “I like Heroes, I think they’re pretty cool, but seeing how we take them for granted… I wonder at what point we just gave up and decided they can solve all our problems?”

“Well, aren’t you something special? Never heard of a Hero fan who hates Heroes as well.”  DecayLord laughs,  “Careful with that talk, people might start calling you a Villain.”

“Why do you think that?” Izuku asks.

“Seriously? Look at all those brain-dead comments on all the forums. Anyone talking crap about Heroes gets ignored and gets called Villains for thinking Heroes are oh-so-perfect.”  DecayLord grumbled,  “It’s sickening, don’t you think? Makes me want to break something just reading them kissing Heroes asses. Take a look.”

Izuku frowns at that, pondering on what DecayLord says. He receives a link from their DM and opens it, reading an article published recently that talks about how Pro Heroes in general needed more oversight and scrutiny after the recent scandal with Dive Bomb.

Scrolling down to the comments it was quite evident that those who agreed with the article were in the minority, dozens and dozens of accounts talking about how doing so would be detrimental and harmful, making it easier for Villains to prey on them. Some of the more extreme comments called for the author’s arrest, thinking they were actually a fear-mongering Villain trying to capitalise on the scandal.

“See? Villains do crap and they get called monsters. Heroes do that and they’re just ‘tragic, misunderstood’.They just want to live under a lie that they’re safe and comfy with Heroes flying around.”  DecayLord points out sounding disgusted.

“Because they’re scared of Villains.” Izuku says after thinking about it for a minute, “Villains use their Quirks to commit crimes, the police can only do so much as they legally can’t use their Quirks to fight Villains, and that means only Heroes can fight Villains. That’s why people are so afraid, they think Heroes are the only things in the world that can protect them.”

That was a problem, Izuku admits. Every person who commits crimes would use a Quirk, after all, why not? Legally, they would get the same punishment as using a deadly weapon, which makes little difference to their sentence. And while police may be able to deal with lower-tier Villains, there were plenty that couldn’t be beaten with batons or guns, requiring Pro Heroes to step in.

“It’s like a monopoly.” Izuku mutters as he realises this, “The demand is something that can protect people against Villains with powerful Quirks. The only suppliers are Pro Heroes.”

“So they rather live in a comfortable lie.”  DecayLord grumbled,  “You ask me, they should just tear that lie apart. Pull the wool off their eyes and throw them into cold, hard reality.”

“...Or maybe they can do it themselves.” Izuku thinks of how the people stood up to Dive Bomb after the Shadow’s hold over their territory was destroyed, “If they’re given the courage to stand up for themselves, I think they will. If they aren’t afraid anymore, people can look beyond the lies and fight for their truth.”

“Or maybe they just need something to shock it out of them.”  DecayLord mumbles,  “Something that big, bold, that forces them to see the truth.”

“It sounds chaotic,” Izuku says in disapproval.

“It’s realistic.”  DecayLord scoffs,  “People are idiots who can’t think for themselves. Except for you. You’re definitely different from those idiots.”

“Thanks?” Izuku feels unsure whether he should be complimented or not, but despite this, he can feel the bond between the two deepen from this debate.

He thinks it serves another purpose as well. He now has another reason to fight in the Mirror World. People are so dependent on Heroes because of their fear, that they are willing to ignore and endure the corrupt Heroes that exploit them. So he’ll kill their fears, and give them the courage to stand for themselves, to look past the fog and seek their own truth.

**Sanada Gym || 2XXX July 16th/Saturday || After School**

Izuku hums a tune to himself as he makes his way to the Sanada Gym, stepping out of the train and making his way through the station before his eyes spot a familiar figure waiting near the platform.

“Amajiki-senpai?” Izuku looks at the teen in surprise, whose head snaps towards Izuku after being called out, “What are you doing here? You’re usually at the gym by now.”

“I…told them I’d be late.” Tamaki mumbled nervously as he kept staring at the wall he was leaning on, “...I need your help.”

Izuku was instantly alarmed by this, hand already going to his phone and finger hovering over Katsuki’s number, ready to call in everyone he knew. If a Hero Student interning for Fat Gum and a member of the Big Three needed help from a middle schooler, it must be something big.

“What’s going on? Are you in danger? Is a Villain after you?” Izuku rattles off in worry as Tamaki grimaces.

“Worse… Villains I can handle…” Tamaki says, “It’s people… It happened again…”

“Huh?” Izuku blinks confused as Tamaki explains,

“Remember the convenience store?” he asks, “It happened again… Fatgum had to step in for me and defend the both of us. I’m the worst intern ever and yet he still wants me to be his side-kick when I graduate…”

“Well, people can be intimidating.” Izuku tries comforting the older student, “I mean sometimes I find it easier to punch than talk. But this is something you’ll get through! I was pretty scared of talking before, but I got over it. If I can do it, so can you.”

“Yeah, that’s why I was waiting for you here…” Tamaki says, surprising Izuku, “I need your help Midoriya. I need you to teach me to get over this…”

“Me?” Izuku asks surprised, “Why me? I… Can’t Togata or Nejire-senpai help you?”

“They tried.” Tamaki grimaces at a memory, “They got me to try blind dating to get over my anxiety… Those were the most embarrassing moments in my life…”

“They’re just naturally good with people, and I’m not…” He turns to face away from the wall, glancing at Izuku, “But you said we were similar before, right? Maybe you’ll have better luck then…”

Izuku pauses to think on that, wondering just how he was supposed to help someone conquer their social anxiety? Hell, he wasn’t really sure how he did so, maybe because he had extra motivation due to wanting to deepen his social links?

“Please, I want to be a better Hero… I can’t do that if I’m scared of talking with the people I’m protecting.” Tamaki pleads, “I- I know you’re probably busy, but I can make it worth your while! I still have the textbooks and learning material from U.A. last year, so I can tutor you. Give you a headstart.”

Izuku’s eyes widened, “W-wait, you don’t have to do that, really! I’d help you either way!”

“Really?” Tamaki looks relieved at that, 

“Yeah. We’re friends after all. Friends help each other out.” Izuku assured with a warm smile, and Tamaki was forced to look away.

“So bright… Just like Mirio.” he mutters before adding, “Then I’ll tutor you anyways if you don’t mind… Since we’re friends.”

“It’s a deal then.” Izuku nods, feeling the bond between them deepening after their deal, “Should we head to the gym now? I’m feeling a bit more confident today, I think I might land a blow on Togato-senpai today.”

“...Miracles might happen.” Tamaki shrugs, a wry smile growing slightly on his face as Izuku laughs.

**Velvet Room || 2XXX July 16th/Saturday || Evening**

“Welcome to the Velvet Room.” Igor greets Izuku as he wakes up, “It seems you have been making extraordinary progress in the past month, Izuku Midoriya.”

“In no small part thanks to you.” Izuku smiles at Igor and Agatha, “I wouldn’t have been able to get this far if not for you two.”

“Do not underestimate your own presence in your progress, dear guest.” Agatha returns the smile as she opens her binder, cards flying out of them and arranging themselves in a line. Izuku recognises them all, as the Arcanas he has in his heart.

The Fool, Magician, Empress, Lovers, Strength, Tower, Devil, Star, Sun and Aeon.

“You have connected with many individuals in your journey so far, deepening your bonds with all of them and growing in power. You have also been mastering your own soul, strengthening it by accepting my Fusion assignments.” Agatha says, sounding proud as the cards returned to her binder, “And not to mention you taking the power of Orpheus for yourself. I have yet to identify how you received it in the first place, but I have a premonition that you may unlock such Persona in future, those wielded by others before you.”

“In recognition of your efforts and these recent developments, we have decided to grant you access to another ritual to aid in your growing strength.” Igor says before gesturing at his assistant, “Agatha, kindly show him to the ‘gymnasium’ if you would.”

“The gym?” Izuku asks as Agatha nods, “Yes. Now if you would please follow me?”

She snaps her fingers and the door out of the classroom open, holding out her arm for him to link with as they leave the classroom.

***

“Welcome to the Gymnasium.” Agatha explains as they enter a large blue high school gym looking reminiscent of the basketball court in Aldera, “In here we take into account previous battles in your memory, recreating them so you can improve upon yourself. Cognition recreations of your teammates will also be available, acting according to your memory to practise both your combat ability and leadership skills.”

“So I can judge how much stronger I’ve grown?” Izuku asks, looking around in awe, “I can practise here however much I want?”

“Yes. And to make things a little more challenging, you may ask for me to implement rules and conditions for you to fulfil for these Challenge Battles.” Agatha explains while pulling out a blue board and checklist, “Complete my challenges and you’ll be rewarded accordingly with new skills to grant your Personas. I even added a little something extra, borrowed from my elder sisters.”

“Like what?” Izuku wonders as she flips through the list.

“Oh nothing much, simply a cognitive recreation of their Wild Cards at their prime.” Agatha explains before an almost competitive look grew on her face, “I wish to see you prove yourself against these recreations eventually, triumphing over them. Oh, I am positively bursting with excitement at the thought.”

“Well, I’ll try my best not to let you down.” Izuku promises before pumping his fists, “Heck, why don’t I give it a go now? You said that Orpheus was used by another Wild Card before, how about I try against him?”

Agatha’s eyes widened at that, “Now? My dear guest, despite my faith in you, such a challenge might be… beyond you at the moment.”

“No time like the present, right?” Izuku shrugs as he stretches his shoulders, “Besides, even if I lose it’ll give me a good idea how far I have to go as a Wild Card. I want to be the best I can be, so I don’t let you down.”

Agatha looks flustered at that, “W-well, if my guest insists, then I have no choice but to comply. Please know that I will repair any damages done to your body after such a battle, so feel free to go all out without fear of death.”

She steps away from the court to where the benches are, ripping out a page from the checklist before throwing it to the other end of the court. It burns with blue flames, setting the ground on fire as it lands, manifesting a figure with blue hair.

To Izuku’s surprise, the person looked just a bit older than he was and only a bit taller by two inches. He wore a black uniform with a school logo he didn’t recognise as well as a red armband with the words ‘S.E.E.S’. Around his neck were a pair of ancient-looking clip-on headphones and a cylinder-shaped music player. In his hands was something that looked like a gun, but not a model he recognised, and in the other was a steel shortsword.

Izuku also finds himself suddenly armed with his familiar gauntlets as Agatha speaks up, “The round will begin at your leisure. Attack when you feel as if you are ready.”

“Alright.” Izuku nodded as he turned to face his foe who wore a blank look on his face as if he was almost bored. He manifests his chains and pulls at them, “Come forth, Orpheus Sicarius!”

The Persona manifests with its lyre drawn and ready, in response to this the blue-haired boy raises the gun-thing and points it to the side of his head.

“Persona.” the blue-haired boy utters before pulling the trigger.

*Later*

 Izuku gasps as his eyes open wide as air enters his lungs. 

“I told you this battle was beyond you.” he hears Agatha’s voice as his vision clears, realising she is looking down from above him with a stern look on her face.

“W-what happened?” Izuku groans as he rubs his sore head, “Did I lose? I don’t remember anything.”

“Terribly so.” she nods, “It must have occurred so quickly your mind couldn’t register it. You are fortunate I am here to heal your wounds.”

She says as she places a warm hand over his chest and Izuku feels the pain subside before realising his head is lying on something soft. His face flushes red as he realises from this angle, that the most likely explanation he had was that his head was resting on her lap.

Immediately he tries getting up but finds it impossible with Agatha’s hand pressing down on him.

“Please stay still, you need to recover,” she says and Izuku reluctantly settles down, trying his best to ignore how soft it was and focusing on her eyes… Her pretty yellow eyes.

“I told you that this battle was beyond you.” she pouts at him, “Sadly, I am not surprised. Elizabeth was always so proud of her Wild Card, always bragging about him whenever we met. I’m sure both Margaret and Lavenza were infuriated as well.”

“...I have so far to go.” Izuku realises as he clenches his fist, but instead of being disappointed, he smiles.

“You are smiling.” Agatha notes with confusion, “But you lost. What is there to be happy about?”

“Because if he’s a Wild Card like me, then I can grow as strong as he was, right?” Izuku asks while looking up at her.

“Perhaps even stronger.” she nods with her own smile, “All Wild Cards tread their own paths, and find their own strength. Their Journeys are unlike yours, just like yours is unlike theirs. They have power you lack, and you will have power they lack.”

“Then I’ll work hard to get stronger.” Izuku promises, “Then maybe you can brag about me to your sisters one day.”

“I look forward to that day then.” she smiles as her other hand strokes his hair and his face flushes red, “But for now, perhaps we should stick with challenges that are within your level? Fighting one defeated the Avatar of Death itself seems beyond you at the moment.”

“That’s a good point.” Izuku chuckles before realising what she said, “Wait, Avatar of what?”

***

“As always it was a pleasure seeing you work.” Agatha bows in farewell as the two exit the Velvet Room, “I look forward to your next visit.”

“And I hope to see you again.” Izuku says before stopping in his tracks, “Oh right, did you have someplace you wanted to visit?”

“Not at the moment.” Agatha shakes her head, “But I will be sure to let you know the next time I do. Please, do not fret over my requests.”

“Alright, but just know I’m always here to help if you need it,” Izuku assures.

“It should be me saying those words to you.” Agatha smirks before her hand moves up to his neck, tugging slightly at the chain necklace given to him, “...I see you still wear the gift? Have you figured out its intended use yet?”

“N-not really.” Izuku admits, embarrassed, “I’m pretty busy with everything.”

“Of course you are. I cannot wait to see your reaction.” she giggles excitedly, “And if the future I have read is accurate, you may find yourself to be more busy than expected.”

“Really? How so?” Izuku asks as Agatha opens her binder,

“Hm, perhaps a little hint as a form of thanks for all your hard work.” she says playfully, raising a finger to her lips as two cards hover over her open binder, “My master may scold me if he finds out, so please keep this between us.”

The Priestess and Justice. The IInd VIIIth Arcana, Izuku recognises.

“The Priestess, one caught between a clash of her desires and interests.” she explains, “And Justice, one that holds law and order above all else. Time will tell what this truly means, but I can tell without a doubt that they will be vital in your Journey.”

“They? You’re saying I’ll meet these people in the future?” Izuku asks, “How far ahead?”

“I am unable to decipher an accurate time.” Agatha says as she slams the binder shut, “But no doubt you will confront this as you always do.”

“Getting my butt kicked by a powerful Shadow?” Izuku says half-jokingly.

“With your companions at your side, a clever plan in mind and a smile on your lips.” Agatha corrects, “I have said enough, now I simply wish you luck in your future endeavours.”

**2XXX July 17th/Sunday**

“G-get lost, damn brats!”  a man in a business suit with glowing yellow eyes shouts,  “I saw what you did to the other one… Damn it, just as I was about to expand my territory!”

“You can try, if you want to test your power against us,” Izuku warns with his new gun pointed at the Shadow’s head, his friends next to him readying their own weapons.

“D-don’t look down on me! No one can do that anymore!”  the Shadow roars before bursting, morphing into its true form.

**2XXX July 18th/Monday**

“-and in further news, the CEO of a small tech company located in Musutafu was arrested yesterday, after several victims among his workforce came forth with evidence of breaking labour laws. Upon further investigation, the police have also discovered several illicit backroom dealings-”

**2XXX July 19th/Tuesday**

“Wake up! The both of you!” the teacher slams a fist into his desk, startling both Katsuki and Midoriya awake, “Since the two of you are so relaxed, how about you solve this question?!”

“Jeez, both of them are sleeping a lot in class nowadays.” a student whispers to another, “What’s up with that?”

**2XXX July 20th/Wednesday**

“Midoriya! Wake up, break’s over!” Izuku’s boss at the tech shop shouts at him before dumping a box into his lap, “Get to stocking and arranging the shelves now!”

**2XXX July 22nd/Friday**

“Hey, I think I’m getting better at this.” Izuku looks at the shirt with a hole that was recently and clumsily stitched up.

“At least you didn’t lose a finger.” His mother giggles, “Now let me show you how to hide the stitches.”

**2XXX July 24th/Sunday**

Both Hisashi and Izuku Midoriya cough as they open the window to a garage that their landlord was willing to lend in exchange for his father performing some free repairs through the apartment.

“Well, it’s a learning experience at least.” Hisashi coughs as the smoke blows out the window, “Now you know how many components to add, and that you shouldn’t test smoke bombs in a closed room.”

**2XXX July 25th/Monday**

**2XXX July 26th/Tuesday**

**2XXX July 27th/Wednesday**

**2XXX July 28th/Thursday**

*̶̝̈́*̵̹̫̀2̵͕̇X̶̜̐X̶̠̂͘X̴̦̓̍ ̵̭̭̇̿J̷͚̹͂̇ṳ̸̚͝ͅl̸̥̖̑y̵̢̱͌ ̸͕͠2̵͔̪̀̑9̸͚̬͠t̶̘̊͝h̶͙̬̃/̶̨̄F̷̪͇͗̅r̸͌͗͜i̷͚͚͝d̶̗̎͝á̷͙ÿ̴̫̗́*̸̞͛̑*̴͍͔͐

* *2XXX July 30th/Saturday**

**2XXX July 31st/Sunday**

All four of them meet up in the safehouse of the Mirror World. Even Himiko was looking worried at the newspaper Izuku brought to them, two articles cut out and placed in front of them.

“...This never happened before,” Kaina says looking confused and concerned.

“Well, it’s happening now.” Katsuki mutters, “I guess we know where we’re headed next.”

“Do we have to?” Himiko groans, “It’s not even in Musutafu. So far…”

“It’s only a few stations away. And it’s important.” Izuku says as he looks down at the articles, “If this is accurate, then it changes everything. Thankfully we’ve cleared most of the Shadows in the city, so this just became our top priority. We might even start getting the truth of the Mirror World.”

‘Entire Class Disappears After Museum Trip’

‘Black Monsters Sighted in Danchui Ward? New Villains or New Horror Trend?’

Chapter Text

**Danchui Ward || 2XXX August 1st/Monday || After School**

“So while we’re stomping the pavement, she’s off lazing about?” Katsuki grumbled as he stood on the train due to no seats being available.

“She’ll come see us once it gets dark. It’s too risky in broad daylight.” Izuku says as he stands next to Katsuki, hands on the overhead handles, “Besides, it’s good to practise our detective work, won’t it? Not all Hero work is about punching Villains.”

“I’m just happy to spend more time with you, Izu.” Himiko says, curling up to his arm and holding on tight, “Maybe if we have the time we can go shopping together. Just you and me?”

“We’re here for work, dumbass.” Katsuki growls, “You can do your hanky-panky shit when this is over.”

“I’m not made of money you know?” Izuku groans, remembering how thin his wallet was nowadays.

Eventually, their train arrives at the stop at Danchui Ward. They stepped off and made their way out of the station and aboveground where they immediately noticed differences with Musutafu, 

“Sure are plenty of cops,” Katsuki notes under his breath as they pass by several policemen, 

“The case is pretty big.” Izuku nods, looking a bit nervous, “An entire middle school class mysteriously went missing in broad daylight last Friday. According to the news the bus they were on suddenly crashed, resulting in a huge pileup. By the time first responders and Heroes arrived, they found everyone that was on the bus went missing. The students, teacher, and the driver.”

“So you think Shadows were involved?” Himiko asks in a conspiratorial whisper, “I thought they only kidnapped people at midnight? You don’t think it’s something else?”

“Maybe. But it’s a hell of a coincidence it happened with this going around.” Katsuki raises his phone to show a blurry picture of a black blob taken from a shaky smartphone’s camera in a dark alley at night, “This pic’s been trending on Twitter, people think it's either a Villain or some monster. But we know otherwise.”

“What happened to the poster?” Izuku asks as Katsuki scrolls through the app,

“They said they ran away after taking the photo, like a fucking pussy.” he says dismissively, “If it wasn’t for the fact a huge accident and an entire class went missing around the same day, it wouldn’t have gotten this much attention.”

“Shadows attacking in the middle of the day…” Izuku mutters with dread, before rubbing the back of his neck, “You can feel it, can’t you? This place isn’t like Musutafu.”

Katsuki clicks his tongue and doesn’t look in his direction, but Izuku knows he felt it as well. So did Himiko, if holding his arm tighter was any indication.

“If this keeps happening we might be looking at Shadows attacking in broad daylight all over the country. Our mission’s to find info for now, before investigating the Mirror World at night once Kaina arrives.” Izuku briefs them, “We’ll split up to cover more ground. I’ll take the crash site and look into any other disappearances.”

“I’ll check around for the rumours of the Shadows,” Katsuki says.

“This is so cool like we’re a team of detectives,” Himiko whispers excitedly, 

“We’re not playing detectives.” Katsuki grumbles, “And what the hell will you be doing?”

“I’ll look into the Shadow rumours too.” she shrugs before puffing her chest proudly, “Unlike you, I’m actually good with people, so I can talk with them easier than you.”

“Like hell, you can!” Katsuki snaps, “Your creepy ass would freak out more people!”

“I’m not freaky! I’m adorable! Cute!” Himiko retorts, almost climbing over Izuku to get to Katsuki as Izuku fights to keep her down, “You’re the one that looks like an angry dog with rabies!”

“Come on, you wanna go, bitch?!” Katsuki roars back as he slams his fists together.

“Guys, guys! Calm down, we’re in public!” Izuku hisses at them, pushing them both away from each other, “I swear, it’s cats and dogs with you two. Just do your own investigations and leave each other alone, but come back here when it’s six, alright?”

“Don’t tell me what to do,” Katsuki grumbled before storming off, not noticing Himiko making insulting faces at him as he left,

“You shouldn’t rile him up, Himiko.” Izuku sighs as she climbs off him,

“Hmph, he shouldn’t be a dick then.” she pouts before grabbing him by his jacket’s collar, “So how about a kiss for good luck before I go?”

“Really?” Izuku sighs before bending down and pecking her on the cheek. 

“Hm, doesn’t feel as good as the first.” Himiko says, sounding curious, “Maybe because it’s easier to get them now. Maybe a smooch on the lips would-?”

“And I’ll see you later.” Izuku quickly detaches himself from her and hurriedly jogs off before she gets any ideas. If he gave in then she’d ask for more than a kiss eventually, and he doesn’t want to know where that would lead.

**Later**

Izuku looks beyond the barrier of police tape where the scene of the crime happened, along with many other curious passersby with nothing better to do. The entire street was blocked off as officers and forensic scientists investigated the crime scene and was mostly cleared of other vehicles involved in the accident, with only the bus remaining.

It was hard to see in the distance, but Izuku could tell every window was shattered, and he’d wagered the mirrors inside the bus as well. Perhaps even the smartphones the students had been using while on the bus.

His knowledge of Shadows told him that while they didn’t necessarily need a shatterpoint to drag in humans, they could do so from any reflective surface, but it could only happen at midnight.

There were even Heroes on the scene as well, he could tell they were beginning to move the bus out of the building it crashed into without destabilising it. Pretty soon it would be gone, brought elsewhere so they could conduct a full investigation but he could guess they would find nothing.

He brought out his phone, disguising himself among the many other civilians as they snapped photos of the crime scene. Perhaps they can try finding the location in the Mirror World for clues, but as he is about to turn off his phone he sees something on the screen and almost drops it.

Izuku looks around in surprise, glancing behind before the oblivious civilians going about their days. He checks the camera on his phone again, angling it so he can get a better look at things before putting it down.

It hasn’t happened in Musutafu… What was the difference? He wonders to himself as his face pales. Whatever was going on with this city it was nothing they’d seen before. They needed to get to the bottom of this urgently.

He starts making his way to the museum, looking nervously over his shoulder before spotting something of note. There were missing posters nearby, likely some of the parents had scattered them through the location hoping to find their children.

His heart aches at the sight and vows that he’ll do his best to bring them back alive, but then he notices a familiar face in the posters, approaching them to get a better look as he realises he recognises one of the missing students.

“What the hell…?” he mutters as he takes one off the walls and stares at it.

** Meanwhile**

“Why the hell are you following me?” Katsuki grumbles as Himiko skips up next to him, “Thought we were supposed to do our own thing?”

“Oh I did, but then it turns out I have no idea where to start looking. So I figured, ‘Hey, why not follow him?’, he seems to know where he’s going.” she shrugs before smirking, “Besides I can be the good cop to your bad cop.”

“I don’t need a ‘good cop’!” Katsuki glares at her, “Now piss off before you piss me off.”

Himiko looks at him unimpressed, “You know my first thoughts when we were working as a team was, ‘Man this is gonna be like Phoenix Ranger Featherman Victory’. Reality’s disappointing I guess. You don’t see them fighting with each other like this.” 

She pouts at him before thinking, “Huh, now that I think about it, if we put your attitude aside, you’d make a good Yellow Owl. You both like spicy food, don’t you?”

“Oh fuck off, obviously I’m the Red Hawk! And not all Yellow Owls like curry anyway!” Katsuki snaps before realising his mistake, “I mean- Shut up!”

“...Wait.” a grin grew on Himiko’s face, “Don’t tell me, you watch Phoenix Ranger Featherman Victory! You’re a Feather-fan!”

“A-as if!” Katsuki scoffs, “The damn thing was always on as a kid, there was nothing else to watch! All the other cartoons just sucked, I had no choice!”

“Really?” Himiko asks teasingly, “I guess you wouldn’t remember the episode where Red Hawk and Blue Swan married.”

“Fuck off that was a bullshit decision because their chemistry was crap!” Katsuki suddenly snaps, “Black Condor was the obviously better choice and everyone knows… Shit.”

Katsuki mutters upon being caught as Himiko laughs victoriously, “I knew it! You are a Feather-fan! Samesies!”

“Tell anyone and I’ll rip your throat out,” Katsuki grumbles as he continues storming ahead.

“Come on, that’s not a Red Hawk thing to say, isn't it?” Himiko laughs.

“Don’t care. Just shut up about it.” Katsuki mutters, “It’s just a dumb show anyway.”

“I only watched it because it was what everyone was watching.” Himiko comments as she keeps up with him, “Just another way my parents wanted me to be ‘normal’. I thought I’d hate it at first, but I gotta admit it’s pretty cool despite the cheesy stuff.”

“...It’s not as awesome as watching All Might.” Katsuki says under his breath after a pause, “But definitely something to watch if you have time to burn.”

“Are we bonding? We’re definitely bonding!” Himiko teases, “Say, the team’s a lot like the Featherman Rangers don’t you think? Izuku’s the Red Hawk, Tsutsumi the Blue Swan, you’re the Yellow Owl and I’m Pink Argus! Fitting since I’m the cutest.”

Katsuki scoffs, almost sounding like he just laughed, “Please, your looks got nothing on Pink Argus. You don’t even use a bow, you use knives and that’s Yellow Owl’s thing! Deku doesn’t use a sword so he ain’t no Red Hawk, he’s just a poor man’s Black Condor!”

“Tsutsumi’s definitely Blue Swan though.” Himiko points out and Katsuki had to concede to that.

“Both are emo chicks with guns. But she’s the oldest and Blue’s supposed to be the youngest.” he nods, looking almost amused before frowning, “The only thing I got against the show is how most times each of them are shit. Every time a major villain shows up, heck even some minor ones, they all need to ‘work together’ to win. In reality, teaming up would make no difference, if they aren’t strong by themselves then teaming up is useless. It’s why All Might’s cooler than them, he doesn’t need help against any villains.”

“But that’s the appeal. All of them pour their power of friendship into one giant weapon of mass destruction!” Himiko argues before striking a pose, “Neo Featherman combine! That’s always the coolest moment in the episodes.”

“Flashy effects don't change my mind. Hell, it’s stupid they need all five to pilot a mech. What the hell do the legs even do?” Katsuki rants, “You don’t need two people to pilot each leg! That’s just overcomplicating things! You don’t really need two people for each arm too! Just have one person pilot it all, dumbasses!”

“How dare you besmirch Neo Featherman!” Himiko looks at him aghast, “You’re definitely one of the Four Kings for sure.”

“Hell no! If I’m supposed to be a bad guy then I definitely ain’t one of the losers that didn’t make it past episode five!” Katsuki retorts, “I’d be the Demon Lord for sure.”

“So you’d only show up for the finale and lose to the Heroes despite all the build-up and hype in an infamously anti-climatic episode?” Himiko teases before Katsuki whacks her over the head, “Just saying.”

“Shut up, we’re almost there,” Katsuki grumbled as they approached an alleyway between two buildings.

“How do you know it’s here?” Himiko asks and Katsuki pulls out his phone.

“They tagged the location. Wonders of modern technology.” He explains with a smirk.

“Well if I had a phone I’d figure that out as well.” Himiko pouts as she crosses her arms, “But I left it back at my old place.”

“Maybe you should ask your ‘boyfriend’ to buy you a new one,” Katsuki suggests, finding the idea hilarious as Himiko ponders on that.

“Maybe, but who do I have to call? Only Izu and he always visit the Safehouse, so I don’t really need to.” Himiko says, “I don’t think there’s anyone else I care about enough to get their numbers.”

“...Tough luck.” Katsuki says, sounding somewhat softer, turning his attention to the alley, “Come on, it was spotted inside there. We’ll need to figure out where it came from and where it went.”

“That picture was posted what, five days ago? It could be anywhere by now.” Himiko groans, “Why did you pick the hard one anyway?”

“Cause I ain’t a damn wimp. Being Number One means you gotta use your brains to find Villains to beat the crap out of, so I’m practising for it.” Katsuki declared as he stormed into the alley, kicking over a bag of trash, “Now get to looking. Start looking for broken glass, or maybe a pool. Maybe it left clues or some-?”

“Hey, hey, what do you think you’re doing?” a voice comes from around the corner deeper into the alley, “What are you doing, you’re messing up my setup!”

The two blondes looked in the direction and saw two teenagers around their age, one of them holding a cheap video camera, both wearing uniforms from a school they didn't recognise.

“Who the hell are you two?” Katsuki demands, talking to the student not holding the camera.

“What does it look like? Paranormal investigators.” the teen not holding the camera puffs his chest proudly, he was just going to consider him Extra #1 for the time being, “You guys are looking into that monster thing as well? We already called dibs on this site, so buzz off.”

“...So you’re just morons looking for quick views and thrills?” Katsuki looks at them annoyed, but after thinking about it he decides he can work this to their advantage, turning to Himiko with a smirk, “Alright, get to work then.”

“Huh?” She looks confused.

“You said you’d be the talker, right? Get to it.” Katsuki waves at the students, confusing them as Himiko looks flustered,

“Hey, give me time to prepare! You can’t just put me on the spot like that!” she says before muttering under her breath.

“Guess you’re not as charming as you thought.” He taunts and her face turns red,

“Oh I’ll show you…” she glares at him before storming over and dragging the guy with the video camera, Extra #2, behind the corner of the alley.

“H-hey, what are you doing-?” Extra #1 tries to protest before Katsuki puts an arm in his path, blocking him.

“We got a few questions of our own, extra.” Katsuki glares at him, sending chills down the student’s spine, “How long have you been here?”

“T-three days.” Extra #1 starts looking intimidated, “We come here every day after school until evening! Ever since we heard an entire class from some school went missing.”

“And what did you spot so far?” Katsuki presses, “Anything suspicious? Maybe you heard some broken glass and the like?”

“I don’t… Wait, I think I did.” Extra #1 says as he remembers something, “It was yesterday, we were waiting here like always after school. We heard something, maybe a glass bottle break, and wanted to check it out but then he showed up.”

“He?” Katsuki asks, and the guy nods.

“Yeah, a classmate from our school, Somei Private Academy. He’s a member of the student council.” Extra #1 explains, “The guy’s a damned stick in the mud, shoving his nose everywhere it doesn’t belong.”

Extra #1 says with fingers in air-quotes, “He saw our channel and came after us to make sure we weren’t doing anything “foolish that would tarnish the reputation of both our school and student body”. Didn’t want to see us in “such a dangerous area” and warned us to go home. We tried sneaking back but he was waiting there to make sure we didn’t come back. Heck, I think he stayed way after we left just to make extra sure.”

Suddenly the guy looks worried as if realising something, “...Wait, now that I think about it, he never showed up for class today. That’s not like him… Eh, everyone skips class now and then I suppose, even him.”

Katsuki didn’t like the sound of that. If they heard glass breaking it must’ve been a Shadow possibly leaving around the time, and the fact that this student council guy stayed behind by himself to make sure these two idiots didn’t come back? It spelt bad news for him…

“I got the camera!” Himiko suddenly exclaims, coming from around the corner of the alley with a video camera in hand and Extra #2 trailing behind her looking surprisingly both pale and flushed at the same time.

“Dude, what happened to you?!” Extra #1 asks in concern as Extra #2 stumbles forward.

“I… that was terrifying…but arousing?” he mumbles, sounding confused, “I hope this doesn’t awaken anything in me…”

“The hell did you do to him?” Katsuki asks out loud in curiosity.

“Oh, the usual. He folded  way  easier than Izu does actually.” Himiko shrugs before holding the camera out to him, “Here. You’re gonna want to see this.”

She shows him the recording from yesterday, and he sees the two idiots hiding behind a dumpster as they point their camera into the alley with the night vision function turned on. Then suddenly the video began distorting and glitching out, Katsuki’s eyes widening in recognition. Before the two idiots can head in to investigate, a voice calls out for them and the camera stops recording.

“You guys didn’t think that your camera glitching out was suspicious?” Katsuki turns to them with an annoyed glare as Extra #1 stutters.

“W-we weren’t really sure if it was just the camera glitching or not. It’s an old model after all, pretty banged up.” he shrugs, “We came back to get extra footage tonight.”

“Well, not anymore.” Katsuki takes the camera from Himiko’s hands, “We’re taking this. Go home, make videos on other crappy trends. Just piss off and don’t come back here.”

“H-hey, you can’t do-!” Extra #1 tried protesting before Katsuki’s scowl silenced him, “Never mind! Keep it! Always wanted to get a new model anyways!”

“What do you think that was?” Himiko asks as the two walk deeper into the alley after the pair of students leave.

“I saw something like this the first day I arrived at the Mirror World.” Katsuki explains looking serious, “I tried taking pictures with my phone, looking like both the real world and Mirror World glitched together. And look…”

He replays the video again, only much slower this time, and as the screen glitches out Himiko’s eyes widen at the sight of a dark figure barely visible for just a brief second.

“...Was that a Shadow?” she asks before realising, “But wait, you said it only glitches out when in the Mirror World. This was in the real world when it was taken.”

“I know.” Katsuki nods grimly, “I don’t like what that means.”

** Diner, Danchui Ward || 2XXX August 1st/Monday || Evening**

“I told my mom I wouldn’t be coming home for dinner. Staying with a friend to work on assignments.” Izuku sighs as he slides into the seat at the diner they were meeting at, “I saw the site of the crash, they were already moving the bus out of the scene when I arrived. Barely grabbed some pictures but I can tell, Shadows are involved. Every window on the bus was missing, and I’m sure it could’ve been the crash but something tells me otherwise. But that wasn’t the worst part…”

“Let me take a guess. You saw this too?” Katsuki pulls out the video camera he ‘acquired’ and shows the glitchy recording as Izuku nods, “You thinking what I’m thinking?”

“Can someone catch me up?” Himiko asks confused, “What, is it like the worlds about to merge or something?”

She asks, intending for it to sound like she was joking but neither of the boys were amused.

“...We don’t know for sure.” Izuku sighs, “But… this may be some kind of overlap? If we assume the worlds are separated by a barrier, and how we get in is by exploiting weak points in the barrier, the shatterpoints… Maybe it’s just leaking out more? Maybe the barrier’s thinner in this city?”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Katsuki asks in frustration, “The fuck does ‘leaking’ out mean?”

“We’ll find out once Kaina gets here.” Izuku says, trying to calm him down, “She said she’ll come find us once it gets dark. So we just have to wait before we get to scouting.”

“So does that mean we can eat dinner first?” Himiko asks as she picks up the menu and Izuku sighs.

“Please go easy on me.” He mutters before they start ordering their meals. 

As they dug in, Katsuki couldn’t help but notice something off about Izuku with the look on his face.

“Alright, out with it.” Katsuki demands as Izuku snaps back to reality, “You’ve been looking like that since you arrived like you’re constipated or something. It’s pissing me off.”

“...One of the students that went missing, I know her,” Izuku explains as he reaches into his bag and pulls out a missing poster, with the picture of a girl with short purple hair and aux jack earlobes on it and the name Kyoka Jirou beneath the picture.

“She’s cute I guess. If you’re into tomboys.” Himiko shrugs before leaning in teasingly, “Is that the type of girl you like, Izu?”

“Himiko, this is serious.” Izuku insists as he continues, “A few months back, I started taking notes on my Personas and Shadows. While I was at work, the girl saw my drawings and thought they ‘looked familiar’.”

“...And you didn’t think that was weird?” Katsuki asks incredulously, “Only we know about Personas! You didn’t think it was weird some random girl thought they ‘looked familiar’?!”

“I thought it was weird but nothing to be suspicious about! She said they looked like something out of an anime or dream.” Izuku defends himself, “But after hearing she’s one of the missing students I can’t help but wonder if there’s something more…”

He shakes his head to clear it, “But besides that, I’ve looked into the other disappearances as well. Honestly, compared to other cities like Musutafu there’s not a lot. There was a spree near the beginning of the year where dozens went missing throughout a few months but then stopped for some reason. This is the first since then.”

“Why would the Shadows wait that long?” Himiko asks, confused.

“That’s the question isn’t it?” a fourth voice interrupts them, as they turn to find a woman wearing sunglasses in a black jacket and jeans with blonde hair. But then she tips down the glasses and they recognise her eyes, “Sorry I’m late, had to take a few detours.”

“Kaina.” Izuku smiled at her as she sat next to him, “Glad you could make it.”

“Had to grab a disguise on the way.” she grumbled while picking up a menu, “Plenty of cops and Heroes running around, makes it hard to sneak by. The whole city’s crawling with them, even at night.”

“The case is pretty big. Twenty students went missing in broad daylight after all.” Izuku says, “By the way, on your way here did you notice anything weird?”

“If by weird you mean that I sometimes feel like I’m in the Mirror World when walking through the city? Definitely.” Kaina nods with a look of concern, “I felt the shatterpoints when I did my own investigation. In Musutafu it always felt like there were cracks in a dam holding back water. But here the cracks feel bigger, enough that stuff is leaking out.”

“Like the Shadows.” Katsuki nods, “We already figured that out, nothing new.”

“And the fact they’re growing bigger?” Kaina asks, surprising them, “Whatever’s going on, I feel the shatterpoints are growing. Something on the other side’s weakening the barrier between worlds so much that Shadows can attack in broad daylight. Soon we might not be looking at single Shadows strolling out of the Mirror World. Speaking of which, what happened to it?”

Katsuki clicks his tongue before looking away, “Tried tracking it. We found two idiots trying to catch it on tape. Last night they thought they heard something as their camera glitched out, but some classmate of theirs drove them away. One of the types with sticks up their asses from the sounds of it. And today they said that classmate wasn’t in school… I think the Shadow might have taken him to the Mirror World.”

“Shit, make that twenty-one missing kids.” Kaina mutters, “And the teachers and bus driver.”

“And soon it could be more.” Izuku dreads, “We know for sure Shadows are involved now. We have our mission and a deadline. One month from last Friday, so we should get them out by… September 2nd. Tonight we’ll scout out the area, establish a safehouse in the city and then work from there. Agreed?”

There was a murmur of agreement from them all, a unanimous decision. Even Katsuki looked like he was taking this more seriously than before, compared to how disinterested he was in their first mission together.

“I already spotted a shatterpoint a few blocks away.” Kaina says, “When you’re ready we can head out now.”

“Then there’s no time to waste.” Izuku declared as he stood up, “We’re heading off now.”

“Can we get the bill, please? We’re done here.” Himiko raises her hands and a waiter comes by with their bill, Izuku almost choking on air at the sight before checking his wallet.

“Seriously?” He asks, glaring at both his friends who ate.

“I’m a growing girl.” Himiko pouts trying to gain sympathy with puppy eyes, “I don’t get to eat a lot of good food when on the run.”

“I’m a growing guy. You know how much protein I need to keep in shape?” Katsuki shrugs, not even sounding remorseful.

He sighs as he turns to Kaina with a pleading look, only for her to sympathetically shrug.

“Sorry, I only brought enough for the ride home.” she apologises as he sighs again.

“I really need to start keeping track of how much you all owe me,” Izuku mutters as he pulls out the last wads of yen from his wallet.

**??? || ??? || ???**

“Find her! Find the heretic!” A shadowy figure in white robes and hood drawn up, wearing a silver mask and raising a ceremonial torch, galvanising a crowd of similar figures wearing wooden masks and dirty cloaks, wielding an assortment of improvised weapons.

They all cheer as they march through the warped ward, many crowds throughout the city mirroring their actions, driven into a frenzy to hunt for their target.

Meanwhile hidden behind an alley, not far from the mob, was a girl with short purple hair and wearing a plaid skirt and black blazer with a blindfold around her eyes. Hands covered over her mouth, desperately hoping that her breathing couldn’t be heard.

As the mob passes by, Kyoka Jirou lets out a sigh of relief. She knows this because she can hear their footsteps grow distant by the second. Logically she should stay right where she was, running around while she was blindfolded would be more detrimental for her, but she could hear footsteps heading her direction from another mob in search of her.

She carefully steps up, using her hands to reach out and get a feel of her surroundings before carefully making her way to another location to hide. For some reason, despite being blind, she felt confident that this was the right path to take. It was like a gut feeling, for lack of a better term.

Her hands reach out and grab a door knob, jiggling it for a second before she was able to force it open, throwing herself into an unknown building as she closes the door behind her. Once she was in she slumped down against the door in exhaustion.

It had been three days. Three days since she ended up in this hell, waking up blind and hearing the screams of her classmates and teachers were snatched by those… things. All the while she was the only one to get away, running with the sound of terrified screams echoing behind her. 

At least now she knows she wasn’t going to cut it as a Hero. What kind of Hero runs away abandoning her classmates? At this point, she sobs, despite her best efforts trying to choke it back so she doesn’t make a noise. 

A real Hero would show up eventually, right? That’s what they always do. Someone would show up to save her, and everyone else that was captured by those monsters. Wherever this place was, a Hero would show up… right?

Before she can spiral further into despair, she hears something in the distance. The sound of shattering glass echoed from a fair distance away. And then an image flashes in her mind, a fuzzy image of a familiar figure flashing in an instant.

That guy from the tech store… Midoriya something? Why was she thinking of him now, at this point?

“... er… son… a…”

“Shut up. Shut up,” she mutters as she grabs her head, the ringing noise starting to fill it once more as she tries tearing off the blindfold for the umpteenth time since her arrival. But like always it was futile, not even budging or letting her fingers slip under the cloth. It was more like a steel band than anything. The whispers and ringing quiet down again, leaving her to only the faint sound of mobs of monsters roaming around.

“Someone save me… please…” she pleads to no one in particular, it was more of a desperate prayer fueled by hunger, thirst, starvation and loneliness, “Please…” 

Chapter Text

The moment Izuku stepped through the shatterpoint located on a rooftop, feeling the familiar sensation of coldness washing over him like an ice shower before stepping into the Mirror World, he could tell immediately there was something off.

“Was… I don’t think… What?” Himiko mutters confused after she steps out, her face scrunching as she tries processing the sight before her, “What are we looking at?”

“...That’s definitely new.” Kaina agrees as she takes in the sight, “We didn’t miss any of this in the real world, right?”

Izuku shakes his head stunned as they look out of the alley to find towering buildings of an architectural style foreign to modern Japan, looking instead akin to something out of the Renaissance Era. Buildings of white marble and bricks with red-tiled roofs, towers with symbols they don’t recognise and Shadows parading the streets wearing dark robes, led by figures in cleaner white robes and wielding staffs with torches on them.

There was also a loud background noise of chanting and praying echoing across the city, a bell tolling in the distance. Katsuki taps Izuku’s shoulder with uncharacteristic silence before pointing at the sky, just as Izuku was thinking he wouldn’t be surprised any further.

Off in the distance, likely near the city centre, was a towering church more gigantic than he had ever seen before in real life or fiction. He doubts even the St Peter’s Basilica from the Vatican would compare. And emanating from it was some kind of pillar of energy piercing through the sky, a rift larger than the city itself growing around it.

Izuku had to avert his eyes after a second, feeling himself get lightheaded just staring at it for too long. 

“What… what the hell is that?” Izuku mutters out loud.

“I have no idea, that was definitely not at Musutafu.” Kaina tries using Hodr’s ability to get insight on it, before suddenly feeling a rush of information flood her brain, “Fuck!”

“Kaina?!” Izuku rushes to aid her as she stumbles backwards before steadying herself,

“I’m fine…” she pants before looking at Izuku with an uncertain look, “I… I have no idea what just happened… It’s like I just can’t understand what I’m looking at.”

“Who cares what it is?” Katsuki asks as he points in the direction of the giant church, “Anyone who’s played a single video game can tell you that’s where something important is. We can guess a strong Shadow’s over there, and once we kill it things will go back to normal like it always happens.”

“...He’s right.” Izuku nods after a pause, “We can’t afford to hesitate. We’ll do as we’ve always done, find the biggest Shadow in charge and take it down. But that’s not our goal for today. It’s finding a safehouse to establish first. Kaina, what are your thoughts?”

“This place is too full of Shadows to be useful.” Kaina shakes her head as she points below at the mob of Shadows, “I’ve only ever seen this many Shadows in one place when we’re near a Warlord’s territory.”

“So we clear them out,” Katsuki asks, putting his hand on the hatcher hanging by his waist with a bloodthirsty grin.

“I don’t feel like fighting all those Shadows.” Himiko looks over the ledge nervously, “They creep me out.”

“Hodr’s telling me that they’re stronger than the average ones we fought back in Musutafu.” Kaina reports, “We’ll have a harder time trying to clear them out. Our best bet is to find an area with a lower amount of Shadows.”

“But where do we start looking?” Izuku asks, looking around the area unsure.

“Well if we assume that the closer to that we get, the stronger Shadows are…” Kaina points at the giant church before pointing the other way, “Then the further we go, the weaker they get. Probably find a spot or two where their influence is weaker.”

“I think it’s a good idea. Any objections?” Izuku turns to his other teammates,

“Anywhere’s a good place to start.” Himiko shrugs and Katsuki looks disappointed.

“Whatever. You’re the Boss,” he grumbled.

“Alright, since we have no idea what we’re getting into we’re going for a standard raid formation.” Izuku explains, “Three of us heading like always, and Kaina at the back providing support. Stay silent and stick to the roofs, combat is not our priority for the day so avoid engaging unless there’s no choice.”

“Why the hell are you looking at me when you’re saying that?!” Katsuki yells as everyone was looking at him, “Fuck you, I’m not a moron, I know when and when not to fight damn it!”

* Later *

“What do you think’s up with the weird church stuff?” Himiko asks as they stop to take a break after almost an hour of running through the rooftops.