"I still think they should have given you all the rest of the week off," Midoriya Inko fretted as she watched her son finish his breakfast. "A villain attack on school grounds! Don't they need more time to check security or investigate before it's safe for students to return?"

"Yuuei had the security systems completely reset yesterday, and there are supposed to be pro heroes patrolling the grounds during classes today. Besides, only our class had yesterday off. With the Sports Festival coming up, we can't fall behind." Izuku said, starting towards the sink with his empty plate. Inko took it from him gently, setting it on the counter beside her before placing both hands on his shoulders and forcing him to look at her as she spoke.

"I'm worried about you, Izuku. You know I'm proud of you, so proud of how good and kind you are, of how you never let go of your dream even when I wasn't as supportive as I should have been. When your quirk finally manifested I was so excited for you." Her voice was soft, but something in her eyes hardened at her next words. It was an expression he usually only saw his mother make when he mentioned Kacchan. "But I know something is going on, Izuku. Something about what happened that you aren't telling me."

Izuku froze. He thought that he had done a good job of acting normally, but clearly his mother had figured him out anyway. It was hard enough hiding the truth about One for All and All Might- he didn't want to keep anymore secrets. But how was he supposed to tell her that he had almost watched his friends die? That he had seen his teacher and his mentor, his favorite hero, almost sacrifice themselves to save the class? That he had been seconds away from having Shigaraki's hand close around his throat, his skin disintegrating at the touch? She worried enough just knowing that he had been in the same building as a villain attack. He couldn't knowingly add to her stress by telling her what all he had been through at USJ.

Taking in her son's wide-eyed, panicked look Inko's expression hardened further, but she didn't press him. Instead she pulled him into a tight hug, taking satisfaction in the way the tension in his shoulders released as he melted into her touch. "I won't ask you what happened, Izuku. I trust that you'll tell me when you're ready. Just know that you don't have to keep it all to yourself. You may be in the hero course, but you are still only fifteen. You shouldn't have this much on your shoulders just yet." With a sigh she let him go and stepped back, her hands going to his shoulders again.

"Now you better get going, if you don't want to be late." Inko smiled, her eyes teary as Izuku gave her another quick hug before grabbing his bag from the floor.

"Thanks, Mom. Really. They want to keep us a little late today, to talk about USJ, but… I promise I'll tell you more about what happened when I get home." He couldn't tell her everything, some of his secrets weren't just his own after all, but there were some things he could share. She deserved that much for all the worry he was putting her through.

"I'll be here when you get home then. We can have your favorite for dinner and you can tell me whatever you're comfortable with, okay?" Inko smiled, despite the nerves already starting to set in. It was going to be a long day, she could tell, waiting to hear first hand the danger her son had been through, but she was pleased when Izuku smiled back. "Be careful on your walk. I love you, Izuku."

"Love you too, Mom." The moment Izuku closed the door behind him Inko sank into the seat he had just left. She hadn't lied. She was proud of everything that he had done and how determined he was to succeed. The excitement on his face when he told her that his quirk had manifested was an image she would always remember, but the full consequences of Izuku going to Yuuei hadn't hit her until the principal had called to inform her that there had been a villain attack on school grounds. Izuku was just a student, a first year at that, and he was already in more danger than she wanted to think about. For the first time since he decided he would try for Yuuei, Inko regretted her decision to let him go.


The walk to Yuuei wasn't long, but it gave Izuku entirely too much time to think. He had had enough time yesterday with classes cancelled to go over the villain attack again and again, unable to stop the images from playing in a loop. While he understood why his mom wanted to keep him close, he needed the distracted that classes would give to stop himself from overanalyzing every action he had taken at USJ, breaking down his mistakes the way he did with other people's quirks. He would learn from them- he had too- but he needed just a few hours without seeing Shigaraki's hand closing in on Tsuyu's face every time he closed his eyes.

"Deku-kun!" Uraraka called the second he opened the doors to Class 1-A. Izuku was immediately surrounded by his classmates. While the rest of the students had traveled together on the bus back to the main campus, Izuku rode with Aizawa and All Might so that he could go directly to Recovery Girl. Iida, Uraraka, and Tsuyu had all argued to wait for him, but Principal Nezu had insisted they go home.

"Have you recover from your injuries, Midoriya-kun?" Iida asked, sliding through the others so that he was standing next to Uraraka. "Asui-san told us that you went back to help Aizawa-sensei and All Might."

"Recovery Girl healed most of it the other day!" Izuku answered, holding up his bandaged hand. "Another day or two and it'll be good as new!" After healing both of his legs, Recovery Girl decided to simply jump start the healing of his hand, worried about his stamina after not only fighting the villains at the shipwreck, but Shigaraki as well. His arm was still a little tender, but it was better than risking that day or two asleep because he had overdone it again.

"Kirishima told us what you did, Deku-kun!" Uraraka's tone was excited, but it didn't quite match her expression. "Are you really okay? Jumping in front of that villain like that! I'm glad you were able to help All Might, but….are you sure you aren't hurt?"

"Recovery Girl wouldn't have let him out of her sight if he wasn't okay," Kirishima said, grinning. "You're basically her favorite patient!"

"I don't think that's a good thing…" Izuku muttered, but Kirishima carried on, turning excitedly to Uraraka.

"You should have seen it! Midoriya did that super powered jump and was right at that guy with all the hands! But the other guy, that warp gate villain, he opened a gate between them and all you could see was a hand sticking out from it."

Now Iida looked concerned. "You didn't mention that part before. Did I hear correctly that his quirk was disintegration?"

Izuku could only nod, his throat catching as the image of Shigaraki's hand coming towards him flashed to the front of his mind. It had been so close. If the pro heroes had gotten there even a second later. But they didn't. They had gotten there in time. He and All Might and Aizawa-sensei would all be fine. He took a deep breath.

"Deku-kun!" Uraraka said again, looking him over as if to confirm that he was really there and that everything was fine.

"It was close," Izuku admitted, forcing himself to get the words out around the lump in his throat. "But I really am fine." Uraraka looked at him again, as if she didn't quite believe him, but she gave him a small smile. The door slid open again as Tokoyami entered and the crowd started moving back towards their desks. So maybe school wasn't going to be the distraction he thought it would be, everyone exchanging stories about where they had been warped and with whom as they continued to arrive to the classroom, but at least Izuku wasn't alone to wallow in his own thoughts and self-criticism all day.

Despite the morning rehash of the what happened at USJ, the rest of the school day passed fairly normal. To everyone's surprise, Aizawa-sensei arrived just as the morning bell rang, his entire face bandaged except for two small gaps where his eyes were visible. Maybe Aizawa had wanted to get back to his normal routine as quickly as possible too, but Izuku was surprised Recovery Girl had allowed him to leave her care when it looked like he could barely stand up on his own.

With homeroom came the announcement of the Yuuei Sports Festival which was scheduled to take place in two weeks. All thoughts of USJ vanished as the whispers started. A huge event like the sports festival would require a lot of preparation, and Izuku was still unable to use One for All without a major kickback. He didn't know if he would be able to find a solution in such a short amount of time, but he was tired of being limited by his lack of control. He made a note to talk to All Might about it the next time he saw him. Maybe if his mentor explained again how One for All worked something would click and Izuku would have a clue towards figuring out his power. He knew there was no way he would make it very far in the festival without it, and the rest of the day saw him muttering to himself as he hurriedly wrote down everything All Might had ever told him about One for All in the hopes that he would make a connection he had somehow missed before.

When the final bell of the day rang, no one in Class A moved as Aizawa stepped back up to the podium. "You all know why the school asked you to stay today. As members of the hero course it is expected that you would eventually experience a villain attack first hand, but an incident like the attack at USJ has never happened at Yuuei before. While a few of you have encountered villains before," his gaze slid from Todoroki to Bakugou before settling on Izuku, "the school feels that it would be a good idea to check in with each of you. First year internships are with pro heroes for a reason. Do not be afraid to tell Recovery Girl about any problems you might be having as a result of this incident. Don't cause problems for yourselves down the line because you were too stubborn to ask for help." Izuku hoped he was imaging the way Aizawa seemed to glare at him as he said it. "That being said, your order has been randomized. First up is Aoyama."

Although Aizawa had said the order they were being called was random, Izuku quickly realized the way they were being called. Those who had immediately been warped to a separate zone were called first, followed by the students who had been there when Thirteen was injured. After that was Mineta and Tsuyu who had both seen Noumu's attack on Aizawa. Finally the only ones left were Kirishima, Todoroki, Bakugou, and Izuku- everyone who had been there when All Might was attacked. The span of time between each student getting called had steadily grown longer until there was an almost 45 minute break between Bakugou leaving and Izuku getting called. Seeing the sky already streaked with orange, he was glad he remembered to tell his mother he was going to be home late. The last thing he wanted to do was cause her even more worry by not coming home.

The door to Recovery Girl's office was open when he got there, but he knocked quietly just the same before entering. "Midoriya-kun. Go ahead and shut the door before you sit down."

Izuku did as he was told before moving towards the seat in front of her desk. Waiting for his turn had been fine, but Izuku could already feel his heart racing as he waited for Recovery Girl to speak. He rubbed his hands on his uniform pants before trying not to fidget in his seat. He didn't think he quite succeeded as Recovery Girl continued to stare at him without speaking.

"Midoriya-kun."

Izuku squeaked at the sudden sound of her voice. "Y-Yes?"

"Has All Might talked to you about what happened?"

"I-" That had not been the question he had been expecting. He shook his head quickly. "I haven't seen him since I left your office after you healed me."

"That foolhardy-" Recovery Girl stopped herself, turning her attention back to Izuku. "I'm not going to ask you if you've been sleeping. With everything I had to heal because of your quirk you're not going to have any issues with that for the next few days. All Might and Aizawa gave me a rundown of what happened, what you did, and before you even say anything I'm going to go ahead and tell you that you'll be meeting with me at least once a week until I say otherwise. And I reserve the right to adjust these sessions at any time." Izuku didn't know what to say to that, but Recovery Girl must have been able to read with he was thinking from his face because she said, "You don't think you need it." When she paused Izuku nodded slowly. "Why?"

"I-This is what we signed up for, isn't it?" Izuku asked. "If we're going to be heroes, we're all going to see things like that all the time. That's why we're at Yuuei. Isn't this something I'm going to need to learn to handle on my own?"

Recovery Girl sighed. "This is exactly why I wanted to meet with you all. I knew some of you would look at it this way. I will agree with you that you're going to need to learn how to deal with the things you are inevitably going to see as a pro hero. That's why I want you to meet with me. My job is to make sure you have constructive ways of dealing with and understanding the trauma that is unfortunately an unavoidable part of being a hero. Part of that is making sure you know that you don't have to deal with it on your own. As for this being something you signed up for by coming to Yuuei? I'm going to have to disagree with you there completely."

Recovery Girl waited to see if Izuku was going to protest. When he didn't she continued. "Why do students come to Yuuei? To learn. Yes, you are put in situations where you might come into contact with villains as part of your first year training, but that's only with a trained and licensed professional. And why do you think that is, Midoriya-kun?"

"So that someone is there if something goes wrong?" He answered hesitantly, still through off guard by the way this conversation had progressed.

"Exactly!" She pointed at him then, leaning back in her seat. "Because that is what you signed up for by coming to Yuuei. Training. You're here to prepare for the situations that come along with being a pro hero. Not a single teacher here would wish that kind of situation for their students. We're here to push you to make the most of your potential, to give you the tools you'll need after graduation. Being thrown into situations you aren't prepared for and being left to fend for yourself has not and never will be something that Yuuei stands for." Looking at the clock and then out the window she sighed again. "It's getting late. I want you to think about what I've said today and make a list of reasons why what happened to All Might wasn't your fault. You're just like him in that you probably blame yourself. Aizawa-sensei will let you know when we'll be meeting next. Understood?"

"Y-Yes! Thank you, Recovery Girl!" Izuku ducked his head, jumping to his feet. She hadn't held him as long as he had expected, but he was ready to be anywhere but her office.

Huffing, she turned back to her computer and said, "Go ahead and head home, then." Izuku was out the door as soon as she finished. "Just like Toshinori," she muttered to her empty office. "Too stubborn for their own good."


Izuku hurried home as soon as Recovery Girl cleared him to leave. Once classes had started, school and his thoughts about how to deal with One for All had been just the distraction he needed, but now he was ready to just eat his dinner and relax as he finished what little homework he had left. He would think about what Recovery Girl had said at some point- of course he would- but for the moment he pushed it to the back of his mind.

"Mom!" He called, when he finally got the door unlocked and was slipping off his shoes. "I'm home!" No one answered. A quick glance behind him showed her shoes by the door. So she was home, at least. Maybe she was in the back of the apartment and just hadn't heard him come in. Despite that thought though, a cool feeling settled over him. A chill ran up his spine. Something wasn't right. The door had been locked when he came in but…

"Mom?" Izuku headed to the kitchen. Nothing seemed out of place from that morning at first, but then he saw it. A note on red paper left in the middle of the table. Maybe his mom had gone out after all. He reached for it slowly, his heart pounding in his chest.

We came to play, but you weren't here. Where were you, Midoriya Izuku? We had to use another player instead. Unfortunately, she didn't seem to understand the rules. Better luck next time.

The words were written in a shaky handwriting, but the meaning was clear. The note trembled in his hand. At the very bottom of the page where there would have been a signature were two words.

YOU LOSE

Izuku already had his phone out. "Pick up. Pick up. Pick up." He moved from room to room. Empty. Empty. Empty. "Midoriya, kid! Are you-"

"I think the League has been to my house. There was a note." Izuku interrupted. He stopped outside of his room. The door was close, but it was the only room he hadn't checked yet.

"The League? Are you alright?" His All Might name plate was still on the door, but it had been shifted slightly, not centered as it had been when he had left that morning. It felt like a hand was closing around his throat.

"Midoriya. Midoriya?"

Izuku pushed his door open. "Midoriya!" The phone slipped from his grip.

Blood covered every poster and picture of All Might he had, painted in angry lines across his walls, the floor, his bed. Lying in the middle of his room was Midoriya Inko. She was dead.