Before I begin, I just want to thank the Guest who left me a review as soon as the sixth came out. It really made my night. Thanks so much!

Anyways, I truly hope you guys ~Enjoy~


During Deku's slumber, it gets unbearably hot. He stirs awake, in a haze. Opening his eyes briefly before a cool towel is placed on his forehead. It brings him closer to the surface. He was drowning but he's had another taste of air. The old crone runs her finger down his cheek, "Go back to sleep, dear."

He murmurs, "Thanks, mom," and his eyes seal shut, unaware. The water pulls him back under, wrapping him in its embrace. He's safe, he knows this much at least.

She smiles to herself as she continues caring for him, "Maybe in another lifetime."

Deku sleeps for a good three more days, awakening every so often for a drink of water or a bite of food at the crone's insistence. It's only when the fever has passed that he becomes aware. "Therma?"

She grins, "Present."

He narrows his eyes at her usual sass, "Why did you help me?" He sits up noticing he's not wearing a shirt. The scars of his past are more obvious and they make him slightly uncomfortable.

Noticing his discomfort, she throws a shirt at him, "Your's was wet and bloody, don't get any funny ideas." He smirks, donning the t-shirt. The pants are his own. She's definitely not a nurse. Sitting in a lone chair at the foot of his bed, she finally enlightens him, "I knew you had no one else so I went and found ya, brought ya back here for some shut eye. Quite the piece of work. You should always have friends, sonny." She's grim as she recalls the image of him caked in mud, unable to lift his head.

It must've been awful, and he would have died. Deku shakes his head dismissively, leaning against his pillows, "You know how dangerous it is to associate with me? Do you know the risks?" He's says it nonchalantly, as if he doesn't care if she's dragged into the fray or not, but what if his enemies get wind? He doesn't need to worry about an old lady getting in the crossfire.

Therma sits at his side so she can press her hand to his shoulder, "Whatever happens to me isn't your fault. I'm old anyway." Better her than some whippersnapper who has a lot of life left to give. She stands so she can shuffle to the kitchen. Deku frowns watching her go. He likes her and would hate for her to die because of him. Since she knows the risks then he guesses that's fine, and it's not like he asked her to bring him to her home.

He doesn't stay long however, and has to leave the nest for fear of people coming after him. He did just kill a Blood Brother and a large portion of the Recluse. Taking a scarf and some sunglasses, he leaves under the cover of night. Therma was skeptic as to the validity of using those things but Deku assured her it was necessary. Anything digitally available on the Internet with his facial features was a risk to them finding him.

He left swiftly and was out of her life quickly.


To Deku's chagrin, a hit went out on him, almost as soon as he's looking for another place stay. A woman comes up beside him as he's walking in a hood with his head down. He stoops suddenly to make like he's tying his shoe while her arm swings out where his torso used to be. The glint of a knife is unmistakable to the trained eye and he quickly ducks out, down an alley as she yells, "You can't escape! They're hunting like never before!"

He dips out at the other end, hopping a fence with ease before turning down the next street. He blends as a chameleon in the crowd. Escaping to a bus and hiding in the back corner, he rests his eyes, thinking over what should be done.

Therma's words come back to him... He needs help. Does he have anyone he can trust?

It's a long bus ride out of town and off to the next city soon after. He knows where to go now. He gets off the bus and switches rides at times before making it to a stop seemingly in the middle of nowhere. He hasn't eaten and he's tired, but he walks.

He's not even close before someone slams into him from a nearby tree. Groaning, he jumps away as soon as the person is off him. He glares at the skinny villain.

They grin, "I wondered what you were doing all the way out here, Deku, you trying to hide out for the rest of your life?"

Deku exhales deeply, "I know something you don't."

The villain cracks his knuckles, "Joten wants you alive. He's calling in all the underworld to find you. You can't hide."

Deku returns a crazed grin, "Who said anything about hiding?" He jerks forward and the villain moves to dodge. Was that rock there before? The villain trips on a rock while Deku's grinning. Glinting green eyes pierce the darkness. The emerald villain slashes, dragging out cries from his would-be attacker until the noise is silenced. Deku staggers back, smearing blood on his face, smiling in contentment. "I wish I had more time to play." He cleans his blade before hiding it once more under his hoodie. He continues, rubbing his temple as a migraine pulsates. He grumbles before leaning against a tree trunk. He's off the beaten path, and following the sound of water.

He makes it to the river and follows along into the denser forest. Creatures growl and move about him, but he pays them no mind. Finally, he's at a little outcropping in the earth. He stares at it, hoping the invitation is still good.

Before he can step closer, a shock-wave of pain flares up his entire skull. He clutches his head, stepping back and losing his balance, falling to shore of the river with a splash. He's not deep, just a little drenched at his torso. Even so, the pain has not quieted and he writhes, clenching his eyes shut while he shudders.

"I didn't know you'd be paying me a visit, Deku-san?"

Deku's main focus is on his migraine, but he whispers, "Was hoping your offer..." There's another shudder, before continuing, "Was still good." He can barely get his eyes open to the newcomer.

He feels hands clutching his biceps and pulling him to a stand, "You're filthy." Water washes over Deku's face before he's led inside. The villain weighs heavier on the young man as they continue, "Hey, man, you're going to need to help me here." He struggles under the weight, slowing their pace as Deku finds gravity weighing heavier than usual.

Deku mutters, "Stupid quirk." He grunts as another pulse gets his body rigid, gritting his teeth, before he goes limp. His young associate curses amidst struggling to keep Deku upright.

He drags the villain further down the tunnel, calling, "Chatora, little help!?"

A hefty man steps from the living space, muscles defined with his every movement. He remarks, "Look what the cat dragged in. It's Deku." He helps his ward carry the unconscious man inside, past the recreation room, down another tunnel and into a spare room, setting him on a cot so he can rest.

"Thanks Chatora, I owe Deku one."

The older hero scoffs, "Ah, we all do, this is the least." The two head outside the room for the dinner area where the girls are eating.

Sosaki Shino, a sturdy redhead, grins as her nephew and teammate join them. "How is he?" Her smile is inviting and warm. She has no qualms about housing Deku.

Her nephew, Kouta, glances furtively to the side, "He's resting now." He can't help but feel like he's betraying some kind of code by assisting a renowned villain, one of the worst... Yet, that's just not how he met Deku.

Yawara Chatora clamps his beefy hand around the younger's shoulder, meaning to reassure him, "He's a little beaten up, nothing a little rest can't cure."

Shino smiles at their blonde teammate, Ryuko, "Hard to believe that young man all those years ago was a villain."

Kouta stares at his untouched food, "A villain stopped for me before a hero ever did." It's his excuse and he's sure it's a good one. He remembers a little boy running and crying for help, moving from person to person before someone pushed him away. Deku was there to pick him up off the ground and make the other person apologize for their actions. He listened to his story, the story of a frantic child, and helped him in more ways than one. Deku, in turn, aided all the Wild, Wild Pussycats while they were on the brink of extinction.

Shino places her hands over her nephew's. Drawing his eyes to meet her, she assures him, "We won't touch him. I promise." Kouta lets out a sigh. He's relieved, though it's not like he could protest if they decided to turn the villain in.

Ryuko gathers up the plates to do the dishes and clean up, and Shino joins her. Chatora guides Kouta to join him on patrol around their base. Everything is quiet. The woods are humming with night life, crickets and frogs are chirping. Occasionally they'll hear the resident owl hoot. They finish their patrol with returning to the river and the entrance to their hovel. Kouta heads to bed after Shino promised that Deku was fine for the night.

The next morning is much of the same routine. Shino and Chatora head out to complete some heroic acts about the area. They're mainly called in to help locate missing persons or perform rescue operations. Kouta gets called in for help on one such flood situation, leaving Ryuko to take care of things around camp. She walks in after getting groceries to find Deku leaned over their dining table. He's slumped but awake. She's frozen, unsure how to speak to him after all this time, with everything they know now. His tired eyes find her and he murmurs, "I'd offer to help but I'm still a bit under the weather, pardon my rudeness."

Ryuko relaxes. She was worried but he's just as she remembers, a polite fellow with a disarming demeanor. None of them ever knew he was a villain, but they also had an idea that he wasn't exactly a hero with all those villainous connections. "Don't worry about it, just get some rest. Have you eaten?"

Deku sighs, shaking his head, "No, I was just working up the strength to find food, but I'm glad I can ask before I go through my host's things without permission."

She laughs, "Permission granted, our food is your food. We all owe you anyway. Finding out you were a villain was quite the shock, but it doesn't change the offer."

Deku smiles tiredly, unafraid of showing his weakness, "I'm glad. I needed to get away, I pissed off some bad people and haven't really had time to get back to full strength."

Ryuko lays out a sandwich with apple slices and a glass of water. "Only the cats know about this place and the builder, so you can rest all you like."

Deku sits up and starts eating. He's calm and collected, resisting the urge to chow down like a barbarian. After he finishes the sandwich and takes a drink, he asks, "Where are the others?"

"They're out diverting a flood. Kouta's become a strong young man in the time you last saw him."

"I know." Truth be told, Deku has kept a tab on Kouta's progress as a hero. He was intrigued to see his picture and hero uniform pop up in social media. Apparently the boy took up Deku's advice to attend U.A. and make himself great. He'd gone further, he became extraordinary. Despite his shyness, Kouta is one of the rising stars in the hero industry.

The sun is just about to set when Kouta and the two other cats return. Deku has been sitting at the table, dozing. His green eyes open at the footsteps entering the main cave. He greets them, "Welcome back, I must thank you all for your hospitality."

Chatora exclaims, "Deku! You scrawny thing, who would've guessed you were with the League?"

Deku shrugs, explaining, "The League was a means to an end, and they didn't deliver, so here I am."

Shino waves her hand, "Ah, we don't want to know. Lesser the better, right?" Deku nods.

Kouta steps out from behind the two, eyes shining and teeth sparkling as he goes. "Deku-san, how are you feeling?"

Deku smiles at the young man, rising from his seat to embrace for a moment. The young hero wears a hat akin to the one from his youth and a blue uniform. Deku leans back to size him up, admiring his growth before responding, "I'm healing. You've gotten tall." Deku still has an inch or so on him.

Kouta moves to sit across from him so they can talk. Kouta tells him about all that he's missed since he left them. The other teammates gather at the table to eat dinner and join the conversation. Kouta asks, "By the way, I heard the Nephilim was assassinated a few years ago, was that you?"

Deku chuckles lightly, a dangerous glint passing over his eye, but he affirms, "Yeah, he wanted another go at you guys after I made myself clear, so I put him down."

"So you were still behind the scenes then."

Deku shakes his head, he encourages them, "It was more a statement than me trying to protect people who don't need protection."

Chatora laughs, "To think you've been a villain of the underground this entire time."

"I said I wasn't police and I wasn't a hero?" What else could a benefactor with his connections be? The indignation makes him a little melancholy. He never lied to them about the type of person he was.

Shino placates, she's gentle and understanding, "We're not judging, just our impression and reality didn't match up."

The conversation shifts from the old days to the new days and how the group spends their time. Thanks to his aide, Tomoko, formerly known by her hero name Ragdoll, was successfully hidden away in witness protection. She had been targeted multiple times before finally having to start anew. Deku ensured her disappearance and new identity after the incident with the Wild, Wild Pussycats. Heroes don't have the connections that he does, being from the underground and all.

She's doing well, much better than when she first lost her quirk. They don't know that he's kept tabs on her all these years as well... As his League partners would comment, he always keeps an eye on all his projects.

The heroes and villain turn in for the night before it drags on too long. A peaceful slumber befalls them, almost too peaceful.

Shino is the first to become aware of the situation as she wakes up coughing and sputtering at the smoke. Her room is farther back in the complex, and she's the first to be hit by the smoke. It's starting from the vents in the rear. She fights the tears in her eyes, realizing the sweat at her brow. Stumbling through the main tunnel to Ryuko then Chatora and Kouta's room, waking them as she goes so they can get to work. The older adults rush outside while Kouta moves to wake Deku.

Deku opens his eyes easily and follows the younger out. There's a stone in the villain's chest. They get to the main cave that's connected to the outside tunnel to find the three Pussycats on the ground.

Kouta demands, "What is this? Who are you?"

The figure hidden in the smoke laughs amidst Deku gently but firmly positioning Kouta behind himself, "Ha! Well, we came here for him!" The figure points at Deku. "Do you care about these people, Deku? I'd sure hate for people you care about to die, oh, like the way you killed my brother."

Deku smirks, calmly surveying the situation. There are three other people in the room beside him, while the Pussycats are on the floor beneath him. "That was something special. I'd never pegged Drax for the begging type, but man, his screams were absolute music-"

"Liar!" More than a shout, it's like snarl, a promise of consequences.

Deku begins walking into the room, casually, blatantly defiant and confident, "Oh, you must not have known. We were almost so intimate in his last moments, Joten, he was everything I could've hoped for."

Joten's rigid stance quivers in rage. He raises a clenched fist, baring his teeth, "You're going to eat those words, Deku. Time you learn to control your filthy mouth, whore."

Deku chuckles mischievously, "Oh? You still want a piece of me? Still want to control me? Why the fixation, Joten? I'm curious." The Pussycats have steadily moved back, behind Deku, after he met each of their eyes. He's about two feet from Joten, cool and collected. He's always been a great actor, thanks to his upbringing.

Joten moves to close the distance, "That's none of your concern now. Fact of the matter is, we're down a brother, and you're next in line. While we're taking you though, we're going to kill your little friends cowering behind you. Word is they're worth something, buyers want the full set while we're at it, trophies or something. I'm sure you know where the last one is, the quirkless waste, the one like you."

Deku clicks his tongue a few times before humming, "Hm, I don't think that's going to happen. You see, I have something I didn't when I was with you guys, and I'm pulling out all the stops, for my friends there."

Joten frowns, "What could a weak little slut like you accomplish by yourself?"

Deku grins as his eyes begin to glow green, "Let's just call this move Dumb Luck!" He laughs, throwing up his arms as rumblings occur around them. Joten and his goons brace their legs as the earth shakes around them.

"What is this?" Joten stares at Deku's eyes. He didn't notice them the last time, at the hospital. Did they always glow like that? Or could it be? A quirk? The bitch got himself a quirk?

Deku cackles as a split in the ground cuts right between the assailants and his allies, right between him and Joten. He falls back as the roof caves in between them and Chatora steps forward to bring Deku with them. "Let's go Deku. There's a way out behind us but it's engulfed in flames."

Deku murmurs as he's helped back, "Don't worry about it. The odds are in our favor." He smiles as Chatora guides him behind the others to the back only to find a hole to the ground formed after a cave-in in the tunnel. They easily walk up to the surface to see fire around them. Deku tells them, "Might be people up here, watch out."

Ryuko glances back, growling, "We're not helpless kittens- Deku!" She starts at his face. Drawing the other's attention, they all inspect the source of her surprise and worry.

Deku smiles at them with his eyes closed. Blood is trailing down his cheeks and from his ears. Chatora is so strong, he didn't realize he was legitimately carrying the man. Deku sighs, "This quirk of mine takes a lot out of me. I can only use that move around people I trust..."

Kouta feels a fire lit under him, figuratively. He promises, "We'll protect you Deku, thanks for the assist but you can leave it to us now." They'll get him out of this, and their debt will be repaid.

Deku nods, trying to hide his shaking hands, "Cool," he whispers. His mind barely keeps up as they're on the move. Chatora carries him with one arm around his waist.

They're rushing through the trees as Kouta grits, "There's no moisture from the fire and smoke, my quirk will be weak."

"Here kitties!"

Ryuko, or Pixie-Bob summons her Earth Beasts to scout the region. Shino, aka Mandalay, televises her thoughts, "This way! We're losing them!" She wants the villains frantic so they're more likely to mess up. Kouta has steadily been drawing water to him, coating his arms in it for a quick weapon. Chatora focuses on keeping pace with the group while Deku struggles in his arms.

"Found you." A figure steps from the bushes as a ring of fire forms around them. Fire drips from their assailant's hands and it builds higher, a beacon. It's a woman in combat boots and black pants with a zipped tank top hoodie. She smirks at them, "Boss isn't happy you dropped earth on him, Deku. Time to give it up."

Deku isn't in the mood for sass. He's barely coherent as it is. Kouta lashes out quick swipes of water, but the attacks are weak with the wall of flames surrounding them. Pixie-Bob creates her beasts around them that move to tackle the villain. The user of the fire quirk dodges the lunges before another enemy touches down from the tree line. They touch the trunk of the tree and it comes to life, branches swoop down and scoop up the earth-monsters. The female enemy laughs, "I can do this all day, pussies."

Tiger drops Deku for the direct approach and Mandalay follows. Pixie-Bob cries out as she creates a number of beasts. Kouta watches their last stand crouched beside Deku. He murmurs, "I'm sorry." It doesn't look good.

Deku whispers, grasping Kouta's hands, "My enemies were just too strong... I want you to stand down now."

Kouta flinches as Tiger is fried by the fiery quirk. Mandalay is more tactful, while Pixie-Bob runs herself ragged. Kouta shakes his head, "No, we're in too deep." This is a fight they can't just walk away from.

Deku pats his hand, "Save your friends and go." Deku doesn't have the sight to warn the lad before Joten snaps his fingers in his ear. Both recoil from the ear-splitting sound. Deku was already trickling blood from his ears though. Kouta clutches his ringing ears as he's ferociously kicked away.

Joten grips Deku by the shirt, "Shame you won't be able to watch your friends die."

Deku clutches Joten's hand, smiling as blood slips down his chin and he exhales, "About that..." His head falls back as rain begins pouring. Kouta feels it on his skin and looks up. The water begins pooling around him. The youth forms tendrils and they extend to grab Tiger and the rest of his teammates before the rains abruptly stop. The fire quirk revs up again to burn his water away. Joten drags a gasping Deku to stand behind his two main fighters as more turn up to end it.

Mandalay chokes, "Retreat."

Kouta shakes his head, "No!" They're pulling him, urging him to follow. Kouta cries as he lets himself be led away, "He trusted us!"

Joten tells them, "Leave them, I've got what I want." He tosses Deku in front of him. The man is bleeding from his nose, ears, eyes, and mouth. He's in a euphoria of pain, numb to world but not to his ache. He rolls on his side, shaking and convulsing in a seizure. Joten shakes his head, stomping on his prize repeatedly, "What's your fucking problem!?" He orders them, "Well, figure this out! Let's go!"


The sun climbs the sky for a new day, but it already started out terrible. All the Pussycats were rushed to the nearest hospital which actually happened to be quite far away. Kouta rests in the waiting room while his seniors get checked out. Shino tried to console him but he just stared at the ceiling. His guilt is tearing at him from the inside. Tears keep springing to his eyes but they never fall. Why? If he's a villain, why did he go out of his way to make sure they made it out? Kouta's hands grip his pants as he thinks. What did Deku have to gain by letting them escape? Did he think they would be able to come back? The way he talked made it seem like he was done though, like he didn't expect anyone would be able to beat Joten. Why did a villain save him, all those years ago? Damn it Deku.

A detective comes to sit beside him, "Now, son, we just need to hear your side of the story so we can go after them. Be a sport and help pass the mantle." Kouta remains speechless. He can't find the words, his pain runs deep. What happened? Does he even know anything that could help the search? Kouta thinks back and comes up with a whole lot of nothing. There's nothing he can say.

At some point the detective left and the sky darkened again before he returned. "I brought with me Ground Zero from Kioko. Maybe you'll talk to him. He knew this Deku in his past and recently too."

For the first time, Kouta takes his eyes off the ceiling. He knows Deku? Ground Zero stands there in civilian clothes, frowning at his kouhai. He stares down at the youth, "Can you tell me what happened?" Kouta can sense the worry behind his severity, and he feels tears spring to his eyes again. Clenching his teeth, he turns away and Katsuki sits beside him, "Help me so I can help him." There's no sugarcoating, only the cold, hard reality. He needs a starting point and Kouta can give him that much.

"H-He helped me, and I didn't help him back." A sob escapes him as he curls in, burying his face in his hands. "He came to us for help and we couldn't. There were too many and we weren't strong enough. They knew us, our tactics with our quirks. They... They took him." Another sob wracks his body. "I wanted to help him after all he did for me." His failure drives a knife into his heart. It hurts. He let Deku down the one time he really needed him.

Katsuki nods, patting the young man's back. Normally, Katsuki might growl and tell the hero to get over himself, or curse him out for being a weakling, but... Katsuki can see he's young and still inexperienced. A lecture wouldn't help. He's not in the zone to learn from his mistakes, right now he's just grieving. He hasn't been an active hero long, maybe a couple years compared to the many years of experience Zero has under his belt. He hasn't known crushing failure like this, a personal loss. Curiosity begets the veteran, "What did he do for you guys?"

The younger chuckles dryly, "I was alone because the Nephilim was killing off my aunt and her people. None of the heroes believed me but Deku found me and helped me. He freed them and turned off the underground from coming after them again. He helped us find our new hideout and lent someone to build it for us." Kouta wipes his tears, his eyes red and puffy. Saying it out loud makes it seem so unreal that Deku did all that for them.

Bakugou sits back, "He's definitely a weird villain."

Kouta cracks a weary smile, leaning back as well, "He was my hero for many years as I was growing up. He told me to go to U.A. and everything." A villain was the hero of his youth, the irony. He rests his head against the back wall, over his chair.

Katsuki flags down a nurse, "Do you have someplace for a hero to rest?" The nurse nods, directing Bakugou so he can pull Kouta and nudge the nineteen year old kid in bed before heading back with the cops. He already surveyed the scene of the fight, but there's little trace of the people mentioned in the accounts of the hero team. There was one body recovered from the crumbled cave system, but no other signs. They can't even find a name for the John Doe.

Bakugou sighs, picking through the burned foliage once more, "Where are you, Midoriya?"


The green haired villain is catatonic for many days following his capture. Underground doctors are frantic with the hemorrhaging in his brain. He needs resuscitation a few times when his heart stops after violent seizures take their toll. After a few days of vigorous medical treatment, Deku finally gets to a more stable condition.


A/N: I offer my thanks to all who have followed, favorited, and reviewed. You help me put life into this story. I hope y'all enjoyed.