'What do you want?' Izuku could barely even muster up any bitterness in his voice as he heard the footsteps drawing nearer.

One soft step, followed by a click came nearer ad the old wizened pro stepped closer to Izuku and sat down. Gran Torino looked over at the weary and nearly beaten teen who wasn't even bothering to acknowledge the pro aside from his blunt question.

"You put on quite the show back there."

Izuku scoffed. "Oh? Let me guess. 'Your master has corrupted you'? 'There's still a chance for you to come back to a normal life'? Some rant on how I can come back from what I've done?"

The old pro shrugged. "I was thinking of throwing something like that in here."

Izuku growled. "Sorry, but if you're just going to preach at me, I'll cut my losses and leave early."

Torino waved his hands. "No, no. I just felt that you needed someone to talk to."

Izuku raised his eyebrows, sarcasm clear in his look. "And you think you're the person to meet that need? How do you know that I don't have friends and sympathizers to wail to about my woes?" He lied. Izuku knew that he had no one left. If he were to be with the few he considered friends, that would mean he would be stuck in a possibly padded room never to return to the life he loved out on the run.

"Do you see anyone else here talking with you?"

Izuku frowned behind his mask as he knew what the old man had said was true.

"And what exactly is your great plan to return me to the side of the light? I fully understand what it is that I am doing, and I am doing it wholly willingly."

Gran Torino nodded looking away grimly. "I figured. If you were here against your will, you wouldn't have complied with your master's wishes so instantly, nor would you have returned for him."

Izuku's fists tightened. "You got that right." His voice was heavy, filled with tense emotion. He started to shake again slightly. "If - if he only listened. If he had come with me he'd - he'd -" Izuku's head bowed between his crossed arms as his shaking intensified. "I don't understand."

Torino quickly turned the subject, realizing the instability of their current conversation. "I won't pretend to sympathize with what you do, but I can at least understand that you have great potential." Izuku stilled and slowly raised his head to look back at the pro. "You, if you keep your ideals and convictions, hold great promise." Izuku's eyes widened as he realized what the pro was inadvertently saying. "I feel that you can change the world, for better or for worse." Gran Torino looked Izuku dead in the eyes, all fear lacking in his gaze. "What I want to know is if you're going to take that opportunity, or lay down and let this pass you by?"

Izuku stared at him, uncertainty in his own wavering gaze. Stain's words echoed back to him. He had promised, if anything permanent were to happen to his master, to go home. But, he didn't know what to do. He had never expected this to actually happen. He had vehemently sworn to Stain that he wouldn't let anything to tear them apart.

But now here they were.

Half of Izuku, his stubbornness, demanded that he track down the heroes who had taken his only support away from him. He burned to go and uncover the villains who were responsible for this all and tear their limbs off.

But, could he do it?

His reasonable and responsible side, the other half of himself, pointed out that he had promised to leave this life behind should the two be separated permanently. Stain surely must have thrown him through for a reason. To make sure he was safe so he could go home? And Izuku hadn't been able to do anything to help his master, who was now being driven away to rot behind bars.

What would he do, and could he do it?

"I don't know." His voice was weakly quiet. He shifted away. "I don't know, but I will stay until I do."

Izuku stood and immediately hissed and held his side. He grunted and pulled the blood soaked cloth away from his side. "What is wrong with you?" He pulled out another cloth, sniffing it through his mask. He growled. "Rancid. Of course."

Izuku shoved the useless cloths back into his pockets, throwing a marble and moving to step through the new portal.

"One moment." Izuku halted as Gran Torino stood and faced him. "Who are you?"

Izuku's shoulders slowly slumped. "I don't know right now." The two stood frozen for a breif moment.

Izuku stepped through, and vanished with a small pop.

Two days later, Gran Torino would be sitting in front of the captive. The grown man wouldn't meet his, or anyone else's gaze, staring only down inbetween his knees at the floor.

"That kid of yours sure is something important isn't he?"

The prisoner gave a half smile, meeting the eyes of the old pro. "He sure is." Stain agreed.

A/N

Yeah, so, shortie. And you lovely dears commenting so much, thank you! I have never gotten this many comments/follows/faves over anything before and I love it, I love you. 200 FOLLOWERS. TWO FLIPPING HUNDRED. I LOVE YOU GUYS!!!!!!!!

ILiekFishes, interesting idea but no. It sadly was not Shigaraki. The idea was really tempting however.

Also, Canadianblitz. Friend, I don't know when exactly I will be putting up the first chapters of bk2. I would like to get as caught up as is possible before I start writing bk2 which would mean at least getting to my library and seeing if they have the manga there. I been so caught up in writing this story that I haven't watched the latest episode/episodes on YouTube as doing so, while also balancing school, tends to make my brain melt in all kinds of bad ways. Of course though, my life is pretty 'stay at home, do school' so I don't get out much, so getting to my library to check may take awhile. (If you know any free sites that has the manga, tell me!) The final desicion on if I can get a job should be coming soon, which means if I do get a job, I will HAVE to learn to drive, and then I can just take myself to the library instead of needing someone else to take me.

But I digress. Short is, I wanna catch up first before probably publishing the first chapters (even though bk2 happens in what is in the anime) but that may take a little while. However! I WILL be writing in the mean time since I know what I want and since it is in what has been released in the anime.

WHEW!

(And, SombraTheWeeb, yeah I totally do love being evil to Izu. What gave it away?)

Any way! Last chapter up next, and boy am u going to have fun with it! The mall encounter, but of course, tweaked to fit my needs and to set up a basis for bk2, among other things. Anyone wanna guess who meets who / does what / who, what, when, where, and why in the trashcan?

So long!