Disclaimer: I do not own MHA.

Zero to Hero

Chapter 24: Four reunions of agony

For the time being, Midoriya and Todoroki were safe, Tenya panted as his engines whirred gently. He had managed to catch the two before the smoke got to them. A few of his classmates were safe as well, thanks to the huge arms of Shoji. However, most of them seem to have disappeared, leaving no trace of them ever being there in the first place.

"Tenya-kun, thank you," Midoriya breathed, getting to his feet.

"Yeah, you really saved us there," Todoroki said, giving the armored teen a small and tense nod.

Tenya grit his teeth, turning to the rest of his classmates. "Everyone, stay calm and group up! Shoji-kun, is everyone here? Can you check?"

The tall teen stretched out his tentacles, straining to sense them. "They're alive, just scattered in this building."

At that, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Tenya checked their numbers. Midoriya, Todoroki, Ashido, Shoji, Sero and Thirteen, there were seven of them if you added him in. He then turned to face the menace in front of them, everyone doing the same.

"Damn, physical attacks don't work and warping…his quirk's the worst!" Sero exclaimed, furrowing his eyebrows. Tenya agreed with him quietly, noting that the situation, although not as bad as he feared, was still quite dangerous.

There was a small pause before Thirteen spoke up, "Class rep!"

"Yes?" Tenya answered reflectively.

"Run to the school and tell them what is happening here. The alarms are not sounding, and our phones do not have any signal. The alarm system is based on infrared rays. Even though Eraserhead is erasing people's quirk's left and right, they are still not working. This most likely means that they must have someone with an interference quirk who hid as soon as they arrived," Thirteen explained as the smoke in front of them shifted, revealing those bright, yellow eyes once more.

"It would be faster for you to run than for us to find that person," Thirteen finished grimly.

Tenya faltered. Although in his mind, he knew that his teacher was saying was logical and the right choice, but he couldn't just leave everyone here. "But it would be a disgrace as a class representative to leave everyone behind-"

"Iida," Todoroki intervened, stepping in front of him. "Go. We'll handle this."

"Shouto-kun's right, Tenya-kun," Midoriya agreed. "If you can get outside, there are alarms. That's probably why the villains are only doing this inside."

"As long as you go outside, they won't follow you! It would be a whole lot easier if Yoarashi wasn't teleported away, but you can blow this fog away with your legs!" Sero added, bringing his arms up.

"Use your quirk in order to save others!" Thirteen told him, his voice firm and strong.

That was enough to spur him into action. His classmates and friends believed in him, they believe that he could do it. And they needed him to accomplish this mission given to him no matter what. He wasn't abandoning them; he was going to save them.

Tenya sucked in a deep breath, feeling his engines jut out of his legs once more.

"Even if there was no choice, are there really idiots who talk about their plans in front of the enemy?!" The black mist shouted, shooting out tendrils of smoke that threatened to swallow them whole.

"We did it because it doesn't matter if we're found out!" Thirteen exclaimed. "Black hole!"

The cap on his glove opened, and the smoke was absorbed into it. At first glance, it seemed like Thirteen's powers were enough to defeat the enemy. The once overwhelming black mist was gradually being drawn into the mighty black hole, disappearing trace after trace.

"Thirteen's awesome," Ashido whispered under her breath. "Maybe he's all we need!"

Tenya hoped so. He was sure that everyone there felt the same as her, and it did appear to seem like the pro hero's powers were enough.

But the smoke simply laughed. "Black hole, which sucks up everything and turns it all to dust. I see, that is an astounding quirk. However, Thirteen, you are a hero who works to rescue people from disasters," the yellow eyes narrowed, almost in amusement.

"As expected, your battle experience is less than half of that of a normal hero."

Tenya was not expecting another black hole to appear behind Thirteen. No one was expecting the warp gate to suck Thirteen and turn his body into ash. In a moment, their teacher was turned into nothing, powerless, defeated.

"Sensei!" Ashido screamed.

"Tenya-kun! Run!" Midoriya shouted from the bottom of his lungs. Ice burst out from under Todoroki, forming spikes that charged towards the haze.

Thirteen's words reverberated in his head. Tenya's engines came to life, bursting with energy as he sprinted. His classmates trust in him, his friends' desperate looks of help, they spurred Tenya on with gritted teeth and clenched fists.

Damn it…Damn it!

As the temperature dropped and sparks flew behind him, Tenya could only do his best to make it to the exit. When another portal opened in front of him, Shoji intervened and guarded him with all of his body. Midoriya and Todoroki had managed to spot a glimpse of silver when the haze chased after Tenya, and focused their attacks on that one spot.

A glance was all they needed.

"Shouto-kun!" Shouto activated his ice in large, the crystal element carrying him and the green haired boy towards the enemy.

"Izuku!" Izuku focused his energy into his finger, the red marks on it seeming to glow.

"If there's something like that," Izuku started, bracing himself. A glint was shown in his eyes, a brave, shining light. Beside him, his duo colored friend emitted the same look.

"Then that means there's a body somewhere." Todoroki's palms lit up with heat, scorching and burning the air around him.

"Go, Tenya-kun!" Izuku aimed a flick at the metal brace, the explosive force making a huge sound as it blasted it away.

"Nnrgh?!" A strained voice gasped, but he had no time to recollect his thoughts.

A blast of heat scorched the air around him. Todoroki had aimed a stream of fire at the floating body part, making sure to burn the enemy enough, not enough to kill, but enough to injure. The fire was, as morbid as it was, a beautiful arch of orange embers taking over everything in its path. It lit up the sky, and even Tenya could feel the heat from where he was.

"You're pathetic for losing against a bunch of kids. Get a hold of yourself, you're an adult, aren't you?" Todoroki narrowed his eyes and almost hissed out that phrase.

A roar of pain echoed throughout the area. The door was right in front of Tenya. He stopped, pushing his fingers in the gap of the entrance and struggling to push them open.

Come on…Come on!

Light cracked through.

As the air from the outside covered Tenya's body, a strong blast of energy burst out from his engines, propelling him towards the main school yard of U.A.

He did it, he was out.

XXX

Obviously, the enemies never stood a chance against him. As he screamed death threats to the weaklings charging at him however, there was one that seemed to actually have brains. Female or male, he couldn't tell, but they analyzed his movements and counterstriked. He had a harder time with that one, but the weirdest thing was that when he gave them a blast head on, it turned into goop instead of remaining a body. Something was wrong with these villains, Katsuki thought instinctively.

To his right, the red haired nuisance was doing pretty well on his own, Katsuki grudgingly admitted. He was free of big injures, mostly because of that stupid hardening quirk.

But that wind maker? Oh, he was a damn pain in the ass. Blowing that wind everywhere that distracted his blasts slightly off course. That kind of wide ranged quirk was more suited for open spaces, not for fighting in a damn building. (He didn't want to admit that although most of the previous statements was true, his control was exceptionally well for a wide ranged fighter.)

When the three of them defeated all of the villains, Katsuki let out a disappointed click of his tongue. "Is this all of them? They're so weak."

"All right, let's hurry up and go save the others!" The redhead turned around to meet Katsuki's eyes. The determination and straightforwardness reflected in them made Katsuki scowl. "If we're here, then everyone else should be inside USJ, too. I'm worried about the guys with less offensive abilities. Besides, because we ran off ahead, we slowed Thirteen down."

The reddie clenched his fist, and then loosened it. "If Thirteen had been able to suck up that fog, then this wouldn't have happened!" This time, he turned to look at the huge one, then back at Katsuki once more. "As men, we have to take responsibility for what we did!"

"Kirishima-kun!" The loudmouth exclaimed. "That's so passionate! You're a very spirited man, Kirishima-kun! I like that, you're right, we should go and save our classmates!"

A small grin made its way up to the redhead's face. "Yeah, thanks for the boost of support, Yoarashi! I knew you were a manly dude too!"

Katsuki growled, turning away from the two hotheaded idiots. "If you two dumbasses want to go, then go by yourself. I'm gonna kill that warp gate."

"What? You're gonna act childish at a time like this?" Kirishima exclaimed, furrowing his eyebrows. "Besides, that warp gate's-"

"Shut up! The gate bastard is the enemy's way in and out. I'm gonna cut off their getaway route for when the time comes. It's not like we don't have a way to fight the fog."

Katsuki saw the big guy turn his head to look behind him. He saw the way his eyes widened and a fierce growl overtaking his face. "Bakugou-kun, behind you!"

Katsuki turned around just to see a blade making its way towards him. A screeching voice followed after. "Stop your chitchatting! Since you've left your guard-"

Katsuki grunted as he reached out a hand, grabbing the head of the camouflaged villain and emitting a blast. The sounds from the villain died down immediately. "Anyway, if these small fry are the ones assigned to us, pretty much everyone'll be fine, right? Some were pretty messed up in the head, but they're not impossible to beat either," Katsuki glared at the silver goop on the ground.

"That reaction time was amazing…" Red muttered, and then he turned to look up at Big. "And how did you know a villain was there? He was mostly invisible!"

"Haha, it's no big deal! Since that my quirk controls the winds, I'm just a little more sensitive to the air movements compared to everyone else! I felt something moving in that general direction, but I was amazed at how fast Bakugou-kun was able to react to it!" Big talked enthusiastically, looking down on the blonde with a huge smile on his face. "As expected of U.A!"

Katsuki felt his eyebrow twitch. "Stop looking down on me, airhead!"

"I'm not!"

Red blinked and let out a small, sheepish smile. "Geez, and I was so surprised at you just now. Did you always have that calm and rational side to you?"

Katsuki felt his other eyebrow twitch. "I'm always calm and rational, you spiky haired punk!"

"I don't think you're in any position to say that, Bakugou-kun!" Big laughed loudly.

"Shut up boom box! You're making my eardrums bleed!" Katsuki turned away from the both of them with a growl stapled to his face. "Then go if you want to! See ya!"

"Wait, wait!" Red called out to him, and for some reason, Katsuki stopped in his tracks. "Believing in our friends! That's real manly, Bakugou!" His skin armor coated his arms as he smashed his fists together with a grin. "I'll follow you!"

If Katsuki was surprised at that, he was not prepared for the giant's next words.

"I agree with Kirishima-kun as well! Bakugou-kun, although you may seem rash and unforgiving, I see a passion in your eyes! You must be a really fiery man on the inside, and that faith in your friends has made me see that!" The capped teen clenched a fist in determination. "I'll fight beside you too!"

Fiery? Passion? Faith?

Bakugou could only stare blankly at the teen. When the giant looked down with another determined glower in his eyes, his memory flashed between his eyes once more.

No, no, no. Shut up, shut up, shut up!

Katsuki turned away and trudged towards the exit. "Just do whatever you want already, idiots!"

Kirishima and Yoarashi beamed, both of them fist bumping as they marched on beside him, but Katsuki didn't bother acknowledging them.

The photo in his pocket seemed to weight a thousand pounds as he moved forward with every step.

XXX

"So, the teachers will be here soon, I suppose," I muttered softly.

"Yeah, yeah, wrong! If Haze's copy disintegrated, it means that they got through him, NOT! The plan's going well, it's gonna end up in chaos!" Double fist pumped the air in glee, laughter spilling out of the crow's mask on his face. The usually white and black man was covered in a special body suit for today, with every inch of his costume a sleek shade of nightmare.

"All according to plan, huh," Blister snorted, leaning back lazily with his hands in his pockets. He buried his nose into the high collar of his black coat, hiding an equally lazy smirk. He refused to wear the crow's mask and would not budge no matter what. "Do you think this'll work? If this goes well, the number one hero will be gone from society forever."

Alter giggled, playing with her coal colored scarf. Her mask and uniform was also a custom shade of black, with almost no skin showing. She had complained about it for every second before the operation started. "Well, duh! Zero-chan and Blister-kun thought of it! There's no way it won't!"

Blister's cool blue eyes made contact with mine. I hid my eyes behind my hood, and averted my gaze forward. The monster by my side stood there silently, its blank eyes staring off into space. The brain protruding from its head, its muscled form with burnt, black skin. In no ways this was normal being. This was given to us for this mission, a being that could kill All Might. It responded to the name of 'Noumu', and it would only follow my orders.

In front of us, the man named Eraserhead was dealing finishing blows to the group of villains. While most of them were small fries that we found laying around, Double had made copies of us that snuck in with the groups. If one went down, the information would be relayed to the spandex clad man, who would report it to us, informing us of the situation.

And Iida Tenya, the boy with the engines on his legs was out. He was going to call the teachers, but it was most likely that All Might would arrive faster than anybody, especially if he was originally supposed to be here. Although a small distraction, it would not be a problem, I told myself.

I closed my eyes slightly, breathing out. If Blister was right, if what we did was going to be the right decision, then I should trust him. I had followed Boss for all my life, and as much as it pained me to say it, I did not know how to act when I did not trust his orders. On the other hand, Blister never trusted Boss from the start; it was obvious that he was not going to be able to win over the man no matter what he did.

Boss aimed to control. Blister wanted to be free.

A brown wrapping appeared in front of my face. My eyes widened, cursing myself for letting my guard down, but a sharp knife intercepted the attack, cutting stilts in the fabric.

"Ooh, hi there~" Alter giggled girlishly, but it sounded a little fuzzy because of the feature in the mask. I could almost see her hooded eyes and flushed cheeks. "I didn't know you were a teacher. I would love to cut you up regardless, teehee!"

Eraserhead must have narrowed his eyes behind his goggles. As I observed him, there were times when his hair would float and then sag. It was most likely related to his quirk. When his hair was up, quirks were unusable. When his hair was down, they could be activated once more. If I could realize something as simple as this, there was no way Alter did not.

Alter moved forward, parrying and ripping the fabric that Eraserhead aimed at her. Her attacks were precise and sharp, nothing compared to the first time we met. Although she acted whimsically and was drunk on desperate love, she was strong. She was a killer. She would not be taken down so easily.

Blister bumped his shoulder to mine. I looked up, seeing his eyes peer into mine once more. Calmness was reflected behind the bored shades of blue, and I felt my throat tighten. Double had taken over my other side, being surprisingly quiet. He was watching Alter move throughout the battlefield, but his hand was clenched and touching my hip.

These feelings I feel, what are they? Fondness? Relief? Familial attraction?

No, not really. They cannot be, or can they?

I…I do not know anymore.

The millions of scars littering my body. The voice and control over me. The fuzziness in my brain that I couldn't seem to get rid of. Everything felt strange, weird, unknown.

What is happening to me? Why do I feel so wrong?

A yelp shook me out of my daze. Alter had managed to get in close, but the pro hero deflected all of her attacks and wrapped her arms and legs together painfully tight. I felt my feet move forward, but Blister stopped me.

Wait, he seemed to say.

"You're different from the others," Eraserhead's voice rung out. "The five of you. I've seen some figures in the crowd that look similar to you four, and they all fought me with only the use of their physical prowess. Those that I defeated turned into slime, but this one hasn't," his grip on the material made it wrap itself harder around Alter's body, and a distorted gasp of pain sounded out.

"You're the leaders of this operation, aren't you?" Eraserhead said that with a firm voice, his tone dangerously low and almost growling.

"Yeah, we are," Blister stepped forward, tilting his head in a taunting fashion. "And what about you? What the hell are you supposed to be? A valiant hero, defending the weak? How brave."

Eraserhead tightened the bonds around Alter, receiving another pained grunt.

"Noumu," I whispered, my voice making the creature perk up. "Defeat Eraserhead. Make him unable to move."

The monster leaped in an instant. Meaty, charcoal colored arms reached out to grasp the goggled hero. Eraserhead, sensing the danger he was in, released Alter and jumped away, avoiding the attack. The monster did not stop however. It charged and swiped at the hero, giving him no time for rest.

Double raced over to Alter, bending down and carrying her, supporting her weight as he did so. "Are you okay? You look as fine as hell!"

Alter let out small coughs, but when she rose her head to look up at us, there was a dreamy haze in her eyes. "I'm just fine~"

"I was so worried! Not really, I know you'd be just alright!"

She let out a small giggle, letting go of Double to trudge on over to me. "Did you see that? He reeked of blood, and he's so strong," Alter, dare I say, swooned over the hero currently being beaten to a pulp by the monster. She put her hands on her cheeks, sighing. "And now, he's covered in more blood. How fantastic…"

I glanced at the scene in front of me. At least thirty villains were defeated, lying down motionless. Noumu was currently smashing Eraserhead's head into the ground, causing blood to drip onto the ground. The scarf clad man was grunting and trying to get up in pain, but Noumu was much too powerful for him to have stood a chance.

I walked on over to the two, raising a hand. "Stop, Noumu."

The creature paused in its movements entirely, its hand still on the back of the hero's head. I looked down at the bloody hero, analyzing his wounds. Most of the bones in his body were broken, blood was seeping out of his nose, forehead and his red rimmed eyes, but he was still alive.

"Eraserhead. You are a strong opponent, but you are no match for this monster. Surrender."

He spat out blood, raising his head weakly. His eyes glowed with red, his hair elevating ever so slightly. A glare was plastered onto his face. He was not going to give up; he was going to fight to the very end to protect his students. It was as if he was fighting against me even with his broken body.

I closed my eyes. It was just as Blister said. How brave. How heroic. How foolish.

But…it was not as if I did not understand.

A small memory of my father flashed through my head, and I opened my eyes once more.

"Then you shall perish," I whispered, raising a hand."Goodbye, Eraserhead."

The entrance to the huge dome slammed open. I paused. It was as if the air in the area stilled for a single moment, before gazes started tracing the source of the noise.

Standing at the entrance, with the two double sized doors mercilessly kicked open, was a figure with blonde hair and bulging muscles. This character was known for his boisterous laughter, his wide smile, and his overwhelming power.

I narrowed my eyes, retracting my hand from Eraserhead. But not today.

There was no smile.

"It's alright now," his voice was loud, booming, and furious.

"I AM HERE!"

So here he comes. I made eye contact with Blister, who nodded.

This is the starting line.

XXX

All Might was here, he was here.

Izuku felt his fist tremble, and it wasn't just because his finger was bleeding. It wasn't simply out of relief either. He wasn't like his classmates who cheered at the sight of the blonde hero, who were just glad that he was here to save them.

Izuku always watched the morning news. He always checked the updates for the latest information about heroes and villains, especially those about All Might.

Three hours a day. Although All Might had done his best to cut down on his hero saving to train Izuku, he was the symbol of peace. He was supposed to save people in need, and now that Izuku was in U.A, the mad did not have to look over Izuku's every training time anymore.

Izuku wasn't blind; he saw how All Might's power had decreased ever since he passed his quirk on to the young teen. At first, it was barely noticeable, but recently, it was starting to get clearer and clearer. He flinched more every time he had to carry a car with a hand. His punches no longer caused a rip in the clouds. He was getting weaker.

And it's because of me. Because he passed his power onto me. I can't even protect my classmates from these villains, how am I supposed to save normal civilians in need…?

Izuku bit his lip, shaking his head furiously. No, this was no time to think like that. Stop it, he told himself, panting slightly.

"You kids stay here," All Might spoke, his eyes focused on the middle of the chaos. "Do not move. I will take care of this."

He disappeared in a flash. In that moment, from what Izuku could see, the mighty hero had saved Eraserhead from the clutches of the black skinned monster, and he even got a blow in the petite looking villain. Their hand was sagging limply, and from experience, Izuku knew that their hand was broken. The odd thing was that that villain never made a single sound; they didn't even look at their injury. They just looked at All Might calmly, and behind their hood, Izuku felt as if that they were analyzing ever single bit of the hero.

A chill ran down his spine. This villain was not normal. This villain was strong. Powerful.

Horrifying.

He didn't know why he felt like that, but his gut lurched at the sight of them straightening their back to face All Might.

"Shouto-kun," Izuku managed to get out. His childhood friend looked at him for a moment, and his heterochromia eyes widened before narrowing.

"Izuku, don't. Don't even think of it. All Might will be fine, he's strong enough to defeat them." Shouto's voice was persistent, maybe even forceful, but Izuku had already made up his mind.

Shouto did not know of All Might and his relationship. When Izuku received One for All, Izuku had mentioned to his best friend that he was learning under a teacher that his newly emerged quirk was similar to. He did not divulge any more than that, because All Might had warned him that the more people knew about their secret, the more people would be in danger. He could never put Shouto in danger.

He had to go. He had to go and help his mentor.

A hand reached out to grab his shoulder. Izuku looked back to see Shouto gritting his teeth slightly, his face set in a slight glower. "If you're going, I'm coming."

Izuku bit his lip harder; he could almost feel the metallic taste of blood. "Okay. Okay."

Shouto nodded. Izuku spared a glance behind him; his classmates were looking at them with worry etched across their faces.

"Midoriya? Todoroki?" Sero voiced, his tone laced with uncertainness.

"What're you two talking about?" Ashido questioned, her eyes still rimmed with tears from All Might's entrance. "Are you okay?"

Shoji looked at them, his expression unreadable. Izuku forced a smile on his face, trying to stop the feeling of dread clawing its way into his mind.

"It's okay. We'll be back."

"But All Might said to stay here! You can't be seriously thinking of charging in! Didn't you see? Aizawa-sensei was defeated in a second! There's no way you two can stand up to those monsters!" Sero yelled, trying to stop them.

"Sero's right, Midoriya! Todoroki!" Ashido tried as well, her voice shaking slightly. "It's too dangerous!"

Shouto turned his back towards them. His voice was low when he spoke, "We'll be fine. Let's go Izuku."

Izuku nodded. Ignoring their classmate's worried calls; the two of them rode Shouto's ice as he made a wave with his quirk. The path of ice shifted rapidly as they approached the root of the entire disaster, the League of Villains.

Izuku tore off a piece of his school jersey and wrapped it around his slightly bleeding finger, wincing lightly as the pain hit him. He was sure that five percent of his power was not enough to blow the villain away, but he was glad that he somehow refrained from using a hundred percent. His finger was not that badly bruised and broken compared to when he did.

"Izuku," Shouto cut in his train of thoughts. The teen was still looking at the League, but his concentration was also on his friend beside him. "When we get there, I'm going to immobilize the black freak. You just assist All Might if he gets into trouble, don't attack them first."

"But, Shouto-kun-"

"Izuku, they're dangerous," Shouto turned his head to narrow his eyes at him. "It's not like sparring with me, or training with your mentor, whoever he is. This is a matter of life and death. I don't want to lose you."

"But I can't just sit back and watch either!" Izuku raised his voice. "If worst comes to worst, I'll have to be one attacking first!"

Shouto gritted his teeth, opening his mouth.

"A fight? Not very heroic, or timely, huh?" A lazy voice pierced through their conversation. Izuku and Shouto sucked in a breath as they turned around, spotting a tall figure standing right behind them. His hair was jet black, the top of his face covered by a mask while the bottom part was obscured behind the collar of his long coat. Although Izuku could not see his expression, he had the feeling that the man was looking down on them with a condescending smirk.

Shouto immediately blasted the man with his left side, the embers engulfing his lanky stature. Izuku turned around and raised his arms, preparing himself in case of an attack, no matter how unlikely.

"Hmm? These are your flames? Pity, I thought they were stronger," the same voice spoke out.

Shouto's flames were dispersed almost instantly. The man was standing there, completely fine; even his clothes had no signs of burns on it.

Fireproof clothing. Izuku's eyes widened. That means-

"See you later, pipsqueak," the masked man took something out of his pocket and flung it at them, jumping off the wave of ice in the process. A capsule of sorts hit the ground below them, and it exploded into purple smoke, covering every inch of their vision. Izuku held his breath as the ice beneath them gave away, and before he knew it, they were falling through the air.

Izuku hurriedly grabbed Shouto's arm, the teen already looking around for any platform, anything he could touch to freeze and stop them before they reached the ground. However, they were in the open, nothing to grab, powerless to do anything.

Izuku remembered what he did at the end of the entrance exam, and looked down. If he timed it right, he could cushion their fall. He would probably render his finger useless in the process, especially because there were two of them, but it was better than both of their bodies being squashed to a pulp.

Luckily, he didn't have to.

"Midoriya-kun! Todoroki!" A familiar voice shouted.

A gust of wind blew from below, stopping their momentum. The entire area was soon engulfed in a huge whirlwind, blowing away some of the fallen bodies down below. When Izuku looked up, he could not believe his eyes.

"Let go of me you damn creep!" Bakugou was shouting as he pounded on Yoarashi's arm.

"Woaaah! This is awesome!" Kirishima was carried in Yoarashi's other arm, grinning widely as they flew through the air. "Yoarashi! Your quirk's so manly!"

"I said let go of me!"

"Wahaha! Thank you, Kirishima-kun! Bakugou-kun, stop that! I might drop you!"

"THAT'S WHAT I'VE BEEN FUCKING TELLING YOU TO DO!"

"Bakugou…? Yoarashi, Kirishima?" Shouto muttered from beside Izuku, floating safely in the air as well. "Looks like they're safe."

"Yoarashi-kun! Kirishima-kun! We're glad you're safe, but there's something we have to do!" Izuku shouted over the wind, looking down at where the enemy was. Three of them were looking up; a tall figure was shaking his arms widely while the smallest one was swaying from side to side. The same one that had assaulted Izuku and Shouto just now was the same as before, hands stuffed in his pockets with sagged shoulders.

But the one who was standing in front of All Might didn't budge. They didn't even look up; their gaze was focused on the number one hero, who was currently trading blows with the black monster.

Yoarashi seemed to get the point immediately, the friendly grin on his face melting away to a fierce look. "We came here for that too! They can't hear us too well over the wind, so it's okay to talk! The three of us were going to take down that warp gate, but we couldn't find him anywhere!"

"That's not right! Without the bastard, there's no way the enemy can escape!" Bakugou shouted, looking at everywhere but Izuku. Izuku paused, remembering how the warp hole had mysteriously disappeared after Shouto's attack, a slop of silver goo falling down instead.

"If you're talking about the misty guy, he turned into some kind of mud after I used my quirk on him!" Shouto raised his voice.

Bakugou's head snapped towards him. "WHAT?!"

Yoarashi seemed to pause, before looking down once more. "Guys, watch out!"

The gale blew them apart as smoke erupted from below. It was the same purple smoke that had emitted from the strange capsule the man threw at them, Izuku realized.

Izuku closed his mouth shut as he trusted Yoarashi to bring them to the enemy. The smoke billowed and the wind blew in his ears, he could hardly sense anything. But when light broke out and the League was right in front of them, Izuku knew that Yoarashi had done a perfect job.

"Yeah, Yoarashi! That was so awesome and manly!" Kirishima slammed his fists together beside Izuku. "Midoriya! Looks like we're teaming up again, huh?"

"Cut the chit chat, losers," Bakugou growled from in front of them. "Just fucking go!"

Explosions erupted from the blonde as he charged towards the one behind the monster. However, before he could land a hit, one of the enemies interfered with a throwing knife that Bakugou barely dodged. It sliced his cheek and blood poured out, causing him to halt for a second.

"No, no, you can't interrupt! All Might is supposed to get killed by the ugly monster, he's not supposed to be saved by one!" A feminine voice rung out, giggling as she spoke. The way the villain talked sent chills up his spine, one that told him that this villain wasn't quite right in the head.

But then again, if they had the guts to raid USJ in the middle of the day, common sense didn't really matter to them, huh?

"Bakugou! Let me handle this one, my skin is way tougher than those knives!" Kirishima activated his quirk, his face set in a hard expression as he charged towards the female. She simply tilted her head and charged at Kirishima without any warning, jutting out knives that clashed against his armor.

A hand settled on Izuku's shoulder as a drawled out voice entered his ear, "No time to be looking on now, huh?"

Izuku turned around, activating his quirk in his fist and punching the air. The lanky man had managed to dodge at the last second, but not before Shouto's flames engulfed him once more.

"So, you, huh?" Izuku swore he heard the man say. "Alright then, you're supposed to be here after all."

What?

A huge blast sounded out. Izuku turned around to see Bakugou emitting another blast, one that shot him straight to who appeared to be the leader. The leader turned around at that moment, and it almost seemed like it was going to attack the rapidly approaching blonde, but for some reason, their movement stilled.

A blast covered their face as Bakugou yelled out, "DIEEEE!"

XXX

Hey, are you alright?

A shadow wavered in front of me.

He landed a pretty good hit huh? Damn that boom box, I can't believe he just did that!

Who…are you…?

Now come on, you can't faint now! I know this feels like a rollercoaster slamming into your skull from the inside, but hey, I'm doing the best I can!

What…?

You should feed yourself some ice cream. Chocolate chip is the best. Now, go back!

My vision returned.

I swung my leg up, feeling it make contact with the blonde's stomach. A strained gasp was heard, but I didn't manage to break his ribs. He avoided the brunt of it by using another blast to propel himself backwards, landing a few meters in front of me.

When the smoke cleared, I saw his face properly for the first time. He had glowering, ruby red eyes with a menacing scowl on his face. His posture was hostile, tense, and angry. He was like a rabid wolf ready to pounce; he was going to attack me without any mercy.

A guy like this was no big deal. I have seen and killed many like him before.

So why? Why did my head felt like it was going to split itself open?

"You fucking villain!" The blonde snarled. "Just do us all a favor and drop dead!"

Shut up.

He charged at me once more, readying a palm to blast me with his quirk. I moved closer in an instant, using my smaller stature to my advantage. Before he could even release a spark, I grabbed his upper arm, threw him in the direction he was moving in, and slammed his back into the ground.

He let out a strained gasp, but I didn't give him time to rest. I stomped my foot onto his throat, cutting off his ability to speak. Gripping both of his arms upwards and moving my foot to his chest, I pressured his body, taking away his freedom.

"Do not resist," I willed my voice to keep steady, hoping that the distortion would be enough to mask my unease. "Stay down."

The blonde hacked and coughed, but his red eyes never stopped glaring at me. His voice wouldn't come out, but his mouth moved.

Fuck you.

I didn't react, keeping him down as I looked up to see how Noumu and All Might were faring.

A blast of wind hit my face and the earth cracked.

The monster and All Might were going all out. Noumu was matching every punch, every blow All Might was giving was being absorbed into that monstrous amount of flesh and muscle, and given back just as much. All Might's body was battered with bruises, blood was trickling down his forehead, but there was a light in his eyes that was still shining brightly.

Heroes, all of them here had that light. That light of determination that shone brightly even in the face of despair. Did only heroes have that certain glow to them? I would never know.

"KIDS! PLEASE STAY BACK!" All Might yelled. He parrying the monster's attacks and yet, was still worried about his students. "I will handle this!"

"All Might sir, your passion is super duper amazing as usual, but let us help!" Yoarashi shouted, building up a gust to blow us away. Debris and such flew towards us in the process. When a particularly large bit came flying towards me, I had to let go of the explosive blonde and jump away.

"Yoarashi's right, All Might! Don't worry, we'll handle these guys!" Kirishima grabbed Alter's blades and aimed a punch at her abdomen, causing her to let go of it and flip backwards.

Orange embers made the temperature around us rise, and a cold chill made it go down once more. The duo colored teen was aiming both of his quirks at Blister, who was dodging most of them with ease. The man sometimes threw capsules and smoke bombs and such, but it seemed like he was toying with the boy more than anything.

I…hate him!

You're just a kid! You're not…one…suffers!

You're…friend.

…help each other….are for…?

So…Jenga battle?

A bright, red flash entered my vision.

"All Might!" A boy with hair was green as his eyes appeared in front of me, aiming a punch at my face. I stepped backwards and bended low enough to dodge it. When he looked surprised that I managed to avoid his attack, I flipped backwards and landed a hit on his jaw, getting to my feet.

"Grgh!" He held the lower part of his face in pain, blood leaking slightly out of his mouth.

The world swerved.

He…y!

Why are you so scared of me?!

I don't deserve to live!

Do…want to be a hero?

…Yes.

Who are you? Why can I see you? Who is that small boy in the back of my head, with bruises and burns, scars and tears running down his face?

"Who…are you…?" Before I knew it, those words slipped out of my mouth.

The boy merely glared at me, removing his hand from his jaw and taking a stance, one arm under his chest, another in front while his legs were apart.

"…My name is Midoriya Izuku," he stated tensely. "I am, the most fantastically awesome 15 year old in the universe, and I will become the number one hero, no matter what."

My gut lurched.

Heat exploded in front of my face. I grunted in surprise and pain, and cupped my mouth instinctively. My crow's mask had been blown off, and burning red eyes entered my blurry sight.

"DI-" The sound of a breath being swallowed.

The earth cracked once more. Pure energy erupted as high winds blew us off our feet. I frantically directed my gaze to where All Might and Noumu were, but there was only one figure standing there.

All Might was there, panting heavily with blood running down his arm. Smoke billowed around him, spreading everywhere, coating the scene in heavy smog. The ground around him was broken and uneven, and Noumu was nowhere to be seen.

"This…is what it means to be a hero," All Might heaved, clenching his fist and sending me a heavy glare, one that sent chills down my spine. "This…is what it means to go beyond, young villain."

Noumu was defeated. Blown off to god knows where. Our work here was done, the plan was finished.

I raised my voice, but muffled it slightly with my hand. "Everyone! Fall back! We're retreating!"

"Okie dokie! Bye bye, red one! I really enjoyed our fight together, if you were covered in more blood, I'm sure you'd be just my type, hehe!" Alter giggled loudly and retracted her blades, prancing over to me quickly.

"Yeah, yeah! This was the worst play date ever!" Double howled as he kept his measuring tape back into his outfit, avoiding flying rocks as he sprinted towards us.

"Goodbye for now, squirt," Blister came to my side, pulling off the pin of a grenade looking item.

When he threw it onto the ground, black smoke engulfed us. I pressed a finger to the earpiece in my ear and whispered, "Take us back."

The familiar chill of Haze's warp portal appeared at our backs. Alter leaned into it, still trapped in her giggles, and Double followed after, hooting loudly. I caught Blister's look before he proceeded, lazily walking towards the misty hole.

I sucked in a breath, the memory of what happened still rattling me. I turned around, taking a step, but not before I felt a blast behind me with a hand grabbing onto my arm.

I swerved, my eyes widening when I saw furious red eyes glaring into me. The last time I saw him, I could only see anger, pure unhinged fury, but now, there was confusion, desperation, hollowness mixed into his conflicted expression. His teeth were gritted, his eyebrows were furrowed, but why did he look like he had seen the most horrifying thing in his life?

You…boom box!

I'm…the most fantastically awesome…!

Don't mess with…anymore.

He…monster…

You…too? You and those boys, why did being around you made me feel like I was drowning?

There were cries. Someone was crying for him, calling out for him.

"KACCHAN!"

The hole swallowed us up before I could swing him off, and we entered the abyss together.

XXX

No. No, no, no, no, no, no.

This couldn't be. This was not right, this was impossible.

Katsuki heaved as he gripped her collar. He was sitting on top of her, his legs jammed against her side. He could barely register what was going on around him, he could hear voices, maybe three males and one female, but nothing they said entered his brain.

No, no, no.

His hands shook. Sweat dripped from his face and onto her cheek, her round, pale cheek. Her eyes were wide open and she was panting, her lips parted as the charred skin stood out. The colors in her eyes were milky, brownish and yet, looked like there was a storm, a haze trapped in them.

Katsuki finally found his voice.

"Why? Why…are you here?"

It was shaky, angry, and full of emotion that he didn't know what to do with.

"You…You're not supposed to be here!"

Pale skin, blood dripping. Scratches and wounds and cries of help from within white walls. She looked exactly the same as she did in his dreams, those stupid dreams that had haunted him ever since he saw her being taken away. Saw her being killed.

She was supposed to be dead, not alive, not looking like she was barely scraping past the day.

She was supposed to be full of life, of vigor, of spirit and passion and guts that stood up against him. She was supposed to have determination in her words, her gaze, she was not supposed to look like this.

"WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU?!" Katsuki screamed, pulling her closer to his face, not caring if he was choking her. "WHAT ARE YOU?"

Her mouth finally moved. "Who…am I? Who…are you?"

Him?

"You don't fucking remember me?" His voice quivered. He was just so angry, so furious, so lost. "Don't give me that shit! You were attacking the goddamn school where icy-hot and Deku were and you DON'T KNOW?!"

"I," she whispered, the haze in her eyes clouding, blowing, and slowly, slowly clearing. "I…"

"There's no way this was a damn coincidence! You've been alive behind all our backs this entire time, and you have the fucking nerve to pretend you don't REMEMBER?!" Katsuki yelled, feeling his vision blur. Warm liquid poured down his face, dripping against her face, her eyelids, her neck.

He couldn't take it. He couldn't stand it.

"URARAKA OCHAKO!" He screamed, feeling his emotions overwhelm his entire being. "YOU'RE FUCKING URARAKA OCHAKO!"

It was as if a thread had been cut. The murky haze in her eyes cleared for a second, a tiny, miniscule second, before the light blacked out.

The last thing Katsuki remembered was the feeling of a gloved hand on his cheek.

U.S.J! Done!

So, it took me a while. Sorry, but this chapter was a huge whirlwind of feels. It was fun writing Inasa, Eijiro and Katsuki together though. Best passionate bros. Imagine if Inasa was in the Baku gang. That would be fun. Maybe I should write an AU for this AU, fwhaha.

So, Baku and Ocha. I wonder if anyone saw this coming? I think I sprinkled a little foreshadowing here and there, so it might not be such a big surprise. Maybe, I dunno, when you're the author it's hard to tell.

New readers are very surprised at how this story turned out, and I am sorry, but I do not regret what I did. It's dark and angst-y now, but I do not know how much it is for your heart. And although I know it's useless, comments that just criticize the plot without being of much help isn't really inspiring. If you don't like it, please just leave quietly without leaving a hateful comment, the world doesn't need more hate than it already has.

On the other hand, readers who enjoy my story and are looking for more! Or those who like my writing style, but are weak against sad emotions! I may, or may not, be writing a fantasy Au with my favorite MHA pairings. It may or may not be out soon, but I am slowly working on it! I have no idea if it'll be a big one, but when I plan, it tends to get really long so…

Again, thanks for reading, reviewing, following and or favoriting! Support makes me warm and happy inside and I tend to treasure positive reviews for a long time!

My twitter name is here if you wish to contact me and talk about anime stuff: Runefairy12

See you most probably next month!

~LunaricFairy12~