MAJOR SPOILERS IN THIS CHAPTER FOR DOROHEDORO, THIS IS YOUR LAST WARNING.

"Deku..." A moment passed, "Deku, c'mon. It's time to wake up."

He let out a groan, eyes struggled to open as he reclaimed consciousness. "Mmph..." He was graced at the sight of Noi's menacing gimp mask, her gigantic figure kneeling beside him. "N-Noi?"

"Yep!" Noi tilted her head, "How are you feeling?"

Deku slowly sat up, "F-Fine..." Deku then sniffed, something rancid in the air. "What's that smell?"

"You." Noi simply answered, Deku flinching in realization. "When Shou found you, you were lying face first in a puddle of your own blood and vomit." Noi then seemed to gag behind her mask, "I gotta admit, that had to be the nastiest thing I've ever seen. And I've seen a lot of nasty things."

He looked down, face red with embarrassment before realizing something. "T-Then all of that was real... I-I killed someone..."

Noi nodded, "Yeah. Brutally too." A moment passed, "So, you want me to help you up?"

"... Okay."

The muscular woman grasped onto Deku's hand, pulling him back up onto his two feet.

Wait... two feet.

Deku looked down, realizing that his foot was back, albeit lacking a shoe. "M-My foot! It's back!"

"Yep. I used my healing magic on you. It's pretty strong." Noi answered. Deku blinked, about to ask more about her magic before briefly noticed one of En's mushroom familiars a few meters ahead, standing atop a ladder and scrubbing the ceiling.

Deku was silent, his trauma returning as Noi continued. "You might wanna take a quick shower and change. En wants you to go see him."

"Huh?" Deku asked, "W-Why?"

Noi shrugged, "Beats me. If I had a guess, it probably has something to do with the intruder you put down. But you better hurry though, my cousin can be super impatient sometimes."

Deku paused before nodding. He was about to walk off to his allocated room before remembering something. "Ah, wait! My action figure!" He then frantically looked around, "Where is it? I-I had it on me before I passed out!"

"You did?" Noi asked, "I didn't see it on you, and neither did Sho-"

They heard a clack.

Sure enough, the action figure was next to Deku's leg, looking up at him. "Woah, it can move?!" Noi exclaimed.

"Y-Yeah." Deku admitted, kneeling down to pick him up. "It found me yesterday. I-I was just about to tell you and Shin-san but..." Deku shook his head, trying to forget the incident.

"Oh, so then wait, hold on..." Noi tilted her head before pointing down at the small construct and gesturing to the bloody ceiling, pausing for a moment. "Was he the one that did all that...?"

"..." Deku paused, "No. I did."

Noi nodded in understanding, "Yeah, that makes a bit more sense."

Deku clambered out of the shower, wrapping a towel around his waist. He regarded himself in the mirror for a brief moment, flexing his arm.

"Was I always this muscular? I must have been working out before I lost my memory..."

He turned toward the sink, the tap on as the action figure cleaned the blood off itself. Deku looked at it for a few moments, the figure clambering out from the rim and turning off the tap before staring at him.

"Er..." He then picked it up, the action figure staring at him. "... Do you have a name?"

It seemed to pause before gesturing toward its back, Deku turning it around to spot a tiny albeit readable inscription.

'-LL MIGHT.'

Whatever had come before the two L's had been scraped off, and due to his amnesia, he was none the wiser on what it could've been. Deku paused for a moment before deciding. "How about I call you 'Small Might'?"

The action figure seemed to like that name, giving a thumbs-up.

"Alright, Small Might it is." He then put it back down, Small Might jumping off the sink as Deku left the bathroom.

His room that was provided by En was pretty bare-bones as of now but serviceable. A few shelves for storage and a simple bed with a blanket and pillow. He passed his dirty tracksuit, spotting a shirt and pants left atop a drawer, as well as a pair of boxers. Deku picked up the two clothing articles, inspecting them.

The first was a black t-shirt, badly translated English words on the front of it that spelled, 'BEWARE OF DUDE!'. The trousers, on the other hand, were a pair of light green cargo pants. Deku quickly slid on the boxers before putting on the shirt and pants. Although it was an odd combination, it felt comfy.

He turned to the doorway, a pair of red sneakers and white socks left behind for him to wear. He quickly put them on, tightening the laces and opening the door.

Refreshed and ready to go, the sense of relief almost making him forget the atrocity he had committed.

Almost...

Noi was waiting for him, turning her head as he closed the door behind him, Small Might following him.

"Do those clothes fit?" She asked.

Deku nodded.

"Oh, good. I was afraid they wouldn't since we picked them off a few dead sorcerers."

He froze up. "W-What?"

"Not important." Noi responded, "Let's get going."

Deku reluctantly followed, feeling a lot more... unclean all of the sudden.

Noi and Deku finally entered an ornate room after walking past a few hallways, Small Might now sitting on Deku's shoulder after the latter had decided that the action figure was having a hard time catching up.

And it seemed like almost everyone was here.

Fujita and Ebisu were sitting on a nearby couch, watching some bizarre TV show depicting a horned devil flying around and zapping people. Chota sat close to En, filing his nails with his armored leggings crossed over one another as En read from a newspaper, an annoyed look on the bosses face.

And Shou was nowhere to be seen.

En looked up from his newspaper, closing it. "Hm, took you long enough." He then spotted Small Might sitting on Deku's shoulder, "I assume that living doll has something to do with your magic?"

Fujita perked up from the couch, "Wha-?" He too spotted Small Might, now engaged in the conversation as well, Ebisu still watching the show.

Deku paused, turning to look at En. "Um... I-I'm not sure."

The boss raised an eye. "Not sure? You seemed to know well enough to kill the intruder last night."

As if on cue, the door behind him and Noi reopened, revealing Shin as the man patted his hands. "The body's been disposed of."

Shin then walked past Deku, pulling out a chair and sitting next to Chota. Even Ebisu had stopped watching the show, all eyes now on him. He looked down, fist softly clenched as he gulped, mustering the courage to speak. "I-I meant as in, I-I'm not sure how I was able to do it. All I know was that she... cut off my foot, and she was ready to k-kill me until Small Might showed up." Deku grimaced, eyes peering at the action figure on his shoulder. "I used him as a club to break her jaw."

"That explains the broken jaw." Noi commented, "But that still doesn't explain how you managed to smash her skull against the ceiling."

Deku paused, attempting to rid that visualization from his head. "That's... what I'm not sure about. After I smashed her jaw I-I could see... things. A-Almost like an x-ray." Deku seemed to lose focus, "And then I reached out and Smoke engulfed her jaw... Somehow, I was able to control it and... bash her head against the ceiling."

Chota stopped filing his nails, "Wait, are you saying that it spawned from nowhere? Not from yourself?"

He nodded, the bird masked man putting a hand beneath his beak in thought.

"That's interesting." Chota mused, "I've never heard of Smoke simply appearing from outside the user's body... Unless..." He then stood up from his chair, "Let's try an experiment. Deku, put down-" Chota then pointed at the action figure, "Er, what do you call it again?"

"Small Might." Deku answered.

"Put Small Might down." Deku obliged, placing the action figure on the floor as Chota turning to Noi. "Now, Noi-chan, could you please break your arm."

What?

"WHAT!?" Deku yelling in surprise before Noi bought her fist down on her left arm. A horrible crack was heard, bone sticking out as she casually inflicted a compound fracture on herself. "Noi-san!"

She turned to Deku, Fujita and Ebisu cringing on the couch behind her. "Huh? Oh, don't worry about that, Deku." She then held the broken arm up, blood leaking from the skin. "This is nothing. I can just use my healing magic to regenerate it. Like what I did to your foot."

"Mm." Shin nodded from the table as En watched on, "Noi is pretty much unkillable."

"Aw, thanks Senpai." She then turned to Chota. "Anyways, what's this experiment you wanted to do?"

"Checking to see the conditions Deku needs." He then turned to the boy, "Now, do you see anything, Deku-kun?"

Deku shakily shook her head, "N-No, I-I don't."

Chota crossed his arms, "Alright, now put Small Might back on your shoulder."

He obliged, picking up the action figure. Upon doing so, Deku's eyes widened, Noi's bones highlighted like a chart.

"Anything different?"

Deku nodded, temporarily forgetting the grizzly sight as excitement took the reigns. "I-I can see. I can see Noi-sans broken arm now!"

"Okay! Now try using your Smoke!"

He obliged, holding his arm forward as his hand opened. Smoke spawned around the area of Noi's broken arm, the muscular woman looking at the small cloud with surprise as Deku moved his hand slowly to the left. Noi's arm outstretched despite it's broken nature, Noi letting out a small gasp as she moved across the floor. "Woah! I'm moving!" She then tried to pull back to no avail, "And it's really hard to resist! Cool!"

Chota inspected the sight before nodding, "Hm, I think I've seen enough. You can stop now Deku-kun."

Deku obeyed, lowering his arm as Noi was released from the effect, the Magic User rehealing her arm.

"This is something very, very rare we have here." Chota surmised.

Deku tilted his head as En perked up, his interest stoked as he leaned forward in his chair. "What do you mean?"

Chota turned to Deku. "You're a curse type user Deku."

The teenager blinked.

"I'm a what?" He asked.

"A curse type Magic User." Chota explained, "You've managed to fit 2 of 3 of the criteria so far. Your magic needs some form of condition to be met for it to activate, and that Smoke doesn't naturally come from your body, rather it develops and influences things from the outside."

Deku was astounded, "So... the influence would be how I can control broken bones."

Chota nodded, "Exactly!"

"But... what would be the 3rd criteria?" Deku asked.

"Oh, whether or not you have an ability that activates upon your death."

"... Eh?" Deku simply responded.

"But if you want, we can test that out right now and get Kikurage to revive you-" Chota spoke.

"N-No, it's okay!" Deku vigorously swatting his hands in front of him.

"Deku's got the right idea." Shin agreed, "I've dealt with curse users before. We might not want to kill him just to test it out. For all we know, that ability could be incredibly dangerous to whoever killed him, or anybody in the vicinity." The man then turned his head, "What should we even call your magic anyway?"

"I-" Deku paused, "I really have no idea."

Fujita clambered off the couch, Ebisu as well with a piece of paper in her hands. "Well, in that case-" He then showed the paper, "Ebisu and I came up with a bunch of ideas while you were testing it out."

"Yeah! They're all super badass!" Ebisu added.

The young man handed Deku the piece of paper, Deku looking it over. "Broken Bone magic, Compound Elevated curse..." Deku looked at the last name, "... Fracture Control." He then paused, "I-I actually kinda like the last one, it's the most accurate."

"Then it is decided." En spoke, "From this point on, you are the Magic User Deku, whose curse magic is Fracture Control, the ability to manipulate broken bones."

"Congrats, Deku-kun!" Noi praised, patting Deku on the back. "You've found your magic."

"Yes, congratulations!" Chota clapped.

Deku looked amongst the Magic Users, blinking, an odd sense of accomplishment washing over him. He felt unused to compliments and celebration on his behalf.

"Now, with that settled, Shou."

Suddenly, the wrapped sorcerer appeared by Deku's side, Deku flinching in surprise. "Yes, En?"

"Since Deku is a sorcerer, he's going to need a mask. Bring him to Beelzebub to have his mask made."

Fujita's eyes widened, "Wha- Deku's getting his mask made by a Devil?! Lucky!"

En continued, ignoring Fujita. "Guide him through the process, Shou, and if you so desire, remake your own mask. As soon as you are finished, bring him back to me. I have a proposition for him."

Deku wasn't sure what the significance of him getting a mask was, or what exactly this proposition was. Regardless, he hesitantly followed Shou out the door, the occupants of the room watching him leave.

Shou hummed to himself as he escorted Deku, once again passing through the maze of hallways. Deku silently trailed behind him, Small Might sitting on his shoulder as he finally mustered the courage to ask a question.

"Um, Shou-san."

"Yeah?" The sorcerer acknowledged.

Deku walked up beside him, "Who's Beezlebub, and why do I need a mask from him?"

"Oh, right. You wouldn't know." Shou remembered, "I guess I'll start with telling you what a Devil even is."

He nodded, Shou beginning.

"Devils are transcended Magic Users who've given up mortality for unlimited power and freedom." Shou explained.

"S-So they're like... Gods?"

"Yep. Which is exactly why we worship them. Chidamura, their leader, is the only natural-born Devil, while the rest of them are all former sorcerers." Shou then looked to the side, musing to himself. "Speaking of which, I haven't seen Chidamura since that Hole incident. I wonder what he's up to nowadays."

"Oh..." Deku then looked back up, "So how does one become a devil?"

Shou laughed, "Ha! It's not easy, that's all I can really tell you. You have to pass the Devil exam which prepares your body to become one." Shou then shrugged, "With a 99.99% mortality rate."

Deku gaped, "That high?!"

"Yep." Shou simply responded. "Now back to masks, you notice how we all wear one, right?"

The boy nodded.

"Well, most masks do tend to boost our magic depending on the material it's made from, but it's also a societal thing too. All sorcerers are required to wear a mask lest you become a social outcast. However-!" Shou put a finger up, tapping the sides of his wrapped mask. "While some masks can be bought or handcrafted, masks made by Devils are especially... Er, special, as the masks they make give the biggest boost." Shou continued, "Which brings us to Beelzebub. Compared to the rest of the Devils, he's the master of any art. His masks are the gold standard."

Deku connected the dots, "So En-sama-"

"Sees a lot of potential in you." Shou finished, just as they arrived at two doorways. "Ah! Here we are."

The door on the left seemed patched up, with spots of unknown liquid staining its frame as a bundle of plant fiber hung off from the front. The right door, in contrast, was clean and shiny, a trident indented atop its frame. Shou went for the right one, opening it and gesturing Deku to follow.

Another sorcerer wearing a waiter's uniform was beside the doorway as they entered, his mask imitating that of a hellhound. The man gave a polite bow, "Welcome."

Shou seemed surprised, "Huh, you guys survived?"

"Devils protect their servants." The sorcerer simply responded before the man looked up, gesturing the two to follow. "Please, this way."

The first thing Deku came to notice was just how nice everything was. Curtains of silk hanged from the walls, the interior decorated with a royal design. Close to the door of the room was two seats and a table, a kettle of tea and a few small plates resting atop it. In the middle harbored two cauldrons, placed side by side. Lastly, set up at the end of the room, was a giant striped tent.

Shou sat down on a chair, Deku as well. Small Might climbed off his shoulder, sitting next to him on the chair as the sorcerer then came back with a lidded tray, lifting it to expose some delicious looking desserts. "Care for some cake?"

"Ooh, yes please!" Shou took one, turning to Deku, "You want one too?"

"Um..." Deku paused, "Is it okay if I-I have the vanilla?"

"Absolutely." Shou responded, handing a piece to Deku, "Here ya go."

"T-Thank you." Deku said as took it, eating it atop a small plate. His eyes widened in surprise, the frosting delicious on the tongue. He peered for a moment, realizing that Shou had unwrapped his mask, his stand out features being sharp teeth and browless eyes, a few worn scars on his middle-aged, and generally unkempt looking face.

The waiter returned once they were finished, bowing again. "You may begin the boiling process."

"Boiling?" Deku asked.

"I'll explain it in a bit." Shou responded, the two standing up as Small Might climbed off the chair. They walked to the two cauldrons, a mysterious liquid frothing within them. Shou picked the rightmost one as Deku stood by the left.

"Please place your mask inside." The waiter requested.

Deku's eyes widened, "I-I don't have a-"

Shou dumped his mask wrappings inside his own cauldron. "Don't worry about it. That's just if you want the same design, so it's just for me really. Your mask is going to be made from scratch."

He nodded in understanding, the waiter returning with a trolley. "Please select your desired ingredients." Atop it was an assortment of random 'ingredients', from pearls to... human eyeballs.

Deku stared at the eyeballs as Shou spoke up. "Alright, now we make a gift for Beelzebub. Just pick a few ingredients, mix it in, and then bring it to boil at around... 666 degrees?" Shou explained.

"Which ingredients should I even pick?" Deku asked, Shou shrugging as the sorcerer focused on his own cauldron.

"Up to you."

Deku turned away from Shou, looking back at the trolley to see Small Might climb to the top of it. Deku blinked, the action figure looking amongst them before picking up a dried newt and showing it to Deku. "Y-You want me to put this in?" Deku asked, Small Might nodding as Deku plucked the newt out of Small Might's hands.

After the boiling process, the waiter came back with a ladle, bottling their respective gifts.

Shou turned to Deku, "Alright, now use your Smoke on your bottle." The sorcerer then held his hand up, emitting Smoke from his fingertips as it lingered over his bottle before dissipating. "Like this."

Deku nodded, picking up Small Might before concentrating on the bottle, holding his hand out. "Please work." Deku simply thought, relieved as Smoke began to spawn from his palm. Though it did nothing to the bottle, of course, seeing as Deku's magic only affected broken bones, Shou gave a nod of approval indicating that he performed the right action.

They then approached the tent, holding their respective bottles.

"And now we give our gifts to Beelzebub. I'll go first, and once I'm out, you go in next."

Deku gulped, "O-Okay..."

Shou disappeared into the tent, a tense minute passing as Deku stood there in silence. Finally, the sorcerer returned, face recovered with new clean and redone wraps. "That's me done. It's now your turn."

He nodded, Shou speaking as he walked in. "Don't be shy. And remember, be courteous."

The first thing Deku noticed upon entering the tent was the being that sat in the middle of it, sporting a stitched luchador mask and horns. A long tongue lazily hanged from the creature's mask as it wore a denim jacket with a black shirt. Hooved legs stuck out from its pinstriped pants as a furry tail stuck out from behind it. Its claws rested on its lap, patiently waiting.

His first look at a 'Devil', and so far, he couldn't help but feel intimidated by the being.

Deku approached him, body tense yet managing to just keep his cool, bowing his shaky head before handing Beelzebub his bottle. Beelzebub accepted it, popping off the cork and drinking all of it in one go as Deku watched.

And then Beelzebub promptly puked into his own clawed hands, Deku's eyes widening as the Devil's digits were a blur, molding the vomit as the substance turned white. Within seconds, Beelzebub now held a mask in his hands, Deku staring at it.

Its surface was pure white, two openings indicating the eye holes. A smooth curved line descended from these holes, running across the mask. However, the most standout was the smile depicted on it, displaying rows of sharp teeth as two verticle lines ran from both edges of the grin, giving the impression of a puppet's mouth. Simplistic... yet beautifully drawn together.

Beelzebub held out the mask, Deku quickly realizing that Beelzebub was going to put it on him. He bowed his head, remembering Shou's words yet trying to dispell the notion that it was indeed crafted from vomit. Thankfully, it didn't smell in the slightest or feel like puke, if anything, it felt incredibly comfy and fitting. Deku looked back up, now with the mask on as Beelzebub produced something from his pocket.

A flower.

The Devil slotted the pretty flora atop where Deku's ear would be. A few seconds passed before Deku realized that the process was complete. He bowed again, turning around to leave the tent as Beelzebub silently watched. He was greeted by Shou upon his exit.

"Huh, nice mask." Shou complimented. "They say Beelzebub bestows the best masks with a flower."

Deku nodded, speaking as his voice was surprisingly clear behind his mask. "T-Thank you, Shou-san." He then realized something, "Wait, then how come yours doesn't have a fl-" Deku then shut his mouth quickly, Shou's body slumping in a depressed slouch.

"Guess Beelzebub thinks my design is lame..."

The two returned to En, Deku standing beside Shou with their newly made masks on. He had been bought to En's room, the sorcerer sitting on a posh chair.

"Now that you've returned, I'll jump straight to the point."

En focused his gaze toward Deku.

"How would you like to become one of my Cleaners, alongside Shin and Noi?"

"A cleaner?" Deku asked.

"A hitman." En explained, "Usually when some ingrate messes with my family, I send my Cleaners to 'dispose' of them."

"... S-So a Cleaner... kills people?" Deku then froze up, "Shin-san and Noi-san... kill people?"

En nodded, "I'm surprised that wasn't obvious to you before." En then paused, noticing Deku's shocked expression. "Ah, I understand how that might be an issue for you." En then shrugged, "But I'll tell you the cold hard reality, Deku. This is the life of a sorcerer. What happened to you last night was merely the tip of the devil's horn. You can either choose to give and die...-" En's stare intensified, "-or take and live."

Deku gulped, a nervous sweat breaking out behind his mask.

"But..." En crossed his arms, "I'm also overexaggerating a bit. In case you haven't noticed, there are very few left in The Magic User World. For all I know, you may have killed the only opposition I had last night, and I had no idea who she even was."

"S-So you're saying it's... safer?"

En crossed his arms, "Compared to before at least. Anyways, that is beside the point. I believe I have a more important question to ask you, Deku."

He looked at Deku.

"What is it that you want?"

Deku paused, taking in En's question. What was it that he wanted? At first, he thought of wanting his memory back, a sense of closure and understanding of who he was before losing it. But then he began to think more deeply, a second opinion slowly revealing itself. Deku had magic now, he wanted to understand ways it could be applied and what its limits were, and what it meant for him. At first, he thought this longing was newfound, yet he then began to realize that perhaps it was always there, stirring at the back of his head like a distorted dream.

A desperate grasp at something that made him special.

He turned his head slightly, peering at Small Might as the action figure stared back at him. Deku then turned to En, finding his answer.

"I still want to know who I am. But for now..." Deku raised his hand, Smoke curling within his digits. "I want to know all about my magic. I want to use it and to understand how it can be used. I-I-" Deku paused. "I don't want to be useless ever again."

En's cheeks moved, Deku realizing that the man was smiling behind his mouth covering mask. "That, right there, is what makes an elite Magic User. Understanding what you desire is understanding what you can accomplish."

Deku looked down, yet slowly nodded in acknowledgment.

The boss seemed to analyze him for a moment before leaning back into his seat, "You may leave to consider my offer. But I do expect an answer by the end of the day."

Deku walked the halls on his lonesome, mind deep in thought.

He turned toward Small Might, "What do you think?"

Small Might merely shrugged, Deku sighing. "Right... I guess this is something I have to figure out for myself." He rounded the corner before spotting two familiar masks, his eyes widening behind his own.

Sure enough, Noi and Shin were walking down the corridor, both of them pausing upon seeing Deku.

"Looking good Deku. How does your mask feel?" Noi spoke.

Deku ran a hand across the devil made fabric, "Really comfy."

Noi nodded as Shin spoke.

"Noi and I can relate." He tapped the side of his heart mask, "Beelzebub made ours as well."

Deku nodded before Noi shrugged, "Welp, take care Deku."

"W-Wait." Deku spoke out, Noi and Shin taking pause. "Um... where are you both going?"

"Cleaning." Shin simply answered. "Probably the last time for a while until the sorcerer population goes back up."

"Oh..." Deku then paused, "Can I come with you?"

Noi and Shin opened the door to a dark room, with the latter flicking the lights on.

A giant covered thing laid in the middle of the garage, Noi throwing the covers off to reveal a shiny looking vintage car. "Woah..." Deku marveled, Shin opening the door to sit in the driver's seat as while Noi sat shotgun.

Shin turned his head, door still open. "You coming?"

Deku nodded, opening the door to the backseat and sitting in the middle. The garage door opened, Shin turning on the engine before the went underway, still in the impossibly vast compound that was En's mansion.

"... So..." Shin spoke, "What's the reason you wanted to come along?"

Noi nodded, "Yeah, that was kinda out of the blue."

Deku paused before responding. "En offered me to become a Cleaner."

"What?!"

The exclamation surprisingly came from Shin, his eyes wide yet remaining on the road. Noi turned her head, peering past her seat. "Seriously!?" She then turned back, cupping her chin. "Huh, did not expect that from my cousin..."

Deku nervously fidgeted, "S-Sorry I didn't tell you before. I-I just wanted to get an idea of what being a Cleaner was like, seeing as you two are."

There was a pause before Shin spoke. "That's alright. But I have to warn you Deku... it's a dirty and demanding job." He sighed, "Truthfully, I became a Cleaner because I wanted to fight strong opponents, Noi as well."

"Yep! That and I failed the devil exam." Noi added. "But En often sends us to deal with threats, and when we're not dealing with threats, we're disposing of bodies."

Shin nodded, "So you think you can handle it?"

Deku looked out the window, noticing trees now brushing past. "That's what I'm hoping to figure out."

The car came to a stop, the occupants exiting.

Small Might was sitting atop Deku's shoulder once, the boy inspecting the rundown house.

"This looks like an ideal staging ground." Shin commented, walking forward with Noi as Deku followed.

"A staging ground for wha-?"

And then the smell hit him, a horrible toe-curling smell that made Deku pause in his tracks. Shin and Noi took notice as well, with the former taking something out of his pocket. "Here, these are nose plugs. You might want to put them on for this."

Deku didn't hesitate, slipping them underneath his mask as Noi opened the door. Effluvia managed to escape from the inside, light sinking into the first room as Deku's eyes widened.

A mound of decomposed heads laid atop the floor, the skin having rotted off their faces as dirty skull and bone began to show. Deku's hair stood on end, eyes watering from the sheer decay of the atmosphere. And he could see small little x-rays from where they're necks had been separated from their lost bodies thanks to Small Might sitting atop his shoulder.

Deku didn't know what was more disturbing. The fact that it was a room full of human heads, or that for a brief moment, he was more interested in the effect his magic had on said heads.

"Wow, how did we even miss this spot?" Noi commented, scratching the back of her mask.

Shin shrugged, turning to Deku. "This is your first test, Deku. Noi and I aren't judging if you want to turn around and wait outside. But just know that this is what is expected of a Cleaner." Shin then picked up one of the heads from the floor with his bare hands, placing it inside a trash bag.

Noi and Shin began the grueling task, Deku's mind at conflict with itself.

Just what should he do?

And for some odd reason, he reasonably surmised.

What did he want to do?

Of course, he still wanted to learn his own magic, but there was also a new realization. A realization of how much the En family had helped him and given him a new life, not even expecting anything for return.

From what he had seen and known so far, the En family were good people, even if they probably did terrible things.

So what better way then to make himself useful? Deku raised his hand as he narrowed his eyes, concentrating. He was unsure if his Smoke would work or not on the already dead victims, but he was quickly satisfied to see Smoke envelop their necklines.

"So my magic does work on bodies too..." Deku quietly thought.

Every single head was lifted in the room, Shin and Noi taken aback as the former turned his head to him. Shin said nothing, but his perceptive eyes already gave it away.

He knew Deku had made his choice.

"Good job!" Noi said, clapping Deku on the back as he felt the air get knocked out of him. "Thanks to you, we were able to clear that house in no time!"

They stared down at the now buried mass grave, the smelly trashbags having been tossed in as Shin placed a small stone egg atop it. "Hm." Shin simply agreed, walking off the small mound.

"..." Deku looked up from the disturbed dirt, "What was that just now? Why was there so many human...-"

"-Heads?" Shin asked, Deku nodding as the man scratched the back of his mask. "Hmm... Where to even begin?"

Noi chipped in, "You could say it's the work of a rival boss!"

Shin nodded, "Yeah. That's a good place to start." He then turned to Deku. "Basically, En's rival, the boss of the Crosseyes, had taken over the Magic-User world for a while after killing En."

"En was killed before?" Deku asked, already knowing that Kikkurage probably revived the sorcerer.

The heart masked man nodded before continuing.

"Yeah. Anyways, the Crosseye Boss's whole gimmick was that he'd take the devil tumors out of the heads of dead sorcerers and use their magic for his own. So you can thank him and his gang for leaving all these heads behind."

Deku nodded in understanding. "So then... what happened to this rival boss?"

"That's where it gets complicated." Shin explained, "Turns out this guy was a manifestation called Hole, the ancient embodiment of death and human hatred toward magic users."

The boy blinked, Noi chipping in once more, "Yeah. A really long time ago, sorcerers used to kill humans by the dozen and stack there corpses atop each other. That's what became the center of The Hole. Even until the present, Sorcerers would even go to The Hole to use it as a playground to test their magic on humans."

Deku gaped, "That sounds terrible! D-Didn't the humans ever try and fight back?"

"They did..." Shin spoke with a hint of venom in his voice. "Toward the more modern times, the humans formed a militia... But I killed them all." Shin narrowed his eyes, now filled with hate. "They killed my mother because she was a magic user and tortured my human father to death. Neither of them did anything to deserve it..." He then crossed his arms, a seething tone in his voice. "So I simply returned the favor."

Deku was silent as Shin casually continued.

"So back to what I was saying, all those dead humans were what formed Hole." Shin grunted, "And Hole was a huge pain in the ass for us. But we defeated it thanks to the help of some... friends." He then shrugged, "And that's the end of it. A lot of sorcerers died, about 99% of the population. But... because of that, I guess ironically everything has been balanced out. The humans can now use the bones of Hole's body as a defense against sorcerers, and magic users can focus on rebuilding."

An oddly bittersweet ending, Deku concluded before his stomach growled, realizing he had done quite a bit of physical labor yet had not eaten a single thing.

Noi blinked, "Wow, you must be pretty hungry." Noi then began to walk off, "I'll get the car started."

"T-Thank you." Deku simply said before noticing Shin about to leave. "Wait, Shin-san."

Shin turned around, Deku looking down for a moment behind his mask before looking back up.

"I... just wanted to say that I'm really sorry about your mother and father. I didn't mean to bring it up."

"Don't apologize, there's no way you could've known. Besides, it's all in the past." Shin then sighed, "Looking back, I really did screw over a lot of people by killing off one of the few defenses they had against sorcerers. And even though a lot of the militia were just thugs, I bet a few of them were just like me, people who just lost loved ones and wanted revenge" Shin shrugged, "But, at the same time... It's odd, you know? If they didn't kill my mother and father, and if I didn't kill them..." Shin turned his head, watching Noi as she walked away. "I would've never met Noi, or joined the En family for that matter."

He then turned back to Deku.

"Life has a weird and violent way of happening."

In all honesty, with Deku knowing the brutalized state he had been found in, and how he had almost been killed before discovering his magic...

He couldn't help but agree with Shin.

They were sat back inside the car, Shin driving as Noi looked out the window.

A few moments passed before Noi yelled, her eyes wide behind her mask.

"Stop the car!"

Shin obliged, slamming the breaks and making Deku thankful that he had thought to buckle his seatbelt as he let out a grunt. Shin turned his head to her, Noi pointing at something outside. Two sorcerers could be seen cleaning a storefront, the first being a frightening and burly looking man in a fur coat, his mask animalistic looking in nature. The other wore a simple ski mask and a white dress shirt.

"Look! It's the meat pie guys!"

"Wha- Who?" Shin asked, "You mean from the contest?" Shin then scratched the back of his head, eyes scrunched behind his mask. "Weird... I don't remember much about what happened, who won again?"

"The meat pie guys obviously." Noi turned her head back before putting down the window, sticking her masked head outside of the car. "Hey! Meat pie guys!"

Both sorcerers turned, blankly staring at her before the burly one seemed to recognize her. "Oh, it's you, hungry lady!"

Bags full of meat pies were placed in the backseat beside Small Might, the sorcerers now with their masks off as they feasted.

"Noi, don't eat so sloppily. You're going to dirty the seat." Shin scolded.

"I can't help it, Senpai! These pies are sooo good!"

Deku nodded in agreement, looking down at his own pie. "Yeah... They really are delicious." He then began to thoroughly analyze, "I'm not sure what it is, but there's a distinct, almost gamey taste to it, but with the right amount of fat imbued inside the meat. Tanba said he the insides marinated with vegetable broth, I wonder if-"

Shin spoke in a deadpanned tone. "You're thinking way too hard about this..."

"Oh. Right, s-sorry." Deku took another bite out of his food.

"Hm." Shin then blinked, "Hold on. There's something on the road." The car came to a steady stop, thee trio staring forward.

Giant logs were put atop the road, column by column rather than row by row. They looked at the strange sight before Noi finally spoke, "... Is this a roadblock?"

Shin shrugged before slipping on his mask. "Dunno. Get your masks on."

Deku looked to the side, Small Might handing him his mask as he wordlessly thanked the little being. He slipped it on, Shin and Noi already opening the door to walk outside as he followed them.

They reached it, a few moments passing before Shin finally spoke up. "... This design is really starting to piss me off. Why the hell did they set the logs vertically when one log going across the have worked just fine?"

"You can say that again." Noi agreed, "It probably took a lot more effort as well" She then turned to Deku, "What do you think, Deku-kun?"

"M-Me? Well, I kinda agree with Shin-san, it really is an awkward desig-" He then noticed something stir in a nearby bush, Shin noticing as well.

"Heads up." The heart-masked cleaner then walked forward brandishing his hammer. "Alright. Show yourself."

Whispering was heard inside the bush.

And then exploded into whispy black confetti, four figures leaping through the air and landing a few meters in front of the trio. Deku flinched, Noi readied her fists, and Shin raised a brow.

"Ha ha! Fallen right into our trap." The first figure laughed, a sorcerer wearing a simply looking clown mask.

"You fools, how could you be so naive!" Another spoke with a deep voice, wearing an ornate silver headdress.

The next one, a girl bearing a metallic mask, giggled. "And to think, all it took was a little bit of patience."

"Forget the talk, let's just kill these guys!" The last yelled behind an intimidating insectoid mask.

Deku took a step back, Small Might standing in front of him as the action figure was ready to fight. Shin simply turned to the logs before turning back to the bandit group. "So it was you four idiots who built this terribly inefficient roadblock?"

"Oh, we're not four idiots." The clown mask spoke, "We are-"

They then came close together, performing a group pose. "The survivors of the black rain! Fear us! For our magic power is incredible!"

Shin sighed, muttering loud enough for Deku and Noi to hear "Ugh... of course. A couple of idiots survive an apocalypse and think their hot shit..." He then spoke up, "Alright, I'll give you guys one more chance. In case you haven't noticed, we're with En."

"Ha! Nice try." The clown mask then stepped forward, now closer to the trio. "But now we're the law around here!"

Deku turned to Noi, "A-Are we going have to fight?"

Noi smiled behind her mask, cracking her knuckles. "I sure hope so."

"Ho?" Shin asked, grip tightening on his hammer. "So you really want to go through with this?"

"Absolut-"

It happened in the blink of an eye. Shin had rushed forward before anyone could even react, launching a right swing with the claw part of his carpenter hammer and embedding it into the side of the clown mask's head. Blood spurted everywhere, drenching Shin's arm red. The clown sorcerer fell to the floor, the others of his group staring with wide eyes as Shin turned to them. "Who's next."

Deku watched mouth agape as Noi charged forward, capitalizing on the enemy's shock to close the distance. The silver mask seemed to finally recover, shooting out a wave of Smoke from his pinky finger toward Shin.

"Noi, combo!" Shin yelled, Noi unclasping the mouthpiece of her mask open as Shin leaped. He was struck by the silver mask's Smoke, body immediately turning into gold before Noi's Smoke touched him. The gold receded instantly, Shin returning into flesh and bone as the gold mask sorcerer tilted his head.

"Uh-"

"ORA!" Shin roared as smashed his hammer into the sorcerer's skull, eyes literally popping from the open holes of the mask. Deku cringed at the violent display, yet oddly enough, was able to turn his attention away spotting the two other sorcerers, the girl with the metal mask pointing a hand at Noi.

Noi was in danger.

Small Might leaped up, grasping onto his arm subconsciously as Deku raised his right hand. He could see the pierced skulls of both the clown and the gold mask, turbulent Smoke building up around the areas of fracture.

And then he pulled.

Both the clown's body and the gold mask were thrown by their heads in front of Noi, absorbing the girl's Smoke as their bodies exploded into gnarling roots. She lowered her hand, wide eyes turning to Deku, not noticing that Noi was now close to her. Noi punched the girl, both mask, blood, and teeth flying right off the sorceress's now exposed face, the girl's eyes twitching as her brain seemed to have shut down from the sheer trauma. Noi then grabbed her by the throat, lifting her.

"Heave-!" Noi then slammed her head into the pavement with seemingly no effort, face embedding itself as the road literally cratered from impact. "-HO!" The girl's body was left almost reminiscent of an ostrich that had stuck its head too far into the ground.

Comedic... were it not so macabre.

Deku averted his eyes from the sight. Three had been taken care of, which reminded him that there was still another sorcerer. He felt Small Might tug on his arm, realizing that the action figure was trying to warn him of something.

A shadow fell over him.

He raised Small Might before a pair of gnashing teeth attacked, the insectoid mask having used his unknown magic to turn himself into some flying rat looking creature. The only reason Deku's neck hadn't been mauled open was the fact that Small Might's body had been jammed between the sharp maw, Deku keeping the sorcerer at bay.

"Deku!" Noi yelled.

Deku could feel his heart beating as if threatening to burst, his brain working overtime as adrenalin surged.

And for the first time, Deku realized.

He was beginning to enjoy this.

The teen pulled back with all his might, wrenching Small Might out of the sorcerer's maw, hand pushing against his assailant's shoulder to keep the transformed sorcerer at bay. And then he swung with his right hand, smashing Small Might against the sorcerer's chest. The creature's ribs broke like a china plate despite what should've been a weak hit, stumbling backward as his magic dissipated.

"G-!"

Smoke enveloped from behind the man. Not Deku's, or Noi's... but-

"Normally, I'd never use my Smoke on such a weak ass Sorcerer-" Shin spoke, digits emitting a cloud of Smoke.

The man, for all intents and purposes, was dissected, body immediately slicing into even sections as blood flew everywhere, covering Deku from head to toe as he blinked behind his once white mask.

"-but for you, I'll make an exception."

The sorcerer's parts fell to the floor, head rolling up next to Deku, eyes blinking behind the mask to indicate that despite the dissected nature of the man...

He was still alive.

Shin spoke, walking up next to a slightly on edge Deku. "My magic allows me to slice things up. If it's living, they stay alive." Shin then kicked the head away, the body part rolling off the road. "Like this piece of shit."

"O-Ow!" The insect mask's head yelled before coming to a stop atop the grass.

Noi walked up next to Deku too, the three having regrouped as Deku realizing that they were all covered in blood. She looked at the head before turning to Deku, "Good job Deku-kun! You just saved me a lot of pain back there!"

He regressed back to his squeamish self, scratching the back of his bloodied mask. "E-Er... w-well, I-I mean, you look like you had-"

"Just take the compliment." Shin spoke, heart mask turning to him. "You did well. In fact, I'd say we all worked pretty well together."

"Yeah!" Noi agreed.

Deku paused before he nodded, silently smiling behind his mask. Another foreign feeling bubbled up within him, a feeling that, if he were to best describe it, would be a sense of belonging.

"Anyhow, let's get going. The meat pies will get cold." Shin finished, walking toward the car. Noi and Deku followed, with the latter attempting to drown out the insect masks pleas for help in the background as the head was left behind.

En silently cut into a garlic roasted mushroom, the smell fragrant and savory before raising it to his mouth.

The door to his room opened, Noi calling out. "Hey cous', we're back!"

He turned his head, his two Cleaners covered head to toe in blood. His eyes scrunched in annoyance, just wondering how much blood they had probably tracked throughout the mansion. Yet most surprising was that Deku was amongst them, and like Shin and Noi, was covered as well, with Small Might sitting on his shoulder.

En supposed that made the boy's answer obvious.

"So I take it you have decided?"

There was a pause, Shin and Noi looking at Deku before he gulped. Deku then stepped forward, nodding. "I-I think I have..."

En then put down his fork, "Well? Out with it then."

The eyes behind the boy's mask were now filled with a strict determination.

Finally, Deku spoke.

"En-sama, I want to be a Cleaner."

What we learned from the second chapter:

1. Beelzebub makes great masks.

2. Deku's magic type is curse magic.

3. Noi, Shin, and Deku, make a pretty good team.

And what you will learn from the third chapter... That's still a mystery.

That is... Welcome to Chaos!

AND THAT'S THAT. Sorry, I was supposed to follow up on this chapter more quickly, but I've been kinda diverting work between stories, and college has started up again. Anywho, some might have noticed the small cameo of Tanba and Fukuyama. I was also gonna have Kirion and Asuka cameo as well, but I felt it would have been too distracting for the chapter. Tanba and Fukuyama might show up again later on, with the two aforementioned restaurant staff, cause Kirion was actually super important to the plot.

Another thing I want to point out is that we finally get to see Deku's mask! You may have noticed that the cover is indeed Deku wearing his mask (albeit with a bit of battle damage.). A friend helped me do the base of it, general shape and the eyes, while I did all the details, like the pupils, the mouth, the bandages, etc. A big shout out to him.

Now let's answer some questions.

TheHysteric : Thanks for taking the time to review! There's just something really unique about Dorohedoro that really separates it from other material, and you can tell the amount of love that's been put into both the manga AND the anime. Anyhow, to answer your question, this story will be a crossover... with the 'crossing over' being very, very soon, like the next chapter soon. After all, sorcerer doors are able to jump between worlds... As for Deku meeting other characters of both Dorohedoro and BNHA, most definitely. I have big plans for this story, and a lot of twists and turns.

King of Jiongu : Again, I won't say too much, but I will tell you one tidbit. Deku was taken at before a very, very, crucial time... and no one was left none the wiser because of another reason, that reason being identified later in the story. Cryptic, I know, but I guarantee everyone's gonna shit bricks when it comes out.