I apologize for the late update. I wanted to see the last episode and catch up with manga in case there were some details I might use for the story. I also came up with numerous what-ifs concerning the alternative world and that also needed some work before I could put it in the story.

I hope you enjoy the new and longer chapter.

Chapter 2: It All Started With a Beam

Steady beeping machines and the pumping sound of the respirator. By this point Izuku could already put together that he was in a hospital. For someone who was practically a regular, hospital came to be one of the environments that he was able to recognize immediately. Not being able to recall the reason why he was there right away, Izuku carefully opened his eyes and tried to move his head around. This time he wasn't feeling as dizzy since the place wasn't that bright and the slowly setting sun was the only source of light. The sharp smell of disinfectant and the soft feel of bandages gave him all too familiar sensation of the time after the battle.

But for once he didn't instantly think of everyone else.

How could he? Despite almost always instantly remembering the battle and everyone involved, this time he had nothing. No one else but him.

"Midoriya…"

Izuku slowly turned his head to the side, seeing Tokoyami sitting next to him with a cell phone in his hands. The bird headed hero quickly typed something on his phone before completely turning his attention to the wounded hero.

"Don't move just yet. You've been asleep for four days." Tokoyami explained as the doors to his room opened.

Two nurses and a doctor barged in the room, carefully performing standard procedures like checking over his injures and changing some of the equipment. The gas mask was replaced by a tube placed under Izuku's nose and nearly empty IV solution was changed for new one, along with all other check-ups. During all of that, Tokoyami continued to type on his phone while Izuku just tried to make some sense of how did he got in hospital this time.

But just as the doctor used the torch on his eyes, Izuku suddenly remembered it all. The reaction was instant, making the young hero scream and flinching away from the doctor who appeared to be just as shocked as he was. The nurses acted the same and only Tokoyami managed to react fast, sending Dark Shadow to catch Izuku before he could fall off his bed and make his injuries worse. The heart monitor went haywire with beeping just as loud as the screams of the young hero were.

"Midoriya! It's alright!" Tokoyami shouted in the most ensuring tone he possibly could "You are safe! You are not there anymore!"

Izuku could barely hear him through all of his screaming, seeing the flashing images of the creepy villain and that scalpel cutting through his scarred arms. The fellow classmate continued to repeat reassuring words, anything to calm him down and bring him out of his panic attack. Izuku could feel the pain of his injuries and yet that still wasn't enough to prevent him from thrashing around.

Only once his body exhausted itself after long minutes Izuku stop twitching. He was out of breath and just gasped for a while, seeing how the doctor injected something in his IV.

"It's a sedative, it will keep you relaxed." the doctor explained as the nurses cautiously started fixing all the bandages that Izuku tore off during his panic attack.

Just in case, Tokoyami had his Dark Shadow out, ready to hold him down if he were to experience another episode. Fortunately the sedative seemed to be affective as Izuku's limbs stopped shaking and he started to feel more relaxed, but not to the point of being sleepy just yet. The doctor did a few more necessary check-ups before determining that Izuku was clearly still shaken up from his ordeal and medical examinations were acting as a trigger to him. After exchanging a few quick words with Tokoyami, the doctor left, leaving the two young heroes on their own.

For several minutes Izuku just stared into ceiling, trying hard not to think about the flashes of images with that villain's face all over them. Now he knew he was kept somewhere by those villains though how exactly did they take him or what they did to him was still unclear…

"Toko…yami…" Izuku uttered, his voice dry and raspy "What… h-happ…ended to… me?"

"You went missing during your solo mission four months ago." Tokoyami started carefully "Everyone was looking for you, but no one knew you were actually held captive all this time."

"Cap…tive?"

"Yeah… you reported being stalked many times, just weeks before you went missing." the fellow young hero looked down "I'm so sorry, I should've taken your reports more seriously."

Izuku blinked, not remembering any of that. When digging through his memories he indeed recalled some things, but being stalked to the point of filling in a report? He was sure he'd remember something as important as that. On top of that he was on a solo mission? Students weren't allowed something like that just yet. Accompanying pros, acting like sidekicks or at least working with another sidekick was something that was more likely to happen. But solo mission? Only pros could do that.

"What do you mean, Midoriya?" Tokoyami asked, interrupting Izuku's busy train of thought that made him mutter again "You've done several solo missions before that. You're a pro after all."

Now Izuku was really getting confused. True he was currently an intern at the hero agency along with some other classmates, but he was nowhere near being a pro. There was still so much he had to learn and while he was showing a lot of potential, his destructive quirk needed a whole lot of training before being recognized as a pro hero.

"A pro?" was the only thing that Izuku managed to utter out.

"Yes, you are a pro hero." Tokoyami explained, getting confused himself when seeing distress written all over Izuku's face "You don't… remember?"

Izuku was perplexed, trying to get any sense of that at the same time that Tokoyami did. From what doctors told him, Izuku didn't receive any head injuries that could've caused brain damage or had any drugs in his system that could've juggled his memories. So the only other explanation was likely psychological damage.

"Midoriya… what do you remember?" he started carefully, keeping his hands on the phone.

"Mission… but with… someone else." Izuku muttered "I'm not a pro… I'm still a student…"

"Maybe it will help if I tell you all that has happened so far." Tokoyomi sighed inaudibly "What was the last thing you remember, regarding the UA?"

"I remember… internship at a hero agency… as a first year student."

This time the bird headed hero sighed audibly, pressing his hand to his forehead. Izuku could tell he was thinking very deep and even himself tried to piece together just why everyone thought he was a pro. He might've had hero licence and had accompanied other heroes and sidekicks as a part of his internship, but this could in no way get him to the pro status. Izuku knew some heroes could potentially become pros before graduating high school, but for him to become pro at only 16? The young hero didn't know what to think about it. Apparently he has forgotten way more than he thought at first and him becoming a pro happened shortly before he went missing.

"Midoriya… that was at least six years ago. We're both 22 now."

Izuku let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. Slowly he looked up from his trembling hands and slowly looked at Tokoyami for the first time in detail. Even though his now former classmate was sitting, he could tell that he was much taller and muscular from what he remembered. He still wore practically the same black getup he did in UA, but he definitely looked older. Out of curiosity Izuku also raised himself carefully, minding all the tubes, bandages and wires attached to his body.

True to Tokoyami's word, he indeed looked taller, several inches for that matter from the looks of it. His limbs however didn't look ever remotely the same. Just like his arms, they were scrawny and battered wherever bandages weren't covering them. There were more old scars he haven't seen before, as well as an unknown device attached to his heavily bandaged chest.

"You broke many ribs and your body temperature was dangerously low. The device is keeping your core warm." Tokoyami explained when he noticed Izuku staring at his chest "You do still remember what your quirk is, right?"

Izuku was going to say yes when he remembered the strange fire quirk that helped him get away from the villains. It was quite possible he has forgotten learning a new One for All move along with the fact that he has somehow became a pro, so letting Tokoyami explain him everything was his best shot. The bird headed hero took on Izuku's nudge as a sign of not having a clue and brought out his cell phone. He didn't have many photos saved, so he went straight to social media, searching for specific tags.

Just make sure, Izuku checked the today's date on the cell phone and then on when the photos were taken. Most were just weeks before he went missing and the rest were older, going even as far as years. Izuku felt like he was watching the montage of his life, like those flashing images you supposedly have when you are about to die. Did he really forget six years of his life? He thought four months was already bad enough, but more than half of a decade? Izuku unconsciously shook his head, checking out the oldest photos in which he was tagged. The young hero felt like the main character in this drama about a coma patient that his mom loved to watch and was ready to be faced with everything he had missed.

He looked at the last few dates he could still recall, a couple of months after the school festival. Izuku doubted anyone took photos of the actual mission though there were a lot of photos of when he was out with his classmates on casual trips, visits to shopping center or going to cafes. There were also photos of when they had training sessions in their gym clothes.

And then he finally spotted photos oh him in his hero suit.

Izuku was dumbfounded by his own photos.

Or more like he was dumbfounded by the person on the photos that was supposed to be him.

While his suit was still forest green with the rabbit hood, as the others would sometimes joke, it was altered in many ways. The pads were still there, however, they appeared to be much lighter and didn't seem to provide much protection to his legs at all. Even his respirator was missing. The suit appeared to be showing more of his skin instead, especially on his back and in the middle of his chest. Pads were around his shoulders, waist and basically everywhere on his upper torso where the clothing was covering him.

In fact the design strangely reminded him of Yaororozu's suit and the thought alone made him blush. Was that also when he discovered that fire move? It made sense considering he remembered those flames appearing on his back and in front of his chest for a little bit. From the looks of the later photos, he started relying on that fire thing a lot more since he looked slimmer and more agile, body suitable for speed-based moves. Much less muscle mass, but still enough for close combat moves it seemed. More photos from other people besides his classmates followed.

And in all of them he looked like he was flying, with a pair of wings made of fire on his back.

"Yeah, that's why your hero name is Firefly." Tokoyami said after listening to Izuku's mumbling "Like I control Dark Shadow, you create flames and control them."

Izuku was a bit surprised by the explanation since it both answered his questions and made him question things more. He rather not thought more about One for All because he didn't want to accidentally mumble All Might's secret out loud. Come to think of it, how exactly did he produce those flames? He guessed that enhanced strength could produce enough friction to start flames, like matches. And to control them like Tokoyami controls his shadow, not like Todoroki who just creates them, he would need a far different ability.

"You control them through your flame core." Tokoyami started explaining when overhearing all the mumbling again "It's in your chest. You cracked the majority of your ribs due to overusing it."

The young hero continued to scroll down, seeing more upgrades added to his suit and at times he would even see the familiar orange ivy-like trails. Even though he remembered them as being fire-like, the ones on the photos looked like actual fire. He was surprised that despite all the bare skin around his arms where suit wasn't covering it, he had no signs of burns or burn scars at all. The only explanation for that was that he somehow developed resistance to fire as well.

"Did it help you remember?" Tokoyami asked, noticing Izuku's wide eyes still staring at the phone screen "If not, I can ask your mother to bring more photos from home once she comes to visit you."

"My… mom?" Izuku suddenly realized just how worried his mother must've been for those long months. He could clearly remember her tear-stained face when he was moving to the school's dorms, begging him to be careful and stay safe.

"Yes, she boarded the first plane she could find from overseas, but due to bad weather her flight got delayed for several days. She should arrive by tomorrow, though."

The thought of seeing his mother made him smile for a bit, though he did wonder why was she overseas. Probably for work just like his father, Izuku thought. It honestly sounded like her since he knew just how much she supported him and since the expenses likely grew with each year, she must've looked for a well-paid job overseas. Well, no matter. Even though Tokoyami was explaining things he had forgotten with a lot of calmness and patience, he still wanted to hear it from his mother as well.

But just as he was about to scroll further, his finger slipped and accidentally got him to the most recent posts where he was tagged, just days ago. While he understandably wasn't on the photos, someone else that he recognized after a little bit, was.

"Kota…?"

Not a six year old child he has saved from Muscular, but a sixth grader with the very same hat with spikes was standing in front of the group of children that were likely his classmates. All of them wore matching red boots and held various signs with handwritten messages and even drawings of him.

Come home soon, Firefly!

We believe in you!

We are still waiting for you!

Further below the photo was part of the article accompanying the photo.

Kota Izumi, who claims to be one of Firefly's very first fans, has set up another event to show support for the missing hero. Ever since the pro hero Firefly went missing more than four months ago, many of his fans started using hashtag called #findfirefly in hopes to get more information about him, resulting in many blogs and events where his fans prayed for his safe return.

Izuku stared at the photos of such events, even spotting adults holding the signs and wearing clothing similar to his hero suit. He'd never imagined he'd become that popular and especially not to the point so many people would gather just for his safe return. And it looked like it worked. Somehow he managed to escape and now he was back, with no memory it seemed, but still back.

"I really… became a pro…" Izuku whispered, his eyes nearly tearing "Why… did I… have to forget it all…"

"I'm sure you'll remember it eventually." Tokoyami put away his cell phone once he noticed that his former classmate was slowly dozing off "Hawks and other pros are still looking for villains who abducted you. But don't worry, there are police officers and pro heroes guarding this hospital room. No one can come in without security check or-"

"OI! WHAT DO YOU MEAN I CAN'T SEE HIM?! I'VE BEEN HERE FOR MORE THAN THREE FUCKING DAYS!"

Izuku's heart monitor started beeping more intensely. He couldn't forget that voice, he certainly couldn't, not after getting his ears blown off by its sheer sound alone daily by it. Izuku felt both confused and glad at the same time, knowing another person he knew was there. But out of all people, he certainly wouldn't imagine he would be the one to pay him a visit.

"OI, WHY DID YOU TELL ME HE WOKE UP AND THEN TOLD ME NOT TO COME?! OF COURSE, I'LL FUCKING COME!"

"Ka…chan…?" Izuku muttered in nervous tone just seconds before the doors were nearly blown off its hinges.

True to the voice, there was Katsuki Bakugo, the hot-headed expression he wore since junior high still as present as ever. Just like Tokoyami and himself, Bakugo got his fair share of growth sprout as well in height as in muscle mass. He was nearly as ripped as All Might in his younger days, though seeing him in a baggy hoodie and tattered sweatpants took some of that charm away.

"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN YOU STUPID NERD?!"

The young hero was way too overwhelmed by everything to utter out a reply. Katsuki on the other hand marched in closer, despite all monitors beeping louder and louder. The hero known as Ground Zero might've been out of his hero suit and yet he was as equally terrifying as without it.

And yet, Izuku felt something different about his former classmate, something he wasn't that used to seeing. He was quite used to Katsuki's insults that were practically a form a greeting and yet the way he said it sounded different.

"DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW WORRIED EVERYONE WAS?"

Yes, it did sound different, almost like the fellow hero was honestly concerned about him. Izuku started seeing the moment when he was rescued by Tokoyami and he thought someone who looked like Kacchan was rushing to the scene. The memory was growing clearer the more Izuku stared at Katsuki's wide red eyes. But before he could say anything, the device on his chest started beeping as well and just like that, everything went dark.

…

"Kacchan! Look out!"

"Stop telling me what to do! I got this!"

"But there's something weird going on with his quirk, like he doesn't know how to-"

"I SAID I GOT THIS, IDIOT!"

Izuku tried to repeat his warning, but whatever word he said was barely heard over the massive explosions caused by Katsuki's quirk. The area was huge and dark, so it was very hard to see whoever they were fighting.

"One for All Full Cowling!" the young hero shouted as he zigzagged through the area in hopes to at least catch a glimpse of whoever was there.

Katsuki on the other hand was just blowing up everything in front of him. The fellow hero tried to stop him, but there was simply too much noise for Izuku to explain.

"DIE YOU BASTARD!"

A massive explosion illuminated the whole place, casting shadows wherever they looked. And yet there was a single shadow that revealed a single silhouette of a man. Izuku was ready to use his Air Force Gloves to bring the villain down, but Katsuki was faster. The guy stood no chance against another blast that sent him flying against the rock that cracked due to strong impact.

"You're lucky we are interns. We were only tasked to keep you busy until pros arrive." Katsuki confidently sauntered off towards the barely conscious man "If it were up to me, you'd be sent to prison in pieces for what you did!"

"Kacchan wait, we should-"

"SHUT IT NERD, I KNOW WHAT I'M DOING!"

Katsuki made quite an audible sound as he reached for the quirk-cancelling handcuffs, ready to restrain the villain who could barely move. But what Ground Zero hero didn't see, was a small yellow light in the man's twitching hand. Too busy with handling the handcuffs, the blond haired hero failed to see blue light in the other hand as well, slowly turning it against the young hero.

But Izuku saw them immediately, especially when the two lights joined together to create a much bigger green light. It took less than a second for the villain to send a burst of energy right towards Katsuki who was caught off guard.

That's when Izuku activated as much One for All as he could, charging right in front of his childhood friend. It was like Slime villain all over again, Izuku rushing right in the middle of danger in hopes to protect Kacchan.

He didn't know if he made it or not.

All he saw was a bright green beam.

…

"All I'm saying is that you might make the whole thing worse. He barely remembers anything past his freshman year."

Izuku slowly opened his eyes, seeing the same hospital room again. The machines were beeping the same way, though not as intensely. The doctors must've injected him with more sedatives to keep him calm from what was likely another panic attack. It would explain why he was feeling so lightheaded and he would gladly slip back to unconsciousness if he hadn't been so curious about the conversation between his two former classmates at the other side of the room.

"You talked with him just fine! Why can't I?!"

"Look, he fainted the second you showed up. Don't you think this is saying something?"

So that's what happened, Izuku thought. Well it made sense, considering he was dealing with memory loss of all other things. Though he didn't think it was Kacchan who made him pass out.

"I just wanted to make sure he was really alright…" Katsuki mumbled in a rather quiet tone.

"I know and that's why I thought it would be better if you'd gave him more time." Tokoyami said with a sigh "I thought my messages would knock enough sense into you to wait."

"I waited, birdbrain!" the blond haired hero nearly shouted "I was here, right by his side for three whole days! I only went home after you all pestered me to go get some sleep!"

"We were all worried about him, as well as about you, Bakugo. Pros are still out there searching for the group that held him captive. Endeavor gave you guard duty because he knew you'd do something stupid if you were to be sent searching as well!"

There was a long pause with only muttering, mostly curses from his childhood friend and calm short sentences from Tokoyami. Izuku thought he'd drift off before hearing the rest of that conversation, but not before he heard something that sounded like a quiet sob.

Was that sob from… Kacchan?

"I just got so tired of listening to doctors about all the shit those bastards did to him…" Katsuki loudly cracked his knuckles in anger "I'll fucking kill them once I get my hands on them."

"Leave that to others for now and rather think about how are you going to explain the last six years to him."

Another pause, though Katsuki's tone significantly changed when Tokoyami brought up Izuku. Like before, his childhood friend let out a quiet sob.

"Did he really… forget everything?"

"Not everything, but certainly a lot. He will need a while before he recovers." Tokoyami walked towards the doors "I'll notify others about Midoriya's progress. Can I trust you enough to let you watch him without sending him in another panic attack?"

No reply, probably just a nod, considering Katsuki didn't argue back.

"Good, text me if anything changes."

Tokoyami left the room, so it was only him and Kacchan now. The meds must've been taking the full effect now as he was gradually slipping back to his unconscious state, taking in everything he heard Katsuki say. He really seemed to have changed in those six years. While his hot-headed persona was quite obviously still there, Izuku didn't expect to be met with his complete opposite at the same time.

It was like back when they were still kids, watching All Might on TV together and discussing their future as heroes. Kacchan was so much nicer back then, way before he got his quirk and Izuku was diagnosed as quirkless. Izuku could still clearly remember their bug hunting trips and long nights when they would be talking about heroes for hours. But all of that ended once they started school. They went their separate ways, focusing on becoming pros on their own terms. While not what he hoped for, Izuku was fine with it as it helped him become more independent and ambitious. Yet still… many times he wished the things would stay the way they were.

The unconsciousness has nearly dragged him towards the realm of sleep completly, welcoming him with much desired rest. He had many questions to be answered and even more memories to be recovered. As much as he wanted to learn more about the time he missed, sleep was what he needed now.

Though as he was slowly drifting away, he couldn't shake the feeling of something warm wrapping up around his hand.

He knew it was impossible, considering how he and Katsuki were now.

But deep down he was still questioning the feel of rough fingers tangled around his own.

…

Was Kacchan really holding his hand?

...

Preview for the next chapter: "No way... it can't be true. There is no way I would forget something like this..."

I will do my best to give this fanfic bi-weekly updates since I really want to improve my writing skills and from what I've learned in these years, deadlines can make a difference. Hopefully, Bakugo didn't sound too different since I still wanted to keep his hotheaded persona and yet gave him that other part of him that he hides from others. In case you're wondering why Tokoyami out of all people is with Izuku, welp two reasons. 1) he is my all-time favourite supporting character besides Hawks and Tamaki 2) you'll see in the next chapter (keep in mind that Tokoyami compared Izuku's quirk with his own), but don't worry Izuku and Bakugo will be the main focus here.

I might also add a drawing of how Izuku looks like as pro hero Firefly by next chapter. As always, questions, critics, theories and ideas are very welcome :D Stay safe and stay healthy!