Never Be The Same

Author's Note: Hey everyone and welcome back to Never Be The Same! So just a small time skip by just a little bit of time. Not really an author's note here. So I mentioned in the last author's note about Dabi and Shouta. They aren't going to be a romantic pair or what not but they kinda support each other.

Also, I have a tumblr (fallenangelofhades) that you can reach me at if you want to talk, prompts, questions, etc. I'm literally on tumblr every single day. So I do want to note something about Shirakumo, Class 1-A (everyone but Bakugou and Shouta) knew he was dead. I think I accidentally cut it out where Hizashi explained Shirakumo's death. Just in case there were any questions about how Izuku knew about Shirakumo. The reason that he was revived is revealed in this chapter. I also want to state that Nana Shimura is aware of who Tomura Shigaraki is to her.

Additional Notes: I have a fic idea in the works of a what if situation based off of Never Be The Same. It's called Break This Down and it's where All for One acted sooner in Shouta's life and ended up kidnapping him while he was a teenager. Hideo, still obsessed with Shouta, attacks him fifteen years later as well as All Might and deages them both.

Chapter Warnings: Mentions of Sexual Assault, mentions of murder, mentions of kidnapping, um maybe more. I might have to change this later.

Chapter Sixteen: Lost it All (by the Black Veil Brides)

Chapter Summary: Toshinori is released from the hospital and returns to the dorms. The police and pro heroes decide the next course of action in Shouta's rescue. Meanwhile, All for One and the League of Villains decide to try and sway Shouta over to the villains. Dabi reveals his past to Shouta.

Finally. That's all Toshinori could think as he was gathering his stuff from around his hospital room. Despite Recovery Girl using her quirk on him, they had kept him in the hospital overnight for observations. He absolutely hated this. He wanted to be out there with the pro heroes trying to find Shouta. Shouta is at the hands of his abusive father. The man that had caused Shouta so much pain that the younger teen wanted to take his own life. Life was not fair. Shouta didn't deserve all of this pain. Yet, this is where they were.

Nana stood behind him, leaning against the wall as he slipped on a set of his school clothes. His suit from the Gala had already been taken back to U.A. by Nana when she had went back to the school to notify Principal Nezu of Toshinori's condition. He was just happy to finally be leaving the hospital. Being forced to stay within its walls have been causing Toshinori to go stir crazy. It wouldn't of been so bad if it hadn't been for seeing the absolute fear in Shouta's eyes. He had to get to him.

"Let's go, Toshinori." Nana muttered once Toshinori had finally gotten everything together. The blonde didn't say anything but rather just followed his master out of the room and towards the exit of the hospital. They had managed to keep Toshinori and Shouta out of the media and since the media had no clue of Toshinori being reverted back to a teenager, they got out of the hospital scotch free.

Detective Tsukauchi, an old friend from his past life, was waiting outside with a car ready to take them back to campus. Tsukauchi smiled at him and tipped his hat as the two walked towards them. "Shimura, Yagi. I wish this was under better circumstances." The detective stated.

The detective could only blink as Toshinori's movements sped until he was directly in front of him. The signs of blue lightning around his body disappearing as the blonde looked up at him. "Tsukauchi, has Shouta been found yet?" The blonde questioned, his voice even moving to fast for Tsukauchi to comprehend.

Tsukauchi merely shook his head. "Unfortunately, we have no leads on Aizawa's whereabouts. If you would, let's get to U.A. and I will explain everything there." The detective replied, opening up the car door and motioning for the former Number One hero to slip inside.

Toshinori rocked on the balls of his feet, contemplating for a second before a soft shove to his back from Nana finally caused him to enter the car. Nana slipped in behind him and Tsukauchi closed the door once she had been seated. Tsukauchi climbed into the front passenger seat and they started their journey back to U.A.

Toshinori stared at the window at the moving scenry as his mind ventured off towards Shouta. He couldn't get the thought of Shouta being absolutely terrified out of his mind. He hadn't even seen that type of fear in Shouta even when he had fallen off the top of Heights Alliance. It was clear to him that Shouta feared Hideo more than death.

He had failed him. He promised Shouta that everything would be okay. That he wouldn't ever see his father again. Now, he was back with him. Despite the little bit of time that they have really known each other, Shouta was his world. He would do anything to get Shouta back. He didn't care about anything else in that moment. If he had been able to move faster, he could of reached Shouta in time.

With Hideo causing the escape of All for One, that meant that Shouta was also at the villain's hands. He had seen everyone that Midoriya had told him had been in the League of Villains. Dabi had been the one who had been fighting Todoroki. He was the one with the patched up face. The girl with the knives was Toga. Spinner being the lizard looking guy, he had fought Uraraka, Asui, and Tokoyami. Mr. Compress was the guy with the mask. Mr. Compress had fought Kaminari, Shoji, and Yaoyorozu. Kurogiri was the warp villain, he had been their entry and exit route. He hadn't necessarily fought anyone. He had just been there. Lastly, Tomura Shigaraki, the blue haired man who had been fighting Bakugou.

Midoriya told him exactly who Tomura Shigaraki really was. His real name was Tenko Shimura, his master's grandson. Toshinori wondered if Nana knew who Shigaraki really was. She would have too if Midoriya knew. A part of him had broken when he had been told that the reason that Shigaraki was with All for One was solely to break his spirit. To know that he failed his master's own family.

It seemed like he was failing everyone. He failed his master. He failed Shouta. He vowed in that moment to never let it happen again. He couldn't. If it meant becoming a hero again, even if it wasn't in the Number One spot like before, he would do everything in his power to protect those he cared about.

"Toshinori." Nana's voice cut through his thoughts like a knife. He turned his head to face her, blinking once he realized that they had arrived back at the dorms. She didn't say another word as she exited from the car and grabbed ahold of his bags. Toshinori slid out behind her and looked up at the dorms.

Shouta should be here. Not with him. He frowned as he took his belongings from his master and headed into the dorms. He paused once he got inside. In the common area were all of the Class 1-A students along with five people who appeared to be pro heroes, Present Mic, and three other U.A. students. He immediately recognized two of the pro heroes as Endeavor and Hawks. Looking over the other pros, his gaze stopped on a tall figure in a white suit and glasses.

Sir Nighteye. He was my sidekick.

None of them seemed to notice his arrival yet and were still talking among themselves. He picked up on something that Hawks was saying to the pro hero that in appearanced looked like a giant teddy bear. "Once Yagi arrives, we can start getting together rescue operations. This is the best plan at this time."

Midoriya, who had been standing by Sir Nighteye and the blonde U.A. student had been the first to notice him. "Yagi! You're okay!" The green haired teen's voice exclaimed in relief. Toshinori felt his face flush as over twenty sets of eyes turned to look at him.

Toshinori forced a smile to his face as he walked forward and waved to the others until he was standing between Endeavor and Sir Nighteye. "Yeah, Recovery Girl patched me up nicely. My shoulder will be sore for a while but other than that I'm fine." He stated, watching as Midoriya smiled back at him. He took a moment, looking between the others. "So what's going on?"

Endeavor turned on his foot until he was facing the former Number One hero. "We are starting our plans for rescue operations and after speaking with Principal Nezu.." He paused, looking among the rest of the pro heroes in the room. "We have made an agreement that for this rescue to succeed, we need the help of Class 1-A. This will rely on trust between you, your classmates, and Aizawa." The Flame hero replied.

Sir Nighteye cleared his throat, gaining the room's attention. "With that being said, please take a seat and we will start with our plans." The pro said, motioning for the students to take a seat. Under Iida's instructions, they sat down in their seat order from class at the tables on the common room. The pro heroes and the three remaining students stayed standing up in front of the tables lined up.

Hawks took a deep breath, looking out at the students before addressing them, "Over the last twenty four hours we have learned a great deal about Aizawa's abduction and the connection between the League of Villains." He paused for a moment, watching the various emotions coming to the students' faces. "So for this operation we have called in the pro heroes: Sir Nighteye, Fat Gum, Present Mic, and Ryukyu. Next to them are the three U.A. students known as the Big Three." He stopped, looking to the three students. "If you would like to introduce yourselves?"

The blonde grinned. "My name is Mirio Togata. I operate under the hero name Lemillion and I currently am doing my work study underneath Sir Nighteye." Mirio stated.

The next in line was a boy with indigo colored hair and elf ears. His entire body shook as the rest of the room looked at him. "Um... I'm Tamaki.." His voice trailed off as he muttered and turned until his back was facing them.

Fat Gum let out a chuckle before taking over for the shy teenager. "His name is Tamaki Amajiki. He operates under the name Suneater and he is my work study intern." Fat Gum stated, listening as Tamaki muttered a quick thank you. "Despite his shy exterior, he is really strong." The pro hero nodded towards the next student in line with a smile.

The girl with blue hair and bright blue eyes beamed out at them. "I'm Nejire Hado. I work with Ryukyu for my work study. My hero name is Nejire Chan." She said, a large smile on her face.

"The Big Three will be helping assist on this rescue mission as well as Hawks. Hawks has been the connection between the police and the pro heroes over Hideo Aizawa's crimes." Ryukyu stated, crossing her arms over her chest as Nejire leaned against her side. "This morning as a group, we spoke to each of your parents about this mission. With their approval and the approval of U.A., we will be issuing you temporary work studies within our agencies."

The class broke out into whispers before Present Mic raised his arms to silence them. "These work studies are just for this case. Right now, work studies for the first years are still up in the air, yo. With the circumstances, we felt this was the best case scenerio on bringing Shouta back." The Voice hero added, his words officially causing the class to go quiet once more. "Midnight will be the base of operations here at U.A. all absences related to this rescue are excused. She will be monitoring you all from here."

Once again Endeavor stepped forward, his comanding presence making the others look to him. "Late last night after Aizawa had been abducted a body had been found in a warehouse." Endeavor said. Shock and concern came to the faces of Class 1-A. Bakugou accidentally setting off an explosion from where he sat. "We have confirmed that the body belongs to Hideo Aizawa."

Yaoyorozu raised her hand and Ryukyu called on her. "Do you know what killed him?"

Present Mic had been the one to take the answer. "He had various stab wounds to his body and places on his body had showed signs of Tomura Shigaraki's decay quirk. We believe that his death was ultimately due to blood loss." He replied. Yaoyorozu's face flashed in disgust for a moment.

"Hideo's body had some... parts removed and a note left on his body that said, even villains have morals. We believe his death is connected to what he had done to Aizawa in the past." Hawks added. His face covered in disbelief as he watched the students each show signs of relief and joy. "We also uncovered some very vital information that is completely confidental to this case. You are not allowed to speak of it to anyone outside of this room." Curiousity filled the students as they quickly started to ask questions. Hawks raised his hand to silence them once more. "We have discovered that Hideo Aizawa is not Aizawa's biological father. The villain All for One is his true father."

"With this information we believe that the League of Villains is going to try and sway Aizawa over to their side. That is where you come in. Aizawa trusts you. The League is going to try and build his trust so he will join them." Fat Gum stated.

Bakugou growled, standing up and his hand slapping against the table. "Like hell we will let that happen. It doesn't matter who his fucking father is! He belongs here! He will be a hero!" The explosive blonde yelled. Kirishima muttered to him, talking him down to get him to sit down once more.

"We have paired you up into groups of five. My team will consist of Hawks, Toshinori Yagi, Izuku Midoriya, Shoto Todoroki, and Hitoshi Shinsou." Endeavor stated.

Sir Nighteye stepped forward. "My team is Mirio Togata, Katsuki Bakugou, Momo Yaoyorozu, Yuga Aoyama, and Tooru Hagakure."

Next was Fat Gum. "Tamaki Amajiki, Eijriou Kirishima, Denki Kaminari, Hanta Sero, and Mina Ashido will make up my team."

Ryukyu nodded to Fat Gum once he finished speaking and looked back out to the remaining students. "Nejire Hado, Ochaco Uraraka, Tsuyu Asui, Mezo Shoji, and Fumikage Tokoyami will be working my agency and team."

Present Mic smiled, pointing finger guns at the five remaining students. "You five are mine. Kyoka Jirou, Tenya Iida, Koji Koda, Rikido Sato, and Mashirao Ojiro."

Hawks clapped his hands together, smiling at them. "We have files for every one of you with the information of the case. Group with your teams and we will get started."

x

Shouta had been in complete shock since the moment he had witnessed Hideo's murder, yet he got the complete feeling of relief. Still All for One wouldn't say exactly what Shouta meant to him. He didn't understand any of it. Why would the League of Villains be so interested in protecting him against his father? From what he knew from his classmates, the League had been ruthless towards them.

Dabi had been placed as his guard and 'guide' to help him to adjust. He knew that the League had no intentions of ever letting him go. He believed that they were trying to win him over so he would willingly do the League's bidding. It was the only explanation to why they would take down Hideo and be unsettling nice to him.

He hadn't left the room that apparently was his since All for One had brought him here after cleaning him up. Occassionally, Dabi would come into the room but the villain wouldn't say anything to him. Dabi seemed to know that Shouta didn't want to speak to anyone at that moment.

Shouta picked at the ends of his sweater as he curled his legs closer to himself. He wanted to go home. He wanted to be back with his... friends. Toshinori. He wanted to be back at U.A. He knew their wasn't a way for him to escape from the League's grasp. They would catch him before he could even make it out of the building. He had no idea where he was or if the pro heroes could even find him.

He should have moved, used Erasure, something. Than maybe he wouldn't in this mess. Toshinori wouldn't have gotten shot. It was his fault. No would would say it was but it had been his fault. If he had just cancelled Kurogiri's quirk before the Warp villain could get the rest of the League into the gala, none of this would of happened. Was this how Bakugou felt? Shinsou and Todoroki had both told him about the League kidnapping Bakugou back at the training camp earlier that year. It had lead to All Might's final fight... his retirement.

Shouta's mind ventured to Toshinori. He had asked one favor from Dabi, the only thing that he cared about was knowing if Toshinori was okay. He had to be. The world needed him. The look that had been on Toshinori's face was burning into his mind. He had seen the failure, heart-breaking gaze. A look that Shouta absolutely never wanted to see on Toshinori's face ever again. Toshinori didn't deserve any of it.

A soft tap on the door alerted Shouta of one of the villain's presence. The smell of slightly burnt flesh and fire filled his senses and he rolled onto his back so he could turn his head to face the door. Dabi stood at the door with an uninterested look, scratching the back of his head before entering upon seeing Shouta looking at him. The villain kicked the door closed with his heel, striding across the room until he was directly next to Shouta.

"I have something to show you." Dabi said, taking a seat on the bed and pulling his phone from his coat pocket. Shouta hestitated for a second before he sat up and leaned close enough to Dabi that he could see his phone. Dabi scrolled through his picture gallery before stopping on a certain picture and clicking it. "You asked about All Might. This is him as of this morning."

Shouta stared at the picture, the air in his throat catching as he looked over the handsome face that belonged to Toshinori. The blonde man was standing next to Mrs. Shimura at a car with Detective Tsukauchi not far behind him. Toshinori's face held a look of determination. Shouta's gaze ventured over the picture, checking for any signs that Toshinori was still hurt and sighed in relief when he couldn't find anything.

"How did you get this?" Shouta questioned, his voice soft as he tore his gaze away from the picture to look to Dabi.

Dabi shrugged. "You asked me to make sure he was okay. He left the hospital this morning and returned to U.A. All injuries healed." The villain replied, slipping his phone back into his pocket and leaning back against his hands.

"You.. actually did that for me?" Shouta could barely find his voice to even speak. The loss for words coming from Dabi's actions. He originally expected Dabi to just shrug off his request because he knew the League had been originally after All Might's life. Now, he wasn't sure what to think.

Dabi looked at him, his patched up face quirking up into a smile. "Of course I did. I might be a villain but after what you've gone through in your life. You deserve to know if the person you love most is okay." The villain muttered. His voice almost sounded sad.. defeated.

"Why are you with the League?" Shouta questioned before he could even stop himself.

Dabi shrugged, looking away from the teenager before speaking, "I followed behind the Hero Killer. His ideology over hero society made since and aligning myself with the League of Villains makes that easier."

Shouta frowned. Dabi's tone of voice didn't seem like even the villain trusted his own words. "There's more to it. Isn't there?" Shouta blinked with how quick Dabi's head turned to face him. So he was right. There is more to Dabi's story than he was letting on. "You know my entire backstory and why I want to be a hero. Why did you become a villain?"

Dabi's face was blank as he stared at the teenager. "I have my reasons." The villain scuffed.

Shouta growled, feeling the anger flowing through him. "The League took me cause they want me to join you guys, right? If you really want my alliance, than it's only fair if you tell me your backstory." His heart pounded against his chest, hoping that Dabi would fall for the bluff. He had no intentions of staying here. If he couldn't escape, maybe he could do something so he could leave a clue to how the pro heroes could find him.

Dabi sat in silence, his gaze lingering over Shouta for a moment before he finally released a sigh in defeat. "You're right. You aren't a trusting person. If we even think we have a chance with keeping you with the League, you need to trust at least one of us." The villain stated.

Shouta smirked. "It's only rational."

A rational deception.

The villain eyed him for a second before moving himself further onto the bed until he was completely facing the teenager. His gaze piercing Shouta to the core. "I joined the League a couple of months ago, before then I had been on the streets with Toga." He paused, just watching Shouta for a minute. "I hadn't always planned on becoming a villain. I was actually born to become a hero."

Shouta's mouth dropped open. Dabi was meant to be a hero? What happened to him that caused him to become a villain.

"I was the oldest kid out of my family. I have siblings. I was probably closest to my sister. We were relatively close in age. My father was a hero who wanted nothing more than to surpass the Symbol of Peace himself, All Might." Dabi said. Shouta narrowed his eyes on Dabi. He had heard this story before. "When he couldn't, my father basically bought my mother off of her family and forced her to have kids until he got his perfect masterpiece." The villain laughed, a manic laugh. "What kind of hero forces a woman into marriage and forces her to bear his kin? My father apparently. He had been so consumed with having his perfect masterpiece that when me and my siblings failed, we were isolated. Then my youngest brother came along."

It clicked. Shouta knew exactly where he had heard this story before. The details were different because of the circumstances but he knew it. "You're Todoroki's brother." Shouta said in almost disbelief. Todoroki had told him that his eldest brother was dead. At least that's what Endeavor told Todoroki. Only the people in Todoroki's home would know all these details.

Dabi smiled. "You've talked with Shoto." All he did was gain a nod from the teenager. "Since you already know this, when Shoto was five.. my mom had a mental breakdown because of my father. He poured boiling water on her face. When she snapped out of it and realized what she had done, she used her ice to try and sooth the pain." The villain paused. "That's how Shoto actually got his scar. It's a ice burn. My mom actually made it worse in the long run."

Shouta nodded, leaning back against his pillows. "Todoroki told me about that. He didn't tell me about how your mom tried to help him though."

Dabi let out a soft laugh. "He probably doesn't remember. After that, I tried to get my father to stop being so presistent with his training of Shoto. That didn't work in the long run. I was fifteen at the time.. I got so angry when he refused that I tried to fight him. Of course I lost but only cause my body gave out. I don't remember much after that but I remember waking up in the morge at the hospital. Apparently, my heart stopped long enough they declared me dead." He stopped once more, throwing his body back until he was laying on his back on the bed with his hands behind his head. "My father used to train me. My fire is stronger than his but my body can't handle the heat for too long or I burn my skin. That's how I got my scars. His training is basically just beating you up to a pulp until you can't continue."

Shouta felt his mouth go dry. He had heard of the training that Endeavor did with Todoroki but he didn't know how truly bad it was. "What happened after?"

Dabi shrugged. "I started to live on the streets. Did what I could to get by. Met Toga and joined the League." It was vague but Shouta didn't want to push it anymore. Dabi barely wanted to tell him about this. "Don't tell anyone. I don't exactly like people knowing my past. It could end up being troublesome for me later... or for Shoto."

Shouta looked down his lap, picking at his sleeves once more. "This is going to crush him if he ever finds out. He would talk about you sometimes. He loved you to death. He still is crushed about your apparent death." The Erasure user muttered.

Dabi made a noise in his throat. "It's better for him to think I'm dead. Touya Todoroki died ten years ago."

x

The teams had been assembled and briefed over the current information that they had on the whereabouts of the League of Villains. It wasn't much but they believed that the League was still close by to where the gala had been held. The warehouse hadn't been far from the location of the gala either. Twice had been spotted with Toga for a moment but they had quickly disappeared off the radar seconds after they had been seen.

Midoriya shook in his seat. The only information that had been shared so far had been about Oboro Shirakumo and Eri. The police wanted to prove that Shirakumo was still alive before they revealed that information to the heroes. The only person in the entire room that knew was Midoriya. Tsukauchi had left almost immediately after the groups had gotten together.

With their groups, they would be going to that hero's agency to work the case. If they got a solid lead and hit on Shouta's whereabouts then they would get all of them back together. Midoriya wasn't exactly listening to what his group was talking about as his mind raced with all the information. There wasn't much they could do at the moment but he knew that something was off. Tsukauchi had rushed out. The detective had gotten a message and dropped everything and left. Something was going on that they didn't know about. It had to be major with the look that the detective had on his face when he rushed out of the building.

Midoriya's gaze moved across the room until he could see the normal defying gravity blonde hair of Present Mic. Shirakumo had been a close friend of Mic-sensei as well. They were as close as Shouta and Mic were to each other. That much he knew about. Apart of him wished that maybe the systems were wrong about Shirakumo. The pain of knowing that he had been alive all this time would probably be worse than knowing that he's been dead for fifteen years. At the same time, he hoped that it was true because of Shouta and Mic. They would have their best friend back.

The room's attention was grabbed by the opening of the front door and Tsukauchi came strolling back in. The detective motioned for the pro heroes to join him and each of the heroes excused themselves from their tables before walking over to Tsukauchi. Midoriya couldn't hear their conversation from where he was standing but his gaze stayed on Mic.

The blonde's face became covered in disbelief and Midoriya gapped at the tears started to stroll down Mic's face. Endeavor's mouth moved but still the green haired teen couldn't hear what they were saying.

The pros turned on their feet, staring back out at the students. Their posters demanding their attention. "We have a new development." Sir Nighteye stated, his own voice in disbelief.

The students broke out into a murmur and Midoriya caught Todoroki muttering, "Could they of found Aizawa already?"

Endeavor looked over his shoulder and whispered to Tsukauchi. The detective nodded and pulled away from the group, going to the door and opening it.

Stepping into the room was a tall man with light blue hair and sapphire blue eyes with a bandage on his nose. Holding tightly onto his leg was a small girl with light blue hair and ruby red eyes. Midoriya's eyes widened.

"That's Eri..." He whispered, his gaze moving away from the little girl to the man. "So that must be Shirakumo."