A/n: Okay, so I know some of you skip the visions. The chapter starts immediately in a vision. BUT there are three visions you should read, they don't have torture or gore! Someone figures out Izuku's possessing the victim and talks to him, so it's important for the plot. I have these sections marked with xXxXxXx.

Grim Calling

Izuku opened his eyes, his heart racing in terror. His frantic breaths sounded loud in his ears. He shook violently, pressed into a corner of a dimly lit room. A huge man stood by a wooden table with his back to Izuku. The smell of alcohol was strong in the room. An open bottle and a glass sat on the table.

"…. Bring one million yen in a bag. Come alone. You don't want your precious son killed, do you?"

Izuku looked at his trembling hands. The man wasn't huge, he was just small. Frantically, he looked around, but there were no windows and only one door on the other side of the room. He tensed, body going rigid in terror as the man turned and came toward him. Izuku memorized his features. Crouching, the man held a cellphone out to him. Izuku made note of the date and time on the softly glowing screen.

"Say hello to daddy, brat."

Fat tears rolled down his face, gulping, he swallowed and squeaked out a shaky, "D-Dad?"

"Are you hurt?" came a small and tinny from the speaker. "Yoshi? Are you hurt?"

"He's not going to give me back," Izuku cried, but before he could say anything else a huge hand slapped him across the face. The blow was hard enough that his head bounced off the wall and he crumpled nearly-unconscious to the ground.

"Bring the money or he dies," the man barked and flung the phone on the table. It skid and dropped to the floor. "Hey. Brat."

The man crouched down again. The evil in his eyes made Izuku's bladder release. The stench of urine filled the air as warmth puddled under him.

"Do you think you're brave? Huh?" His big hand reached forward. Izuku flinched, but the man grabbed him by the shirt and lifted him up so that he was standing. "You think you can do something here?"

Izuku lashed out. With a scream of rage, he kicked the bastard in the balls. The man yelped and flung him away. Izuku scrambled to the door. His blood pounded in his veins. He could hardly catch his breath. He turned the knob and pushed the door open…

A mighty hand grabbed him by the hair and flung him into the wall. Stunned, Izuku lay crumpled on the floor. A huge, booted foot lifted and stomped down on his belly. Izuku's eyes bugged, agony blinding as things ruptured and tore. Heat burned him up, and the boot came down again. He couldn't even scream through the pain. Black consumed his vision. Another stomp, the wet sound and crack of bones echoed in his ears. Then death snatched him violently away.

Izuku dropped shaking to the floor, arms wrapped around his middle. Nausea churned in his gut. Tears and snot streamed from his eyes and nose.

"Kota?"

Izuku looked up at hearing a child's voice. An elementary kid. School uniform. Bright sunlight. Desks. They were at the blackboard, answering some questions.

"Kota-chan?" The teacher looked concerned as she crouched down next to him. "Are you okay?"

Izuku looked around frantically, trying to calm his racing heart. I'm not a victim! he screamed to himself. I can fight back! Where is it? Where's the danger?

"What school is this?" he asked, getting to his feet. He got looks of concern, and the teacher reached to feel his head. He pushed her hand away and calmly, forcefully, asked again. "What. School. Is. This?"

She told him the school name, her tone confused.

Izuku looked at the clock on the wall and saw a calendar was posted with helpful red X's marking off the days. Nodding, he stood as straight as he could. "I need to use the bathroom." But even as he said it, he knew he didn't have that kind of time. He watched as the teacher's eyes lifted to something behind him. Izuku turned, bringing his fists up.

A man stood there. He looked deranged. He was crying but smiling at the same time. He must have come in off the balcony. They must not be that high up. First floor. Or maybe second. Scream-laughing, the man lunged forward. The teacher screamed as blood sprayed the air. The boy next to Izuku collapsed, spilling blood everywhere. The knife flashed again, but Izuku just barely ducked.

The kitchen knife slashed across the teacher's throat instead. Blood drenched Izuku's face and head. Her scream cut off as if someone had flicked a switch. The children in the room began to scream. One or two bolted, but the rest sat frozen in terror and shock.

Izuku tried to run. He slipped in hot, tacky blood and fell to his hands and knees. He rolled to the side, just as the knife came swinging down. Izuku kicked at the man's elbow. The blow wasn't hard enough to break the joint, but it gave him time to scramble away. He burst into the hall. Some of the other teachers had poked their heads into the hallway, faces creased in concern at all the screaming coming from Izuku's classroom. Their eyes widened at seeing Izuku covered in blood.

Izuku ran past them and flung himself bodily at the fire alarm. Pulling it, the alarm sounded and kids and teachers came streaming into the hallway. Izuku looked back to see the man, covered in blood, stand in the door to the classroom. The man grabbed a kid running past him and stabbed him in the gut before flinging the boy down. A teacher saw this and tackled the man back into the classroom.

Izuku felt himself falling away…

Izuku had his hands up in front of him. A woman was standing there, crying. She had a lighter in her hand. The smell of gas was strong in the air.

"After everything I've done for you," she rasped, tears streaming down her face. "You went and cheated on me!" She clicked the lighter open. "I'll make sure we stay together forever!"

Izuku lunged. The woman screamed as they hit the floor. Izuku's big, clumsy hands searched for her pulse point. She was flailing under him, screaming about their love. Izuku gritted his teeth and found it. His big hands clamped down. In seconds, the woman went limp and Izuku quickly removed his hands from her throat. It would bruise, but she'd be fine. She was only unconscious from lack of blood getting to her brain.

Izuku got up and quickly looked around the living room. Coughing, covering his face against the smell of gas, he stumbled into the kitchen. He flung the small window there wide open and took a big gulp of clean air. They were in an apartment. If the woman had lit that lighter, the whole place would have gone up! She would have killed so many!

He was fading. Izuku quickly snatched up an envelope from a pile of mail on the counter, searching for an address…

xXxXxXx

Izuku grit his teeth as pain screamed up his arm. Grunting, he lifted his head. Vision blurry, he crinkled his brow in confusion. He was in a dark room. Only one dim, flickering light overhead. Two men in bird masks, one leaning against the door, the other standing over him. Izuku was tied to a chair. His hands and feet throbbed with the searing hot pain of broken bones. He'd been here before. Been exactly here before. Confused, head-lolling, he tried to get a look around, but the rope across his chest and upper harms held him to the chair-back.

"The seer is here," the man looming over him said, voice low and gravely.

Izuku couldn't help reacting. He jerked, eyes wide.

The huge man who'd broken his bones last time backed away, putting his back to the door.

The thinner, smaller one came forward and took off his mask. He had black messy hair and angular brown eyes. Scars crisscrossed over his entire face. He put his hands on Izuku's grotesquely swollen and broken arms and leaned forward to put his face close to Izuku's. An expression of delight filled his expression.

"So it's the death that brings you?" he asked curiously, still leaning on Izuku's arms. "You didn't come until I decided to end this and kill him."

Izuku was panting hard, pain-fear-confusion throwing his mind into chaos. "Who - " He gasped, shuddering in pain. "Are… you?"

"Sorry I hurt you," the man said with a sincere look. He crouched and pulled a syringe from his pocket.

Izuku's eyes widened as the man put it to Izuku's neck and pushed down on the plunger. His whole body went lax, his head falling back. The man caught it and cradled it gently in his hand. Pleasure - peace - relief - Izuku had never felt anything like it. Everything was slow and soft. He smiled sappily up into the man's kind, scarred face.

"I thought it was the trauma that called you, but now I know better." He stroked Izuku's sweat-soaked face softly with his free hand. "I won't hurt you again."

Izuku said nothing, his attention taken by the sparkling and vibrating light above the man's head. A gentle hand grasped his chin and caught his eyes.

"They'll find you, you know," the man said softly, voice sweet with concern. "The Institute will put you in a box, and you'll run and run through their mazes like a little mouse until they use you all up." Warm lips brushed his ear. "The syndicate will protect you, wrap you in shadows they'll never see through, and you'll be free. Freer than you've ever been. Every desire fulfilled."

"Promise?" Izuku asked breathily, but he frowned at the sound of his voice. It was low and rough. He coughed and tried to lift his arms, but he couldn't move. "Wha —?"

"Promise," the man cooed at him sweetly. "I'm your friend." He put his forehead to Izuku's. "I can help you, but you have to tell me how it works first. You come to people who are going to die?"

"… save them…" Izuku told him, trying to reassure him.

"You do?" the man looked surprised, and then he smiled happily. "How do you save them?"

Izuku scrunched his face in thought. "Always want to know stuff."

The man laughed, and that made Izuku smile. "I do, don't I?" The man leaned close. "It's been so hard to work in this city lately. Some people don't deserve to live, you know? There are some really bad guys out there. I'm sure you've seen them. The guys who kill and hurt you?"

Izuku sighed. He didn't want to think about that. He was so tired and felt so warm and sleepy.

"This is the future isn't it, little seer? The police were looking for me before we brought in Tanaka. You saw us. You tore my mask off, and you gave them my description. You were actually trying to save Tanaka. Save him before I killed him. You can actually change the future. That's why murders have dropped to almost zero in this city. You stop them, don't you?"

"… stop them…" Izuku agreed and died as his heart beat its last.

Confused, Izuku stared out the windshield of a huge truck, eyes squinted against the bright sunlight. What had just happened? His hands tightened on the steering wheel as his heart rate picked up. Where? He looked to the side and saw a policeman approaching. Izuku fumbled for the window and rolled it down.

"Officer…"

"There's been a bomb threat. I need you to step out of the vehicle for your safety," the man said with calm authority.

Izuku's eyes widened and he scrambled out of the truck. It was a transport truck. A huge corporation name was painted on the side. He stepped away, but looked around. Why was there only one officer? "Don't you need back-up?" he asked anxiously. "Shouldn't we both get back until…"

Izuku's eyes widened as the officer suddenly spun around and shot him in the chest. Izuku went down, pain screaming along his nerves. Through blurry eyes, he watched the man climb into the truck and slam the door. With a roar, the truck sped away. Izuku gasped and choked. He rolled over onto his stomach to watch the truck turn the corner.

With a spasm, Izuku collapsed and died.

xXxXxXx

Izuku blinked his eyes, confused. He was in what looked like a nice hotel room. Soft music was playing in the background. He was on a plush couch. Golden chandeliers. Water color paintings hung on the wood-paneled walls. A bowl of fruits sat on a coffee table between him and an arm chair. In the chair sat a man with his hair combed back, his legs crossed casually, and hands folded in his lap. He wore a black suit and was smiling genially. He had angular brown eyes and scars on his face.

"What did you do to me?" Izuku demanded, hand rising subconsciously to his neck.

The man smiled. "Nothing at all. If you are speaking about the last time we spoke, I simply took your pain away. There was no point in you suffering. Now that I know pain has nothing to do with our little meetings, it's simply unnecessary. I told you, little seer. I'm your friend."

"Where are we?" Izuku demanded and stood up. He was a little surprised that he could. There were no ropes restraining him.

He looked down to see he was dressed in jeans and a white button-up. There were no clocks in the room. There were no watches on his wrists. No tv. The music was coming from a cd not the radio. There were no labels on anything in the room, so if it was a hotel, Izuku had no idea which one.

"What do you want?" he demanded, giving the man his full attention.

"To talk." The man unfolded his legs and leaned forward. "Have you given thought to what we spoke about last time?"

Izuku frowned. "Last time?"

"Hmmm…" The man leaned back. "Perhaps things are unclear to you when you return to your time. Or perhaps the drug interfered with your memory."

"What do you want?" Izuku insisted and then frowned. "And how did you get me here?"

"I want to help you," the man spoke seriously. "You've grown in power, little seer. I've done my research. Murders have been decreeing slowly over the years, and only in a small area, but in the last few months, that area has grown much larger, and the murders haven't just decreased, they've nearly stopped. There've been rumors about a vigilante for years, of course. Most believed it was someone from UA since the decrease in crime seems to originate from that area."

At seeing Izuku's eyes widen, the man smiled.

"So UA does play some role in this." He shook his head. "No matter. They can't protect you. They function under the same government as the Institute."

Izuku sat down. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying there is no possible way that an Institute that collects and, shall I say trains?, those with psychic quirks is unaware of you." The man got up and came around to sit next to Izuku. His presence was warm and solid. "You won't be able to escape them for much longer. Somehow you'll end up in their hands, and I'm afraid, little seer, you will never be seen or heard from again."

Izuku shook his head, eyes wide.

"I'm not trying to scare you," the man said insistently and took Izuku's hand in a warning grip. "I am simply telling you the truth. Whatever protections you think you have around yourself, they won't be enough. But I can protect you. We do not work for the government, and we prize above all else freedom."

Izuku took his hand away, his heart beating. "Who are you?"

"You can call me Grim. I am the leader of a syndicate under the yakuza." At Izuku's look of horror, Grim quickly raised his hands. "Yes, we function outside of the law, but we are not villains. We have a code, little seer. We have honor. We do not harm and destroy for the sake of destruction." His eyes became sharp. "Where are we to go? Those of us who are neither hero nor villain, the ones who are too different to belong in normal neighborhoods?" He dropped his hands and shrugged. "We go to the shadows, the darkness. We hide so that society cannot judge us or label us or force us to be villains just so they can dispose of us with a clear conscience."

Izuku was completely lost, but before he could ask more questions, there was the sound of a beep.

Grim sighed. "The time limit of your quirk is disappointing but understandable. It is far too ungrateful to ask for more than the miracle that it already is."

"Time limit…" Izuku too slowly began to understand. He only had visions of someone who was going to be murdered. Grim must have figured out exactly how long before the murder his vision started and set a timer.

"I want you to know, little seer, that the person you are in is an evil person. I do not kill just anybody. The man is a pedophile. He raped his daughters over and over from the age of four. His oldest who is now eleven is pregnant."

Grim took two photos from inside his jacket. They were eight by tens and showed two school girls. One looked to be six years old or so, the other looked to be eleven. Izuku stared into their sad eyes and felt his hands clench.

"The oldest," Grim said lowly, tapping her picture, "came looking in the dark for a way to abort the baby. I promised her I would take care of it, and I am." Solemn eyes bore into him. "Some men deserve to die, little seer."

He had no voice to speak, even if he wanted to disagree. Did he disagree? No air to breathe. His heart had stopped and he hadn't even noticed. He dropped to the floor and everything went dark and cold.

Izuku was sitting up in bed, his back to the headboard. Voluminous grey hair draped over his shoulders and spilled around his hips. He was definitely a she, he thought, looking down at his heavy, round breasts. He wore a pink tank top and white boxer shorts. The room he was in was small. Everything in it was small, in fact. It looked more like… a dorm room!

Getting off the bed he went to the window and looked out. It was dark, deep night, but there were lights down in a courtyard three stories below. The dorm door behind her rattled and Izuku whipped around. A young man, college age, walked in. He looked coldly furious. As he shut the door behind him, Izuku looked for a weapon.

"Hello, Suki," the guy said darkly. "I bet you're surprised to see me."

"Don't," Izuku warned. "Leave me alone."

"Leave you alone," the man repeated and took a step forward. "Because I'm disgusting, right? Because no one would ever want to be with me."

Izuku noticed there was a mucus-like substance dripping from the man's hands and face.

"You bitch! To think I thought I was in love with someone as shallow as you!"

He lunged forward and Izuku kicked out, but it wasn't just the guys hands and face that was slimy. Izuku's foot slid right off the guy's midsection. They fell to the floor, Izuku's head clipping the desk. Stars exploded behind his eyes, but he refused to let the man win. They wrestled furiously, but Izuku couldn't get a hold on his slick skin.

"Suki," the man gasped. "Love you. Suki!"

Izuku thrashed under him. He flung his head forward to head butt the man, and he reeled back. Then he slammed his fist down. Izuku tried to get away, his head was ringing. He felt his boxers being yanked down. Something hard and slimy rubbed against his bare hip. His tank top was yanked up against his throat.

"NOOO!" Izuku screamed in rage. He was going to be raped again!

Slimy hands wrapped around his throat. "Suki. I'll show you how much I love you. You'll see, you'll see!"

Izuku forced himself to push through the panic to remember his training. He kicked his legs and clawed at the man's hands. Twisting his hips, he got his elbow back and jammed it into he guy's solar plexus. The hands left his throat as the man went sprawling backward. Izuku got to his knees, hacking and coughing. He ran into the hall and slammed his fists against the first door he saw. It opened just as the man came stumbling out of Izuku's dorm.

"Suki!"

Izuku pushed inside the room and slammed the door shut, locking it. "Call… police…" he gasped, shaking. He clumsily tried to pull his tank top down over his exposed breasts.

"Oh my god!" The girl who opened the door ran to the nightstand for her phone.

Izuku was sitting at a kitchen table. It was raining outside. A little boy was sitting next to him, a middle aged woman was sitting across from him. She was crying. Izuku looked down to see he was wearing a girl's middle school uniform. Three glasses sat empty on the table, one in front of each of them. It looked like they had been filled with milk.

"I'm sorry," the woman said tearfully. "I love you so much."

"I don't feel so good," the little boy said softly.

Izuku watched in horror as he fell off his chair and began to seizure. Izuku dropped to the ground and cradled his small, spasming body. "Why are you doing this?" he screamed up at the woman.

"I'm saving you!" she cried out. "You don't understand. I'm saving you!"

"You killed us!" Izuku yelled back and then wavered as dizziness washed over him.

"Dad left us and he's not coming back, and now they're coming after us! I won't let them take you from me. I won't let them hurt you to pay for your father's crimes." She got up and stumbled, collapsing. "We'll go where there is no more pain. I won't let them hurt you. I won't…"

Izuku felt the poison start to kick in. His heart was racing, he couldn't breathe. Izuku crawled across the floor and grabbed the woman's face. "What's our… address? Please? I want… to hear it… one last time. The place we… were happy," Izuku begged.

The mother smiled and whispered their address.

Izuku collapsed. Agony speared him through the chest. It felt like his heart had exploded, and then he died…

xXxXxXx

Izuku was drenched in sweat. He was soaked through and freezing, teeth chattering in pain. The room was dimly lit, a single bulb flickering overhead. The huge man was next to him again, and so was Grim. Taking off his mask, Grim came forward and dropped to his knees in front of him.

"I'm sorry, little seer." He put a syringe to Izuku's neck and Izuku didn't try to get away.

Warmth and pleasure washed through Izuku in a warm wave, covering him head to toe, and he sighed in bliss.

"That's it. Let the pain go. Let it all go," Grim cooed, holding his head up. "I'm sad you haven't come to find me so we can talk in person without all this."

"Can't… time…" Izuku slurred.

Grim stroked the hair off his face. "I understand, but you're running out of time, little seer. If you wait too long, I won't be able to protect you."

"Who… this?" Izuku asked, smiling at his friend.

"A pathetic loser. Thought he could steal from us and then go on the run. Killed his family. We tracked him down and brought him back to face what he's done. He won't hurt anyone again."

Izuku mumbled the address the woman had whispered.

Grim's eyes widened.

Izuku giggled. "Mother. Saved her kids from you. It was in the milk. The boy died first. So small."

"Oh, little seer. I'm sorry you experienced that." Grim shook his head. "We wouldn't have touched her or the kids."

Izuku sighed, eyes fluttering closed. "Don't kill any more people. Please. Don't kill them."

"Come to me and I won't have to," Grim said softly. "Come to The Raven. Ask for me." Strong fingers ran through Izuku's hair and it felt so good. "I'll be waiting, little seer, but don't make me wait too long."

Izuku was standing behind a counter in a convenience store. It was dark out, the rain coming down hard. Adrenaline was already pumping through his veins as he saw someone come down an aisle with a ski mask on.

"Open the register! Put the money in!" the guy screamed, throwing an empty bag at his head. He reached forward and a hole opened up in his palm. Something red and wet pulsed inside. "Do it or I'll kill you!"

Izuku put his hands up. "Please. Don't." Then he was lunging over the counter. He took the guy to the ground and landed on him hard. Rearing back, he sent two quick jabs into the robber's face and then tore off the mask. It was just a kid Izuku's age!

The kid slammed his hand onto Izuku's stomach. Izuku screamed as if he were on fire. He could feel something punch through into his abdomen. It burned like fire, stung like a hundred wasp stings. He could feel it, snake-like, thrash deeper. Izuku rolled around, clawing at his own guts, feeling the thing move inside him - it HURT OH GOD IT HURT!

"I told you to open the drawer!" the robber yelled over Izuku's horrific screams.

Drenched in sweat, Izuku writhed in agony. The robber broke the drawer open and ran over him and out the door. Izuku lay there, screaming, crying. The thing ate at him from the inside. Vomit sprayed from his mouth. He tried to stand, but the pain was too much. Sobbing, whining, he curled into an agonized ball. And still the thing went on eating him alive.

Hey lay curled around the fire, screams busting from him when he couldn't bear it any longer. It went on and on until Izuku was banging his own head against the floor, trying to knock himself out. His screams soon became painful gasps as he coughed up blood, a lung eaten next.

The pain was unimaginable. How many hours would he have to suffer this? He flung his head down on the floor again and again, but the pain wouldn't let him slip away. He tried until the floor was wet with blood and he was too exhausted to move. The snake still moved inside him, growing fatter and more vicious as the hours slipped by. It burrowed slowly through his body like an inferno.

Spasming, Izuku's body arched in a rigid line. He screamed until his voice was gone. He grit his teeth so hard they cracked. And still the pain went on. He begged Grim to give him the drug. Please, just make it stop! But he was alone except for the thing thrashing in his guts. Until finally - FINALLY - his body gave out and death took him away.

xXxXxXx

Izuku screamed and thrashed, but his arms were bound, his mouth full. Rough hands grabbed him, the cords fell away, his mouth was freed. Izuku clawed as his stomach, screaming hysterically, and he was pulled roughly against someone else.

"Izuku! You're safe! It's over! IZUKU!"

Kacchan's voice finally registered and he stilled, his screams turning into sobs. "P-please… g-get it o-out…" he begged desperately, still clawing at his stomach.

Kacchan shoved his hands away and yanked off Izuku's shirt. Izuku stared at his stomach, breath coming in terrified pants, looking for any movement. Kacchan pressed at his stomach and rubbed at his skin. Holding him tight, Kacchan put their heads together and spoke roughly into Izuku's ear.

"It's gone. It's out. I've got you."

Izuku's teeth began to chatter and he curled pathetically into Kacchan's strength and warmth. "Y-you s-sure?"

"I'm sure," he promised, rocking him. "I'm sure, Izuku. It's gone. It's gone."

Shaking, Izuku sobbed until darkness crowded his vision and he passed out.

Katsuki watched Izuku sleep. His face was pale, his lips chapped, his cheeks tear-stained. Even as exhausted as he was, Izu shivered and whimpered, unable to truly rest. This had been a bad one. Shit, there went Deku and Ivy's plan that having the power to fight back would help him heal from these fucking nightmare visions.

Katsuki reached past Izuku's trembling form and grabbed his phone. He woke up, but he passed out again.

.

Aizawa

How is he?

.

Katsuki

Not fucking good

Had a panic attack

.

Aizawa

What do you need?

.

Katsuki

He might need to see Ivy-sensei

Although she was wrong about the change in vision being good for him

Just because it went pretty good the first time doesn't mean it will every time

Every month is different with different deaths

I don't think we can count on a trend

.

Aizawa

I'll talk to her, but she's new to this, too.

I don't think we should rule her out as being helpful.

.

Katsuki put down his phone. Aizawa was fucking right, but he still didn't like it. He wanted this to get easier now, damn it! He didn't want to wait, didn't want to try a dozen different things until they found something that worked, he wanted Izuku's suffering like this to stop!

Growling at his own impatience, Katsuki held Izuku close and tried to get some rest.

Izuku bolted upright with a gasp, his hands went to his stomach, but Kacchan's hands were already there, holding his abdomen firmly, protectively. "It's gone," Kacchan's sleep rough voice promised him.

Izuku turned and saw Kacchan propped up on an elbow, his coarse, fluffy hair sticking up with bedhead. His ruby red eyes were lidded with sleep, but he was alert and staring at Izuku intently. Izuku nodded and pressed Kacchan's hands firmer against his skin. Slowly, other visions trickled into his awareness, Grim's face and voice and hands.

"What?" Kacchan sat up, eyes narrowed. "What's wrong?"

Izuku shook his head, his hands beginning to shake. In the course of his visions, it hadn't seemed as scary or real as it did now, but there was a man out there, a criminal, who knew about him, had purposefully arranged to talk to him in a vision, but he hadn't seemed that bad. Izuku cringed, knowing already how Kacchan would react if he heard Izuku say that.

"Deku." Kacchan's voice was a low growl. "Tell me."

Izuku shook his head instinctively, but then winced at the way Kacchan's expression closed off. The blond took back his hands and moved as if to get out of bed.

"No!" Izuku cried, reaching out to him. His heart beat hard and fast in his chest. He couldn't stop trembling. "No. I'm sorry. Please. I'll tell you." Looking into red, fierce eyes, Izuku said firmly, "I trust you. I'm just… scared. Scared what you'll think of me. Scared of scaring you. It's just… this is really, really big, Kacchan. I… I still… I'm not even sure what to think about it myself yet."

Kacchan sat sideways, one leg bent in front of them, the other had his foot pressed firmly into the floor. He faced Izuku head on, the way he did everything that was difficult. Izuku's looked away. He didn't have that kind of courage. Instead, he looked down at his hands.

"There was this guy…" Izuku began, voice soft. "I saw him before. In that vision with Tanaka. The guy who was being held in that small room. The one who had gone to the police with information about the syndicate. Well, the guy whose mask I took off, he was in my visions. Three of them. On purpose. He wanted to talk to me. He figured out I was there somehow.

"He had this father. He raped his daughters since they were four. The oldest is eleven now and she got pregnant. She went to the syndicate for an abortion, so that's how they knew about him. Grim killed him, but before he did, he talked to me. He said he did research and noticed a pattern and knew I was in UA's area. Said if he could figure that out then the psychics at the Institute definitely know about me. He said that the Institute is a government organization and so is UA. He said I'm not safe here, but that he could keep me safe."

Taking a deep breath, Izuku looked up at Kacchan timidly through his bangs. Kacchan had a glare on his face, but it was his normal one, so Izuku felt himself relax a little. "He wants me to talk to him in person. He told me to go to the Raven and ask for Grim. He said he would wait for me."

"You going to do it?" Kacchan asked. His voice was tight and evenly controlled. Izuku's heart rate went up, knowing something passionate was brewing behind Kacchan's relatively calm expression. Izuku swallowed hard.

"I don't know," he answered honestly. "I don't know anything right now. I'm still trying to understand what happened to me. I don't know what I'll do or where I'll go." His voice rose in volume, his eyes wide. "I don't know what to do!"

Kacchan pulled him into a hard hug. "Okay, Izu. Alright. I hear you. I'm listening." He pulled away and stared intently into his eyes. "I want you to take a deep breath. I want you to walk me through these visions with… Grim… one at a time and in order. We'll figure this out. I promise."

Izuku took a deep breath and started over. "I was strapped to the chair. Exactly the same as it was with Tanaka. My arms were badly broken. It hurt really bad. The big guy said I was there and backed off. Grim took off his mask and apologized. I think he really meant it. He said he thought it was the trauma that called me, but now he knew it was the death. He promised he wouldn't hurt me again, and he never did after that. He gave me this drug. It was in a syringe. He put it right in my neck. Everything felt better right away. Like really, really good.

"Things got weird, kinda bright and floaty and warm, but I remember him talking about the Institute. He said they'd find me and he could protect me. He said he was my friend and asked about my visions. I was pretty out of it. I think I told him I saved them, but he said something like not everyone deserves to live, like that guy who hurt his daughters."

Izuku fell silent. He hated death. Hated the way it stole everything. Just thinking about that cold void brought back the terror of the sensory deprivation pool. It was horrible! But… but he hated people who hurt others like that. What that man had done to his daughters was horrific! Izuku shuddered as the memories of being raped over and over flared behind his eyes like fire.

He knew how it felt. To have his body invaded, to be powerless, to know his pain and life were worth nothing. Reduced to a thing being used for someone else's pleasure, it hurt in every way there was to hurt. It tore his body, made him bleed, made his heart break and his soul feel so much smaller. And that dad had done that to his own little girls. As young as four, Grim had said. Years those girls went through that, over and over. Izuku turned and vomited bile over the edge of the bed.

"Izuku?" Kacchan's voice pulled him back. "Breathe with me."

Izuku shook and sobbed, his forehead pressed to Kacchan's and just tried to breathe. It took a few minutes, but he did start to calm down. He held tightly to Kacchan's hands, vision still blurred. "I… I think he's right. Some people… some people…"

"Shhh." Kacchan ran a hand through Izuku's hair. "Now's not the time to think about that, okay? It's too much. Focus on Grim for now."

Izuku nodded. "Can I have water?"

Kacchan let him go and poured him a glass of water. Izuku felt off kilter. Like a huge piece of him was dislocated. It hurt, but he didn't know how to fix it. He drank the glass Kacchan handed to him. Kacchan put a blanket over his sick and opened the window. It was morning, but the light and warmth from outside barely registered.

"The second time I saw Grim, it was in a different room. It was well lit with comfortable furniture. Like a hotel room, but without any logos. I wasn't tied down. I could stand and move freely. Grim was there. He told me he'd done his research and he was just trying to help me. That's when he told me what he knew about my visions and how murders had been stopped completely in the UA area. That's how he knew where I was.

"That's when he told me UA and the Institute are both government run, and that I wasn't safe here. He offered to protect me. That's when he told me his name was Grim and that he was a leader of a group under the yakuza. He said he had a code of honor, though. That he and his group weren't villains. They were just trying to live, and society didn't approve of them, so they had no other choice but to disappear into the shadows.

"Then there was this beep. He'd figured out how long between when I arrive and the death happened, and so he knew that our time was up. He told me about the guy I was in. How he raped his daughters. He even showed me pictures of the girls. He never touched me, but somehow my heart stopped. I don't even know when it did. It didn't hurt. I was just gone."

Izuku frowned and curled his hand into a fist. "The last time, he hadn't meant to call me, I don't think. There was this guy. He stole money from Grim or something and left his family. In the vision previous, I was one of his kids. His wife poisoned herself and them because she was afraid the syndicate was going to take her kids and her. Make them pay for the dad. I died with them and woke up with Grim in the dad's body. I was tied to the chair in the small room again, but Grim gave me that drug really fast so I didn't hurt for long. He told me I was running out of time, I think. It's a little fuzzy, but that's when he told me about the Raven and to ask for him. I… I think I asked him not to kill anyone, and I think… I think he said he wouldn't."

"The yakuza is bad news, Izuku," Kacchan said lowly after several minutes, glaring into Izuku's eyes. "Not on the level of the League of Villains, Grim is right about that. The yakuza has become a lot less powerful since heroes have became established, but they are still a criminal organization. We know this for a fact because that little room exists. Two men were taken there to be tortured and killed for punishment or to get information. Leaving aside whether these men deserved it or not, or how we feel about the death penalty, I can't trust someone who can do that. Killing someone is one thing, but that's taking things to a darker level."

Izuku was breathing fast at this point, Kacchan's words felt like ice water, a shock of reality clearing the fog of confusion from his mind.

"You've just been through hell. Your head's in a terrible place, and I don't blame you for hating those mother fuckers who hurt you, who killed those people. I understand how that can make what Grim's selling seem reasonable, but I know you, Izuku. Being around that kind of life would break a part of you forever." Kacchan reached out to him and gently touched his cheek. "Be honest, Izuku. What do you really want to do deep down in your heart? Forget everything else for right now. Do you want to punish criminals who deserve it… Or save people?"

Izuku burst into tears and covered his face. When Kacchan put it like that… "I want to be a hero!" he cried, looking up. "I want to save those little girls! I want to save all those people I felt die!"

Kacchan smiled fiercely. "Then Grim isn't your answer, Izuku. He may not be your enemy, but he isn't your friend. You've got to remember who you are. You can't let him get in your head. His way isn't the only way, okay?"

Izuku flung his arms around Kacchan's neck and sobbed. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry…"

Kacchan held him back tightly, then he kissed him.

Izuku felt soul-sick. Guilt sat heavy in his gut for thinking even for a second that Grim was a friend. He felt dirty and desperate and unworthy. Kacchan must have sensed something for he broke the kiss and frowned. Izuku shook his head helplessly.

"I'm sorry…" he said tearfully. It was all he could say.

"Deku…"

The poison in his heart spilled past his lips in a dark swill. "I listened to him! I believed him! He hurt those men, he hurt me, but he was nice for a few minutes and I wanted to believe everything he said! What if you weren't here? What if I went to the Raven? He's the yakuza! He'd wants to use my visions just like the Institute, but for his own selfish gains. He'd try to turn me against the world, make me a killer like one of them, and I would have let him!"

"Izuku!"

Kacchan grabbed his arm in a painful grip and forced it up. Izuku stared at the still healing tattoo embedded in his skin. Kacchan put his own forearm along side it. The artistic lines of the hybrid flowers and compass sat next to the delicate red spider lilies blocking the moon.

"You are worthy of being a hero. You were fucking tortured and killed for hours. Some asshole messed with your head. You didn't do anything wrong, okay? You're okay. We're going to get through this together. Remember to look forward."

Izuku's eyes went blurry again. Why was he so weak? Why couldn't he do anything right? Kacchan was always there helping him, saving him. He'd let the darkness win over and over and over. Why was he so pathetic?!

With a shout, Izuku tore his arm away and tackled Kacchan to the bed. The blond stared up at him in surprise and then grinned fiercely. He twisted and got a knee up, shoving Izuku clear off the bed. Izuku grunted and rolled out of the way as Kacchan jumped at him. He kicked out, getting the blond in the side. Kacchan grunted and pinned his leg. He grabbed Izuku's arm, but before he could get it locked, Izuku flung his head back and got Kacchan in the throat. The blond sputtered and fell back. Izuku spun around and wrapped his legs around Kacchan's torso, pinning one arm to his chest and tried to get him in a hold.

They fought hard. The sound of hands slapping flesh, of their harsh pants and grunts filled the room. In the end, Izuku managed to twist Kacchan into a headlock. The blond actually laughed and slapped this arm.

"You… win…" he panted.

Izuku collapsed, gasping for breath. The darkness inside him no longer felt like it was suffocating him. He felt tired and loose-limbed. He looked to the side to see Kacchan smiling back at him and felt love fill every nook and cranny in his battered heart and mind.

"I love you," he said softly, reaching over to brush blond hair dark with sweat from Kacchan's forehead.

Kacchan grinned. "Love you, too, nerd. I liked this much better than crying."

Izuku made a face at him, but couldn't help laughing. "Me, too."

Everything wasn't fixed. They still had a huge problem in Grim, but… Izuku felt hopeful again. He rolled onto his side and wiggled until he had his head pillowed on Kacchan's chest. The steady, strong beat of the blond's heart followed him down into an exhausted sleep.

Chapter end.

A/n: Okay, I agonized over this chapter! I can't tell you how many times I re-wrote the end with Katsuki and Izuku. I had them react in different ways, but nothing felt exactly right. Partly because Izuku's spiraling and negative mental space was really hard to shake. You have to tell me what you think!