Izuku had no broken bones from his fight and so Stain decided that he was in a good enough condition to keep training as usual. The teen was grateful for the new lessons in knife throwing and self-defense, but the hours of work left him feeling exhausted and he was falling asleep at any time that he wasn't training. It'd gotten so bad that he had fallen asleep whilst eating more than once.

Any time that Stain was gone, Izuku would practice his accuracy by tossing knives at an improvised target which consisted of a wooden board and when his mentor got back, the heavy training would begin. They would train for more hours and with fewer breaks in between and by the time they were done and Stain left to patrol, Izuku would have to lay down for a long time. His everything ached. Add to that the times that Stain told Izuku to go with him to the city and you ended up with some really long days and nights.

The bruises on his face and stomach were no longer swollen and they'd gone from a dark purple to a nasty yellow hue, but his whole body was decorated with small black and blue patches from training.

Stain was pushing harder, Izuku could feel it. After the night of his fight, Stain had become even more strict when it came to what Izuku had to do before he was allowed to rest, and so the teen valued his moments of idleness with all his heart.

He was currently laying on the roof where Stain was perched like a gargoyle, as per usual. While his teacher kept his hawk-like vision on the streets below, Izuku gazed up at the starry sky. Not many stars were visible in the city and he momentarily missed the week they'd spent on the road, but he still tried to count the little white dots over his head. The night before, Stain had made Izuku look over the edge of the roof like they usually did, but the teen had almost fallen down in his tiredness and so tonight he was allowed to stay back.

He could still remember the vertigo as he had leaned forward sleepily and Stain had been forced to catch him by the back of his shirt. Have you ever dangled over a big fall only by the fabric of your clothes? Well, it's not nice.

He counted fifty individual stars before he grew bored and lost focus. It had to be around three in the morning, he thought. The summer breeze was nice that night, not too cold and blowing just enough to ruffle his hair. He sighed, turning over to lay on his stomach and propping his chin on his arms. He looked at Stain's unmoving form.

They'd been in Okazaki for almost two weeks now, going from place to place around town to hide and sleep. They never stayed in the same place for more than two nights and they chose new hideouts in no particular pattern. They'd been at a small house, an empty apartment building, and even a car in a dumpster. Izuku had learned by now to appreciate the little things, like the running water they had sometimes or the one usable stove they'd had for one night; that had been great.

Life on the move wasn't as bad as he would have thought, at least not with Stain with him. His elder clearly knew what he was doing, moving effortlessly even in parts of the city he'd never been to and always finding a safe place for them to rest. His teacher had even shocked Izuku one day when he'd come back with a plastic bag with some fresh food.

"Did… did you?" Izuku had wondered briefly that night, unsure of how to voice his concerns.

"What? Steal them?" Stain had asked, hitting Izuku on the back of the head lightly, "I'm not that kind of person."

So Stain had some money, it would seem. He hadn't asked where exactly the money came from, but he guessed Stain had some cash either on himself at all times or on his cooler.

Izuku used his arms to crawl his way forward until he was right next to his mentor and peering over the edge of the roof. The streets below were quiet and empty, not a single person in sight and only a few lonesome cars passing by here and there. If a hero were to cross their paths right now, it would be the fifth person Stain attacked in this city not counting the two men he'd killed defending Izuku and that random woman. The teen wondered if she was okay. There had been no word of those two victims on the news, so either she hadn't said anything or no one had believed her.

Or maybe publishing an article about the Hero Killer getting rid of two attempted-rapists didn't work with the narrative the news had right now.

"Stain?" Izuku whispered.

"Hmm?"

"Have you killed criminals before? Besides the guys that beat me up, I mean."

"Plenty," His teacher answered, eyes still on the road, "People who flaunt their power around without conviction are all the same, regardless of what the public decides to call them."

"So then, in total, how many people…?" Izuku wondered after a pause.

"Hundred seventy-four, if you count the ones that didn't die." Stain said easily. Izuku swallowed but said nothing. He had played around with the idea of most of Stain's victims not having been accounted for, but he hadn't expected such a large number; this meant that over a hundred of Stain's victims were unknown to the public.

The teen felt an odd sense of both fear and respect towards the man next to him. It was almost calming to know that Stain's ideals applied to everyone and not just professional heroes. It made his work feel more fair and impartial.

He's really not just some villain, Izuku thought.

He saw Stain tense ever so slightly and already knew what was happening. They watched in silence as a hero (a woman with bright orange hair, it would seem) walked closer and peered down the darkened alley. She looked long and hard into the abyss before walking in carefully, her hand shining like neon and illuminating the walls around her. It looked almost theatrical, her yellow and red costume glowing along with her hair like the flame of a candle in the night. Izuku half wished he could take a picture.

Stain fell on top of her boot first, and the sound that was heard when they crashed onto the ground was unpleasant. Her hand was glowing meekly when Stain dug a knife on her side just to make sure that the job was done and the light hadn't yet faded when Izuku made his way down from the roof and joined his teacher. He forced himself not to look at her broken body and simply followed Stain out of the alley and back to the small run-down house they were staying at.

The teen was ready to either go to sleep or train, but his teacher surprised him by telling him to "get his stuff."

"Are we moving?" Izuku wondered almost innocently.

"We're leaving Okazaki before dawn."

Oh. Well, he should have expected as much. Stain had taken out five professional heroes already and they'd been staying there for a little over two weeks. He was a little glad that they'd be back on the road and so he packed his things gladly. Not that there was much to pack, just his notebook and his pens, but still he put everything in his bag hastily and made his way to their front door. Stain was already waiting, cooler over his shoulder.

His teacher stepped out and, with one last glance at the room, Izuku closed the door behind them.

This time they headed north and they easily fell back onto the routine from before, with some differences. Instead of walking for three hours and training for one, they split the time evenly between both things and the training went up in intensity.

Izuku was now doing set after set of pushups, planks, pullups, squats, and anything of the sort. Stain would still teach him self-defense and close combat, and when none of that was happening Izuku would have to go back on their steps a mile and then catch back up to Stain. Every time they sat down to rest the boy would feel like his body was about to either melt or explode. But Stain was merciless about the whole process, not listening to any complaints and not caring about how beat up Izuku was.

"I already told you," Stain had said at some point after Izuku had puked from all the exertion, "You need to get stronger. Otherwise, you won't be able to do anything and you'll just get in the way."

The teen knew he was right, but God he felt like his very soul wanted to escape his body.

They'd been on the move for about six days when Izuku's body had enough. His bag had been filled with heavy stones and he was trying to keep up with Stain's long steps through some difficult terrain, the sun beaming bright. Colors and static had started to invade his vision and he'd been unable to do or say anything before his legs gave in and he went down. He was unconscious before he even hit the ground. He'd woken up on the ground much later that day, next to a tiny campfire but no Stain.

His limbs felt a little numb and his stomach hurt but he was glad to see that he was still alive. Where was he? There was a sea of tall trees around him, the sun already setting somewhere.

He opened and closed his hands to get some feeling back into them and slowly but surely he was able to push himself up into a sitting position. He had a new bump on his head, probably from when he passed out, but he was fine.

The fire next to him was dying and so Izuku took to throwing little sticks and leaves from around him to keep it going. He was considering getting up and looking for actual wood when Stain stepped out from between two large trees with a bunch of branches in his arms.

"What happened?" Izuku immediately asked.

"You passed out." Stain responded flatly, placing the wood aside and throwing some into the fire.

"I mean, well… yeah, but… where are we?"

"The forest. A national park, I reckon. It's a good place to stay for a while."

"Are we still going to Toyama?" The teen asked when Stain sat a few feet away from him.

"In due time. When you can hold your own." Stain said and Izuku swallowed. He suddenly felt very pressured, like their whole voyage had been paused because of him and his weakness. He hugged his knees and looked into the fire in deep thought. Was he becoming a burden? He didn't need to ask to know that Stain had had to carry him all the way to where they were and he felt ashamed. He had been unable to even carry his own damn weight.

"...I'm sorry." He murmured, not having it in him to look over at the other man.

"Why?"

"For being so… weak. For slowing you down."

"You're impatient." Stain said and Izuku blinked, unsure. He dared a small glance at his teacher. The fire illuminated his face in a peculiar way that didn't allow Izuku to read his expression.

"You think you can improve in a few weeks and that's reckless of you. These things take time, I've told you. You just need to keep pushing."

"With my own will and strength?" Izuku asked, quoting what Stain had told him the second time they met. Stain glared at him.

"You mocking me, kid?"

"What, no! No, no, no! No, I just- You told me-! I'm-!" Oh God, he was panicking.

Stain scoffed, actually letting out a short laugh.

"You get scared too easily. We have to work on that, too."

Izuku was drawing a blank. Was Stain… teasing him? Had he just laughed? Was Izuku still unconscious on the ground and just having a weird dream? He was almost tempted to reach out and touch Stain just to see if he was real but he wisely decided against it. They'd been seeing each other for almost six weeks now so it wasn't that strange that they could speak more easily now, right?

After a moment of silence, Izuku pushed his luck a bit.

"Stain?"

"Yeah?"

"What was it like, the first time you… killed someone?"

Stain gave him a look and Izuku shrugged a little. He'd been curious about it ever since they'd let that hero apprentice go. He wondered just what it took to become as desensitized to death as Stain was and he had tried to imagine if Stain had ever had difficulty doing what he did.

"I was eighteen. It was a petty criminal robbing a teen at night. He came at me, so I killed him."

Izuku waited but, seeing that he wasn't getting the answer he'd wanted, he explained himself further.

"No, I… I mean, how did you feel about it?"

Stain looked up at the sky for a good minute before he spoke again.

"I think surprised would be the word. I knew what had to be done and I'd trained myself for it, but it wasn't until that moment that I proved to myself that I was willing to do what was necessary. I was glad that I had it in me."

"Was it ever difficult for you?"

"No. Granted, I prepared myself for a few years before I did it, but I never regretted it after that moment."

"Huh…" Izuku focused back on the fire. He had wanted a slightly more relatable answer but he should have expected as much from Stain. Maybe had his teacher confessed some weakness he wouldn't feel so incapable himself. But Stain was right, he couldn't expect to get used to these things overnight.

Stain threw two more pieces of wood into the fire and Izuku looked at the little sparks that floated up, tiny and fleeting, his eyes suddenly stopping above them. By now the sun was done setting, the sky was dark and a myriad of stars decorated the heavens. Izuku had never seen so many stars in person and he just couldn't look away.

He was so distracted that he failed to notice the long look Stain sent his way.

He entertained himself by looking for constellations he knew and making up a few in his mind before a thought crossed his mind and he reached for his bag hurriedly. He pulled out his notebook and opened it at the very end where he'd drawn a small improvised calendar. He'd been crossing days for the past few weeks and he was 99% sure that he knew what day it was. If he was right, tonight was the night of July 11th.

"We missed the star festival…" He murmured. He'd been so focused on training and keeping up with Stain that he'd forgotten all about it. He remembered all the times he went out with his mother to celebrate every year without fault.

"You celebrate those things?" Stain asked, eyebrow raised.

"My mom and I always did, since it lands so close to our birthd-" He cut himself off. He'd been avoiding both thinking or mentioning his birthday to his teacher since those things didn't seem to have a place in Stain's ideology. Besides, the idea of his mom being alone during both their birthdays made him uncomfortable.

"How old even are you?" Stain asked.

"I'm… I'm turning fifteen in a few days."

Stain hummed but added nothing. He had never asked anything about Izuku's personal life and the teen had been partly grateful for that. It was easier to keep his mind focused when he wasn't thinking about the past. But now that he had a moment of peace, he let his mind wander the tiniest bit as he glanced back at the stars.

He wondered if his mother had gotten news of the Hero Killer striking in Okazaki, or if one of the heroes that hadn't died had made a statement in which the teen was mentioned. He wondered if his classmates had gotten bored of gossiping about him at this point or if they still talked about him going missing. Had his teachers said anything? Were his neighbors visiting his mom, taking food to her house to show some sympathy? Did the police still consider him a hostage?

There was so much that he didn't know and that a small part of him wanted to find out, but at the same time, he would much rather be out here in the middle of the woods than in the city where he might have access to information about himself. He wanted to stay in the moment and learn as much as he could so Stain could get back to work without the worry of Izuku getting himself killed every five minutes.

He wanted to feel adept in this lifestyle, even if it was the hardest thing in the world. He wanted to be strong on his own, for once.

With that on his mind, Izuku curled up next to his bag and fell into a dreamless sleep.

Izuku was awoken by a bottle of water getting dropped on his stomach. He waved his arms around in a panic, half thinking that he was under attack and half thinking part of the trees above him had collapsed. Stain gave him an unamused look. It was still dark and most of the wood that had been on a pile nearby earlier was gone, the fire a small constant source of light.

Stain had a knife in hand.

"Get up."

"What's wrong?" Izuku whispered. Had someone found them?

"You're training." His teacher said flatly.

"I…" Izuku struggled to his feet, "What time is it?"

"Three. I let you oversleep."

Only this man would consider waking up at three in the morning as oversleeping, Izuku thought. He popped his back and cracked his neck loudly, his body stiff from sleeping on the ground. In the morning chill, he really wished he had a jacket with him but the only other clothes he'd had, he burned. Not only did he wish for new clothes to keep warm, but also because these were dirty. He'd washed them back in the city in one of the few places where they stayed with running water, but that was almost a week ago.

He didn't even want to risk sniffing his shirt at this point.

Stain put out their tiny fire and set off into the woods with Izuku following close behind, water bottle in hand. This was the first time they would train out in the open whilst not on the move and that both excited and scared Izuku. Since Stain wouldn't have to worry about taking too long on the road or having people around, he could pretty much push Izuku as far as he wanted.

I can do it, Izuku told himself with as much optimism as he could muster, I'll do better today and prove to Stain that I can handle anything he throws my way. I can do it!

The first three or four hours had been manageable. They fought, ran a bit, and practiced knife tossing. Izuku was feeling pretty good with himself up to that point, confident even.

But when the sun rose over the horizon, he started regretting every single decision he had ever made.

The moment the light hit them, Stain's whole demeanor changed drastically. He made Izuku not only run over four miles up a hill but he made the teen train for over three hours before he could rest. His water bottle was empty sooner rather than later and Izuku had made the mistake of mentioning that. That earned him a three-hour hike towards the nearest river, one he also had to do whilst carrying a log on his back and avoiding the occasional knife thrown his way. Any time he tripped, his teacher would be quick to approach and basically step on him.

"You gonna give up, Midoriya? Are you going to prove them right?" He would ask in a cold voice.

But Izuku would always find the strength to get back up with a resolute "No!"

They eventually made it to the wide expanse of running water and it was here that Stain made Izuku carry stones from one side of the river to the other for over an hour. The river was freezing, deep, and the current was strong, and Stain only intervened on one occasion when Izuku almost drowned. Other than that, the teen was on his own.

He crawled his way out onto the river bank when Stain told him he was done with that, and Izuku promptly collapsed on the ground. The sun had passed its highest point at some point during the torture. He was allowed about fifteen minutes of sweet, sweet rest before his teacher addressed him again.

"Was that too much for you, kid?" Stain asked from where he was, diligently cleaning one of his folding knives. When Izuku didn't answer, he got up and walked closer. Izuku's shirt had been left on a tree nearby to spare it from the water, but his pants were heavy on his legs. He couldn't feel his arms or legs, hell, he couldn't even turn his head to face his teacher.

"Hey, answer me." Stain poked him with the tip of his boot, the spikes feeling very sharp against Izuku's ribs.

"I… I'm… okay…" Izuku said, panting like he had spent the whole hour with his head underwater. Stain smiled.

"You hungry?"

" Yes." Izuku coughed. God, he was starving. If they didn't stop to eat something he might actually die.

"Good," Stain said, dropping a familiar hunting knife next to Izuku's head, "Let's get going, then."

Izuku grunted. He wasn't even sure if he'd be able to walk but Stain wasn't waiting for him and so he pushed himself up with difficulty. His arms felt like they were on fire and the cold water clinging to his skin and clothes did nothing to alleviate the feeling. He grabbed the knife in one hand and, after recovering his shirt, followed Stain mindlessly.

He didn't even register how much time had passed by the time they stopped. He blinked almost sleepily, not seeing his backpack or their campfire. Stain moved next to a bush and smiled contentedly, signaling for Izuku to come closer.

Trigger warning starts here, just skip the bold letters if you don't want to read it.

He heard the small, panicked movement before he saw the rabbit.

"I set some traps while you were out yesterday." Stain explained, looking at the animal entangled in what looked like a mix of rope and wire. The teen was suddenly very aware of both the knife in his hands and the pointed look the other man was giving him.

No. No, no, he wasn't expecting Izuku to actually…

"Have you ever hunted before, kid?" Stain asked, noticing the horrified expression on the teen's face.

"No, n-never."

"You know how to kill a rabbit?"

Izuku shook his head, eyes wide. Was he going to have to do it without any experience? He didn't want to make the poor animal suffer but thankfully Stain seemed to be on the same page.

"Come on, I'll teach you." Stain's hand on his back guided him forward and onto a crouch. He swallowed, his hands clammy and the knife threatening to fall to the ground at any second. Thankfully, there was no need for the blade. Stain explained what had to be done slowly and then demonstrated how to quickly snap the creature's neck (the action was so fast that Izuku wasn't even sure what had happened). Stain then showed Izuku how the set up the trap once more and they went on their way.

Out of the six traps Stain had set up, four had miraculously gotten something. The teen's trembling hands had spared him from having to kill the first three animals, but the last one was Izuku's to dispatch. Stain gave him no option, no way out of it. Izuku had cried and he'd hesitated for entire minutes, but Stain did not back down and so Izuku had to kill the little rabbit at his feet. He thankfully managed to do the deed quickly and without any problems and Stain gave him a nod which Izuku was unable to return behind his tears.

Trigger warning done.

A part of him had been almost unwilling to eat after that, but by nightfall, his body was screaming for him to eat something. He gave in, trying really hard not to think about what he'd learned until he was done.

"You have to get used to these things." Stain had told him, sounding resolute.

"Yeah, I know," Izuku said softly, scooting closer to the fire and hugging his legs to his chest, "I'll get there."

"You better." Stain warned. They sat in silence for a good while until Izuku's mind forced him to speak. He was second-guessing himself.

"Stain?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you… Do you think All Might was right when he… When I broke my arm, do you think…" His voice was barely audible, even to himself. The moment they'd started checking the traps he'd started dreading what would come further down the line in his training. He wasn't sure about being able to do what Stain did, he doubted he'd be able to hurt others with the ease the Hero Killer was known for.

"What, about you better staying out of the fight?" Stain asked.

"Yes."

"In part, yes." He said, not holding back any punches. Izuku felt his heart aching in his chest. Of course, Stain would say that. This wasn't the first time that they'd spoken about the No.1 hero and it'd been clear from that moment that Stain saw All Might in a very particular light.

"I mean, you did get hurt, kid." Stain continued matter of factly, much to Izuku's dismay.

"Do you think I should have listened to him?" The teen asked, heartbreak threatening to take him down right then and there. He forced himself to look over at his teacher and he was met with a very serious look.

"Do you?" Stain shot back, almost accusatory.

Izuku bit his lip and looked down. He couldn't see himself in a life where he had given up on his dreams, where he'd moved on with his life as a normal person with an office job, but he also didn't know how he was supposed to change enough to do what had to be done.

"All Might had a point when he told you what he did. You were weak, inexperienced, and impulsive. He said what he did to make sure that neither you nor some other kid would jump into another fight and get yourselves killed."

Izuku could feel tears burning his eyes.

"But he did make a mistake in thinking that you couldn't grow." Stain added.

"...What?" Izuku asked, fighting back his emotions.

"For what you've told me, no one believed that you would ever be able to do anything. No one thought you could train yourself into something better. And that was their error. With enough conviction, you can better yourself."

"Do you really think I can be like… like you, someday ?"

"You wouldn't be here if I didn't." Stain said simply. Both his tone and his expression were sincere and Izuku had to rub his eyes to keep his tears from falling. He straightened his back, trying hard to keep himself from crying like a kid. He felt the same warmth in his chest he'd experienced when Stain had offered him his hand all those weeks ago.

"You doubt everything way too much, kid." Stain added less seriously, getting a small but honest laugh out of Izuku.

"I need to work on that."

"Amongst other things."

Izuku chuckled again, blinking away the last of his tears. He'd always been the type of person to act first and regret things later, no matter what he did or what the outcome. His whole life he'd either done things that felt right and gotten crap for it, or he'd bit his tongue and felt like a fake later.

It was about time he started believing in himself, huh?

He sighed and shook his head to get rid of any other negativity he'd been feeling. His mind was, for once, at peace with his life. He gave Stain a grateful smile and his teacher nodded at the teen. This had been the first time Stain had acknowledged Izuku's honest appreciation for the other man, and it felt nice. Stain was an odd combination of both unmatched passion and everlasting glacial disdain and you never really knew what he was thinking.

It was a welcomed surprise to see his mentor relaxed and sincere. Izuku came to the sudden realization that he'd never had a conversation like that with anyone before and he started giggling.

"What?" Stain asked, brow raised.

"How did any of this happen?" Izuku asked, " How did I get here?"

"I dragged your ass for almost three hours after you fainted."

Izuku let out a proper laugh at that and, had he been looking, he would have seen the smallest of smiles tugging at Stain's lips.