This chapter is like super long, but I had to keep everything in Izuku's POV so just bear with me, it'll be a special long chapter I guess. It's like the end of arc one, I suppose. I had to rewrite it a few times to make sure I liked it. Anyway, a lot of stuff is coming to a head this chapter, we'll see how it ends up :0

Also, you may have noticed that this is part of a series now! The first part of this series is a one shot of the video from chapter 9 in another perspective. If you were curious about how that event went down, I suggest you check it out!

- violence

- description of major injuries

Izuku felt the eyes watching him from the doorway, silent for a patient moment. "Are you sure you don't want me to come with you?"

His gaze flickered up from the map in his hands to meet his father's inspection, then quickly looked back down. Izuku had found some outdated blueprints of the aboveground buildings on an old real-estate website, but of course there was no evidence of the tunnels below. They must have been made with a quirk, without the city's knowledge.

The teenager folded the map and tucked it away in his pocket with a curt nod. "I'm sure. I'm just going to look around."

"In the middle of the day?"

"Hero patrols are less frequent during the day as well as in the middle of the week." He answered matter-of-factly, like his father didn't already know that too. "It'll be quick, I promise."

It wasn't like he had never done this before. However, Dad was probably thinking about the first time he had been forced to defend someone else in broad daylight. The sludgy, murky green quirk sat unused in the back of his mind to this day, stubbornly ignored until Izuku could pass it off to someone else and never have to think about that day again.

"I'm not sure why you're so interested in this yakuza, but if you won't even let me come, please be extra careful." His father relented with a sigh. He pushed off of the doorway to meet him halfway and press a kiss to the top of his head. Izuku blushed and rolled his eyes at the gesture. "If you get into any trouble, know that you can call me and I'll be there in less than a second."

Izuku huffed. "I know, Dad, but nothing is going to happen. You're starting to sound like Mom."

"Anyone who tries to hurt you would prefer me over her." He smiled thinly.

A short laugh escaped him as he tried to imagine his small mother coming to his rescue. She had done it before with his father, but Izuku had never actually seen that side of her in action. She could certainly be terrifying when she wanted to, especially where Izuku or Dad were concerned. Plenty of organs were small enough to be influenced by her quirk.

He smiled and pulled on his hood. "Don't let her worry too much. I'll be back soon, I'm sure."

O-O-O-O

Izuku was only about ten minutes from Shie Hassaikai's base when he sensed a presence behind him. They stuck out to him, in a familiar recognition, quickly growing closer in a way that pointed to the fact that they clearly had recognized Izuku as well.

He had stuck to the shadows, high rooftops if he could. His dark, made for the night, vigilante outfit attracted much more attention than the casual clothes he usually wore when went out in the day. Izuku didn't want to wear it, but took the risk for whatever was waiting for him under that base. He teleported between shaded corners and empty streets on the way to his destination, sticking to less traveled roads and remaining virtually unnoticed by anyone until now.

In a swift second, he twisted around, wires bursting from his knuckles and wrapping around their limbs. The teenager pinned them up against the brick wall, an arm under their throat as he restrained them.

In another, his eyes widened as he took in multicolored eyes and sharply different halves, grip slacking instantly. "Shouto-"

"Why does everyone think you're dead?"

Izuku's blood ran cold. For a moment, he thought it was the other boy's quirk, but it remained dormant. The chill remained only in his eyes as he sharply stared down at Izuku. Their faces were close enough that Shouto could clearly see the shock written on his face.

"W-What?" He choked, frantically searching his friend's features for some kind of joke. His thoughts exploded, trying to coming up with any explanation besides the one he knew to be true.

This was exactly what he didn't need right now.

Shouto watched him with obvious scrutiny, guarded and serious. "Midoriya Izuku is dead. I went to your middle school. They all think you're dead, but, clearly, you're not."

Izuku was floundering, struggling and failing to come up with an answer for him. Everything he thought of was insane or far too close to reality. There was nothing he could say to make this make sense. Even the truth sounded hilariously fake in his head. Shouto was far too smart to believe anything besides a really great lie. Izuku wished he had asked Dad for more help in that category, but of course he always wanted to go the most honest route.

He had never imagined Shouto would find out. He had been careful to keep everything identifying a secret, like Dad taught him. Somehow, anyway, here he was.

"We can't talk about this here." Izuku gasped, barely above a whisper. It didn't sound like his voice.

Izuku loosed his grip, allowing his friend to drop to his feet and he turned, prepared to teleport away. Before he could, Shouto latched onto his wrist. "Then let's go somewhere else."

"I can't, I'm busy."

"Being not dead?" Shouto returned, deadpanned. "You haven't been coming by my house lately. I thought I was going crazy, imagining you. I want to know what's going on."

"You can't." Izuku stressed, twisting back toward him. "I-It's really complicated and-"

"Then I'm coming with you."

The shorter boy blinked at him, then immediately shook his head. "Absolutely not."

"Why not?"

"It's dangerous." He had no idea what he was walking into with Shie Hassaikai. He couldn't let Shouto get hurt trying to follow him.

"You're going." Shouto argued. "If you're not going to tell me what's going on, then I'm coming with you."

"It's-" Izuku cut off with a frustrated huff. The taller boy looked undeterred, hand still closed around his wrist to keep him from escaping. "I'm investigating a gang, you shouldn't get involved."

"I've been involved since I met you." He returned, unfazed. "I'm trained. I've fought with you before."

Izuku chewed on his lip, staring back at Shouto. He looked so determined. It radiated off of him, stubborn to a fault and unwilling to let him go.

Everything in him was screaming that this was a bad idea, but it wasn't like he could tell Shouto the truth. Yet, if he started a fight with him here to escape, a slightly-populated area of the city in the middle of the day, he'd definitely attract attention. There would be heroes on his tail before he could even get into the tunnels. The last thing he needed was a full-scale raid on the yakuza base because of him.

But, if he let Shouto go, who knew what he'd do.

He might decide to walk into the nearest police station and describe everything he had seen and been told. He'd have more validity than most, as the son of a notable hero. Even if he didn't know everything, it would still drag up his and his mother's so-called death, more investigation into the case, possibly leading to questions about his father and how he wasn't in America like he had said he was and everything would be fucked.

So Izuku pressed his lips into a line, matching his friend's determined gaze. "Stay with me and listen to me, okay? I don't know what we're getting into and I don't want you to get hurt."

"I won't." Shouto answered with a smug expression as he realized he won. Only by default, Izuku wanted to add bitterly. "Are you going to tell me the truth after this?" Izuku just shugged and activated the teleportation quirk.

O-O-O-O

After a few more jumps, they landed on the ledge of a commercial building across the street from the yakuza's hidden headquarters. Izuku remained perched on the edge, inspecting the street below for any sign of a threat.

He imagined that pair of sidekicks swooping in out of nowhere to arrest him or Chisaki Kai stumbling out of the gates to attack him.

Instead, a painfully boring street sat before him.

He nervously tugged on his hood, reminding himself of Dad's lessons. Izuku knew hero protocol like the back of his hand, had memorized the routes of patrols and all the quirks of the employed at every agency in the area. He had a plan, he just needed to stick to it.

"What's this about?" Shouto asked after a minute of paused silence.

Izuku awkwardly looked at him, resigning to this break in the plan. "We're going in there." He pointed at the unassuming base. "It's the headquarters of Shie Hassaikai, an old yakuza organization. That woman who attacked us mentioned a quirk-erasing drug and I tracked the origins of those rumors to here. There's a system of underground tunnels that I think will explain some of how they're developing the drug."

"The woman who talked about All for One." Shouto noted. Izuku winced at the name, stealing another glance at him. "What you said about him...was that the truth?"

Izuku's mouth was dry as he debated his answer. Finally, he shook his head slowly.

Shouto gave him an accusing look, different-colored eyes darting across his face. Izuku knew he couldn't see his horribly unconvincing expression due to his hood, but he still felt on display under his watchful gaze.

"Are you All for One?" Shouto finally asked, earning a relieved sigh from Izuku.

He wasn't lying when he answered. "No."

Shouto relaxed slightly and nodded. "Okay." He murmured, more to himself than Izuku

"Come on. Let's go." Izuku grabbed his hand and soon they were inside the building.

The first floor led them down a simple hallway. Shouto looked around suspiciously, but Izuku's sensory quirk told him they were alone. It looked just like a normal office building, devoid of activity despite this being a usual work day.

Izuku led the way as he sensed the tunnels below. The taller teenager remained stiffly aware as they walked slowly, frost growing up his right arm.

He had already memorized his map and knew vaguely where the entrance was. He activated the metal-manipulation quirk as well, seeking out the cameras in the walls. While his face was hidden, Shouto looked like a middle schooler who had stumbled inside, fully dressed in his school uniform.

Izuku supposed he was; it was a school day after all. He had probably been on the way to school when he had spotted Izuku.

It required the enhancer quirk, but he waved his hand as they walked and each camera turned to point up at the ceiling and hid them from view. He should invest in some type of technology jamming quirk at some point, if he was going to make this type of breaking-and-entering a habit. Dad might have one to spare, if he asked.

"Is that you?" Shouto asked quietly, watching the cameras suspiciously. Izuku nodded, dropping his hand.

It looked like any other building on the inside, nothing incriminating or interesting at all. That only confirmed his suspicions that the real answers lie below them.

Shouto paused suddenly, distracting Izuku's train of thought. He stood statically, staring at a small vase full of blue flowers. The hallway was mostly empty besides the table the vase sat on.

"What's wrong?" Izuku asked.

"They're fake." Shouto hummed, curiously reaching toward the vase. Izuku wasn't sure why that really mattered, or caught Shouto's attention in the first place.

He was distracted by the sensory quirk again, telling him that some stairs that led further underground began here. Catiously, Izuku stepped forward. He touched the vase and waited, but nothing happened. Shouto cleared his throat, clearly unimpressed. Izuku ignored him, picking up the vase to set it aside for the table it sat on. Instead, they both stared at the switch underneath.

"That's not supposed to be there." Shouto noted, peering over his shoulder.

Izuku reached forward flipped the switch, stiffening as the wall folded in on itself. They tensed for an incoming attack, but nothing emerged from the new, dark doorway.

"The tunnels." Izuku murmured, stepping aside to set the vase on the ground.

He glanced back at Shouto and the other shrugged. "Lead the way."

Izuku slowly walked into the darkness, faltering slightly as he stepped on the first stair. There was a sleek, metal cold handle to his left that Izuku didn't use. As they walked, he felt temperature drop as they moved further underground. He shivered, clinching his fists at his side.

Then, suddenly, a gentle wave of heat came from behind him. The shorter boy looked back at Shouto curiously.

"You're cold." Was the only thing he offered as an explanation. Shouto pointedly avoided Izuku's gaze, choosing the concrete ceiling above their heads instead.

Izuku felt his face heat with a tell-tale blush, but he didn't say anything else as they emerged finally into the tunnels.

There weren't any cameras down here, not any that he could sense at least. The walls, floors, and ceilings were made of slate-colored concrete. Glowing white illuminated the hallway, cast from the overhead lines of lights. The buzzing of electricity filled the ringing silence.

Whatever the yakuza was doing down here, they clearly didn't want it documented.

"This isn't suspicious at all." Shouto mused, looking in each direction the hallway split off into. "Where now?" His voice, while quiet, sounded deafening in the halls. Every sound echoed.

"There's a lab, this way I think. We should try there first."

"Okay."

Izuku kept the sensory quirk up so he could be aware of any people heading toward them. It was draining to keep a quirk activated for that long, but necessary. There was no company as they walked. Izuku would have assumed it was abandoned, if not for the running electricity above them. Shouto remained silent, but clearly poised to fight if needed.

He was somewhat surprised about how calm Shouto was about this. He seemed to listen to him without a second thought, following his lead without an argument. It made Izuku heart flutter for some reason, realizing how much Shouto must trust him to go along with this, despite all the questions he must have.

The lab was behind a thick steel door, breaking the uniformity of the concrete walls and floor. Izuku tugged it open, following Shouto inside. As soon as they entered, they both cringed. Izuku reached up to cover his nose at the sharp stench. Shouto might not recognize it immediately, but he did.

The smell of death lingered in the air.

The lights flickered a few times before they turned on, revealing a large metal table in the center of the room and a wall of silver equipment. The walls were white, splattered pink. Floor tiles were chipped and cracked. A fist-shaped hole had made a home in one of the walls.

Shouto drifted toward the table, staring at his morphed reflection in the surface. It reminded him of a medieval surgical table, thick leather straps hanging down to the floor. The spaces between them looked too small to restrain a normal-sized person.

Izuku separated from him, wandering toward the wall of cabinets and counters. The cabinets were populated with rolls of gauze, racks of test tubes, and jars of syringes. A number of other medical equipment he couldn't name littered the counters. There was a tall cabinet full of white hospital gowns. He picked one up, unfolding it and frowning. It looked small enough to fit a young child.

Izuku was starting to really hate this place.

"Look at this." Shouto called, one of the drawers opened. He held up a few papers as Izuku walked over. "They're studying the human genome. I only recognize it because we talked about it in class the other day."

"This is talking about the sixteenth chromosome. That's been traced back to the origin of quirks." Izuku gasped, taking the paper from him and reading over it quickly. "It's where most quirks are based."

"Ah."

"I guess it makes sense if they're researching erasing quirks they'd look to their origins. The mutation itself is fairly recent in context of all human evolution, it wasn't hard for people to track where it came from in the terms of genes, although since there's such a variety nowadays there's been an uptick in areas of the body that are influenced or change to incorporate quirks..." Izuku trailed off, reaching for another page.

It looked like this was only part of the full research, a few random papers left here either for reference or purely out of forgetfulness. This one in particular had some notes among the typed words, mentioning something called Eri several times. Izuku furrowed his eyebrows at the unfamiliar name, trying to place it in the context,

"You know a lot about quirks." Shouto noted.

Izuku blushed, glancing away from the page. "I, uh, it's a hobby."

"It's impressive." He answered, turning away from the drawer. "What now?"

He shrugged, folding a few of the more interesting papers to take with him. "This probably isn't where they do the most of their testing, it seems more like an medical bay than that, maybe where they do human tests of the drug. There's a few more rooms I-"

"Izuku."

At his name, the shorter boy looked, up, surprised by the paleness of his friend's face. He had opened one of the other cabinets, holding up a test tube full of a thick, red liquid.

"Is that...blood?"

Izuku swallowed his disgust, hoping it was just something else. He took it from Shouto, reading the label, then swirling it. It certainly looked like blood.

"Why do they have this?" Shouto asked quietly.

Izuku shrugged with an uneasy frown. "For testing, possibly. They might have isolated the quirk gene and used the drug with these samples." He gave it back to Shouto for him to return it to the shelf. There were several rows of the test tubes.

"This one says Eri on it." The taller boy noted. "What's Eri?"

"No idea." Izuku wasn't sure he wanted to find out. "We should keep moving, I hope we can find some stuff about their actual progress on the drug, as well as what they're actually planning on using it for." Shouto nodded silently, following him toward the door.

O-O-O-O

They were nearly to the next destination on his map when Izuku suddenly felt someone on the edge of his range. He held out his hand, causing Shouto to pause and shoot him a puzzled look. They felt small, moving toward them quickly.

He heard the footsteps first, fast and hushed. Then the shout.

"Eri! Get back here!" A voice shouted distantly, only its echoes reached them.

In another second, they turned the corner toward them, running straight into Shouto. He let out a little oof, stumbling as a child collided with his legs. Izuku blinked at the newcomer in confusion, mouth half-open.

None of the information he saw about the yakuza had mentioned a child.

She was no older than six, dressed in a white gown that sickeningly reminded him of the one he had found in that room. Her hair was a blue-grey color, tangled and unkept as it fell messily down her back. A stubby horn kept one side of her bangs out of her face. Thick bandages covered most of her arms and legs. Dark purple and blue bruises spotted her uncovered, paper-white skin.

"Are you okay?" Shouto kneeled, taking her gently in his arms. He didn't ask what a child was doing down here, but the question was obvious when he glanced back at Izuku.

She was trembling, the shorter boy noticed. He only heard the end of what she murmured into his shoulder, hands tightly gripping his shirt. "...don't wanna go back."

"Eri-" The voice from earlier was suddenly closer. "You can't run off like that."

Chisaki Kai turned the corner, suddenly freezing at the sight of them. His eyes narrowed, darting from the child to each of the boys.

Eri.

The blood, the hospital gowns, the girl...

Izuku's eyes widened, staring at the man. He gritted his teeth, clinching his fist as the terrible pieces fit together in his head.

"Chisaki," He firmly spoke, eyes darkening. "what are you doing to her?"

Izuku wasn't sure why he ever planned anything anymore. It always got thrown out the window by the end of the mission.

The man looked a little surprised at his name. "That's none of your concern." He growled. "I don't know how two children got down here, but I suppose you've already seen too much." He reached for one of his white gloves, pulling it off. Eri visibly flinched at the movement.

Izuku stepped between them, holding out his hand to keep Shouto and Eri back. He started running through his quirks in his head. "Your quirk is so impressive. Why do you use it to hurt her? It's a waste."

That seemed to piss off Chisaki even more. "You're what I hate most, obsessed with the sickness." He spat. "Eri, get back here."

Shouto's hold around her tightened protectively. "She doesn't have to listen to you."

"I'm her father."

"So what?" Shouto retorted.

Chisaki hummed thoughtfully, gaze murderous. He clinched his ungloved fist. "Eri, your friends are going to get hurt."

She stiffened.

In another second, she had ripped away from Shouto. Eri ducked under his outstretched arm and ran back toward Chisaki, freezing behind him. Slowly, she turned toward them again, stiffly at his side. Izuku saw her eyes for the first time.

Large, wine red and trained on the floor.

She wrung her hands in her dirty gown. It was bloodstained, Izuku noticed.

"Well, I supposed I must deal with you two." Chisaki sighed, like he was discussing a menial chore rather than most likely murder. "This gets so messy." He huffed, irritated.

Without any other warning, he slammed his ungloved hand into the ground. Izuku yelped, latching onto Shouto. He teleported them backwards, falling harshly on the ground as the hallway reconfigured.

The walls caved in before reforming rapidly. Spikes of concrete and twisted metal shot forward. If they hadn't moved, surely they would have been impaled.

"What the-"

"His quirk is called Overhaul. It's touch-based." Izuku gasped, watching Chisaki assess the ruined hallway and eventually look past it, finding them unscarred on the other side. "He can assemble and reassemble matter, I'm not sure if it works on organic material or not, but I don't want to test it. Don't let him touch you."

"We can't let that girl stay here." Shouto decided quietly. "He hurts her."

Although he had already come to that conclusion, he was momentarily surprised to see the icy fury in his friend's eyes.. "R-Right. I have more mobility so I'll grab her. You're long distance, so keep him away and occupied."

They stood, shifting into fighting positions. Izuku activated an endurance and speed quirk. He just had to take his quirk, then they could escape easily. This needed to be quick, before other yakuza members started showing up for backup.

He bolted forward, twisted through the spikes. He was almost to him, but he overshot the relapse time. Izuku watched his surroundings shift again as Chisaki activated Overhaul again. A few flashes of pain told him he had been grazed, but nothing too bad yet. He pushed through, a muted shout escaping his bared teeth. When he was close enough, he teleported through Chisaki, landing behind him. His thigh stung where he hit the ground, blood smearing on the floor.

Eri gasped. She stumbled backward from his sudden appearance. Izuku forced a smile to his face and pushed himself up. "Are you okay?" He reached for her, teleportation quirk dancing on the edge of his fingertips.

"Don't corrupt her!" Chisaki shouted furiously. He whirled around, slamming his palm to the ground. A wall shot up between them and Izuku fell backwards. Next, Chisaki reached toward him and his torn sleeve.

It must work on organic material then.

In turn, Izuku stretched toward his face. All he needed was one touch. He already knew what his quirk was, he just needed to take it.

Instead, a burst of fire interrupted them. He called upon a defensive quirk that bounced back the fire as it touched him. Chisaki managed to dodge and turned to face Shouto.

His friend glared at the villain, raising his flaming arm in threat. "Leave him alone."

"You're annoying." Chisaki hissed, bothered. He uncovered his other hand as Shouto stomped. Ice rocketed forward.

Izuku used the sensory quirk to guess where Eri was cocooned on the other side of the wall. He teleported into the space as Shouto attacked Chisaki again, startling Eri.

She was curled up half a meter away, shaking. Her hands were gripping tightly in her hair, covering her ears. Tears threatening to fall from her eyes. He noticed a bloody spot on her gown. It was a fresher scarlet than the other stains.

Izuku crawled toward her, pulling off his hood in hopes his face would be more friendly. His heart ached at the sight of her. The pain of his scratches scraping against the rubble was barely noticeable. Coursing determination pushed it out of his mind.

He would get herl out of here. He would save her from whatever horrors Chisaki had subjected her to.

"Hey, are you hurt?" Izuku asked gently. She shied away from him. "I-It's okay, I'm not going to hurt you. I want to help. My name is Izuku."

Carefully, Eri uncovered her ears. "My arm." She whispered. "It's not bad."

"I'll heal it." He answered immediately. He picked out the healing quirk that used his own stamina and gently took her arm in his hands. She watched with wide eyes. "There you go, doesn't hurt as much anymore, huh?"

He distantly heard the sounds of Shouto and Chisaki fighting. He had plenty of faith in his friend's abilities. He would fare even better than most because his quirk was naturally long-distance, but this was not a fight Shouto needed to fight alone, or at all. They needed to get out of here, soon.

"You've got one like mine." Eri murmured, innocently amazed.

Izuku pulled his hands away. "What do you mean?"

"You can do it...too, Chisaki said I-I was the only one." She whispered more to herself than him. Izuku wasn't sure what that meant, but he pushed it aside, offering his arms to her.

"Let's get out of here, okay?" Eri hesitantly nodded, crawling toward him.

Izuku teleported them back into the fight. The terrain had changed again, painted with ice, scorch marks, and debris. There was a medium-sized glacier on the other edge of the hall and Chisaki wasn't anywhere to be found.

He deposited Eri on the ground behind Shouto. Izuku fished out his phone and sent a short message to Dad. He didn't like dragging him into stuff like this, but Shouto was trembling on his feet and he wasn't sure if he'd be able to make it all the way back to apartment with both of them. If Chisaki decided to chase them, then that certainly wouldn't be good.

All he had to do was get above ground so Dad could find them. He could do that.

Izuku turned back to Shouto. "I've got her, come on!"

Teleporting them both would be pushing the capacity of the quirk, but he could do it.

He'd save them no matter what.

Shouto was bleeding, a crimson puddle where he had been standing. His right fingers were a pale blue and encased in frost. He stumbled as he noticed them. Before he could say anything, the glacier shattered.

Eri flinched and latched onto Izuku's leg. Shouto scowled as Chisaki stepped out. Izuku called upon the telekinesis quirk, holding out his hand as the villain glowed green. He threw him backwards as Chisaki pressed his hand to the wall.

Columns of concrete stretched from one side into the other wall. Izuku released the quirk on Chisaki to shove Eri out of the way, reaching for the other boy.

Shouto crashed to the uneven ground with Izuku on top of him as a column shot over their heads and slammed into the opposite wall. For a second they paused, panting and hidden from Chisaki's sight.

"Give her back!" Izuku heard Chisaki scream. "You can't have her!" He sounded like a violent animal, sick and unstable.

"We've got to get out of here." He whispered, glancing down at Shouto's multicolored eyes. He was bleeding on the right sight of his forehead. The red blended strangely in with the marred skin of his scar, curving around his nose.

Shouto gave him a shaky nod. Izuku crawled off of him toward Eri. She was curled up away from them, hands over her ears again. Thick scars curled around her fingers.

He had nearly grabbed her when she suddenly screamed and scrambled backwards. Izuku wasn't sure what it was until he heard a choked gasp of his name and the shink of Shouto's ice.

A burst of cold air came from behind him. Izuku twisted around, eyes widening at the sudden ice wall between them. Chisaki's shadow reflected through the frozen fractures.

Shouto was stretched toward them painfully, his right arm pressed to the base of the newly formed wall. His eyes darted toward them for only a second, as if to make sure they were okay. Izuku grabbed Eri, pushing her behind him as the ice wall cracked and shattered.

He used Overhaul on it, Izuku noticed a second too late, ice reforming in new, destructive shapes. He activated the rebound quirk to protect himself and Eri, but Shouto was too far away.

Izuku saw the splatter of blood on the concrete before them. It dripped slowly down the pieces as he sluggishly put together where it was coming from.

A choked noise ripped out of Izuku's throat. "Shouto!" He nearly screeched.

His face crumbled as the ice through his stomach melting in a burst of fire.

Deafening silence rung in his ears. The delicate flames faded into firefly sparks.

Izuku stared in horror, unable to tear his eyes from the gaping hole through his stomach. Hot tears dripped down his cheeks. The ruined hallway spun. In another second, he was rushing forward to catch him.

"It's okay, you'll be fine." Izuku gasped through heavy sobs. He pressed his hands to the wound and activated every healing quirk he had.

This couldn't be happening.

He wasn't supposed to get hurt. It wasn't supposed to end like this. It couldn't end like this.

Izuku couldn't let him die.

Shouto gave him a soft, weak smile, lazily peering up at him. "You and Eri are okay, right?"

"Do you see what happens when you run away, Eri?" Chisaki called. His voice startled him.

Izuku had forgotten he was even there, sniffling miserably as he forcefully pushed the healing quirks to their limit. Shouto wasn't healing fast enough. Nausea rose in his throat as he hyperventilated through tears.

"He's going to die now, because of you."

Terror was displayed Eri's features. Her back was pressed against the wall as she stared, wide-eyed, at the blood pouring out of Shouto. Her entire body trembled.

Numbly, Izuku realized he should say something to her. Everything around him felt far away, muddled and morphed by the time it reached him. His hands were sticky and hot with Shouto's blood.

"This isn't your fault." He managed in a voice that didn't sound like his. A hiccuped noise cut him off. "D-Don't listen to him, Eri. He'll be okay."

He had to be. Izuku would not let him die today.

A surreal calmness had taken control of Shouto. He simply gazed up at Izuku, head rested against a chunk of concrete and unbothered by his blood and tissue spilled across the ground.

"H-He-" She choked.

Chisaki started to walk toward them. Izuku recounted every quirk he had, trying to decide which one would result in the most painful death. He about to use the telekinesis quirk to grab hold of him and throw him through the ceiling for what he had done, maybe rip a hole through him like he had done to Shouto, but a desperate gasp interrupted them.

"Don't!" Eri shrieked. She tripped as she pushed herself between them and Chisaki. She held out her hands, trembling.

His blurry vision told him she was glowing. He wanted to reach for her and pull her out of the way again, but he didn't dare deactivate the healing quirks keeping Shouto alive.

"Eri-"

"What do you think you're doing?" Chisaki snarled.

She shook her head viciously, fat tears falling to the ruined ground. "D-Don't hurt them anymore!"

The man rushed toward her and Eri tripped backwards, colliding with him and Shouto.

Izuku tore one hand from Shouto's wound to throw Chisaki backwards with the telekinesis quirk again. He was distracted from further violence by the sudden warmth that spread through him. He must have activated another quirk. It was one he didn't recognize immediately.

"Izuku-" He heard Shouto strained gasp. Dizzily, he noticed the cut on his forehead stitching itself back together.

"That's not me..." He murmured, feeling Eri shaking against his side. It couldn't be him, all of his healing quirks were touch-based. He hadn't even worried about his head, not with the insides of his stomach strewn across the floor.

A sharp burning to his thigh cut him off. He jerked his attention from Shouto, turning his head to watch the freckled skin knit back together. A regeneration quirk suddenly making an appearance, possibly.

Why now?

A vice gripped his body. Pain ripped through his veins and he cried out, gripping the remains of Shouto's shirt tightly. His vision spotted with white as he squeezed his eyes closed. He distantly heard Shouto groan weakly.

"You're going to kill them, Eri!" Chisaki shouted brutally. He sounded like he was underwater, warbled and broken.

His head was swimming with white-hot pain, everything in him constricting. The aching in his absent wounds was replaced with a full-body burning. He didn't even know if he was still healing Shouto. All his quirks felt so far away.

He could hear Eri crying, sobbing with apologies. He could hear Shouto repeating his name like a soft prayer. He heard the crash of something behind him.

Izuku tried to open his eyes, unsure when he had even shut them. Everything blurred and mixed together. His tears must still be falling, but he couldn't feel them anymore if they rolled thickly down his cheeks.

Colors waned and sharpened.

Flashes of quirks, rippling memories of strangers they used to belong to, sensations of using them. He was losing control.

He could be using all of them or none of them at this instant. Izuku had no idea.

Control felt like silly concept now with the way his body was ripping apart.

Was this Eri's quirk?

Izuku tried to say something in return to their scrambled voices, but he didn't know if he was heard. He didn't even know what he said, if anything at all.

On the edge of his burning senses he could feel three quirks around him. It was the only grounding thing. He had long since forgotten where he was for the mutilating sensations.

The quirks twisted, burned.

He reached for them and pulled.

The suffocating feeling vanished in an echoing heartbeat.

There were hands on his shoulders, burning the same temperature through his hoodie. He could hear his name on a repeating record beside him; a voice that reminded him of childhood.

A weight slumped against him, then two. Izuku didn't register it, relief flooding in him like unconsciousness.

Everything turned black. Sound faded into numbing silence.

He kept the three stolen quirks close to his heart as he faded.

One of them felt familiar, somehow.

:)