I hated the train ride back home. Izuku and I barely talked. Why couldn't I win? What was I supposed to do at this point?

We wasted no time in getting back to campus, I think both of us felt safer there.

"Midoriya, Y/L/N, welcome back. Before you can move fully back into the dorms you'll need to talk to the principal briefly," Mr. Aizawa said, greeting us on the weekend we moved back.

Izuku and I obliged— assuming that the principal wanted to check on us.

We made our way to the principal's office, both of us enjoying the sense of normalcy from being back at school, but still anxious from our evening a few nights ago.

"Hello! Thank you for coming to see me!" Our principal, Principal Nezu, said enthusiastically as we entered his office.

"I know it's probably been a very emotional couple of weeks for you two, but we are glad that you are back," Nezu began. Izuku and I listened quietly and respectfully.

"I mainly need to talk to you about something that came up before the break. I think your parents may have told you already," Nezu continued. I tilted my head, trying to recall any mention of it from my mother or Izuku's.

"A bit before break, we caught wind of the fact that you two were apparently dating. We told your parents but also need to tell you that this is not allowed," I froze. That's what this was about?

"We believe that your academics and professional studies should come first, even if you both are in your third years," Nezu stated. "This will be your first and final warning. The next step is voluntary withdrawal."

I gulped. Voluntary withdrawal?

I tried to look at Izuku to read his expression. He looked nervous, but he nodded at the principal.

"We understand," I said.

Nezu was satisfied with this and thanked us for our time.

"Midoriya, please head to class, I still need to talk with Y/L/N about a few things," Nezu said. Izuku stood up but looked at me anxiously. I smiled at him to try and reassure him that I would be fine.

We had been joined at the hip the last few weeks, and based on previous events, it seemed like Izuku tried to stay around me as much as possible.

Izuku left Nezu and I to talk alone.

"Y/L/N, I heard about what happened," Nezu began. I shifted uncomfortably. "We would like to move you into a more closely monitored dorm for now, usually reserved for more senior staff," he explained.

If I had the choice, I would have chosen to stay in my current dorm, especially since I knew everyone there.

"We know that at this point, you don't have any kind of guardian. Nobody to advocate for you. But we can help with that," he said, his voice getting more hushed.

I felt a chill as silence hung in the air. Nezu reached into his pant pocket and pulled out a small piece of paper. Confused, I leaned closer to look at it.

My eyes widened at the familiar sight.

Just like my window, written in blood.

I tried to speak but couldn't from shock. Now I knew who had allowed my entrance into the school in the first place, and who had been watching me.

"It's easier for someone to disappear when nobody's looking for them, right?" He hinted.

He was right. My mother was my last advocate. I didn't have any family now, at least not one that cared. It was just a symptom of my mother's past.

"I didn't agree with their… forceful method over break. They should have just waited for this. No harm comes to you and we also finally get what we need," Nezu finished.

I walked out of the office and jumped upon spotting Izuku in the corner of my eye.

"Were you waiting here the whole time?" I asked him. He nodded.

"I figured you two wouldn't be long, so we could walk to class together. Are you okay?" He asked. I tried to adjust my face. I'm sure it looked more blank than anything.

"I'm fine, we just… discussed my mother. That's why I look like this," I tried to explain. I couldn't tell him the real reason. I'm sure them distancing me from Izuku was part of whatever corner they were trying to back me into.

Izuku just nodded. We walked to class together. I hoped this didn't break the new conditions Nezu had imposed on us.

The days became more mundane as I became more restricted in my activities. I had to be back in my new dorm by a certain time, but I could go to my old dorm to visit friends. My new room was bigger and had a suite layout.

I felt separated from everyone else. On our first day back, after classes, Izuku reminded me that we had just a short while until graduation. Then, we could see eachother again, in whatever way we wanted.

He was still the person I talked to the most.

Finally, the routine I was getting tired of changed one day.

Unexpectedly, a car pulled up to the building I was staying in one Sunday evening. Nezu had a room there and let me know that it was for me. He implied that it wasn't a choice.

He didn't tell me any further details. I climbed into the car that was being driven by a man I had never seen before.

There was no conversation, and I stared out the window trying to remember the streets as we drove.

We stopped in a neighborhood that looked very plain. The street was narrow and mainly lit up by a convenience store on one side of the street.

I watched a figure descend from some stairs next to the convenience store and open my car door.

"Come with me," the man said. He had dark, black hair and blue eyes, but the most striking part of him was his scarred skin. It covered his arms, chest, and part of his face.

I got out of the car and followed him up the stairs he had appeared from.

The man opened the locked door to a dimly lit hallway. We walked into a room to our left a few steps down the hall.

"Have fun," the man said to me, his arm outstretched towards the room.

I looked into the room and had a moment of deja vu. I had seen this before.

I realized I had been sent for a task. Information gathering.

"Is this her?" A girl with light hair put into two messy buns said, pointing towards me. She sat on a couch that had seen better days.

A man with dusty blue hair nodded at her, he sat in a separate chair across the room.

I stood in the doorway, unsure of what to do.

My eyes tried to avoid their victim sitting strapped to a chair in the middle of the room.

"Well don't just stand there, we've been at this for days," the girl said. "Wasn't our deadline tonight, Tomura?"

Tomura . I thought, trying to remember the name.

Tomura nodded.

I felt a sick feeling in my stomach. They had also already tortured their victim pretty thoroughly, taking their consciousness would be painful.

But I guess I didn't have a choice, did I? Unless I wanted to be in their victim's place permanently.

"What am I supposed to get?" I finally spoke.

"This guy was bragging to the Mokushi about how much cash he had, saying he wanted an important position," Tomura spoke. "But when we finally wanted it, he chickened out and now doesn't want to tell us where it is."

"It's Y/N, right?" He asked me, "Maybe you should tell him how you know better than anyone, that you don't get to choose when you disassociate from the Mokushi."

I frowned at the both of them, uncomfortable with the fact they clearly knew more about me than I knew of them.

"I think I'd rather just do it this way," I said quietly, sitting on the floor against the wall.

What a stupid thing to call me for. How did they know this guy wasn't bluffing?

"I need him to be conscious and able to look me in the eyes," I said to them.

"Toga," Tomura stated.

"Don't mind if I do!" Toga jumped up, shaking their victim awake. "Hey! We brought you a cute visitor, come on," she said. She kicked him in the shin after getting minimal response.

The man opened his eyes quickly, distress appearing on his face.

He looked around the room, first at Toga, then Tomura, and finally me.

We locked eyes and I activated my quirk.

Like I had expected, he was in a lot of pain. I tried to focus on what they wanted.

Cash, cash, cash, I said to myself, searching.

"14-10," I croaked from the man, "Saiwaicho, Hiratsuka…" I trailed off.

I left him, the pain was too much. I opened my eyes again in my own body.

"14-10 Saiwaicho, Hiratsuka, Kanagawa in the basement. Safe code 0014," I said, a pain still in my chest.

"It's not that much though, just ¥500,000," I also mentioned to them. They groaned.

"Can we kill him just for that disappointment? Please, Tomura?" Toga whined.

Still sitting on the floor, I brought my legs to my chest and buried my face. That man used to be wealthy, but got into debt. The cash seemed to be the only thing they couldn't take from him.

He did have a quirk, but it was a weak fire emitting one. The output was never more than one that would come from a lighter. It was his friend who somehow knew about the Mokushi, knew about his situation and tried to prey on the resentment he had for a weak quirk.

I sighed. He was in a lot of debt and had no close family.

"If it's real and easy to get to, it's worth it still," Tomura said, scratching his neck, "get ready, Toga, Dabi."

Tomura left the room while Toga and Dabi still loitered. Dabi took Tomura's spot in the room. He seemed apathetic towards their lack of urgency.

I looked at them, light moisture in my eyes, wondering what they could want from me.

"You go to U.A., right?" Toga asked me, grinning. "Do you know anyone named Izuku and Ochako?"

I blinked at her, trying to figure out her intentions. I felt my face redden. She gasped at me.

"You know what I'm talking about then?" Her cheeks also became red.

I didn't, and wondered what she could have deduced from my reaction.

"I love them! I'm jealous that you get to be so close to them," she swooned.

I was confused, but I kept my mouth shut. I didn't know how I felt about her proclamation, but I knew that I would be opening an unwanted can of worms if I said the wrong thing.

"I'm sure I'll be able to see them soon," she said, bouncing off the couch happily towards the door.

"W-wait, do you know how I'm supposed to be getting back to U.A.?" I asked them.

"You're supposed to be staying here," Dabi said, following Toga out of the room.

"What?!" I exclaimed, "I have classes tomorrow. I can't—"

They said nothing and left me in the room.

I stood up from the floor and looked at the man who had lost consciousness again.

Before any thought could come into my head, a different voice appeared behind me.

"Y/N Y/L/N, we're glad to finally have you here. Come with me, we need to talk," the voice said. I turned around and nearly jumped backwards. A man with a badly scarred face towered over me.

I looked at him with wide eyes, trying to place if I had seen him before.

"Hiroji would be proud of what you did here," he continued. "Call me All for One, Y/N."

I followed him down the hall to a different room.

It turned out that I was only spending the night. I would have another car to take me back in the morning.

They gave me a room that was nothing special. It had a bed, a sink, and an extra armchair.

"We try not to spend money on superficial things," the scarred man told me. He sat down on the extra chair and motioned me to sit on the bed.

I sat, my hands in a tight fist on my lap.

"I heard that you've been causing us a bit of trouble. Sorry, we should have known that the culture of U.A. can be very convincing," he motioned his palms upward.

"I tried to respect Horiji's wishes for as long as I could, since we could have just taken your quirk and given it to somebody else to do the job, but he was a good friend, he worked hard to create you and raise you. Maybe he wanted you to make something of the family name," All for One continued. He sighed. "But at some point, I know that he would want it this way too, we shared the same goal."

I watched him closely. Was he going to take my quirk? Could he really give it to someone else?

The numerous possibilities ran through my head. If he took my quirk then he really would get his way with Izuku, then who knows how he would use his new power.

But if I agreed to comply, maybe I could have some influence on how it happened.

"It's ok if you've lost your way, as long as you find your way back to us," he smirked.

"I'm sure you know that Nezu is also cooperating with us, we're planning everything so that it will be an easy transition," he said. "Nobody will get hurt if you help us make it easy and keep your distance from Midoriya for now."

I looked away from him and at my shoes.

"Take the time to think about it here tonight. If you agree to cooperate, you can keep your quirk and your friends will be safe," he concluded and walked towards the door.

"Otherwise, if you can't handle the responsibility, we will do it for you," he left the room and closed the door.

I stayed in the same position for a moment and then layed on the bed.

Sleep came too quickly and the time to make my decision came too soon in the morning.

All for One and I stood in the hallway with Toga, Tomura, and Dabi also watching intently.

"The car is here to send you back to U.A., what have you decided? Will you keep the responsibility and stay away from Midoriya?" All for One asked me.

With a solemn expression, I nodded.

"I would like to keep the responsibility," I muttered.

They led me to the car and took me back to my dorm just in time for classes.

I tried to pay attention in class, but I felt tired physically and mentally.

Despite going groggily through the day. I agreed to meet up with Izuku after class to study.

We sat in the common area, his slur of English words going in and out of my ear without interpretation.

"Y/N, did you hear me?" Izuku asked, I came back to my senses and looked at him.

"No, I'm sorry, I didn't get much sleep last night. I feel like I can't study right now,"I explained, my face apologetic.

"It's okay, there's always tomorrow," Izuku closed the book he was holding in his lap and put it on the coffee table in front of us.

"I have such a big room but I would rather have a small room with friends nearby," I said, sighing.

I knew the real reason why I was sent there, but everyone else was under the impression that it was special treatment since I had been a victim of a traumatic event.

"Why don't you ask them to just move you back? Shouldn't it be your decision?" He asked me.

"Mm, that would make sense, wouldn't it?" I said, looking away from Izuku and towards the window.

"Y/N," Izuku said, his tone harsher but his voice was hushed. "This isn't related to the Mokushi, is it?"

I played dumb.

"You think our principal is part of that? Have you seen him?" I asked him, laughing.

"You're the one who said that there was someone here that had connections," Izuku continued, his tone serious.

I frowned now.

"I still don't know who it is," I said flatly.

"You're telling the truth?" Izuku asked me.

There was a pause between us.

"You're my closest friend," I said quietly, "why would I lie to you?"

Izuku just frowned, a variety of emotions playing on his face. It felt like my heart was being squeezed.

He looked around the room quickly, then asked a question that I could barely hear.

"Will you come with me to my room to talk?"

I answered him with my eyes.

Izuku went ahead of me so that we raised as little suspicion as possible. There were some students around, so we pretended to say goodbye.

I sat on the couch, just playing on my phone for a couple of minutes.

When it felt like it had been long enough, I got up and pretended to leave.

Instead, I made a last minute turn to go upstairs.

I crossed my fingers, hoping that I wouldn't run into anybody.

The hallway with Izuku's room was eerily quiet.

I went up to his dorm and knocked quietly.

The door opened enough for me to slip inside.

A warm light came through the window as the sun began to set and dimly lit the room.

As soon as I slipped in, Izuku shut the door.

Before I could say anything, he pressed me against the wall and I felt his lips suddenly meet mine.

He kissed me firmly and gripped my shoulders.

Once he pulled back we locked eyes, I didn't know what to say.

"Izuku, we—" I tried to mention what we had agreed to, but he instead pulled me into a close hug.

"I know, but we were careful weren't we? Nobody knows," he said, his hand resting gently on the back of my head.

I also wrapped my arms around him and nuzzled my face near his shoulder.

I had missed human company, but also human touch. I closed my eyes and enjoyed his warmth. I knew that somebody probably did know, but I didn't care.

"It's so hard being around you and being unable to do anything," Izuku said, his voice trembling slightly, "and I can tell you're not telling me the truth, it's written all over your face."

I didn't reply, but gripped his shirt.

"I've already told you everything that I can," I said quietly.

He exhaled, " No, you haven't."

All I could think about in that moment was the agreement I had made to stay away from him and eventually use my quirk to give away his quirk. Would it be any different if I just pulled out a knife and stabbed him in the back, right here?

I knew my silence conveyed a lot about the situation, but I didn't know how to fill it otherwise.

Izuku pulled away from me to look at my expression.

I bit the inside of my cheek and looked away.

"Y/N," Izuku started, "even if I give you the knife—" He said as the back of his palm traced my jawline.

"Don't expect me not to fight back," he finished and pulled my face towards him for another kiss.

His statement made me sad, but also comforted me. He knew, I didn't have to worry about deceiving him, he already knew I was.

I closed my eyes and kissed him back. His hand moved from my jaw and wrapped itself gently around half of my neck.

I felt free from whatever I had weighing me down. I didn't care now if the whole school saw us, if Izuku knew my intentions, or even how the Mokushi saw me.

I suddenly pulled away from him, my mind racing.

"Let—let's have sex again," I told him.

"I thought you'd never ask," Izuku replied, pulling me and practically throwing me on his bed.

Hastily, we both stripped our clothing off ourselves, not knowing when an interruption would come.

Once again, we shared ourselves, which we both knew could be the last.

We gathered ourselves and tidied up in silence.

Izuku laid on the bed and put the back of his palm over his face as he breathed heavily.

"Y/N, do you think this is the last time we'll see each other like this?" He asked me. "You don't have to tell me details, just tell me that."

"I don't know," I said honestly.

He said nothing.

"Izuku—" I said as I went to his side and placed my hand gently on his bare chest.

"No matter what happens, they can't change our feelings!" I exclaimed.

Izuku sat up, his face blank.

"But that's how it is now, you think it'll be better too once everyone else realizes which side you're on?" He told me.

I huffed.

"What are you talking about? I'm on your guys' side, really!" I said, grabbing his hand.

Izuku's face stayed the same and his head lowered.

"I want to believe you, but I can't," he said.

He was right. I had no reason to not act in my own interests. The only thing I could potentially do is remove myself from the situation.

Despite his words, he pulled me into a close embrace.

I embraced him back and cried softly.

"I want to believe it, too," I said quietly.

I walked back to my room, knowing it was after curfew.

I passed a few people on the way out of my class' building, but found it hard to care.

I couldn't think about anything but Izuku while walking back and I had a terrible feeling inside of me.

Izuku was right, I wasn't on their side, I was just an imposter in their pro-hero world. But I guess it had always been that way, hadn't it?

I entered my room and turned on the light.

I screamed briefly upon turning the lights on and jumped back.

"I received word that you might not be upholding our agreement, Y/N," All for One said, standing right in the middle of my room. He stood tall and stepped towards me.

"Tell me what happened," he commanded.

"I didn't tell him anything, I swear," I said, my body frozen as he stepped close to me.

"That's not what I meant," he replied. I bit my lip and thought about what I should say.

"We talked about our relationship in general while studying. Anything that was between us is over now!" I exclaimed.

This time, he didn't hesitate to take action, he grabbed me by my neck and threw me directly across the room.

I landed on the ground and slid into my desk and chair, hard.

He said nothing.

I looked towards the ground at his feet while I contemplated using my quirk to defend myself, despite it being risky.

He could take my quirk at any moment. He had the power to take away his only reason to keep me alive.

If I confessed to Izuku knowing that I was his enemy now, would that take away his reason as well?

I cried softly on the floor and barely lifted myself up.

"Please— I never asked to be part of this. I just wanted to be a normal student for once—" I was cut off abruptly by him again. He lifted me up by the neck again as I grasped at his hand.

" You still haven't answered my question," he said, "What. Happened?" He asked firmly.

He let go of me and I fell to the floor.

I realized that it didn't matter what I said. I lost.

Breathing deeply, I put my hands gently on my neck.

"Izuku realized what I had chose," I gasped.

Trembling from fear, I tried to move myself away from him.

I tried to think and not focus on the fact that I was mere seconds away from having my quirk taken and/or killed.

"That's what I thought happened," All for One said nonchalantly.

I was afraid to move my eyes around my room. If I looked at him, by the time I could activate my quirk, it would be too late.

My heart skipped a beat as I remembered an important item that sat to my left.

My mirror, I said in my head.

"Hiroji, my friend, I'm sorry it had to end this way. But I'm sure you understand," All for One began to close the distance between us.

My throat felt dry as I yelled out.

" Izuku?!" I exclaimed as loud as I could and looked directly to my left.

"Stupid girl, what are you talking—" he said, moving his head towards the mirror, his line of sight still passing over me, even in the mirror.

I did it.

In the split second, I did it.

I panicked again, knowing I wouldn't have long and that he would be furious.

The window, not the balcony, was my best bet in creating distance.

I ran his body as hard as I could into the window, tumbling over it. I fell from the second floor.

I clinged onto his consciousness even upon hitting the ground, despite the wind being knocked out of me.

I can't go back yet, I won't be able to run, I told myself. I laid in the grass as I tried to recompose myself.

" Acting like you're no more than a pest—" his voice echoed in my mind.

Why wasn't he kicking me out?

" You should have yielded when you had the option," he continued.

" My focus now won't be Midoriya— but making sure everything is tidy before that."

I voluntarily left my body and as soon as I could focus, I nearly tripped over myself to grab my phone out of my school bag.

I clenched it tightly and ran out of my room and down the hall. I began to go down the stairs, but slipped and slid down the entire flight, knocking the wind out of myself again.

Ignoring my pain and gasping I pulled up my messages on my phone. I opened up Izuku and I's conversation.

Help, special dorms, I typed quickly.

Help . I sent in another message.

"Did someone fall down the stairs?" I heard a voice call from the top of the stairs. I couldn't see their face, but I recognized the voice.

"Y/L/N?" He asked me.

No, no, not Nezu! I screamed internally and tried to get on my feet again.

I ran to the back entrance of the building near the kitchen, shaking as I opened the door, hoping I wouldn't run into what I was running from.

It looked clear and I began to sprint across the field next to the building.

Y/N, it's impossible to run from me, a voice boomed towards me. I looked back briefly but lost my footing and fell onto the grass.

My voice couldn't yell out quickly enough.