Todoroki

"Shit" I take off running towards the plaza when the explosions start, knowing Izuku has somehow managed to land himself right in the middle of the fight and is likely squaring off against one of the leaders.

Because he's an idiot who can't help himself.

"Dude what is going on over there?!" Kirashima asks, running up beside me. A massive ball of fire goes hurtling into the villain, literally causing the ground to shake when it makes impact.

"That- is Izuku."

"Seriously?!" His eyes go wide in disbelief. "I knew he was strong, but this is just insane!"

I nod in agreement. "If he's been given permission to go all out, something has gone seriously wrong."

Kirishima quietly takes that in and then tentatively asks, "Do you think everyone is ok?"

"I don't know." I answer after a tense moment. I stare up to where Izuku is rapidly dodging the villain. It's always hard to tell when he's like this, a calm and collected facade covering his more violent impulses. But somehow I know that right now- right now Izuku is beyond livid. "There aren't many things that can make him this angry."

"Remind me not to piss him off anytime soon."

"Don't worry. I don't think you're capable of it." A few more moments and we're nearing the pond by the plaza. "There's Ausi."

She's in the shallow end of the pond, holding a beat up Aizawa to her chest as she pulls him away from the battle that seems to be wrapping up.

"Asui!" Kirishima calls, her shoulders sag with relief when she sees us. We wade out to them and Kirishima helps her pull Aizawa-sensei to the coast.

"Todoroki." Aizawa-sensei forces out, he's barely conscious but his eyes are still trained on where the sounds of fighting have died down. "Go check on the problem child. Byakuran and All Might should be nearby."

"Alright." The fight seems to fall out of the man and he slumps in Kirishima and Ausi's arms.

"Todoroki-chan, that… thing Midoriya-chan was fighting, be careful around it. It was apparently meant to defeat All Might."

I resist the urge to bang my head against a wall. What has he gotten caught up in now? "I will. You should take Aizawa-sensei to the entrance, but watch out for any stragglers."

I leave them behind and start following the trail of rubble. If Byakuran of all people is nearby, they knew something, even if they didn't know what exactly, was likely to go wrong and made contingencies to plan for it. I'm a little irritated no one clued me in beyond Izuku's warning this morning. But then again I don't think anyone felt 'all out invasion' was a real possibility.

"I AM HERE!" All Might comes crashing through an undamaged section of roof, landing a little ways in front of me.

"All Might!" I call.

"Young Todoroki, is everyone alright?"

"I don't know about the rest, but 13-sensei was knocked unconscious, Aizawa-sensei is pretty beat up and Izuku is probably in rough shape too." I grimace. "According to Ausi he was fighting something that was fighting something meant to take you out."

"Excuse me." He grabs me around the waist and lifts me up, face grim. "Keep your mouth closed."

He moves, I have to shut my eyes from the wind rushing past, and the landing is just as jarring. I have no desire to do that again anytime soon. He sets me down in one of many carters. Byakuran is already there, hovering over Izuku's unconscious body, a glowing orange hand resting on his chest. A few meters away is the body of the thing he was fighting, it's head entirely encased in ice.

Which is new. But ultimately not important right now.

"Is he alright?"

"He will be, he pushed himself too far. His body couldn't keep up." Byakuran sighs in exasperation.

"He's an idiot." I let my shoulders sag in relief.

"He is." Byakuran readily agrees. "Be sure to tell him that later. Sometimes he needs a good kick to the head." He turns and glares at All Might. "And you. You. Are. Late."

"My apologies, I was held up by a situation." All Might looks away in shame.

"Well." Byakuran orders in a deceptively kind tone. "You might as well make yourself useful and round up the rest of the students."

"Ah right." He stutters awkwardly, but gladly takes the opportunity to escape Byakuran's ire. "I'll- I'll get right on that."

He leaps away with another gust of wind following in his wake.

"You're an interesting kid Todoroki Shoto, to be able to keep up with Tsu-kun."

"I'm nowhere near his level." I argue.

"In pure fire power maybe." Byakuran aquists. "But in stubbornness I believe you're well matched. I can tell, you wouldn't let him run off and fight by himself. You wouldn't be able to stop him, but you would be right by his side when things went to hell."

"I would." I easily agree.

"Remember that stubbornness. You'll need it. Tsu-kun will try to leave you behind and solve the problem on his own to protect you."

I scowl, like hell I would let him do that. After being dragged into one dangerous situation after another, I already made my decision. Someone has to watch that idiot's back.

Byakuran pulls a ring off Izuku's finger I hadn't noticed before. He turns it a few times in his fingers in contemplation before holding it out to me to take.

"Keep that safe." He instructs, dropping it into my palm.

It's heavy and warm in my hand, it's large blue gem in the center is surrounded by a rainbow of other gems.

"Is it important?"

"Very. And not something that should be handled by others lightly. I'd rather you hold onto it than it being carelessly passed around by the paramedics."

I slip it on my finger and jump in shock when something from the ring reaches out to me. I get a distinct disgruntled feeling from the ring, but that something retreats and the ring becomes cold.

"What the hell was that!?" I stare wide eyed down at the ring sitting innocently on my finger. "

"Odd feeling isn't it?" The bastard laughs at my discormft, "That ring is much more than a pretty trinket."

"It almost felt…" I fail to find the words.

"Sentient?" He muses. "I suppose in a way it is, if I had tried to put it on it would have given me a nasty shock. If anyone else besides you, Aizawa and maybe the principal tried it on it probably would have at best severely injured them, at worst killed them. But you, it accepted your intention to only keep it safe until you could safely return it to its rightful owner."

"Are you sure this thing isn't cursed or something?"

Byakuran goes uncomfortably quiet at my question. "No, not the ring."

I quickly cycle through what that ominous statement could mean, and I don't like any of the possibilities.

"What do you mean not the ring?"

He ignores me, instead pulling his hand from Izuku's chest and standing. "Well that's about all I can do right now. It'd be a bit troublesome if someone were to see me." He claps a hand on my shoulder as he walks past.

"Byakuran!" He doesn't bother to react. "Answer me!" I yell frustrated at him.

He stops and stares back at me over his shoulder. Eyes uncannily like Izuku's penetrating stare. "You don't have the right to demand things from me. You may be under Tsu-kun's protection, but don't doubt that I can't make your life miserable."

I don't try to stop him this time when he walks off, thoroughly shaken at the sense of danger I felt from him.

It's not the first time I've felt like I've crossed an invisible line and had to scramble to salvage the situation. Most often it's my father who's ego had been wounded, and I rebelled a bit too far.

But I've felt it with Izuku as well.

Not often, but sometimes I'll catch him at just the wrong moment. When he's already irritated at something, and I try and get his attention there's this brief moment where my breath catches in my throat and I feel like I've just provoked a beast who is sure in its ability to tear you to shreds.

And then the moment passes.

I've tried not to think about it all that hard. Actually, I've tried not to think about it at all.

Because I didn't want to acknowledge Izuku was capable of horrible things.

More than that.

I didn't want to acknowledge how little I cared.

Izuku is capable of terrible things. I finally can admit that to myself after seeing the resulting devastation of this fight.

Even if I have to quash down the guilt at how little that fact changes things.

I know, no matter what may happen in the future, I'll still be by his side.

Because if it's for him, the person who forced his way into my life and refused to be intimidated by my asshole father, I'm also capable of horrible things.

For him- it'd be worth it.