"It is only necessary to make war with five things; / with the maladies of the body / the ignorances of the mind / with the passions of the body / with the seditions of the city / and the discords of families."

- Pythagoras

Izuku looked over at the disguised Rumi as the two of them got out of the car. Dressed in a nice polo shirt and slacks, Izuku could not help but admire Rumi's outfit one more time. The rabbit hero was dressed in a sky blue blouse and faux leather pants that accentuated her long legs while her black hair was tied into a stylish ponytail.

True to her word, Cassandra had set the two lovers up with their own private box seats. Apparently the students from UA were going to be down in the front row. Izuku was more than happy to let the teens experience the concert up close while he enjoyed some quality time with his girlfriend.

Having parked in the VIP section of the stadium parking lot, Izuku and Rumi only had to take a short walk up to the main entrance. Mingling with the massive crowd slowly pushing its way through the security checkpoint, Izuku took Rumi by the hand and led her off to the side where one of Cassandra's personal assistants was waiting.

Walking up to the gangly woman wearing a headset and radio, Izuku nodded politely as he spoke. "Hello, I am Izuku Midoriya. Are you the one we should be talking to about the private seats?"

Immediately perking up, the assistant put on a bright smile. "You are correct Mr. Midoriya! Please follow me, since you are a VIP you don't have to worry about going through the security checkpoint with everyone else." The woman then opened a nearby inconspicuous door and gestured for Izuku and Rumi to follow her inside.

Leading the two partners through several service hallways full of employees, technicians, and performers, the assistant eventually arrived at a bank of elevators. Quickly taking one of the elevators up to the third floor, the assistant then led Izuku and Rumi down a red-carpeted hallway until they arrived at a single door with the number 303 inscribed on it.

"Your private box seats are right through the door." The assistant said cheerily. "If you need any refreshments, there is a touch screen on the wall where you can order anything you like. Anything you order will be brought directly to your box by one of our employees. Since you are personal guests of Miss Thelxie, everything you order is on the house. Enjoy the show!"

As the assistant zoomed off to attend to other business, Izuku opened the metal door and stepped inside the viewing box. Looking around, the green-haired agent could not help but let out an impressed whistle. The glass walls of the box seats looked out directly over the main stadium floor, and several plush couches and chairs were arranged so that even a full group would be able to see everything. It also seemed that the main viewing window featured smart glass technology, as colorful blinking icons designated different functions like closed captioning, glass darkening, or web browsing.

"Wow!" Rumi said softly as she looked around. "This is incredible! I have never really done something like this before, but now I can see why some people would pay good money for stuff like this."

Closing the door behind him, Izuku walked over to one of the couches and sat down with a contented sigh. "Well we will just have to make sure to thank Cassandra later. She didn't have to pull out all the stops for us."

Immediately sitting down next to Izuku and cuddling up to him, Rumi's face slowly morphed into a mischievous grin.

"I wonder how visible we are up here." The rabbit woman said teasingly. "I bet if we darkened the windows nobody would be able to see us at all. Plus it is not like anyone will interrupt us."

Immediately understanding his girlfriend's intentions, Izuku chuckled softly. "Rumi, let's not risk getting kicked out for indecent exposure. Lets just enjoy the show."

Pouting slightly, Rumi nuzzled her face against her boyfriend's neck. "Killjoy." She mumbled softly.

As the two lovers continued to chat, the stadium quickly began to fill to max capacity. Eventually, the many lights began to dim as performers took their places on the main stage. The cheering started sporadically, but when Cassandra rose out of the floor on a smoke filled platform the cheering quickly grew into a roar that shook the walls of the private box seats. Instinctively leaning forward, Izuku was amazed at the reaction of the massive crowd. He had never been to a concert before, and had only seen a few music videos featuring Cassandra's music, so witnessing something like this was a whole new experience for the veteran soldier.

Then the concert truly began.

Colorful lights swirled around the stage, lasers strobed through the air, and stage smoke swirled around the floor, all while the music blasted through the stadium.

But the best part was most certainly Cassandra's voice.

For Izuku, he finally understood just how powerful Cassandra's quirk was. Her angelic voice was almost otherworldly, and Izuku could feel his body reacting to the music. It almost felt like the warm buzz of being drunk, but without any of the downsides like being dizzy or sluggish. Looking down, Izuku was mildly surprised to see his feet instinctively tapping along to the beat while his fingers lightly tapped against his knees. Noticing movement out of the corner of his eye, Izuku looked over to see Rumi totally enraptured with Cassandra's performance. The tanned woman moved her entire body along to the beat, and she wore a happy grin on her face that made Izuku's heart skip a beat.

As the first set of upbeat songs came to an end, Izuku could not help but laugh in amazement. "Now I understand why Cassandra's shows are so popular. It is completely different from listening to a recording."

Rumi vigorously nodded her head in agreement. "I know right!? Like, I feel all fuzzy and happy inside! I never feel this way listening to regular music."

As the next set of songs began, Izuku focused his full attention on Cassandra. As the music slowly began to build, Izuku realized that an entirely new set of emotions was taking over his mind.

Cassandra's next songs were all about goodwill towards everyone, true love, and finding your purpose in life. For someone like Izuku, who was normally a cynical and cold person, feeling such empathy for those around him was almost like experiencing a whole new spectrum of color. Feeling Rumi lean against him with a happy sigh, Izuku could not help but smile warmly as he held his girlfriend close and let the music flow through him.

Eventually, the songs came to an end. After a few seconds of stunned silence, the stadium erupted into a storm of cheers and celebration that shook the stadium walls.

This time, it was Rumi who spoke first.

"Holy fucking shit…" Rumi whispered in amazement as she looked at Izuku. "That was...that was amazing. I actually felt totally happy while she sang. Like, I was not worried at all. No wonder the PLF wants her dead, I was so happy just to be sitting next to you."

Bringing Rumi's hand up and kissing it gently, Izuku simply nodded in agreement.

The next set of songs were more energetic and upbeat, focusing on enjoying every aspect of life and believing in the inherent goodness of people. Once again, Izuku found his body moving along to the beat. Not that he minded, it was actually a liberating experience to simply live in the moment and not worry about anything as he enjoyed the music.

As the last song of the set came to an end, there was another round of thunderous applause from the massive crowd.

Right as Cassandra began to sing again, something occurred that was definitely not supposed to happen.

Earsplitting audio feedback screeched through the air, causing everyone to cringe and cover their ears in an attempt to block out the painful noise. Looking around anxiously, Izuku spotted a group of people forcing their way to the front of the stage and heading directly for Cassandra.

Then all the lights flickered and went out.

In the few seconds before the stadium was plunged into darkness, Izuku spotted Miyu sprinting across the stage at mach speed towards Cassandra.

Then, as if things were not already bad enough, the distinct popping sounds of gunshots rang out in the darkness.

Upon hearing the gunshots, the massive crowd began to panic. Izuku could barely see what was going on, but he knew from experience that a terrified crowd of people was a perfect scenario for people to get hurt.

Cursing his lack of a weapon, Izuku looked over at Rumi who was preparing to run out into the darkness.

"Rumi wait!" Izuku whispered frantically. "You can't go out there! You will blow your cover!"

Even in the darkness, Izuku could see Rumi's eyes flash angrily as she looked back at him.

"I dont fucking care Izuku! People are in danger!" Rumi hissed. "Either help me, or stay out of my way!"

Suddenly, the stadium lights flared back to life, briefly blinding Izuku as he tried to see what was going on.

Shockingly, on the stage was a heavily armed Ministry of Defense strike team. Cassandra was nowhere in sight, and the unknown attackers were frozen in place with their hands raised in surrender.

Then one of the strike team agents took off their helmet, to reveal a familiar face with a mouth full of jagged teeth.

Picking up the microphone Cassandra had been using, Oscar cleared his throat and spoke in a calm but authoritative voice. "Everyone please proceed to the nearest exits in a calm and orderly manner. The threat has been neutralized, but the concert is now over. Stadium employees, please assist anyone that needs help leaving. The Ministry of Defense thanks you for your cooperation."

Handing the microphone to an obviously terrified technician, Oscar began barking orders to his agents as they rounded up the attackers and took them backstage.

Izuku was then broken out of his daze by Rumi's voice.

"Well, that was unexpected." The tanned hero said with a hint of respect. "Either way, we need to get down there and figure out what is going on."

Izuku shook his head and pointed Rumi towards the door. "I will deal with Oscar, you should get out of here before the cops start asking for witnesses. If you really want to help, go change into your hero outfit then come right back. I will tell anyone who asks that I called you."

Obviously not a fan of her boyfriend's plan, Rumi grumbled unhappily but nodded reluctantly. "Fine. I will be right back."

As Rumi raced out of the viewing box, Izuku made his way down to the stage. After pushing through the crowds of people leaving the building, Izuku finally arrived at his destination. Surprisingly, he was not the only one who had come to investigate. Standing in a tight group, Uraraka and her classmates talked to each other worriedly as one of the strike team agents blocked the door leading to the backstage area.

Walking closer, Izuku called out to Uraraka. "Uravity, what are you doing?"

Flinching slightly, Uraraka turned to face Izuku and shrugged slightly. "We um...wanted to see if we could help." The teen said meekly. "It felt wrong to leave without checking on Miss Thelxie first."

There was a chorus of agreements from the assembled students, and Izuku could not help but secretly respect their dedication.

"But let me guess, you are not being allowed to help?" Izuku said as he nodded at the armed agent.

The boy named Kirishima spoke up quickly. "Yeah! We just want to help but this guy keeps telling us to buzz off!"

Rolling his eyes, Izuku turned to face the masked agent. "Tell your boss that Agent Midoriya is here to assist."

The masked agent put a finger to their earpiece and mumbled a few words before nodding and stepping back.

Nodding his thanks, Izuku walked over to the metal door and looked back at the group of students. "Let me handle this. You guys should go find Thelxie and make sure she is alright."

The group of teens all quickly nodded in agreement before rushing off out of sight. Pushing open the door, Izuku walked into the backstage area and examined the situation.

Eight of the unknown attackers all sat on the ground in handcuffs, guarded by a trio of armed agents who watched their prisoners like hawks. Behind the captured attackers, two more intruders lay on the ground unmoving. Their clothes stained with blood from gaping bullet wounds in their bodies. Off to the side, Oscar stood with a radio in hand, seemingly coordinating with the incoming police force.

Noticing Izuku enter the room, Oscar put the radio in one of his many pockets and gave the green-haired agent a toothy smile. "Well if it isn't my buddy Mido! You were here this whole time?"

Nodding slowly, Izuku tried to figure out why something seemed different about Oscar.

"Yeah, Thelxie invited me and my girlfriend to come watch the show." Izuku explained. "She even gave tickets to Miruko's intern and her classmates." Izuku paused before speaking in a careful manner. "Oscar, did you know this was going to happen?"

Oscar gave Izuku an almost painfully fake smile. "You make it sound like I wanted this to happen Mido. Earlier today, I got a tip from one of our PLF informants that this cell was going to attack Thelxie during her show. If I had tried to shut down the concert early the cell would have just attacked during a different show. So I had to wait to catch them in the act. It all went according to plan anyways."

Izuku was still unsure why something seemed off about Oscar, but he was interrupted by one of the captured terrorists.

"You fucking pigs!" The young man yelled angrily. "Bootlickers! Fascists! We gave Thelxie a chance to join us, but she spat in our faces! We could have woken up the world with her voice! But all she wants to do is brainwash everyone into believing that we are the bad guys! She is a dead woman walking!"

Izuku glanced over at Oscar, who was standing silently as the young terrorist continued to rant and rave. The cannibal was perfectly still, except for one of his fingers twitching ever so slightly. Looking into Oscar's eyes, Izuku finally realized what was different about the American.

It was his eyes.

They were no longer emotionless.

They were filled with rage.

Say what you will about Oscar and his twisted personality, but at that moment Izuku understood that deep down Oscar still cared about his sister.

And he was absolutely furious.

With deliberate purpose, Oscar began walking towards the unsuspecting young man with his fake smile still plastered on his face.

Slowly backing up like a zookeeper dealing with a rabid animal, Izuku spoke in a calm voice so as not to antagonize the enraged cannibal.

"Oscar, we need him for questioning." Izuku stated. "Don't do anything rash."

If Oscar heard Izuku, he did not show it. Standing over the defiant young man, Oscar slowly reached down and gently helped him to his feet.

"Well that is just not nice at all." Oscar said in a deadly calm voice. "I am big fan of Thelxie, and I think you need to learn some manners.

With deliberate slowness, Oscar reached up and grabbed the young man's jaw. At first, nothing seemed to happen.

But then the young man began to scream.

Izuku could only watch in horror as Oscar tightened his vice-like grip on the young terrorist's jaw, the sound of breaking bone clearly audible over the screaming. With a wet crackle and snap, Oscar crushed his prey's jaw then ripped it clean off. With his lower jaw completely gone, the terrorist could only gurgle in pain as Oscar lifted him up and broke his spine. Folding the young man in half so that his heels touched the back of his head, Oscar dropped the broken human being to the floor like a dirty rag.

If Oscar's agents had a reaction to what they just witnessed, they did not show it.

Just another day when your boss was a mentally unstable cannibal with inhuman strength.

Sighing happily like he had just squished a particularly annoying mosquito, Oscar turned to look at Izuku as the broken young man twitched and gurgled on the floor.

"I got things handled here Mido, you should go find Thelxie and make sure she is okay." Oscar said confidently. "As much as I would like to say hi to her, I have a hunch that she may not appreciate what I did for her. You know how it is."

Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, Izuku nodded wearily and turned around to walk away. "Whatever you say Oscar. In any case, good job tonight, it could have gone a lot worse. You actually almost convinced me that you were a real field agent for a second."

Oscar laughed heartily. "I must be dreaming. Grouchy Mido actually gave me a compliment! I should go buy a lottery ticket or something."

Already regretting saying anything remotely nice to the cannibalistic American, Izuku exited the backstage area and made his way to the dressing rooms. Turning a corner, Izuku was slightly surprised to see Cassandra leaning casually against the hallway wall as she talked to the group of students from class 1-A. Ever the professional, Miyu stood nearby with her head on a constant swivel. In her hands she held a menacing semi-automatic combat shotgun that could blow gaping holes in concrete walls with the right ammunition.

Spotting Izuku, Cassandra immediately perked up with a smile on her face. "Heya Midoriya! These kids are super sweet, I can see why you like them so much."

Almost all of the students burst out into laughter.

"Agent Midoriya likes us?" Ashido giggled. "Yeah right, he tolerates us at best. Ochako is probably the only one of us on his good side."

Not wanting to get sidetracked, Izuku ignored the teasing and gave Cassandra a serious look. "You seem to be taking this quite well. Most people would be at least a little bit worried that a terrorist organization just attempted to assassinate them."

Miyu snorted in amusement. "Midoriya I already tried to get her someplace safe, but she won't listen to my professional advice at all. I swear, she makes my job ten times harder than it needs to be."

Cassandra crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. "Give it a rest Miyu. The danger has passed, and I am not some scaredy cat that will lock myself in a bunker for the rest of the night. I wanted to have a good time tonight, but now it seems everyone is too paranoid to enjoy themselves."

Izuku began to agree with Miyu, but was interrupted by a woman's voice that made his heart jump for joy.

"And what would you do instead?" Rumi asked curiously as she rounded the corner. "The cops are gonna be here for awhile, and unless you like being asked the same questions over and over I suggest you follow your bodyguard's advice."

Like a child being told their playdate was being cancelled, Cassandra huffed in annoyance and threw up her hands in exasperation. "You too Rumi?! Geez, you guys can be a bunch of downers sometimes." Cassandra then paused, and one could almost see the lightbulb going off in her head. "Why don't we compromise?" The blue-skinned woman said with a smile. "We can go somewhere safer, but in exchange I want to hang out with these kids for a little bit. I still have a few songs left and it would be a shame to let them go to waste."

As the group of teens whispered to each other excitedly, Miyu sighed heavily and reluctantly nodded.

"Fine." The shark-toothed woman said with obvious trepidation. "But I am only agreeing to this because I know you will just continue to be a pain in the ass otherwise."

With a smug grin on her face, Cassandra pushed off the wall and dusted her clothes off. "Great! Now where should we go?"

As Rumi looked at him with an expectant grin on her face, Izuku cleared his throat to get everyone's attention.

"I think I know of a place that might fit the bill."