Hana didn't know if she should be overwhelmed or overjoyed. There were so many people, sounds and smells that were so telling of a festival, but right now she was standing by herself near a streetlight in the early afternoon sun. There was an extra 20,000 yen in her pocket and all the free time in the world right now with thirty vendor stands with games, food and more.

She had seen better events in her time, but never did she ever have this level of freedom to just...be. No expectations, no off handed comments thrown her way and no alcoholic father to worry about waiting at home. She was totally free and part of her found it strange. Anxiety had become a second nature to her for as long as she could remember with anything from bills, to food, to her grades, to her performance in gymnastics, the sense of panic that she hid under her skin was normal to her. Now everything was taken care of, the bills were paid, they had enough food and school was a rapidly fading memory.

The sensation was hard to explain, but in a way she missed the worry, she even wondered about her father and how he was taking her absence. It was hard to hate the man in her eyes, he was her father after all and to his credit he did try to get better when he approached the basement of rock bottom. It was just too much for her to bear one day and so she left. A part of her felt guilty about that, screaming she had abandoned him, but she knew that it was up to himself to get better, not her. Not when the price was her safety. One thrown bottle after another kept reminding her of that until she snapped.

That was four months ago and her life changed for the better. She had new people around her, she wasn't terrified to simply get up in the mornings and right now it only looked to improve as time went on. Though as of late, there were still elements of her old life which still persisted. People who needed a helping hand and those annoying yet necessary duties.

It was a routine and like it or not, that was what made the bedrock of her life. Chores upon minor chores that seemed to only distract from the larger issues. She'd lost count of the times Gentle had come home utterly exhausted or La Brava being so stressed that she would pull at her hair or Izuku would zone out at random while nearly digging his fingers into his collar.

It was all out of her control and she hated it. They all deserved better, but she was happy for the little bit she did have. It was endlessly better than being dead and even then there were fates worse than that. She had seen them up close before and she could remember every detail at times. The screaming that echoed out into the hallway, the smell of blood filling the air, the way her friend had thrashed like a wild animal to try and live and that horrible face grinning back at her while she stood frozen in shock. That was a moment which will live with her till the day she dies and the demon who did that was still out there somewhere, ruining more lives without a second thought.

Reluctantly she let the anger growing inside her go. There wasn't anything more she could do about that day, it happened and she did the best she could. All that was left was the present and right now she should be happy. Pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose Hana walked further into the crowd, passing stalls and vendors aplenty while taking a moment to sample a treat here and there. The air around her was joyous and relaxed and for a moment every one of her worries were gone.

In the late winter sun where the fresh snow had yet to melt it was like something out of a story book. That feeling was shattered when she stepped by an alleyway and smelt the too familiar scent of alcohol. Sitting on a plastic milk crate with his back slumped against the grey concrete of the wall was Izuku. His face was rosey from the drink, his fingers a pinkish red from the cold as a bottle of whisky rested in one loose hand. He turned his head to the entrance of the alley and raised an eyebrow at the girl, raising the bottle to offer it to her.

"Well, good to see you Hana, how you enjoying yourself so far?"

The smell was overpowering even from the distance between them, still she suppressed a long learned instinct to flinch at the smell. Slowly she approached him with a small smile to ease the situation.

"I'm fine right now, but would you mind explaining how you found that?

Izuku raised the bottle to his lips once more and laughed.

"Bought it from some schmuck selling the stuff. He said he needed it gone and well, let's say I got one hell of a deal in the process."

Hana pursed her lips at this, allowing the jolliness on his face to not influence her too much. Reluctantly she squatted down with her back to the wall until they were at eye level.

"Regardless if you got it cheap or not...I gotta say that isn't good for you. I've seen what happens with alcohol."

An eye roll answered her as he took another sip.

"Yeah, you ain't wrong, but it makes me feel good."

Hana ran a hand over her face and dispersed the feelings building inside her.

"Just because you feel good in the moment doesn't mean it'll last forever and that pleasure won't lead to anything positive."

The bottle touched the snow covered ground as Izuku examined the reaction of his roommate.

"You ever consider the fact that tomorrow won't be coming? That all you have ahead of you is either death or suffering? You need to take every chance to make yourself happy because one day, you won't feel anything."

The quirkless girl stared back at him, a certain kind of stoicism taking hold of her.

"There'll always be a chance to be happy Izuku, but it can't come from anything outside of yourself without it being fake."

He released his grip on the bottle, the steps he took as he stood up becoming slightly wobbled by the drink.

"I beg to differ. Things can make you ecstatic if you know what to look for. Besides, with all the horrible stuff I've done it doesn't matter, there isn't much left for me."

Against her better judgement Hana felt her hands travel to her hips as a hot flash of anger burned inside her.

"Izuku you're still young and you are a good person even if you've had a messed up life, that isn't a reason to just be hedonistic and give up."

He pointed a finger at her, his body slumping as he did so.

"You don't know what I've done, the things I deserve to happen to me for acting like a fucking animal. I should be dead, but instead I'm living with people who…"

Izuku inhaled deeply as the thoughts came to him, landing himself back on the milkcrate.

"It isn't fair that I'm able to have a second chance after so many people have been hurt by me. Why the hell am I allowed to get away when everyone else isn't? I can still see their faces sometimes, you know? I can't remember their names, but they just come in these waves of people and other times…"

He gripped the green curls of his head as a panic set in.

"Other times I'm just alone in this dark room with this thing and it grabs me and starts trying to drown me and I can't get away no matter how much I scream."

Izuku's posture slumped into a pitiful display. His hands dug deeper still into his scalp until he felt something warm touch him.

"Your mind is just trying to get over the trauma and it's processing what happened. That's a good thing because it means you are on the right path. I know how scary turning away from the past is, but drinking your sorrows away isn't the answer. It'll only make things worse because you run from them, with stuff like this you have to face it head on and beat it. Otherwise you won't get anywhere."

Hana crouched down, a smile forming on her face as she continued.

"And if you need help, I'll be here for you."

Izuku's cheeks became a shade darker at that. He darted his eyes away from the girl and found something to say.

"I...appreciate the thought, really I do. You've been so kind to me without asking anything in return while I act like a fool over and over again…"

He wrapped his arms around himself when the red shade darkened even more.

"I just...I just want to know that I care...a lot, about you, about Gentle, about La Brava. You guys are the only people I have left and I know at times I show it in unhealthy ways or I act like I'm bitter, but I'm not. I enjoy our time together and I'm grateful to you all. I honestly don't know where'd I be without you and those two goofballs."

The quirkless girl kept smiling at him, this time in a more caring way then before. She leaned back into the concrete wall with her short blue hair brushing against the stone.

"We know, and you do plenty for us. Gentle said time and again how much he loves your cooking and La Brava needs those notes you always take on quirks just to manage her job and well as for me...you helped me become better, even back when you were at UA I watched you in the sports festival and I couldn't help but cheer you on."

She raised a fist into the air much like how All Might would.

"The way you were willing to do anything to help your friend stuck with me in one of my darker moments and helped me get past it. You're still a hero to a lot of people Izuku, even if you don't believe it anymore and I know you'll keep doing great things once you move past this."

Her hands overlapped on top of his as she pulled him closer in an encouraging way.

"Because I believe in you."

Izuku's face was now utterly flustered, but that was short lived as his inhibition melted away.

A soft, warm sensation overcame Hana's lips for an instant as the boy closed the small distance between them and kissed her for all of three seconds before pulling himself back in horror at the realisation of what he did.

Izuku was appalled at himself, that much was clear as his eyes darted around wildly, trying to find any way to divert his anxiety by not looking at the girl he just assaulted. Hana for her part was now red enough to match her male teammate, but she seemed to be taking it better than him as the latter started to spew forth a line of apologies.

"I'm sorry! I didn't-! You were right there and you said that wonderful stuff and, and I wasn't thinking straight and well-"

A hand was placed on his arm, causing him to clam up as Hana stared back at him calmly while still being a bit flustered herself.

"It's fine Izuku, it was just a silly mistake. There's nothing to worry about."

Still he couldn't bring himself to look her in the eye and tried his best not to bolt out of the alleyway.

"No it's not. I have to keep myself in control otherwise I'm nothing more than scum and...it's just...I think you deserve to be treated better is all. You're so optimistic despite everything that you've suffered that nothing can get you down and people like you are so rare where they give more then they take without asking for something in return."

Izuku fought down something sinking in his chest when he continued.

"And it's like you are one of the realest people I know and you're not afraid to be honest about who you are. I mean Gentle and La Brava are the same way, but they haven't been hurt like you and that's just...amazing to me."

The blush grew across them both as they realised what was said, causing them to stare at each other but Hana continued to stay centered as she fiddled with her glasses.

"That means a lot coming from you. I'm glad I made you feel better, but could I make a request right now?"

He nodded silently as he kept trying to not be overwhelmed by emotion. Hana picked up the bottle and threw it out of sight, causing it to shatter.

"Would you mind sticking close by until the drink wears off?"

Izuku sheepishly agreed as he followed her out back into the street and into the festival. There they talked for a bit after the awkwardness vanished between them or rather the killer listened as best he could while the girl made conversation. Eventually after passing carts lined with greasy food and cheap parlor games Hana said something that made the scene change in his mind.

"This girl you were with...I've been wondering, how exactly did you become an item with someone like that? Assuming you're okay with telling me of course."

Izuku contemplated the question, his earlier embarrassment now gone in the wake of memories both treasured and traumatic. Oddly he found himself smiling against his better judgement and shrugged as a melancholic tide covered part of himself.

"She was...she was just the best I could do in the situation I was in and at first I thought of her maybe as a...friend? It's hard to say looking back because my only goal was to stay alive, but with her I had no doubt she kinda liked me from the start. I didn't really start to see her as anything more until...let's just say when I had my back to the wall and she was there for me and as weird as it is to say, she gave me hope. Even at my worst points she never gave up on me and kept pushing me forward, but at the same time, she was pushing into becoming more of a violent person and the whole thing between us was...unhealthy to say the least."

Hana watched the clouds gather over Izuku's mood and knew it would be better to stop there, but she was too curious. "Where was this going?" she wondered to herself and kept asking to damn the consequences.

"But you could have said no to her right? I doubt someone as strong as you would take being abused by some crazy girl."

Izuku laughed, this time filled with cynicism aplenty as he combed a hand through his curls.

"Not really. You have to understand this girl was dedicated to getting what she wanted. Hell, I couldn't even sleep by myself because she would always force her way in or threaten to throw a fit if I didn't let her. It was just this constant stream of "You're not acting right Izu-kun." or "You make me worry so much." or "I don't care what you say, I'm not leaving you." and just on and on until I stopped trying. I mean, it was like I inherited a satellite with how often she would be within five steps of me. Not that I minded it all that much, since she needed help, but you wanna know what she was doing to me while I was sleeping?"

Hana felt a stone set over her heart as images of what the answer could be formed in her mind, however Izuku didn't wait for a reply.

"She was fucking drugging me with quirk supressors every night for nearly two years and you wanna know something else? I wanted to marry this girl, I wanted to have a family with her and leave all the bullshit behind us and all I got was lies and scars in return."

Anger was building in his heart, but thankfully he relaxed as he remembered who was in his company.

"I couldn't use my powers for nearly two years so I couldn't break away from them and I was told that if I did leave they'd kill my mother and experiment on me, I had one of the only people I had actually grown to trust tell me that my quirk was gone and that my future as a hero was over and you know what? He was right because UA never even put up a fucking missing persons poster, nothing. I was practically forgotten about until things got worse."

There was a palpable sorrow coming from him now. His teeth were gritted and the clouds hanging over him grew darker still. Despite this he found a reason to let it go as he looked to the blue haired girl to his left.

"But that's in the past now and I got a lot of better people around, so I guess I need to be glad for that at least."

Hana saw how he tried to make a smile form on his lips and to a point he succeeded but it was forced to the extreme. At the moment she hadn't thought long and hard about what to do, it was just a learned reaction from those times she had to help her father when he started to unravel even more. She wrapped her arms around him and patted him on the back, trying to bring some sense of security to her friend.

"You're safe here and I promise things are going to get better. All you need is time and it'll become bright again, but for now, how about I just go get us something sweet to snack on?"

Izuku had to look away once again as another bit of warmth grew in his chest.

"Y-Yeah, that sounds good."

With that Hana broke away from him and started to make her way deeper into the mob of people. She had been walking on her own for maybe five, seven minutes at best before the volume of people increased and she had lost sight of Izuku. Regardless she walked on towards a vendor selling some candied apples when she heard someone call out to her. Turning around she saw a pair of brown eyes staring back at her. There stood a girl who had hair just as colored as her soft eyes and upon her round, mochi like cheeks were two pink circles that almost looked artificial from the tint of the skin. This was the Anti-Gravity Hero Uravity, who had stared back at her with a desperation that one wouldn't think possible for one so heroic.

Rigidly Hana studied the heroine who did likewise to her, the two unable or unwilling to outright speak before the more famous of them spoke up.

"I'm sorry for bumping into you like this, but could you help me with something? I'm looking for a missing friend of mine and I heard he might be around here."

She reached into a pocket to pull out a photo of a green haired boy that made Hana start to worry. It was a picture of Izuku looking none the wiser as he went about his duties at work. Thankfully she had learned how to fake her way out of situations like time and again.

Her head tilted to the side with a friendly, plastic grin and answered back in as even a tone as she could.

"I can't really recall if I've seen somebody like that. It's a big city after all."

The Gravity Hero cringed at her answer, but remained civil enough to where it didn't affect her too much.

"I see. Thank you anyway and if you manage to actually see him, could you please call this number? He's been taken from his home and right now we're trying to help bring him somewhere safe."

Hana took the business card the brunette held out to her and waved her goodbye. Once she was out of sight the quirkless girl began to blend back into the crowd. Flowing between the people and the buildings in her attempt to reach her friend, she had covered perhaps half of the way when she saw something that made her stop dead in her tracks.

Standing not even ten feet away from where she stood in the crowd was a head of blonde hair tied into messy buns in a yellow cardigan from where she stood, she could see the outlines of four inch long fangs that peeked out of the mouth while the cat like pupils of her eyes scanned the area like a wolf about to strike. Here was the face she had seen countless times in her nightmares, reliving that same horrible instant when she jumped in the way of this disgust freak, the same moment she got stabbed by the very creature before her and in her palm was a picture of Izuku.

Her heart was in her throat, racing like never before as visions of the suffering this demon girl had inflicted on her peer so long ago surfaced back like a curse. Every drop of blood spilled on the floor, every single scream made by Saito as he couldn't even fight back from how many times he had been stabbed, to the moment she slammed her book across the girl's face and had gotten stabbed herself for her efforts, all played before her like a film. Then something clicked inside her head when she noticed the placement of the slasher's fangs.

A thought that made her both want to vomit and scream, could Izuku have been...it wasn't beyond possibility. After all, this monster had tormented innocent people before from what she learned. Seven people hadn't even been given the dignity to die outright at the hands of this sick woman, no she bled them out slowly and waited for them to parish while drinking their blood. For an instant she bawled her fists, gritted her teeth and was about to confront the monster, to do something to make things right when she remembered that someone needed her and that outweighed the fury in her heart for now. Yet she remained where she was, taking in every feature of the blonde, cataloging it deep in her mind for some unknown reason.

Hana continued to watch silently in the sea of shifting people as the villainess stood with the picture of what may have been her only victim that escaped her grasp when another face appeared. The Gravity Hero approached the killer almost casually and to Hana's utter horror, the two of them began to talk. The sounds of the fair were too loud for her to make out what was said, but there was a pinch in the back of her skull telling her that these two knew exactly what the other was and simply didn't care. Time now felt completely unreal as she watched the exchange in slow motion and lost how long exactly she had stayed still. She had to suppress a yelp when a hand tapped her on the shoulder.

Looking behind her, she saw La Brava placing a finger over her mouth with panic in her eyes as she gestured towards the pair of women. Slowly they walked away without a single word between them and once they were able, ran back to the apartment. It was a quick affair as they undid all the locks and security parameters in the front door and slammed shut it behind them once they entered.

Gentle regarded the women curiously as they tried to catch their breath while he sat on the living room couch with a cup of tea in his hand. His attire was more relaxed in his purple loungewear and frankly he seemed rather drowsy as he sipped the brew.

"Would you mind explaining what's gotten you two running?"

La Brava shot up like a spring, her small frame bobbing up immediately as she looked around.

"Where's Izuku!? I told him to get back home and-"

She stopped mid sentence when said greenete poked his head up from a corner by the couch.

"I'm right here, what's the issue? You just told me to come home without telling me why."

The redhead suppressed a shudder of adrenaline as the situation mellowed out. Quickly she redid all the locks and made certain she had the boy's attention.

"There were these two girls going around with pictures of you, saying they wanted to bring you back home. One of them was that gravity girl, Uravity and the other was this weird blonde girl who kept calling you "Izu-kun". We got away without any hassle but if people are looking for you then it can't be good."

Izuku's face turned pale at the mention of his former classmate, then just as soon, he became a heavier shade of grey as he realized who else was mentioned. A terror so primal emerged in his eyes that he had to stop himself from collapsing from the stress. Yet Hana, who had been brooding in anger and fear herself took the attention back when she asked another harrowing question to the former hero.

"Izuku, I'm sorry, but I need to know, what was the name of the girl who hurt you?"

Her statement sounded more akin to a demand than a request, one that the young man had an issue answering.

"W-Why do you need to know-"

"Because I saw someone today who hurt me and my classmate long ago and I'm afraid that she might be looking for you, so please tell me."

The firmness in her voice caused him to flinch and there was a tenseness, a righteous core of energy that made the powerless girl seem not quite invincible, but authoritative enough that her will wouldn't be ignored when given to what she needed.

Still Izuku had trouble speaking outright about such things in such a situation, yet the words came out anyway under the stress of the moment, however reluctant they may have been.

"H-Himiko Toga, her name was Himiko Toga."

He had expected many things to happen when he said that, in truthfulness he believed the earth itself would open up and devour him for a split second in the quiet that followed, but the sheer amount of disgust on Hana's face wasn't one of them. It was a mask of such anger that her eyes hardened in a way only someone on the verge of a vengeful wrath could create. Her fists shook, the petite frame thundered with shallow breaths as she contained the fiery emotions inside her. With a thud, she stepped back to the door and slid down until she was situated on the floor with her head cradled in her hands as Hana began to mutter and occasionally slam her fist down on the carpet.

Everyone stared at her, bewildered by her actions. She remained like this for another moment or two before she looked back at Izuku as if he was far away.

"I know that girl, I've known her ever since middle school. I...I saw her stab one of my friends and drink his blood through a straw, I was right there and I moved in to stop her, but she stabbed me with a box cutter. She was going to kill me, I saw it in her eyes, so I had to slam one of my text books into her head. I…"

Her gaze settled directly on Izuku now, taking on a more pitous sensation towards him as she spoke.

"I didn't know it was that girl who hurt you Izuku."

Besides himself at being the center of attention again, the greenete chuckled uneasily at her. His thunder was soon to be stolen by the eldest man in the room as Gentle sighed at the delima before him. Setting his now empty cup down on the coffee table, he leaned back in the cushions of the couch with his hands resting behind his head while he stared at the ceiling.

"It would seem we have to move again."

The statement was utterly indifferent with not a single ounce of feeling to it. La Brava for her part went wide eyed then she quickly mimicked her idol's sentiment and agreed with him, not really caring where they went so long as everyone was safe. Hana was still dealing with her memories of the past to the point that the present may not have even existed while Izuku began to openly panic at the idea.

"What!? But we've only been here a couple months and we're barely pulling in enough money to afford this place, how the hell are we going to find somewhere else with the little bit we have!?"

Gentle shrugged, still reclining on the sofa without a care.

'We'll survive like always. Money is only a means to an end and we can make due with less if we must."

Izuku raised a finger at that.

"But-"

Gentle lowered his head to where he could see the young man with a harshness that any of them rarely saw.

"Do you have any idea about what would happen if either of those people find you? I know for a fact you understand that all too well or need I remind you of what happened with your so called "friend" that came looking for you? I understand it's hard to uproot again, but we must in order to stay safe."

That caused the young man to clam up for a time until a thought appeared in his head.

"Wait, if the two of them were in the area looking for me in particular and they haven't found anything yet then they wouldn't have a reason to come back so staying may actually be safer."

Gentle was unswayed by his idea. That much was clear by the glare he sent toward Izuku. The men held each other's gaze, neither backing down until Izuku lost that battle of wills due to shame rather than fear. Despite that, he still fought to say more as his head hung low.

"But what are we going to do? Hana and I are barely able to find work and you're in even more of a mess with that, sure La Brava can work anywhere so long as there's internet. It's just...we finally had something going, a bit of stability and now we have to throw it away because of my messed up past? Besides I promised Shoto that-"

The older criminal placed a palm on his shoulder and stared back sympathetically.

"Where there's a will, there's a way. So long as we're all ok then we can thrive. You just need to let go of your fear of change and see this for all the new opportunities this holds for each of us. It's a new horizon for us to cross and while yes, it is unfortunate that we have to relocate because of deviants and heroes, that is simply a fact of life which comes with our lot that we must accept."

Still Izuku hung his head low while a sigh of resignation sounded from him.

"...Can I still talk to Shoto?"

Gentle frowned at his request, one born of annoyance and empathy.

"Not for a while until things cool down and we get settled into a new base and even then I'd advise only talking with him and that's all once this matter is settled. Now enough about this, go pack up, we're leaving in an hour."

The day ended on the debate and the four strays began to ready their meager possessions for transport. Izuku never had much to start with and he liked it that way, less things to hold him down on such an occasion. He hadn't grown attached to the shitty apartment, not to the same degree he had to the bar back in his days with the League, but there was a familiarity about it which hurt to leave.

All he had was a small suitcase worth of clothes and books, along with a strong box inside the layers of paper and fabric which held his pipe, mask and usually his revolver when he wasn't carrying it, which he was in this instance. The others were in a similar situation with La Brava holding her laptop protectively in a satchel along with her few other possessions. Hana had next to nothing of worldly objects and at the moment, she seemed not to care. Gentle's entire life was stuffed into a backpack a little larger than the one he used to need for school. It soon dawned on Izuku that he was the one who had the most items out of everyone else and for some reason became anxious at the thought.

In turn for how little they had, the four could flee like gypsies without much issue and that was proven with how they all managed to get themselves onto a train to another city in less than an hour's time. They had found new lodgings thanks to Gentle's forethought where he made a list of places for them to move to if the need ever came up again. It was an apartment similar to the one they had fled, only this one had a little more space and two spare bedrooms instead of one. The only drawback(or plus depending on how they chose to act) was that the crime rate was so high that it drove the price of rent into the dirt.

Gentle and La Brava went about organizing themselves into the new home while Izuku was content to lay with his back against the wall in a corner, contemplating what everything that happened meant. However he wouldn't get long to continue this when Hana approached him. Her expression changed into one of frigid determination that he could feel. He looked up from his position on the wall and listened.

"Izuku you know how to fight right? Punch and kick and what not?"

He raised an eyebrow at her as he felt something akin to a mix of dread and excitement at what he heard.

"Yeah, why do you ask?"

She knelt down, looking him dead in the eye as to make sure she wouldn't be misunderstood.

"I want you to teach me. Show me how to protect myself so things will be different if anything bad happens again."

He pursed his lips at that. Thousands of images and memories of death and blood came back in crystal clear quality. Yet despite that he felt a smile tug at his lips and the scars on his body tingle pleasantly, much to his later concern. He would get hurt, be hurt by someone he cared about and he could hurt her back and they could both grow from the experiences. Yet he fought down the sick reasoning and looked at her plainly.

"I could teach you how to fight, but here's the thing about me, I don't hold back and if you do wanna spar then you're going to get hurt without question. Are you willing to handle the physical pain that this comes with? Because I've won enough fights in my day to know how to keep doing it, but it cost me a lot. Are you ready for something like that?"

She nodded, pumping her fist up in the air as a fire blazed in her eyes that Izuku had never seen in anyone else save for maybe Kirishima.

"I'll do anything to get stronger. Whatever it is I have to go through it's better than living in fear so let's do it!"

At this Izuku smiled, it was a sick, twisted mockery of a smile that was too big for complete sincerity. The smell of cheap pomegranate perfume and sweat filled his mind as memories and touches of sensations rose up from the repressed parts of himself. He would get to feel good again...but then he remembered what happened after. The crying, the disgust, the shame, the fear. Those were things that followed him back when he "felt good" and as he looked at how Hana lacked all those things, he made a silent vow to not let what happened to him fall upon her.

Still he smiled, the muscles retracting into a smaller, more noble type of grin as he watched how her soul seemed to glow bright.

"Let's go make something of ourselves then."